Wizard: My career panel has no upper limit

Ron listened quietly, his expression unchanged.

He stood there like a stone statue, letting the other party vent their anger.

After Alex finished speaking, he slowly opened his mouth:
"Finished?"

The voice was as calm as if asking about today's weather.

"Then it's my turn."

Ron took a step forward, and the Dark Threshold followed his movement, moving like a shadow behind him:

"Lord Alex, do you know what the biggest problem is with what you just said?"

He didn't wait for a reply and continued on his own:

"The problem is that you're too eager to prove yourself."

"Eager to prove you're unrestrained, to prove you're powerful, to prove you don't care about any rules..."

Ron's tone remained calm:
"This just shows that you actually care a lot."

“You care about the Grand Duke’s opinion, you care about the clan’s evaluation, and you especially care about whether you are ‘powerful’ in the eyes of others…”

"So when someone exposes this facade, you jump up and refute it."

He stopped, maintaining a distance of about twenty meters from Alex:
"but me……"

Ron's voice suddenly turned cold:
"We don't care who you are, who's behind you, or what glorious achievements you have."

"In my eyes, you're just a big lump..."

"Stinky dog ​​poop blocking the way."

As soon as this sentence came out.

The smile on Alex's face vanished completely, replaced by naked murderous intent.

"good, very good!"

He spoke word by word:
"It's been a long time since anyone dared to talk to me like that."

"The last person to say that is gone now, not even ashes remain."

"That's a shame."

Ron responded calmly:

"Because you're about to see him."

As soon as he finished speaking, Alex moved!

His figure exploded in a circle of blood mist on the spot, and the next moment he appeared three meters in front of Ron!

With a sweeping right claw, it aimed directly at Ron's throat.

That claw strike was so fast that it left several afterimages in the air, and the shriek as the claw tip tore through the air was like the howl of ghosts and wolves!

Ron didn't even blink.

The Starlight Observer had already seen all the possibilities of this attack.

Ron simply turned slightly to the side.

The movements appeared slow and leisurely, as if one were taking a walk and avoiding a stone.

But it was just such a simple side turn.

Alex's claws grazed the side of his neck.

The airflow ruffled Ron's collar, making a soft "whoosh" sound.

The woman was unharmed.

"What……"

Alex's eyes widened.

He clearly felt that the angle, force, and timing of his strike were all perfectly accurate!

But it was as if his opponent already knew how he was going to attack, and he dodged in advance!

wrong……

Alex made the decision in an instant.

This isn't "advance planning," it's "foresight"!
The other party possesses some kind of precognitive ability!

Without pausing, he slammed his knee into Ron's abdomen!

Just as the Starlight Observer predicted, the second blow has arrived!

Ron's reaction was still incredibly fast.

He pressed his hands down, and magic condensed in his palms into a semi-transparent shield.

"boom!"

The knee slammed into the shield with a dull thud.

Ron was jolted back three steps by the force of the impact, his heels leaving two white marks on the marble floor.

Yet he stood perfectly straight, and even his breathing remained undisturbed.

"The speed is good."

Ron commented:
"His strength is also quite good."

"but……"

He raised his hand and patted off non-existent dust from his clothes:

"That's it?"

A fierce rage ignited in Alex's eyes.

The feeling of being dismissed so casually hurt his pride more than any insult!

"Arrogant brat, I'll tear you to pieces!"

His body underwent another change.

——【Second Transformation: Blood Rift】!
This time, the changes were far more dramatic than in the first paragraph.

Alex's body began to swell, his muscles bulging wildly as if inflated!

His height increased from 1.9 meters to 2.5 meters, and his shoulder width was almost twice that of a normal person!
The skin turned grayish-white, and dark red veins appeared on the surface.

The most terrifying thing is that his human facial features began to distort and deform.

His eyes turned pure scarlet, without pupils, only burning crimson flames;
The nose collapsed, turning into two hideous holes;

Its mouth split open to its ears, revealing three rows of sharp fangs...

The bat wings are also changing.

The once "elegant" wing membrane became tattered and torn, with serrated bone spurs growing from its edges;
The wing bones thickened and hardened, as if cast from steel, and each flap of their wings stirred up a gale...

