“Haa-!”
Cold sweat trickled down the side of my face as I braced myself against a tree, my hand pressing firmly against its rough bark while I struggled to catch my breath.
“That was close.’
For a moment, I thought I had them-but then I remembered those deep black eyes staring back at me. The memory sent a shudder through my entire body.
‘… It looks like he can see through my illusion. At least, within a certain radius.’
The fact that he only noticed when I was close was enough of an indicator. At least, I hoped that was the case.
“It’s a bit risky, but I can gauge the situation more later.”
For now, one thing was certain: those three people I encountered were the leaders behind this entire operation. So long as I got rid of them then this entire situation would end and I’d be able to return back to the Easter Kasha.
“Thinking about it, how are Leon and the others faring?’
There was still some time before the event began, but given my current situation, I doubted I’d be able to make it.
Nonetheless, I wasn’t worried.
Though those of the Eastern Kasha were powerful, they were facing the top elites from all four Empires combined. In my mind, participating seemed futile.
They alone were enough.
And most importantly…
“I can feel it. I’m evolving.”
I scratched the side of my neck, trying to steady my trembling hand. It had been shaking since my return, and despite distancing myself from my targets, it showed no signs of stopping.
The excitement had yet to warn off.
‘No, it’s gotten even worse.’
I was evolving. I was discovering new and more efficient ways to fight, constantly coming up with innovative strategies to make the most of all my skills with every passing second.
I didn’t want to let go of this feeling. I wanted to experience more of it.
“More, I can evolve even more.”
Scratch, scratch-!
I scratched the side of my neck, frustration creeping in. This wasn’t enough. I had more skills at my disposal-skills I hadn’t fully tapped into yet. In particular…
“Identities…”
I had many identities residing in my mind, most of whom I rarely invoked. I only called on them to draw from their experiences and make them my own. Outside of that, I seldom summoned them.
I was afraid they’d take over me.
But that was no longer the case. The current me was different from the past me.
I wasn’t afraid of the personalities taking over. I was sane enough to not allow that to happen.
I was no longer mentally unstable.
And for that reason…
“Haa…”
My vision began to fade to gray as my rapidly beating heart gradually steadied.
Scratch, scratch-~
Everything around me began to feel dull-mundane as if the world had lost its joys and sorrows.
Lowering my hand and staring at the red that stained my fingers, my lips started to quiver.
As my heart, which had gradually steadied, began to race again, my figure slowly melded with the surroundings, seamlessly blending into the environment.
I currently had one-fifth of my mana remaining.
This meant that I only had one shot to see it. But that was enough.
“This is enough….’
***
“That bastard—!” A piercing scream tore through the dense fog, echoing ominously as one of the trees splintered and shattered.
Fire danced across Libra’s fingertips as her teeth gnashed together.
“I’ll fucking kill him! I’ll kill him…!”
Anger surged within her as she recalled the events from moments ago. She didn’t even notice his presence before he suddenly appeared behind her. Had it not been for…
“Arkh!!”
With fury boiling over, she drove her fist into a nearby tree, shattering it in a single, devastating punch.
Bang-!
Her chest rose and fell repeatedly as flames surged from her entire body. Used to her erratic behavior, neither Taurus nor Sagittarius appeared fazed.
“Calm yourself.”
As Sagittarius’s deep voice reverberated, Libera’s face twisted as her head flicked in his direction. However, before she could even get her words out, Taurus spoke, “This isn’t the time for your usual tantrums.”
He looked around, his inky black eyes scanning the surroundings.
“You never know when he might show up again. He’s got some kind of cloaking ability that lets him blend into the fog, silencing even his sound.”
It was a rather troublesome ability. Had it not been for his special eyes, he would’ve been unable to react in time.
Then again, he did have his eyes.
“So long as I’m here, he shouldn’t be able to pull that trick again.”
“He won’t even if you weren’t here.” Libra spat, a small cloud of smoke escaping her lips.
She then pressed her foot firmly against the ground, sending rippling waves of heat radiating in circular patterns across her surroundings.
