Return of the Legendary Runesmith

Ruby stayed inside the house. As planned, a single bullet was fired at Damien every ten minutes.

The box still held more than three hundred bullets, and her task was simple yet vital: keep each one tuned so William could use them to keep Damien alive.

That was the plan, and Ruby intended to follow it.

But Damien's condition was far from improving. His internal organs were badly damaged, and only the bullets kept him from collapsing completely. It was like a tug of war, with death and life pulling at him with equal strength.

Adrian had promised to bring Damien to a healer within six hours. Yet Ruby knew the supply she had could only hold Damien together for five. That missing hour gnawed at her—her one true concern.

Still, she didn't let it weigh on her for long. She trusted Adrian.

**KIRRIIIK**

The sound of a sudden slash tore through the air. In an instant, a maid standing nearby was cleaved apart, the very house itself split by the terrifying force of the strike.

"Aahhh!" someone screamed, but Ruby's hands remained steady. She did not flinch.

"Did he lose?" Tessa whispered nervously as she peeked outside. Her fear was confirmed—Adrian stood against the last Acolyte, his left arm name injured but his stance unshaken.

"This is bad…" Arbit muttered, already debating in his mind whether retreat was still possible.

Even Reid was tense now. This enemy was stronger than any they had faced before. With a single motion, his attack had torn the house apart in a fraction of a second.

Adrian had carried them through the worst until now—but this Acolyte was on a whole different level.

The question rose silently among them before someone voiced it: "Should we try to break out of this cage?"

It seemed like the logical choice. If they breached the barrier, they might call for help.

But William's voice cut through their fragile hope. "Don't act rashly. The barrier's power comes from beyond its walls. That means a stronger force waits outside."

His words hit them harder than any attack, dousing the sudden surge of courage.

Tessa's teeth ground together. "Then what do you expect us to do? Just sit here and wait until we're slaughtered?"

The blond Vermillion sighed before answering softly, "Why not take a lesson from your niece? Place your trust in the man who's fighting out there."

Everyone's gaze turned to Ruby. She sat calmly, her focus unbroken as she tuned the bullets. Not once had she faltered. Her eyes showed unwavering faith.

Faith in Adrian.

She knew the situation was quite bad given the extra hour they needed to manage to keep Damien alive and also, the forces waiting for them beyond the barrier.

However, even against impossible odds, she showed no fear. No hesitation.

Not since the moment Adrian appeared.

….

Outside the shattered house, Adrian pressed a bullet into his arm, the wound sealing as the magic surged through him.

But that left him with only twelve bullets. Twelve chances. No more—for he couldn't ask Forgelet for help; entry into the Time Chamber was forbidden to him for another six hours.

Which meant every move had to count.

"I don't see the spark in your eyes anymore," the Acolyte sneered. "Have you finally realized the gulf between us?"

Adrian's gaze was calm, his voice steady. "There's an offer I'd like to extend."

The Acolyte frowned, thrown off by the unexpected words.

"I'll let you live," Adrian continued, "if you tell me where your knowledge of witchcraft comes from."

The silence that followed was sharp, unsettling. For a moment even the battlefield seemed to pause.

Then came a burst of laughter.

"Phahaha! You—pfft—you truly believe you can defeat me?!" the Acolyte roared, his mocking tone edged with irritation.

Adrian didn't reply. His face gave nothing away—not anger, not boastfulness. Only intent. Because he wasn't jesting. He truly wanted to know who was teaching them forbidden witchcraft.

The Acolyte's lips curled into a cold smirk. "Then allow me to enlighten you, Professor. While you waste your strength on me, my people—those demons—are tearing into the Vermillion family on the other side."

To bring down one of the strongest clans in the world, the Skulth had accounted for every outcome. Every possibility had been weighed, including the failure of their first wave.

That was why the second assault had been prepared—an onslaught designed to ensure that no bearer of Vermillion blood would live to see the morning sun.

Right now, more than ten Acolytes and two demons must have already stormed the manor from the front.

But contrary to the commander's expectations, Adrian didn't rush to intercept. He remained exactly where he was, composed, almost unnervingly calm.

The Acolyte narrowed his eyes, doubt stirring at the back of his mind. Something is—

BOOOOM!

"AAAHHHH!"

His thought was ripped apart by the thunderous impact. The roof split open as a figure was hurled high into the sky—an Acolyte, ragged and flailing.

And then came another figure, rising with ruthless grace.

The commander's eyes widened as he recognized the woman swinging down her enormous mace, smashing into the airborne Acolyte and hurling him back to the earth with a quake.

"W-Warden… Ariana?!" His voice broke. Shock froze his face. When had she arrived?

Adrian sighed, "You really believed I would come here alone?"

Naturally, when Adrian told Ariana about the feature of the ring, she didn't allow him to go there alone.

She came with him but has been hiding until now. Her role was to keep an eye on things from afar and only intervene when Adrian becomes helpless.

And for Adrian to counter those backup Acolytes was nearly impossible when he was facing such a foe like this one.

The Commander clenched his fist.

His eyes grew cold.

His lips moved but no word came out.

Adrian narrowed his eyes as he saw mana surging around him.

Adrian raised his revolver, intending to shoot another dismantling bullet but then he stopped.

In the next instance, four magic circles appeared around the Acolyte, all of them charged up to completely destroy Adrian and the people behind him.

"This is my challenge to you, Adrian Lockwood. Protect the Vermillion family and I will answer your questions."

Adrian heaved a long breath and pulled his second favorite weapon from the Time Chamber.

A long black staff appeared in his hand as he faced the monster before him.

This battle was heading towards its conclusion.

°°°°°°°°°

A/N:- Thanks for reading. I hope the pace is fine. If you have been enjoying the story so far, you know what you need to do.