This is no longer a "human".

This is a complete and utter monster.

Alex stared intently at Ron with his scarlet eyes, as if assessing the value of his prey.

“You know, Ron Ralph.”

He suddenly spoke, his voice becoming even hoarser due to the abnormality in his throat:
"I originally thought that an opponent who would allow me to use my second transformation would at least be a peak Dark Sun level, like an old guy like Gaetano."

He stretched his shoulders, and the bat wings on his back unfolded and then folded:
"But you, a newcomer who has only been in the industry for less than a year, have actually made me take you seriously."

"Is this a compliment?"

Ron's tone remained calm, as if he were discussing the weather:

"If so, I would be honored."

"Praise?"

Alex grinned, revealing jagged fangs:
"This is stating the facts. However..."

His voice suddenly turned cold:

“Being serious and holding back are two different things.”

“I heard the Duke’s order—I will not kill you.”

"But he didn't say he couldn't cripple you."

Upon hearing this, Ron chuckled softly.

This reaction made Alex frown.

Logically, upon hearing such a threat, the other party should be alert, nervous, or even fearful.

But the young wizard's expression was as if he had heard a funny joke.

"Lord Alex."

Ron slowly began to speak:
"I have a question."

"what?"

"How much information about me did the Heart Clan give you before you came?"

This question surprised Alex.

"Details enough for me to kill you."

He answered cautiously:

"I know all of this: your combat record, the types of spells you are good at, the characteristics of your nascent form of the Void...

"That's good."

Ron nodded:
"That way I don't need to explain."

"Explain what?"

"Explain why..."

Ron raised an eyebrow teasingly:

You will lose.

Alex's anger was ignited.

But he didn't act immediately. Instead, he took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed his emotions.

As a veteran who had experienced countless battles, he knew very well that being provoked by the opponent's words was the most foolish thing to do in a fight.

"Verbal provocation?"

Alex sneered:

"These little tricks won't work on me."

"is it?"

Ron tilted his head:

"What if I told you that you were already in a trap from the moment you stepped into this hall?"

"trap?"

Alex scanned his surroundings:

"You mean those clumsy traps? I cracked them all a long time ago."

No, that's not what I meant.

Ron raised his hand and pointed to the top of his head:

"I'm referring to... the space itself."

Alex looked in the direction he was gesturing.

The ceiling is about 20 meters above the ground, and the surrounding load-bearing columns are thick and dense.

This is a relatively enclosed underground space, spacious enough, but...

"Do you understand it?"

Ron's voice rang out again:
"You can't fight at full strength in this space."

"Because if your attack gets out of control, the entire hall will collapse."

"At that time, the city above will collapse, even if we don't get crushed to death..."

He paused:

"Being buried in the ruins is enough to cause a lot of trouble."

Alex's expression changed.

He finally understood what the other person was saying.

The location of this hall is precisely at the intersection of the third and second underground levels of Twilight City.

Above are residential areas, commercial areas, and densely packed buildings...

If this place collapses, it won't just be a problem for the main hall; the entire underground structure of the area will be affected!

"But aren't you the same?"

Alex countered:
"You also need to control your spells to avoid causing widespread destruction."

"Yes."

Ron readily admitted:

"So this is a contest of 'control'."

"The problem is..."

A confident glint shone in his eyes:
“The wizard’s control over magic is much more precise than the vampire’s control over power.”

"With the same output, I only need to expend 80% of my energy on attacking and 20% on control, or even less."

"And you..."

Ron's tone became playful:
"It might be a 50/50 split, or a 40/60 split."

"If this continues..."

Alex fell silent.

He had to admit that the other party had a point.

The fighting style of vampires is inherently more violent and direct; precise control has never been their forte.

Fighting in such a restricted environment is indeed a huge disadvantage.

"What an elaborately designed battlefield."

Alex said in a low voice, with a hint of admiration in his tone:

"From the moment you entered here, you've been plotting against me."

"Do not."

Ron shook his head:

"It didn't start when we entered here."

"It started from the moment you decided to come to Twilight City."

These words struck Alex like a hammer blow.

But he didn't have time to think any further.

Because Ron made the first move.

