Chapter 196: Essence Monster (Part 8)

Words : 921 Updated : Sep 27th, 2025

The flame saws curved sharply, heading towards Adam, but... the next second, they stopped before reaching their target. Dark blood flowed like oil from a wide hole in Firebreathing Trinadon's chest. The monster was trying to do something, to somehow reach Adam, to wound him or kill its enemy. However, it was already finished. Adam's last attack, a silver swirl, had turned the insides of the Firebreathing Trinadon into scrap metal - unusable and ruined material, just like its life. Bam. The massive body, weighing several tons, fell to the ground with a crash, raising a cloud of rusty dust. Smoke billowed like waves, quickly spreading out, covering everyone and everything. Iren, Romeo, and the others had to shield themselves with their hands to keep the dust out of their mouths and eyes. Soon, as the dust settled slightly and revealed Adam's silhouette, Iren took a step forward, confidently heading towards him with a menacing look. "Adam Vinter... What are you doing here?" Iren asked, clenching her fists. The others glanced over and followed her. They were part of the same squad and had to support each other. Adam threw a glare at her. "Isn't it obvious? I saved you. You should thank me because a little more and Firebreathing Trinadon would have surely burned you into nameless coals." Adam said calmly as if speaking not his opinion but reading the facts. Iren frowned, she was not hiding her annoyance. "We didn't need any help, especially from a bastard like you!" Iren waved her hand irritably. "Hmm?" Adam tilted his head in confusion. He didn't understand why Iren had already moved on to insults even though they had known each other for less than a minute. "Don't pretend you don't understand!" Iren exclaimed, pointing at him, "You just took our prey! I'll be complaining about you! Moreover, someone like you should be in prison!" Romeo had a puzzled expression on his face. Unlike Iren, he didn't know anything about Adam. They had never been in the same squad, and Romeo didn't keep track of who was at the bottom of the reputation rating. The girl with the staff realized this, so she bent down and whispered in his ear everything she knew about Adam. "What...? He killed a human?!" Romeo exclaimed in surprise. For him to hear such a thing was like seeing the embodiment of one of the deadly sins. Iren nodded with a serious face. "I doubt you're interested in this, but Adam Vinter has one of the worst reputations. He's been a Phantom for just under two months, but he's already killed a man and done a lot of other bad things, and... even now he's still going on!" Iren's veins swelled with anger. "We Phantoms are supposed to set an example for people. The common people must believe in us and see that we are their future - the golden light of the entire Citadel. People like you are only destroying their faith in us!" Iren waved her hand. Adam nodded. "I see..." Then, Adam glanced around with a serene gaze. He looked at the empty iron buildings, the rusty dust that, like dunes in the desert, covered the places that radiated an aura of death because of the long-dead creatures buried beneath them. "But..." Adam muttered with a detached look before staring at Iren, "We're not in the Citadel now." Iren, Romeo's, and the others' eyes went wide, realizing the meaning hidden behind Adam's words. There were no laws in the Dead Lands other than those that had existed since the beginning of the world - the laws of nature. Adam sighed heavily, turned, and walked past Firebreathing Trinadon. Another opponent awaited him - much stronger and more necessary than a pile of flaming metal. "Stop! Or are you going to say your famous line again?" Iren shouted. After the news had reported that Adam had killed a common man, Iren had spent a lot of time researching everything in the public domain about Adam. Adam said nothing back, he didn't care. He helped them because they could die, he wasn't going to just stand and watch five Phantoms die. "Famous line...?" Romeo scratched his cheek in a confused manner. The girl with the staff nodded. "I don't fight against humans... That's what he said a few times, but... I can't remember the last time he said it... There's only one video from the virtual zone section..." The girl replied uncertainly. Romeo whispered, mouthing the words to himself. Whooooooooooooosh. Iren rushed forward, quickly approaching Adam and swinging her sword from top to bottom. She was clearly serious, ready to wound him if necessary. Electric shocks passed across Adam's eyes as he abruptly turned his body to the right, taking two short steps backward. "Agh...?" Iren's eyes went wide. Her azure sword, as well she did, passed in front of Adam, under his calm gaze that was quickly becoming colder. "Dead Lands taught me that it's an idiotic rule, but... the price others have paid for it. Though we have different views, our goal is the same - so for you, I'll teach that lesson for free." Adam said with obvious sadness in his voice. Then, before Iren could realize anything, Adam's fist plunged into her stomach - making her feel a bright, piercing pain.

Chapter 196: Essence Monster (Part 8)

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