For a brief moment, the only sound was the pitter-patter of blood dripping onto the ground.

Nova stared into Slade's now widened eyes, a twisted grin stretching across his face. Hands clenched around the spear, he slowly said, "Oh? Finally showing some emotion. I thought you'd stay stone-faced right to the end."

A low chuckle slipped from his lips.

The captains who had never seen their Boss fighting until now felt a chill creep up their spines.

Slade didn't respond. He was too focused on staying conscious—on staying alive. And the first step was removing the spear from his chest.

'Still silent?' Nova mused, eyes locked onto Slade with unwavering focus. 'Even now?'

Just as Nova prepared to mock him again, something changed—barely perceptible, but enough. A subtle shift in Slade's posture.

'Trying to escape?' Nova scoffed inwardly. 'Fine. Let me help you.'

Just as Slade, gritting his teeth, prepared to step back and wrench himself off the spearhead, he felt a sudden twist in the weapon. A split second later, a glowing palm slammed into his chest. The force of the strike sent him hurtling backward—his body a blur of motion.

The twisted spearhead tore a wider wound in his chest, and arcs of lightning scorched another part of his chest. The lightning dispersed the delicate traces of ice Mana Slade had been carefully gathering to seal the injury.

Wasting no time, Nova stepped forward and pulled out another pair of handcuffs—unlike the ones he'd used on the previous three. These looked different, thicker and, most likely, harder to break free than the old ones. He snapped them onto Slade's wrists with swift precision.

'I don't know if these will be enough to hold him… but they're the best I've got,' he thought, casting a glance at Slade, now lying motionless on the ground. His breathing was labored but steady. He wasn't at any risk of dying.

Nova's gaze drifted upward to the complex's windows, where countless eyes peered down in silent awe.

"Show's over," he called out. "Get back to your posts. Alaric, come down—I know you're watching too."

The captains bowed quietly before retreating. A moment later, a window creaked open, and Alaric leapt down to the courtyard, landing beside Nova.

"Boss, how did you know I was there?" he asked, eyes wide with curiosity.

Nova looked at him with a serious expression and gave a casual shrug. "I didn't."

Alaric's lips twitched, but before he could respond, Nova cut in, his gaze shifting down to Slade.

"Carry him to the basement. Put him in the room next to his friends."

Without waiting for acknowledgment, Nova reached into his Inventory and pulled out four thick walls and a door.

"Install these in his room. You can go now."

Though he said the words, Nova didn't wait—he simply waved a hand and walked away, never once glancing back.

Alaric remained in place, staring at the walls and door towering beside him, then down at the battered Slade.

With a sigh, he muttered to himself, "At this point, we might as well just turn the basement into a full-blown prison…"

//////////////

Lost in thought, Nova strolled past the Gravity Room. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed only one person inside—Cassidy.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

'Hmm? She's in here training instead of watching the fight?' A wry smile tugged at his lips. 'That explains why she didn't jump in. Looks like luck's still on my side… but the more it favors me, the more I feel like when it finally runs out, everything's going to come crashing down all at once.'

He let out a quiet sigh as he continued walking.

'I hope I'm just overthinking it.'

////////////

"It's been an hour. Where's Slade?" Carter gruffed, scanning the room where Sophia, Hannah, and Erevan sat in silence.

What was once a group of eight had now been cut in half.

First Micah, then Ren, followed by Colin—now Slade. One by one, they were taken. None of them had ever imagined things would spiral like this even in their dreams, let alone in reality.

No one responded to Carter. Of the eight, he held the least power—both in presence and in strength. The only reason he'd been included at all was because he was a merchant. A skilled one, admittedly, but not someone anyone would have considered if circumstances had been different.

Erevan's gaze shifted silently from Hannah to Sophia. Hannah's words from three days ago still echoed in his mind.

She must've been overthinking it… but now, I'm not so sure anymore.

If the disappearances of the first three could be rationalized, Slade's couldn't. There was no excuse that made sense. Not this time.

If something really has happened to him… even I might owe an apology.

