Chapter 27: Mist Beyond the Mist

Two days later, in Breiu, the largest city of Altak, the most grand initiation trial in the region’s history was held. Over 800 boys aged 14 and above from across Altak participated in this trial. A week later, nearly 700 boys returned victorious, carrying the head of a Maltz snow wolf—meaning they had now earned the status of men. Conversely, many parents showed expressions of pain, as they could not find their children among the triumphant boys.

It must be said that this initiation trial was extremely cruel, but it was indeed the key to maintaining Altak’s reputation for valiant warriors. Altak did not need weak men!

Following the initiation ceremony, the atmosphere in Breiu grew even more excited, as they heard that the granddaughter of Lord Naialek Vayer Verti Vomisli had finally decided to choose a strong man as her husband. The candidate did not have to be from Altak; anyone who could defeat her and outshine all other rivals could become a husband of the Vomisli family.

In recent years, Altak had heard many rumors about this girl. After all, she had already defeated numerous Altak men who tried to propose to her. It was a subject that Altak’s competitive men preferred not to discuss, as losing to a woman was something no one wanted to admit.

Yet this did not diminish their curiosity. They also wanted to see which man would be so lucky. Of course, luck alone was not enough; one must first possess recognized strength.

Perhaps the fierce-minded people of Altak were naturally drawn to such contests of strength. Even if it wasn’t for the lord’s granddaughter, they wanted to show others their prowess. As a result, within just two days, over 2,000 people signed up, most of them being strong men in their thirties—meaning they were actually ineligible for the trial but came merely to prove their strength.

After all, Altak’s culture was quite similar to that of barbarians, and contests like gladiatorial fights were often entertainment during meals in various cities, something unmatched in other parts of the empire.

Among these two thousand people, there were only eight or nine hundred men under the age of twenty or unmarried, and about one-tenth of them were outsiders. The vast majority came to participate in this competition for other reasons. For example, the knights accompanying Prince Theo also took part, aiming to eliminate as many competitors as possible for Prince Theo, including Scott, who was nominally his subordinate. On the other hand, Allen naturally sided with Thos, and the vampire Ulric was also forced by Allen to register, along with the soldier puppet Sogjes—these were Thos’s forces. The competition began at dawn on the third day. When Lord Naialek Vayer Verti Vomisli appeared before the crowd, heartfelt cheers erupted from the sea of people, showing the old man’s high status among the Altakians. In his sixties, Naialek still had the energy of a young man. On this frigid land, he wore only a thin military uniform. His gray hair and beard indicated a life full of hardships, but his eyes were as sharp as those of a falcon, piercing through people’s souls and making it hard to meet his gaze. It could be said that in the eyes of the Altakians, this old man was their true king, not the former emperor far away in Sassen, nor the current emperor. Hearing the thunderous cheers, Lavia suddenly felt immense pressure. Though she had sworn to herself, deep down, she lacked confidence. Her grandfather’s dazzling aura exerted too much pressure, and she wasn’t sure she could earn the same admiration and trust from the people as he had. Seeming to notice the worry and disappointment in Lavia’s eyes, Naialek smiled slightly, as if to remind her, and said in a low voice, “Maintain your composure, Avi. Don’t disgrace the Vomisli family. Greet them!” “Yes, grandfather!” Lavia replied and waved at the crowd from the platform, eliciting cheers no less intense than those for Naialek. After all, the Altakians were very interested in this granddaughter of a lord who had mastered powerful magic—of course, only out of curiosity about which man would defeat her. Such was Altak: women were destined to receive no true support. “What are you worried about?”

