A few minutes before Marcus had stepped into the mansion. Far behind stood two figures.
One that he recognized and another that he didn't but instinctively dreaded.
Though he had only sensed a whiff of this person's aura, it was enough to terrify him.
"You were right. This young lord does have some interesting traits."
Veronica looked to her side, though it was empty; she was well aware that someone was there.
"What do you mean?"
"He was able to sense your presence from afar… including mine."
Veronica's brows rose, astonished. "Did you forget to hide yourself?"
The voice chuckled, "Why would I do that? My presence is always hidden in this world. Only those powerful enough can sense me."
"Then… is he powerful enough?"
"The young lord…? No. It must have been a rare technique he used to sense me."
Veronica sighed.
"A rare technique that is capable of sensing your presence is surely powerful. Aren't you already close to the peak of Tier One? How is it that someone who hasn't stepped onto that path is capable of sensing your presence even when it's hidden? It can only be that the technique he used is beyond what it seems."
"..."
The owner of the voice felt like she was being scolded and praised at the same time.
"Young mistress… where do you think he got the technique from?"
Both parties fell silent.
"His father probably… from what I have heard, the Duke, Daemon Sirdi, was a monster amongst men. Stronger than his predecessors and any other fighter in Ulha. He had explored many places during his time. Perhaps he stumbled across something and taught it to his son."
Veronica said.
The voice sighed. "I thought you had taken an interest in that young lord because you developed feelings for him."
"What? Why are you still saying such nonsense?" She frowned, as though she had just been insulted.
"Really, by most standards, he is attractive–"
"And poor." She interrupted.
"However, now, I'm certain that you're just curious about him. Even I am curious. Not only that, you seem to admire his father."
"Hmph!" Veronica spat to the side.
"That was an unladylike thing to do, young mistress."
"Do I look like a lady right now?"
The voice laughed. "It doesn't matter what you dress up as. You'll forever remain a woman."
Veronica said nothing to this. However, her emotions stirred a bit.
Her gaze traveled back to the mansion in the distance.
"Whoever didn't admire his father used to fear him. The man used to inspire greatness in people and he ingrained fear into his enemies. I aspire to wield such power."
"Young mistress," the voice began gently. "He was a powerful man. But he was only a powerful man in this region. You have been chosen for greatness since you were little. Surely you will surpass the man."
Veronica looked to her side once again. "Do you dare claim that you would have been able to defeat him? Or would the elders in the sect be able to match him?"
The voice had no answer to this question.
She couldn't claim that she was stronger because she too had heard the stories of that Sirdi man.
Some of them she believed to be exaggerated, if not, who or what could have killed such a powerful individual?
Even after his passing, his enemies were still afraid to attack his children, scared that he might have left something with them.
Nonetheless, she couldn't speak for the elders either.
"I… don't know."
Veronica shook her head and fell silent, not wanting to speak about this anymore.
At that moment, the two of them sensed something off about the mansion.
Their eyes snapped to the fourth floor as they heard a commotion coming from there.
"Dark powers." The voice said solemnly.
***
Dust began to settle and silence slowly descended upon the mansion.
However, none of this put Logail at ease. If anything, it made him more wary.
His eyes focused on the silhouette on the third floor. He continued to circulate this special power of his.
The golden radiance around him intensified by a notch, raising his senses to a higher level.
Suddenly, his ears perked up.
From the sides appeared long claws made of darkness.
They appeared so fast that Logail wasn't able to react properly to them.
He struck to his left destroying the claws there, before pushing his body into the other sets of claws to mitigate the damage he would receive.
Both sides collided and it was as though water had been sprinkled into hot oil.
Logail was thrown into a wall, crashing into it, while the claws that attacked were… broken.
Something unexpected had happened.
"Ugh!" Logail grunted as he slid down the wall. To his surprise, there were no claw marks on his body.
"Huh? My Dark Claws couldn't harm you?" The tall man reappeared on the fourth floor, unscathed.
His brows furrowed as he couldn't understand how Logail could survive his claws.
Instead, the Dark Claws had taken some damage. The sizzling sound came from them.
A trace of golden radiance could be seen trapped within the broken claws.
Suddenly, the tall man's brows rose as he was enlightened.
"It can't be. How do you possess Absolute Light!" His voice shook slightly as he spoke.
"Absolute Light? What's that?" Logail wondered as he raised his hammer. "Quit talking."
Not even a bit curious or concerned about what his opponent said, He charged forward again.
A streak of golden light wafted through the air.
The tall man forcefully snapped out of his thoughts and punched forward.
Boom!
A dark bubble, wrapped in golden light, popped, exploding into shockwaves that rattled the building and broke the windows.
The tall man took a few steps back while Logail was thrown several feet away.
The difference in their strengths was obvious, yet, it didn't make the tall man feel any better about himself.
On the other side, Marcus and the lady standing before the door hadn't moved from their positions.
The two of them were silently watching the battle.
Logail is still a Tidal Wave Knight, and his opponent is a Radiant rank. To be able to push him back is an achievement of its own.
Marcus wasn't worried about their fight. He knew that Logail hadn't gone all out yet.
What kept on going through his mind was the nature of energy he was sensing from these guys.
It was different from the negative, devilish energy those cultists from the Faceless cult carried. It felt cold, and Abyssal.
Though it also carried a negative intent.
"Has the Absolute Light cult stretched its hands into this world too?" The woman opposite Marcus said as she continued to observe Logail's aura.
"But… it feels different."
"Don't you want to fight?" Marcus asked.
Her gaze fell on Marcus, a bit uninterested before she said, "You're too weak to fight me. Moreover, the master said not to touch you."
She then returned to ignoring Marcus as though he didn't exist.
Marcus was speechless. He started wondering if he had ever been underestimated in such a way before.
"I'm too weak, huh?"
With a thought, he opened his Heart Pulse, causing his aura to rise like a fierce wind.
A dull thud exploded from his body, filling him with fierce strength.
"Hmm?" The woman's gaze fell upon Marcus again, this time, she looked surprised.
For a brief moment, something like interest flickered in her eyes, but that only lasted a few seconds before she looked elsewhere. Still uninterested in him.
"Not enough." She said.
Still not enough? Marcus felt insulted.
While in truth, deep down, he was waiting for her to attack first.
He had a feeling that something beyond his control would happen if he attacked first.
This was nothing more than a guy feeling, but he didn't dare to take it lightly.
"It seems the apple didn't fall far from the tree." A carefree voice came from behind the closed double doors.
Creak!
It was pushed open once again. This time, two people stepped out.
One figure in full armor, from head to toe, and the person Marcus came here to find.
Smiling as if he had just seen a long-time friend of his.
Cassir Mayores.