It was instinct.

Or perhaps the air shifted suddenly.

Either way, there was an omen approaching, and Deklan could feel it brushing against his skin clearly.

Victoria and Kaelyn didn't seem to sense this change; only he did.

Back during his bully days, other high schools also came to find trouble with him, as he usually occupied a famous noodle place along with his other friends. He regularly fought them off; most of the time, he fought them off alone.

He was simply too good at fighting.

However, there were a few times when his instincts flared when he met someone formidable.

Alerting him when there was a worthy opponent he needed to take seriously.

And right this moment, those instincts surged from deep within him, summoning this unbridled heat.

One that made his body tense in anticipation.

I thought now that I'm in another body, these instincts wouldn't appear again. But I was wrong.

Deklan looked over his shoulder.

His eyes stared at the hooded figure in the distance that was coming his way—the source that made all his instincts flare to life, and unconsciously—his lips curled into an excited smile, "He looked really… really fun. Is that the hunter?"

Just as his heart pounded harder in excitement, Deklan caught himself.

He covered his mouth with his hand and shook his head.

"No, no, no… You can't be excited about this," He muttered inwardly—shaking his head. "I'm a better person now. The past is the past. I'm no longer that person."

"What are you talking about?" Kaelyn asked in a whisper.

Victoria was biting her lower lip hard and clenched her fists at what Deklan said, angry that Deklan was going there. Being shoved with the truth that blatantly—without filter, made her angrier. But before she could argue, her eyes caught sight of the hooded figure.

Her eyes narrowed, scrutinizing the figure, and then widened.

Across, Kaelyn noticed the change in her expression.

At the same time Deklan turned, she looked over her shoulder and saw the hooded figure as well.

Even from afar, the aura of this figure was already threatening.

'Another Exorcist?' She frowned, also turning around and unsheathing her katana. 'A strong one at that.'

"If you really did come here to genuinely warn me—now is the time for you to tell me who that person is," Deklan said without turning; his eyes focused on the hooded figure. "This is your last chance. Show me if you're really genuine."

Victoria clenched her fists harder.

She was unwilling, but she knew that this was her emotions talking.

Right now, she needed to make the move she came here to make, exactly as her father instructed.

"Agnar," Victoria said firmly—as she loosened her hands. "You don't know him since Callen made sure you don't know. He's one of Callen's personal soldiers, a two-star silver rank Exorcist. A Spirit called Avaris the Ice Architect, chose him and became his persona."

"From what I gathered, he could even defeat a three-star silver rank Exorcist and stalemated a four-star silver rank Exorcist," She continued, staring at Agnar with worry like he was a monster. "You can't beat him. I have no intention of helping you, so you should run."

"Don't flatter yourself," Deklan chuckled. "I'm not going to ask you for help. Scurry along, now."

Hearing this, Victoria's eyes widened, then she gritted her teeth.

Being looked down upon like this by someone like Deklan is a new feeling, and she didn't like it.

On the other hand, Deklan stared ahead.

He already expected this hooded figure, Agnar, would be someone strong.

But a silver-rank Exorcist isn't entirely beyond his reach.

Besides, he has killed a silver rank Alpha Ghost, which is physically stronger than any Exorcist at the same rank. Beating this guy shouldn't be that hard. I'm stronger now and also have Sasaki. But the only problem is that Victoria is here.

He glanced over at Victoria in annoyance.

Just like Kaelyn said, they needed to keep a low profile.

Drawing attention was the last thing he wanted right now, and Victoria knowing his strength was surely the epitome of drawing attention. And worse, considering that she looked like she had a lot of pent-up resentment towards him, showing her anything more than this would be bad.

It would become a weapon, making more complicated problems that are dangerously personal.

At that moment, the hooded figure came to an abrupt halt.

He drew back his hood.

Beneath it, a pair of eyes burned with cold, phosphorescent light and a gaze filled with murderous intent.

"Found you…" Mana coalesced in his drawn-back hand with a sound of cracking ice, crystallizing into a glistening lance of frost. "Young master!"

Swoosh—!

Like a throwing spear, Agnar threw the frost lance so hard that it pierced the air like a bullet.

It sliced through the distance between them—in an instant, perfectly aimed at Deklan's neck, an attack with the clean-kill intent. But as the lance was an inch away from his neck, he parried it with his hand, knocking it off-course.

Boom!

Deklan waved his hand, feeling the chill seeping into his skin.

He let out a low whistle, inspecting the thin layer of rime already forming over the skin where he had parried the frost lance. "He throws hard, I'll give him that," Deklan nodded—impressed that the throw was able to affect his strong physique.

Earlier, he'd only channelled a trickle of mana to block it, assuming it was more than enough.

But he assumed wrong.

"His mana is absurdly dense," Deklan commented.

