The Deceitful One

Victor was in a very bad state currently. He had sustained heavy injuries, fortunately, none of them were life-threatening. That was because Sean didn't have the luxury to even cause such injuries in the first place.

Sean was even more injured than Victor due to the severe loss of life essence. Not only had his life essence depleted during his earlier battle with Detective Watson, but it had also lowered even further in this battle!

As Victor lay on his one knee, with his superior observation, he glanced at Sean's fleeting back in the air, about a few kilometers away.

When he recalled the fight that he had just gone through, he couldn't help but feel a lingering fear. Not towards Sean, but the gauntlet artifact!

When Victor and Sean had begun their battle, the former had the upper hand initially because Sean was already fatigued from his battle earlier with Detective Watson.

Moreover, he was also lacking life essence. However, despite this, Sean was able to hold his own against Victor who was similarly a Rank 4 Transcendent.

Now, a battle between Mid-String Transcendents didn't have a clear-cut winner decided instantly. Such powerful Transcendents were very difficult to kill, especially if both sides that were fighting were of similar ranks.

Hence, more often than not there would only be two results. One, it would be a stalemate. And second, one of the Transcendents would simply flee!

And it was very difficult to stop a Mid-String Transcendent from escaping unless the one chasing was higher in rank.

Victor was sure that he would be able to defeat and subsequently kill Sean, however, when the latter used the gauntlet artifact, the tables had turned!

Much to Victor's surprise and horror, he found out that the artifact, in fact, belonged to the accursed Theft Path!

During their battle, Sean used the artifact a total of two times. Because that was the maximum number of times he could use it without dying at the hands of the artifact.

The first time, Sean stole Victor's spiritual force and stamina! Although he wasn't able to steal all of Victor's spiritual force, it was more than enough to render Victor useless.

However, Sean had also paid an equivalent price. His spiritual force was now filled to the brim but at the cost of his life essence being drained substantially, causing him to be further weakened.

Now, both Sean and Victor had reached an impasse! The former couldn't escape because of his severe weakness and deteriorating life essence. Whereas the latter couldn't attack because of the lack of enough spiritual force and stamina!

That is when Sean took a gamble. A gamble with his life on the stake!

He used the gauntlet artifact one more time! However, this time the target wasn't Victor but a random bird nearby!

Sean had stolen the bird's ability to fly!

After using the artifact for the second time, he was on the verge of dying. However, he succeeded in escaping from Victor. The latter could only helplessly watch him fly away from the battlefield.

As Victor watched Sean escape, he couldn't help but grit his teeth in frustration, "Damn it!!"

Not only had he failed to kill Sean, but he was also unable to capture him. And all this was because of that damn artifact!

He couldn't help but wonder just where and how Sean had acquired that artifact. The only consolation Victor felt was that Sean was now at death's door due to overusing the artifact!

Victor rested for a few minutes and tried to recuperate some of his spiritual force and stamina. He then turned around and ran toward the battlefield where the Damascus Strike Team had fought the Holy Blood Sect.

His expression couldn't help but turn downcast when he thought back to the scene of watching his friend, James, keeling on the ground, lifeless.

When he recalled the smile on Detective Watson's face, Victor couldn't help but smile bitterly, "At least, you were at peace, eh?"

'I wonder if I will be able to accept death just like you…' he thought sorrowfully.

However, right at that moment, he felt something in his spiritual sense perception and immediately turned his head around. In the distance, he could see a large clearing and from the looks of it, a brutal melee had taken place there as well.

Amidst the broken trees, shattered rocks, and large craters on the ground, Victor's gaze fell on a severely wounded figure. After observing carefully, he found that the person might be still alive!

He immediately changed directions and approached this person. When he arrived at the battlefield, he found that the person had a large gaping hole in his chest. However, it was regenerating, albeit at a very slow place!

"This kid's alive!" Victor raised his eyebrow and then crouched down beside him to check his pulse.

He didn't know whether this person was an ally or an enemy. Seeing that the young man in front of him was struggling hard to remain alive, Victor decided to take him with him.

