Hogan's body crashed heavily to the floor. The hammer blow had smashed his skull; blood and brain matter splattered across the room in gruesome chunks.
Reyn wiped a few drops of foreign blood from his face and slowly exhaled.
Pressing a hand to his ribs, where a dull ache throbbed, he realized he had a minor wound—fortunately, nothing serious. Even with "Iron Body," it was hard to emerge unscathed from a second-level fighter's strike infused with all his fury and strength.
As soon as the soul left the lifeless body, it was immediately absorbed, and Reyn's phone charge jumped three notches.
"A second-level superhuman, and the charge only increased by three notches," Reyn shook his head in disappointment. Direct soul absorption efficiency was disappointingly low, far inferior to full fusion, but he was glad for even this. Replenishing those same three notches through his own meditation would have taken an unacceptably long time.
He glanced at the woman lying on the floor. She was still unconscious. Judging by her bright, provocative clothing carelessly tossed over the bed's headboard, she was either a professional prostitute or an elite escort. In any case, she posed no threat, and in the room's dim light, she likely couldn't have remembered his face.
Not wanting to waste a single minute, Reyn ignored her. He crawled through the hole in the wall, back onto the balcony, and jumped down.
The balcony wasn't high. Reyn hadn't even touched the ground when a greenish glint flashed before his eyes.
In that fleeting instant, Reyn couldn't react. Fortunately, "Iron Body" activated automatically at the moment of impact, and his flesh gained the hardness of steel.
A narrow blade emitting a greenish glow slashed across Reyn's chest with force that seemed capable of cleaving a man in two.
A sharp pain scorched his consciousness. Overcoming it, Reyn, the moment his feet touched the ground, leaped back lightning-fast, raising his warhammer in a defensive stance.
"Hm? Still alive," came a low male voice from the shadow under the balcony.
Reyn, whose "Soul Eye" had long been active, clearly saw the opponent.
He recognized him even by his voice: it was Wilt, Hogan's accomplice, with whom he had spoken in the tavern.
Wilt was clad in a tight black suit, his face concealed by fabric, leaving only his eyes visible. He nearly blended into the gloom, his movements imperceptible. In his hand, Wilt gripped a long curved blade emitting a faint greenish glow. The Ellunes knew neither katanas nor sabers—this weapon was considered a type of sword and called single-edged.
This enchanted single-edged sword unmistakably resembled a Japanese katana familiar to Reyn from his past life.
Reyn glanced down at his chest. The clothing there was sliced open, and a long gash ran across his ribcage. Fortunately, it was shallow, just a centimeter or two, though blood had already soaked the fabric.
The edges of the wound were closing before his eyes, and the bleeding stopped.
Cold sweat broke out on Reyn. Without "Iron Body," he would be lying on the ground now, bisected.
"How did Wilt get here?"
Reyn retreated a few more steps, increasing the distance to Wilt and keeping his tense gaze fixed on him, tracking every movement.
"Soul Eye" showed that Wilt's soul had a four-layered structure enveloped in black-red flames of faith—the glow Reyn recognized as the aura of the evil god Lohi.
Moreover, Wilt's soul contained a full five elements!
Reyn didn't have time to study each element in detail—one glance was enough to determine Wilt's class.
"Fourth-level Magic Swordsman! Squall Wind Magic Swordsman!"
The Magic Swordsman was an advanced ranger class. Upon reaching the fourth or seventh level, rangers could fuse with a demonic soul endowed with an elemental affinity. This granted them a connection to one of the elements, merging magic with swordsmanship and greatly enhancing it.
There were several paths for Magic Swordsmen, and Squall Wind Magic Swordsman represented one such branch.
This rare superhuman class was renowned for its incredible speed and could rightfully claim to be the fastest in the world.
Compared to such basic physical attributes as strength, defense, and endurance, speed was the hardest to develop. The difference in quickness between high-level and low-level superhumans was often not that significant, unlike strength or endurance, where the gap could be insurmountable.
However, once speed reached a certain threshold, granting its bearer a significant edge over the opponent, it became a truly formidable weapon.
As the saying from his past life went, which he remembered: in martial arts, speed decides everything!
Reyn's strength and defense were very high, far surpassing those of superhumans at his level, but he had no advantage in speed. Upon becoming a superhuman, he had only slightly improved his quickness, and this remained his main weakness at present.
And, as ill luck would have it, Wilt was a Squall Wind Magic Swordsman whose speed greatly exceeded his own.
Reyn hadn't been able to block his first strike.
Reyn instantly felt mounting pressure. Wilt's level was three tiers above his own, and the opponent was armed with a dangerous blade. Opposing him would be incredibly difficult.
But what alarmed him even more was the question: how had Wilt gotten here?
Reyn's thoughts raced frantically, but he could only reach one possible conclusion.
Yesterday, Wilt likely hadn't noticed him eavesdropping at the tavern. Most probably, from Hogan's careless words, he realized Reyn had detected the surveillance and, in turn, tracked down Hogan himself. Then Wilt, without informing Hogan, decided to use him as bait, setting up an ambush here in wait for Reyn to show up.
Upon arriving, Reyn had even waited a bit, carefully scanning the area, but hadn't detected Wilt's presence.
This made him even more wary. "Voice of All Things" wasn't omnipotent; there were always unknown ways to hide from detection in the world.
In the future, facing such an experienced opponent, he needed to exercise utmost caution.
"If, of course, this next time ever comes..."
Reyn suppressed his anxiety and gripped the warhammer's handle tighter.
