What was originally supposed to be a normal day turned into a collective exorcism session.

Several men remained standing, frozen, not understanding what they had just witnessed.

"They really did it..." let out a warrior while letting his shield fall back against the table.

The sound of metal echoed briefly before being absorbed by the ambient brouhaha. A few heads turned toward him, but no one replied immediately. Each person seemed still stuck in their own thoughts.

The crowd was in turmoil, because the two men they believed to be impostors had in reality just exceeded all their wildest expectations. Those who had openly mocked them a few minutes earlier, including the drunk warrior looking for a fight, now remained prostrated, their throats dry and their gazes evasive.

"They managed it without using arcane magic... that is the most impressive part..." retorted another man, his gaze fixed on Kaiser’s hands that bore no trace of arcane mana.

"Are you sure about what you are saying?" asked someone behind him.

"Look for yourself," he replied without averting his eyes. "No fluctuation... nothing. It is as if he used nothing, except the aura..."

A short silence settled between them, quickly broken by another voice.

"Does that not mean their method is far better than that of the priests of the Holy Cathedral?" asked one of them in a trembling voice, not daring to look the two strangers in the eyes.

At this remark, several people reacted immediately. Simply comparing these foreigners to the priests seemed enough to create unease.

"Be careful what you say," murmured a woman seated nearby, glancing around. "If someone hears you..."

"So what?" replied the man, a little louder this time. "You saw what they did just like I did. The priests take hours, sometimes they fail... they handled it in a few moments."

"What nonsense are you spouting again," retorted his neighbor. "...It was only one demon they exorcised, how can we be sure... it might just be luck...".

"A stroke of luck?" picked up the first, raising his tone slightly. "You call that a stroke of luck? Did you see what state that thing was in?"

"Yes, I saw," replied the other while clenching his teeth. "And precisely, that proves it was not normal. Maybe that demon was already weakened."

"Or maybe you just refuse to admit you were wrong," replied a third voice calmly.

The two men turned toward the one who had just spoken. He was neither agitated nor impressed, but his gaze was serious.

"We all mocked them," he added. "Now look at us. We are looking for excuses."

While the discussion was becoming more and more intense, Kaiser slowly approached the small group, his hands plunged into the pockets of his coat. His steps were calm, steady. Yet several people immediately noticed his approach and stiffened.

The warrior who was still holding his pint felt a presence and raised his eyes. When he recognized Kaiser, he froze slightly, his fingers tightening around the mug.

"Hey you," he called calmly while staring at the guy who seemed to doubt their ability.

His voice was neither aggressive nor loud, but it cut the conversation short. All eyes turned toward him. Even those talking at other tables gradually fell silent, drawn by the scene.

The man paused for a moment, turning his head slightly to mask his fear. "Huh... me? What do you want from me, human?"

He tried to maintain a confident posture, straightening his shoulders slightly.

Kaiser did not reply immediately and began to rapidly chain complex mudras, his fingers moving with supernatural fluidity. Seeing him do this, the man’s expression suddenly collapsed, while beads of sweat began to saturate his forehead. "Wait... I... I am not possessed!" he tried to justify while quickly stepping back to try to flee toward the exit.

However, he brutally collided with Diavolo who was already standing behind him. He displayed a small mocking smile, revealing his golden teeth. "Then why are you running away, oh great warrior...?" let out Diavolo in a drawling voice while firmly holding him by the shoulder.

Before he could utter another word, Kaiser placed his thumb on the man’s forehead. The next instant, the unfortunate man’s body began to convulse violently. A thick black smoke, viscous and twisted, began to escape from all his orifices in a sinister hiss.

"Argh!"

The man let out one last guttural tearing cry before collapsing heavily onto the floor, unconscious. The atmosphere in the hall instantly froze, the silence broken only by the crackling of the torches. Who could have suspected such an individual of being the host of a demon?

Every person present realized with dread that a possessed individual was not necessarily someone writhing or screaming in the streets. Perhaps the one standing right next to them, or the one walking calmly in the city, was in fact a slave to these vile creatures.

Quickly, paranoia began to take hold of the hearts of those present, gazes becoming suspicious and hands moving closer to sword hilts.

"Calm down everyone," intervened Kaiser, his voice resonating with a natural authority that cut short the emerging murmurs. "I know you have realized that demons are far more cunning than you thought... but I can detect them without any possible error, so just stay calm..." he added while sweeping the hall with a circular gaze, discreetly activating his Eyes of Predation to analyze the energy flows.

A murmur rose, but it seemed that most people had understood the lesson and remained frozen in place.

"And what else?" suddenly let out a massive warrior while drawing his sword with a brusque gesture. "No one is going to force me to stay here like a lamb at the slaughterhouse!".

While he began to agitate and threaten the crowd, Kaiser reduced the distance at a crazy speed. The warrior raised his blade, preparing to deliver a powerful vertical strike, but Kaiser leaned with an economy of movement, dodging the attack with a simple pivot of his torso. Before the man could bring his weapon back, Kaiser delivered a precise blow to the base of his neck, using a percussion technique learned during his intensive training, which made him lose consciousness instantly.

But he did not stop there. Kaiser abruptly changed direction, using an impulse from his Aura of Repulsion under his feet to project himself toward the back of the hall. He reduced the space with a warrior who was near the wall. She had nevertheless remained very calm since the beginning of the events. Her eyes widened in surprise upon seeing Kaiser’s index finger approaching her face after a new series of mudras executed at lightning speed. It was already too late for her.

The tip of Kaiser’s finger touched her forehead and, immediately, she too began to convulse before the same toxic smoke burst from her body.

The people were stunned. Kaiser was now moving at a crazy speed across the room, his Dash making him almost invisible to the naked eye. After his passage, only tearing cries of expelled demons and that black smoke floating toward the ceiling before dissipating remained behind him. He was not looking for aesthetics, but pure efficiency, striking the tension points and corruption zones he detected.

After about ten minutes this collective exorcism finally seemed to come to an end. The hall was strewn with unconscious bodies, freed from their demonic burden.

"It is high time to take a break, baby boy," said Diavolo while pulling a wooden chair to sit down, his movements showing total nonchalance that contrasted with the surrounding chaos.

Kaiser said nothing. He pulled the other chair and sat down as well, his hands now still on the table. He let the others take care of those who had fallen. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

"Bring a few glasses to drink, I am dying of thirst," Diavolo finally asked while the waitress, still in shock and trembling all over, rushed toward the bar.