The mind-controlled survivors from their camp were coordinated despite their robotic movement.
Which was terrifying considering these people didn't really possess any appropriate skills or unique abilities for combat.
Each of them, despite being below level 10, was exuding strength that's almost half as strong as Kaito's.
*PANG!*
The wall crumbled under the palm strike that Mrs. Arenla delivered.
"Shit!"
Kaito cursed, but due to their robotic movement…
*Thud!*
He managed to make her lose balance after tripping her foothold.
Mrs. Arenla then stumbled over her own feet.
She hit the ground face-first in a comedic way like a toddler who lost their balance…
"Sorry, Mrs. Arenla! This is gonna hurt!"
*Whack!*
Kaito's enhanced fist connected with the back of her neck in a perfect knockout blow.
The month of training and monster exterminating had paid off.
Nero had pointed him out during their sparring sessions, pointing out how he's using too much strength.
And during the past month, Kaito switched from swinging his baseball bat to being an enhanced fistfighter.
Since then, he had learned to control his strength, hitting just hard enough to disable without causing permanent damage.
The glowing symbols in Mrs. Arenla's eyes flickered once before going dark as she slumped unconscious.
"One down, and like twenty more to go!"
*ZAP! ZAP! ZAP!*
Haru's lightning bolts were flying faster than popcorn kernels in a microwave.
Each precisely aimed shot hit nerve clusters that would drop someone without permanent damage.
His analytical brain was working overtime, calculating angles and power levels while dodging attacks.
All those hours studying anatomy with Yui and practicing precision strikes had turned him into a human taser with surgical accuracy.
Watching Aurelia's perfect combat form had inspired him to push his own abilities beyond simple destruction.
'David, left shoulder… Wendy, solar plexus… Mr. Rodriguez, behind the ear.'
*Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!*
Three more bodies hit the dirt as Haru's electrical precision shots found their marks.
Level 11 wasn't just a number anymore. It represented countless hours of grinding, training, and pushing themselves to match the standards Nero and Aurelia had set.
The guy had evolved from a scared high schooler into a tactical genius with a lightning fetish.
"Show off!"
Kaito grabbed two attackers by their heads and knocked them together like coconuts.
*BONK!*
They both went cross-eyed before collapsing in a heap.
His Level 13 strength wasn't just raw power anymore. The month of training had taught him finesse, control, and precision.
Nero's influence had turned his reckless fighting style into something resembling actual technique.
"At least my method doesn't require a fucking science degree!"
"My method doesn't risk giving people brain damage!"
*ZAP!*
Another attacker dropped as Haru's lightning found the perfect spot to shut down their nervous system without frying their organs.
"Your method takes forever!"
Kaito ducked under a wild swing from the mailman and delivered an uppercut that would make professional boxers weep with envy.
*CRACK!*
The poor guy's jaw was definitely going to hurt when he woke up, but he'd wake up.
"We're actually doing it!"
Haru's excitement was obvious as more mind-controlled people fell unconscious around them.
All those grinding sessions in the forest, pushing their levels higher while Nero and Aurelia were away on missions, had paid off.
"The symbols fade when they lose consciousness! We can save them!"
"Told you all that extra training was worth it!"
Kaito was grinning like an idiot while dodging attacks from three different directions.
His powered-up fist made him fast enough to look like he was dancing instead of fighting for his life.
The inspiration from watching Aurelia's graceful combat had pushed him to develop his own fluid fighting style.
*WHOOSH! DUCK! WEAVE! PUNCH!*
"It's like the world's most fucked up game of whack-a-mole!"
Only five more camp survivors were still standing, and they looked about as threatening as wet cats.
The duo had found their rhythm, working together like they'd been doing this for years instead of just the past month of intensive training and survival.
All those hours grinding levels in the forest, motivated by wanting to catch up to Nero's rapid improvement, had forged them into a real team.
Victory was just within their reach.
… And that's when everything went to hell.
"Ara~ bad boys should be disciplined, no? You're making things a lot harder for me..."
Haori's voice cut through the chaos like a knife dipped in honey.
But something was wrong with the tone.
The maternal warmth was gone, replaced by something that made their skin crawl.
"!!!"
Both boys turned toward the voice and felt their hearts stop.
Yui was staring at her mother with wide eyes, but not from joy this time.
Something had changed in Haori's expression, a coldness that didn't belong on her mother's face.
"... M-Mom? What's wrong? W-Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Don't move."
Haori's command froze both boys in place.
"Don't even think about using your abilities. One wrong move and things will get very unpleasant for everyone."
