“That’s how it was,” Allen muttered.0

Allen fell silent, pressing his lips together before running his tongue over the inside of his cheek, his face unusually blank as he started to move his legs. I took a single step behind him, and in that moment, the world changed. 0

We had been inside the walls only moments ago, but with the next step, I found ourselves in the middle of a field of snow. Snowflakes settled on my shoulders, and a biting wind stung my cheek. Whether the space folded or the ground drew near, either way, we were pushed beyond the walls.0

Clap, clap, clap—0

"You are absolutely remarkable, as always," Allen said, clapping his hands, the wrinkles on his face had changed. "Perhaps it was my own greed to think I could remain unnoticed?"0

I looked at Allen, so alien to his usual self, but my instincts told me that even this version of him was a mask. It was as if he were an onion, layers upon layers hiding the truth within.5

"Yes, that was your greed," I responded.0

Shhshh—0

Right in that moment, the ground covered in snow flared up, igniting from the energy and ghostly aura that radiated from him, both nothing short of overwhelming. Even with the most conservative assessment, it was clear that his power was far beyond that of an expert.0

I instinctively knew that, even if I gave it my all, I wouldn’t be able to put even a single bone back in place against him, for I could feel it—Allen was a person born to kill.0

"But you don’t need to worry about me too much," Allen said, his eyes turning black as if stained by darkness. "Because I was planning to—"0

Before he could finish, the ground tore open and a pack of monsters emerged, their strange caws echoing through the air.0

Grrr, Rrrr— Grrr, Rrrr—0

The demonic beasts with piercing blue eyes, known as Frostdarks, resembled hyenas and were as dangerous as they were deadly, making Allen shoot a quick glance toward them. 0

C...0