Over the decade, Aegon had earned many useless awards, but there were a few that stood out, the ones he considered top-tier. One of them was a special function added to his system: the ability to analyze an opponent and instantly determine their stage. It had a few more function but he needed to study more to activate them.

[Rank 5 Knight.]

"Just a Rank 5 Knight?" Aegon said, shaking his head slowly. "Who's the idiot that sent you?"

"You're more naïve than I thought," the bandaged man smirked, his tone dripping with mockery.

"Quite the same goes for you," Aegon scoffed, his eyes calmly scanning their surroundings. "Are the preparations complete?"

"You knew?" A flicker of surprise flashed across the man's eyes, but he quickly regained composure. "Doesn't matter. It's already done."

In the very next moment, large glowing symbols rose from the ground, surrounding them as a transparent barrier enveloped the area, trapping everything inside a Rune Formation.

Aegon's golden eyes darkened to a deeper hue as he muttered, "I'm impressed, a little. You even have the Seven Knot Formation… but it's quite useless, you know."

How could Aegon not recognize it?

He had poured countless hours into mastering the fundamentals of the Mage Pathway, and that naturally included a deep study of Runes. The formation before him was one he knew all too well, a structure primarily used to sever connections between the inside and outside world.

It had a thick, resilient outer shell and a flexible, weaker inner core, meaning it was far harder to break from the outside than from within.

"Seems like I'll have to give you some credit," the man sneered, raising his daggers. "But I'll show you why this isn't useless."

Aegon didn't even look at him. His gaze remained fixed on the corners of the barrier as he spoke casually, "When are you planning to come out?"

"Heh, do as he says and rise, my subordinates!" the bandaged man shouted, spreading his arms wide.

From the grassy plains around them, dozens of men emerged, stepping out of concealment. Each one was wrapped in different-colored bandages, their weapons glinting under the Twilight sky.

"The Karfaya Group?" Luna muttered in faint surprise as she summoned her staff. "You really are insane."

"We have no more need to waste our time here!" the bandaged man bellowed, dashing forward. "Kill them!"

"I'll take care of this hospital boy," Cali whispered under her breath and dashed forward as well. "Boost!!"

In the blink of an eye, the two collided in the middle of the field. The impact of their clash rang out with a metallic echo, sparks scattering in every direction. The bandaged man was pushed back slightly, while Cali remained firm, her expression unchanged.

She raised her fist, clad in metal braces, and taunted, "Come, little man."

"You're quite impressive, but that's it!" the man growled, lunging at her again, his speed even faster than before. But Cali matched him effortlessly with a single word.

"Boost!"

Meanwhile, the other members of the Karfaya Group charged at the remaining trio. Dozens of assassins surrounded them, but not a single one managed to reach their targets.

Luna stood before Aegon, her staff raised high, a Spell Sphere of swirling water hovering at its tip. She slammed her staff down, summoning a massive surge of water that swept through the ground and pushed back their attackers.

"Almost all of them are Knights," Aegon observed calmly, crossing his arms. "And certainly weak ones. Aside from their leader, not a single one passes Rank 3."

"What gave them the confidence to attack us?" Xavier muttered, raising his hand and firing several beams of light toward the advancing men.

As a 3-Star Mage, his normal attacks lacked the power to pierce their strengthened bodies, but that wasn't his intention anyway, he was merely creating an opening.

By then, Luna had finished preparing her spell. She waved her staff forward and chanted, "Water Prison!"

In the next instant, the water she had summoned earlier surged upward, morphing into thick chains that wrapped tightly around every enemy within range, trapping them completely.

"I didn't even get to do anything," Aegon muttered, watching the utter devastation unfold.

It wasn't surprising, though. Luna was a 4-Star Mage, as long as no one got too close and she had time to cast, even a squad of Rank 4 Knights wouldn't stand a chance. These Rank 3 Knights didn't even qualify as warm-up material.

Coupled with Xavier's support, it was only a matter of time before she subdued the entire group. Aegon didn't even need to draw his weapon.

He turned his gaze toward the other battlefield, where Cali's blurred figure clashed continuously with the bandaged man. Sparks flew each time their weapons collided, but anyone watching could tell who had the upper hand.

'Her Boost is seriously a broken ability,' Aegon thought, momentarily entranced by the intensity of her movements.

Then, suddenly, a chill crept down his spine, a sense of danger so sharp it almost made his skin crawl.

He smiled faintly. "I was waiting for you."

A dagger coated in a faint pink substance appeared behind him, slashing through the air with deadly precision. Aegon turned on his pivot, narrowly dodging it, though the blade continued its trajectory unnaturally, twisting mid-air to chase him again.

"We're doing this the American way," Aegon muttered, smoothly dodging another strike as if he could predict every move before it happened. He reached into his inventory and pulled out a compact, metallic object.

The owner of the pink dagger, a man dressed entirely in black, his face covered, seemed to bend space itself as he instantly appeared before Aegon. His dagger gleamed inches from Aegon's eye.

But Aegon remained perfectly calm.

Just as the blade was about to strike, he whispered, "Shadow Step."

The dagger pierced through nothing but dark mist.

Aegon reappeared right behind the man, a grin spreading across his face, and pressed the barrel of a pistol against the back of his target's head.

"I told you," Aegon said, voice cool and sharp, "we're doing this the American way."

The assassin had no idea what this strange weapon was, but his instincts screamed danger. He tried to activate his escape technique again, but it was already too late.

With a thunderous boom, a projectile tore through his skull. Pain seared through his mind before everything went dark.

Aegon exhaled lightly, blew away the faint trail of smoke rising from the pistol's barrel, and smiled.

"Game over."

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