Silver Bottle, Eighteen

"You're at death's door and still putting on airs!"

Garken snarled.

He refused to believe that his proud creation had been so easily countered by the blond young man. Yet what happened next shattered his confidence—

Gilan's golden hair rapidly grew to his waist, its color turning blood-red. His body swelled to over two meters tall, muscles bulging.

He flashed an evil grin, raised an arm, and flexed his muscles.

"Screech, screech, screech—"

A series of faint shrieks came from the writhing bulge beneath his skin.

Gilan's steel-hard muscles squeezed relentlessly, rendering the alchemical creature unable to move. Then, with a pinch and a pull of two fingers, he yanked the eight-legged black spider from his flesh!

Closing his hand, he instantly crushed the alchemical creature!

Black ichor seeped through his fingers.

Garken's eyelids twitched, and he instinctively swallowed.

He knew full well that Gilan Iros was formidable, and that was precisely why he feared him. But now that they had truly become enemies, no amount of mental preparation could suppress the dread in his heart.

"Is that all you've got, Garken?"

Gilan turned to look at the young man with mutated arms, his gaze vicious.

Garken forcibly suppressed the unease rising within him and threatened, "Gilan, I advise you not to act rashly, or I'll kill her right in front of you! I know you and Lemei are together. Don't you just fancy her status as a noble's daughter? You want to use her to climb into high society..."

"What are you talking about?!" Lemei exclaimed in shock.

But Gilan merely stared at Garken as though he were an idiot before finally replying, "Trash will always be trash. Even your thoughts are this pathetic."

With that, he casually tossed something away.

Rustle...

Seven or eight sheets of parchment flew