Chapter 86: Northwind Heir in trouble

The moment Jackson realized who Angela’s pursuers were, any intention he had of helping her vanished like smoke in a strong wind.

Demonic hunters were trouble he had no desire to invite into his life. They were ruthless, unpredictable, and far more dangerous than ordinary hunters. Getting involved in their affairs without knowing the full situation would be nothing short of foolish.

Jackson had already decided to mind his own business and continue toward his mission objective when something unexpected happened.

Angela suddenly raised her head.

Her gaze swept across the sky before locking onto Jackson’s armored figure hovering above the treetops.

Their eyes met for an instant.

Then, without the slightest hesitation, Angela abruptly changed direction and rushed toward him.

Jackson stared at her in disbelief.

What is this woman doing?

He had been watching the entire pursuit from a safe distance, and there was no way she hadn’t noticed him. Yet instead of continuing her escape, she was deliberately bringing the pursuers toward him.

Does she really think dragging those people over here will help her?

Jackson nearly laughed in exasperation.

I can simply fly higher and leave you to deal with your own problems.

Before he could act on that thought, however, a strange change occurred around Angela.

A pale, luminous substance suddenly emerged from her body. It spread rapidly across her limbs and torso, flowing over her clothes like liquid metal before hardening into a seamless layer of armor.

Within seconds, her entire body was encased in gleaming white armor.

Jackson’s eyes widened slightly.

Judging by the energy fluctuations radiating from the suit, it was at least Peak Rank Three equipment.

Before he could properly examine it, Angela’s feet left the ground.

With a powerful burst of energy, she shot into the air and crossed the distance between them in the blink of an eye. Her speed was astonishing, far greater than Jackson had anticipated.

By the time he realized what was happening, she had already arrived behind him.

Jackson froze for a moment.

What the hell?

He slowly turned his head toward the woman who had just appeared beside him.

If you could fly this whole time, why were you running?

The question almost escaped his mouth.

Angela, however, gave him no opportunity to ask it.

The sounds of rushing air suddenly filled the sky.

One after another, the figures pursuing her rose above the treetops. Energy surged from their armor as they accelerated toward the two of them, their movements swift and coordinated.

Jackson’s expression gradually stiffened.

Every single pursuer possessed a Rank Three armor suit.

He counted them again, almost hoping he had somehow misjudged what he was seeing.

No.

There were seven of them.

Seven demonic hunters, all equipped with armor powerful enough to grant them flight.

Jackson felt the corners of his mouth twitch.

What happened to Rank Three armor being rare?

He had spent a considerable amount of money and owed Veronica a duel just to obtain one suit.

Yet here he was, watching seven people casually flying around in equipment of the same grade.

Has everyone started handing these things out like candy?

Before Jackson could finish complaining internally, a voice filled with vicious killing intent rang through the sky.

"Quickly! Get rid of this bastard and capture her!"

Another pursuer immediately shouted, "We must not let the Northwind heir escape! Capture her at all costs!"

The moment those words reached Jackson’s ears, his expression changed.

The Northwind heir?

His gaze flickered toward Angela.

So that was why she had attracted such a powerful group of pursuers.

The Northwind family wasn’t merely wealthy. It was one of humanity’s most influential weapon manufacturers, a family whose creations equipped countless hunters across the battlefield.

And Angela was apparently an important member of that family.

Unfortunately, Jackson didn’t have time to think about it further.

The seven demonic hunters had already launched their attack.

Powerful fluctuations of magical energy erupted across the sky. Blades of compressed energy, blazing projectiles, and other destructive attacks tore through the air, converging on Jackson and Angela from multiple directions.

The sky seemed to tremble beneath the combined force of their assault.

Jackson’s scalp tingled.

Are these people insane?

He had barely opened his mouth, let alone attacked anyone, yet they had already decided to kill him.

It seemed that remaining neutral wasn’t going to save him after all.

The first attack arrived before Jackson could react.

A blinding flash engulfed his vision.

The next instant, his armored body shattered into countless particles of light as the combined attacks struck him head-on.

The force of the impact swept through the surrounding air, leaving a turbulent trail of energy in its wake.