“Worried?” Looking at her grandfather in surprise, Lavia said with a faint smile, “I don’t need to worry about anything!”
“Hehe,” waving at the crowd, Old Nai Alek whispered, “Are you that confident, thinking no one here can defeat you? Remember, child, if an army has a proud commander, it means that army has already lost half its strength! — The price of pride is often a crushing defeat!”
“I certainly understand that! I don’t think I can defeat everyone here either… At least, there’s one person I’ll never be able to beat…”
“Hm?” Perhaps his granddaughter’s words concerned Old Nai Alek more than the upcoming match. He observed her expression carefully and guessed softly, “There’s something strange to me. A week ago, you said you didn’t want to get married. Why did you change your mind suddenly? — I heard from Kwin that a week ago, you brought a boy to your room. If this gets out…”
Lavia glared angrily at Kwin standing beside her and whispered, “Shut up!”
“Yes, master…” Kwin bowed obediently, like a noblewoman.
“Don’t blame Kwin. I asked,” Old Nai Alek smiled and said softly, “I’m just a bit curious because you’ve never mentioned this before… Did you meet that boy at the Riox Magic Academy?”
“Mm!” Lavia nodded while searching through the crowd for Thos and the others.
Seeing her calm expression, Old Nai Alek said in surprise, “Is that boy very strong? You seem quite confident…”
“Of course!” With a hint of pride, Lavia laughed lightly, “He can’t possibly lose to opponents of this level! — For him, such battles are meaningless. Even you, grandfather, might not be able to defeat him!”
“Oh?” Old Nai Alek raised his eyebrows, a sharp glint appearing in his eyes as he said with a smile, “I really want to meet such an outstanding young person!”
“Giggle, you will!” As she spoke, Lavia’s eyelashes trembled, and her gaze became even more joyful.
Seeming to notice something, Old Nai Alek instinctively glanced toward the competition area.
“Next, Vando Volmon Kleist against Tav Jekelson!”

As the host’s voice faded, a burly man dressed in a fur-lined coat arrived in the square amidst loud cheers. After responding to the crowd’s calls, the man suddenly realized his opponent was just a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old boy.
“Thos…” Lavia’s gaze softened slightly, but then, as if recalling something, she sighed deeply, the joy in her eyes gradually giving way to disappointment.
“Oh? Is it that boy?” Old Nai Alec seemed to notice Lavia’s emotional shift. Smiling as he looked at Thos in the distance, he said, “I didn’t see anything special about that kid… Hm, could he be a magician too? Don’t be too careless, Avi. As far as I know, magicians have very fragile bodies. Once they get close, they’re doomed to fail. And our opponent is an Altak warrior—ordinary magic can’t defeat our warriors!”
“Is that so?” Lavia smiled faintly.
Just like Old Nai Alec’s attitude, when the people present saw that the burly man’s opponent was merely a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old boy, they began to boo at him mockingly. After all, Altak valued bravery, but not bullying a child.
The boos made the burly man feel awkward. He glanced at Thos, who was sitting with his eyes closed and silent, then shrugged helplessly and said, “Is that you my opponent? I advise you to give up quickly, kid!” As he spoke, he showed off his muscular arms.
Unfortunately, the boy across from him didn’t even bother to open his eyes. He simply said, “Let’s start already!”
“Hey!” Thos’s calmness made the burly man want to laugh. He patted his chest and asked provocatively, laughing loudly, “Hey, hey, hey! Whose little brat is this? Don’t cry later!”
Amidst the loud laughter, Thos slowly opened his eyes and snorted coldly.
“Start!”
At the host’s command, the burly man spread his arms wide and rushed at Thos like a tiger. Seeing his fierce appearance, everyone worried for Thos.
But to everyone’s surprise, the burly man’s tiger-like charge failed to reach the boy, because earlier, the boy had mysteriously disappeared from his spot.
“Hm?” Seeing his opponent vanish suddenly, the burly man was stunned. He looked around in confusion when suddenly he heard several voices from the crowd.
“Behind you!”

“Huh?” Before the burly man could react, he suddenly felt a fierce blow on his neck, as heavy as a bear’s paw strike.
“Thud!”
Watching the burly man collapse limp on the ground, unresponsive for a long time, the crowd that had been cheering fell silent, clearly unable to believe their eyes.
Glancing at the stunned host, Thos calmly reminded him, “It’s over! Stop looking—he won’t get up!”
“Uh…” Staring at the young boy in shock for a while, the host finally snapped out of it and quickly shouted, “The winner is Vanod’s Volmon Klaest!”
“…” Watching the boy walk off the square in silence, Old Nai Alec’s expression turned serious as he stroked his beard and murmured, “It seems I underestimated your friend. But isn’t he a magician? Yet he knocked out his opponent purely with physical strength…”
“How about it?” Ravia said proudly, with a hint of childlike pride.
“Heh,” Old Nai Alec shook his head with a smile, then said seriously, “I don’t see any joy from a victory at all. Is the opponent really that weak? What an arrogant kid!”
“Because the opponent isn’t even in the same league—there’s such a huge gap…” Looking at the boy in the crowd, Ravia showed a rare tenderness in her eyes.
Indeed, facing an opponent like Thos, even the brave Altakians had to bow their proud heads. After several more matches, the Altakians watching gradually realized the terrifying strength of this boy named Volmon Klaest. In almost every match, he won with overwhelming superiority in just a few seconds, leaving his opponents with no chance to fight back.
As a result, the Altakians assigned to Thos’s group shifted from initial contempt and ease to frustration and worry—their opponent was simply too strong!
But all of this was done by Thos following Ravia’s instructions. After all, for various reasons, Ravia wanted the Altakians to fully take control of Altak, perhaps also driven by a bit of a girl’s vanity.
And so, after a few more matches, when the Altakians saw that this boy could end battles and win in seconds no matter who his opponent was, their last glimmers of hope vanished, for they had heard that this boy was actually a magician.

