Meanwhile, on the first floor of the building...
"Hello, Druel!" she greeted cheerfully. "We’re already preparing the next shipment. You’ve given those new recruits a huge responsibility. Isn’t Mr. Granish our buyer this time? There’s no room for mistakes."
"That’s why you’re there—to guide them," Druel replied, his tone serious. "Besides, they seem quick learners based on their results yesterday, so we shouldn’t have any problems."
"Alright, if you say so," she said with a shrug.
As they talked, Dabric arrived.
"Aren’t you going to meet with Mr. Granish?" he asked. "You’re planning to take nearly half of our crew with you. Don’t you think that’s a bit too many?"
"Granish’s men aren’t to be underestimated," Druel responded firmly. "And just because he’s had ties with us for a long time doesn’t mean I trust him."
"If we’re being honest, you could easily take out Mr. Granish yourself if you wanted to," Star said with a grin. "Numbers don’t matter when you’re the one showing up."
"Don’t worry, I won’t have to tire myself out if the operation doesn’t go as planned."
"I’ll prepare the carriages," Dabric said as he walked away, waving over his shoulder. "Good luck with this, Druel. It’s a big deal, so make sure everything goes smoothly."
"Don’t worry, I’ve got it covered," Druel replied with a smirk.
*
After a few hours, the group returned to the ground floor, where they found Star waiting for them.
 
“Ahm, Ms. Star, we’ve finished the task you gave us,” Azrael said.
 
“Hm, good! ”Star replied cheerfully. “For now, you’ll be in charge of the other slaves. Since Druel is leaving today, I’ll be managing the whole place.”
 
“Oh, is that so? If that’s the case, leave everything to us. We’ll make sure all the slaves are put in their proper places before Mr. Druel leaves,” Azrael assured her, bowing slightly.
 
“Excellent! It seems they made the right choice in hiring you,” she said with a laugh.
 
*
 
As they headed back to the lower levels of the building, the group began discussing Druel’s departure. This was their one chance to execute their plan.
 
“This is it—the opportunity we’ve been waiting for,” Kyle said, his eyes burning with determination. “We’ll free all the slaves in this place and bring this whole operation down.”
 
“But how are we supposed to free the ones already locked inside the crates?”Jarred asked, concerned.
 
“I’ve got a plan,” Azrael replied with a smirk. “We’ll destroy everything Druel has worked for, and it starts with wrecking this deal.”
 
*
 
The time had come. Druel’s men were loading the crates into the carriages, preparing for the final transport. Outside, Druel stood among his bustling workers, watching them closely as they stacked the crates into the wagons.
 
“Take a seat, Druel,” Dabric suggested. “If I were you, I’d relax a little before sealing the deal.”
 
“How can I relax when something doesn’t feel right? ”Druel muttered.
 
“…?”
 
“I don’t know if I’m just overthinking, but... something is definitely off.”
 
“I think you’re just imagining things,” Dabric replied, trying to reassure him.
 
After hours of loading, Druel’s group finally left. Dabric watched as the carriages disappeared from sight, and when they were gone, he sat down and began reading a book.
 
*
 
Meanwhile, back in the lower levels, Azrael and the others put their plan into motion. The moment they were sure Druel had left, they began opening the cells one by one, freeing the slaves and guiding them out of captivity.
They scoured the entire underground floor, freeing all the slaves. Now, their only problem was how to get them out of the building. Azrael was heading to Star’s office when he spotted Carl rushing toward him.
 
“Az! Huff! Huff! It’s done; we’ve freed them all,” Carl said, panting.
 
“Good. I have a plan to get everyone out of here.”
 
“Don’t tell me you’re going to fight Druel’s executives? ”Carl asked, his voice filled with worry. “Isn’t there another way to get them out without being noticed?”
 
“There’s no other way, Carl. We’re underground, and the only exits are either through the elevator used for the crates or the stairs up to the ground floor.”
 
“Azrael’s right,” Muka chimed in, suddenly appearing. “We’re already here, so we don’t have much choice. Besides, even if we try to sneak out quietly, Druel’s men will surely notice us.”
 
“We just need to focus on one thing: how strong those two are,” Azrael said, his eyes narrowing.
 
As they spoke, Kyle and Jarred arrived.
 
“Star’s in the office on the ground floor, and Dabric’s outside reading a book,” Jarred reported.
 
