Boom!! Boom!!

The entire formation trembled.

It was barely holding against the aftershocks of the immense battle raging above.

’Freida must have already narrowed down the traitors, or this situation wouldn’t have escalated like this. Fadu must have told her that one of his uncles is a traitor,’ Souta guessed.

The energy overhead continued to fluctuate violently as explosions rang out from time to time. The ordinary members of the household couldn’t help but tremble in fear. The might of the experts fighting above was far beyond anything they could comprehend.

It wasn’t just a single battle but multiple clashes were occurring at the same time. Souta could even sense a powerful beast feram belonging to a fifth-stage monster.

The Rulman Household’s strength was truly formidable. They possessed multiple high-level experts, which was why they stood among the top families in the entire country. Unfortunately, they were not as united as others believed.

"Hmm?"

Souta raised an eyebrow, pulling his attention away from the battle above. Turning slightly, he noticed three figures approaching the area while concealing their presence.

He stood up and glanced at the father-and-son duo.

"Leave those three to me," he said.

Wresho remained silent. With his strength, he had also sensed the approaching figures.

Still, he couldn’t believe that his own brother intended to capture his son and seize control of the entire Rulman Household, going so far as to resort to such despicable means.

If his son hadn’t returned, they would never have discovered that Dihra was scheming something like this.

No matter what, he would protect his son. This was a crucial moment, and he wouldn’t allow anyone to get close to him. If Fadu were captured, there was a high chance he would be used against Freida. When that time came, Freida would have no choice but to yield to their enemies.

Wresho silently glanced at his son.

At the moment, Souta stood a few meters away from the room where Wresho and Fadu were staying.

He looked to his left, then to his right. It seemed those people had no intention of revealing themselves.

"Come out. I’ve already sensed the presence of the three of you."

After speaking, Souta waited for several seconds. When the three still didn’t move, he let out a quiet sigh.

"If you’re not planning to capture Fadu, then I won’t bother with you. But I can feel the hostility in your gazes, you can’t hide it."

A faint smile appeared on Souta’s lips as he slowly raised his hand. He pointed a finger forward, and a powerful energy began swirling at its tip.

[Bestrou]!!

Before the attack could even strike the ground, three figures burst out from the bushes and trees.

They landed several meters away as a powerful explosion erupted behind them. Shock flashed across their faces as they hadn’t expected the monster in front of them to attack without hesitation.

The trio lifted their gazes.

The oldest among them was a Searan with hair that resembled seaweed, long and drifting like strands beneath the ocean. He raised his right hand, signaling the two behind him to stop.

"Stop. Everyone," he said.

The woman beside him wore a grave expression.

"You don’t need to say that."

Despite her composure, she subconsciously gulped.

The monster standing before them was releasing an overwhelming aura that made it hard for her to breathe. It felt suffocating as if invisible fingers were tightening around her throat.

She glanced at the man beside her and saw that he, too, had gone rigid. The oppressive pressure bore down on them, as though an immense weight had been placed upon their shoulders.

Souta looked at the three of them and said, "If you want to reason with me, it’s already too late. I gave you a chance before, but you didn’t take it."

The oldest among them swallowed hard. He was extremely wary. The monster standing before him was giving off an intensely dangerous aura.

When they didn’t respond, Souta turned his head toward the room behind him, where Fadu and Wresho were staying.

"You won’t care if I kill these three, right?" he asked calmly.

Wresho’s expression turned solemn as he replied, "No."

They were traitors who had come for his son. There was no reason to spare them.

"Then..."

Souta shifted his attention back to the trio.

Hmm?

Only two people remained in front of him.

The oldest, who had been standing at the forefront, had vanished.

Souta’s gaze slid to the side and he saw the oldest reappear within his peripheral vision.

Whoosh!!

The oldest thrust his left palm toward Souta, his right hand gripping his wrist to stabilize the surge of power gathering there.

"Die... monster!"

A violent beam erupted from his palm. Lightning and water twisting around each other in a spiraling torrent, shrieking as the elements fused into one devastating force.

BOOM!!!

