Alex was quite literally flabbergasted at Mira's unexpected move!

Not even he could do something like lock down a small region of space yet, and he was a C tier who had recently assimilated with the Space element!

Mira was still only a D+ rank, he knew that from observing her aura.

The fact that she could wield this ability while at her rank only spoke volumes of her talent for the Space element!

Meanwhile, Nicholas was really sweating now.

'Why the fuck can't I leave the Primordial Expanse!?'

The moment he tried to open up a portal, he expected everything to go his way, like most things in life for a spoiled brat like him.

But it seemed the system had other plans.

[Failed to exit the Primordial Expanse.]

That was all it said to him.

But it was enough to stun him to the core, leaving him with absolutely no clue about what to do next. Read exclusive chapters at mvl

His entire plan hinged on being able to leave, and now even that avenue was blocked.

'Perhaps I could beg...? No! That is too low for someone of the Stein family like me!'

While his thoughts were going haywire, Alex had his own ideas on what to do with this situation.

"Haha, it seems your little plan has failed!"

He mocked Nicholas as soon as the chance came up.

Not only that, but he slowly enveloped Virtue's Edge in Phoenix Flames, signifying he wasn't done with Nicholas yet.

He wanted to drill in Nicholas's mind just how pathetic he was for someone who claimed to be from a 'superior bloodline'.

But regardless of what he wanted, his and Mira's needs took precedence.

"I'm afraid this is where this little skirmish ends. I don't even know your name, nor do I wish to. Goodbye."

Alex went in for a dash, so fast that Nicholas could barely react.

They were both C tiers, but Alex was incomparably stronger.

"No! Wa-"

Nicholas's previous reservations about begging all folded in the instant he saw Alex move.

But his subtle smile vanished just as quickly when he turned back to face Nicholas.

He tightened his grip on Virtue's Edge, feeling the flames still surging into Nicholas's heart.

'For someone so arrogant and delusional, he does live up to some of his boasts.'

Alex was actually surprised that he wasn't dead yet with Phoenix Flames still rampaging inside of his chest, assaulting his heart.

But he was a prodigy after all.

Nicholas, on his knees and pinned to the stone slab, since Virtue's Edge had gone straight through and stuck in the rock behind, looked up at Alex with a mix of terror and despair.

Tears and snot were streaming down his face.

But that wouldn't make Alex feel any pity.

His arrogant demeanour had crumbled entirely, leaving behind a broken shell of a man.

'A typical tyrant. Arrogant and unbearable when dealing with someone weaker or more vulnerable, but a coward when faced with someone stronger.'

Blood pooled around the wound in his chest.

Realistically, Alex didn't even need to deal another blow to finish him off, as he was clearly on the verge of dying already.

"Please... I'll do anything... Just... spare me..."

Nicholas's voice was barely audible, each word a struggle as he desperately clung to the last threads of life.

But Alex was unmoved.

The images of seeing Mira bound and helpless flashed across his mind.

There was no mistaking that Nicholas deserved what he was getting.

His plea fell on deaf ears.

The man before Alex was a coward, a bully who had sought to exploit and harm the one person Alex cared about more than anything else in the world.

"You made your choice the moment you decided to hurt Mira."

With those final words, Alex twisted Virtue's Edge inside Nicholas's chest, his Phoenix Flames flaring up violently.

Nicholas's eyes widened in shock and pain, a choked gasp exiting his lips as the flames consumed him from the inside out.

The fire spread quickly, burning through his veins, turning his flesh to ash, and erasing his existence in a blaze of fury.

Nicholas was gone in seconds.