Meanwhile, Wilt broke the silence. The fabric concealing his face hid his expression, but his voice held extreme surprise. He stepped forward, emerging from the balcony's shadow:
"Iron Guard who withstood my 'Flashblade' and survived... No wonder you managed to deal with those weaklings led by Trevor."
Reyn just snorted in response, staying silent.
Evidently, Wilt had mistakenly taken him for an Iron Guard.
The "Flashblade" he mentioned was one of his soul's elements: it allowed concentrating wind elemental power in the sword and unleashing a single swift thrust with incredible speed and power.
Wilt stood with exaggerated nonchalance, as if absolutely confident of victory. In a low voice, he continued:
"You're quite good. You killed Hogan so swiftly that I didn't even have time to help him. If you hadn't defiled the deity, I would have gladly accepted you into the Shadow Blade instead of Hogan. But now... die!"
Before he finished speaking, his sword flashed forward lightning-fast. A greenish energy arc detached from the blade, like a cutting wave, plowing a deep furrow in the ground and reaching Reyn in an instant.
Reyn felt a surge of mortal danger. He didn't dodge; instead, he fully activated "Iron Body," preparing to take the hit head-on.
The energy blade crashed into him with a clanging sound.
Reyn seemed unperturbed; his gaze was locked on Wilt. The opponent, after releasing the energy blade, swayed and vanished, dissolving into movement of incredible speed.
Out of the corner of his eye, Reyn spotted a shadow flashing at speed imperceptible to normal vision, circling behind him.
"Wind Step!"
Reyn was ready for this technique. It was another of Wilt's soul elements and the signature move of Squall Wind Magic Swordsmen.
The greenish glint darted from behind and vanished instantly.
Wilt unleashed another "Flashblade" on him.
Reyn swung the hammer sharply, and its heavy head struck the glowing blade with astonishing precision.
Clang!
The hammer met the sword, sparking a shower of bright sparks. Wilt's silhouette flickered into view for a moment; he seemed caught off guard that his "Flashblade" had been parried.
Not giving Reyn a chance to press the attack, Wilt activated "Wind Step" again and vanished with a sharp whistle of air.
A moment later, from a few paces to the side, another energy blade came crashing down.
Reyn spun sharply but only caught the energy wave—the Wilt himself was nowhere to be seen. He ignored the attack, letting it hit and shred the remnants of his clothing, and focused entirely on locating the opponent.
After a few agonizing seconds, a greenish glint flashed again from the left, barely visible in the cover of night.
Reyn tried to parry it with his hammer, but this time he was a fraction of a second late, and the heavy weapon cleaved only empty air.
Another gash ran across his chest and abdomen.
But this time, Reyn was on guard. An instant before the strike, he pushed "Iron Body" to its limit, so this wound was even shallower than the previous one—the blade merely grazed the skin.
Wilt reappeared on the balcony, looking down at Reyn with undisguised disbelief.
"What kind of defensive element is that?" he asked.
His swordsmanship had always been flawless. The sharp enchanted blade combined with "Flashblade" could cleave a steel rod the thickness of a thumb.
Any other opponent, even a superhuman two or three levels above him, would have been gravely wounded by such a strike, if not bisected. Yet this thrust had only lightly scratched the stranger's skin.
At the moment of impact, his sword met colossal resistance, as if truly cutting tempered steel, and couldn't penetrate a fraction deeper.
"Iron Body!" Wilt realized.
Wilt instantly grasped the truth, and his eyes widened in amazement. He couldn't imagine any other element besides this legendary unique gift capable of providing such astonishing defense.
"You have a unique element!" he exhaled.
Wilt's low voice turned dry and strained—whether from envy or shock. He stared at Reyn, as if trying to confirm his guess.
Reyn, naturally, didn't deign to answer Wilt. Gazing at the enemy towering on the balcony, he himself was in considerable confusion.
His own speed was too low; he simply couldn't reach his elusive foe.
Without "Iron Body," he wouldn't have nine lives to survive.
"Can't reach, can't catch... I need to retreat," Reyn decided.
Reyn decided to retreat. Fortunately, before leaving his home, he had prudently disguised himself, hiding his face; otherwise, if Wilt identified him, there would be problems.
He knew Wilt, while Wilt had no idea who he was facing. In the future, there would always be a chance for revenge.
Without the slightest hesitation, Reyn turned and dashed away.
The moment he broke from the cover of the house and entered the view of the "Eye of the Spiritual Demon" mounted on the Tower of Mages, Wilt wouldn't dare pursue.
"Want to run?" came Wilt's mocking voice.
Wilt's silhouette swayed faintly, but he stayed put.
Evidently, Reyn having the "Iron Body" element had stunned him. Wilt realized he couldn't quickly breach such powerful defense and inflict serious damage, so he simply stood on the balcony, letting Reyn retreat.
Reyn, not turning back and continuing to back away, reached the corner of the house step by step and was ready to break into the open space.
Suddenly, from the dense shadow at the very corner, a petite figure emerged, just a step from Reyn. Dagger in hand, she lunged at his back lightning-fast.
At the very last moment, Reyn spun sharply, and the attacker, as if of her own will, literally threw herself into his arms.
As if expecting exactly this, he spread his arms wide and enveloped the petite figure in steel embrace. For a brief moment, like two lovers, they clutched each other tightly with all their strength.
"Iron Body" was activated at full power. His arms, like indestructible steel hoops, mercilessly squeezed.
The petite figure in his vise didn't utter a sound—only a bone-chilling crunch of breaking bones sounded, and she went limp instantly.
Reyn released his grip. The limp body softly slumped to the ground, and its soul flew out, immediately absorbed by Reyn.