A powerful fire attack hit the building, causing great damage. However, at the same time, it also alerted the entire security team.
Guards flooded outside, confronting the group of assailants, who had managed to enter the Twister Hotel's perimeter without anyone detecting them!
Of course, not all of them went toward the trespassers. A portion went to check the 28th floor, where the attack was aimed. Some rushed through the stairs, while others with enough ability jumped straight to the 28th floor through the exploded walls.
"Hello?! Anybody there?!" the man shouted, scanning the room.
Right then, from within the flames, a strained voice echoed. "We're right here." The speaker was Liz, who was down on one knee, panting heavily.
"Are you alright? We'll save you right now!"
"I'm fine, just ran out of mana," she explained. "Rather, please prioritize the others."
In the nick of time, Liz managed to activate her new skill, Guardian's Embrace, and Immortality. Thanks to that, she managed to take all the damage that should've gone to Aster and the others instead, saving them in the process.
Still, her mana dropped to zero in an instant, making her feel lightheaded. Furthermore, Aster, Cassy, and the others, who were closer to the explosion, ended up getting blasted into the next room through the wall, making it impossible to see their current state.
As expected, although the damage was covered by Liz, the physical discomfort and dizziness after getting slammed, along with shortness of breath from the oxygen level dropping during the explosion, remained.
"Gah...!"
Aster regained consciousness quickly, thanks to his high stats. Looking around, Cassy and Tina were hugging Lory, protecting her, though all three were similarly knocked out.
"Fuck... that bastard!"
Kali, on the other hand, recovered moments after Aster did. Thanks to her flexible judgment, she managed to soften the impact, causing her to only suffer minor dizziness.
Aster saw that everyone was still alive and heaved a sigh of relief. 'Liz must've saved us with her skill,' Aster guessed immediately.
He started looking around, searching for his little buddy. "Argus?"
However, the husky was nowhere to be found.
"Are you alright?! We're here to save you!"
Right then, more security personnel arrived, quickly grabbing the fainted girls and moving them to safety. "You two should come with us too. Leave the fight to the professionals," he said, patting Aster's back with a coaxing tone.
"Where's Liz?" Aster asked.
"She's already been led to safety," the man replied. "She ran out of mana and was slightly dizzy, so I left one of my subordinates to escort her."
"GRAAAGH!"
Like wild beasts, the members of the Anti-Human Movement, who were obviously already at the Monsterization stage, fought without fear. Attacks landed on them, but they barely felt it!
Guns were useless, and weak attacks couldn't even dent their defenses. Powerful attacks caused injuries to them, but their regeneration was beyond what's normally possible!
"This... they must be drugged."
Aster's first encounter with the Anti-Human Movement was with two drugged enemies. He wasn't sure what the "drug" was, but it could raise all their abilities beyond the limit. Right now, the scene before him was exactly the same as back then.
"Crysta... If I froze all the fanatics here to death, would that reduce my lifespan?"
{With your current state in mind, Master, about half a year's worth will be lost.❄}
Crysta's cold but calm voice echoed in his mind, telling him about the price of his plan. Aster sighed, frowning hard. He couldn't afford to lose that much, but if he didn't intervene, this side would be wiped out before backup arrived.
"Then... what if I just freeze them halfway?" he asked again in wonder.
{If it's with the intent of just delaying the enemy, then roughly a week's worth of Master's life would be used up.❄}
'Still expensive!'
Aster sighed but had no choice. He narrowed his eyes before whispering with solid resolve.
"Do it."
{As you command.❄}
The Magic-Carved Seal released a bright blue light as Aster's palm aimed forward. Right then, a miracle occurred. With pinpoint accuracy, the members of the Anti-Human Movement's bodies started to freeze at a visible pace.
However, with their strength, it was nothing but a minor inconvenience. Something they could escape in a few seconds.
"But those few seconds are fatal."
*ARF!*
Right at that moment, a powerful array of lightning fell, targeting all the frozen enemies.
"Oh, I leveled up."
Argus, the god of cuteness, harvested another batch of golden leeks!