The instant the Blazing White Spear pierced Raphael's head, he realized something: a Sealed Artifact was still a Sealed Artifact. Aside from its negative effects, it was nowhere near as flexible or convenient as his own abilities.
When a true emergency struck, there simply wasn't time to use a Sealed Artifact.
Of course, he also realized that he seemed to have pushed his luck too far this time. Even with a grade 1 Sealed Artifact, a Sequence 6 could hardly withstand attacks from seven mid-sequence Beyonders. After all, he was still a Sequence 6, not a demigod. He couldn't possibly have a demigod's reflexes.
The Blazing White Spear that pierced Raphael's head was a sneak attack from another Conspirer who had recovered from the frenzy.
Though the battle had been intense, only a few seconds had passed. Raphael's enemies were finally beginning to emerge from their frenzied state.
By the time Raphael's spirituality warned him of the danger, it was too late to dodge. He could only tilt his head as far as possible to keep his brain from being burned away in an instant.
The Blazing White Spear entered the back of Raphael's head and emerged from his left temple.
At the same time, Raphael turned, thrust both hands forward, then pulled them apart, tearing open the chest of the Conspirer who had ambushed him.
A second later, the Blazing White Spear vanished without spirituality to sustain it. A wrist-thick hole appeared in Raphael's head, half of which had been charred black.
In that instant, Raphael felt time suddenly slow. He watched the Conspirer who had ambushed him collapse in agony, his exposed lungs and heart still twitching and beating.
All it would take now was a kick to end this Sequence 6's life.
But Raphael couldn't lift his