I, who was eager to retire, became an Imperial General.

Chapter 326 Fierce Battle, Capture
Looking at 'Leah,' who had tried to assassinate him but was successfully captured and whose pupils were constricted with an expression of disbelief, John's eyes showed no murderous intent whatsoever. Instead, they were filled with unprecedented excitement.

In fact, the moment 'Leya' pushed open the door and stepped inside, the detection from the Demon Eye made him realize something was amiss.

Although the other party seemed to have achieved a near-perfect disguise through the unique techniques of Margaret, a founding member of the department, unfortunately, while Margaret's techniques could achieve an absolute imitation in appearance and senses.

But the unique aura of the technique is impossible to imitate.

While both Anna and Leia possess the bloodline of the All Things Stripping Technique, Anna inherited not only the All Things Stripping Technique but also the Blood Burning Technique from her mother's family.

Therefore, under this unusual aura, there is a fundamental difference between the two.

This difference, however, is magnified to an extreme degree under John's newfound supernatural vision.

For example, it's like suddenly turning on a high-powered light in a pitch-black room.

Unless John gougs out his own eyes, it would be difficult for him not to discover it.

Faced with this SSR that was delivered to his doorstep, John naturally manipulated his Mystic Eye without making a sound. The moment the two locked eyes, he released a high-level seventh-circle spell called 'Shadow of Illusion' towards Anna in front of him, successfully pulling her into the illusion. Just as Anna was about to make a move, he drew his gun and captured her.

"I originally thought that capturing the other party would take an unknown amount of time and that all sorts of unexpected events would occur. I never expected that Anna would actually deliver herself to my door. It's like finding a needle in a haystack, only to have it come to me effortlessly!"

So, the curse of that damned goddess of misfortune has finally dissipated, and my true lucky streak is beginning to shine again?

This is simply the luckiest of luck!
John couldn't help but feel overjoyed.

However, just as he was about to use the communication device to have Bruno, who was guarding outside the hotel, bring the anti-magic suit, thus completing his capture of Anna.

The next second, as if sensing something, John's brows furrowed sharply, and then he suddenly lifted his foot.

"Buzz!"

In an instant, sixteen spell rings instantly surrounded his calf. With a burst of blue light, his right leg, which had been enhanced by sixteen spells, suddenly stepped towards the shadow below Anna, or more precisely, towards the figure within the shadow, carrying a heart-stopping pressure.

"!"

However, the scene that he had expected—that the person would be kicked out of their original form and lose their ability to fight—did not happen. As John stepped down, the figure in the shadow seemed to have sensed the power contained in the attack in advance, and broke out of the shadow without hesitation.

At the same time, the originally unremarkable shadow began to soften rapidly like lightning, instantly turning into a swamp like silt.

"Clap!"

With a heavy stomp, a large amount of gray-black mud splattered everywhere under the immense force. As the magic dissipated, the mud quickly lost its disguise and turned back into shattered stones.

However, in slow motion, unlike ordinary stone slabs, the central part of these stones shows strange cracks resembling a spider web.

And it spread rapidly over time, until it burst forth in John's constricted pupils.

"Boom boom boom!"

A continuous series of booming and explosions resounded in the private room, and a large amount of gray smoke enveloped the entire room almost instantly.

All of this happened in the blink of an eye, so fast that no one had time to react.

"Huh, huh..."

In the corner of the room, Royce, who had instantly completed the release of three unique spells and had almost exhausted a third of his magic power, was lying half-lying on the ground, panting heavily.

Beside him was Anna, who had somehow removed her disguise and returned to her original appearance. At this moment, she had somehow drawn a long sword from behind her and held it horizontally in front of her. The muscles in her arms were so taut that they were about to burst her sleeves, and her pupils were constantly contracting.

The two men stared intently ahead at the area shrouded in smoke, their eyes filled with solemnity and hope.

