The flames that had been burning so violently... vanished.
And yet, even if the attack failed, the ground beneath them didn’t walk away unscathed.
The rooftop — or rather, the reinforced concrete of the top floor — cracked violently from the impact, a heavy vibration pulsing through the structure.
Christian, however, stood untouched. Not a wrinkle on his coat, not a hair out of place.
He looked directly at her, smile still in place, and asked simply,
For a moment, she seemed to burn with rage at the sheer humiliation of that question.
But more than that — far more than that — a flicker of horror passed through her expression.
Because in that moment, she understood.
Understood the difference between them.
To Christian, though, this was only natural.
After all, he was a blacksmith.
A blacksmith who handled fire.
Who had a reinforced body, thanks to his Flawless Body skill.
Who had begun training in a technique at the fifth stage — one that was also based in fire.
And most importantly... he had essence manipulation.
He was on a different level entirely.
Their specs didn’t even belong on the same page.
And Nyra, realizing that — truly realizing it — tried to create distance between them.
But Christian didn’t let go of her fist.
He simply raised his other hand — the one still holding the massive pistol — and aimed it straight at her chest.
Then he pulled the trigger.
Guarding against bullets at that distance was an entirely different game.
Still, Nyra managed to block the first shot.
Her hastily conjured fire barrier flickered... then sputtered out completely.
Tried striking him with her free hand.
Tried to kick at him, force him back, disrupt his aim — anything.
But to Christian, now equipped with the Expert Hand-to-Hand skill, her movements were child’s play.
He evaded them effortlessly, shifting his weight with relaxed precision, and continued firing.
And so, Nyra was finally forced to take the bullets with her own body.
The explosive gore that had turned her subordinates into shredded meat didn’t happen to her — not quite.
The first bullet only grazed her skin.
But the next... and the one after that...
By the time Christian had emptied the pistol’s magazine, a ragged hole had torn through Nyra’s abdomen, blood steadily oozing from the wound.
He smiled as he noticed it — a subtle, satisfied smile.
It affirmed something for him: that pure firearms, purely technology-based weapons, could still injure those so-called essence masters.
Even Nyra, someone who had achieved the first stage, had been wounded after all.
With that thought, Christian kicked her — right in the injured spot.
Her body flew backward, tumbling from the rooftop, before crashing into the ground below and carving a crater into the street.
Christian watched her raise herself slowly, grimacing, clearly exhausted — but he didn’t pursue.
Alpha and Nina had already finished off the rest. They could take care of her too.
Seemingly understanding that, Alpha stepped forward, a blade gleaming in her hand as she launched herself toward Nyra.
The clash was immediate.
Alpha moved like a machine — because she was. All kinds of sensory devices pulsed under her synthetic skin, her calculations sharp, her reactions almost too fast for the human eye.
Even so, fire was always difficult.
Fighting someone specialized in fire proved more troublesome than usual for an Android. Flames flickered in unpredictable patterns, creating brief shields and sudden bursts of offense.
"What the fuck?!" Nyra growled as she backed away, her eyes falling on a scratch she had managed to leave on Alpha.
She narrowed her gaze — catching a glimpse of the metal underneath.
So that’s what was bothering her.
She barely had time to dwell on the realization.
Alpha’s hidden weapons came online — several mini-guns extending from her arms and shoulders, firing a burst of bullets at range. Then, with a faint roar, flame-like boosters ignited at her feet, propelling her forward again at blinding speed.
The second engagement began.
This time, Alpha had the advantage.
Nyra staggered, barely keeping up. Her body was weakening, her movements no longer sharp, and for the first time, her confidence began to crumble.
She gritted her teeth, then — desperation flashing in her eyes — turned her head toward Christian and shouted:
"I’m from the Drevane family! An important figure at that! Are you really sure you want to make us your enemy?!"
But even she knew — it was already too late for that.
All her subordinates from the Drevane family — every last one of them — were dead.
It had already been planted.
Still, hoping for even a flicker of hesitation — any opening that might let her escape — she continued, "If you let me go, I swear I won’t mention you. I’ll say I just suffered an unfortunate incident where my subordinates died. You won’t be tied to anything."
’Of course not,’ she thought, eyes gleaming with hatred. ’As soon as I get back, I’ll gather everyone. I’ll use every connection we have. We’ll besiege them, crush them, erase their existence.’
Her thoughts brimmed with killing intent.
Christian laughed loudly — a genuine, amused sound, as if he’d just heard the funniest joke of the year.
Nyra’s expression darkened.
She clenched her jaw, her mind racing, desperate to find something else — anything.
And then, in a final attempt, she bit down hard on her lower lip, letting blood stain it as she in a lower voice said.
"I can even give you my body... if it means you can spare me."
The moment the words left her lips, every instinct inside her screamed.
"Aaaaagh!" Nyra screamed, clutching the bloody stump of her shoulder — the place where her arm used to be.
She spun, eyes wild, glaring toward Alpha... and then to the far distance, where the sniper must still be — Nina.
But before she could process anything further... the sky flipped upside down.
She caught a glimpse of her own body, still standing — headless.
And behind her, Christian now stood, silent, calm. His pistol gone. In his hand — a dagger, slick with her blood.
And then... everything turned black.