Chapter 26 : Cassandra

Russell was in a surprisingly good mood.

Even though the fused ability was only rated at the purple tier, its boost to his combat effectiveness was undeniable.

This experience had shown him something exciting—future battles against Cassandra's forces might yield even greater rewards. Maybe, just maybe, next time, he'd take the initiative himself.

But before he could dwell on his victory for long, a playful yet menacing voice cut through the air.

"Tsk, tsk. You really don't leave anyone alive, do you?"

Russell's scalp prickled as his spider sense erupted in full alarm mode. Yet when he looked up, he saw nothing.

Torch, however, seemed to have caught on. With a panicked cry, he abandoned all pretense of bravery and bolted toward the black market—only to collapse mid-step and dangle upside down in the air like a marionette.

Russell's pupils narrowed as realization hit him. He already knew who had arrived.

Cassandra.

Just his luck.

The so-called "Queen of Madness" had shown up, just when he'd thought she was far away. Or worse—had she been watching the entire time?

Russell's body temperature spiked as he instinctively shifted into a defensive stance. He reached out with his spider sense, searching for her. But the attempt was futile. Malice was everywhere, surrounding him like a thick fog.

Then her voice echoed again, teasing and probing.

"Paradox lied to me, didn't he?"

"He said you only had the Extremis virus. But now I see powers beyond that—Spider abilities and even magic."

"Was he mistaken? Or..."

The voice paused, reappearing behind him like a whisper in his ear.

"...are you hiding secrets from me?"

Before he could react, Cassandra materialized behind him. Her outstretched hand moved toward his head, ready to dig into his memories.

Russell tried to dodge, but an invisible force locked his body in place. He couldn't even twitch a finger.

Torch, still dangling nearby, groaned in despair. This was it. Cassandra was too strong.

But while Torch gave up, Russell refused to.

Cassandra was formidable, but he had a plan. He wasn't relying on his high-temperature body to stop her—that was useless against someone with her mental resilience and regenerative powers.

Instead, he activated an ability:

[Magical Energy Burst – Furnace Overload]

This was a high-risk move. It pushed his body to its absolute limit, exhausting even his self-healing factors. But Russell didn't care. If he didn't fight back now, he was as good as dead.

As his power surged, something unexpected happened.

BOOM!

A deep bell tolled, and golden sunlight flooded the battlefield.

Russell suddenly regained control of his body. Without hesitation, he leapt away from Cassandra's grasp, intending to escape using the Sling Ring portal.

But just as he began to open a gateway, the space around him locked down, extinguishing the portal in a flash of golden sparks.

Cassandra's voice rang out, furious.

"Khnonsu!"

"You're interfering outside the black market? Are you really willing to challenge me here?"

Russell froze.

Khonsu?

The Moon God?

He turned his gaze upward. Hovering in the sky was a towering figure, draped in golden bandages with the head of a bird and the body of a man, holding a radiant scepter.

Sunlight poured from the scepter, illuminating the battlefield.

Russell frowned. This Khonsu looked nothing like the one he remembered. Except for the bird head, this figure resembled a sun god more than a moon deity.

A deep, ancient voice echoed from above.

"Cassandra, you are as reckless as ever. Your spiritual power is strong, but your heart is weak. Without faith, you'll only bring about your own destruction."

Cassandra's expression twisted in anger.

"Save your lectures, Khonsu! Do you really want a fight today?"

Khonsu descended, planting his scepter on the ground. Golden sunlight radiated outward, forming a glowing sun emblem beneath him. His voice boomed:

"You've forgotten the rules, Cassandra. This is the void. You cannot act freely here."

Cassandra sneered, her fury uncontained.

"Rules? Don't make me laugh. I've had enough of you!"

Clapping her hands together, she compressed the air itself into an invisible, crushing force, targeting Khonsu at the center.

But as the pressure intensified, the sun emblem flared to life, igniting the very air around them. Breathing became impossible as the environment burned.

Cassandra's own body began to catch fire, but she didn't flinch. Instead, she raised her hands, summoning a massive, 100-meter-tall sand-and-stone giant from the ground.

The colossal creature rose, destroying the sun emblem beneath it, and swung its enormous fist at Khonsu.

Meanwhile, Cassandra used her telekinetic powers to pin Khonsu in place, preventing him from wielding his scepter.

Russell, watching from the distance, didn't hesitate.

He conjured a massive flaming sword through a magic circle and hurled it at the giant. The blade struck true, slicing through the construct's chest and toppling its upper half.

Cassandra laughed mockingly.

"Fool! It's just a puppet! You're wasting your strength!"

Her voice turned venomous as she continued, "Let's see how brave you are when it's your turn to face me."

She raised her hands, preparing another devastating attack. But before she could finish, a blazing sword appeared directly above her.

Russell smirked.

"Thanks for the tip."

The flaming blade descended with relentless fury, shattering Cassandra's puppet completely.

She raised an invisible barrier just in time, blocking the strike, but her focus faltered.

Russell seized the moment.

He formed a gun gesture with his hand, channeling his Burning Blood ability. A superheated blood arrow, glowing like molten lava, shot from his fingertip at supersonic speed.

The arrow pierced Cassandra's skull with deadly precision, dropping her to the ground in an instant.

Russell stood still, watching her motionless body with suspicion.

Had he won?

It felt too easy.

Seconds passed. No feedback came from his ability-plundering system.

Then, Khonsu's deep voice broke the silence.

"Don't waste your time. She's not dead."

"Her mental power has already escaped."

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