— Peril on Caesar Street —
Caesar Street.
A black SUV was parked sideways across the road, brutally blocking the path of a Bentley.
Its door swung open, and a slick young man stepped out with lazy arrogance, pomaded hair gleaming under the streetlights, a sinister smile curling his lips.
Adrian Voss.
The young master of the Trinity Syndicate.
Behind him stood two middle-aged men. They said nothing, yet their presence alone weighed down the air, an invisible pressure that made the space itself tremble.
"Adrian, what are you doing?"
Lyra's voice cut through the tension, cold as ice. Her expression darkened."Move your car. Do you have any idea how dangerous this is?"
"Lyra," Adrian sneered, his gaze roaming over her without restraint."You already know what I want."
"Give up that thought," Lyra snapped, her teeth clenched."I will never marry you."
"Marry you?" Adrian let out a short, mocking laugh, his eyes turning instantly frigid."You think you're still qualified?"
He looked her up and down, contempt thick in his voice."Back then, you were the untouchable Ice Queen. And now?"
His lips twisted."You're damaged goods—played with, tainted. Marriage? Don't flatter yourself. But something like you... would still be fun to toy with."
"You beast!"
Lyra's body shook with fury, tears burning at the corners of her eyes."I'd rather die than let you touch me!"
Adrian smiled slowly, cruel and satisfied."Die?" he scoffed. "Lyra, do you really think you still have a choice?"
"I know HelixPharm's situation better than you do. No one can save you now—except me."
His voice dropped."Kneel. Beg properly. And maybe I'll let you live."
"In your dreams."
Lyra spat the words like venom."I'd rather die than be defiled by trash like you."
Adrian's smile vanished. His face hardened."Gary," he said coldly. "Knock her out. Take her."
One of the middle-aged men stepped forward.
His presence slammed down like a mountain.
"Halt!"
Darius moved instantly, stepping in front of Lyra.
His aura erupted outward, wind whipping his clothes as pressure surged.
"A Shadow-tier Warrior?"
Gary frowned, his expression finally turning grave.
Adrian snorted."So a bankrupt female CEO managed to hire a Shadow-tier guard."
His eyes gleamed with cruelty."Too bad. It won't save you. Attack—take them both down."
The two middle-aged men moved at the same time.
Their auras exploded outward, merging into a crushing force that pressed down mercilessly on Darius.
"You... you're Shadow-tier as well?!"
Darius's face changed. He felt it instantly—the gap was fatal.
He was already injured.
A direct clash meant defeat.
"You're ganging up to bully a woman!" Darius roared."Have you no shame? Aren't you afraid of being ridiculed when this gets out?!"
Gary's eyes narrowed suddenly. He stared hard at Darius."That voice..."
His pupils shrank."Wait. Could it be—Darius? The leader of the Iron Vow?"
Before the words fully landed, Gary struck.
A palm thrust forward—
the air howled as the impact sent Darius's mask flying.
Gary's expression twisted in shock."It really is you! Darius!"
Lyra stood frozen.
Her driver—her bodyguard—
was the Underground Emperor of Novalis?
Then what kind of existence was the masked Overlord...
someone who could make a man like Darius bow willingly?
Adrian's lips curled into a vicious grin."So that's it. No wonder you rejected me."
His gaze turned filthy."You're sleeping with Darius? Slut."
"Bullshit!"
Darius roared, veins bulging."Miss Lyra is my Overlord's woman! I act under his orders to protect her!"
"Overlord?"
Adrian burst out laughing."The great Underground Emperor turned into someone else's dog?"
His eyes flashed coldly."Cripple him."
Gary and his companion were thrilled.
Beating Darius would be a trophy worth boasting about for life.
"Darius—take this!"
Two forces like thunderbolts crashed down upon him.
Darius blocked with everything he had—
and was still blasted backward several meters, slamming heavily into the ground.
Blood sprayed from his mouth.
Adrian threw his head back and laughed."So this is the legendary Underground Emperor of Novalis?"
He sneered."Pathetic. Kill him. We'll take over his territory ourselves."
At that moment—
A voice rang out from the distance, cold enough to freeze bone.
"I'd like to see who dares touch him."
