The barrier's surface still rippled—slowly settling back into calm.

Above it, the twins' expressions had changed.

Caelis clicked his tongue, irritation finally seeping through his laziness.

"Tch. That wasn't a fluke." His crimson eyes narrowed. "That barrier stopped our spell cleanly."

Caelia crossed her arms, her gaze sharp. "Which means he's SS-rank. No way around it. If he were an S-ranker, then this barrier would've cracked—or at least bent."

She said so because the last attack wasn't serious, so it was possible for some S-rankers to stop it, but not like Kael did.

But then, her eyes flicked downward, locking onto Kael's unmoving figure. "Still… blocking our attack like that?" Her lips curled. "That's arrogance."

In her eyes, if they knocked on someone's door, then they were supposed to open it.

Kael didn't do that.

Even Caelis nodded. "Yeah. Newly awakened SS-ranker, maybe. Probably thinks he's untouchable because he's hiding behind demihumans."

His voice hardened. "Wouldn't be surprised if they sent him here on purpose."

"A demihuman agent," Caelia added coolly. "If that's the case, killing him wouldn't be a problem. We could justify it easily."

They both knew that there was no certainty that he was a demihuman agent, but they still said it because they wanted Seraphina to hear it.

They wanted her to know that they were going to get serious now, and they might even kill Kael.

But since their orders were different, they required justification, and that was Kael being someone from the demihuman empire, trying to plot something in this forest.

Seraphina, however, read them like an open book.

Then, she glanced at them.

Just once.

The look alone made both twins still.

"Don't jump to conclusions," she said evenly. "He could be human."

They both frowned.

"If he is," Seraphina continued, eyes returning to Kael, "then the correct course of action isn't punishment. It's recruitment."

She made her stance clear, and it was that she wouldn't let them do whatever they wanted.

Caelis grimaced. "You can't be serious."

Caelia clicked her tongue. "He's already hostile."

"Defensive," Seraphina corrected. "There's a difference."

She didn't elaborate further—but the meaning was clear.

The twins didn't argue.

They couldn't.

Seraphina was stronger than both of them. And her authority—by blood alone—outweighed their annoyance.

Still, Caelis rolled his shoulders. "Doesn't change the fact that he's not letting us in."

Caelia smiled thinly. "Then we break our way through."

Seraphina didn't stop them.

In fact, she watched more closely because she wanted to see the twins' power display, as she had heard that they were among the most promising prospects of Astraea.

And she wanted to see what Kael would do.

The next seconds, mana surged again, but this time it was different.

Heavier.

Denser.

Behind Caelis, a massive magic circle flared into existence—nearly ten meters wide, layered with spiraling crimson sigils that screamed with compressed power.

Behind Caelia, its mirror formed—black-lined glyphs interwoven with razor-sharp runes, humming violently as the air distorted around it.

The sky boomed as pressure built.

This wasn't a test.

This was one of the strongest combined techniques an SS-ranker could perform.

Inside the barrier, on the other hand, chaos erupted.

"Everyone—move!" Alenia shouted, already pushing mana into her legs as she sprinted toward a nearby street. "Get inside! Now!"

Villagers scattered in all directions, doors slamming shut, and windows sealing as mana flickered across reinforced homes.

Guards followed her orders instantly.

Only a handful remained in the open.

Evethra stood directly behind Kael, crimson eyes blazing, blood-red mana quietly coiling around her limbs.

Aldric clenched his teeth, unable to move, eyes locked upward as dread coiled in his chest.

Vaelen stood frozen, breathing shallowly. "They're… really doing it…"

Marthis remained unconscious, utterly unaware.

From another street—

"Kael!"

Lyra ran hard, her breath uneven but determined, her dull silver hair fluttering behind her.

Beside her bounced a small, plush-like bear—Druvarn—his button eyes narrowed, power tightly restrained beneath his harmless form.

And lagging behind them—

"M-My Lord—!" Darian stumbled forward, legs shaking, aura strange and unfocused, yet stubbornly refusing to turn back.

He, who had been told to stay back, couldn't sit still when he heard the commotion; the same was true for Lyra and Druvarn.

Selene, who was unconscious, was still inside the house, but she was safe because that house itself was a barrier.

Above them all, Seraphina's gaze flicked across the scene.

Her eyes lingered briefly on Evethra. 'An unregistered S-ranker… a vampire at that.'

Then it shifted toward Alenia, making her frown. 'A demon... almost S-rank.'

Lyra was next to come under her analytical eyes. 'A strange rabbit... but she is also closing in on S-rank...'

The next was Druvarn, and although his peculiar looks made her pause for a second, she could tell that he was a beast.

'A region lord?' She wondered, as she hadn't seen a region lord who lived with demihumans yet.

But as she had already witnessed Kael's powers, she concluded that Kael had tamed it.

And then finally—

Her eyes paused on Darian.

She frowned.

'What… is that?'

The aura was weak. Pathetic, even.

And yet—unreadable.

Just like Kael.

