chapter 22 Stronger Hallows are coming
Nefaria lunged at Quinn, her movements sluggish and weak. The battle had taken its toll on her—she was far from the ruthless fighter she had been at the start. But even in her weakened state, her attacks remained relentless, her chain slicing through the air with deadly intent.
Quinn, however, dodged effortlessly. Every swing of her weapon met only empty space as he sidestepped, ducked, and shifted his gravity to evade her with ease. His expression remained unreadable as he watched her struggle.
Then, he spoke.
"How do you know my name?" he asked, his voice calm as if he weren't in the middle of a fight.
Nefaria sneered, still attacking. "News of an S-rank appearing in this city reached my ears. For you to force even Veyron and Nyx to retreat… that's no small feat."
Quinn's brows furrowed slightly. "Nyx? I only fought Veyron."
A dark chuckle escaped her lips. "Then Nyx must have chosen not to fight back after seeing the state you left Veyron in. And now you should be expected Stronger hallows in this small city"
She suddenly lunged again, swinging her chain in a wide arc. Quinn effortlessly caught the weapon mid-air, gripping the steel links tightly in his palm.
Nefaria's breath hitched as she realized he was too fast, too strong. Her already exhausted body trembled in resistance, but Quinn's hold was unbreakable.
"Thanks for the information," Quinn said casually. "Now, as repayment, I'll show you the opposite of the same technique that made Veyron retreat."
With a sudden yank, he pulled her chain, dragging her forward at high speed. Before she could react, Quinn rushed toward her, his fists already flying.
Boom! His first punch slammed into her gut, forcing blood from her lips.
Boom! Another crashed into her ribs, cracking them instantly.
Boom! Boom! Boom! A flurry of devastating strikes sent her body airborne, her frame twisting helplessly as she coughed up more blood.
As she soared into the air, Quinn lifted his left index finger, his gaze locked onto her. White gravity energy began swirling at the tip of his finger, condensing into a small yet immensely powerful sphere.
Nefaria's eyes widened in horror.
"White Singularity: Repulsion."
The white sphere shot forward at blinding speed, leaving a faint distortion in the air. Nefaria barely had time to register the attack before it struck her stomach.
A split second of silence—then boom!
A violent explosion erupted from the impact point, and when the smoke cleared, a gaping hole was left in Nefaria's midsection. Her stomach was completely gone, her body falling limply to the ground with a dull thud.
Quinn exhaled heavily. His vision blurred slightly—he had used up too much mana.
He walked toward her body, his expression cold but his mind racing. Stronger Hallows are coming…?
Reaching down, he plunged his hand into the remains of her torso, fingers digging into her torn muscle. With a sickening squelch, he pulled out her core, its energy still radiating faintly.
He gripped it tightly. "I need to get stronger."
[Quest completed]
[A ranked hallow defeated]
[Agility has increased by 30%]
A heavy exhaustion settled over him, but he pushed through the fatigue, his mind focused on one thing—survival.
A deep hum filled the air as a sleek black car approached from the distance, its headlights cutting through the thick night fog. The tires screeched slightly against the pavement as it came to a stop just a few feet away from Quinn. The doors unlocked with a soft click, and the sound of footsteps echoed in the empty streets.
Quinn's golden eyes flickered toward the vehicle, his gaze sharpening as he recognized the figure stepping out.
Cedric.
Dressed in his usual AGC uniform—black tactical gear with the silver insignia of the Awakened Guild Commission on his shoulder—Cedric exuded authority as he took in the scene before him. His eyes swept over the ruined environment, the shattered ground, and the still-warm corpse of the Hallow at Quinn's feet. His gaze then landed on the deep crimson stains covering Quinn's hands and clothes.
"Quinn," Cedric called, his voice firm but laced with curiosity. "What happened here?"
Quinn, still catching his breath, clenched the core he had just extracted. "I was attacked by a Hallow," he replied, his tone steady despite his exhaustion. "And apparently, they know my name."
Cedric's brows knitted together. "You were attacked?" he repeated, his expression darkening.
"Yeah," Quinn nodded. "And before she died, she said something interesting—stronger Hallows are coming now that an S-rank like me has appeared."
Cedric's eyes narrowed. "That shouldn't be possible," he muttered. "We haven't made your ranking public, so how do they know about you?"
A heavy silence settled between them. Then, mid-sentence, Cedric suddenly stopped.
"That means… they might also know about—" He abruptly cut himself off, his jaw tightening as if he'd said too much.
Quinn's eyes gleamed with curiosity. "Know about what?" he asked, stepping forward. "Is there another S-rank like me?"
Cedric remained silent, his expression unreadable.
Quinn, though exhausted, was sharp. "So there is," he concluded in his mind. "But who could it be? Not like I know anybody, though…"
Letting the subject drop for now, Quinn took a deep breath and stretched his shoulders. "Cedric," he said, "I want to train harder for the coming threat. From now on, I'll be using the AGC training grounds."
Cedric's lips curled into a smirk. "What a wonderful idea. Start tomorrow. I could even teach you a thing or two."
Quinn let out a small chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'd like to see you try," he teased before his expression turned serious. "But for now, I'm exhausted. I need to rest." he said as he handed the core of the hallow to him "I expect to see the money transferred to me before I come over tomorrow" Quinn said with a smile and with that, he pushed himself off the ground, his body rocketing into the night sky with a burst of gravity energy. He soared toward the hotel, his silhouette fading into the darkness.
Cedric exhaled, watching him go. Then, turning back, he found his AGC team already at work.
One of them knelt beside the remains of the Hallow, carefully inspecting her weapon. "What a sturdy weapon…" he murmured, running his fingers along the steel.
Another AGC member stepped forward, raising a hand over the battlefield. A faint blue light emanated from his palm. "Restore," he whispered.
A ripple of energy spread across the ruined streets. Cracked pavement mended itself, shattered windows pieced back together, and the debris slowly vanished. It wasn't perfect—the signs of battle still lingered faintly—but it was no longer the war-torn battlefield it had been moments ago.
Cedric nodded in approval. "What would we do without you?" he mused.
The man just smirked. "Come on now, it's nothing."
Cedric let out a short chuckle before glancing up at the night sky. "Stronger Hallows, huh?" he muttered to himself. His expression hardened.
"I need to get stronger myself. Things are about to get interesting."