Surprise

The bullets vanished into the darkness without a sound. It was not that they had missed their target; there was simply no feedback at all, as if they had been fired into another dimension.

Hm?

Before Lynch's mind could even register that something was wrong, the change occurred without warning.

The world before his eyes seemed to split into two overlapping realities. As the shots rang out, the two spaces rapidly pulled apart, shifting and changing in an instant.

As he struggled to comprehend what was happening, the information manifested in his mind just in time.

【Authority, Space, ability, Mirage】

Both spaces were the same watertight compartment he stood in, but the one that had been empty was now fading, dissolving into nothingness. The other, which held tables, chairs, a bed, and a broken crate on the floor, grew solid, replacing the original empty cabin.

With a blink, the scene around him transformed. At the same moment, the thing above his head was revealed.

It resembled a person, but it had the head of a fish, with visible gills on either side of its cheeks that pulsed open and shut, making its face appear incredibly ugly and hideous.

It wore no shoes. Between its exposed fingers and toes, duck-like webbing connected them. Beyond its limbs, eight thick, long, pitch-black tentacles extended from its back. As its body was exposed, the eight tentacles descended from the ceiling like sharp arrows, striking down toward Lynch.

The tentacles were already halfway down before the screech of air being torn apart finally echoed in the cramped cabin.

Damn it.

Lynch felt his hair stand on end and reacted with lightning speed, shouting at the top of his lungs: "Rick!"

He felt his clothes tighten as he was dragged by the collar away from his original spot.

The next moment, several massive tentacles descended from above, pinning into his previous position like arrows. The tips of the tentacles sank deep into the wooden floorboards, leaving several deep gashes.

Lynch landed and took several steps back. He did not hesitate, immediately raising his gun to aim at the fish-headed monster in the air. However, the monster's speed was far too great. Before he could even pull the trigger, the creature ripped its tentacles from the floor, pushed off the ceiling, and lunged through the air toward him.

So powerful.

Feeling the foul wind rushing toward his face, Lynch had no time to think. He emptied his magazine at the fish-headed monster. As the gunfire rang out, the power within him began to surge, and his alienated soul began to manifest behind him.

Just then, a breeze stirred behind him. A single finger reached out from behind Lynch and tapped lightly at the air.

The fish-head's expression was unreadable, but the monster mid-leap suddenly froze in mid-air, suspended in a way that defied the laws of physics. Then, a crack appeared on its body, and a strange, colorful light seeped out from the fissure.

【Authority, Star, ability, Starlight Burst.】

The fish-headed monster's skin began to shatter like glass, with more glowing cracks spreading across it. The finger that had reached out slowly retracted, curling into a fist.

The moment the fist tightened, the light within the monster surged. Dazzling radiance illuminated the cabin as bright as day, and the monster's body suddenly exploded into fragments, dissolving into the starlight.

Bang.

Lynch, who had been stumbling backward, finally hit the wall and stopped. The entire process took less than a second; in the blink of an eye, a powerful monster had been completely eradicated by a single finger.

Is this the true power of a level six authority?

As the starlight still flickered before his eyes, Lynch felt a chill in his heart. For the first time, he truly understood the terrifying nature of powerful Soul Severers.

If I had been ambushed, my divine authority might not have had time to erupt before I was already dead. From now on, I must remain cautious at all times and never give the enemy a chance to ambush me.

"Hmph, worthy of a long-time wanted criminal," Rick said, retracting his formidable finger with a disgruntled snort.

"Hm?"

"He ran. When he pierced the ship's bottom, he deliberately broke off a section of a tentacle. I destroyed his main body, but by the time I realized it, that piece of tentacle had already slipped away."

Lynch looked down in surprise, realizing they were at the bottom of the ship. After the tentacles pierced the hull, they led straight to the sea. Now, water was gushing in from the holes, and the severed tentacle was nowhere to be seen. It seemed the creature had intended to escape from the very beginning.

