The masked man's blade pierces Ariel's heart "from his perspective."

Janet (H-he missed): "Lucas, pull him quickly!"

In the blink of an eye, the masked man sees the reality and finds that the sword has struck the ground next to Ariel. Lucas's fists pull Ariel away from him.

The masked man pulls his sword from the ground, wondering: How did he miss his target while it was in plain sight, weak with no way to escape or resist?

He surrounds himself with his purple aura, ready for his next attack, but Teo's voice interrupts him.

Teo, stepping forward confidently with his hands in his coat pockets: "That's enough, you. You've trespassed into my territory."

-: "Your territory? Who are you, boy?"

Teo laughs mockingly: "Who am I? Well... I'll forgive you for your ignorance, stranger. I am the one responsible for this area; they call me the Demon King. But don't worry, I'll let you go now." "Teo steps and passes by him, placing his hand on his shoulder." "That is, if you want to stay alive-"

Before Teo could finish his sentence, the masked man cuts him with his blade, splitting him in half.

Janet and the three children realize that the masked man fell victim to Teo's illusion, thinking he had just killed Teo, but in reality, he had only attacked the air around him.

Teo's bisected body vanishes from the masked man's sight, and he finds the real Teo behind him, leaning against a tree.

-: "Here I am saying it again, I'll give you five seconds to leave here."

The masked man (I am sure I cut him, this boy gives me a bad feeling.)

-: "Five... Four... Three... Two... One."

The masked man surrounds himself with a purple aura stronger than ever, feeling a great threat from Teo. Teo reveals large black wings and flies into the air, shedding his black feathers like sharp blades. The masked man launches a cutting wave in the air towards Teo, but at the same moment of the release, he feels a stab in his right side.

"A masked woman watches the fight from a rooftop."

-: "How did that boy stab Leo with an ordinary knife?!"

...

The masked man looks up at the sky, thinking he has defeated Teo, but when he turns around, he sees Teo with his hands in his coat pockets, covered in dust.

Teo: "Is that really all you have? What a disappointment. You don't even deserve the effort to defeat you. The wound on your right side, I made sure not to hurt you more than this. You seem promising, so I'll give you another five seconds to run away." "Teo waves his left hand while hiding a blood-covered knife in his right hand."

The masked man covers his wound on his right side, breathing heavily, trying to analyze what just happened (How can this boy move like that? Should I retreat now?....No, I can't. I must at least complete the mission.)

Janet watches what is happening while trying to stop the bleeding in her shoulder with her threads (C-could he really defeat him with such a trick?)

Teo pulls his other hand from his coat: "Your time is up, and so is my patience. Prepare for your punishment."

The winds in the park start to stir, and Teo surrounds himself with a fierce red aura, instilling fear in the masked man, who jumps back.

The aura around Teo's body fades: "Good choice." "His tone changes to scorn." "Now, get out of my sight."

The masked man puts his hand to his left ear, using a communication device, whispering: "I'm retreating now. I have no chance against him."

The woman responds, laughing mockingly: -: "Don't joke with me, Leo. He's like me; he seems to be that person's son."

: "W-what do you mean, Roxana?"

-: "Be cautious, and try to finish him quickly."

: "B-but, won't this cause us great danger later?"

The woman chuckles: -: "Who knows, maybe this will make things more interesting. It might bring us together again."

: "I'll do my best."

Teo stands ready (Why hasn't he left yet? He's been still since my last move... Could he have an ally? We're in big trouble, my attempts are running out.)

Teo starts looking around him, left and right, while retreating slowly towards Janet and the children.

The masked man grips his sword with both hands, surrounding it with his purple aura, but unexpectedly, Teo throws his knife at his head. He moves his head to dodge it but feels a sting in his right side.

His vision becomes blurry (D-does he have more than one knife?)

He looks towards his side and sees the knife piercing his side, held by Lucas's fist. The fist drives the knife deeper, and the masked man falls to his knees. The fist withdraws the knife, but the masked man destroys it, then grabs the knife.

Teo (I only have one more chance.)

The masked man charges at Teo, swinging his sword from top to bottom. Teo narrowly dodges the attack and continues to evade the cutting strikes, swinging the sword left and right, barely avoiding the attacks, causing many wounds all over his body. Janet's threads move and bind him, giving Teo a chance to retreat.

Karl fires two fireballs at the masked man's back, causing severe burns. He surrounds his body with his purple aura, freeing himself from the threads but barely keeping his footing, moving heavily left and right, unable to bear the pain.

