Flicker!
A glowing red screen materialized in front of Zekai's face—but it was completely unstable, the text fracturing and fracturing like a broken monitor before it could even fully render.
[Warning: Arcana status retrieval has failed.]
The system was completely malfunctioning, refusing to display his stats. Zekai and Iris were both in absolutely terrible condition, their bodies battered and drenched in blood. Neither of them knew what to do.
In a situation this desperate, there was only one path left.
'We just have to survive until the rescue team arrives!'
Zekai gritted his teeth, his eyes flashing with raw determination. To protect Iris and buy them a few more seconds of life, he decided to unleash the forbidden power he had used before.
He thrust his hand forward, ready to force open the [Fool Authority].
But the exact moment he invoked it—
Bzzzzt!
The translucent screen glitched violently again.
"Damn it... perfect timing."
Nothing responded. The system completely ignored his command. The unstable authority that twisted outcomes to his will refused to activate.
'Did the Fool block me? Or is this the recoil of using that power?!'
Confusion and panic flooded Zekai's mind, but he had no time to look for answers. Whatever the cause was, he had to force the activation through. There was no other way.
He desperately pulled at the deep reserves of energy within his soul, trying to forcefully drag the power out.
But this time—the recoil was catastrophic.
"...Gah!"
The moment he forced the broken ability, his heart violently convulsed inside his chest. It felt as if a giant, invisible hand had reached into his ribs and crushed his lungs, completely cutting off his oxygen.
Every single muscle in his body instantly lost its strength. His internal functions abruptly shut down, plunging his nervous system into darkness.
'No... there's no way... not here...'
Pfft!
A massive spray of dark crimson blood erupted from Zekai's mouth.
The next second, his vision went entirely pitch-black, and his limp body collapsed heavily onto the hard floor.
"Zekai!"
Iris's pupils dilated to the size of pinpricks.
Already severely injured and rapidly losing blood, she stared at his unconscious form in absolute panic. She had no idea what kind of internal disaster had just taken place inside him.
"What the hell happened to him all of a sudden?!"
Unfortunately, this unexpected turn of events only handed the enemy the perfect opportunity.
The attacker let out a loud, delighted burst of laughter.
"Hahahaha! I haven't even touched the bastard yet, and he already dropped dead! That saves me a hell of a lot of work."
Thud. Thud.
The man took a slow, confident step forward, the malicious aura radiating from his body suffocating the room.
"Should I just finish him off right here?"
Iris completely panicked. Blood was still gushing from her open wound, staining her clothes. Her mind raced frantically, crying out in desperation.
'Is there anyone else?! Anyone at all who can save us?!'
"No... stay away from him!" she screamed, her voice cracking.
But a true predator never shows mercy when the prey is completely defenseless.
The attacker chuckled darkly, a twisted smirk spreading across his face. "Huh? Ah... don't worry your pretty little head, sweetheart. I won't do anything to you. But him?"
His eyes widened, turning completely bloodshot as pure madness filled his voice.
"I'm erasing him from existence! He was born for the sole purpose of destroying our world! Me! You! Every single thing we've ever built!" he roared, his murderous intent filling the entire room with a heavy, crushing pressure.
Iris stared at him in utter disbelief. 'This guy is completely insane.'
"You launched a full-scale terrorist attack on BSA Headquarters... all for some pathetic prophecy nonsense?! He's one of us!"
Her frantic words only served to fuel his psychotic rage.
"Then are you saying my grandfather was wrong?!" the attacker shrieked.
Iris went dead silent. This wasn't ordinary religious fanaticism. She was looking into the eyes of a man whose mind had been completely and utterly broken.
The attacker slowly spread both his hands wide.
"...[Magma Flame]."
VROOOOOOM!
Raging, white-hot torrents of magma ignited from his open palms. The dim interrogation room was instantly bathed in a blinding, terrifying orange glow. The ambient temperature skyrocketed, making the air painfully hot to breathe.
Iris's heart pounded violently against her ribs.
'If I fall right now... Zekai dies.'
