Zed's eyes narrowed, and his face turned darken after hearing those words.
Just as the rusty voice of Oz echoed, everything seemed to pause for a moment, as if time itself held its breath.
Zed raised his gaze, his eyes locked onto Oz's intense stare.
In the darkness, the demon behind them laughed heartily, speaking on Oz's behalf.
"They want a craic at the party, yea?"
Suddenly, a loud "pwoosh" filled the air, and a fiery red fireball illuminated the entire pub, hurtling directly toward Oz.
After unleashing that attack, the demon wasn't done yet. The brief talk had given him enough time to prepare for at least two more releases of Sporemirus*. A chilling wind swept through the air, causing icy shards to form, resembling a frenzy of mad insects swarming toward Oz.
Rather than canceling each other out, the flames and the ice formed a spiraling structure, charging relentlessly towards their target, fulfilling their duty.
"Ah, ye Huisss!"
Oz let out a eerie cry, reminiscent of a baby's wail. Instantly, his arm expanded by a full circle, and the previously dormant spots on his body suddenly came to life, converging to form a layer of gray exoskeleton. It defended against the fusion of two abilities— the drilling-like attack.
"Crap! Rubbish! Shred you to pieces!"
Oz shouted. His body grew even larger, and while the previous attacks had drawn blood, they had not struck his vital core.
Zed furrowed his brow, a sense of foreboding washing over him. Stepping back, he could tell that Oz was a devourer-type Awakener, and it was apparent what he devoured—the most common beast around Newford, Brutes, and Acid Hounds.
The customers who had been lying in the shadows around them now stood up, each towering in height. Zed could discern the theme of tonight's party from their appearance.
"They certainly want a craic."
Zed muttered under his breath. Without hesitation, he crushed the spore he had prepared in his hand.
Red blood dripped onto the floor, gradually dispersing into rivulets that snaked through the gaps between coins, the seams of the wooden boards, and the soles of everyone's shoes.
[Blood Sculpture - B2 - Full Charged!]
An ancient voice echoed in Zed's mind. He knew it was the prompt exclusive to Ascending-class Awakeners, the first sigh that would claim an enemy's life.
"Go then."
Boom!
Those figures that had just risen from their seats turned into vivid red sculptures on the spot. Unlike Brutes he met previously, the extent of the crimson spread indicated that some of the lackeys this time hadn't even reached C1 level. They were instantly ensnared by crimson veins, wrapping around their necks. If the veins climbed any higher, they could even cover their mouths and noses, suffocating them.
But Zed also knew that this wouldn't hold Oz for long.
As expected, with a crisp sound, the spots on Oz surged once again.
The sturdy exoskeleton suddenly melted, transforming into acid that dripped onto the blood scabs at his feet. In an instant, a billowing mist rose, breaking his control and allowing him to unleash a furious roar as he strode toward Zed once more.
The red trails beneath his feet continuously entangled and tore apart, rendering Zed's release of point from the blood bank useless.
Even Demon's face turned grim.
Based on his continuous observation and reports, Oz was most likely just a high-level B2 devourer-type Awakener, perhaps brushing against the boundaries of B1. But today, it seemed that this guy had firmly established himself as a solid B1 Awakener.
At this moment, Oz charged straight toward Zed like a cement truck on a collision course.
The distance between them was not really far, and Demon had no doubt that Zed would be hitted to mere fragments upon their first contact.
Yes, it just hurt to everyone, even that man is Mr. Zeppeli.
"Run! Sir! Run!"
The demon shouted at the top of his lungs as he prepared another spell.
He looked at Zed, only to find that his boss's face hadn't changed at all.
Instead, the young man stood there silently, counting something.
"5...4...3...2...1..."
Boom!
Just as Oz's massive body was about to destroy everthing in front of it, the demon saw a golden lightning bolt strike down from the ceiling, instantly illuminating the entire room. He himself was also thrown out by the intense shockwave.
Cough, cough, cough.
When the demonhad his senses back, dust and wood chips filled everyone's lungs. Two-thirds of the pub's roof had disappeared, and looking up, there was a mini thundercloud brewing above, ready to unleash a storm.
In the darkness, two figures still stood in the bar.
Demon's eyes widened as his boss slapped the head of their enemy like a ball to the floor.
"There won't be any more parties. If you want real money, go out of the city and become a wild diver. This bar named New Bloodline from now on."
Zed's voice echoed clearly throughout the bar. His tone was just as it was when he first arrived, without a hint of change.
Then, he gestured to the demon lying on the ground, who seemed to understand something and followed him as they left quickly.
"I just want a fking lighter.."
Zed spit out the cigarette, cursed silently.
A few seconds later, the red statue's shell gradually dissipated, and the people inside came out, their eyes blank, dispersing outside the bar.
The bar's signboard had fallen, and the guard who came to investigate was a bald man. He collected the box of coins and classified the case as a Level C1 natural disaster.
Oz's body was used for scientific research, making significant contributions to the study of awakenings. He even had a decent tombstone to commemorate this, but no one went to see it.
"Not many people were affected..."
Zed held a glass of wine, watching the newcomers lining up to join the New Bloodline, nodding with satisfaction.
But there were still some things that Zed was concerned about.
"The way that monster used its power in the pub today... it was...weird, but unique enough." he thought, taking a sip of the red liquid in the glass. His eyes gradually took on a natural red hue.
Clap!
Zed slapped the goblet filled with crimson liquid onto the windowsill.
His gaze wandered around before finally settling on the Newford castle on hill, also clled the Awakening Academy now.
That was his next aim, but before that...
Starting from today, he should be able to go home earlier.
Oh right, Lucy's birthday was coming up.
"I should prepare a gift..."