Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert

Chapter 132

Raven was a B-rank Martial Artist Awakened.

That alone was strong enough, but he had also trained as a soldier and could handle various firearms with ease.

He wasn’t a Magic Gunner, but he could use weapons as skillfully as one.

Swords and guns.

Two weapons that shouldn’t go together harmonized in his hands, displaying absolute power.

Raven didn’t even consider drawing his sword.

He was confident he could handle this with just his gun.

The gun he held was a Desert Eagle.

An antique from before the world turned to ruins.

Originally, it wouldn’t even fire, but thanks to an Enchanter, it was reborn as the ultimate ultimate weapon of human destruction.

One shot could blow off an average Awakened’s head like a watermelon.

No matter how great an Awakened, they couldn’t dodge a bullet aimed at them from point-blank range.

Raven aimed the Desert Eagle at Zeon’s forehead and said.

“Just think of it as bad luck. Your destiny ends here.”

“Don’t decide my fate so arrogantly. My life isn’t so cheap as to be swayed by someone else.”

“Oh really? Too bad.”

Raven grinned and pulled the trigger.

Click!

The sound of the hammer striking echoed.

But the expected bullet didn’t fire.

“What? It malfunctioned?”

Raven looked at the Desert Eagle in disbelief.

An ordinary gun might malfunction.

But this was no ordinary gun.

It was an item enhanced by a skilled Enchanter.

There was no reason for it to suddenly fail within Neo Seoul, not even in the harsh environment of the desert.

Raven tilted the Desert Eagle, and fine sand trickled out from the barrel and chamber.

“Sand? How did that get in the gun?”

Raven made a perplexed face.

He always maintained his gun meticulously.

He had checked it before coming here.

It was definitely fine then.

Raven glared at Zeon.

“Did you do this?”

“Who knows?”

“You must be a Magic Awakened, pulling off a trick like this.”

“It could be a trick, or it could be skill.”

Zeon smirked slightly.

That smile infuriated Raven.

“Let’s see if you can still smile after I cut your head off.”

Shhh!

Raven swung the sword strapped to his back.

In a flash, the sword sliced through the air, reaching Zeon’s neck in an instant.

Clunk!

At that moment, Zeon deflected Raven’s sword with his gauntleted fist.

“You’re not a magic user but a martial artist?”

“Find out for yourself.”

“I was planning to.”

Shiiing!

Raven swung his sword at a terrifying speed.

His swordsmanship was precise and sharp, with immense power behind each strike.

Any fragile human body would be sliced in two instantly if it got in the way.

But that was only if the blade made contact.

Zeon narrowly dodged all of Raven’s attacks.

When dodging wasn’t an option, he used the Inferno Gauntlet to block or deflect the blows.

Frustrated, Raven pulled out the machine gun hidden inside his coat.

“You rat bastard! Let’s see you dodge this.”

Brrrr!

Without hesitation, he fired the machine gun.

Bullets powerful enough to pierce ten-centimeter-thick steel rained down.

Even the strongest Awakeneds would flinch at such an attack. But Zeon didn’t dodge; he charged straight ahead.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Numerous bullets struck Zeon’s body.

But none penetrated.

It was because of the robe Zeon was wearing.

Made from Leviathan hide, the robe was not easily pierced by such an attack.

Only his face was exposed, but he blocked even that with the Inferno Gauntlet.

Raven’s eyes widened.

“Damn it!”

Boom!

At that moment, a powerful impact struck his abdomen.

Zeon’s foot had connected.

“Ugh!”

With a pained groan, Raven was thrown backward.

Zeon followed up by swinging his fist at the fallen Raven.

Boom!

“Argh!”

With an explosive sound, Raven let out a stifled scream.

Though he had barely blocked Zeon’s attack, the shockwaves reverberated through his insides.

“Who… are you? Who the hell are you, bastard?”

Raven shouted as he lunged again.

* * *

On top of a building overlooking the plaza stood an elderly man and two young women.

The twin sisters, identical in appearance, watched Zeon and Raven’s fight with interest.

“Woah!”

“It’s the first time seeing Raven, the human hunter, in such a tight spot.”

The twins’ eyes widened as if watching a fascinating spectacle.

The elderly man beside them also murmured in amazement.

“Even so, Raven is quite a strong B-rank Awakened, to be pushed this far.”

Raven was by no means an easy opponent.

His simultaneous use of guns and swords made him extremely difficult to deal with.

At least by ordinary standards.

It was of no concern to the elderly man and the twins.

They were far too strong to be troubled by someone like Raven.

The twins looked at the old man simultaneously.

“What’s his identity?”

“Do you know him?”

The old man shook his head.

“I don’t know. It’s my first time seeing him today.”

“So there are things that even Grandpa doesn’t know.”

“Indeed.”

The one called Grandpa chuckled at the twins’ remark.

Everyone else called him ‘Old Man’ or ‘Elder.’ Only the twins called him Grandpa.

