The entire battle had actually lasted only about a minute. Just as Isengard Stanton had said, they only needed to hold out for one minute, and the Machinery Hivemind team lying in wait nearby would arrive and resolve the matter with overwhelming force.
But unfortunately, the Desire Apostle had been excessively cautious. Even after falling into the trap, even after using a surprise Mental Shock to heavily wound everyone present and gaining a chance to counterattack, his primary goal had still been to preserve himself rather than risk killing some of the Beyonders present.
While all the Beyonders in the room had been intimidated by the Mental Shock, he had already sensed the Machinery Hivemind rapidly approaching from the street. Even farther away, two more teams carrying a sense of danger specifically directed at him were swiftly converging on this street.
So he fled without hesitation.
Leading the Machinery Hivemind team that burst through the door was a brown-haired middle-aged man with hard, angular features. Like the other official Beyonders of Backlund, he wore a trench coat and top hat, and he held an unusually shaped revolver.
The first to enter the house, he took in the situation at a glance and immediately directed his teammates toward the back door, attempting to track the fleeing Desire Apostle. Yet less than two minutes later, he led them back into the living room, his face full of reluctance.
"He was badly injured. There was black blood all over the ground, but he got away."
He muttered as he looked at Caslana and her assistant, who were helping each other to their feet, Isengard, who had climbed out from behind the sofa, and Angel, who was sitting on the sofa with Sherlock's help.
"Did any of you see his face clearly?"
Another Machinery