Although both of them secretly hoped that the attack, which was almost a fatal blow to a high-ranking mage, would render the terrifying chief monster incapable of fighting, thus making it easy to complete the assassination and capture mission.

However, under their respective perception techniques, the energy within the smoke showed no signs of weakening.

Instead, it seemed to be awakened from its slumber by the sound of a foolish prey, and began to grow increasingly violent and murderous.

But at this moment they all clearly realized that the attack just now did not seem to have any effect.

"Wow!"

As if to confirm their judgment, the next second, a strange magical wind suddenly arose in the room, instantly sweeping away all the pervasive mist and revealing a towering figure.

The black and gold uniform of the Imperial Lieutenant General appeared even colder and more austere under the flickering lights caused by a broken circuit.

Coupled with the other party's eyes, which shone with eerie blood rings beneath his abyss-black, tousled hair, and his contemptuous and indifferent smile, as if a hellish monarch were looking down on ants, as if he could wipe out all those who dared to resist his majesty with a wave of his hand.

It made the entire room seem to have been transported from the warm private room to the snowy plains of the far north of the empire.

I felt an unprecedented, bone-chilling cold.

It was as if even the soul was about to be frozen completely at this moment!

"Interesting magic, of course, it's just interesting."

John, who had instantly erected twelve four-elemental magic barriers on the spot, successfully neutralizing Royce's attack in a flash, chuckled as he spoke.

A pair of dark eyes slowly looked at the two people in front of him, but did not linger on the horrified Royce. Instead, they turned to Anna, who was staring at him as if facing a formidable enemy. The smile on his face deepened.

“Anna Splinter? I know your name, I know the source of your power, and your… um?”

John had intended to pique Anna's curiosity by mentioning his background, but the next second, as if sensing something, his brows furrowed again, and he immediately ignored the two people in front of him, turning his gaze to the window.

To be precise, it was on a clock tower three kilometers away from the private room, just outside the window.

With the magnified vision of the magic eye, an Allied agent lying on the ground, holding a magic sniper rifle, was staring at him through binoculars.

With fingertips as strong as steel, driven by a chilling killing intent, they pulled the trigger without hesitation.

Amidst the bursting flames and the massive silver-blue magical mist released by the bolt's propulsion due to the magical reaction, a golden special bullet shot out like a streaking meteor.

Tearing through the night in an instant, with chilling speed, like the Grim Reaper's scythe capable of judging all life, it arrived at its target in the blink of an eye with a piercing whistle.

It looked like they were about to smash half of the opponent's body.

However, despite this potentially fatal blow, John's expression remained unchanged throughout. Instead, he casually raised his right index finger slightly, muttering to himself:

A combined wind and fire elemental technique for a superior eight-ring spell – Phoenix's Sigh!

"Boom!" In an instant, sixteen intricate spell rings instantly formed in front of John's fingertips, and then a white flame, resembling a snake, bloomed in front of his fingertips.

And it began to expand rapidly at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye.

In an instant, it transformed into a pure white beam of light formed by terrifying magic, and under the almost astonishing control of magic, it shot out in the direction from which the bullet was coming.

And in the instant they meet, they are completely burned to ashes.

Before its internal magic could fully erupt and shatter its target, it would completely vanish from the world.

"That troublesome mouse!"

John stared coldly at the sniper who was staring at him in horror through his binoculars. Just as he was about to unleash a high-level mental erosion spell through his magic eye to kill the sniper instantly, John's expression turned cold.

The next second, accompanied by the sound of a sword ringing and a piercing whistling sound, a silver light, carrying a chilling killing intent, suddenly attacked from his side.

"Hey!"

A silver streak tore through the air, carrying a chill and fury that didn't belong to an autumn night, as if it wanted to kill the monstrous man in front of it on the spot.

The bursting pure white magical mist reflected Anna's resolute face and cold, emerald-green eyes in the flickering light.

Her rapid thrust at that moment made her look like a undertaker from hell.

It was as if all living beings, under the force of her deadly attack, were compelled to involuntarily sacrifice their own vibrant lives.

