Vincent was his uncle, who had gone into exile, so Nolan had never met him. Catherine openly hated Nolan, too. Recently, Nolan realized that Catherine's hatred was also directed at his father's older brother.
Nolan's gaze fell on Vincent, who was standing in front of a large stone tablet inscribed with ancient runes. The man had his back to them and remained silent for a moment. Without looking up, he spoke in a calm yet sharp voice.
"I asked you to come two hours ago. You're fifteen minutes late."
Selena and Julian nudged each other; their antics still appeared ridiculous. On this matter, however, both were clearly trying to restrain themselves.
"Are we about to embark on our first mission?" Nolan asked bluntly.
Vincent answered without looking up.
"Mission? Don't joke around."
His casual tone made Selena and Julian freeze. Selena quickly interrupted before Julian could speak.
"But why? We've already completed nineteen missions. We've also met Nolan's requirements for entry into the Guild. So why aren't we being given a mission right away?"
"You're only a Sentinel Master Squeance 1," Vincent replied flatly.
"You failed the Transcendence Trial, which resulted in the death of your captain and team members. You failed your rank advancement. Under these circumstances, how could I possibly send talentless Sentinels like you on a mission?"
The words struck a chord. Although they were delivered in a calm tone, the pressure behind them made Selena and Julian's chests churn. They were clearly unaccustomed to the cold, intimidating demeanor of someone at Sentinel Extreme's level.
"Hey, Old Man!" Selena snapped, irritated. "Just because you're the leader of the Death God Guild doesn't mean you can look down on us!"
Vincent didn't respond to Selena's anger at all. He simply narrowed his eyes and stared at the two young Sentinels before him as if they were trivial, which felt far more condescending.
Beside Selena, Julian couldn't hold back any longer.
"That's why I told you," Julian said, his voice trembling with anger. "This old fox, acting as a powerful Sentinel, is nothing in my eyes! We've been on nineteen missions. Besides..." He gritted his teeth. "Captain Thomas was a much better teacher, even though he was only an Ultimate Sentinel Squeance 7."
Vincent smiled lopsidedly. It was thin, slippery, and completely devoid of warmth.
"Unfortunately," he said calmly, "he died at Daemon's hands, didn't he?"
Nolan immediately felt the atmosphere shift. He knew Vincent had chosen those words deliberately. The man was adept at playing with emotions and stabbing open old wounds.
Nolan tried to remain calm, restraining himself from being provoked. But Selena and Julian couldn't. To them, Captain Thomas was more than just a mentor; he was someone who had patiently guided them. Hearing his name spoken disrespectfully was simply unacceptable.
"Old man, don't you ever insult our Captain Thomas!"
Their shouts echoed in unison.
Selena stepped forward and held out her hand. She formed a pistol gesture with her fingers, and a ball of solid water spun rapidly in her palm. Julian, on the other hand, clenched his fist as a red Titan aura began to envelop his arm.
"Sentinel Master Sequence 1 of the Mage Path," Vincent muttered. "And Sentinel Master Sequence 1 of the Fighter Path."
His lips quirked up. His purple eyes glinted sharply.
In an instant, Nolan felt incredible pressure crushing down on him. His chest tightened and his knees nearly gave way. It was as if a giant weight had fallen directly on top of him.
Nolan reflexively bent over, his breath hitching. He glanced to the side. Selena and Julian were also pressed down by the same force; their bodies swayed, but they didn't fall to the ground.
Nolan knew this pressure.
He had felt it before when Catherine stood before him, crushing him mercilessly. But Vincent's pressure was far more ruthless—denser, colder, and seemingly leaving no room to breathe.
Nolan lifted his head with difficulty.
Vincent was now hovering about two meters above the ground with his hands still behind his back. Even the slightest movement of a finger increased the pressure dramatically, making Nolan's head buzz.
"How could you be so foolish under the pressure of an enemy who could kill you in seconds?"
Vincent's voice was light, yet its coldness was as sharp as a knife.
His right hand stretched downward as if squeezing the air itself. A dark aura enveloped his arm and shoulder, swirling slowly like a nighttime mist.
Selena and Julian were unable to move. Their knees buckled uncontrollably as an invisible pressure pushed their bodies to the ground. Sweat dripped from their chins. Their faces were pale, and their eyes widened with fear and frustration.
Nolan felt the same pressure pressing down on his chest like a mountain. Yet he remained, one knee on the ground. His muscles trembled, but he refused to fall.
"Just a little more... just a little more..." he muttered softly.
Vincent's grip on the air tightened.
Crack.
It wasn't bones—it was the ground beneath Selena and Julian that cracked. Then, like dolls, their bodies bounced and rolled to a stop a few meters from their original position. They were gasping for breath but didn't pass out.
The pressure vanished instantly, as if a string had broken.
Nolan exhaled slowly and steadily while Vincent, still hovering two meters above the ground, stared at them with cold, glinting purple eyes.
"You're only a Sentinel Master Squeance 1," Vincent said flatly. "It doesn't matter how many missions you've been on. Do you want to carry out missions in the Death God Guild with abilities like this? You're just making things difficult for Nolan."
Nolan lowered his head slightly, not out of shame, but because he couldn't deny Vincent's words. They were too far ahead of the rest of the guild. Even Nolan knew that Selena and Julian needed more than courage, they needed a boost in power.
Selena clutched her skirt and bowed deeply. Julian clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
"You were saved by Nolan."
Vincent's tone grew colder.
"Thomas sacrificed his life for you. And after that, what did you do? Did you enjoy perks and comforts just because you were friends with a prince?"
The words didn't explode—they stuck. They forced them to remember a reality they wanted to forget, deeply and slowly.
Selena shook her head rapidly, her breath coming in short gasps. A new fire lit in her eyes.
Julian lifted his head, his jaw clenched with determination.
"We are not hurters!"
"We are friends, Nolan!"
Their shouts echoed.
Selena stepped forward, both hands outstretched. A ball of water formed in front of her palms and condensed until it spun like a core of water pressure. Nolan could see the water pulsating.
Julian followed closely behind, his body moving like a fired arrow. Mana gathered in his fist.
Vincent smiled lopsidedly.
"Good. Show me that you deserve to be called members of the Death God Guild."
He snapped his fingers.
A dark purple portal with a circle of spinning runes opened behind him. From within the portal, a pitch-black dragon crawled out. It was five meters long with razor-sharp scales, glowing purple eyes, and jaws that opened with a low hiss.
A chilling aura swept across the courtyard, making Nolan furrow his brow.
Vincent pointed at Selena and Julian.
"Hold on," he said calmly.
"Or die."
The scaly, black dragon hovered low in the air. It was about five meters long, not yet large, but the pressure it radiated was not to be underestimated. As soon as the dragon roared, the air around it vibrated violently. Nolan felt strong pressure on his chest, and the water ball Selena had fired shattered in midair as if it had hit an invisible wall.