The phantom of the [Threshold of Darkness] unfolded completely behind Ron.

The humanoid phantom, draped in a chaotic black veil and with its head suspended in mid-air without a crown, cast an eerie shadow under the illumination of the magic light.

"Since it's a contest of control..."

Ron said softly:
"Then let me show you what true 'precision' really means."

He pushed forward with his right hand.

There were no dazzling magical effects, no deafening roars.

Only a nearly transparent ripple of magic spread out toward Alex like a wave.

The ripples appeared gentle and slow.

But Alex's intuition was screaming a warning!
He retreated without hesitation, crossing his claws in front of him in defense.

The ripples struck his claws, producing a humming sound.

Then, nothing happened.

Alex was stunned.

This attack caused no damage?

No, that's not right!

He suddenly felt that the blood flow in his body... had slowed down.

It was only less than one percent slower, almost imperceptible.

But for marquis-level vampires, blood is the source of power!

"This is……"

"My Void Ability [Silent Theater] should also be listed in your data, right?"

Ron explained casually:
“I’ve slightly ‘adjusted’ the ‘rhythm’ of your blood flow.”

"Make it a little 'dissonant'."

Alex's face turned ashen.

He had never encountered such a bizarre ability before!

It is actually able to directly interfere with the physiological functions of targets of the same level, and in such a subtle way.

"do not worry."

Ron's tone remained indifferent:
"This is just an appetizer."

Before he could finish speaking, Alex made his move first!

Without further hesitation, he decided to strike first!

—【Bloodthorn Technique】!
Alex's blood "boiled" and then gushed out from every pore of his body!

The blood congeals and takes shape the moment it leaves the body, turning into thousands of fine, hair-like blood needles!
Each blood needle gleamed with a scarlet luster, its surface coated with a corrosive magic!

They poured down on Ron from all directions, at different angles and at different speeds, like a torrential rain!

The terrifying aspect of this move is that it has no blind spots, high density, and strong penetration.

Even for experts of the same level, it would be difficult to completely defend against!
Ron, however, remained standing in the same spot.

The realm of the Silent Theater is expanding silently.

Strange things began to happen once the blood needles entered the area of ​​effect.

All the blood needles suddenly lost their direction.

They hovered and spun in the air, like a swarm of lost flies.

"What……?"

Alex's eyes widened.

He could feel that he still had control over those blood needles.

But those blood needles seemed to have "forgotten" why they were attacking!

They wandered aimlessly in the air, colliding with each other, and then fell to the ground with a clattering sound.

"On my stage..."

Ron's voice rang out again:
“All the ‘performances’ must follow my ‘script’.”

"And these blood needles of yours..."

He raised his hand and gently clenched his fist:
"They weren't in the script."

"So, I 'kicked them off the stage'."

Alex's breathing became rapid.

This ability is a perfect counter to vampires!

The essence of blood magic is to control blood through willpower, giving it the "purpose" of "attack".

But if this "purpose" is erased, blood is just blood, no longer a weapon!
"Then let's try this!"

Alex roared and launched another attack.

This time he changed his strategy—forget blood magic and continue with close-quarters combat!
The enormous body charged toward Ron like a cannonball!
Its claws swung back and forth, leaving trails of bloody afterimages in the air!
Starlight shimmered deep within Ron's pupils.

[Starlight Observer] operates at full power, and countless silver "possible trajectories" unfold in his field of vision:

The first attack, targeting the left shoulder, is extremely powerful—it requires complete evasion.
The second attack, targeting the right leg, is extremely fast—it can be blocked.
The third attack...

All the information is processed, analyzed, and responded to in an instant.

Ron began to move.

Sharp claws grazed his cheek, and the air currents ruffled his hair;

The knee strike grazed his abdomen, less than three centimeters away;
The tail sweeped past his feet, and he just happened to jump up...

His dodge actually looked quite simple—sidestep, duck, jump back, lean forward, spin…

These simple movements allowed him to dance on the edge of a knife, weaving through the gaps between dozens of deadly attacks!

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"

Alex grew increasingly anxious as the fight progressed.

He had never faced an opponent like this.

It's not fast, and it looks harmless, but I just can't hit it.

"Lord Alex."

