Sylas didnt mean that it was literally Azrael, though he wouldnt be surprised if it was. Considering Alex had come back from the dead, it would be hard to surprise Sylas with such a thing anymore, especially considering Azrael, if Sylas was correct, was a member of an alien race.

Another one, huh?

Sylas couldnt see this persons stats, but he wasnt nearly as shaken as he had been in the past. He had an odd confidence about himself right now that was born through the battles that he had been through. Before, it had only been a small ember, but the more he fought, the fiercer it burned.

Running in this environment was almost impossible, so why not take advantage of the distance to recover?

<Maddened Enlightenment> activated and Aether rushed toward him. He then calmly took out several pieces of meat, eating them as though an enemy wasnt on the way. The power of his Constitution shone through and fatigue fell off of him in waves.

The dolphins realized that there was something wrong and immediately chose to escape, turning tail without looking back.

At that moment, the Den finally finished absorbing the final dolphin and Sylas calmly put it away without checking the rest of the notifications.

By this point, he could finally see the man clearly.

[Licirius Guiz (???)]

[Level: 15]

[Physical: 321]

[Mental: 391]

[Will: 387]

Licirius had been trying to find the Den for hours already. For some reason, its aura would leak out for a short time before it blinked out. He hadnt been able to lock onto it for long enough to find it, so he had had no choice but to try to triangulate it, moving in the general direction of the aura and hoping that hed eventually run into it.

It was only when he saw Sylas in the distance that he understood why this was. But once again, he was shocked.

What Sylas didnt know was that no normal storage device would be capable of storing a Den. There were many powerful, high-grade items that would destroy a spatial device with even an attempt, and a Den, especially one of this caliber, certainly would.

Of course, Licirius was making this deduction based on the treasures the humans at this point in the Summoning should have access to. This was why he hadnt even considered the fact that the reason the aura kept disappearing was a spatial device.

When he saw that this human was also looking at him with a calm expression, his apprehension increased.

To not only have such a powerful storage device but to not run upon seeing his stats it seemed that he had run into a tough opponent.

Licirius hesitated. Should he run?

His pride didnt want to allow him to, but he was much too suppressed in this world. Although much of his battle instincts remained, he had yet to even find any Skills to use. His cousin had admonished him several times, reminding him that he should. But in the end, he felt that it would be too boring. If he had Skills, who would even be able to threaten him?

The wave he rode reached its end and collapsed, but he only landed lightly on the oceans surface, the rush of water around him not bothering him in the slightest.

Level 0? Licirius finally decided to check Sylas stats and instantly made a decision.

Unacceptable.

Sylas watched as the expression on Licirius face changed until he suddenly became resolute. There was a flash of light and then the latter took out a silver spear. He had yet to attack with it, but the rolling of the waves shifted.

The next change was sudden.

In one moment, they were standing as though just observing one another, and in the next, Licirius spear had already appeared before Sylas throat.

Sylas was taken aback. The explosiveness was too fast. It made his own body control look like nothing more than a joke. He exploded to his optimal state in an instant, and didnt even seem to have relied on a Gene Talent like Sudden Burst.

There was no time to cast a Skill. Sylas could only lean back, tightening his core and curling away from the blade.

Licirius eyes narrowed. He had been over 80% certain that this strike would kill Sylas, but he had actually managed to react.

What he didnt know was that just a day ago, that was truly what would have happened. But the Sylas of now was no longer the same.

Sylas hit the water and dispersed his Aether. With a push of his telekinesis, he descended quickly, opening up a distance between the two. When he resurfaced, the two were already over five meters apart.

There was a deep furrow between Sylas brow and he realized that there was a big difference between Azrael and this Licirius.

Licirius seemed more frivolous and careless than Azrael, but in action, it was the opposite. Azrael hadnt taken him seriously until it was too late, but Licirius seemed to have the determination to use every ounce of his strength to kill him.

Why was that? Was it because of the Den? It didnt seem to be so

A flare of Will sparked in Sylas eyes. His fists clenched and unclenched, and then he suddenly accelerated.

BANG!

Sylas fist exploded through the air and the crackle of his tendons caused Licirius ears to twitch. The latter couldnt help but be surprised again, but this time, his spear was even more vicious. Before, he had sacrificed Strength for Speed, but now he displayed his real skill.

It seemed like the same thrust, but Sylas felt as though a mountain had appeared before him. For a moment, he thought that it was a Visualization Skill like <Psychedelic Punch>.

However, it was entirely unable to impact Sylas mind, shocking Licirius again.

Fist and blade collided. The water beneath their feet shook and a reverberating Aether spread in all directions.