It felt as if his entire body had been shaken apart, with numbness spreading everywhere, even deep into his internal organs. For a moment, even moving a finger seemed like an impossible luxury.
He hadn't seen how Roy moved at all.
It was like teleportation—one moment he was there, the next he was right in front of him, leaving no chance to react.
Was it sheer speed?
Or some special magecraft?
Or perhaps both?
Before he could even begin to figure out the answer, his face was slammed into the ground.
"What the hell is up with this world…?"
This was just one base city.
Why did it keep churning out so many terrifyingly strong freaks?
He was certain.
He had briefly clashed with that red-haired gorilla over there. That guy was strong, but not beyond what he could handle. As for that black-haired brat, he didn't even need mentioning—his attacks were bizarre, but his physical abilities were limited.
Against either of them, he could hold his own and find a way to turn the tide.
But this white-haired one was different.
He was overwhelmingly powerful, strong enough to shatter any will to resist with just his first strike. That level of strength went beyond any concept of "handling" it.
Fighting someone like this wasn't a fight at all—it was just getting beaten to a pulp!
"No way I'm going down in a place like this!"
His eyes flared with ferocity.
His body suddenly softened, spreading out like dough across the ground before surging upward like a dumpling wrapper, attempting to envelop Roy like filling.
In the process, his flesh turned pitch-black, transforming into steel-like bars studded with countless spikes, as if determined to lock Roy inside.
Faced with this spiked steel cage, Roy didn't even bat an eye. He simply kicked backwards.
CRACK!
The steel cage shattered like glass in an instant, fragments scattering in all directions.
But while Roy was breaking the cage, Mahito had already altered his head, letting it flow away like water to evade Roy's grasp.
He quickly put distance between them, retreating while aiming a hand at Waver on the sidelines, threatening to activate his technique.
"Don't you care about that human's life at all?!"
Mahito's gaze locked onto him, his aura condensing as if ready to erupt at any moment.
"Go ahead and kill him. See if I so much as blink."
Roy scoffed, his face full of mockery.
"I've only known him for a few days. Why would I care if he lives or dies?"
"Tch!"
Seeing Roy's icy indifference, Mahito clicked his tongue in frustration and lowered his hand.
Just as expected.
Roy inwardly confirmed his suspicions.
He didn't dare kill Waver outright.
If he were to kill Wever here, Iskandar would undoubtedly fly into a rage, and Mahito would then have to face a three-sided beatdown. Keeping Wever in his current state was more advantageous for restraining Iskandar, keeping the number of combatants to a minimum.
Roy couldn't afford to show even the slightest concern for Wever—otherwise, the number of people being restrained would increase from one to two.
But Roy's words weren't entirely lies either.
For him, Iskandar's favor was indeed valuable, but not something absolutely necessary.
In contrast, killing the real enemy here aligned far better with his needs.
This guy was cunning and cruel by nature. If left alive, he would undoubtedly slither into the shadows like a venomous snake, watching and waiting for any opportunity to exact revenge by any means necessary. That would inevitably cause Roy significant trouble.
Worse, it might even lead to another tragedy like the one with Jeanne—something Roy absolutely could not allow.
In short, his stance was half-truth, half-deception. Saving Wever would be ideal, but failing to do so wouldn't matter either way.
Regardless, eliminating the real enemy remained his top priority.
With these thoughts flashing through his mind, Roy took another step forward. His Shukuchi footwork made it seem as though he had teleported, instantly appearing right in front of the enemy.
Roy grabbed a fistful of his hair and simultaneously drove a punch straight into his face.
BOOM!
The enemy had no time to react, only managing to instinctively gather cursed energy around his head to reinforce its defense.
But when the punch landed, Mahito's brain still short-circuited instantly. For a brief moment, he lost consciousness entirely—his vision flooded with white light, his ears ringing violently.
However, the shape of his soul remained unchanged. Guided by his soul, his shattered skull recovered in less than a second.
'This guy can't hurt me!'
Upon regaining awareness, Mahito realized this fact and was overjoyed.
Only attacks capable of harming the soul could truly injure him. Damaging his physical body was meaningless—no matter how severe the wounds, as long as his soul remained intact, he could recover effortlessly.
"This bastard is annoyingly tenacious."
Roy's punch had only managed to cave in half of Mahito's skull.
He inwardly grumbled. Though he hadn't reinforced the strike with prana, the punch should have been enough to shatter metal and stone. Even other Special Grade curses would have died from it. Yet this guy, despite having his flesh torn apart, showed no weakening in his presence—his head visibly regenerating at a rapid pace.
Roy released his grip on Mahito's hair and dropped him to the ground.
He opened his Imaginary Pocket and reached inside.
When he withdrew his hand, his fingers were now gripping several razor-sharp blades, resembling Wolverine's claws.
A closer look revealed that he was holding several Black Key hilts—weapons specialized for use by Church Executors.
The blades of the Black Keys were forged from magical energy, granting them weak physical interference but making them exceptionally difficult to wield. As a result, few ever used these weapons.
However, the magical blades of the Black Keys possessed tremendous power against spiritual entities.
By the time Mahito regained full awareness, this was the sight that greeted him.
THWACK!
Roy flicked his wrists, and the Black Keys pierced the enemy's chest, legs, and remaining right arm almost simultaneously.
"Guh—AAGH!"
Mahito instinctively let out a short scream, his face instantly twisting in agony.
"It hurts! I can actually feel pain... What is this? This thing can directly attack my soul?!"
Shit shit shit!
This guy actually has a means to attack the soul directly too?
That black-haired one being able to attack the soul directly was one thing, but against his physically weakened state, he had ten thousand ways to deal with it. But why can this monster with Gryps-like physical strength also attack his soul?
This is no joke!
I'll die, I'll die I'll die I'll die!
"Just who the hell do you think you're looking down on?"
Roy bent down, gripping Mahito's head with one hand, a mocking smile spreading across his face.
"This is called a Black Key. In this world, it's just basic equipment. After staying in this backwater for so long, you didn't actually think you were strong here, did you?"