He felt like crying, but there were no tears. One bloodkin was already troublesome, and now another one—who seemed even strongerhad appeared. It was like the system didn't want him to live a good life, sending him to his death like this.
He looked at the spot he had been standing on before—the ground was sizzling with a blood-like liquid, as if hot lava had been poured over it.
"Brother Enzo!"
The first bloodkin he fought called out happily. He stood up from the floor and clenched his fist tightly. "Beat him, brother! This lowly human dared to lay his hands on me." He had a mad smile on his face, unable to hide the hate he felt toward Abel for defeating him. He wished his brother would just finish him off immediately.
"Shut up, Andrew. A level one like you couldn't even handle an ordinary human. What right do you have to call yourself a bloodkin? You'll reflect on your mistakes once we get home."
Andrew's eyes widened in shock. Ordinary human? So he wasn't even awakened? Then how was he this strong?
Abel didn't have time to listen to the two brothers. He tried to escape while they were still talking. The intense danger he felt from Enzo told him he wasn't a match at all.
"Where do you think you're going?" Enzo snapped, turning his attention away from his brother and approaching.
"It's really shocking that an ordinary human like you could defeat a bloodkin—even if he's just level one. Even a level one awakened wouldn't beat him based on physical strength alone. I'm really curious how you managed to get this strong as a normal human. It's such a pity I'll have to kill you. You shouldn't have touched a bloodkin… especially not my brother."
The moment he stopped speaking, Abel felt suffocated. The air around him turned wild. Enzo clenched his fist, and a thick red aura surged from his body like boiling blood, covering his hand.
Abel swallowed hard. If that fist ever landed on him, he'd be gone for good. He could feel the overwhelming power in the blood aura. Was it something all bloodkins could use? Then why didn't Andrew use it when they fought?
He immediately took a fighting stance. He wasn't ready to back down, even though he knew he couldn't match Enzo. At the very least, he'd die with honor—not like a coward.
Enzo raised his fist and was about to strike when a sudden, powerful aura filled the air. Enzo frowned. Andrew's face turned grave—he was alarmed.
A girl appeared out of nowhere and threw what looked like an ordinary punch at Enzo.
It seemed simple—no techniques, no tricks—but Enzo didn't take it lightly. He instantly pulled all the red aura around him and formed a shield in front of himself.
Her fist tore through the blood aura shield like it was paper and landed squarely on Enzo's chest. He was sent flying several feet away and crashed heavily to the ground, coughing blood. It all happened in a flash.
Abel inhaled deeply, shocked by the sheer power released from such a dainty-looking hand. He took a better look at the newcomer.
She was very beautiful. Among the girls he'd seen, she was easily at the top. Her hair was dyed pink in a strange style, and she was well-built—especially her bust, which was noticeably shapely. His eyes lingered a bit too long on her chest, and it seemed like she noticed.
"What are you looking at?" she snapped, turning to face him.
Abel finally got a closer look at her face. Her expression was scary. He immediately cleared any thoughts from his mind. If she caught even a hint of an indecent gaze, she might beat him up next.
He looked down obediently—though not without sneaking a glance at her long legs clad in pink socks. What's with her weird taste in colors? He couldn't help but notice she wore a pink tank top and a fiery red mini skirt.
Suddenly, there was a whoosh, and another figure appeared. This time, it was a middle-aged man. He looked over the situation with concern. His eyes paused briefly on the pink-haired girl, then flicked to Enzo before settling on Abel. He smiled warmly.
Enzo felt ignored. He didn't like how the man treated him like air, but he didn't dare say a word.
Just one hit from the pink-haired girl had completely crippled his combat ability. And now, he could faintly sense that the power coming from the middle-aged man was far greater than hers.
"Who are you guys?! How dare you meddle in the affairs of the bloodkin?" Andrew shouted angrily. He couldn't believe his big brother, who he always looked up to, had been blown away with a single punch. Looking at the dainty hand that delivered it made the whole thing even more surreal.
The middle-aged man gave him a look of irritation. "Round them up," he ordered, then turned to Abel.
"Come. Let's talk. Something happened." He reached out, placed a hand on Abel's shoulder—and then they rose into the air, just like cultivators in fantasy novels.
Abel felt like his brain was about to explode trying to process everything that had just happened. A powerful bloodkin who could've killed him with a single punch, a fiery pink-haired girl who knocked that bloodkin out with one hit, and now this mysterious man—who was somehow even stronger.
He could walk on air like an immortal cultivator. And now he wanted to talk to Abel… personally.
They arrived at a nearby garage, where a huge black SUV was parked. The pedestrians outside didn't seem to notice them at all—they just kept walking like nothing had happened.
Abel guessed it had something to do with the middle-aged man. He must have done something to make them invincible to others. That made him even more cautious. Just how strong is this guy?
"Let's wait for Laura inside the car," the man said.
So that's her name? Abel made a mental note.
He nodded and got into the black SUV without protest. He glanced around the interior, curious. The car looked heavily modified, and it was clearly expensive. He hadn't seen any SUV like this before—its design and model were completely unfamiliar.
He turned to the middle-aged man. Now that he had a moment to take a better look, he noticed the man wasn't very tall, but above average in appearance. His face was handsome for his age, and he had an aura that made you instinctively stay alert around him.
"Who are you, sir? And why do you want to talk to me?" Abel asked cautiously.
The man turned and smiled kindly. His expression was warm and comforting, like the kind old man down the street. If Abel hadn't seen what he was capable of, he would've just assumed he was some nice stranger.
But now… he shifted in his seat, growing more nervous by the second.