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It wasn’t just because the shackle was made from dragon bone. Nor was it because Zeon’s mana reserves were too vast for the shackle to control.

The key was precise mana control.

The moment the mana shackle was placed on his hand, Zeon cut off the flow of mana to that area.

He completely blocked the shackle from interfering with his mana flow.

No Awakened in Neo Seoul knew of this method. Even if they did, it wasn’t a technique just anyone could use.

Only Zeon could employ such a method.

The same applied to the NSSC prison.

Though the entire prison was lined with special metals and magic to block mana from entering, it couldn’t do anything about the mana that was already within his body.

Whoosh!

Behind Zeon, several fireballs appeared.

It was his favorite technique, Fire Missiles.

Individually, each Fire Missile wasn’t particularly powerful. But when there were dozens of them, the situation changed.

Moreover, the battle was taking place in a narrow corridor with no place to hide.

The enemy might have thought they had cornered Zeon into a trap, but in reality, this was the perfect battlefield for him.

“Go!”

Swoosh-swoosh-swoosh!

Dozens of Fire Missiles shot toward the Pegasus Raid Force Awakeneds.

“Damn it!”

“Block them!”

Boom-boom-boom!

The Awakeneds swung their weapons and activated skills to shield themselves.

As a result, there were few casualties.

But Zeon wasn’t disappointed.

He had plenty of mana left to keep launching Fire Missiles without pause.

If he wanted, he could continue firing them all day.

And that’s exactly what Zeon did.

Swoosh-swoosh-swoosh-swoosh!

Dozens of Fire Missiles were launched in rapid succession.

Before the first wave could even hit the Awakeneds, a third volley was already on its way.

The enemies had attacked with overwhelming numbers, so Zeon responded with an overwhelming barrage of his own.

Boom-boom-boom-boom!

Explosions echoed continuously.

‘Damn it! Why is it so fast?’

‘I can’t even find an opening to counterattack.’

The relentless barrage was not only overwhelming in quantity but also incredibly fast.

“Argh!”

“Ugh!”

Eventually, the casualties began to mount.

As soon as they blocked one Fire Missile, two or three more would strike them, leaving them helpless and battered.

“That bastard…”

“We’ll kill you no matter what.”

Frantic with rage, the martial-type Awakeneds tried to close the distance to Zeon, even if it meant taking some hits. But most of their attempts were thwarted by Eloy.

“Where do you think you’re going, you bastards?”

At first, a few managed to get past her, but after that, she became an impenetrable wall, guarding Zeon’s front.

Thanks to her, Zeon could continue his relentless barrage of Fire Missiles without worrying about the Awakened’s counterattacks.

The Pegasus Raid Force’s losses continued to snowball.

No matter how many times they blocked, the endless wave of Fire Missiles made it feel like they were trapped in a fiery hell.

In fact, the air in the corridor had become so scorching that some even collapsed from the unbearable heat.

“Worthless… All of you, move aside.”

At that moment, Bronson pushed his subordinates out of the way and stepped forward.

He was enraged to the point of bursting at the incompetence and sacrifices of his men.

Boom-boom-boom!

Fire Missiles struck his body, but he didn’t even flinch.

Such low-level skills couldn’t even scratch his skin.

Bronson was a B-rank martial artist Awakened.

Though slightly underqualified to lead a massive Raid Force like Pegasus, no one dared to look down on him due to his unique Awakened ability.

Bronson’s eyes turned blood-red.

The madness and killing intent in his gaze were so intense that even the Pegasus Raid Force members felt a chill of fear.

Zeon immediately recognized Bronson’s Awakened ability.

“Berserker?”

A type of Awakened who harnesses rage and pain, unleashing their latent power in a single explosive burst.

While their ability was active, they felt no pain, and their strength increased several times over.

“I’ll rip your head off!”

With a maniacal scream, Bronson charged.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Eloy tried to stop him, but it was futile.

Her weapon, the Mad Gumiho, had been confiscated, and the difference in their physical strength was overwhelming.

Bronson’s sheer size was a weapon in itself.

Like a massive bull, Bronson rammed into Eloy.

Boom!

With a thunderous crash, Eloy’s body was sent flying backward.

Even though she had managed to brace herself at the last second to reduce the impact, it still felt like her entire body was about to shatter.

The destructive power was immense.

Bronson quickly broke through Eloy’s defense and closed in on Zeon.

His massive fist shot out like a boulder launched from a catapult.

“Die!”

Boom!

Zeon crossed his arms to block the punch.

The impact was so great that Zeon was pushed back several meters. Yet his expression remained unfazed.

Bronson immediately followed up with another attack.

“Judgment’s Mace!”

This was one of Bronson’s unique skills.

His massive fist was like a mace, and when infused with the dense mana unique to Berserkers, it had the power to crush even a giant beast’s head in a single blow.

But Zeon had no intention of taking the attack head-on.

“Fire Rain!”

In an instant, a barrage of flaming meteors rained down on Bronson.

Boom-boom-boom!

The intense heat engulfed Bronson.

