Chapter 37: Julia, Elijah and Kai.......

TING TING TING!

They moved at incredible speeds before coming to a halt. The man looked around, his focus elsewhere. 'Sam is dead,' he thought, sensing the life force fading away. 'This girl is already troublesome, and the battle between those two is getting intense.'

He could feel the power and hear the explosions of their attacks. 'Our chances of winning are slim,' he realized. Julia, smirking under her mask, stared at him, clearly holding back.

"What are you waiting for?" Julia spoke.

The assassin glanced up before responding, "With the enormous power you're gathering, it's hard not to notice." He stared at the clouds, which were roaring with purple lightning.

"Hehehehe," Julia laughed.

"But for today, that's enough." His figure vanished. "I'll see you next time."

"Camouflage… huh." Julia shifted her gaze to the fight between Elijah and Adin, who were going all out, their figures becoming barely visible. 'If he's going to attack Elijah, I need to protect him.' She dashed in the same direction as the assassin.

He thought he was undetected, but Julia's sensing abilities were on par with, or even better than, the assassin's.

At the Battle Between Elijah and Adin

Both men moved at speeds imperceptible to the human eye, their max speed around 50 meters per second, the top speed of an E+ rank. Their punches could easily kill an F+ rank, someone five times stronger than a well-trained athlete.

This was a level of superhuman strength that even many E+ ranks couldn't defeat. Swords and fists clashed, the ground cracking from the impact, as neither lost their footing.

The assassin reached their position, with Julia joining seconds later. Looking down, she saw beauty. Martial arts more refined than any other.

Swordsmanship sharp and precise. These two were at the true peak of the Novice realm of martial arts, just a step away from a realm few of Elijah's generation had reached.

Elijah, smiling, threw a kick to block a sword slash, then moved with incredible flexibility to close the distance and throw a punch at Adin's stomach. But Adin moved swiftly, deflecting the attack and jumping back as they both slowed down.

Breathing heavily but smiling, Elijah said, "That was an opportunity you missed."

"Hahaha, like I'd fall for that attack twice," Adin replied, then glanced to the side.

"Expecting someone?" Elijah stood upright, following Adin's gaze.

"Kai, you're in bad shape," Elijah commented.

"Yeah, but I'm just hurt that the sword I bought broke," Kai said, raising the broken weapon. He had several injuries, some of them deep.

Julia jumped down from a tree and handed Kai a pill while Elijah focused on Adin, who wasn't moving to attack. "That was fun, Sky Warrior. Maybe we should do it again sometime."

"Really? We were just getting to the fun part, using all our strength," Elijah responded, prompting Adin to turn around, smirking.

"So you noticed."

"How could I not? Also, you haven't used that mighty unique ability of yours," Elijah replied. Adin waved his hand and disappeared with the assassin. The silver lotus behind Elijah vanished.

"What happened to you, bro?" Elijah asked, appearing before Kai using Flash Step.

"Long story. I was fighting those two long-range fighters—one was a hot chick, the other some elf guy." Kai's wounds had healed as he began recounting part of his fight.

Elsewhere

The three who had attacked Elijah's group stood before a huge figure hidden in the shadows.

"So, you failed," the man said, his appearance obscured by darkness.

"Yes, leader. It seems their group was stronger than we expected. If we had continued, fewer of us would be here," Adin answered, with Lisa and the assassin lowering their heads.

"What did I expect?" The man's voice was calm and collected.

"So, what will you do now?" He stared at the other side of the room, where a man with red hair and a rugged yet handsome face stood. His lean but muscular figure and crimson eyes made him smile at the leader of the three.

The man then finished his sentence, "Ronin."

Ronin smiled crazily and spoke, "I want the boy alive. That's all I want, so do as you wish."

"Okay, then we'll attack when they're at their weakest, after their matches," the leader ordered. The three nodded and looked at Ronin. "Is that okay?"

"As long as I get the boy, I have no problem with whatever you do," Ronin answered.