Even while dodging, Ron still had time to speak:

Do you know what your problem is right now?

"Shut up!"

"The problem is..."

Ron ignored his roar:

"You're too anxious."

"Eager to prove himself, eager to defeat me, eager to complete the mission..."

"This kind of mentality..."

Ron suddenly stopped and faced Alex's claw head-on!
Alex was overjoyed; he had finally hit the target!
Available in the next second.

The other person raised their right hand, and a complex array of runes appeared in their palm.

"boom!"

The claws struck the runes, producing a crisp metallic clang!
Alex felt like he had punched an invisible wall!

The recoil force contained in the rune made his arm go numb!
“It will become your weakness,” Ron continued, finishing his previous statement.

Alex took a few steps back and shook his numb arm.

He finally realized that the wizard in front of him was far more troublesome than the intelligence reports described!
"It seems..."

He took a deep breath:

"I need to be more serious."

The blood in my body is boiling again!
——【Blood Rage】

Alex's muscles swelled again, and his strength, speed, reaction time... all his attributes were enhanced!
He transformed into a blood-red afterimage, his speed doubling compared to before!
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The continuous attacks were like a violent storm!
This time, Ron wasn't just dodging; he started actively blocking and counterattacking!
The magic in the ethereal hands behind him began to condense into various forms—shields, longswords, chains… and was imbued with the paralyzing and burning effects of lightning and fire.

A whip tail whistled past Ron, tearing through the air and slamming into the ground and walls.

A deep trench was torn open in the ground, and a huge hole was blasted into the wall!

The entire hall seemed to have been hit by an earthquake, with smoke and dust billowing everywhere!

But when the smoke cleared, Ron was still standing there unharmed, not even his clothes were torn.

"This... is impossible! You're really a newly promoted Dark Sun level?!"

Alex was panting heavily, his eyes filled with disbelief.

His series of attacks just now were something even a marquis of the same rank wouldn't dare to take head-on.

But the other party didn't even suffer a scratch?!

"impossible?"

Ron straightened his collar:
"Nothing is impossible."

"Your attacks are fast and numerous."

He raised his head and looked directly at Alex:

"But in my eyes, each one was as slow as a snail crawling."

"Because from the moment your 'attack' is born, it tells me its 'target,' 'trajectory,' and 'strength.'"

“I just need to ‘listen’ to these messages, and then…”

Ron snapped his fingers, and the Void Remains behind him silently thrust his sword forward:

"Just avoid it."

As they spoke, the two continued their fight in the small hall, which was less than 200 square meters in size.

No matter how intense the attack, they kept it precisely within a safe range.

Each collision effectively dissipated most of the force.

Each eruption deliberately avoided the load-bearing pillars.

This is a battle fought under "extreme control".

Throughout this process, Ron's left hand remained hidden behind his back.

Whenever Alex's offensive was at its most intense, whenever the two were closest...

The abilities of [Chaos: The Overseer] will then be activated quietly.

The shadow cast by the black veil would obscure Alex's senses during the brief exchange.

That kind of concealment is extremely brief, lasting only a fraction of a second.

But even those fractions of a second were enough for Ron to do a lot of things.

such as……

He drew a short knife coated with poison and made a shallow cut on the other person's body.

The wound was very shallow, less than a millimeter deep.

Given Alex's immortality, such a wound would heal in the blink of an eye.

Before he could heal, the 0.5 milliliters of contaminant had already seeped into his bloodstream.

The first knife.

Ron left a three-centimeter-long gash on the outside of Alex's right arm.

Alex didn't even notice—in the heat of close combat, this minor injury was nothing, not even as threatening as the Thunderfire Longsword in the opponent's Void Remains.

The second incision was made below the left rib, in a more concealed location.

The third cut was made on the outside of the right leg.

The fourth cut...

Ron's movements were fluid and natural, like an experienced surgeon performing a delicate operation.

The position of each cut was carefully calculated:
Avoid bones, avoid major blood vessels, choose the area with the fastest blood flow...

In this way, the pollutants can spread through Alex's body at the fastest speed.

All this knowledge came from the intelligence provided by those three moles.

Ivan's intelligence network revealed to Ron Alex's fighting style—he preferred head-on confrontations and, due to his "immortality," extremely disregarded defense.

