…

Dobius and Merissa were engaged in a battle of their own.

*Clank* *Clank*

Sparks flew as the two battled with their spears. It was clear that Merissa had the upper hand in spear handling skills. Dobius on the other hand was having difficulty. Adding the battered condition of his body which had not fully recovered from the torture of Damian Marley, he was barely hanging in there.

“Who are you working for? Spill it now!” Merissa demanded as she barraged him with attacks.

“You don’t deserve to know!” Dobius yelled back as he flailed his spear like a bat. Merissa quickly stepped back to avoid it.

The next moment Dobius followed with a combo attack of swinging the spear’s blade and following with the bottom. Merissa skillfully evaded both and swept past his defense line. With a swift kick to his abdomen, Dobius flew back rolling on the ground.

…

*Clank* *Clank*

The sound of Alex’s sword ringing reverberated throughout the entire 6^th floor as he continuously blocked the volley of punches from the doll. Apparently after it let the steam out, the doll’s speed increased several folds all the while backlashing its strength.

Alex on the other hand left no opportunity to sneak an attack at it. The result was the same, no matter how he attacked, the flesh on the doll was too strong for him to slice. The doll didn’t even make an attempt to doge with it having the unbreakable armor on it.

‘So, you have finally figured it out…’ Miracle commented amidst the battle.

Alex, ‘Yeah… it’s going to be difficult to reach there but I have a plan.’

The doll just like before approached him. This time the flesh formed muscles bulked up back to their original state increasing its strength but curbing its speed.

‘Chance!’ Alex and Miracle said in unison.

The doll with all its might punched the ground in front of it and the next moment it began to break and fall down in snake like line towards Alex.

“Woah!” Alex stumbled back but quickly regained his balance and sidestepped. He then dashed towards the doll and changed to a back grip on the sword handle.

Just like before Alex concentrated large amounts of mana in his sword.

*Swish*

His sword flew across the hall towards the doll aimed at its head but the latter simply ducked dogging it.

‘This kid… what is he doing?’ Miracle found himself confused at Alex’s behavior of throwing his sword.

‘Is this his true plan? Clashing with that doll with his fist?’ Mircale thought to himself. He knew Alex had no chance of winning like that but he still maintained his silence, eager to see how this plays out. After all the one fighting the battle was Alex.

Alex didn’t stop charging towards the doll. He instead stretched his hands forward but nothing happened. The doll didn’t consider it a threat. It simply had one order to kill.

Less than a meter of distance remained, as the doll quickly brought its fist, down on Alex with all its might!

*Woosh*

A strong gust of wind blew on Alex’s face, blowing his jaw back for a second. However, it was simply the impact of the wind from the doll’s punch. As for the punch itself, it never connected! It stood a few centimeters away from his face.

The doll looked back only to find that several pitch-black chains had protruded out of the hilt of Alex’s sword stuck in the wall behind. The chains had wrapped around the doll’s hands, legs and torso.

 Alex dropped his stretched-out hand.

“Chain Snare. Quite a magic that leather pants Azmiel was using.” Alex said to himself. This wasn’t an exact spell of what Azmiel uses but rather a decent imitation that Alex managed to make with Miracle’s mana.

*Cling* *Cling*

The sounds of chains rattling started as the doll never stopped trying to move. With its strength, Alex knew the chains would simply last a few seconds. But he had no intention of letting it break them so easily.

“Boost: Times Two.” As soon as, those words left his mouth as a black magic circle multiplied his abilities. But there was more.

“Connect.” Alex uttered as the chains began to glow slightly and became tougher. Just like how his strength doubled, even the power of the spells under Alex’s arsenal doubled.

Alex then stood in front of the doll’s face staring right at the lifeless glowing red eyes.

*Crack*

With a single mana cladded punch, he broke the doll’s head into pieces. Soon after the flesh on its body began to evaporate and disappear while the doll’s body fell, lifeless on the ground. It took him a while but Alex realized that the only time the doll bothered blocking was when his attack was aimed at its head.

Alex looked in the near distance and saw Merissa had the upper hand in the battle with Dobius.

‘Come on, Alex! Your time is running out, she will handle that insect. Find his grave and do what needs to be done.’ Miracle reminded him.

And time was really running out as Alex saw black colored smoked evaporating from his body. It was the influx of strength and mana; Miracle had boosted Alex’s body with! It was being evaporated by the curse at swift a speed.

Alex quickly used the stone to have it guide him to the a grave. Soon after walking with the stone’s blue guiding light Alex reached a broken tombstone. There were several cracks on the grave upon there.

“Okay… hope there’s no heavenly judgement after this.” Alex said to himself as he poured the black liquid of in the tube given by Merissa onto the stone.

‘Grab the sword with you, I will do what I can to heal to your body. It’ll be draining later but it’s now or never.’  Miracle said.

Alex nodded and as he grabbed the sword in his left hand in a reverse grip plunging it into the ground beside the grave. With his right hand he grabbed the stone and focused mana in his right hand. The next moment he punched right into the grave with the stone in his hand. He thrusted his hand as deep as he could right up to his shoulder.

This didn’t escape Dobius’s eyes. But just as his focus shifted, he found himself sent fling backwards.

Merissa readied to end his life when suddenly Dobius Shouted! “Bring her in.”

The next moment, two of Bodi’s soldiers walked in from a small room. And with them was a tied-up Nina in a devastated state.