Chapter 109
All of the women were slender, like models.
But their combat ability far surpassed that of ordinary Awakened.
They had been empty-handed—
yet suddenly, small bows appeared in their hands.
Specially crafted items.
Compact enough to fold and store, each was only about the size of a child’s torso. Made from the bones and tendons of magical beasts, they possessed tremendous elasticity.
Even the arrows were made from beast bones, enhanced with magic to increase their penetrating power.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The women fired arrows at Zeon and Briel.
The two leapt in opposite directions to evade—
but the arrows curved midair as if they had eyes, continuing to chase them.
Zeon fired off Fire Missiles, intercepting them.
Boom! Boom!
The arrows exploded like fireworks.
Meanwhile, Brielle cast a spell.
“Hah! Barrier!”
A translucent shield formed in front of her.
Bang! Bang!
The arrows struck the barrier and detonated.
“So you’ve got some skill. But that won’t be enough to escape the Blue Leaf Special Operations Unit.”
The woman in the fedora muttered coldly.
The unit she referred to was no ordinary group.
Their senses were several times sharper than normal humans, and their movements surpassed human limits through specialized training.
Like a swarm of bees, they circled Zeon and Brielle at terrifying speed, continuously firing arrows.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Zeon’s eyes grew cold.
He realized these weren’t warning shots meant to injure—
they were meant to kill.
The power behind each arrow was immense.
Because of that, Zeon had no choice but to draw out more of his strength.
Fire Missiles poured out relentlessly.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Arrows exploded right in front of him like a blazing fireworks display.
Watching, the woman in the fedora murmured,
“So he’s a fire-type Awakened. A shame… someone like that doesn’t belong in the slums.”
She had already decided to kill Zeon and Briel.
Levin was a rare-type Awakened, and the murderer was a crucial piece of evidence.
She couldn’t afford to lose either.
If other factions found out, they would surely try to take them.
The most reliable way to keep a secret—
was to eliminate witnesses.
She firmly believed in that principle.
She expected Zeon and Brielle to fall quickly.
But things didn’t go as planned.
Zeon’s movements suddenly changed.
From defense to offense—
his speed and power surpassed even the women.
Boom!
“Aaah!”
One of the women firing arrows was blasted backward.
Zeon’s fist had struck her abdomen.
The superheated gauntlet was not only a tool for casting fire magic—
it was a powerful weapon in itself.
And Zeon wielded it masterfully.
He had been trained brutally by his master.
Even without manipulating sand or casting spells, Zeon was strong.
Years of harsh training had honed his body to perfection.
His physical abilities rivaled even martial-type Awakened.
Boom!
“Gah!”
Another woman was sent flying.
Her eyes rolled back—she had lost consciousness.
Zeon moved immediately to his next target.
“Die!”
Thwip! Thwip! Thwip!
The targeted woman fired arrows in rapid succession.
Four arrows flew almost simultaneously toward Zeon’s head, chest, and abdomen.
But without a hint of panic, he deflected them all.
Clang! Clang!
The arrows bounced off his gauntlet.
The woman’s eyes widened.
Zeon was suddenly right in front of her.
“That’s impossi—”
Boom!
His fist slammed into her head.
Her skull didn’t shatter, but blood sprayed from her nose and mouth as she collapsed unconscious.
Zeon showed no mercy.
He didn’t hold back just because they were women.
Each strike took down one opponent.
The fedora-wearing woman’s eyebrows twitched.
“Is he… not a magic-type, but a martial-type Awakened?”
Even then, Zeon’s strength defied common sense.
His ability to combine overwhelming physical prowess with precise use of fire magic shocked her.
In an instant, Zeon had taken down the entire Blue Leaf Special Operations Unit.
“Ugh…”
“Aah…”
Even though they had been trained never to scream, the fallen women groaned in pain.
Though his attacks seemed like simple punches, each carried condensed flames that invaded their bodies upon impact.
The women struck by Zeon’s fists felt as if their entire bodies were burning.
Burning pain—
one of the most intense forms of suffering a human can experience.
No matter how well-trained, no one could endure it.
As they writhed in agony, their hats fell off.
“Just as I thought… elves.”
Their pointed ears were unmistakable.
Even when their bloodlines were diluted through intermarriage, that trait never disappeared.
Brielle wrinkled her nose.
“I knew that smell was familiar… but it’s mixed with something foul.”
Elves who lived long among humans inevitably carried the scent of humanity.
It was a smell elves disliked.
To a proud High Elf like Briel, it was even more repulsive.
