A black panel displaying white text appeared near the cloaked man:

[ [System Skill Activated]

[Skill Name: Shadow Phoenix

Level: 1

Type: Active

Damage Type: Physical and Magical

Mana Usage: -300 (0/500 remaining)

Duration: None

Cooldown: None

Effects: Over a period of time, deals a total of 10 consecutive slash attacks with 100 physical and magical damage + the user's attack points per slash. Fire element damage bonus 20% on enemies weak to wind elements. Wind element damage bonus of 20% for enemies weak to wind elements. During the attack, the user's body will merge with the shadow phoenix, giving a 100% evasion rate. *(+God of War's Wrath skill critical damage).

Side Effects: None]

[Close (Closed automatically in 5…)] ]

The cloaked man stood with a ready-to-slash stance, using the blades on the outer sides of both his gauntlets. The cloaked man moved extremely fast, and his body was covered in black shadow as he moved and slashed a slash imbued with wind to Black Star's body from the front with the blade on his right gauntlet, causing Black Star to be in pain but not break his armor.

[God of War's Wrath skill critical damage inflicted]

[Speedster Skill off]

[Endless Breath Skill off]

The cloaked man slashed a slash imbued with fire from behind Black Star very fast with the blade on his right gauntlet and hit Black Star's back, followed by slashes from various directions. Black Star used swift movements of fist and kick attacks to counterattack the cloaked man. The cloaked man's body, which was covered in black shadows, caused Black Star's attacks to only penetrate this shadow, making his attacks miss, causing him to falter even more and weakening Black Star's defenses, and the more opportunities open for the cloaked man to attack him more easily.

The force of these slashing attacks from two blades of two gauntlets made collision sounds against Black Star’s armor, causing sparks, huge flame blasts, huge wind blasts, and shock waves. Finally, ten slashes hit Black Star’s body; each slash’s damage was imbued with fire and wind elements, followed by critical damage from God of War’s Wrath skill.

The cloaked man finished carrying out his attacks and stood with a stance ready to attack with his gauntlets while breathing heavily, a few meters away from Black Star. After receiving heavy blows and repeated critical damage, Black Star froze in place, with many large slash marks and cracks on his armor, but those attacks still could not penetrate it. The cloaked man turned to face Black Star. Black Star stood silent in his place with his head bowed and did not react. The cloaked man was trying to fix his heavy breathing as he thought.

“Damn, I’m almost at my limit….”

A black panel displaying white text appeared near him:

[System User’s Status:

Fatigue: 75

Mana Points: 0/500 remaining]

Shortly after, Black Star raised his head again.

“Urgh… Your attacks are hurting enough, but unfortunately, still far from enough to defeat me.”

The cloaked man was shocked.

The medallion-like carving on Black Star’s left chest began to open, and a glowing red pattern formed around the medallion’s edge and in its center, forming a plus sign. Reddish-black flames began to burn all over the damaged parts of Black Star’s armor, and the damage to the armor gradually regenerated. Black Star could immediately behave normally as if nothing had happened. The cloaked man was surprised as he thought.

“Even my ultimate attack had little effect on him?”

The cloaked man wanted to continue his attacks, but he was out of mana. The cloaked man appeared to realize something as he thought.

“I’d better drink the Mana Potion now.”

Just about to do it, the cloaked man stopped because he felt a surge of energy radiation come from the direction before him, which surprised him; by reflex, he got into a stance ready to attack and defend.

There was very thick energy radiation in the air around the two, coming from Black Star, making the cloaked man’s breath to be slightly heavy as he thought.

“He did that again. The more my Fatigue Points increase, the more this situation can become fatal….”

Black Star spoke.

“I admit your greatness. But, I refrain myself enough just to see all your attacks.”

The cloaked man was taken aback as he thought.

“Refrain himself, he said?”

Black Star concentrates the energy radiation around that centered on him, and it then returns to him.

“Second Stage.”

