As evening approached, the group decided to seek shelter before darkness enveloped them. Fatigued, exhausted, and hungry, they also grappled with the disappointment of not uncovering any new clues about the test.
At least it seemed their luck was finally turning for the better as after a few steps forward, they stumbled on a building amidst the surrounding rubbles that was still mostly intact.
They could instantly tell from its exquisite exterior designs and the fact that this was the only building still standing in the whole area that this wasn't just some simple building.
They immediately walked into the building and decided to scavenge around for useful things or information.
Most of the rooms in the buildings were large although the rooms were mostly filled with objects that had already been destroyed or were barely usable.
The group had unfortunately not found any new information but they had managed to find some edibles that resembled hot dogs although they were a lot yellowish and smaller in comparison. They had also found a portable lighter which they used to start a fire.
With the fire, the group roasted the edibles they had found and ate quietly.
They didn't mind the extra soft texture of the food or the sour taste it had, as their sole aim at that moment was satisfying their hunger that steadily grew as time went on.
Huddled around the makeshift campfire they had made in one of the large rooms, the group remained oddly quiet as everyone seemed to busy themselves with their own business. This was probably because aside from clues relating to the test, there were no other similar interests or topics to discuss and so far they still hadn't gotten any new clue or suggestions for a new clue and as such they all just remained quiet, minding their own business.
Amanda busied herself with the edible in her hands as she still seemingly struggled to eat it, her expression contorting with each bite she took.
Azel seemed to take his mind away with the interior designs, as he kept studying them, although most had already been destroyed. And Bobby, he just kept stealing glances at Raziel who had chosen a dimmer part of the room side to sit quietly.
Staring at his harmless and dull expression, A part of Bobby felt compelled to start a discussion with him.
Despite suspecting that the benign impression he conveyed to students, even those with Supporting Hero Status, stemmed from his belief that engaging with them was beneath him, a part of him still considered initiating a discussion possible.
Perhaps it was because Raziel was currently at a power level he desperately wanted to achieve that he felt drawn to initiating a conversation. This was especially true since he required a similarly rapid increase in power if he aimed to become one of the greatest heroes known to humanity.
Simply put, establishing communication with Raziel would certainly benefit him, given his aspirations to become a distinguished Prime. This is particularly true since, up to this point, Raziel stands out as the only high-status student with immense strength who appears unconcerned about the Supporting Hero Status.
Plus from his continued indifference to Bobby's presence, he didn't seem to hold any more grudge from his fight with Stare which made Bobby believe he might actually have a chance at making him an acquaintance…or at least something close to that.
This was mostly likely the only chance he might have at getting so close to Raziel and probably making an acquaintance out of him and Bobby aimed to make the best out of it.
However, the issue now lay in coming up with something, a topic or discussion that might succeed in grabbing Raziel's attention.
While Bobby contemplated on what topic was suitable to garner Raziel's attention, he suddenly noticed Raziel's attention quickly moved to the entrance of the room.
Bobby also quickly looked in the same direction, and then the other two instantly followed, after noticing both Bobby's and Raziel's gazes focused on the entrance.
Suddenly standing at the room's entrance was a tall, human male-like figure.
His features were partly obscured by the darkness of the room however the group were still able to make out some of it with the aid of the light from their makeshift campfire.
The figure, appearing to be in his late thirties or forties, was clad in what resembled a black security outfit. However, the group couldn't confirm this due to the room's inadequate lighting.
They could all feel his dead eyes locked on them and somehow the group knew there was something definitely off about the man.
The fact that he just remained standing there quietly, not attempting to engage in any sort of interaction with the group whether good or bad was definitely off.
After some minutes of just continuous stares between themselves without an utterance of a word from any side, Amanda decided to initiate the conversation.
Walking a little closer to the man, she was about to ask who he was, however before the word could leave her mouth, a completely black sharp-edged object suddenly burst through the man's throat, causing blood to spill out uncontrollably.
The group was instantly stunned by this that they were completely unable to move a limb, however, the shock didn't stop there, as the black object was then forcefully dragged out the man's throat from behind, allowing his lifeless body to fall to the ground and revealing a very familiar figure standing behind him.
It was Raziel and he was now holding a pitch black katana looking object…the object that had pierced the man's throat also had a similar sharp edge as the katana in Raziel's hand making it plausible that he was definitely responsible for the surprise attack.
In a synchronized manner, the three immediately looked toward the spot where they last saw Raziel standing only to find it now empty.
Yet they still found the following events too unbelievable to easily accept.
They all knew the future heir to the Erebus family was definitely strong however no one had expected a show of such abilities.
He had just been standing with them a few minutes ago, so how had he managed to quickly move over to the man's back and all this without alerting any of them?
What was even more shocking was how cleanly he had killed off the man without any sign of hesitation or even a change in expression, as he still had his signature dull expression on his face.
They weren't even going to talk about the fact that he had done all this with a weapon they hadn't seen him use before.
They all knew Raziel to be accustomed to using daggers however the weapon in his hand currently was shaped like a katana.
Somehow the thought of what had just transpired sent shivers down the spine of the three. They had been apprehensive of Raziel before now because of his identity but after what they had witnessed, all they felt for Raziel at the moment was dread.
There was no doubt now that he could easily kill them all off at the same time, and they wouldn't even know how they died.
Bobby just kept staring at the scene of Raziel and the body of the man lying lifeless on the floor.
He couldn't believe a few minutes ago he was thinking of coming up with a topic of discussion that might interest the figure before him.
With a gulp, the only thought that ran through his mind at the moment was 'so scary'.
At this point the fear he felt for the whole Erebus family had grown a leapfold again.
The three were clearly in a deep state of shock and confusion. They still couldn't comprehend how Raziel had managed to kill the man or why he had done it. Additionally, they remained unaware of the reason behind the man's peculiar behavior.
While they would have preferred that Raziel didn't outright kill him, considering the potential for useful information, none of them dared to openly oppose his actions, especially after just witnessing his capabilities.
Unfazed by the group's stares of dread, Raziel casually crossed over the body in front of him and began to return to the spot where he had been sitting earlier. The katana-like object that had also been in his hand quickly dissipated into a dark fog, which soon vanished without leaving a trace.
Faced with increased astonishment at how effortlessly he fashioned and dispersed weapons from the dark fog, the three watched Raziel as he casually strolled back to his seat. However, they sensed something was amiss when he abruptly halted and turned back with a slight frown on his face—a deviation from his usual dull and gloomy expression.
The three trailed his focus back to the man whom he had just killed off and noticed that rather than a lifeless body, the man was now standing back on his feet, his eyes completely dark and more lifeless than before, staring at them and on his face was an eerie smile that sent shivers down their spines.