Celis's departure marked the end of their meeting.
Hella decided to head back to class, conjuring a portal and stepping right through it.
Ten minutes later.
Somewhere inside an old, long-abandoned wooden warehouse...
The atmosphere was dark and suffocating. The walls were splattered with fresh blood.
There was no mistaking it—the oppressive air and the bloodshed were the direct results of Celis's terrifying, suffocating aura.
Two young men, the victims of his brutal revenge, lay dead behind him. Their bodies were riddled with deep slash wounds and swollen with bruises. Severed limbs were scattered across the floor.
The Sumitsu sword and the cloth gifted to him by Kaden lay discarded on the ground.
Celis grabbed another young man by the hair, viciously punching him in the face over and over until blood poured from his nose.
Pure hatred and vengeance fueled every single blow that landed on the boy's face.
Celis paused for a moment. Boiling with uncontrollable rage, he screamed right into his face.
"RENAL!!! FIGHT MEEEE!!! DO IT NOW!!!"
Renal gave no response. He didn't even twitch.
Enraged by his lifelessness, Celis crushed Renal's throat, decapitating him with sheer force. His head flew into the air, and Celis mercilessly punted it as it fell.
"Tch. He died."
Celis tossed Renal's headless body onto the pile with the other two corpses. He picked up his Sumitsu sword from the ground and waited for a miracle.
"And now, we wait... for the resurrection."
A brilliant light suddenly enveloped their battered bodies and their severed body parts. They were brought back to life in pristine condition—standing upright and lined up side by side.
The warehouse was wiped entirely clean, not a single drop of blood remained.
Their faces were all too familiar. They were the very same bullies who had tormented Celis in the past, exactly as Shintia had seen in her visions.
Celis's twisted wish was fulfilled by their revival.
Regaining consciousness, they turned their hands over and moved their legs in disbelief.
"I'm... alive...?"
Renal turned to his right, looking at his friends. He felt a wave of relief, but it was quickly overshadowed by dread and confusion.
"Mirza! Zula!"
Without a second thought, the two of them bolted, trying to escape this dark nightmare. Zula screamed at Renal as he ran.
"Run, man! Hurry!!!"
Celis didn't just stand there. He dissolved like water, transforming into a swarm of flying blue butterflies.
He materialized back into his true form, appearing right in front of Zula and Mirza.
They skidded to a halt, frozen in absolute terror. Cold sweat poured down their faces at Celis's sudden materialization.
"This is the first time I've ever seen you look so scared."
"Monster!!!" Zula screamed, his eyes wide with horror. His mental state was completely shattered beyond words.
Moving at an imperceptible, blinding speed, Celis sliced straight through Zula. His body was split in two, as effortlessly as scissors cutting through paper.
He reappeared standing behind Zula.
Neither of them had even been able to process his movements.
"A monster? Me? Hah... I'm just an ordinary human passing through! Remember that well."
Zula's bisected body collapsed to the dirt, his cold blood pooling onto the ground.
Renal and Mirza were paralyzed by an overwhelming, unfathomable fear. The sheer pressure of Celis's aura locked their bodies in place.
Celis looked at them with immense disappointment and pity.
"Fight back... Come on! Why so scared? Don't tell me you're terrified of the guy you used to bully."
Celis patted his own left shoulder, provoking Renal.
"Hey Renal, punch my shoulder. Just like you used to do to me."
Renal couldn't do a thing. Even swallowing his own saliva felt impossible.
"I... I can't even swallow," Renal thought to himself in a panic.
Celis swung his sword, cleanly severing both of Mirza's arms. Leaving Mirza to suffer, Celis stepped up to face Renal directly.
Mirza couldn't even force a scream out of his mouth; the agony was simply too overwhelming.
Renal's face drained of all color as he stared into Celis's eyes, experiencing a terror beyond human comprehension.
Sheathing his sword, Celis delivered a devastating left hook to Renal's skull. In just one strike, he shattered Renal's right jaw.
"Fight back!" Celis punched him in the gut.
"Fight back!" He struck Renal's right shoulder.