The flames were powerful enough to incinerate an ordinary Awakened to ashes.

Fwoosh!

“Kuhaha!”

But Bronson seemed unaffected by the flames.

He burst through the fire, heading straight for Zeon.

Bronson’s thick arms wrapped around Zeon’s waist like giant pythons constricting their prey.

The immense pressure focused on Zeon’s waist, as Bronson squeezed and growled.

“You’re nothing. Without your sand, what can you do? You’re going to die here today—by my hands.”

Crack!

The sound of bones grinding together emanated from Zeon’s waist.

Yet Zeon’s expression didn’t change.

His eyes remained cold as he looked down at Bronson’s face. The moment their eyes met, Bronson realized something was terribly wrong.

Zeon spoke.

“People like you always make the same mistake. The moment I show a weakness, you think you’re in control.”

“What?”

Thud!

At that moment, Zeon grabbed Bronson’s face with his right hand.

Bronson’s face was so large that Zeon’s hand barely covered half of it, but that was more than enough.

Whoosh!

Flames erupted from Zeon’s palm.

These flames were on an entirely different level, an ultra-high temperature blaze.

The white-hot flames burned through Bronson’s eyeballs and began to penetrate his skull.

“Aaagh!”

Bronson let out a horrific scream.

He tried to release Zeon and retreat, but this time Zeon didn’t let go.

Zeon wrapped his legs around Bronson’s waist, locking him in place.

Bronson rolled on the ground, screaming.

“Damn it! Get off me, you monster!”

“I thought you said I was nothing without sand?”

“Aaagh!”

The white flames continued to burn through Bronson’s eyes, reaching his brain.

Thick, acrid smoke billowed up.

The smell of burning flesh made the nearby Awakeneds shudder.

Only then did they realize their grave mistake.

Zeon wasn’t strong just because he was a Sand Mage—he was inherently powerful.

They had assumed that in the Clean Room, where sand was scarce, killing Zeon would be easy, but that was a massive miscalculation.

Even without sand, even with the Inferno Gauntlett sealed, Zeon was formidable.

While hundreds of members of the Pegasus Raid Force were needed to clear a single dungeon, Zeon had traversed countless dungeons alone, like they were his own home.

He had fought countless monsters and faced off against humans who sought his life.

The layers of experience and physical prowess he had accumulated were beyond what any ordinary Awakened could match.

“Urgh!”

“This is insane! How can this be real?”

The faces of the Awakeneds who had recklessly charged at Zeon were now filled with fear.

They finally realized that Zeon was on an entirely different level from them.

An overwhelming wave of terror paralyzed their nerves.

They were like frogs frozen in place before a snake, gripped by primal fear.

Zeon glanced at them briefly before turning and heading toward the stairs.

No one dared to attack Zeon anymore.

They understood now.

If Zeon had wanted, he could have turned this narrow corridor into a sea of fire, burning them all alive.

If he had done so, every member of the Pegasus Raid Force in the corridor would have been reduced to ashes.

“Kaak! Ptooey! Serves you right, you bastards.”

Eloy spat on the ground and sneered at them. But not a single person moved to attack her.

They were utterly crushed by the overwhelming pressure radiating from Zeon.

Whoosh!

As Zeon walked away, Bronson’s corpse was completely consumed by the white flames. No one dared to approach to extinguish the fire.

“Damn it!”

* * *

Thud!

With a heavy sound, the door leading to the first-floor lobby opened.

The steps of Zeon and Eloy, who were emerging from the door, came to a complete stop.

It was because of the Awakeneds filling the lobby.

At the center was Lee Ji-ryeong.

Lee Ji-ryeong’s eyebrows twitched upon spotting Zeon.

It was as if he had seen something he shouldn’t have.

“Zeon! How are you here?”

“So, you’re here, after all.”

“What happened to Bronson?”

“What do you think happened?”

“I asked a stupid question.”

“You made a stupid choice as well.”

“I don’t regret my choice. Even if I could go back, I would make the same choice.”

Lee Ji-ryeong considered himself a lion.

A head of a predator does not retreat or regret.

Once he views something as prey, he never lets go.

Even if he appears cruel to other creatures, it was the way to protect his own kind.

Pure lions may have become extinct, but Lee Ji-ryeong believed they lived on within his soul.

Lee Ji-ryeong walked toward Zeon and said,

“I tried to deal with this quietly, if possible. How nice it would have been if you had just died willingly?”

“Who would so easily give up their life?”

“It would have been more comfortable if you had died inside.”

“Don’t treat me like I’m already dead.”

“You are already a dead man.”

“Because I can’t use sand?”

“I know that you’re storing sand in your subspace. But with that amount, you can never defeat me.”

Zeon’s strength in the desert came from the infinite supply of sand. But this was Neo Seoul, covered in anti-magic and defensive runes.

Though not as severe as the Clean Room, there was almost no place for sand to enter.

With limited sand, he could never defeat him.

White lightning began to strike around Lee Ji-ryeong.

He walked toward Zeon.

“Come on. Sand Mage!”

———