Lucas had fully entered his Blue Flame Form.
He rose to his feet, looking furious but keeping his composure.
"Meirambek, give us a chance. Forgive us this once, and you can come after us when we're back on our feet. Until then, please show us some mercy. After all, you're one of the Top Eight... Please."
Meirambek burst into loud laughter.
"Hahahaha..."
Still laughing, he said,
"How pathetic you are... Hahahaha..."
Meirambek finally stopped laughing and put on that same cunning grin.
"On one condition..."
He glanced at Maria, So Hyun, and Symbat, who was watching from the school's second floor.
Then, with that same ugly, psychopathic grin, he said,
"Give me the three beauties I've set my eyes on... for one night."
Upon hearing this, Lucas immediately grew furious, gritting his teeth.
He had noticed exactly which girls Meirambek had been looking at.
With an enraged expression, Lucas shouted,
"NEVER!!!"
Meirambek maintained his ugly, psychopathic grin.
"I asked nicely. This isn't a request for permission..."
After a brief pause, he continued,
"I'm going to kill you and that red-eyed boy anyway, then take whatever I want by force. And no, it won't end there. Every woman in the entire world will be beneath my feet."
Lucas's anger intensified.
"You degenerate... You son of a—"
In an instant, Meirambek appeared directly in front of Lucas at an overwhelming speed.
Lucas didn't even have time to react.
Meirambek grabbed Lucas by the throat with one hand and lifted him into the air. Wearing that same cunning grin, he said,
"You're so helpless. And you betrayed us just to join this loser of a red-eyed boy? You'll regret it... You'll regret siding with this weakling..."
An unknown woman wearing a mask and a ninja-style outfit descended from the sky, floating down effortlessly.
With a calm expression, she said,
"Say that again..."
Everyone sensed that something was terribly wrong.
The woman was in her White Flame Form.
Lucas began to panic.
"Impossible..."
Maria was trembling as she turned to Lucas and asked,
"What... what Form is she in?"
The unknown woman spoke calmly.
"Go on, Lucas. Keep talking. It's better this way. Let them learn their limits."
Meirambek fell silent.
Lucas began explaining,
"Generally, there are several Forms: Wind Form, Fire Form, Green Flame Form, Blue Flame Form, Red Flame Form, Purple Flame Form, White Flame Form, and finally, the ultimate Form... Black Flame Form."
Everyone froze in place.
Even Meirambek.
He desperately tried to regain his composure, but he was clearly shaken.
Although he struggled to remain calm, his voice trembled despite his best efforts.
"You... you..."
In less than a second, the unknown woman appeared directly in front of Meirambek.
Meirambek's body remained standing upright, but he was already dead.
In the woman's hands were Meirambek's crystal core and his head.
The masked woman, dressed in a ninja-style outfit, crushed the crystal core in her hand, shattering it completely. Then, she casually tossed Meirambek's head to the ground.
She shook the blood from the hand that had crushed the crystal core and approached the unconscious Aibar.
She stood there, looking at him for a while.
"Pfft... What a disgusting freak..."
She stared at Aibar with clear disgust.
Then, the unknown woman flew away.
As soon as the unknown woman left, everyone began taking deep breaths, like fish that had finally returned to the water.
Aibar slowly opened his eyes and began getting back to his feet.
He noticed Meirambek's corpse.
With a calm expression and without saying a word, Aibar picked up Meirambek's body and then lifted his head, which lay on the ground in front of the corpse.
He began walking slowly. Reaching the school gate, he passed through it and left the school grounds.
While Aibar was burying Meirambek, Maria called him on the phone, and he eventually returned to school.
All the students in Aibar's class had survived. Unfortunately, however, Ms. Sharapat, a teacher who had sustained severe injuries during the attack on the school, had passed away.
The following day, the school was temporarily closed for two weeks.
At Aibar's request, he had promised to restore the school within those two weeks.
The students switched to online classes for the duration of the closure.
The next day, Aibar, Maria, and Azamat were heading to the market to buy the tools and materials needed to repair the school.
Aibar's body was completely wrapped in bandages beneath his clothes. He also wore a solid black mask that completely covered his face.
Meanwhile, the Kazakhstani government had finally received reports of everything that had happened. The authorities were now aware of the situation.
Aibar, Maria, and Azamat were traveling on public transport.
Azamat was wearing the new body Aibar had created for him. Yes, he was still made of metal, but from the outside, he looked no different from an ordinary human being.
However, his facial expressions remained just as emotionless as Aibar's...
After all, he was still made of metal.
Aibar, Maria, and Azamat arrived at the market.
They began walking around, looking for the tools and supplies they needed.
As they continued walking, Azamat calmly said,
"My lord, don't worry. The bricks and other necessary materials will be delivered by trucks."