There is nothing more disheartening than being knocked out by a magician’s physical strength, especially when their so-called “warriors” are also defeated in an instant by that young man. As a result, the remaining Altakians chose to withdraw whenever they faced him. To be honest, in Altak, withdrawing without fighting when encountering an opponent is considered cowardly behavior and would earn contempt from others. But this time, the watching Altakians did not despise those who withdrew, because their opponent was simply too powerful—too far beyond their reach.

“Truly worthy of being Hodde Kendi’s apprentice!” praised Cliff Belis, a mage from the first squad of the former Royal Magicians, sincerely. In fact, during Sos’s first match, he had already lost hope for this marriage alliance, as the old magician had a good relationship with Scott and had heard many things from him—about Sos’s strength, and about his relationship with Ravia. That’s why he suggested to Prince Theo that they recruit this young man. Unfortunately, out of pride in their royal bloodline, Prince Theo couldn’t bring himself to do so, even though the glory of the Aywood royal family had long since faded.

If the opponent had been an ordinary person, the old magician would have tried to lure him with titles and such, but sadly, the young man showed no interest in those things at all. Among the several days of matches, the most notable was the fight between Allen and Scott—a battle between a knight and a mage, no, rather between a combat mage and a spellcaster. After a half-hour stalemate, Allen finally won by a narrow margin, as Scott was far weaker in terms of stamina.

Apart from that, there were hardly any truly exciting or spectacular battles, as most Altakians fought hand-to-hand. While the fights were exciting, they fell far short of being magnificent. The most boring were Sos’s battles—throughout the entire event, he defeated his opponents within ten seconds. His overwhelming strength made the Altakians firmly remember the young man’s name: Volmon Kleist!

As Ravia said, this competition was really unnecessary. From the moment Sos agreed, the outcome was already determined. After all, as an apostle, Sos could never be defeated by ordinary people. Of course, it wasn’t completely fruitless—at least the Altakians remembered Sos, and his name would spread among them, laying the foundation for Ravia’s rule over Altak.

And so, the five-day competition came to an end. Just as Eibel had predicted for Ravia, Thos… no, Volmon Klaest became Ravia’s nominal husband, and this became a topic of conversation among the Altak people at every meal.
But in reality?
Ravia didn’t want to share the bitterness of this situation with anyone except her closest friends, let alone her grandfather—after all, it was hardly a good thing…
After the competition, the still competitive old Nai Alek challenged Thos to a fight. After about ten minutes, Thos voluntarily admitted defeat.
Yet old Nai Alek wasn’t pleased at all, because Thos hadn’t attacked once and had always given way to the old man, after all, he was Ravia’s grandfather.
This made the proud old Nai Alek feel uncomfortable. Though he was quite satisfied with his grandson-in-law, he could clearly see that there was no comparison between the two.
After saying a few words about not wanting to admit he was old, old Nai Alek finally accepted Thos—well, accepted Volmon Klaest as the heir to his Vomisli family.
But as a result, old Nai Alek had to abandon the prestigious surname Fahuaria, a honor bestowed by King Sassen IX. He was well aware that the first prince was very dissatisfied with this outcome, so he had to revert to the surname Vomisli, their true surname, though few people in the world knew of it today.
Ravia, too, finally received the surname Vomisli as acting lord, a surname originally reserved only for male members of the family—Ravia Vayer Wilty Vomisli.
What happened afterward followed almost exactly the plan set by Thos and Ravia. Ravia naturally took charge of Altak’s affairs, becoming its de facto female ruler. After all, old Nai Alek had intended for the “husband and wife” to manage Altak together; he certainly didn’t expect any hidden motives.
Due to the global situation, their wedding had to be rushed, as they also had to represent Altak at the Vandell Alliance meeting to discuss strategies for counterattacking Sassen. But Ravia wasn’t too concerned about this. After all, it wouldn’t bring her many happy memories…

