"Dismiss!"
As soon as Igaris came close to his house, he dismissed all of his subordinates, including Evernight.
The carcasses lay on the ground, and Igaris picked one up onto his shoulder like a slab of meat.
Now that he was a Warrior -7 Rank human, he was able to lift the nearly 200-pound weight with ease.
As for the rest of the carcasses, he decided to hide and carry them later.
But as he approached their house, he froze, and the boar carcass slipped from his shoulder with a small thud.
His feet were rooted to the ground as he stared at the scene before him.
The small house had burned down to ashes.
There was nothing left but charred remains where his family had once lived happily.
"Wh-Who did this? Where are Roxanne and Isadora?"
Igaris muttered, his eyes scanning the dim surroundings.
His body moved here and there, frantically trying to find them.
But even after searching, he found no one.
They lived mostly secluded anyway.
"Are... are they dead? By who?"
Igaris murmured, trembling.
He couldn't describe what he was feeling. They weren't his real family, and yet he couldn't deny the connection he had with them.
"Eh heh, here you are..."
Suddenly, an amused voice came from the sky.
Igaris shifted his gaze upward and saw a creature with the body of a lion, and the head and wings of an eagle—just like a griffin from myths.
The griffin descended with powerful flaps of its wings, its hawk-like eyes fixed on Igaris.
Igaris felt a faint shiver, then turned his gaze toward the rider.
There was a young man sitting atop the griffin, slightly older than Igaris, gazing at him with interest.
"So, you're the one who lived here?" he said with a smirk. "I was looking for you."
"Me?" Igaris repeated, his gaze turning cold.
"Did you do this to our house?"
The young man's eyes lit up.
"Oh, your house... That means you are Igor Calamity, and Roxxane is your mother."
Ignoring Igaris's rising hostility, the young man feigned relief.
"Thank goodness. Now I won't have to spend the cold night searching around here."
"Listen. You're suspected of associating with Mecha Riders. I have to send you to my superior for further investigation, so it would be better if you come along obediently."
He paused, frowning. "Um... Are you even listening?"
With red eyes, Igaris growled,
"Just tell me, are you the one who burned the house? And where are my mother and sister?"
"Did you kill them?"
The young man shook his head, acting disappointed.
"Unfortunately not. They fled before we arrived. But if they had fallen into our hands, we would've killed them for sure. That's such a shame..."
Then he sneered,
"But hey... we got you at least. We'll burn you alive in front of all the Outcasts as an apology for our failure. How does that sound?" he said with a malevolent expression.
Igaris felt somewhat relieved, as he used Trickster's Eyes to see through the truth.
The young man wasn't lying.
That meant his mother and sister had fled to somewhere unknown.
He was a little surprised that Roxanne could fly a Mecha.
Maybe the previous Igaris had known about it.
But that wasn't important right now.
His life was in danger. If he died here, his consciousness would die too. He wouldn't be able to return to Earth.
So, he raised his blade.
A fight was inevitable at this point.
"Aww.. You want to fight? How cute!"
But the young man looked down at Igaris as if watching an ant.
A disdainful grin flashed across his face before he landed on the ground with the smoothness of a feather.
Then, he raised his hand and showed a middle finger.
And then—
"Swoosh!"
The young man disappeared in a flash, reappearing before Igaris and raising his transformed claws, shaped like a griffin's.
They crashed onto Igaris's blade, shattering it like a twig.
Then the claws tore through Igaris's chest and abdomen, creating horrifying wounds that exposed his ribcage and trembling heart.
"People call me Mystic. Remember that."
His cold voice echoed with finality as his claws went straight for Igaris's heart.
To him, it was nothing more than a small punishment for an insignificant person who dared to defy his will.
Whoosh!
Just then, a rustling wind brushed past them, and his hand froze midair.
"What's happening?"
He muttered in panic, trying to move his hand, but it wouldn't budge no matter how hard he tried.
Then, a beautiful voice reached him from the left.
"Fufufu… My Liege. You're so weak."
Under the moonlight, seeing her beauty and grace, Mystic was struck speechless.
Her glowing skin and curvaceous figure radiated brilliance.
She was beyond alluring and tempting— a being not meant for the mortal world. That was the first impression he got.
The second was... she was stronger than him.
Because she had stopped him without even lifting a finger.
He, a Mid Rank Summoner, was being defeated so easily.
"Stop your mouth, Evernight. How would I know he'd be this strong?" Igaris retorted.
Mystic's gaze shifted to Igaris, who was now casually walking forward as if nothing had happened.
"The wounds... they're gone already?"
Seeing this, Mystic couldn't believe his eyes.
"Who-Who are you two?"
Evernight ignored Mystic's question and turned to Igaris.
"What should I do with him? Should I kill him? Or turn him into an undead?" she asked casually, but her presence radiated absolute confidence.
She could do exactly what she said.
Realizing this, Mystic's face showed a rare trace of desperation.
"Screech!"
With his mental command, the terrifying Griffin suddenly launched an aerial attack on Igaris and Evernight, its sharp claws glinting like blades.
Igaris tensed slightly, but Evernight only snorted with disdain.
"Such a noisy bird."
Instantly, a few radiant shackles emerged from her back and bound the Griffin with sheer force.
SKEEE-RRAAAAGHH!!
It was a pure display of power and dominance.
Her Chains of Judgment restrained the Griffin, slamming it down to the ground.
It screeched and thrashed wildly, but just like Mystic, it couldn't break free.
She could have killed it easily—but Igaris stopped her.
"Don't kill it, Evernight!" he said, his mind already working through a plan.
Evernight raised a brow but quickly understood his intention.
"As you wish."