After parting ways with Lyra, Klein began tailing the hooded figure from a careful distance.

The man moved through the dark back alleys of Crownfall’s western district.

The streets were nearly empty at this hour, with only the occasional distant sound of drunken laughter or a stray cat knocking over a trash bin breaking the silence.

Klein followed silently ’He should have already noticed me. There is no way I can hide my presence from him when I am just E rank.’

’I guess he is trying to lead me to a quiet place.’

Eventually, the hooded figure turned into a particularly quiet and narrow alley, lined with old brick buildings and flickering lanterns.

He walked a few more steps before suddenly stopping.

Without turning around, the man spoke in a calm voice "How long are you going to follow me?"

Klein stepped out of the shadows, holding the spear Eirca gave to him in his righthand.

The hooded man slowly turned to face him.

His face was mostly hidden beneath the dark hood, but Klein could see a sharp jawline and cold eyes that glowed faintly with cursed energy.

Klein twirled the spear once in his hand, "I have questions about the Dark Church and the Cursed Realm. Will you cooperate?"

The hooded man let out a chuckle and the cursed energy around him grew heavier, pressing down on the alley like an invisible weight.

"You think you can just demand answers from me?" he asked, tilting his head slightly.

"You’re strong for your apparent rank, I’ll give you that. But you’re still just an E-rank on paper. Do you really think you can take me on?"

Klein’s grip tightened on the spear "I am willing to find out."

*swoosh*

A massive surge of cursed energy erupted from the hooded man’s body like a dark storm.

Five grotesque, shadowy figures materialized around him, cursed dogs with glowing red eyes, razor-sharp fangs, and bodies made of writhing black mist and corrupted flesh.

"Grrrrr." They growled with unnatural hunger as their presence filled the narrow alley with a foul, oppressive aura.

"Go get him," the hooded man commanded coldly.

*sleesh* The cursed dogs dashed forward with terrifying speed, their claws scraping against the stone ground as they lunged toward Klein from multiple directions.

Seeing this, Klein’s gaze narrowed, and a cold glint passed through his eyes.

"How dare such lowly curses go against the Sovereign of Curses."

The black heart inside his chest pulsed powerfully.

*WOOOSHH*

An overwhelming, oppressive aura exploded outward from Klein’s body.

The five creatures skidded to a halt mid-charge, their bodies trembling violently.

They whimpered and growled in fear as their red eyes widened with primal terror.

The Sovereign’s authority crushed down on them like an invisible hand, forcing them to submit against their will.

The hooded man’s eyes widened slightly beneath his hood.

"What...?"

Klein took a single step forward and the oppressive aura grew even stronger, making the cursed dogs lower their heads and whine pathetically.

One of them actually collapsed to the ground, unable to withstand the pressure.

He raised his free hand, and the black heart in his chest pulsed again as he used his skill [Chains of Forsaken].

Chains of cursed energy materialized in the air, wrapping around the five cursed dogs and binding them completely.

The creatures howled in pain as the chains tightened, forcing them to kneel before their Sovereign.

The hooded man took a step back, his hands glowing with cursed energy as he prepared a more powerful attack.

"You... who the hell are you?"

Gripping his spear tightly, Klein dashed forward with explosive speed ’He surely is powerful for an A-rank. But he just happened to face the worst opponent, that is me.’

’With the heart of Goddess of Curses I doubt any Curse would dare to attack me.’

’If his ability is to solely rely on the curses he contracted, then at close combat...’

Klein slashed his spear in a wide, powerful arc as the blade cut through the air with a sharp whistle.

"Urgh-" The hooded man dodged at the last possible second, the spear blade missing his chest by a mere inch.

He countered immediately with a blast of dark energy, but Klein was already moving again, pressing the advantage.

Klein smiled faintly as he noticed the hidden dagger that had appeared in the man’s other hand.

The hooded man lunged forward with surprising speed.

The cursed energy around him surged as he slashed with the dagger, aiming for Klein’s throat.

Klein met the attack head-on, his spear clashing violently against the dagger.

*clang!*

The impact sent a powerful vibration through Klein’s arm and he felt a sharp numbness spread through his hand and up his forearm.

’He has enhanced his physique with mana and the vibrations are hitting me. Well, he is an A-rank after all... his mana is powerful than mine.’

The hooded man pressed the advantage, launching a flurry of strikes with both the dagger and bursts of cursed energy.

*clang* *clang* Klein parried and countered, his spear spinning in a deadly dance.

Sparks flew every time their weapons met, and the narrow alley echoed with the sound of metal clashing.

