The air in the hallway turned suffocatingly still as the Harbinger’s words echoed in everyone’s ears.
"Taylor."
Timothy’s body stiffened. His breath hitched as his gaze snapped to Hutton, still trapped in the barrier. ’So my premonition was actually true…!’ He clenched his fists, his mind racing. ’This explains everything—the way he fought, the way he reacted to my name, the familiarity in his eyes. Hutton Maxwell… No, Taylor Hughes, you really came back.’
Hughes, standing nearby, felt his chest tighten. ’Taylor… Don’t tell me—it can’t be the Taylor that I know…!’ His mind flashed back to memories of his closest friend, his most trusted comrade, the man who should have died back in the war. ’But if it really is you… then why? Why are you here? And why do you look like that?’
Inside the barrier, Bob and Boma were equally stunned, exchanging baffled glances. Bob was the first to break the silence.
"Hutton… This is the second time they’ve called you Taylor," Bob said, his expression grim. "What the hell is going on?"
Kenneth, though quiet, was also staring at Hutton, waiting for an answer.
Hutton exhaled slowly, his fists tightening as he glared at the Harbinger with a grim look in his eyes. Then, after a moment, he turned to Bob.
"I’ll explain everything," Hutton said, his voice firm. "But first… we need to get out of this mess alive."
Bob and Boma exchanged hesitant looks before nodding. Whatever the truth was, now wasn’t the time to demand it.
The Harbinger chuckled darkly. "Oh? You want to escape? How adorable." He spread his arms wide, the barrier constricting even tighter around Hutton and his group. "Then let’s see if you can."
Timothy snapped out of his daze, his emotions swirling chaotically as he forced himself to focus. His master had barely survived the Harbinger’s earlier attack, and now the situation was spiraling out of control.
"Hughes," Timothy muttered, his voice low but urgent. "This just got way more complicated than I expected."
Hughes gritted his teeth. "No kidding."
Meanwhile, Hutton’s mind was spinning, calculating every possible way to break free. His past and present were colliding violently, but one thing was clear—this battle was only just beginning.
But unfortunately for Hutton, Bob and Boma, the suffocating pressure inside the barrier grew stronger, pressing down on Hutton, Bob, and Boma with unrelenting force. The air felt thick, heavy, and almost impossible to move through. Each second that passed drained more of their strength, making it harder to even stand.
"Now am sure this will make you stay put while I finish up business here"
The Harbinger, seemingly enjoying their struggle, finally shifted his gaze toward Timothy and Hughes’ master. His eerie, twisted smile remained, but his eyes gleamed with something far more sinister.
"Now, enough playing around," he said, his voice dripping with amusement. "Hand over the God Crystal."
Timothy stiffened, his mind instantly going into overdrive. ’How does he know?!’
Hughes’ master, usually calm and composed, looked visibly shaken for the first time. His grip tightened instinctively. ’He shouldn’t know that I have it…’ His eyes darted toward Timothy, who also seemed equally rattled.
Even Hutton, Bob, and Boma—despite their worsening predicament—felt a wave of shock hit them.
"He’s after the God Crystals too?" Hutton muttered under his breath. He clenched his fists. Just how dangerous is this man?
Hughes’ master quickly masked his surprise, forcing his expression back into one of cold indifference. "I don’t know what you’re talking about," he said flatly. "You must be mistaken."
The Harbinger tilted his head slightly, his smile widening. "Oh? Do you really think you can lie to me?" His fingers twitched, and the air in the room grew even colder. "I don’t ask twice."
Realizing the gravity of the situation, Hughes’ master subtly slipped his hand inside his robes. A golden talisman, covered in ancient runes, materialized in his palm—a powerful escape technique, one that could warp him out of this mess instantly.
’If I can just activate this—’
But before he could make a move—
BANG!
A force unseen rippled through the air.
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Timothy and Hughes’ eyes widened in horror as their master suddenly staggered, his body convulsing as if caught in an invisible grip. His breath hitched, his fingers trembling as the talisman slipped from his grasp.
