Return of the Legendary Runesmith - Chapter 417

Chapter 417: Chapter 416- Revenge
Adrian could feel it—this being was anything but human.

The energy it radiated wasn’t meant to kill, only to intimidate. And that alone proved he had absolute control over his magic.

It wasn’t just his presence. Anyone who could stay this calm in front of a full battalion was someone who had seen countless battles…someone who already knew how this fight would end.

But Adrian couldn’t let him cross this line. If he did, all the plantations they had worked so hard to rebuild would be destroyed again.

“Soldiers, take formation!” the commander barked.

Adrian didn’t move. His eyes stayed fixed on the being who had introduced himself earlier—Adam.

The soldiers rushed around Adrian and Raven, falling into a V formation. The spearhead pointed forward as they charged in unison.

“Attack!”

Steel, sorcery, and pure courage surged forward with them.

But they hadn’t even crossed ten steps before—

*THUMP*

A single wave slammed into them, knocking every soldier flat on the ground.

“No…” Isabelle covered her mouth, horrified by the sight of seasoned warriors collapsing before the battle had even begun.

Raven didn’t react. She had expected this. These soldiers had fought war after war for their homeland, but the enemy standing before them was on an entirely different level.

Mana surged through her. She took a step forward.

“Please leave the moment the system allows you to,” she said quietly.

Adrian blinked. “But Raven—”

“No, Adrian. This is our battle. You don’t have to risk your life for us.”

His fist tightened as he watched her walk toward the threat.

Raven refused to put her savior in harm’s way. Adrian was a creator, not a warrior. And even if he was, she could never ask him to gamble his life again. He had already done too much for her people. This danger was hers to face.

“Struggle is futile, woman,” Adam said, sounding almost bored.

Raven narrowed her eyes. Dark mist curled around her fingertips before she leapt into the air.

Adam slashed his hand. An invisible wave shot toward her—yet it tore through nothing but an illusion.

*CLANG*

He flinched, feeling something strike his armor.

Looking down, he saw Raven’s dagger scraping against his chestplate. She pressed with both hands, muscles straining, but the blade couldn’t pierce his armor.

“That did surprise me,” he admitted, reaching out to grab her hair—

But his hand closed on empty air.

“Illusion,” he muttered.

Raven appeared above him, arms wrapped in darkness, firing binding chains down at him.

“Fool,” Adam said. The chains exploded before they could touch him.

The backlash sent Raven tumbling back mid-air. She stared at her hands, stunned.

‘He’s twisting space around him.’

Adam floated upward, turning toward her. His voice grew calm, almost inviting.

“You hold a rare talent for Darkness. I can lead you to a greatness where you won’t have to protect these traitors anymore.”

Raven growled, “I told you to not say that word again!”

Raven vanished.

A swirl of darkness rushed behind Adam—stab!—but her dagger passed through warped space and hit nothing.

Adam didn’t even turn. “Hmm.”

Raven appeared again, both hands sweeping her battle daggers forward as a wave of black mist blasted toward him. The mist carried pressure strong enough to crush a veteran soldier outright.

Adam lifted a finger.

The entire wave twisted sideways and disappeared into a fold of space.

Raven clicked her tongue and dashed in, leaving afterimages of shadow in every direction. Spears of darkness shot out from each afterimage, all aiming at Adam.

He flicked his hand.

Crack.

Space bent into a sphere. Every spear curved away from him and stabbed into the ground instead.

Raven’s eyes sharpened. She raised her dagger, and the shadows around her thickened. They flooded outward, turning the air cold and heavy.

From the darkness, a giant claw formed, swiping down with crushing force.

Adam stretched his palm upward. The claw froze in midair—space holding it still—before it shattered like glass.

But Raven didn’t stop.

Chains of darkness erupted around Adam from all directions, pulling tight, trying to bind him. Each chain carried enough weight to break steel.

For a moment, they wrapped around his arms and torso.

Raven saw it.

Her eyes lit with hope.

She clenched her fist—dark chains multiplied, thickening, adding more pressure.

Adam finally looked mildly interested. “Impressive.”

A moment later, the chains twisted unnaturally, bent at impossible angles, and snapped one by one. The backlash of broken magic forced Raven to stumble backward, but she caught herself, sliding on the ground.

