Marco was dead, Buer had defected, Gary was unconscious, and Lacy was still manipulating the Heart of Soul-Devouring to complete the ritual. For Byrne, the current situation had fallen into a total dead end.
He knew clearly that Buer possessed the strength of a Captain-level combatant. Now, augmented by the energy of Tzeentch, his power had increased significantly. Byrne, on the other hand, had already depleted much of his psychic energy during the fight with Gary; he was no match for Buer.
"What? Scared already?" Buer stopped his advance, looking down at Byrne with eyes full of mockery. "Marco couldn't believe I would defect until the moment he died. Do you feel the same way? Honestly, in my view, you're all fools. You're obsessed with this so-called Empire, but in the end, you're just pawns in a power game. You should be like me—embrace Chaos to obtain true freedom and power."
Byrne noticed that Buer hadn't attacked immediately but had instead entered "villain monologue" mode. Fine, if you like to talk, keep talking.
On the surface, Byrne maintained an expression of heavy vigilance, even deliberately showing a bit of panic and desperation. His fingers tightened around "Black Fire," giving the impression of a final, futile struggle.
"Freedom and power?" Byrne lowered his voice, adding a tremor to his tone.
In reality, while secretly recovering his psychic energy, Byrne was racing to figure out a way to survive. After a brief calculation, his only hope seemed to be the golden light cluster within his body. However, he would have to make physical contact with the opponent.
Closing the distance with Buer was like walking a tightrope over a cliff—one wrong move meant death. He knew he only had one chance; he had to wait until Buer completely lowered his guard to strike.
Seeing Byrne's silence, Buer walked forward slowly with his chain-blade. "Why have you stopped talking? Are you moved by my words, or are you trying to stall for time? Don't waste your energy, Byrne. How long do you think you can stall? Gary is out cold, Marco is dead, and Lacy will complete the ritual soon. When that happens, Lobo City will be destroyed first. No matter how you resist, it's like an egg striking a stone."
He paused and stopped once he was about three meters away. "How about this? I'll give you a chance. If you're willing to submit to me, I can let you embrace Chaos so you don't perish with this city. After all, you managed to beat the Gary I was controlling, so you have some talent. Keeping you around might be useful."
Perfect. The opportunity is here.
Hearing Buer's words, Byrne acted as if he were swayed. His eyes shifted slightly as he slowly lowered "Black Fire." "If I submit, you'll spare my life?"
Seeing this, a triumphant smile appeared on Buer's face, and the Chaos energy around him retracted significantly. In Buer's eyes, Byrne was now just a terrified, insignificant character with nowhere left to run. Buer let out a snort and tilted his chin up, motioning for Byrne to come to him.
"That's right. Drop your weapon, kneel before me, and kowtow in apology. Then I'll agree to let you off. How about it?"
Byrne lowered his eyes to hide the flash of cold light within them. He rubbed the barrel of the gun as if hesitating, and after a moment, he spoke. "I... I agree. But you must keep your word. You can't lie to me."
"Don't worry. When I, Buer, speak, my word is my bond." Buer lifted his chin arrogantly and drove his chain-blade into the ground. He stood with one hand on his hip, his Chaos energy completely withdrawn, waiting for Byrne's submission. In his mind, Byrne was meat on the chopping block, unable to cause any more trouble.
Byrne slowly bent down to place "Black Fire" on the ground. His movements were slow and stiff, as if every step was a struggle. He kept his head low, his hair obscuring his eyes and hiding his expression. As he walked slowly toward Buer, the hidden golden light cluster in his body seemed to sense the Chaos energy on Buer and began to stir.
One step, two steps, three steps...
Byrne approached Buer with staggering footsteps, looking as if his spirit had been crushed by fear. Buer squinted, a playful smirk on his face. He had even begun to calculate how he would handle this talented young man once he submitted, turning him into another useful pawn.
Before long, Byrne stood directly in front of Buer. However, he didn't kneel immediately; he just stood there with his head bowed. Within him, the golden light cluster was restless, as if ready to erupt at any second.
Looking at him like this, Buer laughed even more wildly. "Hahaha! Stop hesitating. Kneel down and kowtow, and I will spare—"
Before the words were finished, Byrne's lowered head snapped up. The panic and fear in his eyes had vanished without a trace, replaced by cold sharpness and resolve. The transformation was so fast that Buer had no time to react.
"You—" Buer's pupils shrank, and he instinctively reached for the chain-blade beside him.
Unfortunately, he was a beat too slow. Byrne had been gathering strength for a long time. The moment Buer's expression changed, Byrne lunged forward. His right hand shot out like lightning, accurately grabbing Buer's wrist.
The instant their fingers touched, the golden light cluster inside Byrne erupted. Blazing golden light flooded into Buer's body through the point of contact like a tide, charging straight toward the Chaos energy. The light was warm and pure, yet possessed an unrivaled power of purification, swallowing all the Chaos energy in its path.
However, before Byrne could even celebrate the success of his sneak attack, he noticed Buer's body was disintegrating rapidly. This wasn't the effect of the golden light's purification; rather, it was like shattering ceramic, spreading from the wrist to the rest of the body. In the blink of an eye, it crumbled completely.
"Hahaha! Kid, you're still too green. Did you really think I'd lower my guard against you?"
Byrne was startled by the voice. It had come from behind him. He turned around to see Buer standing a short distance away with his hands behind his back, looking at him with a mocking expression.
Then, Buer sighed, drew the chain-blade from his waist, and walked forward slowly. "It seems Marco never taught you—never harbor illusions about your enemy, and never easily believe everything you see. Since you refuse to submit, you might as well die."
At that moment, another anomaly occurred. As Buer stepped forward, a figure suddenly appeared behind him. A blade of light instantly pierced through Buer's back.
"Heh. Backstabbing... I can do that too."