‘They must feel the same about me… I’ve ruined my own body making drugs.’
She would never return to the pure self she once was.
Brielle bit her lip hard and pulled her pointed hat lower.
At that moment, the leader removed her fedora and spoke.
“I didn’t realize there was such a powerful Awakened in the slums. If I had known, I would’ve prepared more thoroughly.”
“You said Blue Leaf Special Operations Unit, right? You’re from the Northern District?”
“That’s right.”
The woman answered honestly.
At this point, denying it would only look ridiculous.
“My name is Borin Stravach. And you?”
“Zeon.”
“I see. Zeon. As you guessed, I’m from the Northern District.”
“I thought so.”
“Then you must also understand what mistake you’ve made.”
“Is the world wrong? Or do elves just think completely differently from humans? Isn’t your side the one in the wrong? You tried to kidnap Levin and take a murderer without permission.”
“It was a necessary choice for the sake of the world. I have no reason to feel guilty.”
“That’s convenient. You can just excuse anything by saying it’s ‘for the world.’ Is that how elves who mix with humans survive? Maybe that’s why you couldn’t enter Elharun.”
“Elharun? What is that?”
Borin frowned.
Her reaction made Zeon knit his brows.
‘She doesn’t even know about the city of other races… Do fallen elves not know? Or is information being withheld from those below?’
He couldn’t tell which was true.
So he replied curtly,
“If you don’t know, then forget it.”
“…You have a talent for irritating people.”
“You’re not human, are you?”
“We are the same as humans—… No. Why am I even explaining this?”
“Because you’re scared.”
“…What did you say?”
“People talk more when they’re scared.”
“You think I’m afraid? Don’t be ridiculous. We elves never feel fear.”
“Then why are you just talking? If I were you, I’d have attacked already.”
That was the final straw.
Snap.
Borin felt the last thread of her composure break.
Before she realized it, she was already charging at Zeon.
As the leader of the unit, Borin possessed tremendous power.
With the natural agility of elves and wind-based abilities—
she was a B-rank magic-type Awakened.
“Wind Cutter!”
She muttered softly and launched the attack.
Wiiing!
Wind-type skills were difficult to deal with because they were invisible.
Just like wind itself, they couldn’t be seen.
One had to rely entirely on instinct.
That’s why low-rank or inexperienced Awakened struggled the most against wind abilities.
But not Zeon.
Even unseen, even silent—
he could clearly sense it.
Clang!
He knocked away the Wind Cutter with the back of his gauntlet.
Grinding her teeth, Borin unleashed her next skill.
“Tornado Breath.”
In an instant, a violent vortex formed and surged toward Zeon.
A devastating attack that destroyed everything in its path—
her strongest technique.
Realizing she couldn’t win with normal attacks, she went all out.
RUMBLE!
The tornado tore through everything as it approached Zeon.
Seeing this, Brielle cried out,
“Ah! Watch out—!”
In her eyes, Zeon was about to be shredded apart.
But that was only an illusion.
When the tornado passed through—
Zeon was no longer there.
Briel’s eyes widened.
“When did he get there?”
Zeon was standing behind Borin.
He had moved faster than either of them could perceive.
Raising his hand, he muttered,
“Fire Rain.”
At that moment—
a torrent of blazing meteors poured down from the sky.
Like falling stars, they struck Borin with terrifying speed.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The rain of fire battered her mercilessly.
With no room to evade, Borin activated her defensive skill.
“Wind Shield!”
A barrier of wind formed around her.
The fire rained down relentlessly, hammering the shield.
Under the constant impact, Borin bit her lip.
‘He can’t keep this up forever… skills like this consume massive mana.’
The stronger the skill, the more mana it required.
Some could exhaust an Awakened in a single use.
She assumed this would be the same.
But contrary to her expectations—
the Fire Rain didn’t stop.
CRACK!
Instead, Borin’s mana gave out first.
Her Wind Shield began to fracture.
“N-no…!”
The moment her scream echoed—
the shield shattered completely.
And what awaited her next—
was hell.
The rain of fire slammed into her body like bullets.
“Aaaah!”
With a scream, Borin collapsed.
Only then did Zeon stop the Fire Rain.
Surprisingly, Borin was still alive.
Thanks to her coat.
It looked ordinary, but it was a magical item embedded with a protective spell.
A one-time activation had saved her life.
“Ugh…”
Though alive, she was completely immobilized from the shock.
Zeon knelt in front of her and met her gaze.
“Now… let’s have a proper conversation. I think you’re finally in the right state for it.”