(Chapter unfolds:34)
Every word Rey spoke provoked them further. Sai could no longer remain still; each of Rey's words felt like a spark igniting a fire within him. He even forgot his own agony; the mockery was far more painful than his physical wounds.
"My sword will give you the answer!"
Sai lunged toward him, aiming directly for Rey's chest. Yet, Rey did not move a single inch. He simply raised his left hand and extended it forward. From the tips of his fingers, a small blue ripple emanated like a ring of light.
The moment Sai's charging blade touched it, the impact was like striking a solid mountain.
It was only a tiny fraction of Rey's true power.
Sai was thrown back violently, and his sword went flying from his grip.
Witnessing this, Izuma was shocked.
"!! Sai !!"...
Suddenly, Izuma stepped forward to attack.
"What can that toy possibly do to me!!" Rey said with a faint, cold smile.
Izuma raised his sword and traced a circle in the air, creating a streak of silver light.
[¡¡ SILVER STRIKE ¡¡]
That silver streak shot forward, aiming straight for Rey's head.
However, Rey showed no sign of fear. His face remained frozen in that same deathly calm.
But... his counters were as devastating as they were effortless.
Rey slowly raised his hand and gave a casual wave toward the oncoming energy.
The powerful strike lunged at him, only to instantly wither away. The force of that defense rebounded upon Izuma. Every ounce of power from Izuma's attack collided uselessly against that shadow.
Izuma couldn't withstand the force either; he was thrown back, staggering and gasping for breath.
"Why...?" Rey laughed coldly. "Why...? This is a mere exercise in futility."
His voice seemed to dissolve and echo through the very air.
Suddenly!!!!
The entire area was engulfed in a thick, black smoke. Sai and Izuma rubbed their eyes, frantically scanning their surroundings.
"What is this...??" Sai asked, looking around in confusion.
"This is his move, Sai. Be careful!" Izuma warned.
They looked toward the spot where Rey had been standing, but he was no longer there.
"He... where is he!?"
Sai looked all around, a flicker of genuine fear visible in his eyes. Suddenly, a haunting laugh echoed from between the trees behind them.
"I am neither in front of you nor behind you. I stand within your fear."
The voice sounded so close it was as if he were standing right next to them. They spun around, but there was no one there.
Rey was actually standing some distance away from them. His intention had shifted from killing them to something else entirely. The mark on his neck pulsed with an intense, darkened blue light.
"Master!!!"
It was a sign a summons.
Immediately, Rey vanished into the darkness like a shadow merging with the night. The only evidence that he had ever been there was the charred, withered grass on the ground and the lingering, unnatural chill in the air. Even though he was gone, the silence of the forest felt suffocating. They realized then that they were no longer facing a mere target to be hunted, but a predator far more terrifying than they had ever imagined.