Jurarius vanished into the blazing red energy circle, leaving behind only the trace of a flash that struck fear. What was strange was that neither the soldiers nor the officers of the Farares group followed him it was as if he had traveled completely alone.
The man who had once shared the same ideology with Jurarius tightly gripped his hand. The extreme pain from being shot in the hand by Jurarius was not just physical, but was compounded by the act which implied,
"You are not important enough." He
(the man who was shot) looked at Caberik, who was still standing at the same spot, but every pair of eyes in the room was still fixed on him without relenting. He was the sole focus who had been abandoned by Jurarius.
The man in the hood wore a bizarre and chilling mask. The face on the mask was grotesquely distorted, with only a still mouth and no eyes, indicating the terror hidden within. He (the man wearing the mask) slowly lowered his head, gazing down at Caberik below. The mask's eyeless stare looked cold and terrifying.
Suddenly, the young woman in the suit and smooth, flowing cloak, whose white hair was like snowflakes, perceived something unexpected. Her eyes widened in shock, a change from her usual emotionless state.
Caberik looked at the man who had just stood up from his seat on the upper level. His eyes were full of surprise at the sudden movement. In an instant, everyone in the room perceived a resounding "Thud!" The ground right in front of Caberik cracked violently. A cloud of dust covered the area. When the dust slowly faded quickly, the masked man appeared, standing still right there, and looking directly at Caberik without a word.
The entire large hall fell into complete silence. Every pair of eyes was fixed on the two men confronting each other below. Even the man with the full beard widened his eyes in astonishment at the sight before him
"...Who is that guy!!.."
The masked man slowly advanced his steps closer to Caberik. His footsteps were so faintly audible as to be almost silent, yet they caused Caberik to feel a heavy and violent force pressing upon him. At the same time, Caberik's heart was beating irregularly and exponentially faster than normal.
Sweat began to seep out and cover Caberik's entire body. Overwhelming pressure and fear suddenly plunged into the depths of his heart, so intense that his legs almost instinctively retreated from the spot. When Caberik's soldiers saw his reaction, all six of them in the hall instantly aimed their guns at the masked man, a clear display of protection and readiness to retaliate.
..In that moment of dread, a massive wave of energy emanated from the masked man. The young woman in the black suit could see the energy wave circulating throughout the man's body, in stark contrast to Caberik, who had virtually no energy wave visible. When she covered her eyes with her hand and opened them, the vision of the special energy suddenly vanished, as if it were a special ability.
Suddenly, the masked man's footsteps stopped abruptly in front of Caberik. The two stared at each other uncompromisingly. Caberik's gaze remained steady and tough, amidst the strange, unknown fear that was rising in his heart.
The masked man's expression was. unknowable, but Caberik clearly perceived the calm composure emanating from the man's body.
"Why... do you desire all Sorcerers on Earth to perish?" The masked man's voice was deep and strangely polite, completely contradictory to his terrifying appearance.
Despite hearing those words, the feeling of pressure remained on Caberik, but he offered a faint smile, looking at the man in front of him with an extremely fixed gaze, effectively hiding his fear beneath the smile.
"There are both good and wicked parts... but the wicked part is simply too much."
During this, Caberik held out his left arm in a restraining gesture, clearly indicating that all the soldiers should stop aiming their guns at the masked man standing before him.
Everything in the hall was silent, as if only the two men stood confronting each other. The clashing stares created immense pressure. The strange dread rising in Caberik's heart persisted, but was masked by the faint smile on his face.
"...Your name is..." When the masked man's words were uttered, everything suddenly went dark, as if they were pulled into a terrifying trance, and in an instant, all the people in front of him vanished into thin air.
Caberik clenched his teeth tightly to resist the overwhelming pressure that erupted violently into the deep abyss of his heart. Though in pain, his eyes remained fixed on the masked man without relenting. His gaze, full of challenge, was as if he was ready to face the fate before him. "Caberik... Wildcross."
..The masked man slowly moved his steps to Caberik's left. His steps seemed weightless and silent, but the closer he got, the more every step made Caberik's heart beat wildly and exponentially faster. He stopped when his shoulder almost touched Caberik's shoulder. The close proximity created an extreme sense of danger. He uttered words without even turning his face to look at Caberik, a display of composure and a lack of emphasis on visual interaction.
"...I will wait and watch... for the day when all energy burns away from this world, including you."
Suddenly, everything snapped back to normal. It was no longer just the two of them standing there. From the perspective of the others in the hall, only Caberik and the masked man were seen standing face-to-face, without either having uttered a word.
When the situation changed, Caberik turned to look at the group of soldiers behind him. His gaze was sharp and fierce, as if extreme seriousness and commanding authority suddenly erupted without concealment. The group of soldiers quickly surrounded Caberik in a protective circle, immediately aiming their guns at the masked man in front of them, while another section aimed their guns upward to cover the area an action so orderly it was as if they had been instructed beforehand.
.. Caberik stared at the masked man. His face was full of resolve and coldness, as if he was not affected by the terrifying trance that had occurred moments before. But suddenly, the masked man's clothes began to flutter, as if touched by the wind. The strange thing was that no air was moving inside the hall it was an entirely unnatural movement.
In that brief moment, the masked man's body slowly began to dissolve and disappear, starting from the left and spreading to the right. At the same time, Caberik chose to step back and began to walk out of the hall. He
(the masked man) vanished completely, leaving not a single fragment or trace behind. This perfect disappearance was like a temporary farewell only, and it was not important to be seen again.
Caberik slowly retreated out of the hall along the way he had entered, with the group of soldiers surrounding him both in front and behind for protection throughout. Upon reaching the door, he successfully stepped out of the dark crowd. The door slammed shut loudly.