After a few minutes of leisurely watching the chaos, Captain Kael Arcturus decided it was time to step in. He pushed off the tree he had been leaning on and casually strolled toward the center of the destruction. His emerald eyes scanned the wreckage, noting a small object on the ground—a phone, still connected to a call. The voice of the nobleman Asher had confronted earlier echoed faintly from the device.
Without hesitation, Kael stomped on the phone, shattering it into pieces. The nobleman's voice was cut off abruptly, and the forest fell silent except for the distant sound of crackling flames.
Asher, still in his berserk form, felt the presence of someone new. His dark aura pulsed violently as he focused on Kael, a growl escaping his lips. Without warning, Asher lunged at Kael, his body moving with unnatural speed. But Kael was ready. With a swift motion, he sidestepped Asher's attack and threw him backward with ease.
Asher snarled in fury, his eyes glowing with dark energy as he charged at Kael again. His fists burned with fiery energy as he threw blow after blow, each one powerful enough to shatter stone. But Kael dodged every attack with minimal effort, his body moving gracefully as he deflected the punches and swipes.
"You're strong, kid, but strength alone won't cut it," Kael muttered, still grinning as he dodged another strike.
Frustrated, Asher leapt back, breathing heavily as he prepared to unleash a massive swirl of fire. The flames spiraled toward Kael, scorching everything in their path. But Kael wasn't fazed. He sprinted forward with lightning speed, weaving through the flames as if they were nothing, and delivered a powerful kick that sent Asher flying into the sky.
Before Asher could regain his balance in the air, Kael teleported above him, delivering a crushing blow that sent him crashing back down to the ground. The impact created a massive shockwave, scattering debris and dust into the air. Smoke filled the forest as the ground quaked from the force of the hit.
As the smoke and debris cleared, Kael stood tall, his figure barely visible through the haze. He calmly walked over to Asher, who lay on the ground, still struggling to move. Kael placed two fingers on Asher's forehead, his expression softening for a brief moment.
"That was fun, kid," Kael said with a smirk. "But it has to end here."
With those words, Kael cast an anti-magic spell, a technique designed to suppress energy and render a person powerless. "Zet," he whispered as the spell activated. Asher's dark aura flickered and then faded completely. His body slumped, unconscious, as the berserk transformation reversed.
Kael glanced back at the scene of destruction and noticed a woman lying on the ground nearby—Asher's mother. Her body was bruised, but she was still breathing. Kael bent down and carefully picked her up, carrying her in his arms.
Teleporting both Asher and his mother back to the Squad Zero headquarters, Kael arrived at the medical wing, dropping Asher's mother onto a sickbed. He turned to the nearby medics and commanded, "Call Vice Captain Liora. She'll know how to heal her."
The medics scrambled to follow his orders, knowing full well the severity of the situation. Kael, still calm and collected, walked out of the medical wing and headed to a secured room deep within the HQ.
In this room, Kael had prepared a special anti-magic chair, designed to suppress and weaken those with immense power. He placed Asher in the chair, using anti-magic restraints to bind him securely. The energy that once radiated from Asher was now reduced to a faint glow, his power significantly weakened.
Kael stepped back, folding his arms as he observed Asher's unconscious form. His thoughts were already racing, wondering who this boy really was and how his power could be so wild and untamed.
"Well," Kael muttered to himself, "it looks like things are going to get interesting from here on out."
With that, he turned and left the room, leaving Asher bound and subdued, his next move uncertain.