If marriage is the most important moment of happiness in a woman’s life, then for Lavia, such happiness was fleeting and empty, like foam. As Queen said, to become the female ruler of Altak, Lavia paid an exorbitant price…
On the night of her hasty marriage, Lavia faced every guest with composure—whether it was Allen, Scott, her husband Thos, family members, the people of Altak, or even strangers with no connection to her…
But in the quiet of the night, she would cry silently in her room, crying bitterly yet unnoticed, for she did not want anyone to see her final weakness…
Perhaps, there are things a woman shows to a man only because she wants him to see them; what she does not want him to see, he will never know…
Thus, whether it was Thos, Allen, Scott, or the people of Altak, what they saw of Lavia during the day was always one of a ruler growing more and more authoritative. The other side of her, however, was something she did not want anyone to see—because she was the female ruler of Altak, the queen of this land!
Judging from the current situation, after Lavia took control of Altak, Altak naturally became part of the allied forces opposing Agus, greatly strengthening their strength.
Perhaps, within just a month, the empire will witness the greatest battle in its history!
And at the same time…
—In the eastern part of the empire, Milianya—
Milianya was one of the few large cities in the eastern part of the empire. Far from Sasan’s rule and located inland, it was free from the harassment of northern barbarians, making life here quite peaceful.
The only war there had been a couple of years ago, when the Serlanders who had migrated eastward attacked this region. Without help from the imperial army, the city lord chose to surrender, and thus the Serlanders became the rulers of this city and several nearby cities.
It must be said, however, that the Serlanders’ rule was much more lenient than that of the empire, which led to the empire’s people feeling increasingly indifferent toward Sasan. Perhaps this is a true reflection of the empire’s current situation: a corrupt regime has weakened the royal family’s cohesion, making it incomparable to the Sasan kings of centuries ago.

Back when the Saxon King fought his first decisive battle against Salonia, a single order led to people from all over rushing to form armies. But now, Prince Theo, as the first prince, receives almost no support. Even Galic only backs him due to his royal bloodline. Of course, this isn’t genuine support—it’s merely an investment aimed at gaining more profits.

The old Alec seemed inclined to help this stranded prince, but due to various issues concerning his family and granddaughter’s future, he ultimately hesitated and handed over full control of the situation to Ravia…

The empire’s cohesion is growing weaker and weaker…

“Have you heard? Vandel is assembling an army to attack the Saxons, and even Galic is involved. If we can persuade Altak, those Saxon nobles are in trouble…”

In a tavern in Milianya, some men were drinking and discussing events in the west…

“I heard it was led by Operelles. Those filthy-rich merchants even formed an army, and it’s said to be quite powerful…”

“Hey, that’s interesting… By the way, what’s Altak’s stance?”

“I haven’t heard anything. He seems to still be neutral…”

“It would be great if they could persuade Altak. An alliance between Altak and Galic, against Gron’s army—three of the empire’s strongest military forces, plus the Saxon Royal Knights…”

“Royal Knights? They were disbanded long ago…”

“Disbanded? Aren’t they attacking Operelles right now?”

“When was that supposed to happen?!”

“Oh…”

Just then, the tavern door was pushed open. A person dressed in a dark green travel cloak, holding a staff as tall as a person, walked in. When he… no, when she lifted her cloak, the entire tavern fell silent.

“Guh!” Looking at the girl’s slender figure and delicate face, the men in the tavern instinctively swallowed hard—she was simply too beautiful… No, beauty was secondary; what mattered more was her aura—a noble presence mixed with allure.

Especially her eyes, like stars, and her crimson lips, carried an intoxicating charm.

“Huh,” under everyone’s gaze, the girl walked to the counter, found a seat, and said in a clear, bell-like voice, “Give me a glass of water!”

