The X Guide

Ss-class espers were so powerful that they were also monsters themselves in their eyes. The government and clan higher-ups were terrified of them.

Perhaps this alienation against the SS-class espers was pushed behind the scenes by these forces. Of course, Aicel would not care about that at this time, but it was hard not to think of them when one thought of ice and lightning.

He shook his head inwardly. It could not be.

Ayen did not have a connection with those two at all. Or was it Keeran? No, that was even more impossible. They investigated everyone who interacted with Ayen over the years.

None of them was significant, nor was someone standing behind them.

Until now, Ayen’s uniqueness was only known to a few. Aicel clenched his hand. Damn brat.

Aicel brushed his hair and stood up. He was getting anxious all of a sudden. He looked up, though it was only the ceiling. His heartbeat began to race in his chest.

He then paused and took a small stone from his pocket. It was heating up and slowly cracked. Aicel’s eyes widened. The ominous sensation grew, and he let out a curse.

Escape! He had to escape. This artifact would not break if there were no life-threatening danger directed at him.

However, it was too late.

"Look! What’s that?"

This caught everyone’s attention. They looked outside and saw the outside being covered by a storm barrier. No, not outside. They were inside a storm barrier!

"What’s going on?" The other looked at Rigor, who also looked lost, and glanced at Aicel, who was standing just behind him.

"Shit." Rigor’s face paled. "Where the hell is that bastard?"

Aicel was not there anymore!

Aicel was currently running towards the space rift to escape. That was a rift that sacrificed most of the clan’s treasures and could not be closed in that short amount of time.

Even if they were the SS-class espers themselves. He was dumb if he had not realized yet that those two had arrived for him.

Aicel clenched his lips, his hands trembling. If he was caught, his fate was sealed. Even if he had so many trump cards on him. Those were like toys against the Ss-class espers.

"Damn that bitch Georgina." He could not help but curse that meddlesome woman. He spent his last poison on her.

Of course, he did not think that he would be able to do damage to an SS-class esper, but it could at least give him some time to escape.

After all, it was not yet complete.

Aicel could not fathom how Ayen met the Ss-class espers already.

Those geezers were still useless. How could they still be complacent when Ayen was already in the hands of the SS-class espers?

No, he had to inform them as soon as possible.

But when did they hook up with each other?

It could not be in that red zone... Wait? Was it that time?

When a team arrived to retrieve Ayen there, they did not see him. Did the Ss-class espers already know of his existence and use that chaos too to get a hold of Ayen?

How? None of them did any suspicious actions, and even let Ayen be inside the association for years. Or someone betrayed the organization?

Aicel’s mind wandered over so many possibilities as his hand took the communication device from his pocket.

He expected this, but Aicel still cursed and almost threw the device. There was no way to connect to the line. The barrier truly covered the whole place.

When he arrived there, he was not the only one.

Aicel paused; even his mind blanked out for a moment.

He should have known that escaping was impossible.

Ayen stood before the space rift as Khal and Devion were by his side.

When Aicel thought that the space rift could not be closed within a minute or two, he was spot on. Also, Khal and Devion had no intention of closing it; otherwise, the whole clan force would know of their involvement.

"You’re still predictable." Ayen looked at his older cousin, someone he had not seen for years. "Aicel."

They did not need to find him; Aicel had delivered himself on his own two feet.

"How..." Aicel’s mind was still shaken because of their appearance, and he had not registered how he was frozen where he stood.

His lower body was frozen in ice as the area around him was a force field; lightning occasionally crackled in the ground.

His usual confidence was nowhere to be found. This was the difference between mana densities and ranks, something that could not just be overcome.

Khal and Devion seemed to be only standing silently behind Ayen, but their presence was particularly overwhelming for an A-class esper like Aicel.

Ayen remained where he stood, staring at the cousin who was only slightly familiar to him now. The last time he saw him was almost a decade ago.

He looked different from his memories. Although, Aicel always had a lower presence compared to his other cousins. Suddenly, he changed so much over the years.

Ayen was no different. He changed a lot.

He thought that once he saw him, Ayen would become violent and such, but instead, he felt calmer. He was still raging inside, but he managed to control it.

This kind of hatred could not just be satisfied by torturing one or two members. It should be a group of them. When did he become twisted? Ayen did not know if he was born that way.

He found himself wanting to pull everyone down to hell.

"Since Aicel’s here, some of the Nevaris Clan members are here. Can you bring them here?" Ayen did not look at the two espers; he only stared at Aicel.

The two espers glanced at him before nodding. They did not question or dissuade him. If not for letting Ayen take the lead. They had already razed this place.

Before they left, they covered Ayen with a barrier. While Aicel could not move, there was no guarantee he could not pull any tricks.