Even my dimensional eyes cannot perceive the essence of these creatures. Al frowned, irritation flickering across his features as he realized something was obstructing his vision, preventing him from grasping the true nature of the beings standing before him.

Humanoid beings. Dark skin. Long pointed ears. Sharp eyes. No doubt about it… Dark Elves. So they were Djinns. No! That power—too overwhelming. They had already become… High Djinn. He continued, slightly shocked, analyzing it all without the help of his Dimensional Eye.

The morning sunlight pierced gently through the canopy above, slipping between gaps in the leaves and scattering faint golden rays across Al's crimson eyes. A thin layer of mist still clung stubbornly to the air, making the atmosphere feel colder, heavier, and more suffocating than it should have been.

"What business do creatures from Azzaleth have in this dimension?" Al's voice was steady yet carried an edge sharp enough to cut. "And what is your connection to that boy… David?"

Hosan stiffened, surprise flashing across his face. The stranger knew the name of their dimension—the secret dimension of the Djinn. A name so obscure that even among their own kind, many were unaware of it.

"You can neutralize djinn energy and you even know the name of our dimension?" Hosan demanded, his tone tightening. "Who exactly are you? Are you also one of us? Tell me, what kind of djinn are you?"

Al blinked once in disbelief, then gave a slow shake of his head. The accusation almost made him laugh, though the irritation was clear in his eyes.

"Wouldn't it be better if you answered my question first before asking?" he replied flatly.

Hosan's eyes narrowed into sharp slits, glinting with malice. His fingers twitched subtly, curling as if grasping the air itself, ready to unleash a strike at the slightest provocation.

"Heh… Do you really think I'd reveal anything to you just because you asked?"

Al tilted his head, a faint smirk ghosting his lips.

"Oho… I didn't expect to hear the same line again. Funny—I said those exact words last night, and now I'm hearing them repeated back to me this morning."

His gaze sharpened on Hosan and his men. "That must mean… I'll have to force you to speak, won't I?"

His crimson pupils gleamed faintly, reflecting the sunlight in a way that made his cold stare feel even more suffocating. His breathing remained steady but grew heavier with every passing second, the pressure in the air shifting with his presence.

Hosan and his shadowed soldiers shifted in unison, their movements sharp and deliberate as they assumed ready stances. Their synchronized steps rang against the already fractured floor beneath them, the sound echoing ominously in the quiet morning air.

"You act like you can do whatever you want here," Hosan sneered. "Go ahead—try it if you think you can."

"I can't do everything…" Al murmured, his voice dropping to a chilling monotone. He stepped forward, the faint thud of his footfall scattering dust into the air, the floorboards groaning under the weight of the energy he was releasing. "…But I can—"

His words and his stride were suddenly cut short by a thunderous scream.

"WHO ARE YOUUU?!"

Vianna's voice exploded across the scene as she surged toward the confrontation between Al, Hosan, and the shadowy soldiers. Her cry reverberated through the air, shattering the fragile silence and slicing through the tension like a blade.

Al, along with Hosan and his group of shadowy soldiers, instinctively turned toward the faint voice that managed to cut through the massive barrier still standing between them.

"Oh… looks like we've got another guest," Al muttered under his breath, his crimson eyes shifting toward Vianna, whose entire body was now cloaked in a storm of golden energy.

Young Lady Vianna? Hosan's thoughts churned uneasily, irritation pricking at his chest. Damn it. We should never have started a fight here of all places.

Golden light flickered violently around Vianna's frame, wrapping her body as though she were a miniature sun on the verge of exploding. Her face tightened with intensity, her gaze blazed with raw fury, and even the strands of her hair trembled wildly under the overwhelming surge of energy coursing through her.

Without a shred of hesitation, Vianna leapt high into the air, her energy blazing. She focused her Vita into her legs, her right foot lifting high before she swung it down in a ferocious arc aimed directly at the barrier.

BRAKKK!!

The magical wall shattered instantly, bursting apart with the sound of cracking glass magnified a thousandfold.

Waves of raw energy tore through the air, producing a violent gust that blasted across the area. Furniture and scattered debris shook violently, some objects toppling and shattering upon impact with the ground.

