A few minutes later, Felix stepped into the restroom that had been sealed off. It was a fully enclosed space, with no windows—just a single ventilation fan. That meant there was only one entrance and exit.He examined the body sitting upright on the toilet in one of the stalls. The man's head was resting gently against the tiled wall. His pants were already pulled back up and fastened, clearly indicating he had finished using the restroom. More importantly, it was obvious no one had touched or tampered with the body.Felix commented, "No need to call in forensics. There are no external wounds, and his internal organs are completely intact. We can also rule out heart failure or brain hemorrhages. This wasn't caused by any natural condition."With his medical background, it only took Felix a glance to determine the truth.Johann replied, "Yes, sir. But then… what now? Should we interrogate those nine people?"The closer they got to confirming Malevolent Phantoms were involved, the
"Can you cooperate now?" Felix asked calmly.Lina snapped back to her senses, her face burning with embarrassment. "I'm sorry," she said quickly. "I'll fully cooperate from now on."Sure enough, seeing the richest man's daughter completely fold made the rest of the group abandon any rebellious thoughts. Whatever frustration they had been feeling vanished instantly.Once they were settled, Felix began examining them closely. This was not just a casual observation. He activated his Spirit Eye, a skill from the Phaeron Codex that allowed him to see into a person's soul.After reaching Higher Spirit Realm, Felix had gained access to this ability, but he had never actually used it to inspect a Malevolent Phantom before. Still, he was sure of one thing—their souls would look nothing like normal humans'.So, checking with Spirit Sight was a far more reliable method than looking at whether someone's wounds were healing.When Felix finished scanning all nine people, he froze, completely s
Even though Lina knew Felix held an unimaginably high status—so high that even Steve feared him—his continued questioning and the direction of his suspicions pushed her to the edge. The mere idea that her son might be involved sent her into a silent rage.She was a mother, and when it came to her child, she did not care who the hell the other person was."I'm just asking questions," Felix said flatly. "Just answer them. Don't make me start quoting laws and rights to get you to cooperate."His voice was so calm. For a moment, Lina wondered if she had overreacted, so she took a breath and continued.She explained, "He wasn't in the stall. It's way too small in there. I left the door cracked open so he could see me, and since I had the tether on, plus the nanny and driver waiting outside, I wasn't worried about him wandering off."Felix did not say anything right away. He stood there, clearly deep in thought.Silvercrest Restaurant might have been an upscale dining place, but it was
"So what?" Lina asked. "Even if I lied, what does that person's death have to do with my son?"Felix suddenly roared, "Are you telling me that when you opened the door, your son never left your sight for even a second?""I—"Lina opened her mouth but suddenly found herself at a loss for words. That instinctive hesitation was the most telling of all."Get the car ready. Take her with us. We're going to Lina's house.""Yes, sir!"The convoy arrived at a luxurious mansion in Zuera. The moment Felix and his team rushed inside, they saw Steve sitting in the living room, holding a three-year-old boy in his arms."Mr. Zeller, why are all of you here?"Lina, restrained by Felix's men, screamed in a frenzy, "Dad! Save Leonardo! They're trying to take him away!"Then, she turned to Felix, shouting in fury, "You monsters! He's just three years old, and you suspect him of murder? I'll expose you! I'll take you to court!"By the time she finished, she was sobbing uncontrollably."Mr. Zel
The existence of crossbreeds was classified as top secret by headquarters. If word got out, even if the general public remained unaware, just the knowledge reaching certain members within headquarters would cause mass panic.Would you dare to question whether your partner might be a Malevolent Phantom? Would you risk wondering if your child inherited some of its traits and became a crossbreed? No one wanted to shoulder that responsibility.Take Johann and his team, for example. They had absolutely no knowledge of crossbreeds, and their resistance right now stemmed entirely from their own moral convictions."Sir!"Johann didn't dare stop Felix outright, but he raised his voice to make his stance clear. The others followed suit, not to mention Lina, who was still sobbing uncontrollably, and Steve, whose eyes were red with fury as he glared at Felix without a hint of fear."Mr. Zeller! If you're really going to take my grandson, you'll have to step over my dead body first!"Tears st
