Chapter 340: Rise of the Predator ( 340 )

The air around Javier shifted.

His grin faded.

His eyes darkened.

Then—

A pressure surged from him.

A cold, oppressive aura that made the very air feel heavier.

For the first time—

The Amazarak girl felt it.

Pure killing intent.

Javier tilted his head slightly, his expression unreadable.

Then—his voice dropped to a dangerous tone.

"People from one of my villages were killed. Slaughtered before my eyes…"

His fists clenched.

His mana flared slightly, making the ground crack beneath him.

"…Because of those 'Saint of Three Kingdoms' bastards."

A brief silence followed.

He took a step forward.

The girl flinched.

Javier's voice grew sharper, colder.

"Do you think I'll let a mistake like that happen again?"

The girl's breath hitched.

She gritted her teeth, her instincts screaming at her to move.

Javier's aura grew even heavier.

His eyes widened slightly—not in surprise—

But in pure intimidation.

"Your people might be strong in other human regions."

His expression twisted into a smirk.

"But in my land?"

A heavy silence fell—

Then, his voice dropped to a whisper.

"You ain't."

The girl's body stiffened as a chill crawled down her spine.

But before she could react—

Javier lowered his stance.

"You wanna use close combat?"

He grinned—

"Fine. I'll give you that."

He vanished.

The girl's eyes widened.

(Where?!)

But before she could even locate him—

A fist smashed into her stomach.

Her breath exploded out of her lungs.

Another hit to the ribs.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

Each strike landed clean.

Each punch precise and brutal.

Her body jerked violently, unable to defend.

She tried to counter—

But she couldn't even see him anymore.

All she felt—

Was pain.

The Amazarak girl coughed, her body trembling from the relentless blows.

She knew.

She couldn't win like this.

Her teeth sank into her own finger, drawing blood.

Then, with a swift motion—

She smeared the blood across her bone-engraved necklace.

The moment it was marked—

She hurled it to the ground.

The air cracked with dark energy, mana surging violently as the ground split apart.

Then—

Ten massive skeleton warriors clawed their way up from the earth.

Not human skeletons—but beasts.

Each one towered over a man, their bone structures twisted, their eyes glowing with eerie light.

The villagers screamed, stumbling back in terror.

And the girl?

She gritted her teeth, breathing heavily.

Her gamble had been made.

This would force him to react.

But—

Javier?

He didn't move.

He didn't flinch.

He just… smirked.

"Just ten?"

His voice dripped with mockery.

Before the girl could process his reaction—

A cold, mechanical sound filled the air.

From behind Javier, the shadows shifted.

Then—a towering white figure stepped forward.

No—not just one.

Ten.

Javier's White Puppet Knights.

The moment the skeletal monsters moved—

The Puppet Knights reacted instantly.

One skeleton's head was crushed into dust.

SLASH!

Another was bisected, bones shattering like glass.

The rest barely had time to react—

Before they were annihilated in mere seconds.

The girl's eyes widened in pure disbelief.

She had summoned ten monsters.

And they had been wiped out instantly.

Javier yawned.

Then, tilting his head, he grinned.

"Is that all?"

The bones of the shattered monsters lay scattered across the ground, their eerie glow fading away.

The Amazarak girl trembled.

Not just from pain.

Not just from exhaustion.

But from pure disbelief.

Her strongest summon—

Gone.

Wiped out in an instant.

And then—

Javier's voice cut through the silence.

Sharp. Cold.

"Hey, bitch!"

The girl flinched.

Then, slowly—she looked up.

Javier's eyes glowed, his expression no longer playful.

His body relaxed, but his presence—

Overwhelming.

Then, his voice dropped into a dangerous growl.

"If you wanna fight—"

A pause.

Then, with absolute authority, he snarled—

"DON'T TARGET CIVILIANS."

His mana flared violently, causing the very ground beneath him to crack.

He took a step forward.

"I'm right here."

His voice was low.

His grin returned—but this time, it was different.

No more teasing.

No more mockery.

This was the grin of a predator.

The Amazarak girl's breathing was ragged.

Her summons—gone.

Her attacks—useless.

And now—

Javier took a step forward.

His smirk deepened, but his eyes—

Cold. Merciless.

He raised his hand.

A simple, casual motion.

"Well—"

A sharp crack echoed through the air.

The temperature plummeted.

Frost spread across the ground in a chilling wave.

The Amazarak girl's body tensed—her instincts screamed DANGER.

Javier's smirk widened.

"Playtime's over."

From the ground—

Massive ice spikes erupted, surrounding her in an instant.

A jagged, crystalline cage of death.

Simultaneously—

Above her, dozens of deadly ice spears materialized in the air, hovering—waiting.

A perfect execution.

No escape.

Javier's golden eyes gleamed as he whispered—

"Judgment."

A single word.

A final sentence.

And the ice struck down.

The battle was over.

The Amazarak girl lay weak, her body impaled by countless ice spikes.

Blood dripped onto the frozen ground, staining the frost deep crimson.

And yet—

She still breathed.

Shallow. Weak. But alive.

Javier slowly walked toward her.

His boots crunched against the ice, each step deliberate.

He didn't rush.

Didn't gloat.

He simply stopped in front of her.

With an amused smirk, he tilted his head.

"Well… that wasn't even a real 'Judgment' skill."

His eyes gleamed down at her, unbothered.

"But still—"

A pause.

Then, voice laced with curiosity, he muttered—

"You've got quite the will to live, huh?"

Javier crouched down slightly, observing the half-conscious Amazarak girl.

Her breath was ragged.

Her body trembled from the sheer amount of damage she had taken.

And yet—she still clung to life.

Javier's grin widened.

"Well… maybe."

Then—

Dark tendrils of mana burst from his hand.

A vile, twisted energy coiled around the girl's broken body, wrapping her tightly.

Not killing her.

Not suffocating her.

But ensuring she wouldn't escape.

Her eyes flickered weakly, barely aware of what was happening.

Javier chuckled, his eyes glinting with amusement.

"Don't worry."

His voice was mockingly soft.

Then, with a sly smirk, he leaned in slightly.

"You won't die."

A pause.

Then—

"Well… not yet."

His fingers tightened slightly, reinforcing the bind.

"I think I still have some use for you."

Another smirk.

But inside his mind—

A different thought flickered.

His lips twitched, entertained by the idea.

With zero hesitation, he casually raised a hand.

"Hmm… Well… Heal!"

A soft green glow surrounded the girl's wounds, stopping her from bleeding out completely.

He wasn't healing her fully.

Just enough.

Just enough to keep playing with his new toy.

( End Of Chapter )