Stop Hypnotizing Me, Antagonist Princess!

The main component of natural gas is methane, and when its concentration reaches a certain level, it explodes violently upon contact with open flames.

So the moment the second bullet pierced the gas pipe, a fireball erupted with a loud bang!

"Boom——!!!"

The violent reaction that occurred in an instant thoroughly illuminated the entire room.

The scorching blast swept through, shattering distant cabinets and windows alike.

Not only that, but the raging flames unleashed in the air ignited the bedsheets and curtains, the orange tongues of flame swiftly caught, spreading along the flammable fabric to all the wooden structures in the room.

It was at this time that the anomaly occurred.

In front of the intense firelight and explosion, the spreading shadows seemed to meet their natural enemy and receded like the tide!

"Madman! You madman!!!"

The man of shadows protected his body with the Shadow Power, shielding himself from the injury of the firelight and explosion, as he yelled furiously.

He had not anticipated that the target would pull such a move just before the mission ended.

Being responsible for intelligence and assassinations next to His Highness, the man of shadows rarely showed his face in public.

Most who had seen his face were dead.

Due to the limitations of his Extraordinary Ability, he never undertook missions during daylight.

Yet, as a Third Rank Transcendent, the man of shadows was certainly no ordinary man's match.

But tonight, in this very room.

Whether it was due to underestimating the enemy or holding back, he panicked for a moment.

The man of shadows never expected this youngster to make such a crazy move.

Did he not fear dying in this explosion himself?!

At this moment, under the glow of the blazing fire, the man of shadows squinted, his expression dark.

The pitch-black shadows that once protected him like armor were driven away by the flames, receding slowly like ink, revealing his frail body and pale face.

Just as the gas exploded, his power was greatly reduced by the blaze, as shadows fear light most of all.

However, in order to follow the command of His Highness, he still marshaled his power in the final moments to protect Lynn.

It was rather his own defenses that were compromised, his body exposed in the air, fortunately uninjured.

Without any hesitation, he once again manipulated the drifting shadows around him, attempting to escape into the darkness.

But before he could act, he heard a calm voice.

"Don't move."

Upon hearing this, the man of shadows looked up.

Lynn, who had been under shadow's control, had somehow freed himself and was now gasping for air on one knee on the ground, even with flames still burning on his clothing, his revolver steadily aimed at the opponent.

His face was dirty, but he smiled with unusual excitement. "Guess which is faster, your control of power, or a bullet traveling at four hundred meters per second entering your heart from less than five meters away?"

At this moment, unable to summon the Shadow Power to protect his body, he was completely vulnerable, all vital spots exposed under Lynn's gaze.

And there was one bullet left in the chamber.

For a Third Rank Transcendent, their bodies weren't bulletproof.

"..."

The man of shadows stared intently at Lynn.

The surveillance over the past month and a half had been to confirm the intelligence, eliminating the possibility that Lynn harbored powerful Extraordinary Items.

After all, he came from the Bartleion family, and his father was the renowned Iron-blooded Marquis with substantial family heritage.

And this extended period of peace had not only caused Lynn to lose his vigilance but also led the man of shadows, preliminary in his judgment, to believe that the young man before him, since that incident, had truly become a helpless ordinary person, barely surviving by petty thievery.

Therefore, he felt utterly confident before tonight.

He hadn't anticipated that until the last moment, this kid would not give up the belief in turning defeat into victory.

It made him very unwilling to accept.

Normally, if he had used his full power, he could easily kill thousands of Lynns.

But today he had received His Highness's orders, forcing him to ensure his safety.

"If it wasn't..."

The man of shadows clenched his teeth, his voice deep.

"What are you trying to say?" Lynn suddenly frowned, growing impatient. "Do you mean to say, if not for underestimating me, if not for protecting me, if you could have deployed all means, this brat wouldn't even have a chance to fight back?"

"..."

The man of shadows didn't respond.

But clearly, that's what he thought.

"Idiot!" Lynn scoffed coldly, "After being a Transcendent for so long, don't you understand?"

"It's not that the strongest always win, but that the one who wins is definitely stronger!"

This stern rebuke made the man of shadows flinch, his pupils shrinking.

The words Lynn had just said echoed in his mind, filling him with a surge of emotions.