"Of course he is. He's a silver-rank Exorcist," Kaelyn said, shifting her weight and widening her stance in preparation to fight. "At that rank, they've already reforged their Mana Core, making their mana far stronger than normal. And they've awakened their Third Eye, too. Their minds are fortified. Ghosts find it much harder to affect them."

This was new for Deklan.

Considering he's not even a proper iron-rank Exorcist, he didn't know the differences for each rank.

He barely knew anything about Exorcists.

Good to know… good to know. I'd be screwed if I went with the plan in mind.

"Young Master Deklan—you've grown a lot stronger!" Agnar shouted from afar; there was no hilarity in his voice. "You should've stayed, as you are, and accepted your fate. Had you lived an ordinary and happy life, you wouldn't have to end up facing me."

"Agnar, isn't it?!" Deklan shouted back. "Why don't you work for me instead?! Ditch that loser brother of mine!"

Despite the provocation, Agnar remained calm.

He sees through the words and realizes something as his eyes shift to the woman behind Deklan.

Someone that he recognized.

"Victoria…" He muttered, brows furrowing into a frown.

It seemed the news that Deklan had become an Exorcist had reached further than he anticipated.

Victoria being here meant she was warning Deklan about his approach.

"Everyone is already going against Young Master Callen…" Agnar's expression darkened, twisting into something feral and hideous. His glare fixed on Deklan, sharp as a blade. "I won't let the young master fall again. He needs to die!"

Agnar drew the weapon from under his cloak.

A glistening, thick, and heavy single-edged sword with four thick rings adorning its back.

Holding it horizontally before him, Agnar traced his other hand along its length, charging it with mana.

Swoosh—!

Before Deklan's very eyes, the sword is now humming with a seething blue aura.

He could feel the mana was effortlessly and intricately condensed along the shape of the sword, making it sharper than before. "Fuck is he doing?" Deklan commented, eyes narrowing as he could tell that this required a high level of mana control. "Is it a spell?"

"No, it's a weapon aura," Kaelyn answered. "At iron-rank, an Exorcist could manifest an aura using mana to increase their physical limits. And at the silver-rank, there's the weapon aura that tripled the properties of a weapon. All proper silver-rank Exorcists invested a lot in their weapons because of this."

Deklan looked down at his hand.

He was using a radar device at Agnar, and the scan resolved at last.

Agnar's stats flickered into his vision.

…

[Agnar Solace]

Rank: 2-star Silver

Persona: Avaris the Ice Architect (C)

Sanity: 88%

———

Statistics

Strength: B-

Agility: C+

Endurance: C

Intelligence: C+

Perception: D+

Mental: C+

…

"Huh… That's not that different from me," Deklan rubbed his chin, surprised to see that a 2-star silver rank Exorcist is only a little bit stronger than him. "But that strength is damn B- grade. Is he not trying earlier? Must be."

Even though Deklan was confident in his strength, that strength stat is a problem.

The difference between C+ and B- should be devastating.

"I need to be careful of his full-front attack," Deklan nodded and then turned to Kaelyn. "Can you beat this guy? I reckoned you could lead the battle, and I'll help you from the sides. Let's show him the star-duo—Sir Pumple and Lady Pimple!"

"Not a chance," Kaelyn smiled crookedly.

Compared to his absurd demand, she was more annoyed that he was still calling her Lady Pimple.

"I'm not going to blow my cover for this," She shook her head, refusing to use her absolute full power. "I'm the one who's going to assist you from the side. You fight him. It's a good training for you since you're only used to fighting Ghosts."

"Heh… You and your stupid restraints," Deklan rolled his eyes. "Fine, I'll deal with this."

From behind, Victoria gestured for her underlings to get out of the way.

Deklan was distracted by Agnar, so they could scoot over and get out of the way.

She watched Deklan's back as he strode forward—not a retreat, but a steady advance toward Agnar.

No sign of hesitation and fear on his steps.

"Is he insane?" She muttered, the words escaping before she could stop them, surprised to see Deklan confronting Agnar head-on instead of turning tail and running. "Did he genuinely believe he could face an Exorcist of Agnar's caliber? A seasoned Exorcist with immense battle experience?"

"Is he relying on her?" Victoria stared at Kaelyn, but shook her head. "It doesn't seem like it."

Considering that Kaelyn was also an Exorcist, Victoria thought she was the one protecting Deklan.

But it doesn't seem like she was the one leading this battle.

Regardless, the thing that surprised Victoria the most was Deklan's confidence.

She heard everything they were saying, and Deklan sounded relaxed and extremely confident.

"Can someone really change this much?"

Just as those words slipped from her lips, Deklan lifted his hand—as a pure white spear appeared in his hand. With a simple shake, the pure white was swallowed by shadows that seemed alive, transforming the spear into a living weapon.

It looked like a weapon aura, but much more than that.

"Come on, fucker!" Deklan gestured for Agnar to come with his hand. "Let's dance."

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