In his mind’s eye, Chaisi could almost see a transparent barrier, soft as water, flowing silently out from the Illusion.

It flowed across the ground as if along invisible channels, forming a square. The transparent barrier then rose from the four sides, folding at the corners and flowing toward each other in midair—finally fusing together, forming a transparent box that could trap someone inside.

"...She dares use this cheap crap on me," Chaisi muttered, reaching out to grip a tree branch tightly.

To be honest, the Illusion’s effect wasn’t half-bad. It was untraceable when activated, and its walls could ignore external damage. Even a Hunter trapped inside would have a hard time figuring out how to escape.

But perhaps Morando hadn’t considered that, even though Chaisi didn’t have a Path, his knowledge and familiarity with Illusions were far beyond that of any ordinary Hunter.

Over the years, he had evaluated, tested, and inspected hundreds of Illusions for the Kai Family, at a conservative estimate. Even a common Hunter who regularly went in and out of Nests probably wouldn’t encounter that many in their entire life.

The moment he realized a tree’s shadow was floating by his feet under the low, gray sky, Chaisi understood almost instantly how this Illusion’s effect was formed.

The transparent barrier had formed four walls, folded over, flowed into midair, and finally "bonded" together... It was precisely at this seam where the daylight changed. Light seemed to be focused and refracted. Beneath the sky thick with gloomy clouds, it was this tiny point of strange light that cast the blurry shadow of the tree.

’The door. I’ve found it.’

Just like many structures in the world, this Illusion’s weakest point should be at the junction where two faces met.

Chaisi placed a foot on a branch and held the trunk tightly, carefully straightening his body bit by bit.

He’d forgotten the last time he’d climbed a tree, or how old he’d been. Now, his tall, six-foot-six frame trembled on the branch, a situation that was somehow more nerve-wracking than dealing with residents.

’If I don’t get taken out by the Illusion but end up immobilized from falling out of a tree, I’ll never be able to rest in peace.’

’Next time I see Morando, I’ll have to put her up a tree myself. Using an Illusion on her would be too generous. Stringing her up with a plain hemp rope—now that would be satisfying.’

As these thoughts ran through his head, Chaisi raised his gun and, aiming at the blurry patch in midair that looked like a halo of light filtering through the thin clouds, pulled the trigger.

The first bullet plunged into the gel-like light. Before it could fall, the second followed close behind. The third and fourth bullets stirred up an increasingly violent, thunderstorm-like tempest. Their impacts, each heavier than the last, hammered at the shimmering light until it wavered, finally piercing and tearing through the air. The transparent screen flickered and trembled a few times like a curtain of water. At last, one bullet didn’t fall back onto the grass, but vanished into the distant sky.

However, the surrounding barriers remained firm. They didn’t collapse just because a crack had been torn open.

Chaisi clenched his jaw. In his mind, he had already dismembered Morando into seventeen or eighteen pieces.

’Never in his life had he imagined he’d be forced to scramble up and down trees, judging distances, and testing his swings by grabbing onto trunks. He honestly couldn’t see the difference between himself and a monkey.’ 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

When Chaisi finally climbed as high as he could and desperately leaped toward the spot in midair, he was actually prepared to fall to the ground with a thud.

Perhaps his luck hadn’t abandoned him yet. In the instant before he grazed the "ceiling" and fell, it was as if countless antennae had sprouted all over Chaisi’s body, allowing his skin to faintly feel a subtle, cool breeze. He hastily reached out a large hand, his fingers desperately clamping onto the long, narrow fissure he had blasted open with his bullets.

If someone had been walking along the road at that moment, they would have seen a tall man in black hair and black clothes suspended from absolutely nothing in midair. Not only was he dangling in the air, but he was also kicking his legs and flailing his arms, struggling to climb into the void. His expression was fierce and furious, yet he couldn’t help but look utterly wretched.

’After all, for a thirty-year-old man to have to go through the process of being born all over again, who wouldn’t look pathetic?’

That said, even an effect from such a "simple" Illusion was a marvel most people could only dream of.

Although the transparent barrier had been pierced, it remained intact and solid.

It looked like there was nothing but empty air, yet Chaisi could walk on it, step by step. When he looked down, the ground was a dozen meters below, gazing up at him from a distance as if with a sense of loss.

’As long as I can get out of this Illusion’s effect, the rest won’t be a problem.’

Chaisi now had the advantage of a high vantage point. He scanned his surroundings and saw that Morando did indeed seem to have left long ago. Shoving the thought of that dead woman walking to the back of his mind, he got his bearings from the top of the "box," leaped into the air ahead, and grabbed a branch to break his fall, landing as lightly as a panther on the ground.

When he got back to his car, he found that Morando had slashed the tires.

"...The conditions that help you achieve your goal are sometimes hidden in the details. If you can catch what others miss, your chances of success will naturally be higher."

He seemed to recall saying something like that to Morando many years ago.

Apparently, that woman had also been worried that a single Illusion wouldn’t be enough to hold Chaisi, and was determined to delay him for as long as she possibly could.

Chaisi cursed under his breath, grabbed the phone that had saved his life and the walkie-talkie from Mercury out of the car, and took off running up the hillside.

’There haven’t been any calls on the walkie-talkie yet, which means the Mercenaries are still at least a few kilometers away. Right now, the only thing I can rely on is the gun in my hand.’

As Chaisi rushed onto the small path he had walked countless times, the first thing he saw was the white flower he had left on the bench that morning.

The untouched bouquet of snow-white flowers still lay where he’d left it. The wrapping paper, soaked through by the rain and now half-dry, was spattered with flecks of blood. Some of the blood had speckled the petals, as if someone had tried to transfer their own life into the flowers.

From up the slope, a muffled cry echoed from a distance, as if someone was fighting. ’Fighting?’

Chaisi snapped back to his senses, strode over the motionless bodies of bodyguards and strangers on the ground, and sprinted up the path. For a moment, he even forgot that he himself could be a target, and roared furiously, "Uncle Kai, where are you!"

"It’s Chaisi," someone shouted from a distance. "Over here! Hurry, Mr. Kai is in danger!"

’Sounds like a Hunter from the Family Faction.’

In what felt like only a few breaths, Chaisi had already charged up to the cemetery at the top of the hill.

There was one problem he hadn’t noticed, so focused was he on rushing to the rescue. It was only after he reached the cemetery that he suddenly realized something was missing from this attack, something that shouldn’t have been: sound.

To be more precise, the sound of gunfire.

Ever since driving into the cemetery, apart from the shots he had fired himself, he hadn’t heard a single gunshot from the hillside.

’It was a life-or-death conflict, so why hadn’t a single shot been fired?’

The answer to that question was now floating, densely packed, in midair, nearly obscuring the sky.

Several motionless bodies lay silent beneath the open sky.

"Get down!"

The deep, heavy voice belonged to Kai Luonan, barking a sudden command from up ahead. Chaisi had just felt a wave of relief wash over him, but before he could even look toward the sound to find Uncle Kai, a bullet gleaming with a metallic luster had already filled the center of his vision.

On the hillside, centered around Damian’s grave, countless bullets were floating between the earth and the sky.

From a distance, they looked like a flock of small birds, frozen in the air in the middle of changing formation and scattering.

Only when Chaisi charged headfirst into the cemetery did they seem to activate. With a sharp whistle, several bullets cut through the air, shooting straight for his face.