Inside the Norvalien residence,

a cold, resin-scented atmosphere drifted through the spacious living room of the family's grand estate.

The massive double doors groaned open.

Darius, Kugo, Lefon, the Principal, and even the district police chief stepped inside with expressions as dark as storm clouds.

Alasia's threat had been a devastating blow to these elite fathers.

Rage hung heavily in the air, clearly visible on both Darius and Kugo's faces.

"AIZA!!"

Darius roared, hurling a sofa cushion violently against the wall. Image be damned—none of them cared for appearances anymore; they all knew each other's tempers far too well.

"That woman… she's blocking me again! Rejecting my major project," he said.

"And now—who knows how—she finds out about this and decides to meddle in something that has absolutely nothing to do with her!"

Kugo snorted sharply, his body still tense.

Being countered by Sebastian and intimidated by Ai's bodyguards had made today humiliating for him.

"Now I finally understand why you two are so irritated—and why you're having such a hard time capturing that brat," he said.

"Whatever their connection is, one thing's clear… that kid is unbelievably lucky."

He dropped himself onto the sofa—becoming the first to sit down among them.

Even Darius, the actual homeowner, wasn't seated yet.

"Unfortunately, I still haven't seen this 'terrifying power' you claim the boy has. I ended up fighting a teacher instead. Honestly, it's embarrassing." He added with a bitter scoff.

"You fought a teacher? The teacher from earlier?" Santo, the police chief, finally spoke. He still didn't know the full story of what happened before.

Kugo clicked his tongue, waving his hand dismissively and turning away.

"Don't ask about that. I'm not in the mood to talk about it."

Santo could only freeze then nod quietly.

But from what he remembered… that teacher named Sebastian looked perfectly fine back at the station.

Meanwhile, Kugo's energy had noticeably dropped.

Did Senior Kugo actually lose to that teacher? he wondered.

Oh right… wasn't that teacher connected to Alasia too? Hmph. Interesting.

A ridiculously strong bodyguard and a teacher who could hold his own against a senior martial artist.

Alasia was definitely no ordinary opponent.

But Santo didn't say any of that out loud.

He simply let the elite fathers complain however they pleased.

Lefon and the Principal both seemed uncomfortable as well.

Their minds weren't even on the potential courtroom war anymore—it was Alasia Group's threat to their social standing that troubled them.

It left the two of them unusually quiet as they took their seats on the luxurious sofa, unable to fully concentrate on the heated discussion about Al.

"Arghhh… this is truly infuriating!" Darius slammed his fist onto the table this time. "I don't even know how to take revenge for my son anymore!"

Hearing Darius mention that, Kugo's suppressed rage flared again.

The humiliation from Sebastian and Ai's bodyguard had made him momentarily forget his son's fate.

But now, with Darius bringing it up, he remembered his purpose clearly. Eliminate Al. Avenge Jogo.

His energy surged, swelling and igniting violently.

Santo felt the shift and hurried over to restrain him.

"Senior…" he whispered.

But that alone wasn't enough to fully calm him.

Kugo shot Santo a sharp glare.

He wanted to lash out at his junior for failing to assist them earlier, but… he knew Santo couldn't have done much with the situation at the police station.

So he exhaled slowly, suppressing his energy again.

His eyes still held that murderous sharpness, and Al's relaxed, lazy expression—one that seemed to mock them all—remained vividly in his mind.

"Argh… at this rate, I might as well just mobilize my entire family to attack that brat." he growled.

Santo let out his own weary sigh, reminding him carefully,

"In the current circumstances, you all already agreed not to touch him until the reinvestigation is completed."

Kugo paused for a moment, then stared at him.

"Are you unable to bury the case if I send my people after him?" he asked bluntly.

"As long as the case doesn't reach Provincial Headquarters, I can certainly handle it." Santo replied.

A spark of hope lit up among the four fathers.

But before they could fully process it, Santo continued—his next words landing like a crushing blow they couldn't mentally dodge.

"However…" Santo exhaled.

"…even if I manage to clean up the aftermath, do you honestly think any of you could even touch him with the Alasia Group backing him?" he asked.

"You all remember how terrifying those foreign men were, right? Especially that tall, massive black guy— even I, a trained officer, would hesitate to face him." he explained.

"You're right." Darius admitted.

"Approaching him right now—whether through physical means or legal routes—is extremely difficult."

