The moment Echo pulled the trigger, Dianne's body went limp, passing out from the intense pain.
Vexra didn't dodge the bullet. She crossed her arms in front of her, but even so, she couldn't completely block the attack. Her body was pushed back, her boots screeching against the floor as she skidded to a stop.
The bullet ricocheted off her hand, crashing into a distant corner of the building.
Glancing at her reddened arm, Vexra stared at the gun her opponent was holding. "That's a good toy."
"Of course!" Echo replied with a smirk. "I spent sleepless nights trying to merge this gun with my Aether!"
"That must've been hard," Vexra said, before charging at the young man. "But you pissed me off!"
Echo's body tensed at the cold tone in her voice. He quickly raised his weapon and fired again. The black bullet appeared instantly before her, forcing her to block it with crossed arms.
She possessed the strength of a low-to-mid-range Untamed, but it wasn't enough to keep her grounded. Each shot lifted her off the floor with the sheer force of impact. And worse, the bullet was fast—matching or even surpassing her own speed.
Echo watched the bullet bounce off her, shattering another surveillance camera as she staggered back.
He smiled in satisfaction, proud of his handiwork.
"That really hurts!" Vexra shouted angrily, her eyes blazing as she glared at Echo like he'd wronged her. "How much more of this do I have to take?!"
Echo was about to pull the trigger again when he paused. His expression turned serious as he glanced around, then squinted. "I don't understand what you're saying! And I should be the one asking questions! Why did you attack Celestus and try to kidnap the Mayor's daughter?!"
Vexra scoffed, her gaze drifting to the unconscious Soul Absorber. "What's so special about her?"
"Stop dodging my question!" Echo snapped. "How dare you attack this academy—the place I've dreamed of since I was a kid! Now that I'm officially a student, I'll protect it with everything I've got!"
The room fell silent, the distant sounds of fighting still echoing from the stadium. The battle raged on, but the intensity suggested it was nearing its climax.
A stifled laugh broke the silence. Vexra covered her mouth with her hand, trying not to burst into full laughter as she looked at Echo.
I fcking hate this. Why did I agree to say such cringe lines?* Echo kept his face serious, even though he was dying inside.
"Die!" Echo shouted. "This is for my Academy!"
He fired repeatedly, the revolver's cylinder spinning faster as bullets flew. The empty clip hit the ground with a clunk.
Vexra was caught off guard but managed to cross her arms just in time. Each bullet lifted her off the ground, and she gritted her teeth, enduring the attack.
At the last moment, she was flung against the wall. Flipping in mid-air, she kicked off the wall and landed squarely on her feet.
Her arms were red and shaking from the pain, but she couldn't bother with it as fury engulfed her. Eyes wide, her body became covered in light, and in an instant, she appeared in front of her opponent.
"It's done! It's done!" Echo hurriedly shouted, raising both hands in surrender.
A fist stopped inches from his face. The air exploded, blowing his hair back and distorting his facial muscles. Some of his saliva even flew out of his mouth.
The gusts continued behind him, causing the broken furniture to crash into the wall, shattering them further.
If that punch had landed, he wouldn't be surprised if he were headless by now.
Echo Maxwell gulped nervously. "Vexra, my beautiful Vexra, I'm just following our plan. Don't take it personally, okay?"
Vexra stared at him silently.
"Come on, you know me. I'd never hurt you," Echo said, raising a hand to touch the magician's chin. "Tell me what you want, and I'll make it up to you."
"F*ck me. F*ck me hard until I can't move anymore," Vexra's voice turned soft, her face burning red.
"Sure, sure, I'll f*ck your brains out, okay?" Echo smiled.
"Hehe," Vexra's expression suddenly shifted from cold and killer-like to sheepish and bashful. She giggled as she threw herself into his arms.
Echo let her for a moment before gently pushing her away. "Fifty seconds, and 'he' will arrive."
"What about her?" Vexra glanced at the Mayor's daughter, still leaning against the cracked wall.
"I'll move her away," Echo said, glancing at the surveillance cameras. After making sure all of them had been destroyed by his bullets, he nodded at his companion. "My suit. I wouldn't let you guys have all the fun."
"Here!" Vexra took off her top hat and offered it, bowing her head.
Echo didn't take it. Instead, he reached into the hat and, with a tug, pulled out a full suit.
Then, he covered himself with the black cloth, waving it across his body from front to back. The moment he let go, his outfit had completely changed from the Celestus Academy uniform to the Magician Hats attire.
A black top hat, suit and tie, slacks, and sleek, pointy shoes—an all-black magician's attire with robes cascading down to the ground.
A black-and-white mask adorned the top part of his face, revealing only his warm brown eyes and smile, while a cane mysteriously appeared in his hands.
Vexra placed her hat back on her head. "You're really handsome!"
"We don't have time for that," Echo said, lifting his robe to block Vexra's view of the Sentinel's Princess. "I have a magic trick to show you."
"Show me your magic, Prestige!" Vexra watched with wide, sparkling eyes.
"Tada!" Prestige lowered his hand holding the robe, and Dianne, the Soul Absorber, was gone from her spot—disappeared as if she'd never been there at all.
"Wow! You're really great!" Vexra clapped enthusiastically.
"Haha, thanks!" Prestige bowed, bringing his hand in front of him.
"Do it again! Do it again!" Like a kid watching a magic trick for the first time, she eagerly asked for another.
"Hahaha, later. I'll show you another one!" The Magician Hat's leader laughed before turning serious. "Call the others first. We need to proceed with our next performance."
"Alright!" Vexra touched her inner ear and started commanding the other members. "You can stop playing around and come here now!"
"By the way, how many teleports have you done?" Prestige asked while waiting.
"Six so far, three more and I'll be able to match a high-tier Untamed!" Vexra said proudly. Every time she teleported, her strength increased. After the first three, her might equaled a low-tier Untamed; from the fourth to the sixth, she gained the strength of a mid-tier Untamed. Once she reached her limit of ten teleports, she could even rival the high-end tier Untamed. With that kind of strength, she could shatter a mountain.
Beyond that, she might even withstand a full-strength punch from the strongest hero, though it's far-fetched to think she could defeat 'him' after ten teleports.
But currently, she could barely handle seven uses of her power. Even now, she was likely struggling to contain her strength, or else the power would explode, harming herself and those around her.