Instigator and Protector of Violence

"Take care of yourself first."

Facing Sandro's aggression, Heisenberg directly threw two punches, closing in.

Joining the attack was Joseph, who flanked from the side.

Ned took the other side.

Three experts attacked simultaneously.

Sandro had previously shown strength on par with Heisenberg's, so he seemed to be in danger now.

Yet, he only smiled, not even using the scimitar in his hand. He let out a long sigh, like a chant: "Sink, like descending waves."

The next moment.

All three attackers felt as if a thousand-pound weight was placed on them, suddenly finding it difficult to move.

Ethan also felt the weight, but it was not as strong.

It was the rain.

Because Ethan had been using an umbrella, he wasn't as soaked. Heisenberg and the others, however, were thoroughly drenched during their actions.

Could Sandro control the rain?

"No casting allowed here!"

"No casting allowed here!"

Heisenberg clearly sensed it, so he immediately tried to alter the rules here.

Ned tried as well.

But they soon realized it wasn't very effective.

The weight on their bodies remained heavy.

Sandro had already slipped from their encirclement and was approaching Ethan.

"It's useless; you're not qualified. If that General Solomon were here, he might be able to restrict me a little."

Ethan was not severely restricted but felt thoroughly locked on.

By Sandro.

Should he try to escape, he might be killed instantly.

A strong psychological pressure.

So he could only grip the ebony, watching Sandro come closer step by step.

"No need to struggle, Ethan. I admire you, your wisdom, your decisiveness. Once you merge with me, you'll thank me for granting you infinite life. So, come, join me..."

The final "join me" was spoken in a mesmerizing, mind-altering way, as if not from Sandro but from the entire world, the heavy rain, and those lying in the rain, all voicing this sentence.

It echoed incessantly, provoking an irresistible urge to submit.

To grasp that hand.

The hand Sandro extended.

Very close now.

Sandro was already very close, about to reach Ethan.

Ethan finally spoke, responding, "No."

He once again raised the ebony in his hand.

"Useless, I said no..."

"Now's the time."

Suddenly, Ethan threw the ebony toward Sandro.

Sandro hadn't grasped Ethan's meaning when the sound of rain was suddenly pierced through from behind.

The three people who had been immobilized suddenly regained their mobility and surrounded him once more.

"Interesting..."

Sandro said, turning to face the trio's attack once again, almost instantly dodging Joseph's pincer, parrying Heisenberg, and withstanding Ned's assault.

"Ethan, you actually..."

He couldn't finish his sentence.

Because a bullet had suddenly pierced the storm, roaring from an unknown corner.

Even his desecrated sanctuary couldn't stop it.

His head was directly penetrated, the skull cap blasted away.

Yet despite this, he could still speak: "Ethan, it's useless, you can't kill me. Wait for me, I'll come for you."

With this final sentence, his entire body was thoroughly crushed by Ned and the others.

But his words still cast a shadow over them.

Could he really not be killed even like this?

What kind of monster is this guy?

However, with Sandro's death, the people originally lying on the ground, in extreme discomfort, seemed to feel a bit better.

Joseph and Heisenberg quickly went to check on their subordinates.

Ethan took a look at El as well.

This guy was smart; he had held an umbrella the whole time, now only half-squatting on the ground without looking too bad.

"Let's go inside and get out of the rain,"

Ethan said to Joseph and the others.

The rain was definitely problematic; they couldn't stay in it any longer.

But Ned was very anxious: "I need to find Sofia first."

"Mm, find her and meet back here,"

Ethan understood Ned's concern.

Ned said nothing further and left immediately.

Ethan made a gesture towards the empty torrential rain, then began helping those in the rain enter the building behind them to avoid getting drenched.

The gesture just now was to summon Anya to join them.

Luckily, before the action began, he had Ned acquire a batch of ancient artifacts from Charlie to enhance their combat power, and Anya had taken one that allowed short-range teleportation.

Otherwise, there would have been no way she could have returned from Holiday Sunshine to Winster University so quickly.

That would have been hard to say.

It was Ethan who first discovered that Aphraela's Tears could also control the power of those raindrops, allowing him to lift the restrictions on Joseph and the others and gain control over Sandro first.

Then Anya's shot followed.

Huoyan's sniper rifle had truly astounding power; even someone as evidently superior to a Level 5 True Name wielder like Sandro could be felled with one shot.

But Sandro not being truly dead still left Ethan unwilling to relax even slightly.

Once he, Joseph, and Heisenberg moved everyone into the building behind them, they gathered together.

After the battle they just endured, they could genuinely count themselves as comrades.

Meanwhile.

In Winster's heavy rain.

In the villa district on the east outskirts.

At a quiet villa with a garden.

A servant preparing lunch for his master in the kitchen suddenly heard a crisp sound from the living room, putting down his work promptly and heading over.

His master was Duval, a renowned lawyer in Winster. Despite his reputation for severity and an unyielding adherence to law, he treated his servants exceptionally well and generously.

Thus he didn't want anything untoward happening to his master, fearing he wouldn't find such good employment elsewhere.

Upon reaching the living room, he saw his master, who had been sipping coffee and watching the rain, with his coffee cup shattered on the floor, coffee spilled everywhere.

Duval himself seemed slightly distracted. Upon seeing the servant, he smiled and waved his hand, saying, "It's alright, just a slip of the hand. I'll clean that up myself; you can go."

Once the servant left, Duval turned to look out the window, revealing a meaningful smile on the rain-splattered glass.

"Interesting, Ethan, you've made me waste another body."