Sylas let out a long breath. His body was being constantly pushed to the limit, especially with <Madness Control> active, and his mind was being pressed to the same extent.

Seeing this level of threat approaching from the distance, he knew that this time he was well and truly in a pinch.

He looked back toward the portal.

Right now, he needed more than just this. If he wanted to escape this sort of situation, it would be more difficult than just running away.

They were in the deserts of Lone Star right now. It was nothing but flat stretches of land for practically as far as the eye could see.

If he wanted to run away, he would be unlikely to do it on foot.

Sylas looked toward where he saw a few helicopters but immediately tossed the idea away. Not to mention the fact he had no idea how to fly one, they were probably scrap metal by now underneath all this Aether.

Just as Sylas was lost in thought, he was forced to duck and roll.

An arrow missed him by a short margin, and though it tried to curve in the air, his telekinesis severed its connection with the Skill powering it in an instant.

The beasts around him suddenly pounced. Beneath the effects of Madness, they had no sense of camaraderie or control. Some were even fighting amongst themselves at this point.

Sylas had no choice but to release Madness. Its purpose had been fulfilled, and he had managed to make it out of the portal. Now he just needed a way out.

He dodged the swipe of a paw after popping to his feet, gripping onto the wolf's wrist hard and pulling it toward a vicious punch that shattered its head.

He tossed the corpse to the side and realized that he couldn't just stand around these beasts. No matter what, he had to make a break for it.

Forgetting everything else, he broke out into a sprint, picking the opposite direction of the trio of elites.

There was a clear encirclement in his way, but better to deal with a group of Level 3 to 5's than have to deal with experts far more powerful than anything he could handle now.

Defeating the Red Crystal Snake didn't fill Sylas with any delusions.

From the power he had seen Bloom display, although he had no way of knowing if these three were as powerful, he couldn't take the risk.

What he did know was that despite their power, Bloom and Mark had fought the three previous government agents and those three were still alive and well. Yet, those very same three agents had been forced to call these new three for help.

If that didn't paint the picture of the kind of trouble he was in, nothing would.

"I'll go stop him!" Elise shouted. "Hold the line!"

Sylas heard the voice of the Level 9 but didn't turn back.

He moved forward at the fastest speed the horde of beasts and the avalanche of attacks from the encirclement allowed.

He was barely over 20 meters from the first line of the encirclement when he sensed waves of danger coming toward him.

He came to an abrupt halt as shards of ice collided before him.

They exploded, and the earth suddenly bloomed with crystalline spikes of blue that shot toward his chest.

Sylas hurried to conjure a shield, which the spikes quickly burst through, but that still gave him enough time to get out of range.

Unfortunately, it was also enough time for Elise to not only clear out the nearby beasts but to also block his path.

A heaviness set in on Sylas' heart.

There was such a wave of new information hitting him every moment, he didn't even know how to process it all.

But a cooling sensation ran through his mind and he noticed something.

How could she use ice in this kind of heat? Was it truly indifferent?

He didn't get a chance to linger on this thought for long, a sword of white appearing at his chest with every intention of skewering him through.

DENG! DENG! DENG!

The three kunai bombarded the side of the sword all at once, parrying it to the side as Sylas punched out.

Elise took a step back expecting to still be out of range when a green glow caught her off guard.

Basic Aetherflow took hold once again, and Elise was sent flying back, a solid fist aura slamming into her shoulder.

She tried to dodge at the last moment but just barely failed.

Her reaction speed was so great that it was frightening.

Sylas looked toward his own shoulder, feeling a frosty aura eating into his Aether Skin.

His gaze flickered, feeling that this could be bad if it wasn't dealt with.

But he also wasn't even sure if that was possible in this situation.

Without hesitation, he burst toward another direction.

What he didn't expect was that the biting cold he was hoping to deal with later had already turned his lips blue.

Even with all the hot blood pumping through him and the adrenaline, Sylas suddenly felt ice cold.

He looked at his shoulder again only to find that it had already eaten through his Aether shield and latched onto his skin.

Sylas' clothes had already been entirely burned through. And unlike others, he couldn't wear armor thanks to these useless wraps he couldn't take off.

So, he had not the slightest hint of protection.

In a rare moment, Sylas cursed.

He hardly had the Aether control to form his Aether skin in the first place. He didn't even know the first thing about dealing with this sort of attack.

He felt himself slowing down as his Effective Speed plummeted.

He tried to push his way through it, but it just wasn't working.

He sensed an arrow coming from afar, and thought he had time to dodge it, but—

THWACK!

It rebounded against his Aether skin, shattering.

But it sent him stumbling backward.

BANG!

Sylas barely registered something landing before him.

[Joel Sen]

[Level: 10]