That’s how close they were.

“I don’t know everything. The world is vast.”

“So you don’t know everything.”

“Are you going to just leave it like this?”

The fight between Zeon and Raven intensified.

So far, there hadn’t been any significant damage, but if it continued, people nearby might get hurt.

The old man said.

“I don’t think I need to intervene. That guy is guiding the fight to minimize damage.”

His gaze was fixed on Zeon.

Zeon’s movements were so subtle that the twin sisters hadn’t noticed. He cleverly redirected all of Raven’s attacks toward himself, ensuring that the surroundings remained undamaged. Simultaneously, he skillfully deflected the attacks concentrated on him, dispersing their force.

As a result, there had been no significant damage or casualties so far.

The twin sisters took turns speaking.

“Is he a martial artist-type?”

“What rank?”

“B or higher.”

“He’s strong.”

“But not stronger than us.”

“Of course not.”

“Should we attack?”

“Should we?”

At that moment, the old man shook his head and joined their conversation.

“Don’t.”

“Why? Do you think we’d lose?”

“Do you think we’d lose?”

“No, but it could become a hassle. If we don’t finish off this type instantly, they hold grudges.”

At the old man’s answer, the twin sisters frowned simultaneously.

They seemed to ponder for a moment before speaking in unison.

“We don’t like hassles.”

“We don’t!”

“Let’s just watch.”

“Okay!”

The old man smiled at their conversation.

The twin sisters were named Eun Su-jin and Eun Su-young.

They were members of the same organization as the old man—Numbers.

The Numbers.

It was an execution squad directly under the mayor of Neo Seoul, Jin Geum-ho.

They were dispatched for major incidents that could shake the foundation of Neo Seoul or to eliminate Jin Geum-ho’s enemies.

The entire Numbers squad consisted of S-rank and A-rank Awakeneds.

Eun Su-jin and Eun Su-young possessed powerful telepathic abilities.

Their telepathy could infiltrate and confuse an opponent’s mind or manipulate it.

Their mental abilities were so strong that B-rank or lower Awakeneds couldn’t resist.

The old man was a barrier specialist.

If he wanted, he could create a powerful barrier over the entire plaza.

His barriers were completely isolated from reality.

Until the old man dispelled it, nothing could escape from within.

Though his combat strength was negligible, his powerful barrier abilities and versatility made him recognized as a strong member within the Numbers.

“Thanks to the mayor, we’re witnessing an interesting fight. This is quite high-level combat. Hehehe!”

Jin Geum-ho had secretly called him to play the role of mediator.

The mediator was, literally, someone who balanced the situation.

Jin Geum-ho wanted the situation to escalate but not beyond his control.

The collapse of Neo Seoul itself would be a significant loss for him.

Thus, he secretly dispatched the old man and the twin sisters.

Their abilities were perfect for balancing the situation.

Initially, the old man found the mission bothersome.

Though not as old as Jin Geum-ho, he had lived a long life and experienced many incidents.

In his youth, he enjoyed such events, but now he found them dull.

He was considering retirement from the Numbers. But the fight between Zeon and Raven today rekindled his interest and curiosity.

The fight between Zeon and Raven grew fiercer.

Enraged, Raven attacked Zeon with all his might.

Brrrrr!

He fired the machine gun wildly and swung his sword in a frenzy. Yet, his attacks failed to land any significant hits on Zeon.

Raven was a well-known human hunter in the area.

His combat prowess had been proven.

Raven was strong.

But at this moment, he was not strong.

In front of someone even stronger, he was utterly powerless.

“Who are you? Who the hell are you?”

In the end, growing frustrated, Raven shouted.

At that moment, Raven was already psychologically defeated.

Zeon was like a cliff.

A cliff so high that it seemed insurmountable.

Zeon could have taken down Raven anytime he wanted.

But he refrained because of the nagging sensation he felt since a while ago.

Someone was watching.

Zeon heightened his senses and scanned the area.

But he couldn’t find the observer.

It wasn’t because they were hidden behind obstacles or inside buildings.

If that were the case, he would have found them already.

‘Have they isolated the space with a barrier?’

Ordinary Awakeneds wouldn’t have thought of this.

But Zeon was no ordinary Awakened.

He had roamed the desert for eight years, encountering numerous situations and Awakeneds.

Among them were those who used barriers or magic circles to hide.

Initially, they troubled him, but Zeon eventually found a way to deal with them.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, a sandstorm blew through the plaza.

No one found it unusual since sandstorms were common.

But this sandstorm was special.

Zeon had summoned it.

The sandstorm covered the plaza.

At that moment, Zeon saw it.

A space where the sandstorm strangely bypassed.

Where the old man and the twin sisters were.

‘There it is.’

Zeon’s gaze naturally turned to the building.

At that moment, the old man shivered.

He had made eye contact with Zeon.

‘That guy, did he see me?’