Chapter 143 – Amon Family (Three)

Thump─ Thump─

Two men entered the silence and naturally took seats on the sofa.

Three people, including Ray, sat facing each other across a round table.

Rustle─

The remaining personnel lined up behind the two men.

Ray observed the men on both sides.

“Fire.”

“Yes, here you are.”

Click!

The one on the left, judging by the tattoo on his nape, appeared to be a senior member of the Amon Family.

“Well, what about the kids?”

“They say they’re being carried over on stretchers now.”

The one on the right seemed to be a master.

Dark blue mana filling the rings.

One person immediately came to mind.

‘The Wizard with the Monocle.’

The person who controlled the Golem in Sector 50.

Destroyed the streets.

Annihilated Niles’s organization.

And killed the kids under the overpass.

So.

Ultimately, the one who made me leave Sector 50 in search of the Rainbow.

An immense killing intent and rage surged up, but it was momentary.

‘…….’

Because he immediately recognized that the other party was not the Wizard with the Monocle.

His appearance and features were distinctly different, and above all, he only had two rings.

‘…Still, dark blue mana is a type I’ve never seen in any other wizard’s rings except for that guy with the monocle.’

Perhaps he was someone related to the Wizard with the Monocle.

As Ray thought this and sent a probing gaze─

Creeeak─ Clunk!

The door closed, and stillness descended.

Whoosh─

The senior member of the Amon Family blew out cigarette smoke and glanced at Ray and the master in turn.

He seemed to be waiting for the two to start the conversation first.

And the one who spoke first was─

“Let me introduce myself first.”

The person presumed to be the master.

He looked at Ray and spoke in a calm voice.

“I am a wizard named Binjin. I am devoted to researching the study of Magic and nurturing disciples. However, I heard news that my disciples committed a great discourtesy to you today, wizard-nim.”

It was an extremely honorific form of address.

Even though there was clearly an age difference of at least 30 years or more.

“I apologize on behalf of my disciples. It seems they made a subjective judgment, thinking you were an enemy of the Amon Family, and attacked you.”

He couldn’t help but be cautious.

He must have received a report that ten of his disciples were helplessly defeated.

“I repeatedly instructed them to report first if they discovered anything unusual, but perhaps because they are young and full of vigor, it’s not easy to fully control their actions.”

Binjin bowed his head respectfully.

To anyone watching, his words and actions conveyed a sincere feeling of apology, but─

‘Lies.’

─His opponent was Ray.

The other’s Vessel contained not a shred of remorse or guilt.

Moreover, other types of emotions also had extremely minimal fluctuations.

This meant that the man named Binjin was someone extremely skilled at lying.

“It is my fault for failing to manage my disciples properly. I would be grateful if you could show magnanimity.”

Ray quickly read the types of emotions contained in the other’s Vessel.

Curiosity. Interest. Anticipation.

Wariness. Suspicion. A bit of tension.

…And malice.

When he glanced sideways, he could tell that the senior member of the Amon Family also harbored malice toward him.

However.

It wasn’t overt yet.

The boy’s eyes quickly scanned the surroundings.

Behind the senior member, the six Operatives had their hands ready to reach into their jackets and draw guns at any moment.

Behind Binjin, the rings of the three 1st Circle wizards were fiercely rotating mana.

If the numbers were off, an attack would begin at any moment with a signal.

“…….”

He also felt gazes.

He wasn’t the only one observing.

The organization’s senior member smoking a cigarette.

Binjin, who still hadn’t raised his head.

The two men seemed, at a glance, to be focused on their own actions, but their eyes were constantly gleaming toward him.

…A familiar gaze.

Measuring, judging, dissecting.

He could read their thoughts.

Even without trying to know.

How strong is he?

Where did he come from?

What is his purpose?

What Circle wizard is he?

Which organization does this boy belong to?

Is he a size we can swallow in one bite?

Is he an opponent we won’t get sick from eating?

He knew.

The moment they judged him to be even slightly lower on the food chain, they would bare their fangs and pounce without hesitation.

Feeling the need to establish the hierarchy first, Ray─

“It’s not your disciples’ fault, it’s your fault.”

─Spat out without hesitation.

The air stirred instantly.

No one spoke, but they exchanged bewildered looks, and the senior member of the Amon Family looked at him with a very interested expression.

Binjin’s head slowly rose.

“Yes. That’s right. My disciples’ fault is indeed my fault.”

“Are you hard of hearing? Or are you stupid? You should know that’s not what I meant.”

The corner of Binjin’s mouth twitched.

It was the moment when his true emotions surfaced on his face, which was overlaid with pretense.

Ray, who didn’t miss the signal, continued his attack.

“The one who ordered the attack in the first place was you, wasn’t it?”

“You little brat, just because we’re treating you with some courtesy, you think you can─!”

“Enough.”

Binjin, who raised a hand to stop his disciple, stared at Ray with a piercing gaze.

“It’s an undeniable fact that my disciples made a mistake first, so I treated you with proper respect. But since you speak with such conviction based on a vulgar delusion, I am utterly perplexed.”

Anger, irritation, discomfort.

Malice seeping out slowly.

The emotions that had all greatly expanded in Binjin’s Vessel.

