Back on Christian’s side, he was shaking his head as he said regretfully, "I was only able to kill around ten or so people."
"So, are you going to move to them and engage in close battle this time?" Anastasia asked, raising an eyebrow.
But Christian just shook his head again.
"Why would I need to do that?" he said.
"When they’re already coming to me? And in the process, I could finish off another ten or so?"
At his words, Anastasia nodded and said, "Well, you’re right."
And just like that, Christian continued sniping — targeting the weak ones who were far from the stronger individuals, where no one could shield them.
They were moving in feet, so, they had better mobility too, and that’s affected his accuracy.
that’s why, Christian couldn’t help but think of Nina.
If she were here, the result would be entirely different.
Even though the sniper in his hands now had better firepower, he was still not a mage.
He couldn’t accelerate the bullets further with magic to grant them destructive speed like she could, or use other spells.
Nevertheless, Christian remained undeterred.
Sniping those people like ducks, shaving off more than ten additional lives.
"You fucker, come down here!" Kael’s voice suddenly roared from below — he had finally arrived close to the house, screaming in anger.
He left the sniper in its place, pulled out two pistols — one in each hand — and jumped down.
But he didn’t rely on his body’s strength to absorb the fall.
Instead, just as he neared the ground, pressure emitted from beneath his boots, slowing his descent.
And he landed gently, almost without sound.
Kael launched at him immediately, and the others followed, surrounding him in a flash.
Yet Christian, without the slightest hint of fear, smiled at them all.
He raised his pistols, firing bullet after bullet.
And his boots activated again, helping him maneuver swiftly between their movements.
"It seems even when I go along with your wish and engage in close battle, you still can’t do anything," he said, eyes locked onto Kael — the strongest of them all.
His face twisted with fury, and his attacks grew far more vicious.
Even then, they couldn’t touch Christian, as he began picking off the weaker members first — one after another.
"You know? I’m curious," Christian suddenly said, killing another with a shot before turning his gaze toward Kael.
"You asked some outsider mage to track my traces. So why didn’t you think of asking him to help you dispose of me too?"
Kael froze for a split second.
’Is there a traitor?’ he wondered, as his expression turned uglier by the moment.
Still, he responded, voice filled with disdain, "How could taking you down ever require help from someone else?"
In response to that condescending tone, Christian simply smiled.
Then he stopped talking and focused entirely on the fight.
He was absorbed in the moment — enjoying what his technology, and what planet Earth, had provided for him.
Yet even then, most of his mind wasn’t on the fight.
And from the corner of his eye, he caught sight of her suddenly appearing a short distance away, her arms crossed, watching him with clear amusement in her eyes.
It felt like she was sending him a message without speaking — something along the lines of: Why are you still playing with them? Why not finish this using your real strength?
But Christian just shrugged to himself... and an idea had occurred to him.
His expression shifted slightly, becoming more serious, as he began moving toward Anastasia’s side. Nᴇw novel chapters are publɪshed on novelFirｅ.net
Only to end up failing — their strength and coordination were sharper than expected.
How could Kael and the others not notice such an obvious act?
Of course they noticed.
Their eyes followed his movement, and when they finally landed on Anastasia — they all froze.
And in that moment, Christian took the opportunity to eliminate one of the enemies at the first stage.
The sudden death jolted Kael back to his senses, and he barked, "All of you, snap out of it!"
Then, with a sharp gesture, he signaled toward one of the men.
A silent command — go take her hostage.
Christian watched it all calmly, his eyes tracking the man as he moved toward Anastasia.
What fate awaited that man?
And what was Anastasia going to show him?
He didn’t have to wait long to find out.
Because the moment the man approached her — just a few steps away —
His body twisted unnaturally, compressed inward like crushed meat, and in the blink of an eye, he burst apart.
What remained of him evaporated into a fine red mist that drifted slowly with the wind.
Their minds froze — if earlier it was due to her unnatural beauty, then this time it was pure fear.
What they had just witnessed wasn’t something they could understand.
It wasn’t strength. It wasn’t magic.
It was something beyond them.
A force they couldn’t touch.
A presence that shattered their courage without lifting a finger.
That was what it meant for them.
The situation was different.
He was fascinated by the display — because, for the first time, he felt something from her.
He sensed the kind of move she had made, and it was something he knew well.
Essence Manipulation.
Pure Essence Manipulation.
It was something he was good at... no — something he took pride in.
His Essence Manipulation skill had already reached Mortal Level Seven.
But compared to Anastasia?
It was the difference between earth and sky.
And for the first time, Christian became certain... Anastasia wasn’t in the Mortal rank at all.
She was something more.
He stood there, filled with amazement at her power — but Anastasia didn’t seem to appreciate that.
Suddenly, she appeared right in front of him, just an arm’s length away.
Her eyes narrowed, a cold smile playing at her lips.
"Pull a prank like that again, and you’ll be in trouble," she said.