Seraphina's financial records revealed to Ron what kind of equipment the Heart Clan had prepared for this operation—all offensive equipment.
Alyosha's "suggestion" made Ron aware of Alex's character weaknesses—pride, irritability, and a desire to prove himself...

Miller also obtained crucial intelligence through the "Tooth" clan:
Alex had suffered an irreparable wound in a battle with a marquis from the "Fang" clan.

The scar is three inches below the left chest, and its regeneration rate is three percent slower than in other areas...

All the intelligence came into play at this moment.

Ron is like a director who has the complete script.

As for Alex... he was just an actor following a script.

"Ten cuts."

Ron counted silently in his mind.

His face remained expressionless, still maintaining that "all-out fighting" demeanor.

Alex, however, was completely absorbed in the battle and was unaware of this.

Those "scratches" and "minor wounds" are killing him.

"Hu! Hu! Hu!"

Alex was panting heavily, like a bellows.

He suddenly stopped and distanced himself from Ron:

"Although it was frustrating to fight, I have to admit that you do give me the right to use 'that'."

Ron raised an eyebrow: "That?"

"Yes."

Alex's body began to tremble violently:
"My final form..."

The trembling in his body was not from fear.

"Roar--!!!"

Alex let out a deafening battle cry.

That roar contained a powerful mental impact that could directly shake the enemy's soul!

Ron simply frowned:
"It's noisy."

He raised his right hand and snapped his fingers lightly.

"Snapped."

The Silent Theater unfolds.

The invisible realm centered on Ron and spread throughout the entire hall.

The roar was silenced as soon as it reached the edge of the domain.

Alex was stunned.

He could feel his vocal cords vibrating and the air vibrating, but he just couldn't hear any sound!

The feeling was extremely eerie.

It's like a singer suddenly finding themselves voiceless. Everything is working normally, but the "voice" is just gone!

"On my stage..."

Ron's voice reached Alex's ears clearly.

Clearly, this "silencing" is selective:

"All the 'noise' will be eliminated."

"And your utterly unbeautiful roar..."

His tone clearly showed his disdain:
"It's the most ear-piercing noise."

Even though the battle cry was silenced by [Theater of Silence], Alex didn't care anymore.

—【Three-Stage Transformation - Blood Explosion】!
Alex's body swelled up again.

His height increased from 2.5 meters to 3 meters, and his muscles bulged beyond the limits of normal living beings.

Each muscle was as thick as a rock, covered with a layer of dark red keratin...

The bat wings on his back melted and reformed, transforming into four thick, blood-red tentacles!
The tentacles, covered in suckers and barbs, each as thick as an adult's thigh, lashed wildly through the air, tearing through the air currents...

The most terrifying thing is the head—the human face has completely disappeared.

Only a mouthpart split into four pieces remained!

The mouthparts unfolded like a flower, revealing layers upon layers of sharp teeth inside:

The first layer consists of serrated outer teeth;

The second layer consists of hook-shaped internal teeth;
The third layer, at its deepest point, has a ring of fine, barbed hairs...

The entire structure resembles the mouth of a lamprey or the inner teeth of an alien, making it extremely terrifying!
Its body has also completely mutated, with its original two arms turning into four.

Instead of a hand, each arm ended in three enormous, gleaming claws.

This can no longer be called a "living thing".

This is a nightmare that crawls out from the deepest abyss, a personification of human fear, an embodiment of death...

Ron stared at the monster before him and remained silent for a second.

then……

"what."

He smiled.

The laughter was brief and direct, filled with undisguised contempt.

"Lord Alex..."

Ron's voice carried a clear hint of schadenfreude:
"Now I finally understand why vampires rarely show multiple transformations in front of outsiders."

He pointed to the other person's "face" that was split into four pieces:
"Because it's true..."

"It's so ugly!"

Upon hearing this, Alex's mouthparts, split into four pieces, trembled violently, emitting a sharp sound similar to an insect rubbing its wings.

The sound was greatly weakened under the suppression of the [Silent Theater], but it still instinctively made people feel nauseous.

It felt like fingernails scraping across a blackboard, or like countless insects crawling inside the ear canal.

