Chapter 81
Since his battle against Zuhen and Felina, and after barely managing to defeat the demon horse back then, only to realize that he could be beaten so easily by Zuhen, or rather Tell, Zavi had come to truly despise the Prisoner ability, finding it useless whenever he was on the move.
But now, the opposite was true. He felt relieved to have become a Receivers of Prisoner, because this ability proved to be troublesome not only for others, but for himself as well.
Realizing that his spiritual energy now surpassed what he previously had, he was certain he could create as many lethal animal forms as he knew from both Earth and this world, even though at any given moment he could only manifest one or two of the same creature.
However, because the spiritual energy within him did not behave as he had expected, he adapted by manipulating his own psychology, forcing himself to perceive shock, while binding himself to the spiritual flow connected to the animal forms he summoned. Although this method left him vulnerable, as the release of the binding lasted roughly two seconds, he understood the risk and chose it anyway. It was the most effective way, as it amplified the true power of Prisoner.
In a place with minimal lighting, Zavi paused briefly to steady his thoughts before forming the shapes of fifteen one-horned rhinoceroses to draw attention.
The coordinates of manifestation aligned perfectly. There, at the intersection, a blackish-purple aura emerged, shaping into rhinoceroses cloaked in a pale grayish-white aura.
Through them, Zavi observed the surroundings, only to find the streets completely empty. Not a single passerby, not even the faintest trace of presence within the range of where the rhinoceroses had appeared.
Doubt flooded his mind instantly.
'Damn it, is someone setting up a barrier at that intersection? If so… I'll change them and replace them with a single wolf,' he thought, recalling the moment five demon horses had appeared right behind him.
The fifteen rhinoceroses faded at once, replaced by a wolf without flesh, without blood, without skin—a form shaped entirely from a dark purple aura, wrapped in a pale grayish-white glow. Its warped howl shattered the silence of the street.
The wolf moved immediately. With a body as thin as a thread, it tore through buildings simply by passing through them.
Crash...
Houses and large structures around the intersection collapsed in succession, producing a thunderous roar and sending a storm of dust swirling through the streets.
Zavi, perceiving everything through the wolf's shared vision, decided to move to higher ground. The wolf vanished instantly, leaving behind only destruction and a cloud of dust.
At last, Zavi stood atop a building located at the intersection connected to the narrow alley he had entered earlier.
He glanced back toward where he stood. His black coat fluttered wildly under the strong, cold night wind.
His neatly arranged black hair fell into disarray, strands slipping over his face.
He brushed it aside, preparing to escalate the attack further—so that anyone who witnessed it, and if possible the group he was searching for, would pursue him and be led straight to the others.
A group of foxes appeared on the flat rooftop beneath his feet, then leapt from one roof to another.
Upon reaching house number eight, located along a slightly descending street from the intersection, Zavi dispersed two of the foxes, more precisely, he detonated them.
Boom!!
Though the explosion wasn't as powerful as an actual bomb, the destructive force of the two foxes was enough to demolish three nearby houses.
A storm of dust instantly filled the street.
Zavi winced inwardly as something stabbed at his head from within. Even so, he pressed on. Detonating the foxes placed a heavy burden on his body, shortening the spiritual flow sustaining the remaining ones as they scattered in different directions.
Not long after, another chain of explosions erupted—louder than before.
Boom!!
Zavi staggered violently, as though he had forgotten how to stand. Every breath burned like flames sweeping through his throat.
His face turned deathly pale, his lips dry as if he hadn't drunk water for a week. Realizing just how severe the backlash was, he abandoned the idea of continuing from multiple locations.
His spiritual energy began regenerating, a process that would take roughly ten minutes.
Judging from the aftermath of the first and subsequent explosions, it seemed he had succeeded in igniting flames that would gradually consume Street No. 2 Syrp.
As if already aware of Zavi's plan, a man wearing a fedora stood atop a clock tower, dressed in a classic outfit—a white shirt, a neatly tied black patterned tie, and a tailcoat swaying with the wind, observing the explosions with calculated focus.
"It seems that person wants to play with me." He inhaled, then exhaled calmly.
He turned, lowering his gaze toward his two companions standing on the fifth step, leaning against the wall with faint smiles.
"So," muttered the man standing on the seventh step, "what are you going to do next?" he asked, just to be sure.
"Ah, I'll leave that to the two of you," he replied, shrugging slightly with a mocking expression.
