Chapter 82: Outplayed

’Damn bitch! Of all the possible moments, she had to show up now! I need to get to Alice!’ Neolan’s mind immediately began working as his Ultimate Comprehension activated, searching for a way to either kill Rosy or escape from the sealed rift without wasting any more time.

However, the presence of Maximus, Kiozo, and Junwoo made things considerably more complicated, ’Tch! Getting away from here with these three is impossible.’

He quickly considered another possibility but rejected it almost immediately. ’If I try to conceal all our presences now, she’ll notice the technique, and my Qi will drain rapidly.’ One possibility after another appeared in his mind, only for him to discard them after identifying their weaknesses.

Despite his Ultimate Comprehension helping him analyze the situation, most of his available options had little chance of success, and every passing second made him increasingly impatient.

While Neolan continued calculating his next move, Maximus swallowed nervously before finally speaking up. "N-Neolan, d-do you know her? Wh-Why is she saying we need to pay back?" His voice trembled slightly as he looked at the woman floating above them, clearly unsettled by her presence and the hostility she directed toward Neolan.

The other two remained silent, waiting for an explanation while keeping their attention fixed on Rosy. Neolan glanced at Maximus’s pale face before making his decision. ’I have no choice. I’ll distract her while they take the core, then I can simply use Void Step to appear there...’

His eyes narrowed as his Ultimate Comprehension analyzed Rosy’s abilities and the possible counters she might have prepared. ’She can teleport, too, but... I’ll need to seal the space around her again.’ Having settled on a temporary plan, he turned toward Kiozo and Junwoo.

Without wasting another moment, Neolan began channeling spiritual Qi around all three of them. His fingers moved as he formed the necessary symbol, activating a technique from the Absolute Sealing Arts that concealed their presences from external detection.

However, the moment the technique took effect, he felt the strain spreading through both his mind and body as his Qi began draining rapidly, ’Damn, the consumption is too high. Still, if I can keep it active until they’re far enough away, then...’

Rosy immediately noticed that the three people who had been standing beside Neolan had suddenly disappeared. Her eyes narrowed as she observed him whispering something toward the seemingly empty space beside him, though she couldn’t hear what he was saying.

Neolan had expected her to either become confused by the sudden disappearance or attack him immediately, but her reaction was completely different. She simply looked at him and spoke with an amused expression.

"You thought those friends of yours could escape using whatever technique you just pulled off?" Rosy snapped her fingers, and five figures appeared beside her in an instant. All five wore black, ninja-like outfits that concealed their appearances, and their movements suggested that they were trained assassins.

Without even turning toward them, Rosy issued her command.

"Search for those three who have vanished. Use any artifacts available to you, and kill them immediately." The five figures bowed in response before disappearing one after another, moving to carry out her orders.

Rosy then returned her attention to Neolan, whose expression had grown increasingly grim as his plan began to fall apart. "Now, let’s settle our previous score."

Neolan’s mind immediately resumed its calculations as he tried to determine how to deal with the unexpected reinforcements, ’Damn it, she brought more assassins? It can’t be helped. I need to keep her occupied while they do their job.’

He remembered that the three men had telepathic communication devices built into their wristwatches, which meant they could still contact him if something went wrong. Even so, he knew he couldn’t afford to rely entirely on that possibility, ’I can’t do anything except trust them.’

Neolan finally raised his head and forced a smile, though a bead of sweat still trickled down his chin. "You’re right. It’s time to settle the score. However, since I’m at a disadvantage here, I’ll have to use some nasty methods."

Rosy grinned at his response as a massive scythe materialized in her hand, its blade gleaming as she prepared to attack, "I hope you don’t get cut into pieces while I play with you. Hehe, hehe."

Bifrost immediately appeared in Neolan’s hand, and he stepped forward before vanishing from his original position. Rosy’s eyes widened in surprise as she watched him disappear, never expecting her target to possess an ability that resembled her own teleportation.

Since Neolan was a newly awakened individual, she had received almost no information about his abilities, leaving her unprepared for this sudden development. Before she could properly analyze what had happened, Neolan reappeared at her left side, his sword already sweeping horizontally toward her neck.

Rosy reacted instantly, swinging her massive scythe to intercept the incoming attack. The two weapons were about to clash when a smirk appeared on Neolan’s face, and his body was cleaved in two by the scythe.

However, Rosy’s expression changed the moment she realized something was wrong, as the severed body blurred instead of behaving like real flesh. She immediately understood that she had struck an afterimage rather than Neolan himself, but by then, it was already too late to avoid the counterattack.

"Khuk!"

Rosy spat out blood as a massive wound suddenly opened across her back. Despite the injury, she reacted quickly and swung her scythe in a furious counterattack, releasing a powerful slash coated in Astrine energy toward Neolan’s position.

Yet, just as before, the figure caught in her attack turned into a blur, leaving nothing behind but an afterimage. Neolan had already moved away, avoiding the slash before reappearing several meters away on the ground.

’If not for my Ultimate Comprehension identifying the weaknesses in her attacks, I’d be in shreds by now.’ Neolan steadied himself as he assessed the situation, knowing that one mistake could leave him seriously injured or worse.

Just then, he felt the same sudden thumping sensation from earlier, causing his expression to change as his thoughts immediately returned to Alice. ’Alice!’ he shouted inwardly before turning his attention back toward Rosy.

To his frustration, the massive wound on Rosy’s back had already begun to heal, and her expression showed no sign of concern despite the damage she had sustained. Neolan clenched his teeth as he watched her recover, his mind racing to find a way to overcome her regenerative abilities.

’What are those three doing? Shouldn’t they already have the rift core-!’ Before he could finish the thought, his wristwatch suddenly beeped three times in quick succession.

Neolan immediately opened the holographic screen and attempted to establish a connection with the others, ’Did you succeed?’ he asked through the communication device, urgently waiting for their response.

However, before he could receive an answer, Rosy’s voice interrupted him once again, carrying an unmistakable note of amusement, "Wondering why they aren’t answering? They’re already dead. Can’t you see?"

Neolan’s eyes widened as he looked in the direction Rosy indicated. There, held in the grasp of the masked assassins who had disappeared moments earlier, were Maximus, Kiozo, and Junwoo.

’What?!’