A trace of sweetness flickered in Norman's eyes, and he couldn't help but smile."Yeah, I never imagined it, either. Me, an A-tier Malevolent Phantom, actually falling in love with a human. I'm completely, hopelessly in love."Felix froze as he hadn't expected it to be true."You probably don't believe me. No other Malevolent Phantom would, either. But it's real. I truly love Lina. After experiencing what you humans call love, I was completely consumed by it. Maybe that's why, when we were together, our souls intertwined, and that's how Leonardo was born."Norman grew emotional as he spoke."Do you understand? When I realized that Leonardo had inherited the unique traits of a Malevolent Phantom's soul, I was overjoyed beyond words."But I regretted it instantly when I remembered where we were. Because it meant that if Norman was ever discovered, he would be in danger of being killed at any moment."And now, with your arrival today, I knew that moment had come. I just didn't expe
Norman looked into Felix's eyes and knew there was no room for negotiation. He lowered his head in silence.Seeing this, Felix dialed Donna's number."What's up?" she asked."I found a crossbreed.""A crossbreed? Oh, you mean a hybrid? What about it?"Felix had no choice but to ask Donna for help. No matter how he looked at it, he also wanted to protect Leonardo."This crossbreed is only three years old and seems to have inherited a soul-related trait. He just killed someone out of pure instinct."Before Felix could finish, Donna had already guessed the situation. She let out a chuckle, her tone carrying a hint of eerie amusement. "Let me guess, you want to save the kid?"Felix didn't bother denying it. "That's right. I want to know if there's a way."After a long pause, Donna's voice came through again, "There is! But I can only assist. Since he's just three years old and hasn't developed much yet, I can mark the part of his soul that drives his instincts. "You'll need to
At that moment, Felix turned to Norman. "Step outside and say the lines you've rehearsed. Then, I'll take your son with me. He'll be back by dawn."Norman was beyond relieved. If Leonardo could survive, nothing else mattered.He had long anticipated this day. Living on Earth, even if it wasn't intentional, he had killed more than one person. There was no way he'd be let off the hook.In the living room, Lina was in tears, bombarding him with questions, while Steve kept sighing heavily. No one could have imagined that a once-happy family would fall apart overnight."I'm taking Leonardo for treatment. I won't say it again."Seeing the scene unfold, Felix spoke up. With Norman's cooperation, things were going more smoothly. Since he had been assured that Leonardo would return safely, there was no reason for further resistance.The situation had to be handled strictly. There was no room for defiance.Just then, Xena arrived. She had actually been in Zuera since the day before but ha
The moment the topic came up, Felix's gaze flickered, avoiding direct eye contact. No matter how you put it, even though Xena would also benefit from it, it still felt somewhat unfair. It felt that way, especially since they weren't in a relationship. If they were married or at least dating, it wouldn't be an issue at all."I'm exhausted. I need another two days to rest," he said.Billy scoffed. "I know your soul energy is depleted, but trust me. Your fatigue will disappear instantly once your souls merge. The feeling is beyond words. I'm sure you've heard from the Malevolent Phantom how irresistible Soul Binding is, even for those who've already experienced love and passion."Wait, what? Felix was speechless. It seemed that there was really no way out of it."Oh, one last thing. After you and Xena… you know, your soul energy will be completely absorbed and stored away. That means you won't have any left to wield a soul-bound weapon or use any soul attacks. Are you sure you still
There was only one explanation—Felix really could heal soul damage."Of course, I healed him. Let me rest for a bit. Wake me up when the sun comes up."Felix was utterly exhausted. Even if an S-tier Malevolent Phantom appeared beside him, he couldn't be bothered to care. If Donna had truly wanted to kill him, she would have done it long ago. There was no reason for her to wait until now.As Donna watched Felix slip into a deep sleep almost instantly, her expression grew more complex.What kind of ridiculous joke was that? Even though Leonardo was a crossbreed, his soul had already inherited the traits of a Malevolent Phantom. While it wasn't exactly the same as a true Malevolent Phantom, the essence of his soul had changed.And yet, Felix had still managed to heal him. If word of this got out, it would shake the entire Malevolent Phantom world to its core.It was like finding out that some miracle doctor could cure any disease in the human world. People would go absolutely crazy.
