"You want me to go with you?" Wain asked puzzled.

Ria nodded, "Yes, you are a rare and incredibly valuable specimen. You can't beat me anyway. Your aura is many times weaker than mine. If you agree to my terms, you will have a chance to survive. Isn't that the best option for you?"

Wain grinned and said, "No matter what you want from me, no one dares to order me around. I don't know who you are or what race you are, but I don't care about that."

"AHAHAHAHA." Suddenly Ria laughed.

"You're too cocky. I'll admit, I didn't expect to meet you by chance, but you overestimate your powers. You are nothing but a pathetic offspring of the most hideous and horrible race in existence. In fact, you're probably the last one. I meant well, but you leave me no other choice!"

Suddenly Ria's aura began to increase rapidly.

Wain shuddered. He had never felt such a strong aura, not even from Forgotten. Ria was far mighty than anyone Wain had fought before. Her aura was ancient and powerful.

Emola and Nirkad stepped aside. They watched their elder with anticipation. They wanted to see Ria destroy Wain in an instant.

Wain prepared for battle. He was going to use every trump card he had. Wain was ready to expend every last drop of energy if necessary. Survival was paramount.

However, when Ria released her aura, the whole space shook. Hundreds of chains appeared out of thin air and shackled Ria the next moment.

Wain didn't know what was happening, and neither did Emola or Nirkad.

Ria frowned and muttered, "Damn, the Purgatory zones are too dangerous places. It can be quite problematic."

After a few seconds, the chains ceased to be material, and it was as if ghosts had entered Ria's body. That's when her aura began to weaken.

Ria's strength was comparable to a Second Chronicle creature, but this Purgatory zone was First Chronicle. When the zone detected Ria's powerful aura, which exceeded the local limits, it took appropriate measures.

Ria was strong, but it could not resist the Purgatory zone. It was something that was beyond it.

At this point, Ria's strength was reduced to a First Chronicle creature, but she was at the limit of that Chronicle. The zone had limited her power in such a way that she only had one step left to become a Second Chronicle creature.

Ria prostrated herself, slipped her hand under her robes, and pulled out a black scroll.

Wain grew wary. He didn't know what she was planning to do.

"I'm giving you one last chance. The Purgatory Zone has limited my power, but this is a Second Chronicle scroll, and I can use it. It is a special scroll designed to capture all sorts of targets that are hard to catch. It won't kill you, but I promise that if I have to waste such a valuable item, I will torture you every day of your miserable life." Coldly said Ria.

Wain answered nothing, he snapped his finger, and a dark sword appeared in his hand. He didn't care about Ria's words, for being someone else's prisoner was even worse than death to him. Moreover, Wain had a plan.

'Judging by her aura, she is now a First Chronicle creature. However, she is still about twice as strong as me. She is at the peak of this Chronicle. However, she can hardly use Second Chronicle items with impunity. This must be her only attempt.' Thought Wain holding the sword tightly in her hands.

Ria frowned, "Okay, have it your way. You're lucky. Alive, you're worth billions of times more than dead."

Whooooosh.

Ria poured Soul Essence into the scroll, and many symbols glowed on it.

"Hey Emola, do you realize what's going on?" Nirkad asked worriedly.

Emola shook her head, "I don't know. I've never seen Miss Ria so surprised. Moreover, I have never heard of such a race as human..."

"What?! I thought you knew practically everything. It's probably some very rare race, though, if Ria is so eager to take him prisoner." Said Nirkad.

Emola nodded.

The next moment the scroll was activated, and a massive toothy mouth emerged from it. Many black chains that could shackle anyone instantly flew out of it. No First Chronicle creature was capable of resisting such power.

Even Ria could not resist it. Wain was doomed.

However, he didn't even try to dodge. He continued to stand where he was, staring intently at the chains rushing toward him.

Wain was not an idiot. He assessed the situation and therefore did not run away. He knew that there was no way he could resist those chains because this scroll was designed to capture Second Chronicle targets.historical

However, Wain also had his own trump cards and unique equipment.

When the chains almost reached him, he thrust his right hand forward, the back of his palm. Ria was surprised, she didn't understand what Wain was trying to do. Suddenly the gray ring on his finger glowed brightly.

