Jeffery stared at the man in front of him, he couldn't recognize this man, and knew absolutely nothing about him. But from the look of things when he arrived at the school, the man was certainly powerful.
His barrier was strong and if it was anyone else apart from him, they would certainly have some difficulties getting past it. He already knew the man was from the Infernal Judgement, after everything Allen had told him. They were after Daniel and Jeffery was aware they wouldn't send someone weak to capture the son of Jeffery Bruce, this opponent was not to be underestimated.
"Tell me, what do you want with my son?" Jeffery questioned. He already knew their motives, but he still wanted to know if he could get more information out of the man. If he knew about all their plans, then he will be prepared and ready for anything they might try to pull.
Carlos ignored the question and went straight to introduce himself.
"I am Carlos. A member of the Elders of the Infernal Judgement. I must say it is an honor to finally meet the infamous Jeffery Bruce." Carlos made aware. He planned on intimidating the man with his position as an Elder. And then he would prey on the fear during their battle which he was sure would hold.
He was in luck, if he would be able to handle Jeffery here then he would surely gain the respect and recognition he deserved from the other Elders. The gods were clearly on his side today, and he was going to make use of this opportunity to deal with the father and son.
'An Elder' Jeffery spoke to himself mentally. He had never heard of this man before which meant that he was of the lower echelon of elders. The Infernal Judgement were cocky bastards, and never hid the fact that they were the strongest of the three factions.
They took delight in belittling others with their strength and it made everyone that was top tier in their ranking very popular. Even though it was clear this man was not as famous or powerful as Allen or probably James, Jeffery didn't underestimate him. Hhe knew each of the elders had an archdemon as a familiar and that was more than enough to grant them victory in almost every fight.
Anna couldn't take her eyes off the man that she had lived half of her life planning to kill. She could feel the eagerness and rage burning in her. Her desire to attack this man and end his life was overwhelming, but she fought back as hard as she could to keep herself from misbehaving.
From everything that had just happened, she was already aware that he was miles ahead of her. He had bypassed a barrier that the four of them couldn't break through in less than a second. And had summoned them out of the collapsing building in almost an instant.
Her realization of how weak she was stabbed her in the heart. She had been wasting all those years on nothing if she couldn't even get past a barrier set up by somebody obviously weaker than Jeffery Bruce.
She could tell Jeffery surpassed their opponent, the vibe she was getting from him was on another level. She had never sensed such power in her life, and the power that this man possessed scared her. He was simply on another level and even if all of them were to turn against him, the probability that they would lose was higher than their chances of winning. The margin between them was so great she feared that reaching his level was only a mere fantasy.
Richard could tell Jeffery was unfazed by the fact that Carlos was an Elder. The blank expression he wore on his face was more than enough to tell that he was unimpressed. He already knew how powerful Jeffery was, and comparing him to this their enemy was being unfair.
Jeffery outclassed Carlos in everything apart from mana reserve. He didn't know how a blood sorcerer could attain such height in power. Blood sorcerers were normally the weakest, but Jeffery was changing that concept with every action he made. The man was proving that blood sorcerers could be as formidable as nature and Infernal Judgements, or even more. And he was doing more than a good work with that work.
Jeffery pulled out a pocket knife from one of his pockets and slashed himself without care before taking steps closer to his opponent.
Everyone could feel the sudden change in the environment immediately the man's blood touched the floor. It was as if the entire forest was resonating with him. His energy had skyrocketed and it pressed down on them. Things were now a lot different than they were moments ago, and all of them acknowledged the power of the man in front of them.
Carlos panicked the instant he felt Jeffrey's power and had immediately teleported himself out of the place. Something was off about this man and he knew that staying back there and deciding on fighting back was not only stupidity, but also a death wish. He didn't care if his actions were cowardly, his life mattered way more than his reputation.
He appeared few metres away from the school in an alleyway, and held his beating chest. He couldn't believe such power existed. The only person that he could compare to this man at the moment was Manuel, any other person below Manuel would perish if they were to even think of going against Jeffery Bruce.
Carlos had never imagined in his life that he would run from a fight the way he just did. He was lucky to still be alive. He had actually felt his mana level drop for a first time just by teleporting himself out of that place. In the forest of death, every Infernal Judgement was equal in terms of mana supply as any blood soccer.
Blood sorcerers had an infinite mana supply as long as they were in that forest which made him and Jeffery equal in every way. He had no advantage over Jeffery, and just with that little flare of his power, he could tell Jeffery was leagues above him. And he immediately had to save himself.
He had been foolish thinking he could take Jeffery on and win. He would make up a good excuse to give to the Elders later, right now he needed rest from the fear that still lingered in him. The fear of Jeffery Bruce.
****
"Well that was unexpected" Jeffery remarked immediately his opponent vanished from the place. He was actually surprised at the man's actions, but it was probably the best for him. He had never expected that someone from the Infernal Judgement could run from a fight, let alone an Elder. He was disgusted by what had just happened.
Daniel's friend Richard was much of a man than this Elder would ever be. The boy had actually stood up against him, while an elder escaped from a fight without making any attempt at all.
He turned around to meet the shocked and fearful look on the faces of the people behind him. He had gone overboard and had scared these children with his display. He was sure it was the same reason that his opponent had escaped, such people didn't even worth his time, they were on Alexander's level and not close to his.
He stopped his prideful display and walked towards the children, but as expected Daniel had intercepted him. He glared down at his son with his usual condescending stare before his lips curved up in a smile.
"You don't have to showcase your family problems in front of your enemies" Jeffery advised the boy mentally before walking past the stubborn child. He was much more interested in the Stigma boy at the moment. He wasn't planning on attacking the boy now, he wanted to make sure the boy understood that he had not yet forgotten about him. He was surely coming back for Angus, but for now, he would let him go because he knew Daniel would surely react if he tried anything extra other than saving them.
Angus stood his ground even as Jeffery's eyes peered into his soul. Showing your enemies your fear was a very bad idea, and he wasn't foolish enough to do so. He was aware that Jeffrey could easily snap his neck if he wanted to, but he still stood his ground.
Daniel watched his father carefully and sternly. The man was not to be trusted. Even though he had saved them, there was no telling he wouldn't turn on them in the next second. He was a menace and was unpredictable. He wasn't sure why the man came to their rescue, but he knew it was probably for some selfish reason. Jeffery Bruce didn't care for anyone else other than himself, and he was sure of that.
Jeffery smiled at Angus's courage, before breaking their lingering stare. He had already done what he came here for, so there was no use wasting his time any further. Without another word, he summoned the outsiders out of the Forest, leaving only him and Daniel behind. They were going to have a little chat, a father and son conversation.