Hesitation Leads to Defeat

Seizing the rare opportunity, Lynch pulled the trigger as fast as he could, rapidly emptying the cylinder into the Twisted One.

However, the result was unexpected.

The bullets couldn't pierce the monster's reinforced, bloody muscle at all. Six consecutive shots fired, but each bullet merely jolted the Twisted One forward.

After those six shots, Lynch didn't even bother to check the Twisted One's reaction. He tossed the revolver aside and rolled across the floor, activating his lurking ability mid-roll and vanishing from sight as he tumbled away.

The moment he hit the ground, a chilling gust of wind whipped past right above him.

Although the body of the Twisted One was still in front of Officer Natalie, two tentacles had already whipped behind it. Razor-sharp blades whistled through the air, grazing Lynch and tearing two startling slashes into his casual jacket. Taking advantage of the missed strike, Lynch quickly broke away and disappeared back into concealment.

The Twisted One didn't give chase, because Officer Natalie was still right there.

Lynch's six consecutive shots had staggered the Twisted One, the impact locking it in place and preventing it from making a quick getaway.

This was the exact opportunity she needed.

Though six gunshots took only a split second, it was more than enough time for Officer Natalie.

She grabbed the base of one tentacle to restrain its movement, raising her sword high as a sharp, brilliant light glinted along the blade.

【Authority, Judgment, Ability, Sin Punishment】

In the next instant, she slashed down with fierce, uncompromising force.

A dull thud like a snapping bowstring echoed throughout the underground corridor as the tentacle severed. Black, filthy blood burst violently from the stump, spraying directly toward Officer Natalie's face. Her eyes narrowed as she shifted her stance and side-stepped, narrowly avoiding getting drenched head-to-toe in the foul liquid. Still, a generous amount splattered across her arm, filling the air with a pungent, sickly metallic reek.

Taking advantage of her dodge, the Twisted One leaped as if scorched, clinging upside down to the ceiling. Ignoring its spurting stump, it whipped its remaining three tentacles and bolted frantically down the underground corridor.

It can run?

The two on the ground froze for a second before hastily giving chase. Not only was this creature unbelievably fast, but it was also absurdly tough—easily matching a mid-tier Soul Severer. If it managed to break out into the open, it would turn into a bloodbath.

However, once the Twisted One reached full speed, even the two of them pushing themselves to the limit couldn't keep up. Left trailing far behind, they could only watch helplessly as it reached the stairwell in a matter of bounds and veered around the corner.

This is bad.

Lynch's heart sank, already imagining rivers of blood outside. Officer Natalie, on the other hand, remained unfazed, relentlessly pursuing from behind.

Roar!

Just as the Twisted One rounded the corner, a roar echoed from the stairs, followed by a deafening boom. Thrashing its claws and tentacles, the creature flew backward the way it came, slamming heavily into the wall. It left a giant smear of filthy blood before sliding slowly to the floor.

The roar sounded familiar, like the bearded man, Truen, whom he had just met. Just as the thought crossed Lynch's mind, a hulking figure burst around the corner of the stairs, pursuing the creature.

It was indeed the bearded man, Truen. Electrical arcing danced across his massive frame, making his hair and beard stand straight up and adding several inches to his height.

Charging out of the stairwell, he slammed a foot down as lightning flashed along his leg. His speed surged instantly, propelling him forward like a bullet. Matching the Twisted One's speed without missing a beat, he overtook the creature in midair, swinging a massive morningstar straight down toward its chest.

At the moment the weapon swung, the Twisted One was suspended in midair. Its remaining three tentacles whipped back like lances aimed at Truen's chest, while its four razor-tipped claws crossed tightly in front to guard itself.

Unbeknownst to the creature, countless vines had quietly grown out from the wall it had slammed into. The plants accelerated violently, tightly binding the Twisted One from behind before its defense could even form. At the same time, a red-haired, middle-aged man rushed down right behind Truen, shouting while still in midair:

“Natalie, what's going on?”

“It's Mr. Klin,” Officer Natalie replied in a low, somber voice, slowing her pace now that backup had arrived. “He's lost control.”

“What?”

Mid-swing, Truen's weapon faltered slightly, missing the Twisted One's chest and leaving a shallow crater in the wall instead. But that single instant of hesitation caused his face to pale.

Hesitation leads to defeat.

In that split second of distraction, the Twisted One snapped through the binding vines and thrust its razor claws straight toward Truen's face.

Shoot, this is bad.

Whether it was Truen himself or the other three, by the time they realized the strike was landing, it was too late to react. They could only watch as the claws drew nearer. But right at that moment, Truen's figure flickered strangely, as if multiple overlapping shadows had suddenly merged.

【Authority, Reflection, Ability, Multiple Illusions】

The sharp claws pierced straight through his head, yet felt as though they had merely popped an illusion. In the next instant, the shadow shattered. Truen's head was entirely intact, his face pale with horror as the claws merely grazed his temple, leaving a faint streak of blood.

Everything happened in the blink of an eye.

Human reaction time couldn't possibly keep up with the chaos, making the Twisted One the first to recover.

Thrashing violently, it tore away the remaining vines and lunged straight at Truen. Using its limbs and swinging its tentacles back, it tried to envelop him in a deadly embrace.

Getting caught in that hug meant certain death. Truen's expression twisted in horror. Retreat was impossible, so he gritted his teeth and swung his morningstar toward... Huh?

A segmented whip lashed out right on cue. Instinctively grabbing hold of it, Truen felt a tremendous surge of force pull him back as Lynch and Officer Natalie heaved the other end together. He flew backward through the air, escaping just before the Twisted One's deadly hug closed on thin air.

The Twisted One's tentacles lunged to pursue, but in the next second, time itself seemed to freeze. The creature froze mid-motion, caught in its clawing embrace.

【Authority, Cold, Ability, Freeze】

Frost rapidly spread across the Twisted One's body, encasing it in a pale ice sculpture. Having been yanked to safety by Lynch and Natalie, Truen scrambled back up, whirled around, and brought his morningstar crashing down on the frozen monster.

Bang!

Under the heavy impact, the frozen Twisted One shattered completely into chunks of flesh that scattered across the floor. Yet even then, the severed pieces writhed and twitched, desperately trying to crawl away in every direction.

Truen slammed his morningstar onto the floor again, sending a web of electric arcs spidering outward from the point of impact. The lightning enveloped every fragment of flesh, sizzling and scorching them until a nauseating smell of burnt meat filled the corridor. Only then did the pieces stop squirming, reduced to ruined sludge.

“What happened, Truen? Hesitating at a time like this—do you have a death wish?”

Mr. V's stern voice echoed down from the stairwell. The stoic, middle-aged man in a white suit adjusted his collar and cuffs as he walked down the stairs. It was clear that the Reflection and Freeze from earlier had been his doing.

Truen held his weapon, his expression dark. “Victor... it was Mr. Klin.”

Mr. V paused mid-step and fell silent. For a long moment, the five of them stood by the stairwell in total silence, staring at the scattered remains on the floor.