Chapter 12

  Hambo lay beside the shattered trunk of a fallen tree, his body barely moving as a low groan escaped his lips. The damage from the punch was written clearly across his face, blood still streaming from his nose. He pressed one hand against the tree to steady himself and forced his way up, every movement heavy with pain.

  His gaze shifted toward Suero and Moryo. Their fight had stopped. Both of them were now staring at the spot where the barrier had vanished without warning.

  Hambo wiped the blood from his face with his sleeve and stared at Suero. Shock and disbelief swirled in his eyes. A whisper slipped from him, as if pulled from the depths of his thoughts.

  What kind of power is that? One punch… and my defensive barrier shattered. This boy… he’s not normal.

  ---

  On the other side of the battlefield, Suero and Moryo stared up at the sky where the barrier had once enclosed the area.

  Suero lifted his head, confusion and unease bleeding into his voice.

  “Could it be… Master Sbyam and Betma? Did they come back?”

  Moryo looked far more unsettled. His sharp eyes remained fixed on the sky as he slowly shook his head, deep in thought.

  “Impossible. They couldn’t return this fast. The distance to their mission is far too great.”

  “Commander Moryo!” Suero cut in, urgency creeping into his tone.

  Moryo turned slowly, his usual calm firmly in place.

  “There may be an intruder.”

  Suero frowned. “An intruder? What do you mean?”

  But Moryo offered no further explanation. His voice hardened.

  “We investigate the area. We can’t ignore this.”

  Suero hesitated before speaking again. “But… why do you think someone broke in? Do you have any proof?”

  Moryo didn’t even look at him.

  “We’ll know soon enough. Stay alert.”

  The silence was broken by faint footsteps.

  Then a mocking voice rang out from behind them.

  “Hey!!”

  Both Suero and Moryo spun around instantly, ready for whatever awaited them.

  Standing a few steps away was Beth, arms crossed, his expression dripping with arrogance and indifference.

  Suero spoke first, his voice cautious.

  “Who are you?”

  Beth clearly had no interest in introductions. His eyes traveled over Suero from head to toe before he scoffed.

  “You… aren’t you that idiot’s brother?”

  That alone was enough to ignite Suero’s rage. His eyes widened slightly before he glanced at Moryo, as if sharing the shock.

  Beth continued, his grin growing sharper, his tone openly provocative.

  “Solio is obsessed with killing you. Makes me wonder… why?”

  Moryo began piecing things together in his mind.

  This man… could he be from the Rizeus Organization? He knows Spailo. But why is he here?

  With heavy steps, Suero moved forward. His eyes burned with barely restrained fury, each step feeding the storm rising inside him.

  His voice came out sharp and defiant.

  “Do you have a connection to Spailo?”

  Beth let out a short laugh, clearly amused.

  “Relax. I hate him just as much as you do.”

  Suero wasn’t satisfied. His voice rose, thick with anger.

  “You’re from the same organization as him, aren’t you?!”

  Beth shrugged casually, as if the topic bored him.

  “You mean the Rizeus Organization? Yeah, I—”

  He never finished the sentence.

  In a single instant—faster than Beth’s eyes could follow—Suero vanished.

  A flash of motion.

  If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

  Suero reappeared directly in front of him.

  It was like a bolt of lightning, too fast for any reaction.

  With a fist overflowing with power, Suero drove a devastating punch straight into Beth’s face.

  It wasn’t just a punch.

  It was an explosion of raw force.

  Beth was hurled backward, crashing into the ground and rolling several times before finally coming to a stop on his back.

  He lay there, staring up at the sky, still clouded by dust from the impact.

  Then, suddenly—

  A smile spread across his bloodied lips.

  He burst into wild, hysterical laughter, his voice echoing through the air, unrestrained and unstable.

  “What a joke! This is way too fun!”

  Beth slowly pushed himself up, his face smeared with blood and dirt. He turned toward Suero, who stood rigid with rage, muscles tense.

  Their eyes met—

  And Beth’s grin twisted into something deeply unsettling.

  ---

  On the other side of the arena—

  Alia stared up at the sky, at the place where the barrier had vanished without warning. Shock washed over her features as she whispered to herself,

  “What’s going on? The barrier… it’s been disabled?!”

  Her thoughts were cut short by Veb’s voice. He stood nearby, eyes sharp as he scanned the distance.

  “Hey, girl!”