“If we’re careful, we can still get everyone out quietly. Druel’s men are busy, we can take them down before they realize what’s happening,” Kyle added.
 
Suddenly, the sound of a woman’s voice echoed from the stairs leading to the ground floor. They all turned to see Star standing there who suppose to be in Druel's office, arms crossed and a slight smile on her lips.
 
“Tch! I was right,” she said, pointing at them. “You’re really up to something.”
 
All eyes turned to Star, and a wave of anxiety washed over the group. Fear was clear on their faces. The slaves who saw Star began to panic and tried to run.
 
“Calm down! ”Azrael shouted. “We’ll get you out of here, but you need to stay calm! ”
 
“Azrael, we’ll handle the people,” Jarred said, though the panic was still evident in his voice. “We’ll take them to the elevator.”
 
“I’ll stay behind and help Azrael,” Kyle suggested. “He can’t face her alone.”
 
They exchanged a brief nod, and Azrael’s group quickly ran off to guide the slaves to the elevator.
 
“Over here, this way! ”Mika called out. “We can’t take the stairs; we’ll use the elevator! ”
 
“Grrr! You piece of—” Star growled, fury boiling inside her.
 
In an instant, Azrael charged at Star with his curse dagger. She blocked it with her hand, barely reacting to his attack, her eyes cold and calculating.
 
‘She stopped my strike with just her hand,’ Azrael thought, panic rising in his chest. “Kyle! ”
 
Kyle positioned himself and unleashed a barrage of bullets at Star. She deflected them effortlessly with a level two barrier, raising one hand toward the oncoming attack. Kyle’s heart sank—Star barely seemed affected by anything they threw at her.
 
Azrael stepped back, launching a wind spell. Star dodged with ease, as if she could read his every move. After avoiding his final strike, she charged at incredible speed, so fast that Kyle couldn’t even follow her movements.
 
Before Azrael could react, Star landed a brutal punch to his stomach. The force bent his body unnaturally, cracking some of his ribs. Kyle panicked as he saw Azrael fly backward from the blow, crashing into the far wall. But before he could even rush to his friend’s aid, Star appeared right in front of him.
 
“Thorn Gravel—” 
 
As the sharp stones rose from the ground, Star obliterated them with a powerful punch, then drove her fist into Kyle’s side. Blood spurted from his mouth as he tossed backward.
 
‘What... What kind of strength is this? I’m barely conscious from just one punch,’ Kyle thought, the world fading around him.
 
He was thrown across the room, hitting the wall hard before losing consciousness. Star advanced toward him, her gaze full of aggression and irritation written across her face.
 
“Zephyr!” 
 
A massive gust of wind blasted Star, sending her flying back. Azrael rushed to Kyle’s side, checking if he was still breathing.
 
“Kyle, hang in there,” Azrael said, his voice trembling with worry.
 
As he crouched next to Kyle, Azrael felt a surge of overwhelming energy—a dark aura he hadn’t sensed since his last battle with the leader of the cannibals.
 
“Not bad, kid! ”Star called out, grinning despite the hit she took. “Now let’s start the real fun! ”
 
A green angel ring materialized above her head, and flames of an unusual color ignited in her hands. She smiled wickedly.
"Star Flame!"
 
“An Angel Ring... This isn’t good! ”Azrael muttered, dread creeping into his voice.
 
Star dashed toward them, and Azrael stood his ground, gripping his curse dagger tightly. The two clashed head-on, trading powerful blows, the force of their strikes tearing apart everything around them.
 
Azrael unleashed a flurry of attacks, using wind magic to enhance his agility, dodging Star’s strikes and creating distance when needed. He flew into the air, using the wind to keep himself airborne whenever he found himself in a tight spot.
"Ah! You piece of shit! You're like a fly!" Star shouted, her anger obvious as she attacked.
 
Azrael managed to create some distance and pulled out his Elderstaves, unleashing a barrage of water magic to distract her. But Star dodged every attack with ease. He knew his strikes weren’t fast enough, so for the first time, he activated his Angel Ring.
 
A glowing white halo appeared above his head, and he called upon a newly learnt ability.
 
"Phantom Step."
 
This ability allowed him to move with impressive speed, almost as if he were teleporting short distances. As he activated it, afterimages trailed behind him, making it difficult for Star to keep track of his movements. For a brief moment, he could even move through physical attacks, rendering him nearly untouchable in close combat.
 