A massive magical circle with the image of a falling tear appeared in front of Wain. Wain decided that this was the best moment to use Last Tear. Lea had created this ring, and it was her first masterpiece.

Then a multitude of black chains collapsed onto the magic circle. Ria thought that the chains would easily break this protective barrier and bore Wain down, but she underestimated it.

The black chains tried to break through the barrier, but they failed. Last Tear was capable of defending against a Second Chronicle power attack once. If Wain hadn't had this ring, he would have tried to run away or dodge the chains.

Whoooosh.

Suddenly, the magic circle glowed brightly, and the black chains, along with the creepy maw, were drawn into a gray ring. The next moment, the crystal on the ring shattered.

Wain smirked and said, "You turned out to be rather foolish and too arrogant. You might be stronger than me at the moment, but you definitely don't have enough experience."

Ria frowned, "You talk too much. Judging by your appearance, you're not much more than twenty. I've spent more time in the wars than you have lived. The difference in our experiences is indescribable."

Whoooosh.

White flames appeared on Ria's legs and arms, just as Emola and Nirkad had before. Then, however, a fire appeared on her shoulders as well. Ria's flames were several times more powerful than those of her juniors.

She could not capture Wain with the scroll, but she could still beat him to a pulp.

Ria sighed and lunged toward Wain. She was like a fiery meteor hurtling toward her target. However, Wain was ready for it. He knew that Ria was strong, so he was ready to use everything he had to win.

The Ring of Damned shone brightly, and a massive book appeared in his hands. Wain opened the book with a slight smile on his face and tore out a single leaf. The next moment, the letters on that sheet glowed brightly and turned into dozens of massive books.

They came down on Ria like an avalanche. Each of the books was solid and powerful. This avalanche could instantly kill any creature whose Stamina was below 100 points. However, Ria's stats were slightly higher.

Whoooosh.

Ria slammed her fists against each other, and there was a fiery explosion. The white flames engulfed everything around her. She hoped to burn all the books in this way. However, only half of all the books were destroyed. The rest collapsed on Ria and caused her many bruises.

The books, strong as steel, hit Ria at many points, starting at her head and rolling her heels. She tried to fight back. Each of her blows burned one book, but her speed wasn't enough to burn more than thirty books in a second.

Wain wasn't going to stand by and watch Ria destroy books. He concentrated, and a white bullet appeared in front of him. Wain grabbed it and threw it in Ria's direction. He used the Soul Accumulator at the exact moment, and a beam of energy flew out of the white glove.

Ria didn't block the beam, it wasn't strong enough to cause her serious wounds, but the Distant Bullet was on a different level. The bullet was too fast, and Ria didn't have time to dodge.

Wain was aiming for her head, but when the bullet nearly reached Ria, a seal of fire glowed brightly on her forehead. It caught fire, and she hit the bullet with her forehead.

Booom.

There was a deafening explosion, and flames engulfed everything around her. All the books were incinerated, and not even ashes remained, not even the Distant Bullet.

But, Wain's attacks were not unsuccessful.

Ria sustained several bruises, her left leg was wounded, and she had to expend a great deal of strength on the last attack.

"Damn, you're too problematic. But it looks like you don't have any more tricks left." Said Ria and stepped forward.

Wain smirked, "Huh, that's just the beginning."

The next moment a square red amulet appeared in his hand. Wain crushed it, and his aura began to intensify.

Then the silhouette of a scarlet lion appeared above him, roaring fiercely, staring intently at Ria. Wain felt he grow stronger. Ria stopped, she didn't expect Wain to have another trump card. She was annoyed that Wain hadn't made a move yet, but gradually winning their battle.

Wain decided to see his status.

[Wain Norheim

Level: 19

Race: Human

Beyond: Calamity

Soul: Nameless King

Additional Soul: Black Thunder's Renegade

Title: Savior of the Damned, Echo of Samurai, Mentor Inquisitor, The First, Soul Gatherer

Status Points: 24

Strength: 115 / Agility: 110 (115) / Vitality: 89 / Stamina: 95 / Energy: 161]