Inside the four petals of the "flower"-like mouth, layers of sharp teeth were grinding together frantically, seemingly venting some inexpressible anger.

"Roar! Ah! Hiss..."

Alex tried to roar, but due to the structure of his mouthparts, he could only produce a strange sound that mixed multiple syllables.

Ron stared at the monster before him, his mind racing as he recalled the key information he had gathered earlier.

Those were ancient records Edwin brought back from the archives of Grey Tower, detailing the true cost of vampires' multiple transformations:
The transformation of vampires is essentially a "liberation of their primal essence."

[The first transformation unleashes approximately 30% of one's bloodline essence, with only a slight loss of sanity, which can be suppressed through willpower.]

[The second transformation unleashes approximately 60% of his bloodline essence; rationality begins to decline noticeably, and fighting instincts take over.]

[The third transformation unleashes over 90% of his bloodline essence, his rationality almost completely evaporates, leaving only the most primal desire to kill and the instinct for survival.]

One sentence in the file was specially marked:
"The vampires who undergo three transformations are already infinitely close to their progenitor—that mad 'Blood King'."

"The price of power is the sacrifice of reason."

However, the archives also mention an important detail:
As the battle progresses, blood flow accelerates, and physical activity levels increase.

This "combat state" can, to some extent, alleviate the loss of rationality, allowing the transformed individual to gradually adapt to this out-of-control power.

Therefore, experienced vampires will choose to transform gradually and will never enter the third stage at the very beginning of a battle, as that would be tantamount to suicide.

This also explains why Alex transforms step by step instead of unleashing his full power right away.

He needs time to "warm up" his body and let the rhythm of battle awaken the rationality that has been suppressed by the power of origin.

If he had three transformations from the start, he would have become nothing more than a beast that only knew how to kill.

They can't even distinguish friend from foe, let alone any tactics or skills.

At this moment, Ron is facing a monster that is on the verge of extinction.

Alex had just completed his third transformation, and his rationality was shattered by the power of the source.

While his strength surged, his thinking ability plummeted to rock bottom.

Like an overclocked machine, although its performance is increased several times, it may also completely crash at any time due to overload.

And now.
Alex had clearly forgotten what Ron's Silent Theater could do.

Anger and tyranny completely dominated his remaining thoughts, making him only want to tear this hateful enemy to pieces in the most direct and violent way!
The four-lobed mouthparts suddenly stopped trembling.

All the sharp teeth snapped inward in unison, as if some kind of precision machine were adjusting its angle.

Deep within the mouthparts, a dark red light began to condense.

The light was initially only the size of a fist, but within a single second it expanded to the size of a watermelon!
Inside the ball of light, crimson energy could be clearly seen swirling like a vortex, increasing in brightness with each rotation.

The surrounding air began to distort and boil, and the temperature soared at an alarming rate!
The crystal chandelier on the wall began to melt, and the plaster decorations on the ceiling began to crack.

Even the marble floor developed fine cracks—that's from the expansion and contraction caused by the high temperature!
【Blood Disaster Breath】!
This is one of Alex's deadly moves: compressing and igniting the magic contained in his blood, and then releasing it in the form of "breath".

Its power is enough to evaporate a city and turn all life within a radius of thousands of miles into charcoal.

With the enhancement of the three transformations, the power of this attack is at least tripled.

If it hits, even a Dark Sun-level wizard will be blasted into ashes!
Ron's previous attempts to restrain his "field collapse theory" have clearly failed to control this monster whose sanity has evaporated.

The energy cluster in Alex's mouth had expanded to its limit, and unstable lightning began to appear on its surface.

The next second, he was about to unleash this destructive force.

At this critical moment, the starlight in Ron's eyes surged to a blinding level.

The "deconstruction" of the Silent Theater is in full operation, frantically analyzing the energy that is taking shape!
Under his "observation," the structure of [Bloodfire Breath] was forcibly unfolded:
At the core of this energy is the purest blood within Alex's body;
The outer shell of energy is the "will to destroy" he inherited from Aiden's bloodline;
The "bridge" connecting the two is an extremely complex and precise magical circuit.