The sound of police sirens approaches, and the person watching from afar orders the masked man to flee. He surrounds himself with his purple aura and escapes.

Teo chases him, but the significant speed difference hinders him.

-: "Janet, stop him with your threads!"

Janet: "He's already gone."

Lucas's fists disappear, and he collapses to the ground, saying in a faint, trembling voice: "Finally... Finally, we survived."

Ariel runs and hugs Teo, bursting into tears: "T-Teo... I didn't think you would come in time to save us. I-I thought I was going to die at that moment."

Teo pats his head: "You did a good job. Well done."

Janet sits on the ground, holding her injured shoulder, speaking in a soft tone: "I-I was targeted... Not just me, but even the children are in danger now.... My sister... She'll definitely be under his watch too. What should I do?"

Karl stands in shock, looking from Janet with her deep shoulder wound to Ariel, sobbing and hugging Teo, who is covered in wounds, to Lucas lying on the ground with no strength left.

As soon as the masked man leaves, police cars surround the entire area.

They call for an ambulance to treat Janet and Teo's wounds, and they are sent to the hospital.

"In the hospital room, Teo"

One of the detectives from the police department enters, wishing to investigate Teo.

-: "I am Detective Tony, pleased to meet you, Mr. Teo." "He shows his badge to identify himself."

Teo: "Hello, sir."

-: "I won't take much of your time. I got most of the information from your friend, Janet."

: "No rush, Detective."

Tony pulls a chair next to the bed and begins: "Alright, first of all, Janet told me that he came to target her initially and chose a suitable time and place to stay away from crowds. Then he started targeting the children with her, trying not to leave any witnesses. This matches the evidence perfectly, as all his victims were isolated, and anyone accompanying them had disappeared. Now, did you feel anything suspicious while facing that person?"

: "I'm not entirely sure, but he has an ally watching from afar at the very least."

-: "An ally? Your friend didn't mention that."

: "He seemed to be in communication with someone, and he was able to know my ability, 'illusion,' even though he was under it. This can only happen with another set of eyes besides his own."

-: "So why didn't his ally help him? It would have been much easier to take down teenagers and a group of children."

: "Maybe they're trying to reduce the chance of being suspected. When the police look for one target, it's better than both being exposed. It also seems that they supply him with information and orders."

Tony scratches his chin: "Hmm... that makes sense, but having one ally implies the possibility of more allies."

Teo: "That's your job, sir. I hope you catch them as soon as possible."

Tony rises from his chair, saluting Teo, then leaves. As soon as the detective exits, Teo's mother rushes in, filled with worry.

She shouts angrily: "Explain to me what this means?!"

Teo, avoiding eye contact with her: "It was an unexpected incident. I'm fine now, and my wounds aren't deep-"

She slaps him: "I let you leave school and work after your father's departure... I gave you the freedom to act as you please as an adult, and now you're worrying me and getting yourself into bigger problems."

Teo stays silent, lowering his head.

His mother sits beside him and hugs him while crying: "Teo, I have no one else but you... You're my remaining family. I can't bear losing you after your father. I can't bear to be alone. Just the thought of you facing that killer drives me crazy."

Teo holds her for a few seconds, then lets go: "But, Mom, if I hadn't intervened—"

His mother interrupts him: "I've already made my decision... They called the principal of 'B.H' school and informed him of what happened... He gave me an offer I couldn't refuse. Once you're out of the hospital, you'll be enrolled there."

Teo gets angry and jumps out of bed, agitated: "What does this mean, Mom?! I'm not a child, and I can decide my future myself. I saved my friends and faced that clown alone! Do you know what could happen to you after I leave? You'll be in danger if they find out where I live." "Teo remembers Janet's words about possibly targeting her older sister." "You might become their target, and no one will protect you!"

-: "You didn't face him alone, Teo... You were just lucky. You weren't born strong like your father, so you can't decide your future yourself."

Teo gets closer to her face, shouting: "Stop provoking me on purpose... You don't know how much I hate that bastard!"

She slaps him again and looks at him with a mix of pity and scorn: "You need to control yourself when speaking to me, and never speak ill of your father." "She stands up from the bed." "Don't show me your face after you leave the hospital. You will go directly to the school by my order. The principal has high hopes for you, and the police will take precautionary measures to protect us from being targeted." "She leaves the room, leaving Teo defeated, shattered, and hopeless."