Thus, once Ravan's intervention settled the matter, the team changed their direction and headed toward the Kingdom of Valdaria.
Midway through the journey, and as darkness was about to fall, the team returned to the same mountain range they had been in just a few days earlier.
These mountains carried painful and harsh memories for Ravan. He found himself standing before them, staring and contemplating deeply. He had believed he would never return to this place again, yet here he was, back again so quickly.
As night fell, the trio was forced to camp among these mountains. At that time, Carlos was wandering near the campsite, searching for prey to hunt, while Ryan was lighting the fire. Meanwhile, Ravan was doing nothing at all; he sat on a large rock slightly in front of the fire, completely silent, without showing any sign of presence.
Before long, Carlos returned, carrying with him some of the food he had hunted.
"Hey, Carlos, you're back. Let's see what you brought with you."
Ryan was excited to see what Carlos had hunted, and also eager to eat.
The moment Ryan looked at what Carlos was holding, he began to complain and mock him.
Ryan: "Hah? Is this all you caught? They're nothing more than a group of small rabbits, that's all."
Ryan grumbled about the hunt. Carlos was annoyed by these words, but he did not bother responding to the criticism. Ryan was simply trying to provoke Carlos, annoyed that he had been forbidden from hunting and that Carlos had gone instead.
"Tch… If I had gone, I would've hunted something much bigger than this."
Despite Ryan continuing his complaints, Carlos kept ignoring him and headed toward the fire to prepare what he had hunted. However, while doing so, Ryan's words caught his attention when he said that he would go out himself to look for something better.
At that point, Carlos threw everything he was holding to the ground and spoke to Ryan:
"Stop. Don't you dare leave this spot, or else…"
Carlos's tone was frightening, a genuine threat to Ryan.
The reason Carlos had gone hunting alone and did not send Ryan was very clear—Ryan was never truly aiming to hunt, and even if he were, he would only cause trouble as usual.
Upon hearing Carlos's words in that tone, Ryan turned around, staring directly at him, a look of defiance rising on his face.
"Hah? What did you say? That I shouldn't leave my place? And what if I do?"
As expected, Ryan's response was stubborn and provocative.
At that exact moment, when Ryan declared that he might refuse Carlos's command, a massive storm erupted, swirling around the area and trapping the three of them—Ravan, Ryan, and Carlos—inside it. It was a blatant display of power.
In response, Ryan's defiance only intensified. He even took counteraction as his transformation mutations manifested across his body. The tension between the two escalated sharply.
Seeing this scene made it clear how important Talla's presence in the team was. Had she been here, this would not have happened, as she would have reached a solution or imposed her own authority instead.
Leaving these two idiots alone in this region was foolishness in itself.
Rebellion and recklessness had always been part of Ryan's nature, while discipline and patience had always defined Carlos's character.
Placing these two in the same team made conflict inevitable. And judging by their current stances, neither of them showed any sign of backing down.
As for Ravan, who was watching this dangerous escalation in complete astonishment, he remained seated on his rock, observing without showing any intention to intervene—as if he wanted this to continue.
Returning to the two of them, it seemed they were still at an impasse.
As the winds howled around them like a mighty hurricane and flames burned from Ryan's fist like hell itself, Carlos's voice broke the silence:
"Ryan, I advise you to back down. We want to return as quickly as possible, and we don't need to get involved in your ridiculous problems. So stay where you are."
Despite Carlos's final warning, Ryan did not respond positively and continued his stubborn defiance.
Ryan: "Are you ordering me now? Have you forgotten your place, or should I remind you of it?"
Ryan's reply was harsh and resolute, asserting his position as the leader of the Shadow Warriors, unwilling to tolerate such insubordination.
Nevertheless, Carlos did not care about such words at all. In this world, the strongest one sets the rules. Even if Ryan led the team, the one who determined its laws would not be Ryan as long as Carlos was present.
Thus, the situation descended beyond a simple quarrel between friends and became a battle to determine which law everyone would obey.
In the past, the Master had been that law—the absolute authority. But here, the Master was absent, and therefore the one who set the rules was the strongest. Both Carlos and Ryan understood this well.
And so the matter was decided. Ryan's pride would not allow him to retreat, nor would Carlos's determination permit him to back down.
At that moment, the two charged at each other. Their first clash was terrifying—a collision between two third-stage mutants. The impacts followed one after another, yet none of these attacks carried any intent to kill, meaning they lacked their original essence. Still, their destructive power did not diminish; instead, it grew with every blow.
After several violent clashes, the two reached a deadlock and turned to other methods to resolve the conflict. Their physical strength was nearly equal, but what would truly decide this battle was experience.
Whoever could perceive their opponent's strengths and weaknesses and exploit them in the most effective way would claim victory.
At that moment, Carlos drew his daggers and slashed them toward Ryan.
These slashes were not merely superficial attacks; they possessed enough power to distort the air itself, forcing it to surge toward Ryan like a sharp blade of wind.
However, such an attack had no effect on the current Ryan. He dispersed it with his crimson claws, as if tearing the air apart itself.
Elsewhere, Ravan had been forced to activate his transformation mutation to protect himself from any stray attack that might reach him.
Even so, what was truly striking was that Ravan did not attempt to stop the fight. On the contrary, he seemed greatly entertained by watching it.
And this was understandable—where else could one witness a battle between third-stage mutants?
The answer was simple: almost nowhere. Mutants were not even allowed to leave their camps, making a fight between them an exceedingly rare sight.
Thus, Ravan continued observing the battle intently, excitement coursing through his body.
End of Chapter