"Hiss. I've heard plenty about creatures cutting off their own tails to survive, but this is the first time I've seen a tail run off on its own."

"It's fine. There's still one who didn't have time to run."

Both of them turned their gazes toward Jefferson in the crowd.

Unexpectedly, the worldly reporters were not thrown into a panic. Although a few reporters had fainted from foaming at the mouth upon seeing the fish-headed tentacle monster, and another had suddenly started slamming his head against the wall until he knocked himself unconscious, no one paid them any mind. The other reporters were fixated on Lynch and Knight Rick, lost in the moment.

Everyone realized that the result was about to be revealed, and an explosive headline was about to be born.

"Mr. Jefferson, it seems you have lost this time. We found the item in the very first cabin we searched."

Lynch could feel the warmth and familiarity radiating from the wooden crate without even opening it. He suppressed the inexplicable surge of emotion in his heart and stared at Jefferson with a cold sneer:

"Before all the media in Rhine, do you have anything to say? Would you like to analyze your own criminal psychology and weep as you repent for your sins? Or perhaps you intend to resist to the end, or find some other excuse to argue? Stand still..."

Before he could finish, Lynch noticed the mysterious filth around Jefferson fluctuating violently. His eyes, too, had taken on a strange look. He immediately realized that the teleportation ability belonged to this man; now that he knew he had failed, he was attempting to use his ability to escape.

"You stubborn fool, you fall for it every time." Just as Lynch signaled the priests and soldiers to attack Jefferson, the man wore a savage grin. "The days ahead are long. Just wait for my revenge. Hahaha, I look forward to our next meeting."

As he spoke, his body flashed, and with a pop, he vanished into thin air. A card depicting an Ancient Flicker appeared on the floor where he had stood.

The reporters present were in an uproar.

What was going on? Had the traitor escaped? Should they pursue him?

However, a moment later, light and shadow flickered again. A figure appeared out of thin air in another corner, crashing headlong into several priests.

The priests, who seemed prepared, immediately grabbed the reappearing Jefferson and pinned him tightly to the floor, not daring to let go.

"Oh my, the next meeting came so soon. Long time no see, Mr. Jefferson." Lynch, who had not moved from his spot, waved his hand with a smile. "Sometimes even fools can learn a lesson. I'm afraid I've disappointed you."

"You..."

"After you used that escape route at the dock warehouse, even the biggest fool would be prepared. Heh, do you want to guess why we arrived so late, nearly letting you run?" Lynch walked over and nudged the card on the floor with his cane. "We guessed your ability involved swapping yourself with a pre-prepared piece of paper to achieve teleportation. But there is a distance limit, which is why you had to hide in that warehouse earlier—otherwise, you couldn't have boarded the ship."

"So, we used that distance as a radius and the ship as the center to draw a circle. We searched the area carefully and sure enough, we found a boat already prepared with this paper hidden inside. We didn't know if our guess was right, but to avoid you losing your items and blaming us later, we kindly brought your 'lost property' over. It was all to give you a surprise. Look, you really couldn't bear to be parted from us, and you teleported right back to our side. Heh, tell me, now that you've been reunited with your lost property, isn't it a surprise?"

"Fine, fine, Lynch Levive. Do you think you've already won? You have offended the master's majesty several times and ruined his plans. Do you think the master will let you go?"

Lynch's face darkened, and he said coldly: "What exactly is your master trying to do?"

"Keep on being happy, you damned sacrificial offering. The master has been enraged by you and has awakened from his slumber. He will come for you soon, you foolish offering. Enjoy your final days, hahaha..."

"Bad, he's forcibly eroding his soul with filth. He's trying to become a Twisted One on his own."

Rick's expression changed, and he reached out to grab Jefferson. But Jefferson's body began to swell rapidly, and then it exploded with a roar.

Bang.

What happened? I don't believe that just because I ended the chapter here, a Twisted One would jump out of the screen at you.