“Uh… okay!” The innkeeper nodded mechanically, staring intently at the girl before him. He picked up a kettle and poured water into the cup, not noticing at all that the water spilled outside the cup. “Giggle…” The girl seemed to notice, stretched out her slender fingers, pointed at the cup, and said softly, “It’s all spilled!” “Ah? I’m… sorry!” “Giggle…” That clear laughter seemed to arouse the desires of the drunk men in the inn. A burly man stood up, laughing, staggered over to the girl, and said with a grin, “Aren’t you bored being alone? Drink a few drinks with us, huh?” The girl glanced up at him, as if understanding something. Her dark eyes shifted, and with a hint of temptation, she said with a light laugh, “Drinking… If it’s about drinking, I prefer to be alone…” “Why? Isn’t it better to be together?—Wine is a great thing!” the burly man said, laughing, while the others in the inn echoed his words with laughter. “Yes,” the girl said with a self-mocking smile, speaking softly, “Wine can make people forget some unfortunate things, but after waking up, they feel even sadder…” “So one has to keep drinking until they’re completely drunk!” the burly man said with a laugh. “Forget it…” The girl shook her head. “Hey, that’s not polite, kid!” the burly man pretended to be angry. Just as he wanted to stir up trouble on purpose, he suddenly noticed that each finger of the girl’s right hand holding the cup was adorned with a magic ring, especially the magic stones on those rings, as big as thumbs—red, yellow, blue… Those five obviously priceless gems left the burly man momentarily stunned. Looking at her left hand, he saw five more magic rings embedded with huge gems. Then he noticed her magic staff, which was as tall as a person, adorned with precious gems from all elements—gems that would make even merchants from Opereles drool. It was then that the burly man truly paid attention to the girl, because she was covered in fascinating magic artifacts—rings, necklaces, earrings, magic robes—truly a moving warehouse of magic stones, all made of extremely precious large gems. In an instant, the atmosphere in the entire inn changed. The men in the inn were breathing heavily like bulls, not because of the girl’s beauty, but because of those precious gems on her…

“Sigh…” Seeming to notice something, the girl let out a soft sigh, left a silver coin, and prepared to leave, but a few men stopped her.
“Wait, kid. We’re short on money for drinks these days. Stay and keep us company…”
“I advise you not to…” Facing their fierce expressions, the girl licked her lips and said in a seductive whisper, “You’ll get hurt!”
“It’s you who’ll get ‘hurt’, right?”
“I really can’t do anything about you…”
Under the tavern owner’s astonished gaze, the girl’s expression changed slightly, and soon, intense electric light appeared in her hands. The crackling electricity, like a call from death, flashed throughout the tavern.
A minute later, watching as the girl put on her travel cloak and left the tavern, and then glancing at the men lying unconscious on the ground from the electric shock, the tavern owner murmured, “A mage who uses lightning? Impressive… really impressive…”
With magic knowledge now widely spread, everyone knew that a mage capable of wielding lightning magic was by no means an ordinary mage. After all, lightning magic is a combination of water magic and fire magic. To cast it, one must master both types of magic simultaneously. In other words, it’s impossible without the strength of a grand mage!
That girl, who appeared to be no older than twenty, was actually a grand mage?
But… she’s so beautiful…
I’ve never seen such a beautiful woman before…
The tavern owner murmured to himself.
Meanwhile…
—In the southeast region of the empire, Kasalis—
Kasalis is located east of Operelles, on the border between the empire and Salonia. Over the past decade or so, to avoid provoking neighboring countries, neither the empire nor Salonia stationed troops here. In other words, it was almost a lawless area.
This situation led to a large number of bandits, mercenaries, and thieves gathering there. Most of them were wanted criminals by the empire, while others would do anything for money—killing, smuggling, anything related to money.
The empire and Salonia had tried several times to send troops to suppress them, but these people would hide at the slightest sign of trouble, sometimes in imperial territory and sometimes in Salonian territory. Since the empire and Salonia were in a tense relationship at the time, neither dared to station many troops there to avoid provoking the other. Thus, Kasalis became a haven for these criminals.