Still, she dismissed it.

For now.

Above the barrier, the twins raised their hands in unison.

"Let's end this," Caelis said.

"Brace yourself, pretty boy," Caelia added coldly.

The magic circles detonated.

Sound shattered.

The sky roared as twin torrents of annihilating mana screamed downward, tearing through the air so violently that the shockwave cracked the sound barrier twice over.

The barrier flared, blinding white—

And Kael moved.

Both hands rose.

He didn't think he would need to do it, but sensing the power behind the attack, he decided to use more of his power because he was sure that doing it halfheartedly wouldn't cut it.

The mana in the air moved at a breakneck speed as the barrier strengthened to the maximum.

The point of contact ignited.

Mana screamed as Kael poured power into the barrier, reinforcing the exact point of impact with terrifying precision.

The collision hit.

BOOOOOOM—

The entire town shook.

The barrier bowed inward, even cracking—

And stopped.

Wind exploded outward, ripping through the streets like a hurricane, roofs rattling, and trees bending violently.

Above, the twins' eyes widened.

Below, Kael stood firm.

Golden eyes blazing.

Unmoved.

As the light faded and the roar died down, the barrier still stood unbroken.

Seraphina's eyes went a fraction wider.

Not in fear.

But in something far more dangerous.

Interest—deep, sharp, and awakening.

"…How fascinating," she murmured, as she could see more than others.

She could tell that Kael, who seemed utterly unbothered by that attack, had expended most of his mana to stop it.

'So, he wasn't a non-elemental...'

At first, she and probably the twins as well thought that Kael was a non-elemental mage—beings who mostly dealt with barriers and stuff and were pretty rare.

It was a logical deduction, as Kael seemed to be focusing on defending their attacks.

They didn't know that he merely wanted to test how strong his barrier could get because he already knew how strong the twins and Seraphina were.

But Seraphina, who saw how Kael was all tense after stopping the attack, knew that he wasn't a non-elemental.

Because those who dealt with non-elemental magic never felt the strain of their barriers on their bodies.

To them, barriers were like things detached from their bodies. Once they made the barrier, they couldn't continuously increase its durability.

Yes, they could cast multiple barriers, but not what Kael did.

So, for the first time—

She wondered whether she had found a recruitable talent who, despite not being a non-elemental, had stopped one of the strongest attacks in his rank, or if it was a monster that could turn into a problem for them in the future.

The air above the barrier, on the other hand, trembled.

Caelis was the first to move—mana flaring violently as he took a step forward, veins of crimson light crawling up his arm.

Caelia mirrored him, black runes igniting along her fingers, her expression openly furious now.

"That settles it," Caelia snapped. "He's mocking us."

"Yeah," Caelis growled. "I'm done holding back—"

(Was she even holding back, though? I don't think so.)

But before she could complete her words, a soft blink cut through the tension.

Seraphina froze.

The twins felt it instantly—and halted mid-motion.

On Seraphina's right hand, the ring around her finger pulsed with pale blue light, a quiet, authoritative glow that made the surrounding mana instinctively withdraw.

She narrowed her eyes and poured mana into it.

The light solidified—

—And a voice echoed out, calm, deep, and carrying unquestionable weight.

"Report. What is happening in the Rugarda sector?"

Seraphina straightened slightly. "We encountered the unknown individual who triggered the alarm. We are currently observing the situation."

There was a brief pause.

Then—

"There is no time to observe."

The words landed like a hammer.

"The demihuman side has already made its move. Three people from their side were seen moving. Quickly conclude your business there and return."

Seraphina's eyes sharpened.

Her previously relaxed presence vanished—replaced by something cold, heavy, and absolute.

The twins shivered.

Not from fear of the enemy—

—But from her.

"Do not waste time," the voice continued. "Make a move."

Seraphina inclined her head. "Understood, Fath—"

She paused.

"…Understood, Sir Supreme."

The connection was cut.

Silence followed.

Then Seraphina turned.

Her gaze locked onto Kael.

She lifted one hand.

The mana around her compressed inward—not exploding outward like the twins', but collapsing into a single point.

A magic circle formed behind her, no more than two meters wide, its glyphs simple, ancient, and terrifyingly dense.

The air screamed.

A distant boom echoed as the pressure alone cracked the sound barrier.

Caelis and Caelia stepped back instinctively.

"…She's serious," Caelis muttered.

"Yeah," Caelia swallowed. "That spell—if she fires it—"

Inside the barrier, Kael's eyes narrowed.

Then—

The barrier shifted.

Not violently.

Not explosively.

A section of it peeled open, just enough to form a clean, precise opening—wide enough for three people to pass through.

The mana stabilized.

The roaring pressure vanished.

It was an invitation.

Above the town, all three of them froze.

Seraphina stared.

Slowly, a faint smile touched her lips.

"…How perceptive," she murmured.

The magic circle behind her dissipated.

She lowered her hand.

"It seems," she said calmly, stepping forward, "that there will be no need for force after all."

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