Haru stood still, his eyes calm and unreadable.
No one could tell what he was thinking — not even Zex, whose senses could read emotions like air currents.
Leo tightened his grip on his blade. He could feel it — the weight of countless deaths surrounding Haru like a ghostly mist.
He'd met killers before, but this one… this was something else.
Too still. Too empty.
(This guy… he's a killer. Just like the others. Maybe worse.)
But Eliz's sharp eyes caught something the others missed — the crest on Haru's robe, and the Valcrest insignia etched in silver on his back.
Her breath hitched.
She'd seen that mark before.
(That's… the Valcrest crest! Sera's family!)
Eliz straightened, wings flaring proudly. Her tone became sharp and commanding.
Eliz: "Lower your weapon! You're an Elder of Valcrest, aren't you? You must know who I am — I'm Sera's clo—"
She didn't even finish.
In an instant, Haru vanished.
—Flash Step (Rank B).
A blur of light crossed the air, and in the blink of an eye, Haru was already in front of Eliz, his sword raised.
Leo (shouting): "ELIZ, DODGE!"
Zex and Eliz froze — they didn't even see him move.
Eliz: "Barrier of Eternity!"
A golden sphere erupted around her just as Haru's A-rank Crimson Blade and A+ Aura slashed downward.
BOOOOOOM!
The impact split the air — a shockwave tore through the mountain, scattering debris and light.
The explosion echoed for miles, shaking the very ground beneath them.
Eliz was thrown backward, crashing through boulders before sliding to a stop.
Her hands trembled as she stared at her cracked barrier.
Eliz (wide-eyed): "What the— how can a human… do that?"
Zex and Leo stood frozen.
Even the monsters nearby had fled in silence.
Haru didn't move from his spot.
His blade rested by his side, his expression still calm — as if he hadn't just tested one of the strongest fairy barriers in existence.
In truth, he wasn't trying to kill her.
He wanted to test her — to measure how strong a high-level fairy really was.
But what he discovered made him more curious than impressed.
(So this is a fairy's barrier? Not bad… but still breakable.)
Eliz stood up, fury and fear flickering in her eyes, while Haru's cold gaze met hers again — no hostility, no emotion… just quiet judgment.
The mountain air trembled.
Dust still swirled from Haru's strike when Leo moved first.
Leo: "Don't just stand there, Zex! He's dangerous!"
His figure blurred—
Flash Step!
Arrows of mana shot from the ground as Leo swung his blade in rapid arcs, each strike followed by a sonic crack.
But Haru wasn't there.
With every swing, Leo hit nothing but air.
Haru twisted, sidestepped, parried with just the flat of his blade — calm, unhurried, his movement almost lazy.
Leo (gritting teeth): "Damn it—stop dodging!"
He unleashed a flurry of blows, ten, twenty, thirty in an instant.
Not one landed.
A spark of irritation crossed Haru's face.
Then Zex vanished.
Blink Step.
In a shimmer of air, the half-demon appeared behind Haru, his left hand raised.
Void Hallow.
A surge of black-violet light formed — a condensed beam strong enough to pierce a mountain.
Zex: "Disappear!"
The beam fired—
But Haru twisted his body in one smooth motion, his leg flashing upward.
A clean, powerful kick struck Zex's wrist, jerking his aim skyward — the beam tore through the clouds instead, splitting the sky open with light.
Before Zex could react, Haru followed with a spinning heel aimed for his face.
WHOOOSH!
Zex bent backward at the last second, the strike slicing a strand of his white hair as the air around him exploded from the force.
Leo: "Now!"
Leo's sword glowed gold, and he lunged, his aura forming a crescent slash — Heaven Rend!
Haru raised his own blade, blocking with one hand. The clash detonated a shockwave that tore through the mountain ridge.
BOOM!
Rocks shattered. Lightning sparked across the sky from the mana pressure.
Zex: "Tch—He's not normal!"
Leo: "I already know that!"
Zex blinked to Haru's left, unleashing three black orbs.
Leo came from the right, sword glowing white.
Haru moved through them like water — deflecting Zex's spells with his bare hand, redirecting Leo's slash with a twist of his wrist.
For every strike they made, Haru matched it perfectly, his calm expression never breaking.
Minutes passed.
The ground around them had turned to ruin — trees uprooted, the mountain scarred with molten cracks.
No one had gained ground.
No one had fallen.
They stood apart again, breathing heavily, their eyes locked.
Zex (smirking): "...You're not bad for a human."
Haru (coldly): "You're not bad for a half-breed."
A faint grin crept onto Zex's face.
For the first time in centuries, he'd found someone who could keep up.
Zex took a step back, his two wings flexing slightly as he let out a low chuckle.
Zex: "Let's go, Leo. That guy… he's just playing with us."
Leo: blinking in disbelief "What? Really? You're… he was just—"
He trailed off, his voice laced with shock. But the tension faded quickly, replaced by a rare, grudging respect.
Fighting someone like Haru, a person who could casually slaughter monsters and dodge at impossible speeds, was terrifying—but exhilarating.
Leo: "...Huh. Well… better him testing us than killing us."
Eliz, still hovering a few meters above, dusting off her robe from the battle's debris, watched carefully. Her gaze never left Haru, measuring, analyzing.
Eliz: muttering to herself "Interesting… he isn't just strong… he's calculated."
Haru, meanwhile, remained calm, his expression unreadable, as though the entire clash had been nothing more than a warm-up.
He observed them walking away, each step measured, each aura still restrained.
A slight smirk crossed Haru's face.
They're strong… but predictable. I'll follow them and see what kind of game they're playing.