After a moment, he closed his eyes and slowly bowed his head.

"Lesson learned."

Seeing this, Lynn let out a slight sigh of relief.

It seemed his last desperate bluffs had truly caught him off guard.

Lynn was indeed certain that the other would protect him at the moment of the explosion, which was why he dared to act in such a way.

After all, judging from their tone, they had great respect for the lady, so they would definitely follow her orders and ensure his safety.

Thus, Lynn, who wanted to escape, no longer had this concern.

Rather, it was simply the most foolish act for a human to hold back when facing a Transcendent.

After all, outmatched as he was, all he could do was risk his life.

At that moment, Lynn really wanted to kill him, but somehow, he couldn't bring himself to pull the trigger.

This guy wasn't here to kill him after all, just to bring him to meet someone.

Wouldn't it be pointless to offend another power by killing him?

Lynn, already desperate, couldn't afford such consequences.

Besides, this guy had just mentioned he might have companions nearby.

"There's a sheriff's office three hundred meters away from this tavern. I just fired five shots, plus the gas explosion. It must have alarmed the people around here; the sheriff's squad will arrive soon."

Lynn took a deep breath and made his final decision.

He was warning the other to leave quickly to avoid getting the officials involved.

"You're right."

The man of shadows murmured lowly.

Upon hearing this, Lynn felt a wave of relief wash over him, thinking his risky bet had paid off.

Calculating carefully, including the money stolen from Carol, it should be enough to barely buy him a train ticket.

Lynn decided to flee as soon as this guy left, grabbing his belongings and running into the night.

However, contrary to his expectations, the man of shadows didn't hurry to leave. Instead, after a few seconds of silence, he opened his eyes again.

This time, his gaze turned elsewhere, his tone showing resignation, "Stop spectating. Do you think you haven't embarrassed yourself enough tonight?"

Damn!

Lynn cursed silently in his mind.

He really did have companions nearby!

Just as Lynn was on high alert, trying to locate the other enemy, a melodious girl's voice suddenly rang out.

"Stop looking; I'm right here, meow."

Lynn's body stiffened, his pupils dilated.

How... possible?

Under his shocked gaze, the black cat that had been protected in his arms stretched out in a peculiar way.

It grew larger, gradually taking on a human form.

Moments later, a petite figure clad in a tight leather suit and barefooted, appeared seated on top of Lynn, so light that her weight was imperceptible.

The girl had porcelain-white skin, shoulder-length hair, and her sharp cat ears twitched amongst the strands.

She looked Lynn up and down with her green vertical pupils, her eyes gleaming as if she wanted to take a bite out of him.

"To think that as an ordinary person, you could come this far. Impressive!"

"Xiao Hei? You…"

Lynn felt utterly devastated at that moment.

He finally understood that from the beginning, he had been like a toy in their hands.

Probably, his resistance seemed to them merely child's play.

From the start, there was never any chance of winning.

"So, I'm a girl, stop calling me Xiao Hei," the girl in the leather suit seemed slightly upset, lightly hopping off, "Let me introduce myself, my name is Aphia, I follow 'Abundance,' and I'm a Third Rank Transcendent."

"And that one over there, he's Morris, following…"

"Enough talk, just take him and go, I'll deal with the aftermath!"

Seeing that this blabbermouth was almost about to spill all his secrets, Morris glared at Aphia, commanding.

However, Lynn couldn't care less to remember all this.

He said bitterly, "Xiao Hei, I thought we were friends!"

"I never starved you, I even groomed you every day, scratched under your chin, let you sleep in my arms, I…"

Lynn recounted the warm moments they had shared together.

On reflection, when she was with him, it indeed was very comfortable, without a worry or care in the world.

It was as though he was the master.

Aphia's fuzzy ears twitched, seemingly a bit softened.

"... even last time when you were in heat, it was me who used my hand—"

"Pervert!!!"

It was too late when she realized what he was saying.

Feeling Morris's shocked gaze, Aphia, embarrassed and angry, interrupted Lynn, and with a "whoosh," her long tail whipped across his face.

The heavy blow and the dull pain caused Lynn's vision to darken, his consciousness gradually fading.

If he were to be captured, the worst outcome would be death, better to drag someone down with him.

Who says social death isn't a death?

In the last second before he passed out, Lynn sinisterly thought.