Kugo stared at him bitterly.

"I told you already… we should've struck first from the beginning." he said in a tone filled with regret.

"All this is because you listened too much to that shaman. All these problems stem from him involving our children, and now we're the ones forced to follow whatever he wants."

He shook his head, exhaling sharply.

Darius himself was beginning to doubt whether he should continue putting his trust in Daraka.

But they were already too deep into this… and Daraka was no ordinary figure.

There was no turning back.

By sheer coincidence, just as they were discussing Daraka, the massive doors swung open once more, and from beyond them, a group of people dressed in dark brown attire strode inside.

Daraka and his subordinates had arrived, accompanied by several men clad in black robes, each wearing a bear-shaped mask.

"I'm guessing you gentlemen failed," Daraka remarked bluntly the moment he saw their gloomy expressions. "And here I was, exhausting myself preparing everything over there."

The five men turned toward him.

Lefon remained motionless.

The school principal and the police chief stared in confusion.

They had heard of Daraka before—a shaman quite popular among the elite—but this was their first time seeing him in person.

Kugo scowled with barely contained irritation. Even though Al was the one who directly harmed his son, Daraka was the true mastermind behind all these misfortunes.

Fine. I need your help now. But mark my words… once that brat is dealt with, you're next.

His glare was sharp enough to flay Daraka down to the bone.

Daraka sensed the hostility, but before he could comment, Darius had already stepped forward.

"Daraka…" Darius greeted him with a weary tone.

"Hmph… You're right—we failed. Bringing that kid there is practically impossible if we're limited to conventional methods."

Daraka showed a hint of disappointment, but his grin remained, as if countless alternatives still lay at their disposal.

"I told you to take that route because I thought you were only dealing with an orphan boy. Who would've thought men of your status couldn't even handle a kid from an orphanage?"

He mocked.

"That means… we'll have to take a slightly different approach."

The five men bristled at the insult.

Everything they had gone through—all the damage they suffered from clashing with Alasia Group—was treated like a trivial inconvenience by this shaman.

Kugo's fingers dug into the sofa armrest, his face tight with anger. He wanted to stand and lash out at Daraka.

Lefon noticed the movement and acted before Kugo could do anything rash.

He rose, gently patted Kugo's shoulder, and stepped ahead.

"That's not it…" Lefon said to Daraka.

The gesture snapped Kugo back to his senses, and he could only grumble under his breath.

Lefon then explained everything that had happened, mostly defending their failure and detailing exactly how things spiraled out of their control.

Daraka listened, and eventually comprehension dawned on his face. He scanned the people before him, and indeed—it was clear that Al and Alasia Group were a massive obstruction.

"I see…" he said without the slightest hint of apology. His attitude was even more arrogant than that of elite patriarchs.

"No wonder you failed. Going against a colossal corporation is bound to be troublesome, given the state of your businesses."

Darius nodded.

"So what do we do next?" he asked.

Daraka took a moment to think.

With Alasia Group revealed as an unpredictable variable—and based on their explanation, a group possessing insane combat strength—he needed a more robust plan.

This is unexpected. Foreign fighters, especially from Ameria… Facing a giant company like that will be difficult.

But how strange—a scholarship brat gaining help of that scale?

He turned his gaze toward everyone present.

The kid himself doesn't matter to me. But with their hatred toward him, I can use these people.

Norvalien has the numbers, Karagara has people with magical energy. And if I can pull the families of these three men as well… that's more than enough for the ritual.

Whatever happens, this must be done soon. Lord Foteyo is pressing for this. Everything must conclude by the end of this month.

Daraka nodded to himself, reached into his pocket, and pulled something out.

"Relax. Everything is still perfectly manageable," he said.

He raised the object—though he didn't fully reveal it to them—and smiled.

"Because I was fortunate enough to have a group of young people deliver this to me. With this, everything becomes much easier."

Darius and Lefon, standing closest, caught a glimpse of it but couldn't make sense of what it was.

They wanted to ask, yet found themselves unable to react—as though the object had momentarily hypnotized them.

Kugo and Santo, both martial artists, felt a sinister pulse of energy emanating from it. Dark, oppressive. Their bodies trembled involuntarily.

They had no idea what it was, but for some inexplicable reason, they felt compelled to trust the object.

And one by one, wicked smiles curled across the faces of everyone in the room.

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