  She turned toward him slowly as he continued, his tone serious.

  “I don’t know what’s happening, but it’s obvious the barrier’s been destroyed. The event is canceled. There’s an intruder among us. We need to search for them—separately. Honestly, I don’t feel like sticking around with you guys.”

  Without waiting for her response, Veb turned and sprinted toward the forest, his eyes sweeping the area for any sign of the intruder.

  Alia shouted after him, her voice dripping with sarcasm and irritation.

  “As if I care, idiot!”

  She started moving as well—

  then suddenly stopped.

  Something held her in place.

  She tried to lift her feet. They wouldn’t budge.

  Her eyes dropped to the ground.

  Her legs were frozen solid, trapped in thick layers of ice.

  Her eyes widened in shock. “What—?!”

  A calm presence settled behind her.

  Darwin stood there quietly, hands tucked into his pockets. His expression was cold, his voice steady.

  “If you don’t want to die, stay calm.”

  Alia struggled to turn toward him, her face caught between rage and disbelief.

  “What?!” she snapped.

  Darwin replied flatly, like he was issuing an order.

  “You’ll stay here. Silent. Waiting.”

  She refused to accept it.

  “You bastard!” she shouted.

  Alia strained with all her strength, trying to break free from the ice—but it didn’t crack. It was solid. Unyielding.

  A faint smile crossed Darwin’s face.

  “There’s no point. You won’t be able to move. I’m using Ice Magic. Your legs are completely sealed. If you want to escape, you’ll have to cancel my technique… and that’s impossible for you.”

  Alia continued struggling violently, fury burning in her eyes as she hissed through clenched teeth,

  “Damn you!”

  Darwin remained unfazed.

  “I told you. Stay calm.”

  In the blink of an eye—

  A brown flash tore through the air, like a glowing thread of light, racing toward Darwin at terrifying speed. It shone brilliantly, like an arrow loosed from an unseen bow.

  Darwin sensed the danger and turned sharply toward it.

  Too late.

  The flash vanished—

  And Veb appeared directly in front of him.

  Brown sparks crackled around Veb’s fists, dancing like small, furious flames.

  In a single motion, Veb drove his fist straight into Darwin’s face.

  The impact was catastrophic.

  The air around them warped violently as massive shockwaves exploded outward from the point of contact.

  Darwin was launched into the air, his body slamming into a nearby tree at tremendous speed. The trunk shook violently, branches snapping under the force.

  He collapsed to the ground, pain etched across his face as blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.

  Veb stood beside Alia, his expression utterly indifferent—like nothing out of the ordinary had just happened. He glanced at her and spoke coldly.

  “You should be more careful.”

  Alia screamed back at him, still burning with anger.

  “Shut up! I didn’t ask for your help!”

  Veb didn’t respond. His eyes remained locked on Darwin, alert and wary.

  Across from them, Darwin struggled to his feet. He wiped the blood from his mouth, his eyes gleaming with a mix of fury and caution as he stared at Veb.

  Inside his mind, a thought echoed with bitterness and disbelief.

  Damn it… these students… every single one of them is a monster.

  Students of Sbyam aren’t human.

  ---

  In a room drowned in darkness—

  Shadows seemed to swallow everything, smothering the space until it felt as though time itself had come to a halt. Dim light clung weakly to the corners, offering a trace of warmth but doing nothing to ease the tension pressing down on the room.

  Sbyam stood at the center, one hand tucked casually into his pocket, his familiar confidence unshaken. Beside him stood Betma, calm on the surface, yet clearly on guard.

  Sbyam broke the silence with an irritated sigh, his voice laced with boredom.

  “Hey! You senile old fools! I’m sick of waiting.”

  Betma, who had been silently observing, finally spoke. His voice was low, restrained, yet tinged with annoyance.

  “What exactly do you want from us?”

  Silence reclaimed the room, thick and heavy, as though everyone was weighing their next move. Sbyam exhaled sharply and turned toward the door.

  “I’m leaving.”

  He took a step forward—

  Then a voice cut through the stillness.

  “The Rizeus Organization…”

  Sbyam stopped mid-step without turning back. Betma raised an eyebrow, surprised by the sudden shift in tone.

  “What about them?”

  Another voice followed, deeper this time, heavier with implication.

  “There is a man leading them.”

  Sbyam turned slowly. His eyes gleamed with sharp intensity as his voice dropped into something far more serious.

