Masaki stood in front of the three boys, ignoring their questions, and said, "If you value your lives, leave this place right now."
One of the boys responded, "Who do you think you are, giving us orders?"
With an expressionless face, Masaki replied, "Your presence is awakening it. You're in its territory, and it won't like this."
The three boys were confused. They had no idea what Masaki was talking about and thought he might be crazy for living in such a place.
The third boy said, "Mind your own business. We're here to find our friend, and once we do, we'll leave."
Saying this, the three boys started walking away from Masaki. He continued to watch them expressionlessly.
Suddenly, the first boy, the nervous one, turned around and realized that Masaki had disappeared from his spot.
He panicked and asked the others, "Where did that guy go?"
The other two also looked and saw that Masaki had vanished. At that moment, they realized that the light inside the school was dimming.
The wind picked up, and the entire school turned eerie. Seeing this, the three boys were filled with fear.
The first boy, trembling, said, "I think we should go back."
The other two nodded in agreement, and all three of them started running towards the exit.
Suddenly, they heard a loud noise, as if several walls had collapsed at once. When they looked in that direction, they saw a 20-foot-tall monster. The creature's body resembled a lizard, but its front arms were massive, and its skin was pitch black, with black smoke rising from it. Its face was just a mouth filled with over a hundred sharp teeth, and spikes protruded from its body.
Upon seeing this monster, the three boys screamed. The monster roared and attacked them with its sharp claws. The boys shut their eyes in terror, but when nothing happened for a moment, they cautiously opened them.
To their surprise, they found themselves a little distance away from where they had been standing, and Masaki was now in front of them. The boys were speechless, unable to comprehend what had just happened.
They saw that the monster was still where it had been before. The ground where it had struck with its claws had split wide open. If they had been there, they would have been shredded to pieces. Somehow, they had been transported to safety.
Did Masaki bring them here? But how could a human move three people from one place to another so quickly? Who was this person? These thoughts raced through the boys' minds as the monster roared again and spewed black flames toward them.
Masaki said, "Lotus Shield."
Instantly, a pink lotus-shaped shield appeared in front of the four of them. The black flames deflected off the shield, passing by them harmlessly.
The boys were utterly shocked. Was this man fighting that monster? They couldn't believe what they were seeing.
When the monster stopped breathing fire, the Lotus Shield vanished.
Masaki then said, "Syria."
With those words, a stunningly beautiful woman, as radiant as an angel, emerged from Masaki's body. Her entire form glowed with a white light, and her clothes and hair sparkled like diamonds. Her lower body was missing, and her figure was attached to Masaki's back as if she were part of him.
Though only half of her body was visible, she was still larger than Masaki. As soon as she appeared, she spoke, "So, I finally get a chance to fight. Is that our enemy?"
Masaki replied, "Yes, but we need to make sure these boys aren't harmed."
She nodded and said, "Alright."
However, the three boys were confused, as they couldn't see the woman. They had no idea who Masaki was talking to.
Suddenly, Masaki disappeared from their sight, and the boys saw him reappear near the monster. A glowing blue sword materialized in his hand, and he slashed the monster's leg, causing a minor cut. The boys were even more astonished.
Masaki and the monster clashed. The monster was incredibly fast, but Masaki was even faster. With ease, he inflicted multiple wounds on the creature with his sword.
Masaki moved so quickly that the boys could only see streaks of blue light flashing across the monster's body.
Finally, Masaki stood before the creature, plunged his sword into the ground, and said, "Inchen."
Immediately, several blue, glowing chains wrapped around the monster. Masaki formed a lotus shape with his hands and aimed at the creature. From the woman behind him, a brilliant white light flowed into Masaki's hands as he said, "Lotus Cannon Attack."
A pink energy ball shot out from his hands, striking the monster and obliterating it in a massive explosion.
After the fight, Masaki walked over to the stunned boys. One of them, barely able to hold himself together, asked, "Who are you?"