Live? Or die?
There was no time to hesitate. Iris instantly snapped her left hand up to her face, locking two fingers tightly over her eye.
"[Grave Art: Crimson Nightmare]!"
BOOM!
The moment her remaining Grave Energy erupted, she forcefully locked eyes with the enemy. Taken completely by surprise, the attacker accidentally looked straight into her gaze.
In that microsecond—her supreme illusion ability violently invaded his mind.
Flash!
The entire interrogation room vanished. The world around the attacker transformed into a horrific, blood-red nightmare landscape.
The man instantly panicked, his eyes bulging. "What—what the hell are you doing to me?!"
Suddenly, his body refused to move. It felt as if thick, heavy iron chains had wrapped around his entire being, pinning him to the spot.
"My arms—my legs—everything is tearing apart! It feels like I'm literally dying!"
Step. Step.
Out of the crimson fog, a massive, pitch-black demonic silhouette materialized. The monstrous entity slowly walked toward him, its grotesque, bleeding face causing the attacker's entire body to shiver in primal dread.
The sheer terror drained every single drop of color from his face.
The demonic creature reached out with a massive claw, wrapped it around his throat, and began violently crushing his windpipe.
"AHHHHHHHHHHH!"
His eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as his breathing turned ragged and his body convulsed in absolute agony.
But none of it was real.
Outside the illusion, Iris stood perfectly still, watching the enemy writhe and scream helplessly on the floor, trapped inside her mental execution chamber.
Her pupils trembled violently. [Crimson Nightmare] was a strictly forbidden technique. In her currently depleted state, using it was a double-edged sword that could easily claim her own life.
Earlier, when she had jumped in to save Zekai from the initial assault, that brief moment of physical contact had established the spiritual link required to trigger the art. Furthermore, the attacker's current emotional instability made his mental defenses completely paper-thin.
It was the perfect trap.
But the price of using such a high-tier ability was brutal.
"...Ugh!"
Her internal injuries ruptured completely. Fresh blood poured from her wound at twice the speed, pooling on the floor. Her consciousness was fading rapidly, the darkness creeping in from the edges of her vision.
'Oh no... I have to kill him... I have to finish him before I pass out...'
Inside the illusion, the attacker felt as if his skull was about to physically detonate from the mental pressure.
But the torment didn't last.
Iris's body trembled violently one last time. "No—!"
Her vision failed completely. Her consciousness snapped, and her body collapsed limply onto the floor.
Shatter!
The blood-red nightmare world instantly broke apart like glass. The interrogation room returned to its original state, and the demonic silhouette vanished into thin air.
Thud!
The attacker dropped to one knee, gasping for air as sweat drenched his entire body. Even though it was nothing more than an illusion, the sheer psychological trauma of [Crimson Nightmare] had shaken his soul to its very core.
For a few horrifying seconds, he had truly faced the visage of Death itself.
He stared down at Iris, his eyes burning with pure, unadulterated hatred. But there was absolutely no point in wasting grave energy on a dying snake.
His hand hesitated for a brief second before he clicked his tongue in disgust. "Damn it. Out of my way."
He tore his gaze away from her and looked toward Zekai's unconscious body, the magma flames in his palms reigniting with furious intensity.
"Why doesn't anyone understand what kind of monster he is?!" he shouted at the empty room, walking toward Zekai with clear intent to burn him into ash.
"My grandfather was right! He should have been slaughtered before he ever had the chance to wake up!"
He raised his glowing, molten hand high into the air, ready to execute Zekai.
But just as he stepped within striking distance—
CRASHHHHHHH!
The massive, reinforced glass window of the interrogation room completely shattered into a million pieces. A violent, hurricane-like shockwave tore through the chamber, instantly extinguishing the magma flames.
Through the dust and flying debris, an incredibly heavy, suffocating pressure slammed into the room, forcing the attacker to gasp for air as a booming, thunderous voice shook the very foundations of the building.
"Who exactly is this senile prophet bastard you keep barking about?"
✦ End of Chapter 26 — Prophet ✦