Chapter 104: The Rooftop Battle

“Space abilities, huh?” Uncle Ray said, his grin fading. “I thought you were just another lucky bastard who stumbled into an Ability. Looks like you’re a little more troublesome than that.”

He swept his arms outward. The remaining metal fragments formed a rotating barrier around him, overlapping in layers of steel.

“Unfortunately for you, Silas can sense your position. You can teleport all you want, but you’ll never catch me off guard.”

The goateed man smiled without opening his eyes.

“He’s preparing to move right.”

Ethan’s expression remained calm. He hadn’t intended to attack Uncle Ray directly. Not yet. He needed to eliminate the man predicting his movements first. But the goateed man’s perception covered almost the entire rooftop. Every attempt to approach him was being exposed before Ethan could complete it.

He needed to change his approach.

Ethan suddenly dashed to the right.

“He’s moving!” Silas called out.

Uncle Ray immediately shifted his metal barrier. But Ethan wasn’t aiming for him. He activated Spatial Cut. An invisible blade tore through the air toward the armed men standing behind the old man. Three of them fell before they could react. The sudden attack shattered the formation.

“He’s over there!”

“Open fire!”

Gunshots erupted from several directions. Ethan ducked behind a rooftop structure as bullets ripped through the air. Concrete chips sprayed across his face, and one round punched through the edge of the wall beside his head. He didn’t remain in one place long enough for the shooters to correct their aim.

Teleportation. He appeared several meters away. Another burst of gunfire followed. Teleportation. He vanished again, reappearing near a broken ventilation unit. The goateed man’s voice followed him every time.

“Behind the vent!”

“Three meters to your left!”

“He’s moving toward the eastern side!”

Uncle Ray’s metal barrier shifted with each warning, cutting off Ethan’s escape routes and forcing him to abandon every approach. Ethan’s eyes grew colder. He had limited uses of Space Fissure remaining. He couldn’t waste them on a prolonged exchange. He needed to end this quickly.

Uncle Ray pointed toward him.

“Stop hiding! You’re only making this more painful for yourself!”

The remaining gunmen spread out, firing in short, coordinated bursts. Ethan moved through the barrage. One bullet struck his shoulder. Another tore through his shirt near the ribs. He barely registered the pain. His attention was fixed on the goateed man. The man had become the center of the entire fight. As long as he remained alive, Uncle Ray could predict Ethan’s movements and keep his metal defense in the right place.

Ethan had to break that connection.

He activated Space Fissure again. A black rift appeared near the center of the rooftop, swallowing a cluster of bullets and steel fragments. Then he teleported to the opposite side of the battlefield. Uncle Ray immediately moved his metal barrier. But Ethan had anticipated the response. He didn’t attack the old man. Instead, he unleashed another Spatial Cut. The invisible blade swept across the rooftop, striking the gunmen who had clustered together behind the barrier. They collapsed in rapid succession.

The remaining men hesitated. For the first time, fear replaced their confidence. They had assumed that numbers and firearms would be enough to overwhelm a single opponent. Now they were watching their comrades fall without even understanding how the attacks had reached them.

Uncle Ray’s face twisted with rage.

“All of you! Keep firing! Don’t let him breathe!”

The remaining gunmen obeyed. Bullets tore through the air, forcing Ethan to keep moving. He used his final available Space Fissures to swallow the most dangerous volleys, redirecting his movements whenever the metal barrier blocked his path. The last gunman fell.

Silence briefly returned to the rooftop. Only the distant echoes of gunfire remained. Ethan landed beside a shattered concrete pillar, breathing steadily despite the ache spreading through his body. His available uses of Space Fissure were exhausted. His Teleportation and Spatial Cut had consumed a considerable amount of energy. And the goateed man was still alive.

This can’t continue.

Ethan clenched his fist. The energy he had received from Sofia’s Core was still circulating through his body. He had been absorbing it in the background throughout the fight, using each brief pause to guide it into his exhausted system. The pain beneath his skin had begun to fade. The pressure in his muscles changed, becoming something more controlled and powerful.

Then the system’s notification appeared.

[Ding! Energy Points Fully Absorbed.]

[Ability Level Increased: Quasi-S-Rank.]

[Next Upgrade Requirement: 100,000 Energy Points.]

A strange clarity washed over Ethan. The rooftop seemed to sharpen around him. He could distinguish the tiny fragments of concrete suspended in the air, the thin trails of smoke drifting from the gun barrels, and the minute movements of the metal fragments hovering around Uncle Ray. For a brief instant, it felt as though the world had slowed down.

Ethan’s gaze settled on the two remaining enemies.

Now.

He activated Time Stop. Everything froze. The metal fragments suspended in midair became motionless. A bullet hanging near the edge of the rooftop stopped halfway through its flight. Uncle Ray’s mouth remained open in the middle of a shout. Even the dust drifting through the sunlight appeared to have been painted onto the air.

Ethan moved. He drew his sword from the Survival Space and crossed the rooftop in a few swift steps. The goateed man stood near the entrance, his eyes closed and a faint smile still resting on his lips. He was the greatest threat here. If Ethan eliminated him, he could deal with Uncle Ray without constantly having his position exposed.

Ethan raised his sword. The blade moved toward the man’s neck. But just before it reached its target, something unexpected happened. The goateed man’s eyelids twitched. Once. Then again. A faint spiritual ripple spread from his body. His fingers moved.

Ethan’s eyes widened.

What?

The man was moving inside Time Stop. He couldn’t move freely, but his spiritual perception seemed to have allowed him to resist the ability’s effect for a brief moment. His expression twisted with effort as he forced his body to respond. Then he lunged sideways and grabbed Uncle Ray. Using every ounce of strength he possessed, he dragged the bald man directly into the path of Ethan’s sword.

Your gift is the motivation for my creation. Give me more motivation!