The sunlight fell on Ebert and his group, warm and bright. They stood in the hall of the Brahma's Hand branch in Giralda City, filled with expectations and a little uneasiness about the future.
"It's unbelievable," Lilian whispered, "we now have the power of the core."
Ebert nodded, he could feel the powerful energy flowing in his body. "Yes, this power is both a gift and a responsibility."
At this moment, Elder Anand suddenly frowned, as if he sensed something. "Everyone," he said seriously, "I feel a powerful wave of magic approaching."
Everyone looked at each other and immediately understood the seriousness of the situation. Saraswati quickly cast a protective magic that enveloped the entire hall.
Suddenly, a strange black mist came from all directions and surrounded the entire building. Other members in the hall began to panic, and some even wanted to rush out.
"Calm down!" Ebert shouted loudly, "Everyone, stay where you are and don't act rashly!"
At this moment, an eerie voice came from the black mist: "Ah, our little hero finally got the power of the core. Just in time, let me see what you got from the core."
Ebert stared at the black mist warily: "Who are you? Why are you attacking us?"
A mysterious figure in black robes walked out of the black mist, and he slowly took off his hood. Abbott was surprised to find that it was an extremely young face, but his eyes were full of vicissitudes of life and cunning.
"It doesn't matter who I am," the mysterious man said. "What matters is that I am here to gain the power you gain from the core."
Ebert clenched his fists, and the energy in his body began to surge. "Don't even think about it!"
The mysterious man was dismissive: "Do you think you can stop me with your current strength? You are too naive."
Before he finished speaking, a powerful dark energy attacked Ebert. Ebert instinctively raised his hand, and an emerald green barrier instantly formed in front of him, but it was easily shattered by the mysterious man's attack.
"Oh?" The mysterious man raised his eyebrows, "It seems that you did get some interesting powers. But..."
His figure suddenly disappeared and appeared behind Ebert the next second, "This is not enough!"
Ebert was caught off guard and was hit in the back by a palm. He flew out and hit the wall heavily. Even with the strength of his core, Ebert still felt severe pain all over his body and could hardly move.
"Master!" The Ghost King shouted and immediately rushed towards the mysterious man. As a master at the fourth level of Grandmaster, the Ghost King's strength should not be underestimated. His ghostly aura erupted instantly, and the entire hall was enveloped in a gloomy atmosphere.
The two instantly started a fierce battle. The ghost aura of the ghost king and the dark energy of the mysterious man continued to collide, and the whole building was shaking. However, even the fourth-level ghost king seemed to have a hard time in front of this mysterious man.
"Interesting," the mysterious man said while fighting the Ghost King, "I didn't expect that the Hand of Brahma would hide a master like you. But..."
He suddenly accelerated the pace of his attacks, and the Ghost King began to feel a little unable to resist. "Although your strength is good, it's still a little bit behind."
Elder Anand and other mentors also joined the fight, but their attacks had little effect on the mysterious man.
Ebert stood up with difficulty. He could feel the strength in his body draining rapidly. "What's going on..." he muttered.
At this moment, Elder Anand suddenly spoke: "Ebert...you must...control the power in your body...don't let it...get out of control..."
Only then did Ebert realize that the core power in his body was flowing out uncontrollably. He took a deep breath and tried to concentrate, trying to control the power.
As he meditated, the energy in his body gradually stabilized. Ebert opened his eyes and found himself surrounded by a layer of light green light.
"Interesting," the mysterious man shook off the Ghost King and turned to Ebert, "It seems you are beginning to master this power. But..."
A dark long sword suddenly appeared in his hand, "I will take it away before you fully grasp it!"
Ebert instinctively stretched out his hand, and a long sword condensed with emerald energy appeared in his hand. Their weapons collided in the air, making a deafening roar.
Although Ebert's powers have increased, he is still no match for the Mysterious Man. In each encounter, Ebert was forced to take several steps back.
"Yes," the mysterious man said with a smile, "your potential is indeed great. Unfortunately, you are still too weak now."
Just when the mysterious man was about to launch a fatal blow, the Ghost King suddenly attacked from the side, giving Ebert a chance to breathe.
"Master, leave quickly!" The Ghost King shouted, "I'll hold him back!"
Ebert hesitated for a moment, but Elder Anand immediately stopped him: "We must retreat, now is not the time to confront him head-on."
Under the cover of the Ghost King, Ebert and his party quickly evacuated. The mysterious man did not chase, but stood there with a playful smile on his face.
"Run away, run away," he said to himself, "when you become stronger, we will have fun again."
After saying that, his figure gradually disappeared into the black mist.
---
After safely evacuating, Elder Anand looked at everyone seriously: "This incident proves that we are far from strong enough. The strength of that mysterious man is far superior to us, and even the Ghost King can only barely deal with it."
Abbott clenched his fists, his heart filled with frustration: "What should we do?"
Elder Anand took a deep breath: "We must speed up the training. Ebert, you must master the core strength as soon as possible. At the same time, we must also find more allies. We are far from ready for this battle. .
Everyone nodded silently, knowing that the coming days would be a difficult training journey.
Ebert looked into the distance and secretly vowed in his heart: No matter how many difficulties lie ahead, he must become stronger, protect those around him, and fight against that mysterious enemy.