They all call me Great Master

That shout to wait was not uttered by one person.

But by four people!

Four people emerged from the shadows in the directions of east, south, west, and north.

In the east, a person wielding a giant sickle, wearing a bird mask, and dressed like a plague doctor from the Silver Age, walked out slowly.

The steps were exceedingly heavy, and with each step, the end of the long-handled sickle struck the cobblestone path, letting out a distinctive clinking sound.

Most notably, a crow stood on the person's shoulder.

The crow's feathers were sleek and shiny, glowing with a unique brilliance even at the last moment before dawn.

From the south, an elderly hunchbacked man appeared, dressed in clothes woven from leaves, branches, and vines, barefoot. Though seeming slow, he was incredibly fast, making not a single sound, as if merging wholly with his surroundings.

It wasn't stealth.

It was more natural, harmonious.

To the west was the only woman among the four, whose figure was evident even under a hooded cloak. To the north was the last person, and also the strangest one.

Pistri could clearly see the person but somehow felt their non-existence.

This weird sensation—seeing with the eyes while the brain insists it's not there—made the Young Lion feel nauseated.

Yet, Pistri held back.

His gaze continuously swept over the four people.

He heard that voice to wait.

He knew.

He still had a chance.

At least, the actions of the 'Pale Hand' members in front of him halted.

And the three skeletons that appeared alongside them seemed as if facing a formidable enemy.

The soul fire in the eyes of the three skeletons burned fiercely, rusty bone swords appeared in their hands, forming a triangular formation to block the east, south, and west—

"'Raven Feather', 'Green Rock Forest', 'Serpent Sect'."

Every word spoken by the 'Pale Hand' member was deliberate.

Then he turned to look behind him.

Unlike the earlier seriousness.

When turning to the last unexpected guest, the 'Pale Hand' member's eyes revealed apprehension.

Intense apprehension.

"'Theofact Psychic Cultivation Association'!"

The words squeezed out from between clenched teeth.

And upon hearing such words, the 'Theofact Psychic Cultivation Association' member politely bowed slightly.

In fact, every member from the named organizations responded quite amicably.

The 'Raven Feather' member let the crow replace words with its cawing.

The 'Green Rock Forest' member showed a warm smile.

The 'Serpent Sect' member gestured with a hand motion—raising the right hand slightly above the eyebrows, extending only the index finger to draw a circle in the air, then gradually lowered the hand, much like a Noble's salute, but as it reached the neck, all fingers extended suddenly like a snake striking.

Hiss!

A snake's hiss.

The air grew a bit more slippery.

And somewhat colder.

Yet it was something the 'Death Poetry Society' member cared the least about.

Compared to the malice in the crow's gaze from 'Raven Feather' and the silent seeds scattered by the old 'Green Rock Forest' member, the 'Serpent Sect' member seemed friendly.

Of course, to speak seriously, these three were all amicable.

The truly frightening one was the 'Theofact Psychic Cultivation Association' bastard.

'Damn it!'

The 'Pale Hand' member cursed inwardly as his vision began to blur.

He was well aware of the 'distortion' from 'Theofact Psychic Cultivation Association'.

He was also cautiously wary.

Yet he had not expected to fall for it still.

Immediately, the 'Pale Hand' member was about to close his eyes, preparing to 'see' the uninvited guest before him in a different way—his hearing was remarkably good, far surpassing the average person naturally and further honed by special training, completely able to replace sight.

But as he intended to close his eyes internally.

His eyes remained wide open no matter what.

'Close your eyes!'

The 'Pale Hand' member commanded.

But his eyes stayed open.

He was momentarily dumbfounded.

Then, immediately relied on 'ears' to listen.

Finally, his eyes closed.

This unique feeling of distortion caused the 'Pale Hand' member to shiver inwardly.

And right at that moment, an unusual movement underfoot—

Crunch, crunch!

A section of vine broke through the solid cobblestone ground straight away.

The 'Pale Hand' member instinctively wanted to jump to dodge.

Then...

The 'Pale Hand' member squatted down.

The vine wrapped around him tightly, its thorns piercing fiercely into his body, injecting venom aggressively.

Instantly, the 'Pale Hand' member loosened his grip.

At once, Pistri briefly regained his freedom—as the Young Lion's feet were about to touch the ground, his collar was grabbed.

By that crow.

Meanwhile, the 'Raven Feather' member swung the sickle towards the 'Green Rock Forest' elder.

And the 'Serpent Sect' woman moved across the ground, rushing towards the 'Theofact Psychic Cultivation Association' member.

This 'Serpent Sect' woman moved like a real snake, swift and bizarre.

Even capable of raising her hand mid-way to launch a dart.

Whoosh!

The dart aimed at the crow.

The dart's speed was extremely fast.

Normally, it would be nothing to the crow.

But with the crow gripping a person, speed and agility greatly diminished, the dart became deadly.

Almost on instinct, the crow released its claws, lightening its load, soaring higher.

Thud!

Pistri fell right there.

The Young Lion flipped and got up, running away.

He didn't know why the people from 'Raven Feather', 'Green Rock Forest', 'Serpent Sect', and 'Theofact Psychic Cultivation Association' were here.

According to what he knew, these organizations, with the end of the 'Seven Years' War' and the start of the 'Pioneer Era', should have been eliminated by his father.

But he was quite aware the opportunity was rare.

If he didn't run now, he'd never be able to escape.

Just taking a step, a vine wound around his ankle.

Thud!

The sudden tug made the Young Lion fall to the ground.

But more despairing for the Young Lion, those three skeletons appeared at his side, surrounding him tightly without him noticing.

The three bone swords were held right against his neck.

Through the gaps of the skeletons, the 'Pale Hand' member, who should have been dead from being wrapped by vines and injected with poison, was looking at him.

The man took off his hood, revealing a pale face.

That face resembled a corpse's visage.

He mouthed to Pistri—

You can't escape!