John, however, was in the brief interval between casting the spell and had no time to react.

Just as Anna was about to seize the opportunity and pierce his palm with her sword, he was then completely deprived of the ability to cast spells under the corrosive influence of the All Things Stripping Technique.

It was as if everything had reached a point where the outcome was already decided.

Even Anna, who stabbed him, thought so.

Until, out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of the slight smile on John's lips, as if his long-awaited target had finally taken the bait.

Her initial confidence in victory was now replaced by surprise and uncertainty.

Then, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that a large number of high-level magic runes had appeared at his feet and had been activated, and that they were now covering him. His astonishment turned into horror!

When did this monster set up the binding spell?
not good!

Realizing something was wrong, Anna immediately wanted to stop her charge. However, in front of John, who had mastered the analytical formula and had already calculated everything without her noticing, her regret could only turn into a futile struggle.

Even though they were filled with resentment and anger, John had secretly set up a spatial trap specifically for capturing the other party during their conversation.

Anna, sword and all, was bound and entangled by countless chains made of magic and imbued with a powerful sealing effect the instant the spatial runes lit up.

He instantly transformed into a steel dumpling. Except for his head, which John deliberately left out to ensure he could breathe and prevent him from suffocating from the pressure of the magic, all his joints and flesh were tightly bound.

In an instant, this true game heroine, who could raise her combat power to a level above her own by three consecutive bursts of power and engage in battles against opponents of a higher level, completely lost the ability to act and became a prisoner at John's disposal.

"asshole!"

Feeling an unprecedented weakness within her body, and a strong squeezing sensation coming from her chest, which represented the source of her magic power, as if it were being deliberately targeted.

Anna, now transformed into a steel dumpling, immediately turned on the bastard in front of her with a ferocious expression, cursing him for having the power to defeat her in a direct confrontation, yet still resorting to such a shameful scheme to deliberately humiliate her.

He was so angry that his scalp tingled uncontrollably, and his heart was filled with regret.

She never expected that this monster, who clearly possessed immense power, would lack even the slightest arrogance befitting a strong person, instead being so despicable and shameless.

Honestly, did this guy really develop his power through training?

"Thank you for the compliment!"

Faced with Anna's curses, John was not angry at all. Instead, he smiled and replied to her in this way.

However, he then ignored Anna's impotent rage and leisurely dusted off the dust he had picked up during the recent clash.

Then he turned his gaze to Royce, who had somehow pulled out a magic gun and was now pointing it at him.

John paid no attention to the threat of the magic gun.

Instead, he pulled over a chair and sat down with ease and comfort.

Then he said something that sent chills down Reus's spine:

"Are you waiting for reinforcements to arrive? If so, I suggest you give up that idea."

Meeting Royce's incredulous gaze, John calmly picked up the coffee cup beside him and took a sip.

Then, an elegant smile appeared on his face. Although his voice was utterly calm, it sounded like an echo from hell to Royce, sending chills down his spine.

“Just three minutes before you and Anna stepped into this room, I had already informed the surveillance forces outside, as well as a certain red dragon lady with a rather bad temper and the honest and capable drow, ahead of your reinforcements.”

"Therefore, barring any unforeseen circumstances, the reinforcements you are hoping for will most likely not be able to break through their defenses and reach me, thus giving you both hope of escape."

After saying this, John paid no attention to Royce's face, which turned ashen upon hearing it, and calmly placed the still-warm coffee cup back on the table.

Then he crossed his legs, placed his right hand on his knee, and slowly and rhythmically tapped his knee with his slender index finger, making muffled sounds.

His gaze swept mockingly over his sweat-drenched former teammate from a complicated past, before he uttered words that instantly caused the other's pupils to constrict and a chill to run down his spine:

"Tap, tap!"

"So, do you think I should kill you, Royce Hansen?"

"Or, let me call you by another name."

"For example, Royce Waldren?"

"!"

……

(End of this chapter)