After kicking one of the guards away, Caelum and Anna dashed straight for the Mulcaster twins.
Anna rushed at Baro Mulcaster, while Caelum charged directly at Bari Mulcaster.
To everyone watching, it was now obvious who these cloaked figures were after.
Seeing the unicorn-masked figure coming his way, Bari quickly slid into a fighting stance—but he underestimated Caelum.
In one swift motion, Caelum drove his hand upward into Bari's stomach. A violent blue streak of lightning flashed around Caelum's right fist as he landed the hit. A sharp ripple blasted through the air, sending Bari flying through the wall at the opposite end and out of the building like a broken kite.
Hush!!
The hall fell silent after this scene—for two reasons.
Firstly, since the victims of the attack were the Mulcaster twins, no one dared to help or interfere. The twins were arrogant and had made countless enemies; most people only pretended to like them for investments and connections.
Secondly… that move. That speed. That lightning. It had only ever been seen in use by someone who supposedly died five years ago.
The Draco Monarch – Darius Drakenhart.
Of course, no one believed the unicorn-masked figure standing before them was the long-forgotten Monarch. But the movement, the attack style—it was unmistakably his. And that aura from earlier… only someone incredibly powerful could emit such a sickening pressure.
The Knuckle Buster.
That was the name of Darius Drakenhart's favorite move. A punch that could split mountains and oceans. What Caelum had just displayed was a far weaker version… but the resemblance was terrifying.
There was one person more shocked than anyone else—Anna.
She had been Caelum's personal maid since birth and had only ever known him to possess one supernatural ability: Super Duper Strength.
But now, she had just witnessed him use lightning.
Now she understood why he had warned her to keep everything she saw tonight a secret. She had no choice but to obey.
Outside...
The wind howled as Bari Mulcaster, who had been blasted through the wall, twisted mid-air and landed gracefully on the ground_as if saying, you'll have to do better than that to defeat me.
Darius—now Caelum (just to remind you) stepped out through the shattered wall and approached Bari with a smirk behind his mask.
Cough!
Bari glared at him with insane killing intent.
"I'll show you why I'm a senior-ranked Ashwing disciple," Bari growled, and suddenly, a golden light erupted around him. And in a flash, not only did majestic armor manifest across his body, but a thousand glowing arrows appeared in the night sky above.
It was... mesmerizing.
Behind the mask, Caelum's eyes gleamed with pure excitement.
His first real fight in years.
Name: Bari Mulcaster
Monarchical Sect: Phoenix
Ability: I Can Create Anything
Hobby: Picking up girls.
Meanwhile, after seeing Bari blasted through the center hall, Baro Mulcaster had dashed forward to save him. But in the blink of an eye, he now stood at the edge of a massive waterfall, and in front of him stood the second unicorn-masked figure, eyes locked on him with eerie intent.
"Y-you! How dare you?! Take me back right now, motherf—!" Baro screamed, Then he tried to teleport away_
He reappeared... in the same spot.
He tried again—same result.
Panic hit.
"W-what is this?! Why isn't my ability working?!" Baro shouted like a madman.
"Too bad for you," Anna snickered. "You're already inside a realm made with my ability."
Baro's panic deepened.
"Sorry, I can't let you interfere with our plan. If you want to return to the real world… you'll have to defeat me first," Anna warned calmly, her voice muffled but menacing beneath her mask.
Baro snarled and drew his jagged knife_the same artifact he had pulled out in Lord Alaric's office_and lunged at her.
Name: Baro Mulcaster
Monarchical Sect: Phoenix
Ability: Teleportation
Hobby: Bullying the weak.
Back outside...
Bari stood tall, the night sky above him now a deadly canvas of golden arrows. With a furious roar, he unleashed them all at Caelum.
A playful smile danced on Caelum's lips. He spread his arms, and clenched his fists.
And then he began punching.
Fist after fist, he shattered the glowing arrows mid-air using raw, pulsing strength. Super Duper Strength, combined now with something more_lightning streaked across his limbs, each punch faster than the last. His arms blurred beyond what onlookers could even track.
Thunder cracked louder.
And then Caelum ran.
In a flash, Caelum appeared in front of Bari, delivering a devastating flurry of thunder-charged punches to his armor.
Smash!!
A massive golden war hammer materialized in Bari's hands. He swung it down, catching Caelum and slamming him hard into the ground.
BOOM!
The earth exploded beneath the impact, the red carpet torn to shreds. Dust and rubble shot into the sky as the hammer crushed Caelum deeper and deeper.
But Caelum didn't give in.
Thunder screamed. Lightning danced. And suddenly….
Crack!!
With one monumental burst of power, Caelum shattered the giant hammer into pieces, sending waves of electricity across the destroyed landscape.
The broken weapon vanished into golden dust, and Bari staggered back, dizzy and drained.
Caelum rose from the crater.
Sparks of lightning danced around him.