Leonardo's body suddenly started convulsing, and with foam spilling from his mouth, even a fool could tell something had gone wrong.Damage to the soul was entirely different from physical injuries. If one got a cut, even without treatment, their body would eventually heal on its own. However, the soul wasn't like that. Any damage was permanent and had widespread consequences. Even if just a fraction of an inch of the soul was harmed, the physical reaction could be extreme.Felix let out a long breath. "Finally got it out. It sounds easy, but doing it was incredibly difficult. Even with my soul energy, I nearly couldn't hold on."The level of precision required to make such an impossibly fine cut was beyond imagination. To do it without causing any collateral damage would require soul energy beyond comprehension.Of course, Leonardo's soul had been damaged. There was no avoiding it."At least he's alive. You've done all you could," Donna said.However, Felix just smiled. "That'
At that moment, Felix turned to Norman. "Step outside and say the lines you've rehearsed. Then, I'll take your son with me. He'll be back by dawn."Norman was beyond relieved. If Leonardo could survive, nothing else mattered.He had long anticipated this day. Living on Earth, even if it wasn't intentional, he had killed more than one person. There was no way he'd be let off the hook.In the living room, Lina was in tears, bombarding him with questions, while Steve kept sighing heavily. No one could have imagined that a once-happy family would fall apart overnight."I'm taking Leonardo for treatment. I won't say it again."Seeing the scene unfold, Felix spoke up. With Norman's cooperation, things were going more smoothly. Since he had been assured that Leonardo would return safely, there was no reason for further resistance.The situation had to be handled strictly. There was no room for defiance.Just then, Xena arrived. She had actually been in Zuera since the day before but ha
Norman looked into Felix's eyes and knew there was no room for negotiation. He lowered his head in silence.Seeing this, Felix dialed Donna's number."What's up?" she asked."I found a crossbreed.""A crossbreed? Oh, you mean a hybrid? What about it?"Felix had no choice but to ask Donna for help. No matter how he looked at it, he also wanted to protect Leonardo."This crossbreed is only three years old and seems to have inherited a soul-related trait. He just killed someone out of pure instinct."Before Felix could finish, Donna had already guessed the situation. She let out a chuckle, her tone carrying a hint of eerie amusement. "Let me guess, you want to save the kid?"Felix didn't bother denying it. "That's right. I want to know if there's a way."After a long pause, Donna's voice came through again, "There is! But I can only assist. Since he's just three years old and hasn't developed much yet, I can mark the part of his soul that drives his instincts. "You'll need to
A trace of sweetness flickered in Norman's eyes, and he couldn't help but smile."Yeah, I never imagined it, either. Me, an A-tier Malevolent Phantom, actually falling in love with a human. I'm completely, hopelessly in love."Felix froze as he hadn't expected it to be true."You probably don't believe me. No other Malevolent Phantom would, either. But it's real. I truly love Lina. After experiencing what you humans call love, I was completely consumed by it. Maybe that's why, when we were together, our souls intertwined, and that's how Leonardo was born."Norman grew emotional as he spoke."Do you understand? When I realized that Leonardo had inherited the unique traits of a Malevolent Phantom's soul, I was overjoyed beyond words."But I regretted it instantly when I remembered where we were. Because it meant that if Norman was ever discovered, he would be in danger of being killed at any moment."And now, with your arrival today, I knew that moment had come. I just didn't expe
The existence of crossbreeds was classified as top secret by headquarters. If word got out, even if the general public remained unaware, just the knowledge reaching certain members within headquarters would cause mass panic.Would you dare to question whether your partner might be a Malevolent Phantom? Would you risk wondering if your child inherited some of its traits and became a crossbreed? No one wanted to shoulder that responsibility.Take Johann and his team, for example. They had absolutely no knowledge of crossbreeds, and their resistance right now stemmed entirely from their own moral convictions."Sir!"Johann didn't dare stop Felix outright, but he raised his voice to make his stance clear. The others followed suit, not to mention Lina, who was still sobbing uncontrollably, and Steve, whose eyes were red with fury as he glared at Felix without a hint of fear."Mr. Zeller! If you're really going to take my grandson, you'll have to step over my dead body first!"Tears st
"So what?" Lina asked. "Even if I lied, what does that person's death have to do with my son?"Felix suddenly roared, "Are you telling me that when you opened the door, your son never left your sight for even a second?""I—"Lina opened her mouth but suddenly found herself at a loss for words. That instinctive hesitation was the most telling of all."Get the car ready. Take her with us. We're going to Lina's house.""Yes, sir!"The convoy arrived at a luxurious mansion in Zuera. The moment Felix and his team rushed inside, they saw Steve sitting in the living room, holding a three-year-old boy in his arms."Mr. Zeller, why are all of you here?"Lina, restrained by Felix's men, screamed in a frenzy, "Dad! Save Leonardo! They're trying to take him away!"Then, she turned to Felix, shouting in fury, "You monsters! He's just three years old, and you suspect him of murder? I'll expose you! I'll take you to court!"By the time she finished, she was sobbing uncontrollably."Mr. Zel
Even though Lina knew Felix held an unimaginably high status—so high that even Steve feared him—his continued questioning and the direction of his suspicions pushed her to the edge. The mere idea that her son might be involved sent her into a silent rage.She was a mother, and when it came to her child, she did not care who the hell the other person was."I'm just asking questions," Felix said flatly. "Just answer them. Don't make me start quoting laws and rights to get you to cooperate."His voice was so calm. For a moment, Lina wondered if she had overreacted, so she took a breath and continued.She explained, "He wasn't in the stall. It's way too small in there. I left the door cracked open so he could see me, and since I had the tether on, plus the nanny and driver waiting outside, I wasn't worried about him wandering off."Felix did not say anything right away. He stood there, clearly deep in thought.Silvercrest Restaurant might have been an upscale dining place, but it was