Without stopping, Aibar calmly replied,
"Good. We still need to buy the remaining construction materials."
They continued walking.
Meanwhile, Maria, who was walking beside them, could no longer hold back her laughter and burst out laughing.
Aibar glanced at her and calmly asked,
"Did something happen?"
Maria stopped laughing and smiled faintly.
"You and Azamat, seriously... The way you two discuss things so emotionlessly while walking around, as if you were undercover agents on a mission, is hilarious."
Azamat replied,
"Miss, there's absolutely nothing funny about this. Don't compare me to my stubborn lord. He's stubborn, whereas I'm a charming, obedient, and loyal servant. I'm nothing like him."
Maria burst out laughing again.
Aibar let out a quiet sigh.
Azamat then turned to Maria and said,
"Miss, you actually seem like a genuinely good person. If my stubborn lord ever upsets you, just tell me... Um... We'll be upset with him together."
Maria burst out laughing once again.
Maria smiled faintly.
"Azamat, you're such an amazing person. My Aibar is lucky to have someone like you."
Aibar calmly replied,
"I should've just come here alone."
Azamat said,
"Don't be such a grump. We were just joking."
Aibar began walking faster, leaving them behind.
Azamat and Maria stopped and watched him go. Then, Azamat turned to Maria.
"I'm sorry. He's..."
Maria smiled faintly.
"I know, and I understand. Don't worry about him. I'll always be there with you to support him, too."
Azamat replied,
"Thank you so much, Miss. My stubborn boss can be exhausting sometimes, but he's a good person."
Maria spoke calmly.
"Of course, of course. He's... perfect. He can be such a charismatic and composed guy, yet sometimes he's adorable. The way he tries to comfort people so seriously, and the way he sometimes acts like a fool because he doesn't understand something... It's all so cute. And, and... he's very kind."
A slight blush spread across Maria's cheeks as she smiled.
A little farther ahead, Aibar waved at them.
Azamat and Maria immediately hurried to catch up with him, and the three continued walking together.
Several hours passed, and they finally purchased all the supplies they needed.
At one point, they walked past a woman who was begging for money. She was holding a baby wrapped in cloth.
Maria began searching her purse for some money.
However, Aibar stopped her.
Maria looked at Aibar, who was holding her hand.
"Aibar, what are you doing? Let me get my money. Please let go of my hand."
Aibar calmly shook his head.
"No. Yes, your kindness is admirable. However, not right now."
Aibar released her hand.
With a calm expression, he said,
"Please, give me that money."
Maria looked at him in confusion.
"Huh??? Aren't you already rich? What are you going to do with it?"
Aibar calmly replied,
"Please."
With no other choice, Maria took some money out of her purse and handed it to Aibar.
Aibar took the money, and they continued walking together.
As they walked ahead, they noticed a man in a wheelchair making an honest living despite having a disability in one of his arms. He was pushing himself along the road.
Aibar went after him and stopped him.
With a calm expression, Aibar asked,
"Is this your money? It looks like you dropped it along the way."
The man in the wheelchair glanced at the money, gave a faint smile, and looked back at Aibar.
"No, son. This isn't mine."
Aibar calmly replied,
"However, it seems like this money was meant for you."
The man shook his head.
"No, no... Its rightful owner might need it even more desperately than I do and could be searching everywhere for it. I can't do that."
Aibar let out a slight sigh.
"Argh... Fine. Then, please give me your blessing. This was a gift that young woman over there wanted to give you."
Aibar looked toward Azamat and Maria, who were standing a little farther away, and pointed at Maria with his finger.
He continued calmly,
"She's been giving money away like this to everyone today. So this money belongs to you. That's what she wants."
Aibar took the man's hand and placed the money in his palm.
A few tears welled up in the man's eyes.
"May you, and that young lady and gentleman over there, be blessed with happiness, too. I wish you as much happiness as there are stars in the sky. Thank you."
The man embraced Aibar.
A few minutes later, Aibar said goodbye to the man in the wheelchair and returned to Azamat and Maria.
Aibar looked at Maria calmly.
Aibar: "He gave you his blessing."
Maria replied calmly.
Maria: "I could have given that woman money, too. Why did you stop me? We could have helped both of them."
Aibar's expression remained calm.
Aibar: "You always act without thinking. Or perhaps you simply don't pay attention to the little details."
Maria stared at him in shock.
Aibar: "Did you notice the gold bracelets on that woman's wrists? Of course you didn't. But I did."
He paused briefly before continuing in the same calm tone.
Aibar: "And did you pay attention to the baby's face? Its face was even paler than yours. Despite all the noise at the market, the baby didn't wake up."
Maria: "What are you trying to say?"
Aibar: "The baby's skin was even paler than yours, as I just said. Judging by its hair, I think its skin tone was probably similar to mine. But that was what the baby looked like when it was still alive..."
