Whoosh! Thud.
A white ethereal tiger surged forward, its presence both ferocious and majestic.
Its fangs, as long as an adult's arm, gleamed under the light, a deadly contrast to the almost soothing aura it emitted.
The creature raced at blinding speed through a vast, opulent hallway lined with long rows of chairs, all facing a central podium.
On the podium, a massive silver star was etched into the main wall facing the chairs, encircled by seven smaller stars, each glowing with a distinct hue that blended seamlessly into a mesmerizing pattern.
Standing before the podium was a man who appeared barely twenty, though his eyes hinted at an age far beyond his youthful face. His golden hair and piercing red eyes stood out against his frail, almost fragile frame.
Silver-rimmed glasses rested on his eyes, making him look sharp, complementing the pristine white clergy robe he wore—its edges embroidered with intricate golden patterns.
He gazed at the white tiger with quiet intrigue.
As if responding to an unspoken command, the tiger came to an abrupt stop beside him, its demeanor shifting to that of a dog meeting its owner.
"It's rare for Vane to use my messenger... Goddess, please protect that child," he murmured, praying to the silver star above. His tone, however, betrayed no signs of any emotion.
A tense silence enveloped the house. No one dared to move, their eyes fixed on the blood slowly pooling onto the polished, cold floor.
Suddenly, Vane moved his hand.
In an instant, Leor and the dining table reappeared, swirling into existence as the air distorted around them.
Leor remained frozen, his gun still raised.
His expression was calm yet wary. Without hesitation, he turned to Vane and said, "Use the Chain of Death to make sure."
Vane nodded in understanding. The dark chains that had been wrapped around both him and James immediately slithered toward the blurred, lifeless form of the masked man.
'Numina at that level are monsters,' Leor thought, watching the scene with a mixture of amazement and exhaustion. 'His brain has exploded, yet he's still trying to go invisible and regenerate using some kind of healing technique—just like last time.'
James, wide-eyed, struggled to comprehend what had just transpired. One thing was clear: Leor was no Numina. And yet—he had landed a perfect shot straight through the masked man's brain.
The realization hit James like a thunderbolt.
At the speed that masked man was moving... the fact that he was completely invisible... Even if someone could perceive him, landing a direct hit with an unenhanced bullet should have been impossible. Unless—
James' pupils dilated as the thought struck him.
'Unless Leor already knew exactly where and when that man would move... Then he perfectly timed the shot, calculating the angle so the bullet would meet him at the precise moment…'
Masked man's materialization to sound wasn't really a problem, as the revolver Leor borrowed from James was specifically created to deal with Numina's.
It was an artifact, given to every fighter in Goddess's Church.
His mind reeled. Leor, 'how many more times are you going to surprise me today? What are you hiding?'
"This doesn't matter," Vane suddenly spoke, as if reading James' thoughts. A small smile tugged at his lips. "What matters is that Leor saved our lives. Let's give him some privacy."
To Vane, the how didn't matter. If he had used that attack, he would have only managed to save Johan and Clara, sacrificing himself, Leor, and James in the process—while barely managing to kill the masked man.
"But what was he about to do?" James asked, his voice turning serious as he shifted his gaze to Leor.
"He was about to manipulate every particle that his sound waves were using as a medium, and make it explode," Vane explained patiently, before Leor could respond. "It simply meant death for all of us. I can't extract all atoms from a space…"
His dark chains coiled tighter around the masked man's body, constricting as his form slowly started to disintegrate into dust.
Then—
Pfft.
Vane suddenly burst into laughter, the tension in the room easing slightly.
James blinked, puzzled, while Leor merely sighed in resignation.
"That's so you, Leor…" Vane shook his head, grinning. "Shooting him before he could even use his attack!"
James, too, found himself laughing, a quiet sense of pride swelling in his chest as he looked at his younger brother, as he patted Leor's back hard with his bony hand, who awkwardly scratched the back of his head.
The sharp, metallic scent of gas was becoming overwhelming. Without wasting another second, James turned to call out.
"It's safe now, Clara. Turn off the valve and join us."
But just as the relief settled in—
Vane's expression turned serious in an instant. The lightheartedness vanished.
Leor and James immediately stiffened, sensing the shift in Vane.
"I have to report everything to the Church." Vane's voice was low as he turned to Leor, his tone grave. "Even if I choose not to question how you knew everything, the Church will conduct a proper investigation."
Leor's eyes twitched, but his face remained unreadable.
He simply nodded.
Vane exhaled and softened his gaze. "I'll try to make arrangements if there's something you can't reveal. Because I know you'd never worship an evil god or join a cult."
His voice turned cold as he added, "But one thing I can't avoid… is arresting Johan."
Leor's head snapped up. His gaze was half-pleading, half-firm.
"No. Please don't do that," he said firmly. "You can investigate me or Johan, question both of us however you want—but I cannot let you arrest him."
'If Johan is taken to church… in front of that man, it will just all be for nothing…' Leor thought gravely.
Vane's expression hardened. "Do you think you can stop me?" His voice carried an edge sharper than intended, but he softened slightly. "You don't understand the horrors of this world, Leor. That man could be a walking natural disaster—one born from some kind of experiment of 'curiosity'." Still trying to persuade his friend.
Vane already assumed Leor knew about curiosity and how the church worked; Vane simply didn't have any information on how much Leor knew and how he knew at all.
James, too, regarded Leor with a serious gaze. He had been thinking the same thing.
Curiosity…
The mere mention of the organization sent a chill through James' spine.
A group of mad scientists willing to twist the laws of nature for their experiments. If they were behind Johan's existence… then he probably wasn't even human.
James' mind raced, searching for a way to make Leor understand.
Leor, however, remained unfazed. "Even if I can't stop you," he said calmly, "I don't think you'd be reckless enough to arrest him without hearing me out first." He met Vane's gaze. "And our real enemy isn't Curiosity. It's Achilles."
Vane faltered.
He hesitated, his mind warring with itself. He knew exactly how much destruction a stray experiment from 'Curiosity' could cause. And yet—
Leor seized the moment Vane doubted himself. "I think he's connected to the dark Seas." trying to persuade him.
The moment the words left his mouth—
Vane's eyes widened. Though his gaze still remained cold.
But before he could respond to Leor—
He yelled to James—
"JAMES, DODGE!!"
His voice was tearing through the air, his voice filled with panic.
Leor's expression twisted in horror. His stomach dropped. His palms were sweating, and his breath was shallow.
It was fear. Primitive fear.
'No… No… We already killed him… Why why why'
But deep down, he knew—
It was over. He had lost.
"Hmm.. Interesting." 'James' ruffled his black hair back with his right hand, slicking back his hair, his sharp eyes scanning the area with curiousity.