Apparently, Halo had developed too much pride and impatience. For the past few days, he couldn't think of anything but how disrespectful the Prince was toward him.

Besides, Leto had vanished once again, but this time, he hardly gave it another thought. He'd painted Iris as Hex, and he genuinely didn't give a crap anymore. Instead, he wrapped himself in his own thoughts like an invisible blanket…

He needed to see Iris for himself and confirm whether she was Hex all along. Though he wholeheartedly doubted it, his curiosity got the best of him.

'At least I get to act on something…'

This wouldn't only help him clarify his thoughts about Iris; it would also mean acting after a long time and perhaps proving to the Prince and Arlen how terrifying he could be, whether an insult was behind their actions or not.

The sun was at its peak, and nothing below it went unnoticed, yet Halo walked with collected confidence. He had no intention of being sneaky.

He remembered where the Prince and Arlen had retreated the last time they met. He didn't know if they truly lived there, but true or not, that was the only place he knew.

"If I wanted, I could throw a party and send them invitations. Tsk. With only us left on this land, they'll take whatever entertainment they can get."

He muttered.

His journey was filled with sarcastic remarks, muttered to himself to lessen the pressure of approaching them head-on, hoping he wouldn't overthink.

However, he hadn't walked far before something halted him cold.

"I bet we can get all we want now."

"Right, we can even take their supplies and sell them if we want to."

Before him were two adventurers, casually chatting and heading in the same direction. From how casually and confidently they walked, it was obvious they'd been directly invited. But why?

Now, he had a reason to be sneaky.

He lurked behind them like a shadow. His presence shouldn't have been detectable by even the keenest eyes.

At a distance, he watched the two men approach a building that looked no different from the stone buildings around it, except for a luxurious touch, something that gave the feeling it belonged to someone important.

He watched them casually yank the wooden door open and entered.

However, before Halo could make a move, something grabbed his attention from behind.

"You finally acted 'master.'"

He turned to see Leto behind him, gently leaning against the wall as he played with his hair.

Halo frowned.

"What do you want now?"

Leto scoffed.

"I went to get you, but you weren't around."

Halo met him with silence. He knew the bastard was lying.

Leto beckoned him to step away from the opening.

"Roughly five adventurers are inside. With the two who just joined, that brings the total to seven. The Prince and Arlen are in there too…"

A twisted smile tugged on his lips.

"The Prince and Arlen belong to me. Once you clean up the adventurers, go deal with Iris. I'll handle whatever's left."

Honestly, Halo wasn't up for this, but since this was the first time Leto had directly offered to help, there was no harm in accepting. After all, he needed a helping hand.

With a thought, his clones, Light and Tough, took form.

"Are you sure about this?"

Light asked, adjusting his body.

Halo responded with a nod.

Tough, however, acted eagerly for the battle ahead, repeatedly clashing his daggers together in excitement. If he could actually speak, he would be going on and on about how much he looked forward to this.

Leto carelessly approached the entrance and kicked the door wide open.

He smirked.

"Aren't you supposed to bow? I, Leto, have appeared before you, and you dare remain on your feet?"

Before him were seven adventurers who'd been having a good time before his dramatic entrance. They stared at him in confusion. Behind them were the Prince and Arlen, utterly unbothered by his presence. Not in the slightest.

"Light. Tough. Take them out. Leave the other two for me."

Leto gestured toward them as though they were his puppets.

Halo massaged his temples in disbelief before approving his command.

The clones charged in without a second thought. Confusion remained on the men's faces even in their dying moments. A few managed to hold their ground, but it wasn't enough. Their skulls were cracked open and spread across the floor before long.

A soft smile played on Halo's lips after receiving the Sin Fragments as he joined Leto and approached the room.

The Prince only wiped away the blood on her lips while Arlen stood there, eyes glazed over, as though she could drop to the floor at any moment.

They didn't seem bothered by his presence at all, which stung Halo's pride even more. The irritation from before boiled over.

But beneath the cozy atmosphere, hidden under the staircase that led upstairs, was a passage to an underground bunker. A ladder descended into it, and lanterns glowed from below.

"Iris should be below. Go free her. These two are mine to deal with."

Halo didn't wait for his words before making a move. Arlen tried to approach, but Leto merely flicked his fingers. A massive gust of wind sent her bouncing across the ground.

Sweat formed on Halo's brow as he gulped. Not only was the Prince unfazed by what Leto had just done, but Halo hadn't expected that kind of power from the bastard either.

He knew Leto was strong but to compress that amount of pressure with just a finger was insane.

He turned to Halo with a big grin, ruffling his green hair.

"Crazy, right? I told you I'd be alright."

Halo gulped. But he wasn't going to stick around for Leto's cockiness.

Soon enough, he and his clones descended into the bunker. The sight below was unsettling and chilling.

The space could fit six people standing side by side. It was a windowless rectangular tunnel with no rooms, its length impossible to determine as it vanished into the distance.

"What the fuck is this? A lab?"

He held his nose as the air was foul enough to kill a bull.

But the walls were lined with jars filled with liquid, creatures of different shapes and shades suspended inside, all displayed on shelves. The floor and ceiling were the only places he could look without seeing them.

"Look, there…"

Light said and gestured in the distance.

Halo's heart stopped for a moment, and the sight sent a tremor through him.

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