  “Get to the point.”

  The elder spoke carefully, each word measured.

  “A man named Raizo. We don’t know when he became a sorcerer, but… he was once a scholar.”

  Sbyam interrupted, impatience clear in his tone.

  “I already know that. Do you have anything new?”

  The elder hesitated, then replied calmly.

  “You must bring him here.”

  The weight of the moment settled heavily. Betma hesitated before speaking.

  “But—”

  “I won’t do it,” Sbyam snapped.

  A furious shout erupted from one of the elders.

  “What?!”

  In that instant, Sbyam’s eyes flared with a dark, terrifying light. His voice filled the room, so heavy it felt as though the walls themselves trembled beneath it.

  “I will not start a war with that organization!”

  Another elder shouted back in anger.

  “And why not, you fool?!”

  Sbyam turned fully to face them, his voice sharp yet unwavering, forged from absolute resolve.

  “I will not throw my students into the jaws of a devastating war—especially with Spailo among them.”

  The elders erupted, voices overlapping in outrage.

  “Since when do you fear a sorcerer?!”

  Sbyam smiled faintly as he walked toward the door, his steps steady, his voice calm—but carrying undeniable weight.

  “I don’t fear my former student. What I care about… is my students now. And protecting them from him.”

  He stepped out of the room.

  Behind him, the elders’ furious voices echoed through the darkness.

  “Come back here… come back, you bastard!”

  Sbyam didn’t look back.

  He continued walking, as if their words meant nothing at all.

  ---

  At the event grounds—

  As the situation grew increasingly serious and dangerous, Campeis stood inside the palace, his eyes tightly shut, as if sensing a disturbance spreading through the area. Slowly, he raised a finger toward the sky and spoke in a calm voice—one that carried hidden authority.

  “Activate the barrier.”

  At that decisive moment, the sky began to change.

  Dark lines of light appeared overhead, converging and weaving together until they formed a vast, transparent barrier—solid and unyielding—encasing the entire arena like a colossal cage. Everyone inside was sealed within it. The sight was overwhelming, as though something monumental was about to unfold.

  ---

  On the opposite side of the arena, Beth stared up at the sky with cold eyes. He showed no surprise at the sudden development. Instead, a mocking smile crept across his face as he muttered to himself,

  “So the barrier’s up… He’s inside the palace now.”

  Suddenly—

  A small explosion shattered the silence.

  A green spark tore through the air at incredible speed, shooting straight toward Beth. It burned brilliantly, like an arrow fired from an unseen bow.

  Beth, as usual, remained unfazed.

  He calmly watched the spark approach. When it drew close enough, he raised one hand slowly, as if time itself had frozen around him.

  Above his palm, a dark vortex began to form—spinning violently, like a gateway that devoured everything in its path.

  The green spark reached Beth’s face—

  But instead of striking him, it was pulled into the black vortex as if drawn by an invisible force.

  Then it vanished.

  Without a trace.

  Moryo, who had witnessed the entire scene, froze in shock. His eyes widened as he struggled to comprehend what he had just seen.

  What was that?

  How is he doing this?

  Beside him, Suero stood rigid, anything but calm. His voice trembled with suppressed rage.

  “Commander… I’m moving now.”

  Moryo turned to him instantly, trying to rein him in.

  “Stop. We have to work together. Charging in alone won’t accomplish anything!”

  But Suero wasn’t listening.

  Hatred burned in his eyes as he stared at Beth. His voice dropped, low and sharp, as if the words were clawing their way out of his soul.

  “I hate him… I want—

  I want revenge on them.”

  Moryo felt the intensity of Suero’s anger and raised his voice sharply.

  “Suero!”

  Suero turned to him, startled. Moryo met his gaze, his expression firm.

  “We’ll begin your training in Shrine Punch now. This is the right moment—for you to learn and master your power.”

  Suero’s fury eased, just a little. He exhaled slowly, then allowed a faint smile to form. Turning his eyes back to Beth, his voice carried renewed resolve.

  “Alright…!”

  Beth remained where he was, watching Suero and Moryo with cold, indifferent eyes. It was as if he already knew exactly what they were planning—and simply didn’t care.

  At that moment, Suero’s eyes blazed with fresh determination. When his gaze met Beth’s, the air between them tightened.

  A silent duel.

  Neither spoke.

  Yet both were already testing the other.

  End of Chapter.