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Vanderberk had still been admiring the view and not looking at Croll directly, but something about those questions made his eyes shift over to the man. "It's not your place to ask why, Killer."

Croll met his gaze steadily, not shying away as so many others would when he looked at them.

This was unsurprising. The Killer of Krohin was a man of unusual intensity, even by Abolish's standards. He was unlikely to be intimidated by anyone, even emperors.

Vanderberk sent out an invisible wave of soul-empowered, pressurized helium. Combined with his reaper senses, the wave would tell him if there were any suspiciously empty spaces in the area.

Such as Rainlords cloaked with Invisibility, trying to sneak up on him while he was distracted.

But there was nothing. No one. Not on the ground, not in the air, not over the river.

"Keeping me in the dark won't benefit you in the long run," said Thaddeus. "The more informed I am of your intentions, the better I can help you achieve them."

No. This still wasn't right. Croll didn't make small talk. He didn't inquire about plans or idly speculate on things. He asked for orders or perhaps permission, then took action. Where was this change in behavior coming from? Had he done something? Was this conversation to stall for time?

Rather than answering, Vanderberk lifted his phone to call the prison again.

It fell apart in his hand, broken in two.

Vanderberk's eyes returned to the Killer, only to see the man sheathing his sword but not removing his hand from the hilt. "You choose now to make your move against me?" said Vanderberk. "When our numbers across the continent are already so diminished?"

The Killer made no response.

And again thanks to Elinox's senses, Vanderberk could abruptly sense something wrong the other men he'd brought along for this meeting. They collapsed to the ground in unison, not moving.

How did Croll neutralize them all in an instant like that? One moment they'd been fine, and now they weren't. Stranger still, they didn't seem to be dead, and the Killer of Krohin certainly wasn't known for his ability to subdue his opponents without killing them. If he'd used his sword, they'd all be in the same state as his phone, right now.

For some reason, however, the Rainkid had been left untouched. The boy was just standing there by the nearest vehicle, still unable to move.

Had Croll intentionally spared him? Or had it actually been Vanderberk's own invisible prison that protected him?