After the young man woke up, he would interrogate him and decide his fate accordingly. Victor didn't want to abandon a person who still had a shot at surviving.

If it was within his capabilities, he would certainly help. And if later, he found out that this young man was indeed not an ally, he would imprison him in the catacombs. As simple as that.

Hence, Victor gently picked up the young man's body and put it over his shoulders. He could feel the young man's labored breathing.

He was really trying his best to stay alive. And this young man was none other than Andrew!

Victor then rushed towards the cave mine, where his students were waiting. He was planning to wrap everything up and return to Damascus as soon as possible. After all, he had to also help deal with the aftermath of such a big event.

However, a few minutes later, when he finally did arrive at the battlefield, he was greatly taken aback. Because he saw Detective Watson's student standing guard, in front of his corpse!

And in front of him, four figures were lying on the ground listlessly, their bodies bathed in blood.

"What the hell happened here!?" Victor thought in shock as he slowly approached Bryan.

Meanwhile, Tim, Elena, Elijah, and even Robert were too injured to even stand! Bryan had thoroughly defeated all of them!

Elena clenched her fists as she struggled to look at Bryan. She thought in unwillingness, 'I don't accept this! He single-handedly defeated the four of us!? And one of us is even a Rank 2! While he's a mere Rank 1!'

She wanted to believe that it was all because of that black staff that Bryan was wielding. She didn't know that the staff was actually a God-Level artifact, however, she did know that it was a precious artifact.

Elena attributed Bryan's feat to this staff. However, deep down she knew that it was all because of Bryan's own skills. She kept asking herself if she was in Bryan's shoes, would she be able to do the same?

That was the last thing she thought before she fainted. She felt grateful that all this while Bryan hadn't taken the initiative to attack even once.

He would only defend and counterattack if any of them approached him. Had Bryan proactively chosen to attack them, she feared that none of them would have survived.

Along with her, Elijah and Tim also lost consciousness as their bodies couldn't hold on any longer. Only Robert was up and still had some fight in him.

He got up to his feet and looked at Bryan. Robert's eyes couldn't hide the pain and sorrow in them as he called out, "Bryan, it is over. Your teacher is dead. Please, let me heal you. Or you won't be able to survive as well."

However, like usual, Bryan only growled like an animal and subconsciously muttered, "Must…protect…"

Robert felt his heart ache the more he saw Bryan. He didn't know what to do. Right at that moment, he caught sight of Victor approaching them, with a wounded person over his shoulder.

And he recognized this person instantly. His eyes lit up, "Andrew!"

Victor was about to ask just what the hell had transpired but all of a sudden he saw a black staff coming his way!

He evaded the attack with ease, causing the staff to just barely brush past his face. Victor then appeared beside Robert and gently laid down Andrew.

Victor had a solemn expression on his face as he saw the condition of his students as well as Robert and Elijah, "What happened?"

Robert recounted everything from the beginning, When Victor heard this, his eyes couldn't help but widen in disbelief. He then observed Bryan and found that he was indeed unconscious!

To say he was shocked, would be an understatement. Victor knew that if Bryan wasn't given proper treatment, he would die! Hence, he disappeared from the spot and appeared behind Bryan.

Before Bryan could attack, Victor had already delivered a knife-hand chop to the back of his neck, causing him to fall to the ground face-first.

Victor then looked at Robert, "Administer healing potions as soon-"

However, his words got stuck in his throat as he looked down in incredulity.

Bryan had firmly grabbed onto his ankle and was incoherently muttering, "Pro…tect…"

"This kid!" Victor stared deeply at Bryan for a long time. In the end, he waved his hand and the next moment, ice began to form all over Bryan's body. And soon, he was enveloped in a block of ice!

Robert stood next to Bryan and stared at him emotionally, "I suppose this was the only way to stop him."

Victor didn't reply. He continued to stare deeply at Bryan and then at the God-Level artifact still firmly in his grasp, 'So the staff has chosen him…'