OLD-WORLD EXTRA-Chapter 172: A Bigger Smackdown

The gang members couldn't help but gasp in awe and fear as Emir flew through the air, defying gravity with his Aether construct.

And as he hurtled towards them, they scrambled to react.

Evan immediately screamed:

"AETHERIC BULWARK!"

In an instant, an unmovable barrier materialized before them, stretching wide to shield the group.

Simultaneously, Jack and Kiera swiftly shifted their positions, ready to launch a

counterattack.

'So a knight...'

Emir thought as his face showed a hint of amusement, seeing their futile attempts at defense.

And just before crashing into the barrier, he activated his Temporal Perception ability once more, slowing down time around him.

His eyes locked onto the barrier of Aether, and, with a swift movement of his hand, he chanted:

"Blades."

Creating a dagger construct, barely usable, but he only needed it for one thing.

With a single, precise strike, the barrier shattered like glass, leaving the gang members exposed.

Emir smirked as he heard the sound of a gunshot, but with his time-slowing ability, he easily twisted his body and dodged the bullet Jack had fired.

The Ranger's face showed surprise and frustration at Emir's agility, contrary to what someone might expect from his size.

Meanwhile, Kiera had unleashed another volley of fireballs in Emir's direction.

Emir danced through the air like a snake, sidestepping and ducking to avoid each shot with ease, forming a set of almost invisible platforms around him.

He appeared to be a force of nature to them, and they couldn't help but feel the vast gap in their abilities.

And just when it seemed like Emir was about to make contact with the ground, he activated another Aetheric construct beneath his feet, propelling him upwards with incredible speed.

He soared into the air, looking down at the gang members below.

With a smirk, he taunted them:

"Come on, show me what you've got! Don't hold back! Hiro, I haven't seen much of you yet. Sarah, Leo, step up!"

Almost responding to his taunts, he watched as Hiro mouthed the words:

"Flash Step."

Emir dodged Hiro's body with widened eyes, which almost flew straight into him.

Chuckling, he let himself land on the ground as he watched Hiro crash into the wall with a loud Crack!

'He stepped up alright...' He inwardly mused.

Turning his attention to his opponents, he was met by ten fireballs and a rushing Evan to his left.

Slowing down time, he looked around for Jack, not seeing him anywhere.

'Camouflage...' He assumed as he chanted:

"Aetheric Shield."

Now, with his trusty shield around him, he tanked all the fireballs with no care in the world and waited for the Knight to approach.

"Aetheric Blade..."The knight chanted while raising up his Longsword.

"Honorable Duel!" Evan roared as he swung it down, splitting the air in two.

'Honorable duel? What does that do?' Emir inwardly wondered while switching up his plan of attack.

He was about to sidestep, but now he wanted to take the longsword head-on, wanting to know of Evan's strength.

A loud thundercrack echoed as the sword crashed into his shield, surpassing Emir's expectations of how much damage it would deal as he had to put forth quite a bit of Aether.

'Wow... If I was in their sub-rank, a single hit of that would've done me in.'

Chuckling at the thought, he didn't wait for Evan to swing his sword again and rushed forward, planting his foot into the man's head.

Evan almost immediately flew off the arena, crashing into the wall.

"Longshot."

But before Emir could check on him, he was attacked from behind as a shot rang out, three or so meters away from him.

"Jacki~." Emir voiced out while instantly concentrating his Aetheric Shield into one specific point, easily deflecting the two bullets away.

Quickly turning around, Emir stepped forward, appearing in front of Jack, and with a swift movement, he pivoted on his left leg, about to kick the man into oblivion with his right.

Sensing the danger, the Ranger immediately chanted:

"Rapid Retreat!"

His whole body glowed with Aether as he jumped back, flying away from the devastating kick that ran through where he was moments before.

'Not bad...' Emir thought, leaving him alone for a moment and turning his gaze towards Kiera.

She and Leo stood guard next to Sarah as she appeared to be healing her downed gangmates,

Hiro and Evan. novelbuddy.cσ๓

'A Zenith Warden... These guys are a special package; Lyra taught them well.'

As that thought crossed his mind, a smile crept across his lips.

However, this smile bore an uncanny resemblance to that of a devil's, and the sight of it sent a chill through those standing before him, nearly prompting a chorus of fearful screams.

Sarah, taken aback, noticed the state of her teammates and bellowed:

"ZENITH SOOTH!"

Her voice held authority, and with it came a quiet:

"Zenith Replenish..."

Though her healing efforts appeared to have drained her, the group's vitality surged

pusillanimously.

The depletion of Aether reserves that once dimmed their spirits was now reversed, replaced

with renewed strength.

Kiera's gun swung to aim directly at Emir, mirrored by Jack's swift action.

Meanwhile, Evan and Hiro charged to the forefront, their faces no longer showing fear.

Leo assumed his post, standing guard over the lone figure of Sarah, who remained back.

'Is he some rat? Or is this his plan?'

Emir let out a sigh and shook his head.

Wanting to get this over with, he stepped forward, but just as his left foot reached the ground,

he heard the scream of a young man:

"AETHERIC SIPHON!"

'A TECHNOMANCER!' Emir inwardly roared in happiness, delighted by the news of obtaining

a Technomancer as an underling.

'Man... I wish I'd known this beforehand; it would've made Aria's kidnapping so much easier.'

Emir didn't even bother with the minuscule amount of Aether leaving his body since he could replenish much more than what was taken, so it didn't affect him as much as Leo thought it

would.

He then looked back at the knight and materialized right before him, his agile momentum carrying him forward.