The white-haired man stood confidently, grasping Haruma's hand as it lunged at him with inhuman speed. His grip was firm but unshakable, as if stopping this brutal attack was nothing more than a matter of course.
Haruma, or whatever it looked like, slowly raised his head, his crimson eyes glowing strangely, and the black and red aura still danced around him. There was no trace of humanity in his expression.
"Get away..." A voice escaped his mouth, but it wasn't Haruma's usual voice. It was deeper, filled with bone-shattering energy.
But the white-haired man didn't move; he just smiled even more. "Hmm... strange, this isn't just an ordinary possession. What exactly are you?"
Haruma tried to break free, but the man tightened his grip on him, causing the air around them to tremble slightly, as if space itself couldn't withstand the pressure exerted by their two powers.
The assistant, still standing in shock, barely managed to speak. "S-Sir... this isn't Haruma anymore. He ate a dried curse and transformed into something else entirely!"
The white-haired man tilted his head slightly, as if thinking, then smiled. "Then... let's see how far your new power has come."
In an instant, Haruma raised his other hand, and a dark black energy blasted toward the man in front of him. But instead of dodging or blocking it, it simply... vanished.
There was no explosion, no energy rebound, just... Haruma's attack vanished as if it had never existed.
Haruma stared with his crimson eyes, then roared, trying to attack again. But he couldn't. His body was rigid, as if an invisible force had held him in place.
"I told you to calm down."
In a calm voice, the white-haired man pressed his finger against Haruma's shoulder.
In an instant, the black aura disappeared, and Haruma's crimson eyes dimmed. Only seconds passed, but he felt as if a mountain had been crushed against his body.
Then, he fell unconscious.
The man sighed, then looked at the lieutenant. "What a chaotic scene. Tell me, were you planning on letting things get this far?"
The lieutenant swallowed, then quickly shook his head. "No… I didn't know this would happen. He was in danger, so—"
The man raised his hand, interrupting him. "It doesn't matter now. I'm taking this boy with me. It seems we have a lot to talk about."
He turned toward the place where the prison had collapsed, where ash still hung in the air. Deep in the darkness, amidst the remains of the destruction… there were other eyes watching them.
Eyes that weren't human.
And eyes… that knew who "Rizen" was.