Simultaneously, a massive and powerful wind energy blast and a shock wave that centered on Black Star blew away the cloaked man; he used his cloak to deflect them so he could still stand on his two legs and alright, while dozens of the window panes from the row of windows on the first to third floor of the Pentagon building shattered. The cloaked man appeared to realize something and looked at Black Star alertly.

“I already guessed it must be tough just to be able to keep up with him, let alone defeat him, for now….”

On the other hand, something happened to Black Star.

The additional armor pieces covered his armor on the outer sides of Black Star’s shoulders, elbows, and wrists, shifted to various directions as well as every joint and glowed gap that formed patterns all over the armor covered his body, moved, shifted, expanded, opened or narrowed, and reformed to a more ferocious shape. Glowed red line patterns were formed all over Black Star’s armor; his eyes shone brighter red than before; flat and thick horns on the forehead part of his mask enlarged and rose upward. The hair on his head, which was made of something resembling black flames, waved to the side, becoming as long as his tall body height. The cloaked man was surprised to see the changes in Black Star’s armor and appeared to realize something as he thought.

“There’s no point in me continuing this battle of endurance; I’d better run away first and make other plans….”

The cloaked man concentrated.

“Open System Inventory.”

A black panel appeared before him, displaying images arranged in columns and rows, followed by white text:

[ [System Inventory]

[Mana Potion x1] [Smoke Bomb x5] [Safe Town Portal Medallion x1]

[Item slot 4] [Item Slot 5] [Item slot 6]

[Item slot 7] [Item Slot 8] [Item slot 9]

Helpful Tips:

- Nine item slots available, five per item type

- Go to the chest in the safe town to store more items]

[Close] [Homescreen] ]

The cloaked man touched the “|Safe Town Portal Medallion x1|” image, and the black panel display before him changed to an image and white text:

[ [An image of a golden medallion with a symbol engraved on both surfaces x1]

[Item Name: Safe Town Portal Medallion

Type: Portals

Effects: Break the medallion to activate the portal. After channeling for five seconds, the user will be teleported to Safe Town

Side Effects: None]

[Discard] [Close] ]

The cloaked man inserted his right hand into the medallion image, penetrating this black panel like his hand had entered a portal. He pulled out his right hand, now holding the medallion in the same shape as the image earlier. The black panel display before him changed to inventory, with the Safe Town Portal Medallion image no longer there. The cloaked man read the black panel momentarily.

“Close system panel.”

The black panel before him vanished. The cloaked man clutched this medallion tightly and shattered it. A circle-shaped symbol, resembling a glowing magic circle, appeared under the cloaked man, with him standing in its center. Grains of light resembling fireflies started flying all over his body.

Black Star appeared to realize something and flew toward the cloaked man with a hard-starting stomp that shattered the surrounding concrete surface where he was standing. The cloaked man was slightly surprised, and by reflex, he pulled his cloak to the front of his body with his left hand. Black Star closed the distance with the cloaked man and punched toward him. The cloaked man’s precise timing caused Black Star’s fist to only hit the cloak, creating sparks, a shock wave, and a wind blast that was much bigger than before, followed by a black panel appearance near him, displaying white text:

[ [Item Effect Activated]

[Item Name: Cloak of Grim Reaper

Effect Name: Repel Fate

Level:  N/A

Type: Active

Damage Type: Physical or Magical

Mana Usage: None (200/500 remaining)

Cooldown: 15 minutes (00:14:59 remaining)

Effects: Reverses the total damage from the last two attacks received by Cloak of The Grim Reaper

Side Effects: None]

[Close (Closed automatically in 5…)] ]

The soldiers observed from a distance were surprised and felt the effect, which made them falter. One of the soldiers’ expressions turned serious.

“Fortunately, we didn’t recklessly charge toward them….”

His other comrades also felt lucky, with frightened expressions.

Back at Black Star, he stood before the cloaked man, with his right fist still touching the outer surface of the cloak. The cloaked man remained unmoved, surprised Black Star. The cloaked man spoke.

“Until we meet again.”

The cloaked man’s entire body gradually disintegrated into countless grains of light that disappeared gradually and rapidly until nothing was left. Black Star watched the cloaked man and appeared not to expect that.