Raymond, knowing that the Red Devil was on his side, didn't keep his distance. After shaking hands with him, he looked him over with interest:
The Red Devil's smile froze for a second. He didn't expect this new "Black Bishop" to be so straightforward, bringing up his species the moment they met.
"Oh, sorry. Let's talk about that later. We should deal with the main problem first."
Raymond seemed to realize this wasn't the right time for small talk. He walked past the Red Devil and looked at the many "Shadow Kings" in the yard, each with glowing yellow-brown eyes:
"Well then, Mr. Farouk, it's time to send you on your way…"
All the "Shadow Kings" suddenly changed their expressions.
When they first saw "Raymond," they thought, just like Dr. Beth and David, that he was the same weak-minded therapist from before who was easy to control.
But as soon as "Raymond" started speaking, they realized something was off.
This "Raymond" was speaking perfect British English—with a slight Welsh accent. That was strange!
For non-native English speakers, an accent might not seem like a big deal. But to native speakers, the difference is huge.
Of course people would notice something was wrong.
The Red Devil didn't feel anything was odd since he hadn't met Raymond before and didn't know what he sounded like.
But the other three all knew Raymond well.
After hearing a few sentences, both David and Dr. Beth felt something wasn't right, though they weren't sure what it was.
The Shadow King, on the other hand, was certain: this wasn't the same person.
That's because his psychic senses told him that this "Raymond" had a completely different mental presence than the one he had met before.
And when it came to things , he trusted his psychic senses far more than appearances.
There were mutants who could change how they looked—like the famous Mystique, who could copy someone's appearance and even their voice exactly.
But Mystique's shape-shifting doesn't work on psychic users like the Shadow King or Professor X.
That's because even though she can change how she looks, she can't change her mental presence.
So, to the Shadow King, this "Raymond" didn't just sound different—his mental presence was completely unfamiliar. There was no way he was the same person.
The Shadow King's words made David look at "Raymond" with growing doubt, no longer sure what to believe.
Only Dr. Beth was still confused. She didn't know people could change their appearance to look like someone else.
So even though she noticed the accent was off, she didn't question if this was really Raymond.
But she did notice something strange—Raymond didn't look surprised at all when he saw the Red Devil or the Shadow Kings.
That meant he had probably seen things before.
In other words, her former idol might also be one of the "monsters"!
Instead of getting scared, Dr. Beth actually started to feel excited.
Because she believed that even if Raymond really was one of those "monsters," he wouldn't hurt her.
Maybe, just like the Avengers, he was someone with special powers—a real superhero?
She began to imagine Raymond's story in her mind.
That imagination gave her courage and pushed her fear away.
"Raymond," of course, didn't know what Dr. Beth was thinking. And even if he did, he wouldn't care. Right now, all that mattered were the Shadow Kings in front of him.
This was about whether he could enjoy the next month in peace—he couldn't afford to mess up.
When the Shadow Kings questioned his identity, "Raymond" didn't answer directly. Instead, he said something completely unrelated:
"Oh right, I almost forgot—there's something I need to tell you first…"
The Shadow Kings all frowned, curious about what he was up to.
"Raymond" cleared his throat, then suddenly spoke with strong disdain:
"You old bastard, raised by a whore—you think you can mess with my memories?!"
The Shadow Kings were shocked and furious!
They were shocked because this meant "Raymond" was admitting he was the therapist they had recently messed with.
And they were furious because he dared to speak to them like that?!
Not even their worst enemies had insulted them this badly.
It had been so long since anyone dared talk to him !
"I don't care who you are—and I don't care to know. Because your fate today is sealed… you're staying here forever!"
The Shadow Kings stared hard at "Raymond," their glowing yellow-brown eyes flaring brighter.
"I won't let you hurt him!" David shouted firmly when he heard this.
The Shadow Kings' faces turned dark.
"I was saving this for later, but I guess I have to use it now… explode! Explode! Explode!!"
With a low growl, the Shadow Kings shouted, and David suddenly groaned and collapsed backward, unconscious.
"Raymond" glanced at the fainted David and asked lazily:
"You planted something like a psychic bomb in his mind?"
"You know more than I thought."
The Shadow Kings stared coldly at him. "I was planning to wait until everything was ready. But now… it doesn't matter anymore."
"Are you done talking?"
"Raymond" shook his head. "I wanted to hear more of your story. But if you're finished, then… time to send you off."
"Klaatu Barada Nikto… Rise!!!"
Suddenly, "Raymond" raised both hands into the air like he was holding an invisible ball.
In an instant, a huge magic circle glowing with fire appeared beneath everyone's feet, trapping them inside.
Except for the unconscious David, everyone else realized at once—Raymond was chanting some kind of spell!
Even if they hadn't seen something in real life, they'd definitely seen it in movies.
As the giant magic circle formed, the Shadow Kings all suddenly grabbed their heads and screamed in pain!