As the man led them into the Umbrella Group's consortium, the intensity of the eyes on them only grew.

This was the main base of the Umbrella Group in the west, where the Sixth Pulse resided. Anyone granted access to this place was not small.

From their bearings and how luxurious they were dressed, Malakai could tell that the people in the building held some level of power in the group.

The moment they entered, it was as though the people paused whatever they were doing just to stare. They were instantly recognized, especially Malakai.

Malakai could understand what went through their minds. His power. His blood-red jacket of a captain. And the small fact that he was here, in the consortium, where the Sixth Pulse's words were law.

While Renlo showed a nervous smile as they walked, Malakai expressed nothing. In fact, he actively radiated a chilling aura to dissuade people from approaching him.

Rather than the people, Malakai's attention was focused on the man leading them.

'He's someone important.'

Since he came to welcome them on behalf of the Sixth Pulse, it was expected he was someone important. However, this wasn't what Malakai was focused on.

He watched the way the man interacted with the world. Especially the people. The man led them, and everyone parted the way like flies as he approached.

Malakai was too smart not to realize that his presence wasn't the reason, it was him. Then Malakai focused on the man's movements.

'An expert.'

He could easily tell it. The man appeared to glide through the room rather than walk. No footsteps echoed in his wake. His legs were never too far apart, and his center of balance was even.

'No openings.' Malakai realized.

The man was ready to react to an attack from any direction.

They eventually reached the elevator at the end of the massive hall. Without needing to be told, the people inside stepped out, leaving only the three of them.

'The highest floor.'

Malakai took note of the button the man pressed. The elevator began ascending the next moment.

The ride was utterly silent. After Malakai's clear dismissal earlier, the man didn't appear interested in starting another topic.

As the elevator door opened, they entered into a hallway that stretched a distance away. A large double door stood at the end.

'Something's off.'

As they approached, Malakai felt his instincts flare. His eyes darted around, trying to search for any threats but came up with nothing.

'Is it him?' His eyes fell on the man once more. The man still had his back facing them, and Malakai couldn't feel any killing intent emanating from him.

'But I can't ignore it.'

He knew better than to ignore his instincts. Though he didn't know what, he knew something was up.

Somehow, Renlo picked up on his caution, his face having turned serious.

'He's really changed.' Malakai was glad. In the past, in the face of threat, Renlo would most probably be shaking. But Malakai could sense his determination from here.

'I have to figure out what's wrong.'

His awareness spread from him, blanketing a 200-meter radius. However, he came to face a problem.

'The walls are blocking my perception, of course.'

The walls of the consortium were made of materials that didn't allow vita to pass through them. He could only see what was in the hallway.

And as he focused, Malakai's eyes widened.

'It's him.'

Now he understood what he'd felt earlier. It wasn't killing intent, or even an attack directed at him. Rather, it was the churn of vita. The man was gathering his vita!

It was so subtle that even he hadn't actively realized it. If not for his instincts, he would have missed it. As they walked, Malakai finally came to a realization of what was about to occur.

'He's going to attack…'

They reached the door, where the man calmly opened it and stepped to the side.

"The Sixth Pulse is waiting for you, Ninth Vein."

Malakai stared at the opened room, then turned to the man. Their eyes clashed for a brief moment before the man bowed.

"Let's go."

Malakai stepped into the room, with Renlo by his side. The sound of the door closing echoed, and time slowed.

Malakai moved with unreal deftness. One moment, he stood in front of Renlo, and in the next, he appeared behind him, fist shooting out.

Malakai's fist collided with an incoming punch.

The sound cracked like thunder, echoing across the room. A gale like force erupted from the clash, hurling Renlo back and cracking the ground beneath their feet.

"Ark!" Renlo's cry tore through the chaos, but Malakai never glanced his way. His eyes remained locked on Yalco.

Yalco's expression was stone, yet his gaze had sharpened into razors. His killing intent bled into the room, suffocating the air.

For a moment, the world vanished between them, and only they existed.

Their voices came at once:

"BloodFlow."

Eyes flared crimson. Veins surged across their bodies like flares. Their speed detonated.

They withdrew their fists in unison, blood coiling around their knuckles, before driving them forward with twice the speed.

Their clash birthed a storm of crimson droplets that sprayed outward like bullets, embedding into walls and floor with sharp cracks.

Malakai's mind worked quickly, and his body obeyed without hesitation. His blood swirled before his fists, condensing into a spiraling cannon that blasted outward.

'Down.'

His eyes flicked downward just as Yalco ducked beneath the strike, his movements tight.

The man's blood warped around his hands, hardening into curved blades that traced upward toward Malakai's chin.

But Malakai's response was as if he had ignored it. His right leg blasted toward Yalco's own. For a moment, there was confusion in Yalco's eyes, then certainty.

'The fight is over,' he thought.

Suddenly, Malakai's neck muscles rippled violently, snapping his head aside an instant before the blade-fist tore past his cheek.

Yalco's eyes blew wide.

'How?'

But he forced the shock away, glancing downward.

'My leg.'

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