As Nolan removed the upper part of his suit, he paused for a moment, glancing at his own reflection. His body had grown remarkably muscular, his abs sharply defined.
Celia and Linda couldn’t tear their eyes away. "Oh my... this is... glorious," Cedric whispered. "Look at those muscles... it’s incredible."
"Hey, stop talking like that," Nolan muttered, exasperated, noticing their flushed faces. Both girls quickly averted their gaze.
"I didn’t know you were this built," Cedric commented, eyes scanning him professionally.
"Just get me clothes I can wear," Nolan said curtly.
"Of course," Cedric replied, moving to gather the garments.
Suddenly, a shimmering spell shot through the room, casting a brief blindness over them. "I can’t see!" Cedric shouted. "Me neither!" Celia and Linda cried in unison.
But Nolan remained unaffected. Then, from the shadows, a figure appeared—a maid in a brownish outfit, but with a horn protruding from her head. Her eyes glowed with malice.
"I’m Selvara," she said, her voice sharp and commanding. "I’m here to kill you for intruding where you don’t belong."
Selvera gaze narrowed. " why didn’t my spell affect you?"
The demon’s lips curled into a sneer. "Who are you to interfere?"
Before Nolan could respond, Selvara lunged with a dagger at lightning speed. Nolan caught her strike, flames erupting from his hand as he slammed it into her stomach. She flew through the ceiling, crashing through the roof above.
Without hesitation, Nolan followed, leaping through the broken roof and grabbing her by the neck mid-air, throwing her toward the ground. Selvara twisted in the split second before impact, landing gracefully and standing ready, eyes locked on Nolan.
The streets were filled with terrified civilians and market vendors. Selvara lunged again, her speed blindingly fast.
"I could end this now," Nolan said calmly, watching her movements, "but I want to see what you’re truly capable of."
In the blink of an eye, she retrieved her dagger, resting it casually on her shoulder, and bolted out of the village. Within ten seconds, she had disappeared from sight.
Nolan smiled slightly. "So fast... but you’re here to fight, aren’t you?" he muttered. "Tell me, who are you, and why are you really here?"
Selvara turned, her aura fierce. "Why don’t you find out by defeating me first?"
You waited for me to remove my suit before attacking. And you really want to fight me?" Nolan said calmly. "You know this—there’s nothing I have to do with you. And you’re not even the one I truly want to fight."
"It was Cedric," Selvara spat, eyes narrowing. "But you were there. So you have no choice. I have no choice but to kill you too. And you’ll just die for me!"
With that, she launched forward. Her finger spiked, forming a sharp, glowing tip, and she struck at Nolan’s chest. The attack struck him—but it didn’t penetrate.
"Why... can’t it go in?" she muttered, confused. Maybe he had some invisible shield. But who was this person? If I fight him at full power now, I’ll lose... I have to go all out, at full speed, full strength.
Purple lightning began crackling from her body as she moved, arcs of energy flowing from her back. She launched another punch, aiming to send Nolan flying.
Nolan didn’t dodge. He stayed planted, letting the impact move him back just slightly.
Wow... she’s actually strong. But not strong enough, Nolan thought with a small smile.
"What? That wasn’t even my full power!" Selvara exclaimed, disbelief in her voice. "No matter the barrier or shield he’s using, he should have been broken... dead! And yet... he’s standing there like nothing happened!"
Before she could react further, Nolan vanished from her sight.
"What?!" she yelled, spinning around—but it was already too late. Nolan appeared behind her, whispering too slowly in her ear.
Startled, Selvara twisted and leapt backward, narrowly avoiding his sudden presence.
"I don’t know how powerful you are, and I don’t like stressing myself, but I can tell... you’re dangerous," Selvara muttered, eyes narrowing. "What the hell are you?"
Nolan’s presence was overwhelming. She could feel it in every fiber of her being. Even the one who had sent her wasn’t this strong. He had carried her from the village and out in the blink of an eye—so fast it made her head spin. If she continued fighting recklessly, she’d die. She had to find a way to escape.
Nolan didn’t say a word. Calmly, he raised his palm, and golden light began to gather, forming a spear of pure holy energy above him.
"Holy Lancer!" he shouted, thrusting the glowing spear forward with incredible speed.
Selvara barely managed to dodge, feeling the heat and force of the attack as it narrowly missed her. The holy magic burned the air around her, and she staggered backward from the sheer power.
"This... this is holy magic?" she gasped, eyes wide. "It’s strong enough to pierce my skin... he’s... he’s not just powerful—he’s dangerous!"
Nolan advanced slowly, every step measured, as arcs of golden light continued to shimmer from his weapon. "Wow... this power really comes in handy," he thought to himself. "And this is just the beginning. There are still more skills I need to test on her."
Selvara scrambled backward, trying to regain distance, her heart pounding. One tip of the Holy Lancer grazed her shoulder, burning slightly on contact.
"Ugh! He’s... he’s too fast... too strong..." she muttered, realizing the fight was far from over.
"I’m not going to kill you," Nolan said calmly as he closed the distance, bending slightly to meet Selvara’s gaze.
"So... what, then? What do you want?" Selvara spat, her eyes narrowing.
"I just want answers," Nolan replied. "Why do you want to kill Cedric? And... I’m going to have to take you to the Adventurer’s Guild. Maybe I could even earn something by turning you in rather than killing you."
"You... what do you mean?" Selvara asked, momentarily taken aback.
"No need to struggle," Nolan continued, his tone firm but controlled. "Just answer me. Why do you want to kill Cedric? Why him?"