The morning sky, already murky from Kareeza's lingering energy, grew even darker—shrouded as if a storm of pure power had gathered overhead. Leaves whipped into the air in chaotic spirals, and the very atmosphere seemed to tremble as though the earth itself resonated with the impact.

David, who had been approaching but was still inside the room, was also struck by the rushing wind. He quickly raised an arm to shield his head and face from the violent gusts.

"Damn it… if Vianna keeps this up, everything will turn into a mess. What should I do now?" he growled, his voice low with frustration.

Vianna landed gracefully upon the wide balcony floor, her right heel striking down with enough force to carve faint cracks across the stone. Golden energy continued to blaze around her body in a relentless storm, burning as if it might erupt at any moment.

Directly in front of her, she could clearly see a man dressed in black garb reminiscent of a ninja standing to her front right, while to her front left was a cluster of cloaked figures shrouded in darkness. She didn't know exactly what was happening here, but her instincts as a fighter were sharp—both sides were clearly at odds. Regardless of the reason, both groups were potential threats. The only question was… who should she strike first?

A tense shadow stretched between them, heavy with anticipation as their gazes locked. The morning breeze brushed past slowly, yet it carried weight upon the chest, thick with the scent of damp earth and suffocating tension.

"WHO ARE YOU? WHAT IS IT THAT YOU WANT HERE?!" she shouted, her voice booming across the battlefield.

But neither Al, nor Hosan, nor his followers gave her an answer.

Al stood quietly, his expression languid, blinking lazily as though none of this truly concerned him. His jaw relaxed slightly, and his arms crossed over his chest in calm defiance.

Hosan, on the other hand, remained rigid, his discomfort visible in the stiffness of his features. His shadowy men shifted nervously beneath their cloaks, their movements betraying unease under the heavy silence.

Hosan's eyes flicked toward the chamber. Through the shattered window grilles, David could be seen standing inside, his figure half-shadowed but his expression unmistakably furious, glaring straight at him.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, creating chaos here? You fool!"

The voice of David roared inside Hosan's mind, carried through the cold bite of telepathy.

"My apologies, young master," Hosan quickly responded in thought. "I didn't expect to encounter such a powerful individual here."

"A powerful individual?" David muttered under his breath, his eyes narrowing as he carefully surveyed the situation outside. Indeed, among the figures present, there was one unfamiliar man clad entirely in black. "Who is he?" he asked sharply.

"I cannot say for sure, young master. My guess is that he came because he sensed Kareeza's energy earlier. I haven't gauged his full strength, but one thing is certain—he was able to take down seven shadow soldiers with ease." Hosan's mental voice carried both caution and urgency. "What should we do?"

"Tch… even a strong unknown like him was drawn here. All because of that little girl…" David cursed under his breath, his frustration boiling over.

He clenched his fists tightly at his sides, his face etched with anger. Yet despite his outward fury, his eyes flickered with unease, betraying the nervous tremor of someone desperately seeking control in the midst of chaos.

After a brief pause, David made his decision.

"Leave this place immediately!" he commanded.

"But… what about that man? What if he harms you—or Young Lady Vianna?" Hosan protested, his tone strained.

For a moment, David froze, realizing that he had almost overlooked that possibility. That mysterious figure could indeed be a threat to him. But then—click. A familiar energy brushed against his senses. Relief washed over him, loosening the tightness in his chest, and a faint, almost imperceptible smile tugged at his lips.

It was a subtle smile, but it was there, lifting his face slightly toward the morning sunlight as if he had just discovered a glimmer of hope amidst the encroaching storm.

"Leave at once," he repeated firmly. "Everything will be fine. That monster has already arrived."

Hosan finally understood, nodding quickly as his followers moved in unison, their dark forms shifting restlessly.

"I suppose this is where we'll have to end things," Hosan muttered toward Al.

Without waiting for a response, he hurled another barrage of small metallic spheres toward him, ignoring Vianna entirely.

The spheres whirled violently through the air, reflecting the morning light as they spun, their movements sharp like flashes of deadly silver. The very air seemed to vibrate with the shrill hum of their speed.

Vianna caught the motion instantly. The moment Hosan attacked, his defenses dropped. That was the chance she needed. Her body tensed, every muscle rippling with energy, her fists clenching so tightly her knuckles turned white as she prepared to strike.