“So long as he gets anywhere near, I’ll be able to detect it.”
The ripples seamlessly merged with the foggy surroundings as Libra’s breathing steadied, her chest rising and falling in rhythm. Gradually, her eyes sharpened, gleaming with a certain coldness that seemed like a stark contrast to her fiery attitude.
Neither Taurus nor Sagittarius said a word.
Following her lead, the group marched forward. Taurus’s vigilant eyes scanned the
surroundings, while Libra focused intently on her ripples. The instant she detected even the slightest fluctuation in temperature, she prepared to strike.
She wasn’t going to let him escape this time.
Marching forward, the remaining members of the Hounds formed a tight net around the
forest, cutting off any escape routes for Julien, who had seemingly vanished like a ghost.
Even though he could vanish from their sight, none of the members were worried. Their minds were connected. Thanks to Sagittarius’s special ability, if anything occurred near the vicinity of any of the members, they would instantly know.
His skill was what made the net impossible to escape from.
Julien was like a rat trapped inside a large cage. He could run, but he couldn’t escape.
“Still nothing?” Libra suddenly spoke, her eyes narrowing even further as she sent another
pulse radiating outward.
“No, keep looking. Narrow down the net and make it so that he shows himsel—”
“Ha!”
Libra interrupted Taurus with a sharp shout, slamming her foot against the ground. A powerful pulse surged outward, revealing the faint silhouette of a figure in the distance.
The moment Julien’s figure was revealed, her lips twisted into a smile.
“I found you!”
In that split second, dozens of eyes locked onto the single figure in the distance. Figures emerged from behind and in front of him, closing in from all sides, leaving him with no
escape.
“I’ve been found?”
Rather than being scared, Julien cocked his head. He didn’t appear calm, but something about
his demeanor felt a little unsettling.
In particular his lips… They were continuously trembling.
That was until his face twisted into a smile, eerily similar to Libra’s. However, unlike hers, his
smile was far more unsettling. Surrounded on all sides with no escape, his smile felt entirely
out of place.
“What is he smiling for?”
His behavior was picked up by Libra and the others as they frowned.
As if to add another layer of tension, Julien raised his hand, his fingers counting methodically,
one by one. He paused, then held up exactly three fingers, his gaze locking onto theirs.
What did this- “Fuck! Get him!” Libra shouted, her face twisted with rage.
Taurus stared at Julien’s unsettling expression, a strange unease creeping down his spine. He
couldn’t quite understand why, but despite being vastly outnumbered, Julien remained unnervingly calm. With nearly a dozen Hounds surrounding him, how could he possibly maintain such composure?
‘Does he have something up his sleeve?’
Taurus shook his head.
It was impossible, and that was even if he had the aid of the tree.
He quickly pointed in his direction, his black eyes gleaming beneath the dense fog around
them.
“Get him.”
At Taurus’s signal, the surrounding Hounds sprang into action, their bodies propelling toward him in quick succession. But as if he were nothing more than a ghost, they passed
straight through him, his form fading from view.
“An illusion!”
“…Over there!”
Someone quickly pointed out to the right where a shadow appeared. Just as they were about to
act, the fog around them thickened, swallowing their vision and disorienting their senses.
“Where did he go?”
“I can’t see…!”
The Hounds were quickly placed in a state of disorder. Disoriented, they had no idea where to
focus their attention.
At this moment, Taurus finally made his move as he placed his hand over Sagittarius.
His eyes instantly locked towards an approaching figure and he quickly shared his view with
the surrounding Hounds.
“There!”
“…He’s close!”
Swoosh-
A ball of fire hurtled toward Julien, its fiery brilliance casting a harsh light against the thickening fog. The heat radiating from it scorched everything in its path as it shot in his
direction at rapid speeds.
“Die!”
Bang-!
The fire hit him head-on.
Libra’s lips curled into a twisted smile as she saw her attack land, but her satisfaction was
fleeting. In the blink of an eye, a figure darted past the ball of fire, seemingly completely
unharmed.
“Ha?”
Suddenly turning his head, their eyes met, and Libra suddenly felt a chill.
