Chapter 553: Tug-O-War

Chapter 553: Tug-O-War



Everyone present in the underground chamber stood with wide eyes, stunned.

What had just happened?

Alystren couldn't believe what he was seeing, and even Ryan showed a rare hint of tension on his face.

The Lieutenant's subordinates, who had arrived late to the scene, wore expressions of shock, their faces even paler than before.

Lieutenant Dante's speed was beyond comprehension for those in this realm, a fact well known to those who had worked and walked alongside him.

His speed was so extraordinary that it was safer to accept that one could never truly understand it rather than attempt to.

Trying to comprehend it only led to despair-a hopeless realization that a human, like themselves, could move so impossibly fast.

Many also claimed that Lieutenant Dante never moved or reacted at his maximum speed. It was rumored that the thread used to sew his uniform was heavier than normal, making his clothing weigh more. He even added a shoulder coat to increase the burden.

He wore weighted bangles as well, all in an effort to slow himself down as much as possible. Some even speculated that his speed was a flaw of his talent.

He was unnaturally fast, unbeatable in any race, and untouchable in battle-no one had ever managed to land a hit on him.

However, what they had just witnessed with their own eyes was something else entirely.

Before their very eyes, they had seen their Lieutenant fly, a blurred line, and crash into a pile of stones opposite the rift.

It left them speechless, their mouths agape.

A red-haired woman suddenly scowled, "That bastard!"

She gritted her teeth and shot toward the place where the Lieutenant had crashed.

However, the entire ground instantly froze, causing her steps to slip. She turned into an uncoordinated ballet dancer and embarrassed herself, falling on her head.

Everyone found the sight slightly amusing, but no one dared to laugh.

They were sure that a second ago, the ground had been plain and rough. But now, it looked like an ice-skating rink.

Alystren, his face drawn, slowly creaked his head back.

'He did this? Damn it! I forgot he's just as bad.'

Ryan stood indifferently behind him, staring with a lifeless expression on his face.

The atmosphere was abruptly interrupted by a powerful tremor that disintegrated the pile of debris into small chunks of stone and sent cracks across the frozen ground.

A pressure, capable of grinding them down, wafted along with the wind, feeling like a mountain falling upon their heads.

They bowed and struggled to look straight, and Alystren and Ryan were no different.

In fact, Ryan seemed more affected. As he tried to resist, he was pushed all the way to his knees, coughing up blood.

"Fool, you can't resist the Lieutenant's aura," one of them muttered.

He was equally in pain from the aura but took pleasure in seeing Ryan suffer as the pressure damaged him.

As the cloud of debris cleared, their eyes all focused on one thing.

Two figures in the cloud, whose silhouettes slowly revealing.

The Lieutenant was standing tall, his head slightly raised in dark amusement, while the white-haired boy in front of him stood unperturbed, glaring into his eyes.

"Good. Good. You have to be at that level to be of use to me," Lieutenant Dante's voice rang out, tinged with a malicious dominance.

It wasn't that Northern didn't feel the intense pressure of the man standing before him. In fact, every fiber of his body screamed in protest.

The only positive was that with each passing second, he could feel the effect of his resistance growing.

But the recoil on his muscles was intense; it felt as if the pressure were ripping the fibers of his muscles apart like paper.

With a grave expression, Northern stared into the red eyes of the Lieutenant.

"You want to play a game of aura? Well, then, let's play a game of aura."

place before he lost his balance.

His gaze remained grave, the intense light in his eyes undimmed.

The Lieutenant leaned on one hand against his sword and extended the other toward

Northern.

"I am Lieutenant Dante, leader of the revolutionary army. Can you tell me who you are and

what your rank is?"

Lieutenant Dante's tone was calm, still carrying a hint of dominance but sounding as though

he was addressing an equal.

Northern could feel the respect in both his tone and his eyes.

Barely meeting this man had left his entire body sore with pain. What the hell would fighting

him do?

"Northern."

He thought of using another name, but Northern was being cautious. His ties to Reimgard

were not a chapter he was ready to confront.

Hence, he wanted to keep everything about it secret. He hadn't even told Shin.

"Oh, that's an odd name-Northern. And your rank?"

"I am a Master."

Lieutenant Dante's eyes flew open.

"No way! You're lying."

Northern's brows lowered into a tense frown.

"Why would I lie?"

The Lieutenant was silent for a few seconds, his eyes still wide with surprise.

He then said, "With what I saw just now, I seriously thought you would be at least an

Ascendant."

"Sorry to disappoint you then," Northern muttered in displeasure.

"No, don't take it the wrong way, young lad. I'm not disappointed-I'm very impressed." The

Lieutenant paused for a beat, observing Northern keenly.

Then he suggested, his tone subtle and charming, "How about we beat this rift together, and

we can get to know each other while we do that?"

Northern glanced at Ryan. He had no reason to refuse, and this was a great opportunity to

steal another Paragon's talent.

He was sure that this rift would offer a lot of fragments.

He had expended everything on copying the cult leader's talent, so he could just rack up

talents and copy yet another Paragon's.

But beyond that, this rift was going to be the most difficult, gut-wrenching rift he had ever

entered.

He could feel it in every dark corner of his soul.