But Hosan and his shadowy soldiers moved with impossible swiftness. Before she could close in, their bodies melted into the ground itself, slipping into the dark silhouettes upon the floor, and within seconds they had vanished completely from the scene.

Meanwhile, Al moved effortlessly, deflecting and dodging several of the deadly spheres with fluid precision. Each of his steps left faint vibrations through the stone floor, his figure blurring faintly with every shift. Yet his expression remained calm and unbothered, as though the attack were nothing more than an idle inconvenience.

And now, only Al and Vianna remained.

Or perhaps not...

Martial Arts Technique: Triple Palm Shadow Strike.

A third figure emerged from nowhere.

A devastating attack came at Al from three different directions at once.

Uncle Acok suddenly appeared, unleashing a lightning-fast assault aimed straight at Al. His technique created two afterimages, so real and so synchronized that it seemed as if three warriors were striking simultaneously, surrounding Al with no room to escape.

His body shot forward like a streak of black lightning beneath the pale morning light. The air whistled sharply around him, the balcony floor quivering with every step he landed. His shadow clones moved in perfect rhythm with him, forming a deadly circle that closed in rapidly.

Just moments earlier, Uncle Acok had lost track of Sappe, who had been spirited away by Aliena and Sonu. He had been in the middle of tending to Dedy's wounds when a massive surge of energy erupted from the eastern side of the house.

The uneasy feeling that had been gnawing at him was suddenly justified—perhaps the opponent he had just faced had only been a decoy, and the true source of that terrifying power was still lingering there. Handing Dedy over to the bodyguards, he wasted no time and dashed toward David's quarters.

Now his strikes rained down upon Al.

Al, however, deflected all three attacks with movements that were no less swift or precise. His arms flowed like water, blocking the two afterimage strikes with minimal effort, and then meeting Uncle Acok's true palm with a counterpunch infused with the smallest amount of energy possible.

His movements were calm, fluid, yet impossibly sharp. A subtle twist of his torso, a smooth sweep of his left arm to parry the false shadows, and then his right fist—laced with light energy but carrying immense weight—slammed directly into the original strike.

Palm against fist.

The impact detonated like a thunderclap, sending a powerful shockwave outward. A whirlwind of force burst forth, scattering leaves into the sky and causing hairline cracks to appear across the balcony floor.

Uncle Acok staggered back in shock. Another powerful existence had appeared right before him. The force of that casual counter sent him flying backward, though he managed to twist his body midair and land without falling. Still, the realization burned deep into his mind—the man in black had hardly even tried.

Cold sweat trickled down his temple, but his eyes gleamed with a mixture of wariness and excitement.

What kind of morning is this? I've only been here for a few days, and already strong beings keep showing up one after another. Don't tell me I'm some sort of main character who attracts every possible disaster. His narcissistic thought almost made him laugh.

But the battle was far from over.

Vianna, furious after failing to take down Hosan and his men, suddenly turned. Her eyes locked onto Al, who had just exchanged blows with Uncle Acok. Without hesitation, she burst forward.

Her body shot out like a golden flash, each step pounding the floor so hard the stone trembled. Her breathing was harsh, her expression etched with anger so raw it almost seemed to vibrate in the air around her.

This time she abandoned her usual barrage of kicks. Seeing that Al had only moved his upper body during the last clash, she decided to exploit that opening. She lunged at him with a full-force punch aimed directly at his chest.

The strike descended like a small meteor, wrapped in turbulent vita energy that made the very air crackle. Space seemed to fracture under the pressure even before the blow connected.

Sensing the threat, Al calmly drew a thin layer of energy into his palm.

And then—

BOOOM!

Her punch landed.

Al met it head-on with his bare palm.

But something felt… wrong.

Their eyes widened in unison, both startled by the sensation that rushed through them. Vianna immediately leapt backward, flipping in the air before landing lightly at a safer distance.

Al stood frozen, staring at his open palm as if questioning what had just happened.

Vianna, too, glanced at her own fist, her expression reflecting the same confusion.

Their gazes met again, both trembling with a mix of bewilderment and reluctant curiosity. Their hearts pounded louder, each beat echoing in the heavy silence that followed the clash between the two blood siblings.

"What… just happened?" they muttered at the exact same time.

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