This circuit needs to complete the energy transfer between seventeen nodes within 0.3 seconds; if any node deviates, the entire structure will collapse!
"found it"

Ron locked onto the ninth node.

That was the most critical "turning point" in the entire circuit.

The energy from the first eight nodes will converge and compress here, and then be transferred to the subsequent nodes.

If this point goes wrong, the entire breath attack will spiral out of control!
—【Concealment】!
The second order was issued.

The power of [Chaos: The Overseer] was activated, and countless strands of chaos, as thin as hair, surged out from the void, directly invading Alex's "cognitive level"!
Alex was frantically channeling energy into his breath, his consciousness completely focused on "destruction".

He intended to use this attack to reduce Ron and the entire Twilight City to ashes!
First node, passed!
Second node, passed!
The third node, passed!
Eighth node, passed!
Just as the ninth node was about to start...

Alex's consciousness suddenly went blank.

It's like a wizard reciting a long incantation, suddenly forgetting what to say next.

The feeling was extremely eerie.

Everything was proceeding according to plan, but the "memory" vanished in that instant!
He knew what he should do, but he just couldn't remember exactly how to do it!
0.1 seconds.

Forgot the lyrics for just 0.1 seconds.

However, for the [Blood Breath], which needs to complete the transmission of seventeen nodes within 0.3 seconds, this 0.1-second pause is fatal!
The ninth node did not start.

The enormous energy gathered from the first eight nodes lost its "exit" and began to accumulate wildly at this node!
Just like a river that is suddenly blocked, the water will quickly accumulate and swell, eventually bursting its banks!
"boom----!!!!"

The energy cluster in Alex's mouth reached a critical point, and then...

It exploded!
The explosion didn't spread outwards; instead, it "collapsed" inwards under the guidance of Ron's remaining power!
All the energy erupted inside Alex's mouth, and that terrifying power, capable of evaporating a city, slammed into him!
"Ugh—ah—!"

Alex let out a bloodcurdling scream.

His entire head felt as if a small sun had been stuffed inside, melting and bursting from the inside out!
The four-lobed mouthparts were blown to pieces, and the layers of sharp teeth flew everywhere like a shower of flowers!
The lower half of his body was also affected, and a huge hole was blown open in his chest, through which his still-beating heart could be clearly seen!
Alex's massive body staggered backward, each step leaving deep footprints in the ground.

His body was trembling violently, and a large amount of blood was gushing out of his ruptured chest cavity, cascading down like a waterfall!
However, Ron did not give chase.

He just stood there, panting heavily.

Cold sweat rolled down his forehead like beads from a broken string.

His hands were trembling slightly, a consequence of excessive mental exertion.

That last strike, [Concealment], almost completely drained him of all his remaining strength in this state!
Alex's three-stage transformation has reached the Marquis level limit, and the "density" of his power far exceeds Ron's prediction.

To disrupt this level of energy condensation, he would need to push the power of [Chaos·Obscurer] to its limit.

Every thread of chaos woven, every intrusion into the realm of cognition, was frantically consuming his magic and mental energy.

And in the end, he did succeed.

The price he paid was that he temporarily lost the ability to activate [Cover] again.

The ethereal body trembled violently, and the slightly ajar "door" on the chest of [Threshold of Darkness] closed again.

Ron could clearly feel that his current state had hit rock bottom.

My magic reserves are still around 60%, so that's not a big problem.

The real problem lay in his mental strength; the fatigue washed over him like a tidal wave, making his consciousness somewhat blurred.

If Alex were to rush at him now, he wouldn't even be able to fully activate [Theatre of Silence], let alone use [Judgment].
"Huhu."

Ron tried to regulate his breathing, attempting to recover his mental strength more quickly.

The connection between the ethereal body and the abyss remains, and a steady stream of magic power is flowing in, but the recovery speed of mental energy is much slower than that of magic power.

It will take at least thirty seconds.

Give him thirty seconds, and his mental strength will recover enough to fight again.

But the problem is...

Will Alex give him those thirty seconds?
The answer was soon revealed.

The monster that had been staggering backward suddenly stopped.