The ray tore through the air, splitting it apart. Lightning detonated outward in blinding arcs while water exploded like a collapsing tidal wave, swallowing everything in its path.

The other two reacted instantly. They leapt back, avoiding the expanding blast radius, and hurled their own attacks toward the epicenter.

BANG!!

Inside the room, Wresho raised a hand. A semi-transparent barrier shimmered into existence before the doorway.

The storm of water and lightning crashed against it but not a single ripple passed through.

Whoooosh!!

Smoke rolled across the ruins before slowly thinning. Residual lightning crackled in the air. Flames licked at shattered debris. Water flooded the broken earth.

The nearby houses had been obliterated. Trees were ripped from the ground and hurled dozens of meters away. At the heart of the devastation lay a massive crater nearly thirty meters deep.

And at its center, Souta stood.

Dense energy coiled around him like a living storm, shielding his body from every trace of destruction.

Not a mark touched him.

"It... can’t be..." The oldest man’s eyes widened.

"Not a single scratch...!" the woman whispered, her voice trembling.

The third stared in frozen disbelief.

Their combined attack, one that could annihilate an entire district, had done nothing.

Souta slowly lifted his head and looked at them. Then he clenched his palm.

The air tightened.

"If this were before..." he said calmly, his voice cutting through the lingering storm, "you might have been able to injure me, but now? It’s nearly impossible."

The three instinctively took a step back.

But the other man gritted his teeth, fury drowning out reason.

With a roar, he shot forward.

"WAIT!!" the oldest shouted, reaching out to stop him but it was too late.

In an instant, the man was already upon Souta, unleashing everything he had. Flames erupted across his bluish skin, coating his body in a blazing mantle. Mana spiraled violently around his fist, swelling outward until a gigantic flaming fist manifested in the air above him, mirroring his strike.

"DIE, MONSTER!!"

Souta’s eyes turned cold as he extended his hand. His body shifted and a terrifying energy burst outward from him, distorting the air itself.

In the next second, his palm was already on the man’s face.

The attacker hadn’t even realized his punch had missed. His flaming fist tore through empty space.

And then he understood.

Because Souta was already gripping his face.

"ARGH!!"

The man roared in pain and desperation, swinging his other fist toward Souta’s ribs. However, Souta did not allow it.

He slammed the man downward.

At the same time, his knee drove upward.

Bang!

The impact snapped the man’s head back violently. Before he could even gasp, Souta gathered energy into his other fist and drove it deep into the man’s abdomen.

BANG!!

The air exploded with shockwaves.

The man’s body folded in on itself and was blasted hundreds of meters into the sky like a broken projectile.

Souta tilted his head slightly and he opened his mouth.

[Bestrou]!!

A beam of condensed destruction tore from his lips and struck the airborne figure instantly.

BOOM!!!

The sky lit up in a violent explosion.

Flames and lightning swallowed the man midair.

And just like that, it was over.

The entire exchange had lasted less than a second.

The oldest and the woman froze, unable to react. By the time their minds caught up with reality, their comrade had already been obliterated.

"Not good... we have to retreat!" the oldest gasped.

Suddenly, a flash of light lit the space before them.

Whooosh!!

Multiple [Bestrou] tore through the air, fired at them simultaneously.

Boom!! Boom!! Boom!!

Explosions erupted in perfect unison, shaking the ground and throwing debris everywhere. Smoke and fire blurred their vision, and the roar of destruction filled their ears.

When the smoke cleared, they staggered out, bloodied and disoriented, faces twisted with panic.

"Are we... really going to abandon the mission?" the woman whispered, voice trembling.

"Yeah... we can’t beat that... monster," the oldest admitted, his words faltering.

They didn’t even know if their fallen comrade had survived. Not that it mattered as they hadn’t expected him to hold control, not after losing his temper like that.

Whoosh!!

A chill ran down their spines. A presence had appeared behind them.

They spun around.

Souta stood there, calm, terrifying. One finger pointed at them, and a storm of energy pulsed and twisted around it. Every molecule of air seemed to hum with anticipation.

The air itself screamed: they were already doomed.