The remaining mind-controlled townspeople immediately surrounded Kaito and Haru, forming a living prison of familiar faces with glowing symbols for eyes.
*Click!*
The sound of metal restraints echoed as spectral chains materialized around their wrists and ankles.
Dark magic that felt like ice water in their veins.
"What the fuck is this?"
Kaito's enhancement abilities flickered and died as the chains drained his power.
"... What?"
Haru's analytical mind was racing through possibilities, but none of them made sense.
His passive skill, Mind Derivative, should have detected any illusion or mental manipulation.
But everything had read as genuine.
Either this woman had abilities that completely fooled his Mind Derivative passive skill, or she was powerful enough that his detection couldn't penetrate her defenses.
"Smart boy."
The being wearing Haori's face smiled, and it was like watching a mask crack.
"You're wondering how I bypassed your little mind passive skill, aren't you?"
*Whoosh!*
Black shadows erupted from her body like liquid darkness given form.
They writhed and twisted around her, stripping away the motherly facade like old paint peeling off a wall.
When the shadows cleared, a completely different person stood before them.
"Much better."
She stretched like a cat waking up from a nap, her new appearance radiating power that made the air itself feel heavy.
"Pretending to be a loving mother was exhausting. All that 'ara ara' nonsense."
When the shadows cleared, a completely different person stood before them.
She was young, maybe in her early twenties, with a beauty that could easily top models.
Long black hair flowed like midnight water, and her eyes held the kind of intelligence that belonged to apex predators.
Her previous warmth was gone, replaced by cold amusement at their shock.
*Crack!*
Space itself seemed to tear open beside her as she reached into some kind of dimensional pocket.
A black robe materialized first, wrapping around her body like it was alive.
Blood-red inscriptions covered the dark fabric, glowing faintly with malevolent energy that hurt to look at directly.
Then came the staff.
*Clatter… Rattle!*
They were made of bones.
A staff made of human bones fused together into a weapon that screamed of death and dark magic.
Skulls formed the head of the staff, their empty eye sockets glowing with the same red light as her robe's inscriptions.
*Hum...*
A mysterious orb materialized beside her, floating at shoulder height.
The sphere was mysteriously colorful, hovering just in silence, showing different images at a fast pace.
Occasionally, flashes of energy would pulse within its depths, synchronized with her heartbeat.
"... Who are you?"
Haru's voice was tight with caution and danger.
His analytical brain was trying to process what they were dealing with, but nothing made sense.
"Allow me to properly introduce myself."
She twirled her bone staff like a baton with a smirk, clearly enjoying their helplessness.
"My name is Vex'ahlia, one of the leaders of the 3rd-Circle Harbinger of the Obsidian Covenant."
Her smile was the kind that belonged in nightmares and horror movies.
"... And? What do you want with us?"
Kaito's rage was barely contained, his enhancement abilities flickering despite the magical restraints.
"How do you even know who we are?"
"Oh, well, that's quite simple."
Vex'ahlia's amusement was obviously off-putting; it's the kind of condescending look you'd show to brainless insects.
"You see, accessing your little camp and gathering information was laughably easy."
She gestured dismissively.
"All it took was one cooperative individual with the right connections."
*Pulse…*
The floating orb beside her suddenly flashed certain images…
"!!!"
The trio's eyes widened in horror as familiar faces appeared.
Nero and Aurelia stood with a group of adults that looked eerily familiar.
"No way..."
Haru was in disbelief as he recognized the faces.
"That's my mom and dad!"
Kaito's eyes widened in horror as he spotted his own parents among the images shown.
"And mine… Nero and the angel too."
The orb showed Nero and the others, including most of their parents, preparing for battle against something massive and plant-like.
It's an SR-tier monster that looked like it could eat cities for breakfast.
"... H-How do you know where our parents are?"
Yui's voice was barely a whisper, tears streaming down her face.
"Simple… I had inside help from someone who knew exactly where to send your friends."
Vex'ahlia's smile grew wider, showing teeth that seemed too sharp for a human mouth.
"Someone who's been feeding us information for quite some time now… Someone who wants somebody for him to cooperate with me."
*Step... step... step...*
Slow, deliberate footsteps echoed from behind them.
A figure emerged from the shadows between the buildings, moving with casual confidence.
The trio's hearts sank as they recognized the silhouette.
Tall, broad-shouldered, and wearing an expensive suit that somehow looked pristine despite the chaos around them.
"Of course..."
Kaito's voice was barely a whisper, filled with bitter resignation.
"... It's the big guy."
Haru's analytical mind finally put all the pieces together, and his voice muttered the name that confirmed their worst fears.
"Vincent Cross."
***
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