It was a man whose hood had already been swept back. He looked like a spirited young man, one who cared greatly about his appearance. Even after being crushed by Toby several times, his slicked-back hair, stiffened with pomade, had not fallen into disarray.
Yet this man, so concerned with his appearance, now wore despair on his face.
His calves trembled without stop, and his hands shook. Even though he held an alchemical weapon of unknown purpose, it brought him no sense of security, much less posed any deterrence to Toby.
He was like a cat scared out of its wits, fur standing on end as it brandished sharp claws. Yet faced with the enemy's ever-mounting aura, he did not even have the courage to strike, only staggering backward again and again in terror.
Toby merely watched him with its crimson vertical pupils for a moment before looking away.
It did not spare him out of softness. It knew that this man was practically ruined already. Once fear had taken root deep in one's heart, escaping the shadow of that domination would require nothing less than replacing the core inside his shell. Otherwise, he would never advance another step in the future; even maintaining his original realm would likely be difficult.
Toby could not be bothered to act against someone half-ruined like that.
After conducting different emotional amplification experiments on the two of them, Toby still wanted more. So, it turned its gaze upon those who were fleeing.
When Toby's scarlet gaze settled upon the followers of the Profound Alchemy Society, their hearts jolted. Recalling the painful memory of being crushed by it just now, their emotions, which had only just stabilized somewhat, once again began teetering on the brink of collapse.
Toby did not act immediately. Instead, it watched