She raised both daggers, runes igniting. A dark sphere formed between her blades—a compressed orb of shadow so dense the air warped around it. She threw it at Adam.

The orb exploded midway, splitting into hundreds of tiny blades, raining down with lethal speed.

Adam stepped forward.

The blades drifted aside as space opened for them, passing harmlessly around him like water around a rock.

Raven growled under her breath.

She slammed her palm onto the ground. Darkness swallowed the earth beneath Adam, turning the ground into a pit of shadows.

But before the pit could close around him, Adam simply walked across empty air, ignoring gravity.

Raven leapt up to meet him—two fists coated in thick darkness, punching in rapid flashes.

Her blows created shockwaves, each strong enough to break bones.

Adam raised two fingers.

Each punch stopped an inch before touching him, halted by invisible walls of distorted space. Her fists trembled, pushing harder, cracking the warped air—but still couldn’t break through.

Raven twisted, kicked, spun—darkness roaring with each strike.

Adam watched her calmly.

“You fight well,” he said softly. “For a human.”

Raven’s face twisted with frustration. She summoned everything at once—spears, blades, chains, mist—forcing all of it to close in on Adam in one giant wave.

The attack swallowed the sky, turning the battlefield black.

Adrian shielded his eyes.

BOOM!

A massive eruption swallowed the area.

For a moment, Raven thought she had landed a real hit.

But as the darkness faded…

Adam stood untouched, space bending around him like a calm ocean.

He sighed.

“I think that’s enough.”

Raven’s eyes widened—it was too late.

Adam stepped forward and the space around her froze. Her body stiffened, unable to move.

She tried to summon more darkness—nothing.

Her magic simply bent away from her hands.

Adam raised his palm.

A crushing wave of twisted space slammed into Raven. She flew backwards, crashing into the ground, sliding across the dirt before finally stopping.

Her breath trembled.

Another step from Adam—and the air around her compressed again, pushing her deeper into the ground.

Adrian flinched. “Raven!”

Adam floated down, expression calm, almost bored again.

“Playtime is over.”

Just as Adam was about to crush her completely, Raven vanished.

Adam’s eyes narrowed. He snapped his head to the side—Avirin was suddenly standing there, holding Raven in his arms.

*Teleportation? And without an armament…*

That was troubling.

Adrian gently shook Raven. “Can you hear me?”

Raven’s eyelids fluttered. She saw the fear in his eyes, the way his voice shook. A faint smile touched her lips.

“I… pulled you… into my mess… I can never… be a good wife… can I?” she whispered, her words soft and broken.

Her words startled him, but he didn’t dwell on them. He pulled out his revolver and fired a healing spell into her body.

Some color returned to her face, but her breaths were still rough and uneven.

Adam watched with calm curiosity.

“Are you drawn to her looks, Runesmith? She is beautiful, but are you truly willing to risk your life for her?”

Adrian didn’t show anger. He simply handed Raven to Isabelle and murmured, “Keep her safe.”

Isabelle swallowed, nodding quickly as she held Raven close.

Then Adrian finally turned to face Adam.

Silence hung between them for a moment.

Then Adrian spoke. “You’re… an apostle, aren’t you?”

Adam raised a brow. “Oh? And why do you think that?”

Adrian took off his glasses and wiped them casually as he answered, “Since the moment you appeared, you kept calling them traitors. Only God believes these people are the same ones who betrayed Him long ago. So I’m guessing… you’re one of His dogs.”

Adam chuckled softly. “Dogs, huh? Well… you could say my only purpose is to carry out their wishes.”

Adrian smiled, “That’s what a dog thinks, that’s how to entertain and make their master happy.”

Some human emotions that were left in this husk felt a pang of anger at those words.

Adam was no longer amused.

“You are just like her, reliant on your armament. Go on, show me what you can do with that silly toy of yours before I eradicate the legendary Runesmith from existence.”

Adrian smiled, “Don’t worry, I won’t need an armament to defeat you.” He tossed away his revolver and his axe.

Adam narrowed his eyes, “What are you trying to pull here?”

Adrian took a step forward and in the next instance, he was a few inches away from Adam before he whispered,

“This is not retaliation, this is revenge.”

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A/N:- Thanks for reading.