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"Is that right?" Zaphreal smiled, amused. "Well then, welcome back."

At that, Eldrian frowned. "Oh, I know you\'re not back like that. But it\'s good that we can talk it over." Zaphreal said with a hearty laugh. "I hope going forward we can discuss things like friends and let bygones be bygones."

And as he said that and the three entered the restricted building—the guards pulled out their guns at Eldrian.

Eldrian, already wary, immediately reacted. He summoned a barrier of ice, several centimeters in thickness, and formed two icicles for each guard, six in total. Staying his hand at the last second as Zaphreal shouted at them to put down their guns.

"You idiots! Put down your guns! NOW!" Zaphreal\'s shout echoed like thunder in the air. The guard lowered their guns instinctively. Seconds later, their disgruntled looks made it clear they did not agree with this action. Yet, they could not bring their guns up with Eldrian\'s spell aimed at them.

One guard even dropped his gun to the ground immediately, quivering at the sight of magic. Sensing that one wrong move could get him killed.

Qiren was left standing, stunned. Unable to follow what had just happened. However, she realized keenly how she could have just died in the crossfire, and chills shot down her back. Freezing her on the spot.

"I told you all he was coming!" Zaphreal cursed, then paused. "I know some of you lost friends to the guy. But that was our fault. We were in the wrong!"

Shooing everyone out of the way, Zaphreal apologized to Eldrian. "I was worried something like that might happen. Didn\'t think you would be so ruthless, though."

Still in his shell of ice, Eldrian spread out his consciousness over the area. Only after ensuring that there was no further danger, even going so far as to ask them to place their guns on the ground, did he release his spell.

His insistence on this point clarified that he did not trust the guards. He even used an ether spell to confiscate their guns. An extra non-magical weapon should it come to that.

To drill his sense of unease, Eldrian did not fully dispel his barrier of ice. He kept a barrier between him and the scarlet-haired man and prepped himself for acting on a moment\'s notice. Mana and guns at the ready.

"Do you expect me to trust you after that?" Eldrian hissed.

"Honestly, I warned them beforehand. Guess some of them can\'t forgive you so easily. But really..." Shaking his head, Zaphreal was honestly stunned. He had heard plenty about Eldrian, heck, he had even faced him in the game.

Even so, he never expected Eldrian to react so quickly. Zaphreal was also stunned by how ready Eldrian had been. Had he shouted a second later, the guards would be dead or, at the very least, crippled.

Eldrian was clearly used to killing. The thought chilled Zaphreal a bit. After all, Eldrian wasn\'t some old veteran. He could even pass for a kid. Heck, if ANW had never been released, Eldrian would still be a uni student.

Zaphreal hadn\'t ever considered the effect ANW had on normal people, but now he had to reevaluate things. So far, people had not been shown to become more violent. But it was clear that the game forged them in war for war. Its realistic nature was bound to have this effect.

While Zaphreal was reflecting what this could mean for the future, and reevaluated its use for military training, Eldrian eyed the man. In the end, he determined he could at least hear him out. Believing there was no need to retreat just yet.

Eldrian had a few contingencies for if they tried to keep him here. He hadn\'t spent the four days before today doing nothing. If worse came to worst, he was prepared to teleport.

The Avyssos Ring had helped him master teleportation, but the risks were still massive. After all, with how little mana he had, thing could easily go south.

Even if he had a few crystals —sadly, their mana quantities were paltry compared to anything in ANW. Even using them as batteries, his mana might still be lacking. Not to mention he wouldn\'t get a do over. Flight would be the safer option, but only if he could escape via a window.

"I\'m sure you already know, but the company isn\'t unified in principle." Zaphreal started, seemingly uncornered by the fact that Eldrian was keeping a shield of ice between them, nor that he now had three pistols in his possession. "There are different factions, and some of them still linger here."

\'Still linger? Does that mean they did some cleaning?\' Eldrian pondered, turning to Qiren. Sadly, she was still shell-shocked.

While she had been told beforehand that Eldrian could wield magic on Earth, but that... It was insanity! She could easily imagine the aftermath had Zaphreal been a second too late.

Eldrian\'s spell would have killed the soldiers just like had killed thousands in ANW, and the guards\' bullets would not have penetrated his shield. They might even have ricocheted and hit her or Zaphreal.

The image was so vivid she could not shake it off. That death had been so near, it caused her to remain still as her mind worked to overcome the shock.

"What did you want to show me?" Eldrian asked, ignoring the stunned Qiren.

Giving her some comforting words might help her come out of her shock sooner, but the fact was Eldrian hadn\'t thought of her when he reacted. He could have, but hadn\'t tried to shield her. The waste of any mana, sadly, was not acceptable.

"Why did you insist I come here?" Eldrian pressed.

"Because they finally did it." Zaphreal said, sighing as he did.

"Did what?"

"They decided to take the leap. Eldrian, how much do you know?"

That was a question Eldrian didn\'t really know how to even answer. "I know nothing. But I have my theories. My biggest concern is that you wish to bring magic to Earth."

"An interesting way to put it. But isn\'t it already here?"

"It is. But mana is so sparse that it might as well not exist." Eldrian countered back. Not wishing to say more, lest he give away his hand.

Compared to ANW, it took days for him to recover his mana. Naturally, he did not wish to reveal any weaknesses to Miracle.

That was also why he had gone so aggressively in response. By showing them what he was capable of, hopefully, they wouldn\'t try anything foolish. He always had his auras to fall back onto if mana became a problem.

\'Thought I really do not want to let that happen,\' Eldrian thought. The most recent consequences of losing control were still clear in his mind.

"Indeed, that is our biggest concern." Zaphreal said as the trio entered an elevator. Qiren, finally able to walk, though shivering as she did, managed to follow them inside.

Noting that they were going up, Eldrian felt a little more relieved. Thought he still kept the floating ice shield between him and Zaphreal.

"You truly do no trust me." Zaphreal sighed, then shrugged. "No matter. What I am about to show you should convince you that I am not your enemy."

\'If his power is lightning, then ice isn\'t the best shield. However, I can deal with that when it comes to it.