In an instant, Azrael turned the tide of the battle. He could see the frustration on Star's face as she struggled to keep up with him.
 
“Hey! Hey! Calm down! ," she exclaimed, grinding her teeth. “Ack! Enough already! ”
 
She unleashed a powerful aura to create some distance, successfully pushing Azrael back slightly with its force. At that moment, Star activated her own blessing.
 
“Druel might be angry with what I'm about to do, but all that matters is taking you traitors down!”Her voice exploded with rage as she positioned herself to strike the ground with both hands. “Lava Burst! ”
 
With a fierce slam, she sent molten lava erupting from the ground in a targeted area. The lava not only caused immediate damage but also left the ground scorched, burning anyone who dared to step on it.
 
'Shit! This is bad,' Azrael thought.
 
The lava spread rapidly, and Azrael had to dodge it using Phantom Step. Though he avoided being hit, he couldn’t close in on Star. The unpredictable nature of the lava made it even more challenging; if he stopped moving, there was a high chance he would get caught.
 
Star punched the ground aggressively, her speed increasing as the lava rose in the midst of each strike. One wrong move could spell disaster for Azrael.
 
He noticed that her wounds were healing, flames still flickering around her hands as she continued her relentless assault on the ground.
 
“Maybe you’ve noticed that my injuries are disappearing, huh?”Star taunted, her smirk annoying. “With my Fiery Regeneration passive ability, I can heal minor injuries when exposed to fire or high temperatures. It lets me recover quickly during combat or when in contact with flames.”
 
“What an annoying ability you have, tsk!”Azrael replied, irritation creeping into his voice.
"Let's end this, brat!" Star grinned, her voice flowing with malicious intent.
 
Azrael hadn’t realised that beneath her petite frame lay a terrifying power capable of causing massive destruction. He quickly returned the cursed dagger to his empty space and summoned his Elderstaves. Knowing there was no way to get close, he decided to match the distance his opponent wanted.
 
"Water Splash Crash!"
 
A torrent of high-pressure water burst from Azrael’s Elderstaves, surging toward Star. But with a single punch to the ground, she raised a barrier of molten lava that blocked the attack. Thick steam filled the air, covering the entire area.
 
"Gust Execution!"
 
Without hesitation, Azrael unleashed another spell, clearing the smoke that shrouded the battlefield. But to his frustration, Star had vanished from where she’d stood moments before. Panic gripped him as his eyes darted around, desperately searching for any sign of her.
 
"Haaaaa!"
 
A sudden, powerful scream echoed. The ground beneath Azrael’s feet began to crack and heat up. There was no time to dodge. As he prepared to leap away, the lava surged from beneath him, but just as it was about to strike—it vanished.
 
'H-huh? What just happened? ' he thought, stunned.
 
Then he spotted Star collapsing in the distance, blood trickling from her head. She fell lifelessly to the ground, and Azrael realised she had been shot. Only one person could make such a precise shot, even through smoke or without direct sight. 
 
Turning toward Kyle’s position, Azrael saw him still aiming his gun at Star. It was clear who had brought her down.
 
"K-Kyle!" Azrael shouted.
 
He rushed to Kyle’s side, watching as his comrade slowly lowered his weapon. But as soon as Kyle’s arm dropped, he coughed up blood, clutching his chest in pain. Azrael kneeled beside him, gripping his back.
 
"K-Kyle, thank God you're still moving," he said, worried. "We need to get out of here."
 
"Shiiiiiit!!" 
 
"Huh?" Azrael quickly turned back to where Star had fallen.
 
To his horror, she was standing again, slowly rising despite the blood dripping from her face.
 
"N-no way," Kyle muttered, struggling to lift his head to see her. "I infused that bullet with eternal energy and mana... it should’ve pierced straight through her barrier."
 
"Too bad, kid. You’re still too weak," Star said, grinning as blood streamed down her face. She stared at the two of them, the smile never leaving her lips. "That bullet almost destroyed my Level Two barrier, but only a fragment managed to reach my head—it didn’t go all the way through. Lucky me, Kuwahaha!"
 
Kyle was overwhelmed by a mix of emotions. How could he be so weak, unable to bring down an opponent like her? If he couldn’t defeat someone like Star, how could he possibly hope to fight Druel Kent?