"Hahaha… you're still as impressive as always." Ayu's voice echoed again, yet it carried a tone that was strangely different. "I didn't expect you to be bullying these little ones."
Al turned around.
There, the five remaining members of Ordo Ferox had gathered behind Ayu, their postures slightly bowed. The air around them quivered faintly, as if the confidence that had been beaten out of them by Al was now slowly dripping back into their bodies. Shadows on the ground rippled unnaturally, swaying like disturbed water.
The man in the brown jacket was also there, tightly bound with his mouth gagged. It seemed the barrier Al had previously set to protect him had been broken by them.
His breath came in ragged gasps, and his wide eyes darted anxiously toward Al—carrying both the faint glimmer of hope and the heavy despair of someone who didn't believe salvation would come.
