Ex rank talent Awakening: 100% Dodge rate
Chapter 305 - CHAPTER 305: OUTMATCHED

Boom!

Greg narrowly dodged the heavy blow from an ancient silver gorilla, Morganna's summon, its massive fists smashing into the ground with the force of a meteor.

From the side, a faint breeze — a harmless wind — brushed past him. It felt like nothing more than a soft gust. Greg barely registered it.

In front of him, spears made of tempered steel flew toward him, launched by Merlin with terrifying speed.

Greg twisted his body, sidestepping with graceful precision as he ignored the weak gust from Logan… or so he thought.

"Scale of Providence!" Daniel's voice rang out. Behind him, an illusory golden scale shimmered into existence. On one side was Greg's defense. On the other, Logan's wind.

At first, the scale tipped toward Greg's favor.

But then… the weight shifted. Slowly, inexorably… Logan's wind outweighed Greg's defense.

"What… the hell?" Greg muttered, squinting at the scale as pain suddenly flared through his body.

"Urgh!" he groaned, staggering forward — a gash bleeding along his back where the wind had struck.

"That damn thing actually hurt?" Greg's voice shook with disbelief.

"Heal," he grunted in dragon tongue, waves of mana washing through him to repair the damage.

But he was forced to admit it — they had the upper hand.

"Tsk… I'm not strong enough yet. Their coordination, their timing… it's on another level," Greg whispered, sweat beginning to bead on his brow.

"Can't believe he's smiling in this situation… Crazy bastard," Hemsworth muttered, unable to tear his eyes away from Greg.

But Greg's smile only widened.

"Dragonification. Cloak of Darkness. Devour. Sin of Wrath."

He activated them all in one breath.

In the blink of an eye, two abyssal wings burst from his back, shadows spiraling into the sky.

Dark purplish-black scales formed across his body, sleek and powerful, halting just beneath his chin. On his forehead, a brilliant obsidian crystal emerged — the reverse scale, pulsing with deadly energy.

His arms became clawed and monstrous, the limbs of an abyssal dragon, and in his hand he gripped Heaven Defier with unwavering resolve.

A cloak of darkness wrapped around him like a noble robe, turning him into the image of a dread prince.

"Alright," Greg cracked his neck, his grin turning wicked.

"You guys won round one. Let's see how you fare in round two."

With a sonic boom, Greg vanished — a blur of death.

He appeared before Lens in an instant, sword descending with cataclysmic force.

But a shield materialized before Lens, conjured by Merlin just in time. The illusory scale behind Daniel tipped again — this time in the shield's favor.

"Tsk." Lancelot clicked his tongue, Greg narrowly dodging the spear he hurled at him. Even he wasn't immune to the collateral chaos.

Greg changed targets in a flash. Mana-infused arrows tore through the air, aimed at Logan — but before they could land—

"Gravity Magnification!" Alice's voice thundered through the battlefield.

The air around Greg crushed downward, gravity multiplying a hundredfold.

"Urgh!" Greg's knees slammed into the ground, his body pinned by the overwhelming force.

"I'll give you a billion dollars if you don't move!" Rothschild declared, activating his absolute concept of persuasion.

"Judgment passed. The deal is fair and shall stand," Daniel affirmed solemnly as his scale glowed.

Greg groaned beneath the weight — not in agony, but in disbelief.

"Ha… It seems I'm still not quite ready to take you all on."

Despite everything, he chuckled, lips bloodied but proud.

"Bind!" Merlin cast another spell. Dark vines erupted from beneath Greg, twisting around his limbs and anchoring him further.

It was checkmate.

But Greg's voice rang out once more.

"Till we meet again."

The ground beneath him darkened, swirling into a black hole. Greg's cloak of darkness spread wide, shielding him from further interference.

"Silence." He spoke the word in dragon tongue, sealing the mouths of Rothschild and any other caster who might utter a counterspell.

"Two billion dollars if you stop right now!" Rothschild managed to say — just a second too late.

Greg vanished.

Gone into the shadow realm.

"We lost him," Daniel muttered, the battlefield eerily quiet.

The spot where Greg had knelt — pinned like prey — was now just an empty crater.

Greg raced through the shadow realm, the floating island now within reach.

The battle had taught him a painful but invaluable lesson: he wasn't ready.

Not yet.

He had faced only part of their strength. Not all the absolutes had joined the battle, and they had still nearly captured him.

But he had survived. Barely.

That meant something.

Greg exited the realm and burst into the sky, streaking across the clouds toward the island.

Kate stood on the edge, her eyes scanning the horizon. She let out a sigh of relief.

"You're safe…" she said softly, watching Greg land before her.

Her voice wavered.

"I heard… about Jessica."

Greg clenched his fists.

"Now's not the time, Kate. How's Sabbah?"

He buried the pain. There were more pressing matters at hand.

Kate nodded.

"You should see him. He's barely holding on. Honestly, I'm not sure he'll make it."

"Take me to him."

They walked in silence.

Sabbah lay on a mat, his body pale and trembling. His breaths were shallow.

"You escaped," he whispered, forcing a smile.

"Heal," Greg uttered in dragon tongue, willing his mana to flow through Sabbah.

But nothing happened.

"It's no use," Sabbah said. "Healing spells won't work. Not at this stage."

"Why?" Greg asked, his eyes glowing gold — the Observer active, scanning for anomalies.

But he found nothing.

"My body's been invaded by Daniel's absolute concept," Sabbah explained, voice raspy.

"It's like an infection. His essence is clashing with mine. My pseudo-concept can't keep up."

Greg's jaw tightened.

"Then let me help. I have the absolute concept of Darkness. Similar enough, right? What if I inject mine — let it act as antibodies?"

"A noble thought. But even if you could, you don't know how to apply it properly."

Sabbah chuckled grimly.

"Besides, it's already reached my heart. The damage is done."

A silence fell between them.

"There's only one person who can fix this — Daniel. And that… is not an option."

Greg looked away, frustration bubbling in his chest.

"I spared your life for a reason. I needed your strength against the absolutes. But I didn't plan on you being…"

He paused.

"…this broken."

Sabbah looked at him sharply.

"Then… why not devour me?"

Greg's breath caught.

"What?"

"What's stopping you?" Sabbah whispered.

"If I'm of no more use to you… then consume me. Take everything. My life. My concepts."