The largest bandit gang in the area is an organization called the Gale Wolves, numbering around a few hundred members. They recently raided a caravan from Operelles and plan to hide in Salonia for a couple of days to avoid the army. Before that, these bandits gathered on an open plain beneath a mountain hollow to celebrate. As they drank and merried, they suddenly noticed strange glimmers appearing in the central clearing… Just as the bandits thought they were hallucinating from drunkenness, the glimmers grew stronger. Then, with a whoosh, a dark curtain appeared before them, like a massive door… Under the silent gaze of the bandits, a young man in his twenties stepped out of that door-like curtain. He had grayish-white hair mixed with a few strands of black, wearing a robe similar to those of the Church’s cardinals that the bandits were familiar with—except this robe was black, exuding a chilling coldness. Behind him came a knight clad in magnificent black armor, with a horned helmet and an obsidian sword… Huh? He looked almost identical to Kain, the king puppet evolved from Thor’s soldier puppet, Soges… Yes, exactly the same! From the moment this young man stepped onto the ground, the bandits felt an overwhelming pressure, as if the sky were collapsing, leaving them barely able to move. “Hey!” the young man said indifferently, looking down at the bandits as if they were ants. “What era is it now?” As he spoke, he slightly raised his face, revealing terrifying black tattoos resembling those of a demon, especially his slightly grayish-pink eyes, which certainly didn’t resemble human eyes—they looked more like those of a beast, a monster, or a demon! “Hm?” Feeling the immense pressure from him, the bandits swallowed hard and stammered, “Wh… what era?” The young man’s gaze sharpened, and he spoke in an unyielding tone, “Answer me, ants!” “Ants…?” Anger arose in the bandits’ hearts. They exchanged glances with their companions, stood up, and said defiantly, “Don’t be so arrogant, kid. Do you know who you’re talking to?” A few bandits drew their weapons and circled them maliciously.

With a disdainful gaze as if a deity were looking down on humans, the young man sneered and said coldly, “Foolish brats, such an eyesore… ‘Disappear!’” As he spoke, panic erupted among the robbers. Pointing at those armed men, they shouted in shock, “You… your bodies… hey, your bodies…” The robbers seemed unaware at first. When they looked down again, they were horrified to find their bodies gradually becoming translucent, as if turning into air. “Thud!” A weapon slipped to the ground—the robber who had been holding it had vanished right before everyone’s eyes… Yes, it sounds ridiculous, but they really disappeared like air… “No!” “Don’t… don’t…” Amid the robbers’ panicked cries, more weapons fell to the ground as their owners vanished… “What… what kind of magic is this?” The robbers retreated in terror. The young man raised his hand slightly, and a black flame ignited in his palm. With a wave of his hand, the black flame turned into a raging sea of fire. Amidst screams of pain, it devoured hundreds of robbers, leaving only one who collapsed in front of him, too weak to move. The young man glared coldly at that robber and said harshly, “Answer me, idiot!—What era is it now?” Seeing the tragic fate of his companions, the robber cried out, “It’s… the year 407 of the new calendar…” “407…” The young man frowned slightly and murmured, “I wonder if that guy, Argus, is dead… He must be…” “Argus?” As if he had grasped something important, the robber hurriedly said, “If you mean that Argus from the Saxons, he’s not dead yet. Armies are being assembled everywhere to attack the Saxons… He’s very famous, so I know about him. Please spare me…” “Oh?” The young man was momentarily stunned and murmured, “Strange… Could I be mistaken?” With that, he glanced at the collapsed robber and turned to leave. Just as the robber thought he had escaped death, the young man said calmly, “Deal with him, Kane!” “Yes, master!” With fear in his eyes, the knight in heavy armor raised his obsidian sword… “Ah!”

“Argus, still not dead?” Looking at the sunset in the sky, the young man’s eyes showed a complex expression.
“What do you plan to do, master?” The knight named Cain came over after dealing with the robber, lowered his head, and spoke in a quiet voice, “With your current strength, it’s far too easy to deal with a guy like Argus…”
“Hmph, Argus is just a minor figure; no need to worry about him… What really concerns me is the guy behind him…”
“Mammon?”
“Mm!”
“With your strength, even Mammon wouldn’t dare oppose you!”
“But I also can’t afford to oppose him, right? Don’t forget, there are six of those guys…”
“I’m sorry, master…”
“Don’t worry about it! — Don’t forget our goal!”
“Yes, master…”
Watching the sun gradually set, the young man raised his right hand covered in black tattoos, extending it toward the sunset as if trying to grasp it.
“Heh, I told you before—we might meet again, you naive brat! — Let me see your resolve! Let me, ‘Belial’…”