The blown-open head is regenerating at a speed visible to the naked eye!
The shattered bones grew wildly from the broken ends, and flesh wriggled and wove like living things, reconstructing the outline of the skull!
The four-lobed mouthparts grew back in just five seconds, even more ferocious than before!
The hole in his chest was healing rapidly, new flesh and blood were filling the wound, and ribs and muscles were being replaced around his heart!
The two severed arms on the right side began to regenerate from the shoulders, with bones, tendons, skin, and all tissues regenerating at an astonishing rate!
Even the severed tentacle regrew from the break and tentatively waved in the air.

ten seconds.

In just ten seconds, Alex went from being "half-dead" to being "completely healed"!
He straightened up again, and his newly regenerated four-lobed mouth slowly opened and closed, emitting a mocking laugh:
"Hehehe hahaha."

The laughter was hoarse, like fingernails scraping against a rusty iron plate, and every syllable sent chills down your spine.

"Great, I guessed right!"

Alex's voice was still eerie, but it lacked the uncontrolled frenzy it had just displayed.

On the contrary, his words conveyed a calm and rational tone, even with a hint of playfulness.

Like a hunter admiring his prey that has fallen into his trap, his eyes are full of triumphant pleasure.

Ron's pupils suddenly contracted.

He immediately activated [Starlight Observer], focusing his "vision" on Alex.

Under his "observation," Alex's physical structure was laid bare:
The speed of blood flow, the trajectory of magic, the tension of muscles
Every detail was clearly visible under the starlight.

However, when Ron's "gaze" swept across Alex's chest.

He saw something that had never been mentioned in the previous intelligence reports.

That was a talisman.

To be precise, it was a talisman that was "stitched" into flesh and blood.

The amulet is irregularly rhomboid in shape, with its surface engraved with complex blood-red runes, and a thumb-sized dark red gemstone set in the center.

The gemstone was glowing faintly, the light pulsating rhythmically, like a separate heart beating.

What's even stranger is that this amulet is not simply "embedded" in flesh and blood.

It's slowly moving inside Alex's body!
Like a parasite swimming inside a host, passing through muscles, around bones, and avoiding vital organs.
At this moment, the amulet was located in Alex's left chest cavity, about ten centimeters away from his heart.

Those crimson runes were continuously releasing a special kind of energy fluctuations into the surrounding area.

Ron could "see" these energies spreading like a fine spider web, connecting to Alex's brain, heart, and major blood vessels throughout his body.

With each fluctuation, Alex's rationality becomes clearer, and his regeneration speed increases!
"What are you looking at?"

Alex's voice suddenly rang out.

He raised a paw and pointed it at his chest:
Are you looking at this?

As soon as he finished speaking, Alex actually tore open the flesh on his chest!
"Pfft..."

Blood gushed out like a fountain, but he seemed to feel no pain at all, and his mouthparts maintained that eerie "smile".

The dark red amulet was clearly exposed to the air through the torn wound.

The crimson runes on the amulet's surface were now rapidly circulating, and the gemstone's brilliance was becoming even brighter.

"Did you see it clearly?"

Alex's voice was full of smugness:
"This is a treasure that His Excellency the Grand Duke personally lent me—the [Red Hook]."

His paws gently stroked the amulet:
"With it, even when I enter the most berserk state of the three transformations, I can maintain complete rationality and tactical thinking."

“What’s even better is…”

Alex's mouthparts split open even wider:
"It can also accelerate my blood flow and magic circulation, further increasing my regeneration speed!"

"Your attack just now was truly spectacular; it almost killed me."

He shook his head, his tone full of satisfaction:
"What a pity! As long as [Red Hook] is still there, no matter how serious the injury, I can recover completely in a very short time!"

Alex patted his chest with his paw, and the wound healed instantly.
"And as you can see, I sewed it into my flesh, and it can still move freely inside my body."

"You want to destroy it? You'll have to blow my whole body to pieces first!"

"You want to take it? Then try and see if you can find it in my flesh and blood!"

He spread his arms wide, his four tentacles flailing wildly in the air:
"Now I'm curious, you brat."

"Can you use that trick a second time?"

"Or"

Alex took a slow step forward, each step causing the ground to tremble.
"You've already done your best?"

"The phrase 'all bark and no bite' couldn't be more fitting for you, right?" (End of Chapter)