Masaki responded, "You don't need to know. It's better if you forget all of this."
The second boy asked, "Why? The danger is over, right?"
Masaki said, "No, that wasn't the Sleek I was looking for. This was a Level 3 Sleek, but the one I'm after is a Level 4. It's not here right now. I think it left a part of itself behind just to guard its territory."
The third boy asked, "So there's another monster like this? One even stronger?"
Masaki replied, "Yes, but you don't need to worry about it. I'm erasing your memories of everything that happened here."
As he raised his hand, the second boy stopped him and said, "Our friend came here yesterday."
In a cold tone, Masaki replied, "If that's true, he's already dead. You'd be better off stopping your search."
Hearing this, the boys were devastated. Masaki raised his hand and said, "Memorial Infusion."
A bright white light emanated from his hand, and when it faded, Masaki had disappeared, and the boys had forgotten everything that had happened.
Masaki remained in the school, searching for something. Syria, the white woman, said, "You're so cold-hearted."
Masaki responded, "I only spoke the truth. Besides, Angel Warriors can't afford to be sentimental."
Masaki walked to the spot where the Sleek had emerged and tossed aside a broken wall, revealing stairs leading downward.
He descended the stairs into the school's basement. The place was pitch black, so Syria increased her brightness, illuminating the area. They saw that the place was completely decayed.
Spider webs covered every corner, moss grew on the walls, and numerous insects crawled everywhere. The stench was overwhelming, making it unbearable for an ordinary person to remain there for even a minute.
Ignoring all this, Masaki continued onward. Soon, he realized why the smell was so strong. He saw several corpses with their insides spilled onto the ground, fully decomposed.
But then Syria noticed something strange. She said to Masaki, "These people are still alive. I don't know how, but they are."
Masaki sighed deeply, and for the first time, his expressionless face showed a hint of sorrow as he said, "When a human experiences immense pain or suffering, their body emits a lot of negative energy. That's why when Sleeks capture humans, they torture them physically and mentally for weeks. They keep them alive in such a state that they feel nothing but pain, continuously generating negative energy for the Sleeks to feed on for a long time."
Syria looked at the suffering humans. Their bodies were rotting, their insides exposed, but they were still alive, able to feel everything. It was a fate worse than death, as these unfortunate people endured living hell, having been trapped in this condition for who knows how long.
Seeing their plight, Syria's heart ached, and she asked Masaki in a pleading voice, "Is there anything we can do for them?"
Masaki coldly replied, "Only one thing."
He raised his hand and said, "Majestic Flames."
Blue fire erupted from his hand, incinerating all the suffering humans in an instant.
Masaki and Syria continued searching the basement. They found several small skeletons locked in a room. Upon closer inspection, Masaki could hear the faint echoes of children crying and screaming.
Seeing this, Syria said, "This isn't a sacrifice... This is..."
Masaki understood and said, "The principal wasn't a dark magician. He was a vile man. He probably brought children here for unspeakable acts. Their pain and suffering must have given birth to that Sleek. But instead of seeking revenge, the Sleek sided with the principal. Together, they must have ruined countless innocent lives."
Syria asked, "But there's one more question. According to that boy's story, the Sleek had been sealed. But ordinary humans can only control Sleeks up to Level 2."
Masaki said, "Maybe 12 years ago, this Sleek wasn't that powerful, so they could seal it. But after growing stronger, it didn't leave this place. It made the school its domain."
Syria replied, "So the Sleek has been here for the past 12 years, but why did we only learn about it yesterday?"
Masaki answered, "There's a barrier of positive energy surrounding this place, designed to keep the Sleek contained. It hasn't crossed that barrier in the last 12 years, which is why it never came to our attention."
Syria asked, "But why did the Sleek break through the barrier yesterday?"
Masaki said, "That's what we need to figure out—what happened yesterday that sleek have to leave its area."