As if his feelings were transferred, the captain and vice-captain trembled uncontrollably and paled by a hundred degrees. It was like they were thrown into a frozen wasteland and a ferocious monster was eyeing them down! The physicians were a notch worse, directly convulsing and fainting. Some unlucky older ones died on the spot! Killing people from his aura alone, it really showed the massive disparity between Avin and others. He practically showed an ability that transcended common sense! Before anyone could react, the rooftop shook with a ground-shattering explosion. Everyone could not help but despair. If the thing responsible for the aura was here now, what did that mean? They were all screwed!
Crossing the capital city in a minute, it was unthinkable how fast that was. Remember, it took Freon around an hour to travel from the Arkfell estate to the slums. And that was factoring in the fact that he took a carriage! Despite all that, Avin was capable of surpassing that speed with ease. He was at least dozens of times faster! It was a feat comparable to the Sword King when he fled from the Lannisail Household. The Sword King could traverse across Algard and Corasen at breakneck speeds, moving so fast that he became nigh-invisible. However, it was still a far cry from Lord Wenmord, who could cross the Alzar Kingdom, the Desterina Ocean, and the Xingyuu Empire in a handful of hours…
The man landed on the rooftop with a murderous light. Using magic, he could manipulate the air currents around him to almost fly. This allowed him to travel in a straight line by hopping across rooftops. Once he landed, he placed his hand on the roof and a spell formed. A large wind blade formed which sliced through the stone and bricks like butter. Crash! The roof underneath him collapsed. Avin snorted and continued the same ridiculous strategy, cutting his way towards Freon! One floor, two floors, three floors… Boom! A landslide of debris and dust swept through the whole building as it shook violently. It seemed unable to hold up against Avin's absurd demolition. When he reached the bottom, the building… was essentially no more! Besides the lone outer walls, the entire interior was destroyed! The only left was rubble!
The Third Hand looked at Avin in shock and awe. They even forgot to breath, not realizing that the sole reason they stayed alive was due to Avin's intervention. Knowing the building was on the verge of collapse, the man sheltered everyone from the debris. He used the same barrier magic that protected Freon and Shirley when Freon's house was destroyed. However, it was not out of kindness. Avin simply wanted to kill them with his own hands! That was how deep his resentment ran!
The captain and vice-captain were the first to regain their senses. With a howl, the rest of the Third Hand awakened from their reverie. Everyone simultaneously drew their weapons out of instinct. It was the only way they could tame their overflowing fear. Surrounding Avin, there was approximately thirty people, all Fundamental Realm Masters or Half-Perception. Thirty people, close to breaking through human limits and becoming a legend… Thirty people, with their own triumphant stories, absurd victories, and near-death experiences… The Third Hand was truly a powerful force in either the Zino Kingdom, the Alzar Kingdom, or even the Xingyuu Empire.
Yet, they did not feel confidence whatsoever. Avin was releasing a pressure so monstrously strong that people felt a blade slicing through their skin. Against an impossible situation with no hope of success, their bodies were trying to surrender as a primordial desire to flee emerged. This was an innate instinct, a survival tactic! But no one ran. Not a single person gave up! Their discipline was so admirable that Avin had to revaluate them better. Of course, that did not lessen his killing intent at all. In fact, it actually made his killing intent surge higher! He could not stand leaving a threat like this so close. He would annihilate them!
Captain Murvin glared with bloodshot eyes. In his mind, Avin's appearance here had to be a trick. There was no way to relate the heavenly phenomenon with this man. Avin was an old man of a long gone and forgotten family. His era had long since been passed by the captain and the vice-captain. Therefore, it had to be a trick, an illusion, a lie… Furthermore, no one could fight against the Third Hand by themselves. Not even the strongest knight, Sir Winstin, a true Perception Realm Master, could do it! Fighting against thirty people simultaneously was suicide. There was no exception! Thinking the same, everyone calmed down and scowled. Their fear turned to rage.
"I don't know what trick you used, but you're a fool! Repent in the afterlife! Men, kill him!" Murvin roared.
