Chapter 64: He’s a monster!

Erick was shocked—more importantly, terrified. What was Zephyr thinking?!

To Erick, Zephyr was only a weak B-Rank Esper. Yet he had just moved so fast that Erick could barely follow him before going straight up to a Demon and grabbing his shoulder without the slightest hesitation.

Even if he had some powerful agility skill, was Zephyr trying to get himself killed?

That Demon was too powerful!

Erick’s heart tightened, almost stopping for a moment as he watched the scene unfold.

He was about to shout at Zephyr to back away. Despite the pressure bearing down on him, he even forced himself forward to pull him back—when something completely shocking happened. Something that made him freeze. Not just him, but everyone else who was struggling against the pressure.

Slar’s face suddenly twisted in pain.

His crimson pupils dilated as he glanced at Zephyr’s hand resting on his shoulder with a horrified expression. Just a moment ago, a corrosive, pitch-black power had erupted from Zephyr’s fingers. It wasn’t Slar’s power.

It was coming from Zephyr!

The dark power surged like a beast.

Erick could only stare blankly.

The others were in a similar state.

Then the next instant—

Slar screamed.

"Ahhhh!"

The Demon Servant desperately tried to attack Zephyr, flap his wings, break free, or flee. Yet he soon realized he couldn’t even move under those empty eyes, which now radiated a pressure far more terrifying than the skill Slar had released moments ago.

He could only watch as his body began to disintegrate into countless little particles.

The arrogance and amusement that had filled his eyes had completely vanished.

All that remained was pure terror.

He couldn’t even understand what was happening, let alone cry to beg for mercy.

All Slar could do was stare at Zephyr’s figure as his body slowly disappeared.

And until the very end, those empty gray eyes remained indifferent, as though his existence was utterly insignificant.

Then Slar vanished completely.

With him, the overwhelming pressure he had released earlier disappeared as well.

An eerie silence descended over the room.

For a moment, no one dared to speak.

Everyone stared at the tall, silver haired man standing motionless before them.

Erick was the first to react.

His throat felt dry as he finally managed to speak, his voice carrying a faint tremor.

"Zephyr...?"

His thoughts were a tangled mess. How could Zephyr possess such a powerful skill? Wasn’t he just a B-Rank Esper?

Suddenly—

With a loud zapping sound, a violent arc of electricity flashed across Zephyr’s body. His hair fluttered as an overwhelming surge of corrupted dark power erupted around him.

He didn’t move.

Zephyr simply stood there as the energy around him grew increasingly unstable.

The air began to distort.

Powerful currents erupted from his body, swirling violently through the surroundings.

Erick’s eyes trembled. His face paled the moment he realized what was happening.

Jake’s loud voice rang out behind him.

"He’s about to go berserk!!"

Erick’s chaotic mind finally cleared, and he immediately looked back. His golden eyes fell on Nana and Lucien. Unlike the others, they were still lying on the floor in a daze.

"Guides! We have two guides!"

He shouted, his voice rising with urgency.

"You two! Stop staring and guide him!"

Olivia and Nox came back to their senses and immediately rushed toward Lucien and Nana to help them up, so they could guide Zephyr and prevent him from going berserk.

At that moment, Nana finally returned to reality. Olivia helped her up. But instead of going toward Zephyr, she stayed frozen in place, staring at him with horrified eyes.

Her lips trembled as she whispered.

"Monster..."

Her voice was barely audible.

"He’s a monster!"

Hearing her words, Lucien, whom Nox had helped to his feet, nearly lashed out at her.

Both he and Nana were Guides. Although their ranks were high, they still lacked the strengthened physical power that Espers gained after awakening. They also had no abilities to protect themselves. As a result, they had both endured the full force of the pressure and were already badly injured.

Being in such a condition had already put Lucien in a terrible mood, and Nana’s words only made things worse. However, he knew this wasn’t the time to fight with her. So, he clenched his teeth, forced down his curses and anger, and spat out a few cold words.

"Shut the hell up!"

With that, Lucien staggered toward Zephyr.

He had to guide him!

Zephyr was his only hope of surviving and somehow returning to his original world!

Nox helped him, only letting go once he was standing directly in front of Zephyr.

Ignoring the violent currents around him, Lucien immediately reached for Zephyr’s hand and began guiding him. He instantly felt a surge of pleasure due to their 100% compatibility, but quickly forced it down.

Still, a deep flush spread across his entire face, and his legs began to tremble, nearly giving out beneath him. Luckily, he grabbed Zephyr’s shoulder with his free hand just in time to steady himself before he could fall down and completely embarrass himself.

To his relief, his guiding energy wasn’t immediately drained, nor did Zephyr forcefully try to draw more from him.

That meant Zephyr still had some clarity!

But when he looked up and met Zephyr’s gray eyes, they were completely dazed.

Lucien cursed under his breath.

His guiding energy was nowhere near enough to satisfy an SSS-Rank Esper!

A knot of anxiety tightened in his chest.

If Zephyr lost control and started forcefully draining his guiding energy, just like he had in the First Disaster Level Dungeon, Lucien would surely be pushed beyond his limits!

He could feel Erick’s intense gaze boring into him, but Lucien couldn’t bring himself to care. Whatever Erick was thinking could wait. Right now, keeping Zephyr under control was the only thing that mattered!

Lucien gritted his teeth. He really didn’t want to ask Nana for help, but he had no other choice. So, he called out urgently.

"Nana, help me!"

Yet, instead of coming forward, Nana took a step back, shaking her head frantically.

"No!"

Erick’s expression darkened with fury.

"Are you kidding me?!"

He couldn’t believe she was refusing at a time like this! To help Zephyr stabilize, he had even let Lucien get close to him! Erick was about to grab her and drag her toward Zephyr himself, but before he could even do it, Nana suddenly turned around and ran.

She actually ran away!