Bang! Before she could even react, his body faded out of view, reappearing just a few inches
away from her.
‘So quick!’
Libra gritted her teeth and raised her hand which was soon fully coated in flames. She didn’t
shy away from the challenge.
“Come-!”
A purple hand materialized in her vision, darting toward her face with alarming speed. Libra’s
instincts kicked in, and she raised her hand in defense, her body tensing and writhing as mana gathered deep within her core.
The power built rapidly, coiling like a storm, ready to explode in a single, decisive strike.
And then…
Swoosh!
She attacked, her hand rapidly moving for the approaching hand. It consumed her sight,
leaving nothing else in her world but that hand, as though everything else had disappeared
entirely.
The two were on the brink of collision when, without warning, Julien vanished from her
sight. Libra’s heart quickly clenched.
‘Not good! Taurus!’
With an elegant twist of his body, Julien moved past Libra, deftly avoiding her attack and
shooting for Taurus who kept his gaze fixed on Julien.
As if he’d anticipated from the very beginning that he’d be the target, his gaze remained
unwaveringly calm. Without hesitation, he raised his hand, the movement sharp and precise, in an attempt to use his telekinesis.
He was just about to make his move when Julien’s foot hit the ground, and with it, a sudden, suffocating pressure bore down on Taurus’s hand, halting its movement.
This…
Taurus’s brows twitched as he swiftly brought his other hand into play, but by then, Julien
was already upon him. His movements were so rapid, so fluid, that he seemed to blur into
nothingness, closing the distance in an instant.
Julien’s movement was special.
Not only was he harnessing the power of the green orb, but he wasn’t maintaining its flow as
he had in the past. Instead, he was channeling it in rapid bursts, each one propelling him in unpredictable directions, allowing him to shift angles with astonishing speed and precision. Still, Taurus could keep up with his speed.
His mind was also quick as he quickly predicted where Julien would appear and he twisted his
body to meet him head-on.
Only for…
Swoosh!
Julien disappeared again, his figure appearing right above Sagittarius’s bald head.
‘Not good!’ Taurus’s eyes shot up in alarm. It seemed like he had miscalculated like Libra. From the very
start, Julien’s target had been Sagittarius!
By the time Taurus realized what was happening, it was already too late. Julien’s hand came
down with precision, pressing firmly against Sagittarius’s head, cutting off any chance of escape or retaliation.
“Got you…” Julien mumbled, his expression twisting as his hand pressed down on his target’s
head.
However, Julien’s brief moment of triumph was quickly shattered as Taurus’s expression shifted. A slow, calculating smile spread across his face, his eyes glinting with something far
more dangerous. “That’s what I’d like to say.”
He went on to grab his necklace.
“I forgot to say this, but Emotive Magic doesn’t work on us.”
SHIING!
All of a sudden, the necklace across Sagittarius’s neck trembled, and his head turned to meet
Julien’s directly.
“Got you.”
Though he didn’t smile, his calmness appeared to mirror that of Taurus’s as his large hand moved to grab Julien.
Time seemed to stop then as Sagittarius’s hand reached for the stunned Julien.
The situation quickly shifted, or at least, it appeared to, as Julien’s lips trembled, his
composure faltering for the first time. That was at least how it appeared to be at first, but things quickly turned as his smile returned.
“So that’s what made you so calm…”
Julien’s other hand shot toward Sagittarius, locking firmly against his head. With both hands
now pressing down, his eyes suddenly turned bloodshot as his smile twisted further.
‘Fear, Anger, Sadnes…’
Before Taurus and Libra could comprehend what was happening, a sharp, bone-chilling crack
echoed through the air, reverberating across the surroundings.
Cra Crack!
The sound froze them in their tracks, a sudden sense of dread settling over the surroundings
as everyone stopped moving at once.
When it was all said and done, a figure slowly fell to the ground.
Thump-
Standing behind it, was a lonesome figure, his expression twisted in what appeared to be
euphoria.
“More.”
Julien mumbled, his eyes darting towards Libra and Taurus.
“…More.”
