Al's gaze flickered from Ira to Bojes, who was still laughing heartily.

"I heard little about who you people truly are. But from what I have heard, you call yourselves professionals. For a professional, one mistake may be forgiven, tolerated even. But two mistakes committed at the same time? That would surely cause your credibility to diminish… would it not?" Al said coolly.

"What are you implying?" Ira and Bojes asked in unison, both stung by his words.

Al merely lifted a hand and pointed behind Bojes.

Everyone instinctively turned their eyes in that direction, including Devy and Yura.

"You people… are still far from professional," Al said, his voice calm yet carrying the sting of mockery.

Jogo was now standing upright, his entire being enveloped and smothered by a suffocating darkness, as though a cloak woven of pure shadow wrapped itself around his flesh. His consciousness did not appear to be completely stable—his eyes held a vacant wildness—but even so, he had not entirely lost himself.

A thick, tar-like aura of pure black swirled violently around his figure, resembling smoke pouring endlessly from burning embers. His dim, blood-red pupils glowed with a feral glimmer, darting uncontrollably, while his trembling body shook as if about to collapse. The floor beneath his feet groaned, creaked, and cracked loudly, as though the sheer weight of the unnatural energy pressing down upon him was far too heavy for any normal human vessel to endure.

"You…! How in the world is that possible?!" Bojes exclaimed in genuine shock, his voice tinged with disbelief, for he had been absolutely certain that he had already incapacitated Jogo completely. Never in his wildest calculations had he expected the man to still be capable of rising, let alone standing.

And then, without any further warning, Jogo unleashed a devastating surge of destructive energy downward into the ground. Bojes attempted to intercept and block the eruption, his body moving instinctively, but his reaction was too slow.

DUARRRR!!!

A deafening explosion erupted, tearing apart and shattering the very room itself. The shockwave blasted outward in every direction, rattling bones and crushing air. Window glass exploded outward in shards, raining down like jagged knives, while the walls cracked open with thunderous roars before collapsing in fragments.

A suffocating cloud of dust swallowed the space, blotting out vision until everything became nothing more than a suffused blur of gray chaos. The echo of the blast roared and rumbled long afterward, vibrating deep within the eardrums, leaving a painful ring.

Devy reacted instantly, conjuring layers of crystalline ice that rose like twin fortresses, shielding both herself and Yura with not one but two reinforced barriers. At the same time, Ira manifested a vast protective mesh of magical threads, her conjured web stretching across the air with astonishing precision, successfully diverting and absorbing the brunt of the blast, preserving the lives of those nearby.

The ice ramparts trembled and fractured under the sheer force, cracks racing across their glittering blue surface, shards reflecting fiery hues from the burning rubble all around. Ira's web pulsed violently, its threads vibrating like the strings of an overstrained instrument, bending inwards as though they were on the verge of snapping apart.

Those still outside the building gasped in alarm. Fortunately, they had already withdrawn far enough that the brunt of the impact did not reach them directly. Nevertheless, many staggered back, covering their ears, their widened eyes fixed on the building now engulfed in heavy smoke, punctuated by the splintering crash of collapsing beams.

The structure stood ruined—its entire section of battle-ravaged ground reduced to nothing more than shattered remnants after the catastrophic explosion.

And when, at long last, the dense veil of smoke and dust dispersed enough to restore some semblance of vision, it was revealed that everyone within had miraculously survived. However, the figures of Jogo and Rudi were nowhere to be found. Bojes and Ira both clenched their jaws, expressions carved with frustration, consumed by the bitter taste of their own negligence.

Bojes drove his fist into the remaining wall with a resounding crash, pulverizing the bricks until fragments scattered onto the ground. Ira's jaw tightened, her eyes glinting dangerously, filled with fury—not only because their enemies had slipped away, but also because their pride and professional dignity had been wounded.

From within the crumbling dome of ice, Devy and Yura emerged, stepping carefully amidst the fractured shards.

But Al—Al was nowhere in sight. He had vanished entirely.

Panic overtook Yura immediately. She seized Devy's arm with trembling hands, her complexion pale as snow, tears glimmering at the edges of her eyes. Her voice faltered, breaking each time she attempted to call out Al's name. Her fingers gripped Devy's sleeve desperately, clutching as though afraid that Devy himself might disappear the next instant.

Bojes and Ira exchanged grim looks, irritation etched across both their faces. But even amidst their anger, they recalled the strange reactions displayed earlier by the two mysterious youths when Al had appeared. That memory sparked suspicion, and together they concluded that Al had most likely been abducted by the retreating Jogo and Rudi. Without hesitation, they resolved to give chase—surely their quarry had not gotten far.

Yura and Devy harbored the same conclusion.

"Devy… we must find him. What if those two monsters have truly kidnapped him?" Yura's voice cracked, weighted with fear.

Devy nodded firmly, her agreement resolute.

"I will track him down. You should return home first. Wait there for my message." Her voice was cold, calm, but her eyes blazed with determination. Her posture leaned forward, every fiber of her being poised to sprint into action at any given second.

