Bro, I'm not an Undead!

"Don\'t look so down. We\'ll be in and out before you know it," Aurolio said.

Skullius shrugged off the man\'s hand from his shoulder and wore a scowl.

"Unless you\'re super lucky too, I guarantee you that\'s not going to be the case," the Hybrid Luman said with the click of his tongue after his salty remark.

Aurolio was amused.

"You\'re pretty pessimistic, aren\'t you? Have some faith."

"Bro, there\'s never been a reason for me to be otherwise. Anyway, let\'s get this over with. I\'d prefer to deal with the Academy business before encountering Gillewart."

Aurolio chuckled.

"Alright. Let\'s go," he said before grabbing Skullius\' shoulder again and turning to Idline. "I can do without you now, Idline. Go back to the mansion."

The formally dressed woman nodded silently before watching the pale man drag Skullius away at a tremendous speed.

As a breeze blew against her from the force of their take-off, she sighed.

The trio had appeared near the entrance within the walls of Genhuis where a lot of the damage that had been dealt earlier was slowly being masked by large scale human activity. It was actually pretty impressive that in less than three hours, the city was already bustling with the usual clamour and enthusiasm.

The masses already felt a bit more relaxed.

Was this the famed collective emotion crowd influence?

As Idline set out to go back to the Velanqi mansion, Skullius and Aurolio had just arrived before the grandiose, imposing and isolated view of the Reacher Academy.

"You know? I can move on my own," Skullius said while swatting away Aurolio\'s hand...again.

"Oh, I didn\'t. I\'m used to doing things my way," the pale man replied nonchalantly. He gazed ahead at the entrance to the institution, the interior of which was riddled with magic towers, and smiled. "You ready?"

"Kind of," Skullius said with an anxious scoff.

"Stop."

...!

Suddenly, a third voice disrupted the two\'s flow. Skullius\' body trembled involuntarily as he felt a familiar clutch on his soul that moved to his flesh and bone, turning them rigid.

Aurolio felt the same and stopped moving, but he grunted a bit and shrugged a bit violently... shattering the effect from his body completely!

He then turned behind him.

"It\'s pretty impolite to impose your filthy grip on my soul without warning, asshole," he said, much to the surprise of the man behind him.

It was Gillewart.

The City Guardian glanced at Skullius who was rendered immobile, and then to Aurolio.

"So it\'s true what I\'ve heard. A young man at the Master Stage capable of resisting compulsion," he said with a snort. "I have no business with you. Not now. All I need is for this man to come with me."

Aurolio glanced at Skullius who could only move his eyes in a strained manner. The look within them screamed quite loudly, and fortunately, Aurolio could hear what they said just fine.

\'I get it. I get it,\' the pale man thought.

He then gave a menacing glare to Gillewart.

"Sorry. I\'m in need of him too. So I would appreciate it if you fuck off. Sound good?"

The look on Gillewart\'s face didn\'t change. He smacked his lips as a bright glow boiled behind the monocle he had once again placed before his eye.

"Ruhrees told me that you were the one who killed one of the monsters that attacked the city. Don\'t let it get to your head. Each and every one of us could kill those things with enough effort, but our priority is the safety of the people and the city as a whole. With that in mind, this man has ties that concern that very matter of safety. So, let me say it again..." Gillewart said as he flashed over to Skullius and gripped his arm. "...I\'ll be taking him."

Aurolio laughed before raising his chin and looking at Gillewart with the most condescending eyes the Incandescent Stage expert had ever seen.

" | Legendary powerhouses do get to do what they want, huh | "

...!

Suddenly, Gillewart felt his entire body get blasted with an overbearing force from above that seemed to sit on his shoulders and force him to kneel, his knees ploughing into the ground!

The City Guardian gnashed his teeth and groaned.

\'What in the world... what is this?!\' he wondered in awe.

He couldn\'t resist with his physical might, and even when he pumped mana into his muscles, he was still unable to move an inch!

Impossible!

Was he really facing off against a Master Stage expert?!

Was this some kind of compulsion?!

On the side, Skullius too wore a look of awe.

He, unlike Gillewart, knew that this wasn\'t compulsion.

This feeling...!

Wasn\'t it way too familiar?!

From the moment Aurolio spoke, he felt a wild gush of mana blast from him, along with an invisible, intangible force that hurtled towards Gillewart!

This...!

This was similar to [Evil Veneration]!

This was a Veneration art?!

Aurolio walked over to the incapacitated Gillewart and stared him down.

"Now let me not appear as if I\'m the type of ignorant asshole who doesn\'t appreciate that it\'s your duty to keep the city safe. It\'s your job. I get it. But what we\'re doing is the exact same thing. We want to get rid of the monsters being kept at the Academy since we can do it more efficiently. We\'ll even give some intel on them. Alright?" he said with a semi-respectful tone.

Gillewart struggled to look up at the pale man and saw his serious visage. There was no ridicule or condescension within his eyes. He was being serious.

Soon, the crushing force pounding against Gillewart receded, allowing him to move freely again.

He gazed at Aurolio again and then at Skullius.

He then sighed and stood up.

With but a thought, he freed Skullius from his grip, giving him a sharp look as he did.

"Fine. I\'ll join you then. There was someone else at the Academy who was interested in having a chat with you anyway," he said.

Skullius stretched his body uncomfortably and asked.

"Who?"

"Arch-Mage Ryte."

The Hybrid Luman kept a straight face.

"I see," he said with a heavy tone.

Of course it was.

Aurolio nodded to Gillewart\'s words so Skullius felt like he had no say in anything else.

Even though he had much to say to Aurolio after witnessing another aspect of his power, now wasn\'t the time.

*

The trio, after clearing everything they had to about their objectives entered the Academy after being granted admission by the man at the gate.

Soon, under Gillewart\'s guidance, they reached a tower Skullius was familiar with where upon reaching the entrance into it, an elderly man appeared out of thin air and gave a smile to Gillewart before traversing with his sight all the way to Skullius.

"Well I\'ll be. To think it was actually you? Haha. Interesting," Arch-Mage Ryte said.

"It\'s good to see you again, Arch-Mage Ryte," Skullius said in a respectful tone.

"Hmmm. I\'d like to say the same but... hmmm," the Arch-Mage paused and studied Skullius\' body suddenly. "Dear levered greens!"

The Hybrid Luman was startled by the old man\'s reaction, as was Gillewart.

"Ryte?" he said, but the man ignored him.

"To think it\'s possible for one to grow so profoundly after such a short time! The mana buzzing around you is quite literally screaming!"

Gillewart and Aurolio both looked curiously at Skullius who remained dumbfounded.

What was this guy talking about?

Ryte drew himself from his focus on Skullius and coughed awkwardly.

"In any case, come in. Gillewart\'s told me fascinating things. Let\'s talk inside."