I opened my eyes slowly, my senses returning in fragments.
My wrists and ankles burned, tightly bound by thick, coarse rope. As my vision cleared, I realized we weren't alone. We were sitting on the polished stone floor of what looked like a massive, circular meeting hall.
Eight figures stood around us in a wide ring.
All of them radiated immense spiritual power. Just looking at their postures, I could tell these were the core members of the Society. The Eight Elites.
Beside me, Haroku stirred. A second later, his eyes snapped open. He realized he was tied up, and he immediately exploded.
"Who the hell are all of you?!" he shouted, his voice sharp with anger, echoing off the high stone walls.
"Silence... silence..." one of the men said calmly.
His tone wasn't loud, but it carried absolute authority. He was a younger man, his posture completely relaxed, his eyes half-closed as if the shouting physically exhausted him. The moment I looked at him, I knew he wasn't ordinary.
"Kyo is right. Please lower your voice," a young woman probably 21 or 22 standing next to him added. She looked entirely normal, lacking the intimidating scowl most of the others wore. She offered a small, polite sigh. "I am Ai Uzuki. Third lead Elite. There is no need to scream because i just woke up, it's hurting my ears."
Haroku wasn't having it. "Why the hell are we tied up?!" he barked again, violently struggling against the ropes binding his wrists.
Another man stepped forward, cutting off Ai. His gaze was incredibly cold and entirely unwelcoming.
"You damn insects," he said, his voice edged with deep irritation. "I am Ryato Kizer. Second lead Elite. And you dared to enter the Spirit Hunters Palace."
So that was it.
This wasn't confusion on their part. It was pure suspicion.
"No," I said, keeping my voice steady despite our severe disadvantage. "We are telling the truth. Our motives are not bad. We are here for something deeply important."
"How are we supposed to believe that?" Ryato shot back, his eyes narrowing into a glare.
I studied him for a moment. His presence was sharp, disciplined, and undeniably dangerous. He wasn't the type to listen to excuses.
"Alright," I said calmly. "I'll explain everything. But first—untie us."
"No," Ryato replied instantly, without a fraction of hesitation.
Before Ryato could step closer, a girl standing on the opposite side of the circle crossed her arms. She looked more younger than Ai. relatively normal, much like Ai, but there was a distinct, sharp edge to her stance.
"Ryato," she said. "I say we untie them. It's pathetic to interrogate people while they are hogtied on the floor." She looked directly at Haroku and me, her tone shifting into something slightly more observant. " I'm Eighth lead Elite Yua eun. But let me be clear. If either of you tries to make a run then you are dead."
Before I could respond to Yua's threat, another voice cut in. It was completely calm, composed, and undeniably firm.
"She is correct. We should at least give them a chance to speak like men."
All eyes in the room shifted slightly toward the speaker.
He was an older man, dressed with immaculate precision. Even without knowing him personally, I could tell his presence was entirely different from Ryato's or Arthur's. It wasn't overwhelming or aggressive. It was perfectly controlled. Refined.
"I am Kagetora Reizen," he stated smoothly. "Fifth Elite. Release their bindings."
Since a senior member had spoken, the guards standing by the doorway moved forward. After a brief pause, the thick ropes binding us were finally cut and removed.
I rolled my shoulders, easing the stiffness out of my joints, and slowly rose to my feet. Haroku stood up beside me, rubbing his raw wrists and glaring at Ryato.
"Now," another man said, stepping forward into the center of the ring.
Arthur. The First Elite. The one who had knocked us out in a single fraction of a second.
Arthur looked at me with the same bored, apathetic expression he had in the courtyard. "Explain how you are the grandson of Sekonami Shinji."
I let out a small breath, looking around the circle of the world's strongest fighters.
Then, I smiled faintly.
"I think you're all misunderstanding something," I said, keeping my tone conversational. "I am not trying to insult your intelligence—but don't you think this entire interrogation is strange?"
Ryato's expression hardened. Kyo Yukishiro keeps just staring.
"If we weren't connected to the former Supreme Commander," I continued, looking directly at Arthur, "how would we even know the exact coordinates of the Spirit Hunters Palace?"
A brief silence followed my question. The logic was simple, but it was absolute. The Palace was hidden from the rest of the world.
"Yeah, exactly," another voice added casually from the edge of the circle.
I glanced over. It was Namino Shiki, the Seventh lead Elite. He leaned against a stone pillar, watching the trial unfold.
Still, the skepticism lingered heavily in the eyes of the others.
Another man stepped out from the shadows, his posture rigid.
"We are not convinced," he spoke up, his voice sharp and analytical. "I am Agnin Kataro. Sixth lead Elite. And I do not believe in coincidences. It is entirely possible that someone from the inside leaked the coordinates of the Palace to the underground."
I nodded slowly, acknowledging his point.
That was fair. They were the Elites. They weren't fools, and they weren't going to hand over their trust just because I presented a logical argument. I was going to have to prove it.