They were still sitting here, assuming Slade was just running late—none of them realizing how powerful he truly was, none other than Erevan. If they had known, they would've started asking questions long ago.

Rising to his feet, Erevan's thoughts settled.

Whatever. I'll clear this up now… and then I'll bring everyone back.

"Sophia."

Erevan's commanding voice rang out, breaking through the silence.

If one didn't realize it was her name, they might've thought someone had jump-scared her—she jolted slightly in her seat.

"Y-Yes?"

Erevan slowly circled the table, stopping right in front of her.

"Tell me," he said, voice steady but cold. "Did you betray us?"

Carter's eyes flew wide, shocked.

Hannah, on the other hand, didn't so much as flinch.

Sophia shot to her feet, voice rising in disbelief.

"WHAT?!"

The red glow in Erevan's eyes deepened, just a shade—but enough to be noticed.

Snapping herself out of the initial shock, she stammered, "N-No, I would never betray you! Why would you even ask that?"

"You gave false intel," Erevan said calmly. "Intel that put Red and Colin's lives at risk. In a situation where we encountered enemies strong enough to challenge us, you should've reported it during a meeting. But you didn't. You went around protocol—and talked Hannah into sending them on a suicide mission."

Erevan's voice paused for a beat before ringing out again—this time, colder.

"Did you betray us?"

Panic overtook Sophia. She shouted at the top of her lungs, fear and desperation thick in her voice.

"NO, I DIDN'T! I'M SURE THEY WEREN'T EVEN STRONG ENOUGH TO HANDLE REN ALONE—ADD COLIN TO THAT AND IT SHOULD'VE BEEN A WALK IN THE PARK TO ELIMINATE THEM ALL! THE ONLY REASON I WENT TO HANNAH WAS BECAUSE REN HATES ME ENOUGH THAT HE MIGHT'VE SIDED WITH THEM JUST TO SEE ME DEAD! I SWEAR, EVERYTHING I SAID WAS TRUE!"

Unsightly.

That was Erevan's judgment as he watched her, gasping for air, her fear laid bare.

She broke protocol to protect her own life… and in doing so, might have gotten four of our people killed. Worse still—one of them is worth more than the other six combined. For now, I'll let this serve as a lesson. But if I confirm Slade is dead… she'll bear every last consequence.

Erevan said nothing as he silently reached into his Inventory and drew out what looked like a red talisman, its surface etched with countless intricate markings. If Nova had been present, he would have immediately recognized the vast amount of arrays layered atop one another, so dense and complex that a single glance might have given him a headache.

At the center of the talisman, one name was clearly inscribed:

Sophia Zakora

"No! Erevan, please don't! I didn't betray you! Please… please!" With a dull thud, Sophia dropped to her knees, head bowed as she pleaded. Tears welled in her eyes, her voice trembling with desperation.

Carter stood frozen, his mouth agape—wide enough to fit an egg. He had always known that betrayal would be punished severely... but knowing it and witnessing it were two very different things.

Hannah, however, watched with a cold, impassive stare. There was no pity in her eyes.

To her, everything was logic and structure. Cross a line, and you ceased to be a comrade—you became a criminal. A lawless bandit. Nothing more. Nothing less.

Erevan silently held the talisman in one hand, letting the seconds stretch as Sophia's desperate pleas filled the room. Only after three long minutes did he finally speak. "This is a warning. Don't let whatever's between you and Ren cloud your judgment, because if it does, we'll find ourselves in this exact situation again. Only next time, the ending will be different."

"Yes, yes. Thank you," Sophia stammered, still on her knees, nodding hurriedly like a chicken pecking at scattered grain.

Ignoring the feeble thanks, Erevan swept his gaze across the room and said, "Wait for me here."

Without another word, he stepped toward the entrance and vanished in the blink of an eye.

"Is he personally going?" Carter asked, dumbfounded by the unfolding chain of events.

Hannah shot him a sharp glance and closed her eyes. Sophia hung her head low, sinking back into her seat.

Silence fell over the room.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.