Yura nodded in reluctant approval. She knew this was for the best—Devy working alone would be faster and safer, while she herself would seek to mobilize the influence and manpower of her family to conduct a broader search.

Yet just as Devy prepared to depart, Ira stepped forward to obstruct her. Her figure loomed in front of Devy's path, and behind her, shimmering threads of magic still lingered faintly in the air, forming a delicate but firm barrier. Her expression hardened into stone, her eyes sharp and scrutinizing.

"You—wait a moment." Ira's voice cut through the night.

Devy's gaze narrowed, irritation flaring across her otherwise composed face.

"Do you intend to fight me here?" Devy's tone was icy.

Ira shook her head.

"No. I only want to confirm something—that you are not one of them."

"What exactly do you mean?" Devy demanded.

"DIAR." Ira's lips curved around the word with eerie calm. The single syllable dropped into the silence like a heavy stone tossed into still water, sending ripples of dread across the atmosphere. The air itself seemed to thicken.

Devy's eyes widened, momentarily betraying her composure. She had not expected such a direct accusation. Quickly, she steadied herself, forcing her expression back to neutrality.

"And how, exactly, do you plan to verify that?"

Ira answered by tossing a small orb, no larger than a marble. It hovered in midair, rotating slowly. This was no ordinary object—this was a clandestine invention of their world, a secret piece of technology still in experimental stages, yet already reliable enough for practical deployment.

The DIAR Detection Ball.

"That device will release black smoke if you truly are a DIAR," Bojes explained tersely.

The sphere floated weightlessly, its surface glowing faintly with a ghostly white radiance. All eyes fixed upon it, tension climbing as everyone awaited its judgment.

Devy's breath caught—she had not anticipated technology capable of this. But fortune smiled upon her. The orb remained unchanged. No black smoke appeared.

It had judged her as not being a DIAR.

"Then it is settled—you are not a DIAR. Thank you for your cooperation. And forgive our rudeness," Ira spoke with formal civility.

Devy inclined her head slightly. She glanced once more at Yura, then without another word, propelled herself into the darkness, her body vanishing like a phantom melting seamlessly into the folds of the night.

Bojes and Ira watched her disappear into the distance. Their gazes met briefly, before both turned and hastened in pursuit of Jogo and Rudi, their minds fixated on retrieving Al.

Meanwhile, far away amidst the shadows of the forest, Devy exhaled a long, controlled breath as she leapt from branch to branch with fluid precision. She came to rest upon a wide, sturdy bough, raising her hand to study the white bracelet clasped around her wrist.

"Fortunately… I had this with me," she murmured under her breath.

The bracelet shimmered faintly, emanating a subtle glow of soft white light before dimming once again, as though it deliberately concealed its own secretive nature.

Whatever artifact it truly was, it clearly possessed the ability to mask her status as a DIAR—even against detection devices specifically designed to expose such a truth.

---

The night deepened further, the canopy above blotting out the sky. Yet the tension of conflict remained thick, refusing to dissipate. The nocturnal wind drifted through the towering trees, carrying with it the earthy scent of damp soil intermingled with the faint metallic tang of blood left behind from the earlier battle. The forest city was cloaked in silence, broken only by the distant chorus of insects and the brittle snapping of fallen twigs underfoot.

At last, the two masked figures—Jogo and Rudi—descended into the depths of the forest city, choosing a secluded clearing far from the café ruins. It was an ideal location to pause and recover their strength before returning to Daraka's base. Their breaths came heavy, ragged, their internal energies swirling chaotically, unstable. And most importantly—Al was not with them.

With abrupt violence, both tore their masks from their faces.

"Arghhh… damn it all!"

Rudi lashed out, kicking savagely at the trunk of a nearby tree.

"Failure—again! Even with this overwhelming power! That vermin… that wretched rodent refuses to be exterminated!"

The resounding crack of his blow echoed, startling the nocturnal wildlife, sending animals fleeing in terror. His face was slick with sweat, veins bulging along his temples, his rage palpable in every line of his expression.

Jogo said nothing. His silence was heavy, his breath ragged as he wrestled to stabilize the tumultuous darkness raging within him. The explosion earlier had consumed much of his strength. His eyes burned faintly, though dimmed with exhaustion, and his hunched frame quivered under the strain. The black aura surged and rippled around him, unstable, writhing like the smoke of a demon too great for his body to contain.

But then—

"And tonight… that vermin shall become your predator instead."

A voice drifted from the shadows of the dense trees. The tone was unnervingly calm, yet carried an icy weight that pressed against their chests.

The leaves stirred and rustled without wind, as though the forest itself was holding its breath. Both men turned instantly, instincts razor-sharp, their eyes widening, hands tightening around their weapons.

A tall silhouette emerged among the trees, a long shadow stretching forward. The figure's face was veiled in obscurity, but even without being seen, his voice alone was more than enough to make hearts pound faster, as if some primal instinct screamed of danger.