The man on the sixth step crossed his arms, his face grim.
"Just capture whoever did that, and we'll report it to our superior afterward." He straightened himself and descended the stairs without waiting for their approval.
"How sensitive," the fedora-wearing man said with a faint, bitter smile.
The man on the steps tossed his bowler hat into the air and caught it repeatedly, speaking in a heavy tone, "Do you expect me to follow him?"
He caught the hat and put it on, his strained expression fixed on his companion as he quickly added,
"If you want to go, I'll accompany you, and I'll watch you end up like the dead man I once saw."
The corners of the fedora man's lips lifted slightly as he replied calmly, "Seems you haven't changed at all."
Then his tone deepened,
"And I'd say the opposite, you'll die because you always underestimate your enemies."
The fedora-wearing man finally descended the stairs. As he passed, he glanced sideways and said lightly,
"My apologies. I was joking."
He faced forward.
Meanwhile, his hand trembled, vigilance gripping his mind.
Then without warning...
Bang!
The bowler-hatted man instinctively shifted his footing, his focus snapping to the bullet embedded in the concrete step.
"Damn it. Are you angry with me?" he asked nervously.
"No," came the calm reply. "It's just that my mood isn't as good as you think."
The fedora-wearing man continued descending carefully, while the bowler-hatted man stood frozen, his face twisted in extreme fear at the terrifying expression he had just seen, paired with a voice as calm as it was razor-sharp against his ears.
'Damn it, being in a small reconnaissance group with those two is driving me insane. I have to watch out for two things, the enemy, and those two whenever I'm with them in a situation like this.'
He glanced to the side, staring at his rough palm for a long moment.
Finally, he straightened himself and descended the stairs to follow them.
....
Meanwhile, Zavi remained in the same place, now sitting carefully at the edge of the rooftop.
'Better if they show up and attack me if necessary. My spiritual energy seems to have recovered, and the pain has faded now that I've realized how severe the fire's spread is from that last explosion.'
Zavi finished his thoughts, continuing to sit and wait while observing the surroundings. At times, he heard murmurs from his left, along with piercing screams of hysteria.
He didn't care whether the last explosion had caused many casualties or none at all. What mattered was that if he had managed to kill even one person, or even dozens, he would only grieve, without the slightest trace of regret.
But just as he was about to stand, a man in a tailcoat beneath a white shirt appeared not far from him, holding a cane.
"Who are you?" Zavi asked to confirm.
'I didn't sense anyone… is he the one I've been looking for?' he thought, scrutinizing every detail of the man.
"Who am I?" the man repeated. "That's not important. You'll be dead soon."
With that, he rushed forward, the cane aimed directly at Zavi's face. Just a few steps away, the tip retracted, replaced by a sharp blade coated in poison capable of killing an elephant within seconds.
The attack missed.
With swift precision, Zavi drew the small knife from the right pocket of his coat.
Metal clashed, followed by a spray of poison aimed straight at his eyes. Zavi deflected it with a pale grayish-white aura, redirecting its trajectory.
The man staggered slightly, realizing his attack had failed. He retreated, unease tightening its grip on his thoughts.
Meanwhile, Zavi shifted position, observing the man's movements, including the half-open door behind him.
He couldn't tell whether the man had come alone, or if others were waiting to strike the moment he let his guard down.
Zavi couldn't be certain. For now, half his focus remained on the man, and the other half on any sudden presence that might emerge.
"You're quite skilled," the man remarked with a faint smile.
Zavi said nothing. He had no intention of wasting time on meaningless conversation.
"A little sting might help you."
Zavi's body suddenly went rigid, like a statue that had stood there for ages.
The man didn't understand what Zavi had done. But seeing his indifferent posture, his jaw tightened, fingers twitching as anger flared within his chest.
"How dare you look down on me." He charged forward, swinging the cane at Zavi's face.
But in an instant, a chilling cold seeped through his pores, halting his movement completely. His mind went blank, his heartbeat faltered, and an unbearable pain spread through his chest.
"W-what d-did you do… you bastard…" The man's lips trembled violently as he spoke.
Zavi finally turned, walking toward the door before him. As his rough hand touched the metal of the half-open door, he glanced back and answered in a restrained voice,
"You could call it medicine," Zavi said. "And… goodbye."
He stepped inside. The door shut and locked from within. On the other side, the man's empty gaze remained fixed on it.
He never heard Zavi's answer.
The poison had already killed him a second before Zavi spoke.