For a brief moment, Angela’s eyes widened behind her white helmet.

She had recognized Jackson.

More importantly, she had noticed that he had appeared to be alone in the sky.

Yet when the attacks landed, she immediately sensed something wrong.

The body that had shattered wasn’t real.

It was a decoy.

Her gaze snapped toward a point several meters away.

There, particles of light gathered rapidly, reconstructing a familiar armored figure.

Within seconds, Jackson reappeared in midair, completely unharmed.

He glanced down at his body, then moved his arms and legs to confirm that everything was intact.

Only after making absolutely certain that he hadn’t suffered any injuries did he finally release a long breath.

"That was close..."

His voice carried a hint of lingering relief.

Fortunately, he had Twin Moon Escape Skill.

The skill had already saved his life on multiple occasions, and it had once again allowed him to escape what should have been a fatal attack.

Without it, he might have been reduced to nothing more than scattered particles of light.

Jackson slowly raised his head.

The relief on his face disappeared.

His gaze settled on the seven demonic hunters hovering in the distance, and a cold light emerged in his eyes.

"You people have really done it now..."

His voice was quiet, but the anger beneath it was unmistakable.

Until now, he had deliberately avoided getting involved in Angela’s predicament.

He had watched her being chased without lifting a finger to help. Even when she deliberately flew toward him, he hadn’t immediately attacked her pursuers.

He had wanted nothing more than to mind his own business and finish his missions.

Yet these people had decided to attack him anyway.

Jackson’s expression darkened.

It seems there’s no avoiding trouble when trouble itself insists on coming after me.

The magical power within his spiritual space began to churn.

It surged against the silver boundary walls, responding to the anger gradually building inside him.

Jackson knew his limits.

Every one of these demonic hunters had reached the Third Sequence, putting them in the same general realm as him.

In a direct confrontation, he would be at a severe disadvantage.

Seven opponents, each equipped with Peak Rank Three armor, weren’t enemies he could casually defeat through brute force.

Fortunately, Jackson had never relied on brute force alone.

His eyes narrowed.

A familiar golden brush materialized in his hand.

He didn’t waste a second.

His gaze swept across the status windows of the approaching demonic hunters, and the Golden Brush moved swiftly through the air.

He added a new debuff to their status windows.

[Air Jinx — While fighting in the air, both primary attributes are halved when facing an opponent of the same realm.]

The moment he completed the edit, Jackson felt almost no resistance.

Perhaps the demonic hunters were already engaged in combat, leaving them little room to notice the interference. Or perhaps the condition attached to the debuff made it easier for the Golden Brush to take effect.

Whatever the reason, the edit succeeded.

Jackson didn’t hesitate.

He immediately moved to the next status window and applied the same debuff.

Then the next.

And the next.

Within moments, all seven demonic hunters had been affected.

The consequences were immediate.

The magical energy surging around their armor suddenly faltered.

Their movements became sluggish, and several of them struggled to maintain their altitude as the strength supporting their flight abruptly diminished.

Confusion spread across their faces.

"What happened?!"

One of the hunters looked down at his hands in disbelief.

"My magical power... It feels like it’s been cut in half!"

"Impossible! I’m experiencing the same thing!"

Another hunter frantically checked his status, his voice rising in alarm.

"What is this? Have we been trapped in some kind of illusion?"

Their panic was understandable.

For a Third Sequence Awakened, having both primary attributes suddenly reduced by half was catastrophic.

An Early Third Sequence expert might possess roughly six points in each primary attribute. Halving those values could reduce their effective combat strength to something comparable to that of an Awakened in the previous realm.

Their armor hadn’t changed.

Their skills hadn’t disappeared.

Yet the foundation supporting their strength had suddenly been cut in half.

It was as though they had lost an entire realm without warning.

Angela watched the scene unfold from behind Jackson, her confusion deepening by the second.

Just moments ago, these demonic hunters had been attacking with overwhelming confidence.

Now, they were shouting in panic, struggling to understand why their bodies had suddenly become so much weaker.

Her gaze shifted toward the armored figure floating in front of her.