Then he began walking towards Bari.
"Any last words?" he said coldly, his voice like thunder wrapped in silk.
The sight made everyone freeze.
The lightning.
The pressure.
The confidence.
He was no ordinary masked man.
"Enough."
A cold voice rang from the crowd.
A powerful-looking man stepped forward, placing himself squarely between Caelum and Bari.
"I will not allow you to lay another finger on our distinguished guests," he said sternly.
Caelum didn't stop walking.
"Move."
Caelum voice, from behind the mask, dripped with eerie confidence.
"If you don't… I won't be responsible for what happens next."
The bodyguard in a sleek suit stood his ground.
Unmoving.
"Fine then," Caelum began walking toward him. But before he could reach, a hand shot out from behind and grabbed the bodyguard, flinging him aside like a ragdoll. The man crashed against the wall with a bone-jarring thud.
It was none other than Bari Mulcaster, now slightly recovered and burning with fury. With a few seconds of rest behind him, he was ready to unleash everything he had on the masked figure–on Caelum.
Bari looked nothing like before. He now wore a fully materialized battle armor, plated with phoenix motifs. Huge gauntlets wrapped around his arms, humming with energy, and a massive floating chain spiraled around him like a living serpent. It hovered and slithered in the air, responding to his anger.
"I don't know who you are," Bari growled, eyes bloodshot, "or why you've targeted my brother and I, but after I kill you, I'll track down your loved ones and make them pay too!"
With that, the floating chain let out a mechanical snarl and launched at Caelum with incredible speed.
Slam!!
The chain roared to life, thrashing and whipping through the air as it came for Caelum like a storm of metal. But Caelum didn't even blink. He vanished in a streak of lightning, appearing in front of Bari once more with his fist already cocked back for a thunderous punch.
But Bari was no longer caught off guard. With a snarl, he curled his fist and met Caelum's strike with one of his own, slamming his gauntlet into him and sending him skidding back several meters.
Caelum clenched his fists. "How weak I've become..." he muttered under his breath, frustration bubbling. Then he surged forward again.
Pow! Bam! Crash!
The air rippled and cracked around them as the two began exchanging blows, their fists colliding like meteorites. The floor shattered, the walls crumbled, and shockwaves pulsed outward with every impact. It was a clash between titans.
They battered each other with land-shattering punches. Bari's gauntlets glowed each time he struck, while Caelum's fists cracked with violent streaks of lightning. The central hall was reduced to rubble in mere seconds.
But in the end, a victor emerged.
With a final roar, Caelum's right arm ignited in a violent surge of blue lightning and he slammed a punch into Bari's face. The thunder-infused strike blasted Bari off his feet. He hit the ground hard—and didn't rise. His armor and floating chain flickered, then dissolved into nothing.
He was out cold.
And the world watched everything.
Social media exploded:
"OMG! Mr. Unicorn won!"
"Finally! The Mulcasters got what they deserved!"
"How will the Phoenix Monarch "Lord Phoenix Aetheris"respond to this?"
"Who is Mr. Unicorn... and is he ready for the consequences of harming a Senior Phoenix disciple?!"
The mysterious masked hero had already been given a name: Mr. Unicorn, thanks to the elegant, spiraled horn on his mask that glinted beneath the lights.
Without hesitation, Caelum walked up to Bari's unconscious body, hoisted him over his shoulder, and then with thunder crackling around him, vanished like a flash of light, he was gone in seconds, faster than a train.
Thump!
Anna quietly ended her illusion magic, reappearing in the central hall, with Baro Baro Mulcaster beside her, who was completely dazed. She slipped effortlessly into the confused crowd and disappeared.
Baro lay there, a dreamy smile on his face, still under the effect of Anna's mind magic.
In his mind, he was being personally guided through the Phoenix Monarchical Tower by Lord Aetheris himself, A convincing illusion he had fallen for without question.
Epilogue: Somewhere beneath the Valeborne Family Skyscraper.
In a dark, concrete basement filled with chains and echoing silence, Bari Mulcaster sat shackled to a cold metal chair, wrists bound in glowing manacles.
His head lolled at first, but soon he stirred.
As he opened his swollen eyes, two shadowy figures emerged from the darkness_both wearing unicorn masks, lightning faintly flickering in the dim.
Cough!
"Why... are you doing this? Why?!" Bari cried, his voice cracking as panic overtook him. "What do you want from me?!"
Caelum said nothing.
He walked forward slowly, fists cloaked in dancing lightning.
CRACK!!
One jab to the chest knocked Bari out cold again. His head slumped forward, unconscious.
Caelum turned to Anna.
"The stage is now set," he said darkly. "It's time to free the Gene X trade routes."
Anna nodded silently, her expression calm behind the mask.
"I only have thirty days to revive our family's wealth," Caelum muttered, eyes glowing beneath the mask. "This... will be thrilling."