’His close combat skills are not bad.’

Every clash sent numbing shocks through Klein’s arms, forcing him to adjust his grip constantly.

But Klein was far from overwhelmed.

A cold blue glint crossed his eyes.

’Mana Core Two: release.’

*SWOOSH* Suddenly, an explosive burst of mana erupted from Klein’s body.

A powerful wave of energy exploded outward, causing the air in the alley to tremble.

His second mana core, which he had been keeping sealed, fully activated.

The dense mana flooded his system, enhancing his strength, speed, and senses dramatically.

A predatory grin appeared on Klein’s lips ’This is why I love using this Five Mana core technique...’

The hooded man was startled to see this ’...How the hell he has such an explosive mana when he is just an E-rank?’

Before the man could recover from his shock, Klein dashed forward with terrifying speed.

*sleesh* The spear in his hand became a blur of motion as he thrust it toward the hooded man’s chest.

The man reacted quickly, raising his dagger to parry.

*CLANG* The two weapons clashed with a loud clang, sending sparks flying in the dark alley.

The force behind Klein’s strike was overwhelming and the hooded man was pushed back several steps, his feet skidding across the stone ground.

Klein didn’t let up. He spun his spear in a wide arc, aiming for the man’s side.

’Fuck-’ The hooded figure dodged at the last second, the spear blade slicing through his robe and drawing a shallow cut across his ribs.

He countered immediately with a slash of his dagger, aiming for Klein’s head.

Klein leaned back just enough for the dagger to miss by a hair’s breadth.

He then stepped forward and delivered a powerful kick to the man’s midsection.

*thud*

The hooded man was sent flying backward, crashing hard into the brick wall.

"Arghhh!" Cracks spiderwebbed across the bricks from the force of the blow.

He growled in pain, coughing up a small amount of blood as he struggled to stay on his feet.

"Graarh!" With a guttural roar, he raised both hands and summoned his most powerful curses.

*SWOOOSH* Two more powerful curses materialized in the alley with a burst of thick black mist.

These were far more formidable than the previous dogs.

The first was a tall, hulking brute that was nearly eight feet tall with a monstrous body covered in jagged black armor-like plating.

Its eyes glowed with malevolent red light, and massive claws extended from its hands. I

The second curse was a tall, humanoid figure with long, spindly limbs and a featureless face except for a wide, jagged mouth filled with razor teeth.

"Go!" the hooded man commanded hoarsely, pointing at Klein. "Tear him apart!"

The two powerful curses roared and charged forward with terrifying speed.

The brute smashed through a stack of crates, while the spindly one crawled along the wall like a nightmarish insect, closing in from above.

"How many times must I remind you?" Klein muttered. "Lowly curses such as these have no right to bare their fangs at their true Master."

He pointed his finger at the first curse and uttered a single command:

"Kill the other one."

The brute curse stopped and its red eyes flickered with confusion for a split second before the Sovereign’s command overrode its will completely.

It turned on its fellow curse and grabbed the spindly humanoid by the head and slammed it into the ground with bone-crushing force.

*THOOOOM*

"SCRAARCH-" The spindly curse let out a piercing screech as the brute curse tore into it, ripping off limbs and shredding its smoky body apart.

Black mist and corrupted essence sprayed across the alley as the two curses fought... or rather, as one brutally executed the other under Klein’s absolute command.

The hooded man watched in stunned horror, "W-What... is happening?"

With a casual wave of his hand, Klein gave his next command, "Now, kill yourself."

The curse didn’t hesitate for even a second.

It dropped the remains of the spindly curse, turned its massive claws on itself, and ripped its own head clean off its shoulders in one brutal motion.

*SCREECH*

The creature’s body convulsed once before dissolving into black smoke and fading away completely.

The hooded man’s whole body shook in horror and before he could react, Klein dashed toward him.

’Dark Moon:-’

Huh?

But then he stopped abruptly.

Snowflakes began to fall gently in the alley.

"What..."

*swoosh* In the next instant, a massive ice boulder crashed straight down in front of him, slamming into the ground between Klein and the hooded man with a thunderous BOOM!

The impact sent cracks spiderwebbing across the stone floor and kicked up a cloud of dust and ice shards.

The sudden barrier of ice completely separated Klein from his target.

It was Lyra.

She stood on a nearby rooftop, her hand still glowing with icy blue energy.

Her face was pale but determined as she looked down at the scene below.

"I came to save you, Irakiel!" she shouted, her voice echoing in the alley.

Klein facepalmed himself, letting out a long, exasperated sigh.

"You damn idiot."