Silence filled the area.
The next person in line did not step forward for the test, and not a single soul dared to move closer.
It was a heavy silence…
as if the air itself had stopped moving.
Everyone was watching.
Everyone was waiting for the decision…
Acceptance?
Or an explosion?
No one even dared to breathe out loud.
Only William was different.
Standing in the middle of that lifeless quiet, his eyes moved slowly and methodically, drawing a complete map of the surroundings—
the alleys, the turns, the crowded areas, the barriers, and anything that might form a possible escape route.
He didn't even realize he was capable of thinking this coldly.
But the moment had pushed his mind to function in a way he had never experienced before.
Victoria, however…
her mind had stopped working.
Shock froze her thoughts, and dark images of a cruel future began devouring whatever hope remained inside her.
She trembled silently, her eyes fixed on the man as if he were the gate to a hell she could never escape.
The man grew tired of the silence.
Tired of waiting.
Tired of his victim's hesitation.
So he spoke sharply.
"What's with this silence?! Is there a funeral here?"
He pointed impatiently.
"Come with me, girl."
Then he gestured toward the remaining people nearby.
"And you lot—continue the tests.
You, step up…
And you, boy, stay where you are and wait for the sect guide to give you your badge."
Then something happened that no one expected.
Something even William himself had not expected.
It was as if time cracked for a single moment.
William stepped forward once—
then suddenly shoved Victoria forward with all his strength and shouted from the depths of his soul:
"Run… and don't ever look back!"
Then—without thinking—
he gathered every ounce of strength and determination he had
and delivered a vicious kick straight into the man's groin.
Everything happened unbelievably fast.
Because of the man's arrogance and lowered guard…
he failed to avoid the strike.
"AAAAAAARGH!!!"
A deafening scream ripped through the air.
A scream that revealed the sheer intensity of the pain and stunned everyone present.
Only a few seconds passed—
but those seconds were a priceless treasure.
Seconds that allowed Victoria to run far enough away.
The moment the man recovered, his face twisted into a mask of furious rage.
His eyelids twitched, his eyes turned blood-red as if blood had gathered inside them, and he roared like thunder:
"How dare this insect?!
Unforgivable!!!"
He turned sharply toward the examiner beside him.
"Contact my squad… immediately!"
Then he vanished.
He moved with unbelievable speed, as if the air itself had split apart to let him pass through.
He launched into pursuit of William, leaving the spectators in stunned confusion as they tried to comprehend how everything had changed in the blink of an eye.
Moments Earlier
After delivering the kick, William sprinted with all his might.
A speed he had never known he possessed.
It was as if his most primal survival instinct had awakened completely.
The alleys were narrow—
but fortunately, they were almost empty.
This allowed him to run without obstacles, even as his breathing began to tighten and his chest burned from the effort.
Then he heard the man's terrifying scream behind him—
a scream powerful enough to force him to run even faster despite his exhaustion.
He ran.
And ran.
Until he finally saw the end of the street.
It was blocked.
Massive debris sealed the way—collapsed walls and enormous chunks of stone impossible to climb.
He froze for a split second, his heart threatening to burst out of his chest.
Then without hesitation, he turned sharply toward another side path.
The danger behind him was closing in like the whistle of death itself.
The man reached the area with terrifying speed—far beyond what any ordinary human mind could comprehend.
He stood atop the ruins of a collapsed building, his eyes scanning every corner, every shadow, every trace.
When he failed to see William…
he closed his eyes.
Then he released his spiritual sense across the entire area like dark, terrifying ripples spreading through the alleys—like a predator hunting its prey.
It did not take long.
He opened one bloodshot eye.
He had found what he was looking for.
He took a single step—
and disappeared.
Halfway down the path, he encountered one of his squad members rushing toward him.
Without mercy or hesitation, he ordered:
"Go after the girl.
Bring her back… wherever she is."
Then he turned away.
His expression twisted between fury and vengeance
as he continued hunting William—
who at that very moment was hiding inside an abandoned building,
clutching a crumbling wall,
trying desperately to control his ragged breathing.
His wide eyes revealed a mixture of fear…
guilt…
and determination.
He knew the man would find him.
But running was no longer an option.
At the Same Time – At Home
Far away, in a moment where no one truly knew what was happening…
Maria sat on the couch, her hands clasped so tightly that her knuckles had turned white.
Her eyes moved restlessly, unable to focus.
"Don't worry… they'll come back."
Jack said it in a voice he tried to keep steady—
but the faint tremor betrayed him.
Maria swallowed before replying quietly.
"I'll try…
but it's hard, Jack."
Her eyes carried a disastrous mixture of worry, tension, and fragile hope.
Meanwhile Jack fought silently against the feeling of helplessness slowly crushing his heart.
In that brief moment…
every member of the family sat alone within their own battle.
Anxiety.
Helplessness.
Despair.
And the desperate wait for a miracle.
A miracle…
that no one knew whether it would ever come.