Michael De Guzman the Champion of Luzon looked furious and next to him, Christopher simmered beside him. Both men carried the same storm behind their eyes and that is restrained rage, ready to ignite.
In the heat of emotion, Michael's magic slipped from his control.
A sudden pulse of energy crackled through the air, and a dark aura rippled from his body. His left eye twisted, veins darkening as a sinister glow awakened… the mark of a rare transfiguration spell:
Evil Eye Possession: Kapre.
Jabbari's gaze sharpened, lips turning into a grin. "Oh, what a sight," he said, intrigued. "He wields a variant of Black Magic and even among those, this one is exceptionally rare."
Then, with a scoff and a sly smirk, Jabbari added, "However… he's still weaker than the Battle Mage outside."
The words hit like a blade.
Michael's fury ignited further where his mana flared, rippling through the ground as it trembled beneath his feet. He was seconds away from striking when a sharp voice cut through the chaos.
"Stop"
.
.
.
It was Dani he came alone, his tone dripped with arrogance as he stepped forward, eyes glinting.
"Don't you dare touch him," he said, a dark grin curled on his lips. "He's mine."
Jabbari, watching the two Battle Mages square off, couldn't resist pouring fuel on the fire.
He smiled wide "So the strongest and the second strongest collide," he said, smirking. "It's up to you gents, to decide who is who."
Malaya groaned and put a palm to her face, looking at Jabbari questioning why he would say that.
As for James, he simply sighed and said in his thought "I would be surprised," he muttered, "but it's them ghouls. They're known to rage-bait."
However, James was genuinely surprised, Dani was trying to protect him, unaware of his true intention to kill him later.
So James felt… happy. For once, someone stood in front of him. So, he chose to play the peacemaker, stepping forward to calm the storm.
That's when Christopher sneered, his words slicing through the air.
"So this shorty is replacing me to represent the Philippines? How disappointing!"
For the first time in his life, James felt something new, a feeling of insecurity.
He didn't even realize it, but the emotion tore through his patience. The ground trembled, the air thinned, and his presence shifted and his voice deepened, layered, distorted, no longer human, like a Universe carrying the weight of countless stars.
"Me… shorty? Oh really?"
A Cosmic voice rumbled vast, resonant and divine.
"Should I seal the very concept… of being short?"
All the humans within his presence saw Divinity in his voice, a force that commanded either submission or erasure.
As for Christopher, within his mind and body, he wished he had never spoken at all; the word "short" had now become forbidden in his own will, due to fear that struck him deep.
However, James didn't stop. He began harnessing magic… until the sound of a bell echoed through the air.
The moment he heard it, James turned to Malaya and saw that it was her who had rung the bell. His voice softened.
"Did I lose my temper? If so… I'm sorry."
His words alone dissolved the panic in Malaya's eyes.
But then came Jabbari's voice, calm and cutting:
"To lose your temper, for such a small reason… how human-like."
James didn't understand what Jabbari meant.
Yet he remained composed.
The two Kings broke into a cold sweat, wondering how the others could remain so calm after what had just been revealed.
A man… sealing a concept? The thought alone froze them.
They were dumbfounded, wondering how could something like that even work?
Sealing a concept itself… how was that possible?
James saw the shock on their faces. To steer them away from questions, he said, "I want my passport, a family register, and a ticket to America."
At his sudden request, the two Kings instinctively agreed, though confusion lingered.
"For what?" one of them asked.
James replied, almost casually, "Well, I need to submit my application… to represent our country."
The two Region Island Kings stood bewildered, a stranger had appeared out of nowhere, demanding to represent the Philippines overnight. Doubt flickered across their faces. Who was this man?
James noticed their hesitation and misunderstood it.
"Oh? So you'd rather test me yourselves?" he said calmly.
The moment those words left his lips, the world seemed to dim, as if the light itself feared him.
Silence fell. The air grew heavy, thick with invisible pressure, their fear, now undeniable.
Reluctantly, the two Kings exchanged a glance and agreed, granting the mysterious man's request.
James, satisfied with their answer, led his party toward the dungeon.
"Wait," Dani called out. "I'm not gonna ask who you are or where you came from… but I want to know, what kind of dungeon is this?"
Hearing that, Jabbari narrowed his eyes. "Careful what you say," he warned. "You might invoke its wrath."
Dani and Michael exchanged a glance, both thinking the same thing: What does this ghoul mean by that?
James hesitated to answer. But after rereading the contract in his hand, he remembered as long as the dungeon's internal information remained secret, sharing its class was fine.
"Ammolite," James said.
The two Kings were utterly shocked. They couldn't believe what they had just heard: a dungeon of 'Ammolite' class existed only in legends, nothing more than myth.
But Dani, after seeing the Undead King earlier, the same name etched within the pages of the Black Book of Noctorine, he was convinced that James spoke the truth.
Michael, however, wasn't so easily swayed. He needed to see it with his own eyes.
But how could he enter a dungeon guarded by a man like James?
Then, a thought sparked in his mind, an idea taking shape, a subtle smile forming on his face.