Life didn't get easier, even in another world.

Reyan mumbled again, but this time loud enough for everyone, even the previous team leader of unit 6, to hear it clearly.

The four people all stared at the pair of men who had just appeared in front of them and started destroying things as soon as they showed up.

“What? Wasn’t he dead?”

Serria said, not even attempting to lower her voice.

Her shock was understandable though. The team leader of unit 6, the unit that got disbanded after the incident in the capital, the team leader who was the person who was behind the incident. That team leader was said to be the one who took a bomb out of his inventory item and caused the explosion that whipped out a whole building, the president’s office, in the blink of an eye. The one who betrayed his country and caused the explosion that killed tens of agents, politicians, officers, and even innocent civilians, the explosion that only had one single survivor, the president. The man was now there, standing behind The First, the other traitor, safe and healthy.

They all had assumed that it was a suicide attack, that the team leader, the damned filthy traitor, had also died, perished, and was gone for good.

Smile

The team leader only gave them a bright smile in response.

.....

“That-”

‘That scumbag!’

Kairen cursed and screamed inwardly. Her hands that were grabbing Aaron’s clothes lightly, clenched into fists, though fists that didn’t contain much force, and his face started to get some tints of red due to anger.

The man before his eyes was the one who had killed Alessia. He was the one who had turned that woman, who was nothing less than an older caring sister, into an undistinguishable pack of ashes.

‘Why is he alive?’

Everyone else was dead, yet the very person who was holding the bomb was here, alive.

‘The president also survived...’

Kairen remembered the president’s words. He had said that this man told him that he will not let him die. The president had said the has saw some red electric currents around the man just before the explosion. That the man was holding on to something other than the bomb when before the bomb went out.

‘Red electric currents?’

Hadn’t Kairen seen something similar before?

Red electric currents also appeared when they were fighting with The Fifth, right before the bombs had gone out. There were also some similar things, yet a little bit different, when he was fighting with Aaron while protecting Bordkly’s prince. There were currents dancing around the white stone on Aaron’s cloak.

Kairen subconsciously shifted his gaze to glance at the white stone that was still dangling from his brother’s cloak.

“Ron-”

“I’ll explain later.”

Kairen’s words were cut out almost immediately by the cold and emotionless voice of his brother.

“...”

Kairen closed his mouth shut.

‘Is he mad at me?’

He secretly shivered after hearing the cold voice that felt sharp as a blade. Aaron had never talked to him like that! What the hell? Did he do something wrong?

Grab

Kairen just grabbed Aaron’s clothes with more force. The fright he had gotten from his brother made all of his anger vanish in an instant.

“What are you doing here?”

Kairen flinched once again upon hearing the colder and scarier voice. He turned his head to look at the person to who his brother was talking with so much preserved anger.

The First, the said person, smiled at Aaron, though his eyes didn’t show any signs of happiness despite his smile.

“Is that something YOU must be asking me?”

The First looked at Kairen on Aaron’s back while saying that, then at the two other people who were standing behind his back while pointing their weapons towards him and the team leader standing beside him.

“Shouldn’t I demand you an explanation about the situation, dear traitor?”

“...”

While Aaron was silent, Serria and Reyan flinched.

‘Traitor?’

Serria peeked at the man before glancing at Reyan. Her eyes were wide from shock and excitement. Reyan had a similar expression on his face, except that worry was replaced by excitement.

“Am I the traitor now?”

Aaron said, his voice cracking a little bit as if he was chuckling. He said that and then looked around. Everything was a mess. The building was completely destroyed, and so were most of his stone walls. There were corpses lying here and there and blood was making the ground look like a red pool. The disgusting scent of blood and the pained screams of the ones who were still alive mixed together to turn the whole place into a scene out of a horror movie.

Aaron’s brows frowned ever so slightly. He turned his gaze back to The First after examining the whole place.

“Have you captured them?”

It was only then that the three other people realized one thing. Their unit was nowhere to be seen.

“Ah?”

Serria hurriedly pulled out the communication device that they had stolen from Bordkly’s soldiers and turned it on.

“Team leader? Can you hear me?”

“....”

There was no answer.

“Team leader? Are you alright?”

“....”

No answer again.

Her face shadowed by worry and fright, Serria looked up from the device, only to lock eyes with The First.

“Pfft!”

The man smirked at the moment.

“That’s indeed what I’m here for, but haven’t managed to do so.”

He shrugged and confessed as if he didn’t care that his enemy got to know about it. As if he saw those four people nothing more than small bugs who wouldn’t be able to do anything even if they knew what he was after.

“How did you know that we were here?”

Reyan talked to his uncle for the first time today. The man sent an annoyed gaze to him, but opened his mouth and answered nonetheless.

“We have our own ways and own methods.”

“Are you working with Bordkly?”

“What?”

The First, as well as the previous team leader of unit 6, seemed to be greatly offended.

“Working with these pests? Don’t be ridiculous, please!”

Reyan frowned and closed his mouth.

‘So they came here to take unit 5 out of this prison? They said they don’t work with Bordkly, so they must’ve planned on fighting Bordkly’s side to kidnap the trapped and weakened unit 5.’

That was all Kairen could assume based on the small chat they had.

‘Why are we standing idly and chatting anyway?’

Shouldn’t they fight or something?

But he could understand it though. The First, as well as that bastard team leader whom he didn’t even want to say the name of, was probably wary of Aaron to some extent. They shouldn’t exactly know how strong he is, but they might’ve had some guesses after seeing the stone walls.

Aaron on the other hand seemed reluctant to fight. Kairen knew well that it was because of him, who was on Aaron’s back, unable to even properly let alone fight.

As a result, the two sides couldn’t do anything but stand and observe each other, searching for an opening in their opponent while assessing the situation thoroughly.

The First’s gaze rapidly moved between Aaron and Kairen. He stared at Kairen with cold eyes as he clenched and unclenched his grip on his sword. The previous team leader also sneaked peeks at Kairen before glancing at The First and frowning his brows meaningfully.

‘Ah!’

Kairen just realized it.

‘Are they after me?’

He was a member of unit 5 after all. Also, he was the one with a power that, apparently, the boss of Philomns was curious about. It made sense for Philomns to want to capture unit 5, the core members of Hainston’s special forces, but it made more sense if they actually wanted to take Kairen away, someone who possessed a mysterious power that even blocked their oh-so-strong special bomb.

‘They probably didn’t know that I was with Ron...’

If they had known, they wouldn’t be so surprised upon seeing Aaron and Kairen here together. The information they had gotten must’ve been something like ‘Unit 5 of Hainston’s SMF was captured and is being held in the prison in this location.’ They must’ve had no idea that one of the unit members was missing.

“You came here to capture unit 5.”

.....

Aaron started to talk once again.

“That must’ve been an order from the master, right?”

‘Mmmm...’

Kairen once again toughened his grip on Aaron’s cloak and slightly moved his head, hiding his face behind Aaron’s hood.

“He ordered you to capture unit 5 despite the agreement we had.”

The agreement they had. The agreement he had made with that bastard. The deal in which that piece of shit agreed not to harm or go after Kairen in exchange for Aaron to follow his orders. The agreement that Aaron had held his side until now. He had followed all of the orders given to him. Although he didn’t fulfill the parts that included Kairen getting hurt, he had done pretty much everything else.

But now what?

That bastard had ordered these scumbags to come to capture Kairen?

“Who is the traitor here? Huh?”

Aaron’s voice was so cold and scary that Kairen thought he could kill people by only talking to them.