— Judgment Behind the Mask —
A cold voice sliced through the air.
A figure emerged like a phantom, instantly seizing everyone's attention.
He wore a Power Ranger mask. Black clothes stirred lightly in the wind, his posture straight as a drawn spear.
Calm—yet overwhelming.
The pressure radiating from him seemed to freeze the air itself.
"I have failed you, Overlord!"
Darius dropped to one knee without hesitation, his head lowered deeply, voice filled with shame.
Eren gave a slight nod.
His gaze was steady—deep and unfathomable, like the ocean beneath a moonless sky.
A fervent light ignited in Lyra's eyes.
She stumbled forward, nearly losing her balance.
Every time this man appeared, it was as if a blade cleaved through the darkness strangling her heart—clean, decisive, merciless.
Eren's eyes swept past the others.
Then they locked onto Adrian.
Sharp.
Unforgiving.
"A coward hiding behind a mask?" Adrian sneered, spitting on the ground."So you're Darius's master?"
He glanced at Lyra, lips curling with contempt."And you—still have fools willing to throw their lives away for you?"
His grin twisted."Maybe you'd be better off crawling into my bed—"
He never finished the sentence.
THUD!
A devastating impact struck his abdomen.
Adrian's body lifted clean off the ground, spinning violently through the air before crashing down more than ten meters away.
He coughed up blood, agony tearing through him. Trembling, he pointed at Eren and screamed, voice breaking with fury and disbelief:
"You—you hit me?! I'll—Gary! Break his legs! Make him beg!"
As the young master of the Trinity Syndicate, Adrian had been coddled since birth.
Never struck.
Never humiliated.
This public beating shattered his pride completely, sending him spiraling into rage and shame.
"You bastard!"
The Gary brothers roared in unison, killing intent erupting as they charged forward at full power."How dare you touch our Young Master—die!"
Yet—
Eren merely raised his hand.
An open palm.
A casual motion.
A shockwave exploded outward.
Both men were flung backward like broken dolls, smashing into the ground several meters away. Blood poured from their mouths before they could even cry out.
"So... so strong..."
Their eyes widened in pure terror.
They were Adept-tier Warriors—yet they couldn't even withstand a single strike.
This wasn't a man.
It was a monster.
"Useless trash!" Adrian roared, but the sight of his men crumpled at his feet swallowed the rest of his bravado.
Eren walked forward slowly.
Each step was measured.
Inevitable.
He looked down at Adrian, his expression colder than winter.
"You said you wanted me on my knees," Eren said softly.
"So what if I did?" Adrian snarled, coughing blood."I'll make you kneel. I'll make you watch while I—"
"In that case,"
Eren's voice turned utterly merciless,"your journey ends here."
He flicked his finger.
A streak of spiritual fire tore through the air and struck Adrian square in the chest.
"AHHH—!"
A shrill, agonized scream ripped through the street.
Flames devoured his body in an instant.
Within seconds, Adrian Voss was reduced to a pile of ashes, scattered by the wind.
Darius stared in stunned silence.
His Overlord...
was not only a Grandmaster-tier Warrior—
but a spellcaster capable of wielding spiritual fire.
Gary, who had been feigning death, witnessed everything through a narrow slit of his eyes. Terror crushed his soul. He pointed at Eren with a trembling finger, stammering:
"Y-you... you killed the Young Master! You're dead—dead for sure!"
Eren smiled once.
Faint.
Chilling.
"Scum," he said calmly. "Killing him means nothing."
He turned away, his presence cold and absolute.
"Tell the leader of the Trinity Syndicate this," Eren said without looking back."If they want revenge, let them come. But if innocents are dragged into this—"
His voice hardened.
"Then the Trinity Syndicate need not exist."
Gary collapsed into frantic nods, cold sweat soaking his back."I-I will relay the message! I swear!"
As Eren prepared to leave, his gaze paused briefly.
The license plate of a nearby Bentley.
NA68688.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
Then he stepped toward Lyra, giving her a deep, searching look.
"Wait—don't go!"
Lyra chased after him a few steps, her eyes glistening with gratitude... and something far more dangerous.
She wanted—desperately—to rip away that cold mask and see the face beneath.
But Eren never looked back.