"Just as I thought.
The barrier surrounding this forest has vanished.
Are these children the cause?"
As his eyes focused on them, he paused in shock upon seeing Hiro.
"That boy… could it be?"
While Hiro was trying to convince the girls to move, he suddenly found the old man standing directly in front of him. The distance between them hadn't been small—
It was as if the man had teleported.
And when Hiro looked into his eyes, he understood why the girls had frozen.
A deep, primal fear began to creep into his body.
"You have horns… but you're not one of the Akani.
Your body is unique.
Could you be… one of the Exiled?"
Hiro couldn't understand what the man was saying. He couldn't even respond—frozen in place.
The man raised his hand toward Hiro, attempting to touch him.
But at that moment, Stella swung her staff, and a bolt of lightning struck the old man with a deafening roar.
"Are you okay?! Get up—we have to run, now!
(That attack probably won't be enough to stop him—we need to escape before...)"
Before she could finish, the old man was already behind her—completely unharmed.
"You do realize an old man could die if struck by such a bolt, right?
Have a little mercy," he said, with a sarcastic smile.
And with that, he kicked Stella in the stomach—hard.
She flew through the air like a ragdoll, slamming into a massive tree, collapsing unconscious.
Hiro, now consumed by instinct, ignored his fear and charged. His fist, wrapped in flame, flew toward the old man—
Only to be caught effortlessly.
The flames around Hiro's fist extinguished with a hiss.
"I don't see any traces of Aka on your body.
No wings.
Not of that bloodline.
And yet… you wield fire.
How interesting.
But this flame of yours… is far too weak."
The old man punched Hiro straight into the ground, knocking him out instantly.
"Those horns don't suit you," he muttered coldly.
Then he turned to Wendy, who was still standing in place.
"And you? Not going to attack? Or are you just a bit smarter than the others?"
Tension showed clearly on Wendy's face.
"I'm not stupid enough to fight a King without proper preparation."
"So you're saying you would fight me… if you were prepared?
How interesting."
He slowly closed his eyes and reopened them.
His right eye had changed—completely black, with a strange mark glowing inside the pupil.
The aura from it sent a chill down Wendy's spine.
At the same time, Stella slowly stood up, staggering, holding her staff.
She pointed it at the old man—now far in the distance.
With a flick of her staff, a massive flaming arrow materialized beside her, and she launched it toward him.
But just before it could hit, it struck an invisible barrier and vanished.
In the same instant, another flaming arrow appeared in front of the old man—
And shot toward Stella with terrifying speed.
She barely moved in time, her body reacting on instinct to dodge the returning projectile.
"He used the same technique I just did?!
Is that his ability?
Can he copy techniques?
But how did he block that first attack without even lifting a finger...?"
Wendy, now carrying Hiro's unconscious body, moved away from the battle.
The old man stood still, analyzing everything.
"That girl... she's not human. But she doesn't belong to any known race either.
Could she also be one of the Exiled?"
Stella continued standing, but Wendy shouted to her:
"His ability reverses things!
If you attack him directly, the attack will come back stronger.
Try to confuse him first—make him lose focus before striking!"
There wasn't time to think.
Stella dashed toward him, deciding to trust Wendy's words.
She slammed her staff into the ground—five spheres of water emerged, surrounding the man from all sides.
Each one launched high-pressure streams of water strong enough to pierce stone.
"This girl has incredible control over her powers.
These jets could bore through my skull.
And now the ground is soft—if I misstep, I'll sink.
First lightning, then fire, now water and earth?
How many elements can this girl use?
And she's not even trying to hit me directly...
She's trying to throw off my focus."
"And that other girl figured out my ability so quickly.
Did I make a mistake somewhere?
No…
These kids… they're not normal."
One of the water blasts grazed his face, leaving a shallow cut.
Stella increased the pressure, summoning two flaming birds above her and hurling them at him.
The old man raised his hand—absorbing them entirely.
The water spheres vanished the same way, drawn into his palm.
Wendy was stunned.
"Did he just absorb that enormous attack?
But wasn't his power just reversal?
This isn't like what happened with his eye.
This isn't a Yang-type ability—
Could this be his true Aka technique?
If so, we're in serious trouble.
If this fight drags on… we're all going to die."
The old man smiled slightly and said loudly:
"You two…
You're Exiled, aren't you?
If that's the case, then someone must have brought us together here for a reason.
I've been trapped in this place for some time—
But now, thanks to you, I can finally pursue my goal."
"(Trapped...?
Who could imprison the King of War in one place for so long?
This doesn't feel right…
Something about this is very, very bad.)"
The man's black eye shifted again. He closed it for a moment, then opened it slowly.
"Third Level: Surface of the Lake."
Suddenly, the forest disappeared.
They were standing in the middle of a vast, churning lake beneath a cloudless sky.
The moment it appeared, Stella collapsed—choking, gasping for air.
Wendy was gripped by terror.
Her body flipped upside-down—
Her vision vanished.
Her ears heard nothing.
Her mouth opened to speak, but no sound came out.
And she couldn't breathe.
"(Calm down… I'm not really suffocating.
He said… the Third Level.
That means… we're inside his Domain.
If that's the case, then…
My senses must have been reversed.
My perception of breathing must have flipped.
I just need to stay calm.)"
After a few seconds, Wendy managed to breathe normally again. Her body adapted quickly.
The old man was visibly surprised.
"You're the first person to breathe naturally without your ears," he chuckled.
"How did you figure out how this place works so fast?"
Wendy didn't respond. She simply stared at him.
The old man scratched his head, mumbling,
"Ah, right. She can't hear anymore."
He snapped his fingers.
Suddenly, Wendy looked around—she could hear again.
He stepped closer, placing his hand on her shoulder.
"Just as I thought…
You don't have a heart, do you?"