Chapter 404: _May I Meet Them Too?

St. Malachi General Hospital, Aurelia

Gabriel got off the seat beside his father’s bed so fast that it scraped the ground with a sharp screech.

His heart hammered against his ribs as he processed the telepathic message he just got.

Ambrose.

The Archon was with Ambrose.

His old man, who’d originally been asleep, blinked, brows drawing together. "Gabriel?" He took in his son. "You look like you’ve seen a ghost."

The space god shook his head. "I’ve got to go." Grabbing his jacket, he gave his father a final glance. "Something came up."

Space warped.

He teleported, leaving Mr Silverstone blinking at the spot he’d been standing on just a second ago.

"I’ll... still never get used to that."

★★★★★

Phoenix Flight HQ

Devon bolted past the building’s main entrance, panting and drenched in sweat. He’d run as fast as he could the second Ambrose dropped that warning.

’Viktor?’ He reached out to the Ice Prince via Vessel of the Five. ’Tell me you got that SOS too.’

’I’m about stepping into my car as we speak.’

’This is not an emergency that requires driving.’ Devon’s eyes glowed. ’I’m flying there.’ His thoughts drifted to a certain SS-Rank who could open portals. ’Gabe, are you—’

ZRTTTT.

A tear in space opened right in front of him, glowing with a white light that forced him to take a couple of steps back.

Gabriel stepped out, fingers twisting at his side.

Three more portals opened, Valentine, Viktor and Loki walking out of them almost simultaneously. Pedestrians moving past the sidewalk gasped. Some brought out phones. Others backed away, wondering why five powerful Espers just randomly appeared.

"Oh, good. The whole squad’s here," Loki acknowledged everyone with a nod. "I’ve alerted the Pantheon already."

Devon heaved. "Before I ran out, Magnus alerted the Federation and the IHC."

"He warned us not to announce ourselves," Valentine reminded. "The fact that she’s been able to stay under the radar this long tells me she’s powerful enough to notice if something’s up."

Viktor’s eyes flitted around. "In other words..."

"We have to go in there as stealthily as possible." Gabriel’s iridescent orbs glowed again. "Our main goal should be restraining her and making sure Ambrose and Orion have an opening to get out of there safely."

Loki raised a hand. "Uhm, don’t forget the kids and everyone else in that academy."

"Can we just go now?" Devon stopped himself from raising his voice, gaze fixing on Gabriel. "Come on. Heaven knows what the hell Ramona’s doing to him right now..."

★★★★★

Blue Diamond Academy

Ramona adjusted her coat, taking a look at the window overlooking the academy grounds.

"It’s admirable what you’re doing here," She finally muttered, her attention dragging back to Ambrose. "Taking it upon yourself to nurture the minds of your people’s young."

Ambrose made sure not to take his eyes off her for even a second.

He had a hundred and one snarky comments to make right now, but couldn’t muster the will to utter any.

He had ways to escape. He could teleport himself and Orion out of here... but then who’s to say she won’t just follow them?

Regardless of how life-like his Illusions were, she’d probably be able to break through them.

Flight was definitely out of the question.

There weren’t many options before a being capable of playing reality like a board game.

Meanwhile, Ramona watched him closely.

He did a very good job staying silent.

But beneath all that calm... was the sweet smell of fear.

"You’re not nearly as powerful as your future variant." Those words came out with pure disappointment. "I imagined him replacing his soul with yours would mean he gave you... a head start at least."

[I’ve scanned the target’s vessel.]

[Ambrose, her body still seems... human. There’s an unfathomable amount of power under it. But it still contains almost the same durability levels.]

’... In other words?’

[You could potentially harm her but have to watch out for the possibility of her simply regenerating or hopping into another body.]

Of course.

A fifty-fifty situation.

"The child, though," Ramona suddenly chuckled. "The sheer amount of power in him is so raw. So conceptual. Even now I can sense—"

"I’ll stop you right there." Ambrose’s composure was standing on a thin thread. "You see, this is exactly why my future self wanted nothing to do with your plans. You’re talking about a child like he’s livestock meant to be pruned."

Ramona’s smile lingered, neither mocking nor warm. It carried the quiet patience of someone who had already seen the ending of a conversation before the first words had even been spoken.

"You misunderstand me, Hunter Ambrose," she said. "If I had wished to take the child, I would not have wasted my time standing here talking."

The honesty in her voice unsettled him more than any threat could have.

Silence settled between them once again.

Then, without warning, her attention drifted away from him. Her head tilted ever so slightly toward the office door, the corners of her lips lifting with unmistakable amusement.

"Ah."

Ambrose frowned. "What?"

"They’re here."

His pulse quickened.

Ramona slowly returned her gaze to him, blue eyes glimmering with quiet curiosity.

"Your lovers." Her smile deepened by a fraction. "May I meet them too?"

The sentence had barely left her lips when—

The office door slowly swung open.

Devon stepped inside first, flames already dancing beneath his skin.

Before Ambrose could even react, Gabriel’s spatial ability activated, space folding with a sharp crack before depositing Ambrose safely beside him.

Frost raced over the floor beneath Viktor’s boots as he strode inside, shards of crystalline ice materialising around him like obedient soldiers. His gaze settled on Ramona, every trace of his usual teasing smile gone.

Valentine emerged from the shadows near the open doorway, necrotic energy rolling around his fingers. He said nothing, simply drifting toward Ramona’s left until every possible escape route had been accounted for.

Loki lazily twirled one of their daggers between their fingers, an easy grin on their face that didn’t quite reach their eyes.

For a heartbeat, nobody spoke.

Five of the world’s strongest Hunters had surrounded her.

Yet Ramona never once looked trapped.

Instead, she slowly turned in place, studying each face with genuine interest, as though she’d been introduced to guests at a dinner party rather than cornered by enough power to flatten cities.

"My," she murmured. "What a remarkable family."