"Fight back!" He kicked Renal's shin.
"Fight back!" He punched Renal in the ribs.
"Fight back!" He kicked Renal squarely in the solar plexus.
"Fight back!" Celis grabbed Renal by the head and slammed it repeatedly against the wooden wall until blood gushed out.
"Fight back! Fight back! Fight back! Fight back! FIGHT BAAACK!!!"
Celis hurled Renal against the wall. His head took the brunt of the horrific impact before his body crumpled to the ground, landing right on a red ant nest.
Disturbed by the crash, the angry red ants swarmed over Renal, biting into his flesh.
Suddenly, Celis sensed an anomaly—the presence of 'someone' else.
"I have no business with you."
He glanced toward Mirza. Standing there were 'They'—figures well-known as the purveyors of justice and keepers of peace in society.
Three young men in casual clothing stood protectively in front of Mirza.
On the left was Fariz Driom, with a light wavy fade. On the right was Zinia Pranata, sporting messy hair. And standing in the center was Radiz Aoi, with a voluminous yet slightly unkempt side part.
They were members of 'Light Justice,' an organization operating under the command of Edi Damansyah.
The three of them were stunned to see Celis. They had been friends and underclassmen of Celis back in elementary school. The shock was mutual.
"Them..." Celis muttered, completely caught off guard by their arrival.
"Celis?! What are you doing here?" Radiz asked, taking in the gruesome, unnatural scene.
Celis stood tall and confidently replied, "No... what are you guys doing here?"
Fariz turned around and gasped at Mirza's condition. He hurriedly tried to heal Mirza's severed arms. However, Fariz's healing abilities weren't on par with Celis's organ-regenerating powers, he could only seal the bleeding stumps.
Zinia stepped forward to confront Celis, but Radiz held out his hand to stop him.
"Calm down for a second—"
Zinia complied, taking a few steps back. Radiz lowered his arm and looked at the victims. He recognized them—and so did Zinia and Fariz.
"—I don't know what history you have with them, but this is going too far, Celis."
"Too far? Heh, who are you to tell me what to do?"
"We are Light Justice. It's our duty to maintain peace and deliver justice for the citizens."
Celis burst into loud, mocking laughter.
"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA...!!!"
Fariz and Zinia watched him with a mix of confusion and fear, but Radiz stood his ground, unwavering in his principles.
"Ahh... Finally, someone is playing the role of the righteous protagonist," Celis mocked.
They had no idea what Celis was talking about. Radiz replied, "What do you mean? What's so funny?"
"Nothing. I'm just glad. Glad that there are still people who actually care like you do. But more importantly... Justice? What kind of justice are you exactly upholding?"
"We are under orders from Mr. Edi Damansyah to protect society from danger and evil Witches who seek to cause destruction. Because of that, w—"
Celis cut him off.
"Right, it's pretty obvious. So, you want to arrest me? Are you standing in the way of my revenge?"
"Yes. We're just going to lock you up. That's all."
Celis instantly unleashed a Slashing Durability strike at Radiz. Much to his shock, the attack didn't leave a single scratch on him.
He stared in utter disbelief.
"Sword attacks won't work on me," Radiz stated.
Hearing those words, Celis realized that he still wasn't strong enough. There were probably many others out there who were stronger than him, far beyond his current level.
Celis calmly walked over, picked up his cloth, and draped it over himself. As he walked past the trio, drawing level with Radiz, he leaned in and whispered into his ear.
"I am not a Witch. There is a man named Robert Pattinson—an evil Witch manipulating people's souls to resurrect mythological ghosts."
Radiz's eyes widened in shock. He spun around to face Celis, ready to interrogate him.
"Explain your—... self."
But Celis had already dissolved into a swarm of blue butterflies, scattering into the air. It happened so fast, he vanished in the blink of an eye.
Zinia turned to Radiz, asking firmly, "What now? Do we chase him?"
"No need—"
Radiz walked over and hoisted Renal onto his shoulder.
"—let's prioritize these guys first. We'll report this incident when we get back."