Witnessing Aiden's decapitated corpse crumple to the ground, Belt and the other agents displayed expressions of genuine shock.
Though they had known Richard possessed teleportation abilities, Blinkstep alone didn't confer invincibility. Whether used defensively to escape or offensively to approach, Blinkstep invariably involved some reaction time.
Take Inessa, for example. She had recognized the significant difference between Richard's Octaslash and ordinary blade strikes, yet still failed to teleport away from the attack. This wasn't due to lack of proficiency with Blinkstep, but rather missing the critical window for escape. The Masamune had connected with her body before she could activate her teleportation.
Had she not underestimated Richard from the beginning—had she maintained proper vigilance—he might not have dispatched her so effortlessly. After all, Richard had only transmigrated in this world hours before that encounter and hadn't yet developed any Level 2 skills.
Precisely because the agents understood these limitations of Blinkstep—the inherent reaction time whether fleeing or attacking—Belt and his colleagues found Aiden's instantaneous death inconceivable.
Though Aiden lacked teleportation abilities, he had sparred with Inessa numerous times during the Department's internal training sessions. He knew exactly how to counter Blinkstep-based attacks.
Yet Richard had killed him instantly. Aiden hadn't managed to block Richard's attack or even launch the fireball he'd been holding.
While Belt and the others found this incomprehensible, Richard wasn't surprised. At a distance of ten to twenty meters, Shift Slash's attack speed significantly exceeded Blinkstep. In gaming terminology, Shift Slash had no "pre-casting animation" or telegraph—it executed immediately upon activation.
Despite Aiden's extensive combat experience, he couldn't have anticipated that Richard's disappearance resulted not from Blinkstep but from Shift Slash.
After eliminating Aiden, Richard swung Masamune toward Clarice and Sabretooth.
Schick! Schick!
A silver arc flashed through the air, and the restraint collars on their necks fell away, cleanly severed.
With his collar removed, Sabretooth's accelerated Healing Factor immediately activated, rapidly repairing the burns covering his body.
After freeing the captives, Richard wasted no time. He raised his right hand decisively.
"Thundaga!"
CRASH!
With a casual gesture of his upraised hand, dozens of silver-white lightning bolts of varying intensity descended from the clear sky, hurtling toward Belt and the remaining agents.
Though he had upgraded Thundaga to Level 2, Richard didn't expect it to immediately neutralize all his opponents. The lightning barrage served primarily as a distraction.
Following Aiden and the stone mutant agent's deaths, ten mutant agents remained. While Richard couldn't identify the specific abilities of agents beyond Belt, he refused to grant them the opportunity to deploy their powers against him.
As he'd anticipated, the sudden onslaught threw the agents into disarray. Some activated defensive powers, while others dodged frantically, trying to evade the lightning strikes through erratic movement.
Though their responses varied, from Richard's perspective, any reaction achieved his objective. While maintaining the lightning assault through continuous mana expenditure, he activated Blinkstep again and vanished.
The next instant, he materialized before two mutant agents like a phantom.
"Gravesong !"
Without hesitation, he swung Masamune in a lightning-fast sequence of four consecutive strikes against the unprepared agents.
Schick!
The razor-sharp blade effortlessly carved through their bodies, reducing the agents to scattered fragments.
After dispatching them, Richard vanished once more.
Silver-white lightning bolts continued cascading from the cloudless sky, thunder reverberating throughout the RV camp. Amid the continuous thunderclaps came agonized screams.
The sky cracked with thunder, drowning out the screams and pounding footsteps—until the wet, brutal sound of rending flesh and splintering bone pierced through it all.
These disparate sounds coalesced into a macabre symphony of death.
Richard conducted this grim orchestra, Masamune serving as his baton, controlling the rhythm and execution of this lethal performance.
Spattered blood, the metallic scent of blood, dismembered limbs strewn across the ground...
This death symphony, orchestrated and directed by Richard himself, lasted barely ten seconds before abruptly concluding.
When silence finally descended, every mutant agent dispatched to capture him had become a corpse, their lives ending in a mixture of disbelief, terror, and regret.
Ignoring both the scattered remains and the stunned expressions of Clarice and Sabretooth, Richard calmly activated his Plunder ability.
[Gain new abilities: Pyrokinesis, Cryokinesis, Stone Body, Energy Absorption, Ion Shock Wave, Super Strength, Enhanced Durability, Accelerated Healing, Beast Intuition, Enhanced Senses, Telekinesis!]
[Acquired abilities of same type, ability fusion in progress!]
[Super Strength, Enhanced Durability, and Accelerated Healing are enhanced!]
[Fire Control can be converted into the skill 'Firaga'. Do you want to convert it?]
[Cryokinesis can enhance the skill 'Blizzaga'. Do you want to enhance it?]
Viewing these system notifications, Richard didn't hesitate, immediately selecting "Yes" for both options.
[Skill Firaga acquired!]
[Skill Blizzaga strengthened and level increased!]
[Blizzaga (Level 3, 1/2000)]
[X-Gene Update!]
[X-Gene: Plunder, Super Strength, Enhanced Durability, Accelerated Healing, Blinkstep, Mental Shielding, Mind Charm, Repulsion, Stone Body, Energy Absorption, Ion Shock Wave, Beast Intuition, Enhanced Senses, Telekinesis]
Though Richard had eliminated twelve mutant agents, he only acquired eleven powers. Several agents had possessed overlapping abilities: Super Strength, Enhanced Durability, and Accelerated Healing.
Excluding abilities enhanced through fusion and Pyrokinesis transformed into "Firaga" he had ultimately gained just six new mutant power.
Richard paid little attention to these new acquisitions. His focus remained fixed on when the system would reward him with "Judgement Cut End."
The moment this thought formed, mission completion notification appeared in his field of vision.
[Mission "Son of the Devil (I)" completed!]
[Mission reward "Judgement Cut End" has been delivered!]
[Skill Judgement Cut End acquired!]
Without hesitation, Richard opened his attribute panel and examined the skill section.
[Judgement Cut End: Level 1 (1/100)]
When his gaze fell upon the entry, the system provided an immediate description:
[Judgement Cut End: A technique derived from Yamato, distorting space around the target and continuously striking enemies with dimension-shattering slashes that tear through reality itself.]
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