And then—
His body collapsed, unmoving.
It wasn’t messy, nor overly dramatic. There was no blood spraying wildly, no gory mess—just a chilling, almost clinical moment where something inside him had simply… stopped.
Silence.
Pure, absolute silence.
Timothy felt his heartbeat thunder in his chest, his mind struggling to process what had just happened. Hughes stood frozen, his breath caught in his throat.
The Harbinger let out a soft chuckle, stepping over the fallen body as if it were nothing. He crouched down, picking up the God Crystal that had rolled out from the corpse’s robes. The swirling energy inside it pulsed faintly as if it recognized its new owner.
He held it up to the dim light, inspecting it with fascination. "Ah… this makes five."
Then, with an amused glance toward the now horrified Timothy and Hughes, he smirked.
"Would you like to join him next?"
The Harbinger’s smirk widened as he loomed over Timothy and Hughes, the eerie glow of the God Crystal reflecting in his eyes.
"Now then—"
Before he could finish his sentence though, Timothy suddenly grabbed Hughes’ wrist.
"We’re leaving."
Hughes barely had time to react before a golden light erupted from Timothy’s grip, engulfing them both in an instant. The light pulsed once—twice—before vanishing completely, taking Timothy and Hughes along with it.
The Harbinger’s eyes narrowed.
"What?"
For the first time that night, his confident demeanor faltered slightly. He reached out with his senses, scanning the room, the floors above, the ground below—
Nothing.
They were gone.
A low chuckle rumbled in his throat. "Interesting… I didn’t expect him to have a spatial technique at that level." His gaze flickered toward where Timothy had stood just moments ago. "But no matter. I’ll deal with them later."
Shaking off his momentary surprise, he turned his focus back to the real prize—the barrier.
A sinister grin spread across his lips as he strode toward it. "Now, let’s see what I should do with you three—"
He stopped.
His eyes widened.
The barrier, once brimming with power, was now… empty.
Gone.
No trace of Hutton, Bob, or Boma remained within it.
A flicker of genuine confusion crossed the Harbinger’s face. He extended a hand toward the space where they should have been, as if trying to confirm that his eyes weren’t playing tricks on him.
"Hmph. So, they had a trick up their sleeve as well?" He muttered, his grin fading.
His fingers curled slightly, his mind racing. "That wasn’t a simple escape… someone helped them."
His gaze darkened.
"Now, this is getting very interesting."
On top of a distant skyscraper, far from the chaos of the hotel, Hutton, Boma, and Bob stood, panting heavily as they tried to regain their composure. The night air was crisp, but their bodies burned with exhaustion and adrenaline.
Yet, their eyes weren’t on the city below—they were locked onto the new figure standing before them.
A man clad in a dark, form-fitting outfit, his long coat billowing slightly in the breeze. His posture was relaxed, yet his presence radiated a quiet strength. His face, though worn with experience, still carried a familiar smirk.
Boma’s breath hitched as recognition dawned upon him. His widened eyes reflected both disbelief and relief.
"Julian…? How—?!"
His voice wavered, unable to fully process the sight before him.
Julian, his right-hand man, the one he had believed lost—was here, standing in front of him as if he had never left.
Julian let out a low chuckle, his expression calm but knowing. "What? You thought an old bag of bones like me would leave this world so easily?"
His voice was steady, teasing even, but beneath it was something else—a weight, a history untold.
Boma took a hesitant step forward, his emotions warring between relief, suspicion, and curiosity. "I saw you go down, Julian. There was no way you could’ve—"
Julian raised a hand, stopping him. "A long story, Boss. One I’ll tell you soon enough. But for now…" His gaze shifted toward the hotel in the far distance, his sharp eyes narrowing. "I think we have bigger problems to deal with."
Hutton, who had been silent all this time, finally let out a deep exhale, his own mind still processing everything that had happened in the past hour. He exchanged glances with Bob before finally turning toward Julian.
"Fine," Hutton said, his tone serious. "Then start talking."