The Devil's Cage

The mist dispersed but the gloomy coldness underwent a sudden change.

The coldness turned even colder but the gloominess was removed, becoming a more direct coldness that could chill one's spine.

The oddly-dressed girl's pupils dilated as she was in shock.

What did she see?

An ice statue! An ice statue that had the body and limbs of a human and a giant mouth in place of a head.

Naked eyes could see the materialized freezing air coming from the vicious ice statue, causing one to quiver uncontrollably, yet a palm was placed on the ice statue, ignoring its condition, or more precisely, the palm that created the ice statue.

The thoughts lingered in her heart, while the oddly-dressed girl quickly went up to her friend and sized up the young man who appeared suddenly with doubtful eyes.

Seemed like a young man but his face was calm and mature, even more so when the ice statue was beside him, he even looked a little mysterious.

When the girls saw the young man's big backpack and the box in his hand, their doubtful eyes turned vigilant.

"Are you a fiend!? Or… a hunter!?" The girls shouted the question.

"Fiend? Is that what you call these things?"

Kieran looked at the oddly-dressed girl and pointed at the ice statue that was created by [Seattle Right Hand, Frozen Touch]. A sense of surprise flashed across his eyes.

Different from the oddly-dressed and the tall girl, the spectacle girl's existence was neglected. Even when she leaped over the iron gate, her precise movements were within range of a common human being but when the dense mist appeared, Kieran noticed something was off.

The spectacle girl was erupting high amounts of negative energy that was enough to hurt someone. What followed was even more shocking to Kieran: how the monster took form from her body was a first to Kieran despite all his vast encounters.

Though, after a short surprise, Kieran understood what should he do.

There wasn't any resistance from the monster, even though the way of its formation was very shocking but it didn't mean the monster was powerful.

Quite the contrary, Kieran even felt using [Seattle Right Hand, Frozen Touch] was overkill, the moment he touched her with [Frozen Touch], the outcome was set.

Surprisingly, Kieran noticed that the tall girl who was chanting her yellowish book beside couldn't see or hear what happened as if she had entered a trance.

Focus! She entered a trance of focus, placing herself wholly into what she was doing.

Such a focus was even more captivating for Kieran than what kind of monster that he had just frozen.

Therefore, after a short conversation with the oddly-dressed girl, Kieran laid his eyes on the tall girl once more. His move though infuriated the hot-tempered girl, she wanted to teach Kieran a lesson after a fierce glare.

However, a sudden brightness shone behind her, covering the whole area in white.

The brightness was not harsh to the eyes but felt more like an illusive dimmed moonlight.

Amid the faint brightness, a calming presence made itself visible to them.

The faint gloomy and cold presence within the concrete-sealed incineration house suddenly sprouted out following the brightness.

A near transparent figure took form under the gloomy presence.

It was a girl with a school uniform.

"Jen, thank you!"

A clear, pleasant voice could be heard in everyone's ears, the tall girl kneeling on the ground even cried out in agitation.

"Senior Ling!"

She struggled to stand and trying to reach the figure but her palm went right through it.

She was stunned.

The senior student named Ling smiled softly and shook her head.

The light then shone once again. The translucent figure turned faint and a light particle flowed out from her body, bringing away her last bit of presence on earth, slowly flying towards the night sky.

"Senior Ling!"

The girl named Jen wanted to grab the light particle but when she moved her arm, it became a wave instead. As her arm moved, her face was unwilling to part with her friend.

It wasn't a reunion but a farewell.

Kieran beside slightly frowned when he saw the light particle.

"Spirit?" He wasn't sure.

The girl named Ling was definitely in spirit form when she appeared. There was no question about that but when she bathed in the dimmed light, her figure turned clear and everything changed.

The spirit-like properties started to deviate and a single look at her form would present her more like an evil spirit!

If it wasn't that her figure lacked the dense negative energy and the wicked aura, Kieran would take her as one.

"Sanctuary Force couldn't have achieved such a feat!"

Kieran had a deep understanding of Sanctuary Force after Ohara told him everything he needed to know.

To all kinds of souls, spirits, or even evil spirits, the only function of the Sanctuary Force was to eliminate them, or more precisely, purify!

Yet the "Sanctuary Force" before Kieran had such changes. Obviously, it had some techniques even the Sanctuary didn't possess.

Kieran's curiosity at the girl was at its highest point.

Jen wiped her tears from her eyes and kept her emotions at bay. She finally noticed Kieran and the ice statue beside him.

She looked at the ice statue and her expression had nothing but shock.

She turned over to Kieran and was completely stunned on the spot when she saw him.

The focus in her eyes was gone and her shocked expression was replaced by dullness like she was simply being absent-minded or had fallen asleep with her eyes opened.

Keiran frowned and he turned to the oddly-dressed girl who stood in front him, blocking his view once more.

"Is she sick?"

"You are the one who is sick!" The oddly-dressed girl replied without any courtesy.

"Hmm, I am sick then." Kieran nodded. It wasn't an argument but a fact of sorts.

Though the oddly-dressed girl didn't see it that way, she was caught off guard by the reply and replied with an angry tone, "Are you trying to play me here!?"

Hmph!

She grunted heavily. A hot energy stream started to take form on both her hands, followed by a layer of weak fire over her fist.

Kieran who had similar powers was sizing her up with an interested gaze when he saw it. Though his methods of looking were deemed as a provocation in the girl's eyes.

She shouted angrily, "I'll show you!"

Fuuu!

A flaming punch launched towards Kieran's chin.

Kieran raised his right hand and easily caught the punch and at the same time, his other hand also easily caught the second flaming punch that was aimed at his abdomen.

"Let go!" She yelled, struggling with all her might.

Their speed was too far apart, just like their strength.

The girl who had her hands caught felt like the young man's hands were even harder than iron. The even more baffling fact was, his hands were burning by the fire yet he could remain calm and cool.

The girl then suddenly thought of the frozen fiend when she saw Kieran's manner and she quivered out of a sudden like a frozen bucket of water was poured over her.

"Who the hell are you?"

She asked, sounded a little frightened after getting her senses back from her anger.

"2567, your new math teacher."

Kieran said after he saw the school uniform hidden under her coat because of her struggle.