Maria's mouth fell open in shock. Azamat closed his eyes and remained silent. He understood his master and what he was trying to say.
Aibar: "Unfortunately, it seems the baby was already dead from the beginning. The police will be here soon."
Several hours later, Aibar's prediction turned out to be correct.
Aibar, Maria, and Azamat were sitting inside a small restaurant. Maria was still deeply shaken. Wanting to comfort her, Aibar placed a hand on her shoulder and spoke in a calm voice.
Aibar: "It's okay. It's all over now. You didn't make a mistake by not giving her money. You almost made one, but mistakes make people stronger."
Maria turned her head and looked at Aibar. Her voice sounded uncertain and confused.
Maria: "Tell me, Aibar... Was that baby really the woman's own child? If it was her child..."
Aibar pulled her into his arms.
Aibar: "For now, forget about that. Instead, remember something better. Remember how happy that old man was. You saw his face, even if it was from a distance, didn't you?"
Azamat: "Miss Maria, I'm beginning to respect you. Thanks to you, Aibar received a blessing, too. My master is stingy. He helped deliver your gift to that old man and received a blessing equal to yours. It's unfair..."
Aibar: "So, am I just Aibar again, after all?"
Azamat: "Of course. You're like a son to me. So, sometimes, I'd like to call you simply Aibar, without any formalities."
Aibar: "All right."
Azamat: "Miss, you're today's hero. Today, I consider you an even greater hero than my stingy boss."
Aibar: "There's absolutely no doubt about that."
Azamat immediately interrupted him.
Azamat: "You, please be quiet..."
Maria burst out laughing.
Azamat: "Today's score: the stingy guy everyone thinks is a hero — zero. Miss Maria — one."
Maria smiled slightly.
Maria: "All right, all right... I'm feeling better now."
She turned toward Aibar and smiled faintly.
Maria: "Azamat, please don't call him stingy. You know he isn't really like that, don't you!?"
Maria continued speaking.
Maria: "I'm finally starting to connect all the pieces. About two years ago, an unknown masked man went viral on the internet several times. According to some information, I heard that he had residential buildings constructed in every city across five different countries — one building in each city. He housed homeless people, those living in poverty, and others facing various difficulties in those buildings. But now, people are gradually beginning to forget about him."
She paused briefly before continuing.
Maria: "Some people believe those residential buildings actually belonged to the masked man himself. That's because one of the residents reportedly heard the building owner address the masked man as 'Boss.' I really liked that story. An unknown hero who does good deeds in secret without seeking recognition, someone nobody knows about..."
Azamat: "Miss, were you a fan of his?"
Maria smiled faintly.
Maria: "Yes. He's a hero who doesn't seek fame or glory. Now, to sum up my little investigation..."
Her expression softened, and she continued in a warm voice.
Maria: "I know that after the incident in which our teacher died yesterday, Aibar offered his condolences to her family and provided them with substantial financial assistance. I also heard about Almaz and learned his story."
She paused briefly to gather her thoughts.
Maria: "Actually, it all started the day before Aibar's birthday. Symbat was looking at a photo of Aibar. I recognized it as a picture of him from when he had first arrived at this school. Perhaps Symbat took it while Aibar was asleep."
Aibar: "How about we leave? It's time to go home."
Ignoring his suggestion, Maria calmly continued speaking.
Maria: "In that photo, he was wearing exactly the same mask, sunglasses, and hoodie."
She looked at Aibar and smiled faintly.
Maria: "You're not very good at hiding your identity, Aibar. But everyone else forgot about that incident. I didn't. So I continued investigating."
Aibar calmly said, "Other people probably wear hoodies like that, too, not just me. The same goes for the sunglasses and the mask."
Maria smiled slightly. "Here's another piece of evidence... That guy is almost exactly the same height as you. All of this can't possibly be a coincidence."
Azamat: "Yes, Miss. My master is that very person."
Aibar calmly looked at Azamat, who was sitting across from him.
Azamat: "Master, I don't think there's any need to hide this from Miss Maria anymore."
Azamat turned to Maria.
Azamat: "As you said yourself, there are residential buildings belonging to my master in every city of each of those five countries."
Azamat continued, "And yes, the owners of those residential buildings are our people. Since my master didn't want any personal attention, things were arranged this way."
Maria smiled slightly. "So Aibar became a hero even before he got any superpowers? That's amazing!!!"
Azamat: "Of course... The three largest and most famous companies in the world belong to my master. However, my master has appointed his own people to run them as CEOs as well."
Maria asked with interest, "What are those companies?"
Azamat: "Veltrix Motors, Nexora Technologies, and Asterion Mobile."
Maria stared at him in shock. She coughed slightly.
Maria: "What...?!"