" And now, what do we do? " asked Kaiser after exhaling a long puff of gray smoke that slowly dissipated in the dry wind. " It’s going to be complicated to search for them all one by one. "

" You should rather get ready for this hunt, baby boy ", replied Diavolo in a light tone.

He started walking nonchalantly, scanning the terrain. Diavolo suddenly veered toward a small rocky mound, an elevation of earth that overlooked the camp.

" Where are you going? " asked Jezabel, frowning.

" I’m taking a bit of height to see better what’s happening ", retorted Diavolo without even turning around.

Kaiser followed him, hands sunk in his pockets, closely followed by Jezabel. Upon reaching the top of the hill, Diavolo stopped. In front of him, the camp stretched over a much larger surface than expected.

" You didn’t hold back ", said Diavolo while observing the extent of the installations. " Well, let’s get to work ", he murmured as he began performing mudras with disconcerting speed, before joining his palms with a crash.

< Mystic Art: Large Scale Perception >

At that precise moment, a wave of energy spread from Diavolo. Unlike the first technique, this one possessed a much wider density. It extended in a perfect circle, sweeping everything within a one-kilometer radius. Jezabel widened her eyes, her mouth opening slightly in shock. She perceived the black elf’s mana flow, and it was colossal, surpassing anything she could have imagined from a being of this race. The contempt she felt for him instantly transformed into fascination.

’ If he is really that powerful... if I manage to bond with them, it could be useful to me one day,’ she thought.

The response to the spell did not take long: the nearest possessed began to manifest, emitting demonic energy. Amid the tents, the students, initially confused, grabbed their weapons upon realizing that their own comrades had just turned into monsters.

" What are you waiting for? " asked Diavolo, casting a sideways glance at Kaiser. " If you don’t hurry up, they will end up destroying everything and fleeing. "

" Stop rushing me, fucking cowboy ", replied Kaiser, inhaling the smoke before releasing it in a sigh of weariness. His expression was neutral, almost bored, despite the chaos unfolding below.

Then, without another word, he advanced toward the edge of the hill, hands still buried in his pockets, and simply let himself fall into the void.

As his feet touched the ground several meters below, Kaiser did not pause. He used the impact to propel himself forward. His speed was such that the wind raised by his passage made the dust fly around him. Jezabel remained open-mouthed, her eyes fixed on this demonstration of aura farming.

Diavolo, who had remained on the mound, turned his head toward her, one eyebrow raised mockingly. He pointed a finger at Kaiser’s silhouette, which was already moving away.

" You, why don’t you go help him? So we can finish faster... " he asked with a small stifled laugh. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

" Ah... yes ", replied Jezabel hastily, destabilized by the question.

She quickly regained her composure, then descended the hill in turn, activating her fire mana to boost her own speed, leaving Diavolo alone at the top.

Nearby, a group of terrified young mages had gathered in a circle, desperately trying to maintain a shield that was wavering under the assault of flames. A massive fireball, condensed by a possessed, sliced through the air, heading straight toward them with a sinister whistle.

Suddenly, Kaiser emerged from nowhere, his silhouette interposing between the students and the attack. With a lazy movement, he seized the handle of his katana, then drew it, slicing the air. The fireball was literally split in two, the two halves extinguishing pathetically in a cloud of singed vapor before touching the ground.

" You would do better to get out of here ", said Kaiser, throwing a glance over his shoulder toward the students petrified with astonishment. " Come on, let’s finish this ", he added, addressing the possessed who faced him.

" Grrh! "

The possessed, a former student whose features were now distorted by black and swollen veins, let out a growl in response. His eyes, bloodshot and saturated with demonic energy, fixed on Kaiser with bestial hunger.

In a surge of pure rage, he rushed forward, his hand extended forward in the form of a sharp claw ready to tear. Kaiser simply tilted his head to the side, letting the claw pass a few millimeters from his cheek.

Taking advantage of his opponent’s momentum, his hand closed violently on the possessed’s face. The force of the impact was such that the bones of the skull seemed to groan under the pressure. In a brutal movement, he slammed the individual to the ground. The crash that followed made the cracked earth vibrate. The shock was so violent that the possessed let out a gush of blood blackened by corruption before fainting instantly.

Kaiser did not stop there. He calmly placed the tip of his index finger on the unconscious man’s forehead. Immediately, a pulse of pure aura traversed the victim’s body, and the demonic energy that parasitized him dissipated into the air.

*Boom*

An explosion rang out on his left, breaking the silence. Kaiser turned his head, observing a column of black smoke rising in the distance. His gaze hardened.

" I’m going to have to move a little faster ", he murmured to himself.

In a few strides, he covered the distance separating him from the site of the detonation. He wasted no time in superfluous analyses and threw himself on the nearest possessed to subdue him. However, before he could reach him, a sword shot out laterally, aiming for his head.

Kaiser reacted quickly. He blocked the attack with his katana, the clash of metal against metal producing a shower of sparks.

The impact was powerful, forcing him to retreat a few steps to stabilize his center of gravity. He scrutinized his new attacker: an academy student whose aura emitted an unusual density.

" Given your strength, you must surely be rank B ", said Kaiser, addressing the one who had just attacked him.

He waited for no response, knowing that the student’s consciousness was already drowned under the corruption. Instead, he put force into his legs.

He rushed toward the mage, lowering his katana in a straight line in what seemed to be a frontal attack. But at the last moment, it was a feint. Kaiser pivoted on his heel, spinning on himself, and struck the possessed’s flank with the flat of his blade. The impact took him completely by surprise. The violence of the blow sent him flying several meters.

Without wasting time, Kaiser rushed at him to deliver the finishing blow, but he quickly shifted to the side, avoiding a fireball that had just been launched at him by the mage.

" Tsss... " Kaiser clicked his tongue with annoyance. " Yet I think I told you I don’t have time to waste ", he declared coldly.