Lucen turned sharply.
And what he saw made his expression harden.
Aldren Sagewell stood behind him, smiling.
Not the calm, composed smile of the academy's acting vice-chairman.
Not the reserved smile of a veteran professor.
This one was wrong.
Creepy.
Sinister.
Lucen stared at him for a moment, genuine confusion flashing across his face.
"What the hell, Aldren…?"
Aldren's smile only deepened.
"You were right," he said calmly. "Those two aren't 8-star warriors at all."
He glanced toward the hooded men still floating ahead.
"They're only 7-star warriors. Enhanced to emit the pressure of 8-star mana to confuse the enemy."
Lucen's face tightened. Even with the freezing storm of his mana raging around him, a bead of sweat slid down the side of his face.
Something was terribly wrong.
But he forced himself to speak.
"…Then who were you fighting?"
The moment the words left his mouth—
Lucen's eyes widened.
His instincts screamed.
He sidestepped instantly.