The thirty members of the Third Hand shouted in unison and Avin felt a strong resistance against his aura as they began to work together against him. Avin narrowed his eyes and his aura doubled up again, releasing a truly ridiculous level of oppression. It easily annihilated the Third Hand's combined aura. The three that fought Freon: the man who punched holes in walls, the frightening leader who nearly beat Freon to death, and the one who stopped him charged out. The first man's punch pierced through the air and created a small shockwave. His power was even greater than what he used before. If it landed, it might instantly kill Avin! The leader was not far behind either. Everyone else coordinated nearly perfectly, cutting off all escape routes. Left, right, front, back, even above… Against such an onslaught, anyone would be cut down! There was no exception!
Most importantly, Avin was an Arcanist. Everyone knew that magic required time to use. Close quarters combat was their Achille's heel! On the other hand, the Third Hand specialized in fighting up close. For an Arcanist to deliberately deliver themselves to them was tantamount to suicide! Indeed, before Avin could respond, ten people were already a foot away from killing him. He had less than a second to react! Another twenty were waiting behind to chime in when necessary. It seemed like a hopeless situation! But as everyone expected him to be diced into a thousand pieces, Avin snorted. The power of Blue Depth Core Level was beyond their imagination.
His thoughts moved at lightning speed, conjuring a spell that blinked into existence before activating. With simple spells, his casting speed was nigh-instantaneous! An instant later, a thick wind barrier formed around him. The Third Hand looked down on Avin. Turtling up against their attack, so what? Arcanists could only use one spell at a time. If he focused on defense, then he was destined to fall! Avin's strategy was undoubtedly stupid. The ten people in front rained down their attacks on the flimsy thin barrier, expecting it to implode from the pressure.
However, when their fists and blades landed on it, there was no hardness like what they expected. They could pass through with ease. The price they paid though… was that anything that passed through was shredded to dust! Swords, daggers, fists, armor, bone, they were all erased from existence. People screamed in pain and fear. Due to their momentum, no one could stop themselves in time. The man who broke Freon's arm howled as his body was ripped to shreds. Like a wall that forbid any filth, anything that passed through was destroyed without a trace! Not even a single drop of blood remained! In a flash, ten people died. It was so shocking that everyone forgot to breath.
Avin stepped forward and raised his hand. Everyone reflexively retreated, fear growing in their eyes. But the man did not let up. Free-casting! Twenty stone pillars emerged from the ground, precisely beneath the twenty remaining. With speed that surpassed evasion, they pierced through twenty bodies from the bottom up, blasting through organs and bones, before exiting from the top. Like an artistic display, a rain of blood showered down as these twenty died miserable deaths. Horror was etched forever on their faces, creating an extremely creepy sight. Avin stood in the middle, like the lord of death, glaring at his final two opponents: the captain and vice-captain. Of course, he saved the best for last. They would experience the full extent of his 'magnanimity'.
"Now then, shall we have a talk?" Avin smiled. But to the two, his smile was the smile of death!
"Who are you?" the vice-captain screamed. "You're not human! You're a monster!"
Avin's eyes turned cold. "You don't recognize me? That's fine. I don't really mind. What I'm interested in is who your backer is and why they decided to attack the Arcellius Family!"
Unlike Lord Wenmord who had convenient spells like soul searching, that could perfectly extract information from their target, Avin had no experience in soul attainment. After all, the world beyond humanity was vast, far vaster than anyone could understand. There were things that humanity had never seen or heard of, much less Avin. Currently, even the concept of a soul was vague, much less manipulating it for information. He had no choice but to use conventional methods: to force the information from their mouths instead. The downside though… was that these two were not loose lipped at all. They had no intention of playing along with Avin.
The captain laughed. "Good! Good! You must think you're a god with how strong you are. Indeed, the two of us wouldn't be able to even ruffle your feathers. You are truly a god among men, Protector Avin! But…" the man released a demonic smile, causing Avin to frown. "You seem to be forgetting something. We have our hostage," Captain Murvin grabbed Freon's throat and held the boy up like a ragdoll. With a light squeeze, he could kill Freon!