However, the composure seated at the center was stably controlling all of them.

‘A mentally mature person.’

Skilled at self-control.

Moreover, the diverse colors of old emotions engraved throughout his Vessel attested to his rich life experiences.

A troublesome type of person to deal with.

A snake-like person who would try to swallow him whole the moment he saw an opening.

‘Negotiation, bargaining, such methods aren’t efficient.’

There’s only one way to handle such a person.

To create ripples in their emotional line through overwhelming force, eradicating malice.

But ordinary force might not elicit a significant disturbance.

Broad life experiences.

Coupled with a considerable level of magical scholarship and knowledge.

The type of violence that could instill fear in such a person….

“Let me add something.”

Then Binjin continued speaking.

“We came here for a conversation. To clear up any misunderstandings and to properly apologize for any wrongdoing. However… if you come out with such an insolent attitude─.”

A momentarily strained breath.

“─I’d like to inform you that we, too, will have no choice but to use force. Right now, outside, other disciples are waiting. They are far more experienced and skilled in combat than the ten who were discourteous to you, wizard-nim. Let’s see, if we count the numbers…”

Binjin, with a gesture full of intent, folded his fingers one by one.

“Including myself and my three chief disciples here in this room, that makes a total of sixteen wizards in this building. Can you handle that?”

“That’s right, Master. We need to clearly establish the hierarchy with that clueless─!”

At that moment.

Whoooosh──!

Without any warning, a strong wind arose behind the disciple.

It was the result of Ray manifesting the mana in the room at that location directly into Magic.

Therefore, no one present noticed the process of elemental fusion.

“Wh-what? Huh?”

And there was no time to react.

Pushed by the wind, the disciple stumbled and fell beside Ray’s sofa.

In the process.

Thump!

One of his arms was grabbed by Ray, forcing him into a kneeling position.

“Wh-what! You, let go of─ Aaah!”

The disciple, who was about to curse at Ray, suddenly began writhing with a painful scream.

The Element of Destruction injected into his forearm had passed through his shoulder and chest and reached his ring.

“Aaah──! Aaah──!”

The Element of Destruction.

A black orb containing perfect darkness, appearing like a hole pierced in the void due to the absence of light and shadow.

That fingernail-sized small sphere moved leisurely within the ring.

And each time.

──────.

The ring crumbled into black particles and vanished, shortening as if a fuse were burning down.

“Aaah──! Aaah──!”

The disciple thrashed, but Ray’s hand gripping his arm didn’t budge an inch, like iron.

Cold sweat covered his entire body.

To survive, he instinctively tried to use some kind of magic.

But mana was spilling out beyond the destroyed ring and couldn’t be controlled.

And each time, the fear and terror in his Vessel swelled up in waves.

“Aaah──! M-my ring! Aaah──! M-my mana!”

The destruction of the ring.

That was, without a doubt, the most cruel and overwhelming form of violence a wizard could face.

────────!

The ring activated with all its might, like a final flame before extinguishing.

Therefore, every wizard present could sense the ring’s destruction process in detail, whether they wanted to or not.

“M-Master, Khan’s ring…!”

“G-Good heavens, what on earth is that…!”

Binjin’s disciples, that is, the remaining three chief disciples, looked at their comrade with eyes that trembled incessantly.

The emotions tangled in their Vessels were complex beyond description.

Relief that it wasn’t them in that position.

Fear of the unknown violence they had encountered for the first time in their lives.

Fear that if they stepped out to help their comrade, they might end up the same.

Although the volume of these multiple emotions might be smaller individually.

‘……!’

They were the same types of emotions their master, Binjin, was also feeling.

Thud!

“Huff… Hahhh…”

The chief disciple, released from Ray’s grip, collapsed to the floor, gasping for breath.

He tried to concentrate his mind as usual but couldn’t gather even a handful of mana.

It was only natural.

Since the ring in his chest no longer existed, he was no longer a wizard.

“Aaah─! Aaah─!”

As if he couldn’t believe the reality that had befallen him, he screamed for a while.

Thump!

His eyes rolled back, and he fainted.

…….

…….

A cold stillness flowed.

No one could speak, and no one thought of moving.

Except.

“Earlier question.”

For one person.

“I think I should be the one asking it instead.”

The boy’s flat-toned voice mixed with the sound of the clock’s second hand.

An intense sense of unreality filled the room.

Tick─ tock─

Just as everyone present felt as if their bodies and heads were about to explode.

“Really! Really! Amazing! So even among wizards, it’s possible to render an opponent so powerless!”

The senior member of the Amon Family clapped his hands and stood up.

“Truly, it feels like I’m meeting someone with such an intense presence after a long time.”

He was an ordinary person.

Therefore, he didn’t know exactly what level of impact the destruction of the ring had.

However.

He clearly recognized the fact that Binjin and his disciples had been defeated without being able to properly lift a hand.

And he, like the others, was vividly feeling the intense killing intent the boy was emitting.

He took out a business card and handed it over.

“It’s late, but let me formally introduce myself. I am a businessman running a small organization called the Amon Family in the eastern part of Sector 37.”

Ray glanced down.

And looked at the name ‘Amon’ written on the business card.