There was a truth that no one but Evals knew.
His two most powerful subordinates—Fey and Azul—were incredibly powerful and experienced.
However, compared to him… they were nothing.
Evals had always made it a personal principle of his to be stronger than his subordinates—by all means necessary!
The only reason behind his entourage was to give him an air of authority, and also so he didn't always have to deal with the violence himself.
That was why, even though the two of them were so easily defeated by the masked man, he didn't so much as flinch.
He could see everything, and he knew from what he saw… that he was stronger!
'And now, it's time to put this fool in his place.'
~WHOOOSH!~
Evals swiftly teleported right in front of the masked entity, certain that he would surprise him by utilizing such Magic.
'Hahaha! Fazed yet?!'
Spatial Magic was very rare. Not too many people could use it, and even Evals had never encountered anyone who could utilize such incredibly complex and powerful Magic.
The reason he could was simply because of one of his Rings—an Item he could equip because of his Exclusive Skill.
'Now then…!' Another ring of his shone brightly, and Evals' hand turned purplish-black.
He lunged his hand towards the masked figure, knowing that he was still recoiling from his sudden appearance.
'My shirt and trousers give me enhanced physical abilities, and my shoes give me additional speed.
With all these items influencing his abilities, he was even stronger and faster than the Warrior Azul.
And now, with his hand currently influenced by the 'Ring Of Corruption', he would be able to poison his masked enemy with a quick-acting poison that would paralyze him.
'And after that…!' Evals Redart grinned like a wild beast.
'… You'll be mine!'
~WHOOOSH!~
An invisible wall suddenly stopped Evals from advancing further.
'W-what?!'
As if that wasn't enough, this invisible barrier seemed to be pushing Evals away—like a push that he could not resist despite how he tried to advance forward.
"Nngh!"
In the end, he found himself thrust away by the attack he could not see, forced a couple of meters back.
… Right to where he started from.
'What did he just do? Is this also part of that PULL ability that he has?'
As Azul struggled to understand what just happened, he heard a voice that sent jitters down his spine.
"Do you have any other Skill to show me? Just using those few won't cut it."
The masked man's voice felt deep and dark; immensely threatening, even for Evals Redart.
'This guy…!'
He was pissed off now.
'I wanted to paralyze him and take my time torturing him, but I guess it's going to be better to just end this as fast as I can.'
Evals prepared to teleport once again—this time, right behind his foe.
He also prepared his necklace—which would generate a protective field around him. With it, he could resist whatever push and pull effect his enemy would throw at him.
He also activated the ability in his bracelet, allowing himself to be shrouded in dense Mana.
His three other rings gleamed as they granted him Lightning, Wind, and Fire affinities.
With these, as well as all the enhancements he had received earlier, Evals Redarts felt invincible.
He was at his peak right now, and no one could stop him.
'Let's see how he handles the combined might of all my Items!'
As he grinned widely, preparing to teleport and then throw the most powerful blow that would blast his foe into smithereens, he heard a comment that caused his body to tremble slightly.
"You finally showed me everything. I guess I should end this now."
~WHOOSH!~
In a flash, before Evals Redart could even process a fraction of what was said, the enemy appeared right in front of him.
"H-huh?!"
It was the same short-range Teleportation that he had just used.
How… how did his adversary use it?!
'C-could it be—?!' Evals' bloodshot eyes widened as he stared at the masked figure of death.
'… Has he always had that Skill?'
If that was the case, then Evals had been miscalculating all this time.
This man before him didn't just have five Skills. He had six!
'No. If I count that Appraisal thing he said before, and how he knows so many things about me, then…'
It was probably seven—perhaps even more.
Evals didn't have a wealth of imagination to possibly comprehend just how vast his opponent's skillset was.
He only knew one thing.
"W-wai—!"
He was screwed.
~BOOOOOOM!~
A surge of energy blew off all the defenses and Mana Armor that Evals had activated.
In that instant, his defenses were left bare.
"Someone like you… who would do this to innocent ones… you don't deserve to live."
As Evals heard this, he felt some kind of liquid dripping down his pants.
His legs felt hot as they trembled as he gazed upon the crimson eyes of the masked man.
"P-please s-spare my—!"
~BOOOM!~
A sudden punch landed on his stomach, causing the waistcoat bd shirt he wore to rip to shreds.
Just like that, layers of his defenses were torn apart.
Evals had gotten most of his Items—both for his subordinate and for himself—from the KariBlanc Group, so he was certain of their quality.
For this single man to do this to such high-value products, it just went to show how immense his power was.
This masked fellow wasn't a man! Evals was certain of it now, and all of his consciousness screamed it out as he opened his trembling lips.
"Y-you're a MONSTER!"
~BOOOOOM!~
Yet another punch landed, but this time on Evals Redart's face.
The impact caused his brain to vibrate within his skull as his body was sent flying to the wall within the room.
He just the wall and it cracked, nearly shattering apart.
"Guark!" Evals puked blood out of his mouth as he felt his body growing hot with pain,
He collapsed to the ground, barely able to stand as he coughed out more red fluids from his disfigured mouth.
Some of his teeth fell out, and his pummeled fade appeared pathetic as he struggled to breathe.
His vision was growing blurry, and he felt like passing out. However, Evals knew that if he did such a thing, it would be game over.
And so, now that he ass out of cards, he did the only reasonable thing that the leader of an elite and powerful organization would do.
"GUARDS! EVERYONE! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FORRR?!
His thunderous voice echoed within the room, though to someone listening, it sounded like the desperate ramblings of a scared man.
"ARE YOU ALL DEAF?! ARE YOU NOT LISTENING?! COME IN HERE AND PROTECT ME! DESTROY THIS MAAAN!"
No one came to his aid, though.
The desperate man's face contorted in surprise and confusion.
Why wasn't anyone answering? There was no way they couldn't have heard all the noise and commotion, and his plea for help.
So why…?
"W-WHY AREN'T YOU—?!"
"They can't hear you, Evals Redart." The masked man said this, and then took a step forward.
"None of them can."
