"Well met."

"So, what did my daughter explain to you?"

"It's nothing important. We just discussed a few things in general, including the incident eleven years ago." This time, Mai was the one answering her father.

"I see." The Oni nodded. "Before that, just call me Ishii. No need for formality because we both are protectors. I will call you Kai in exchange."

"I understand. It's my pleasure to meet you, Ishii." Kai nodded with a calm expression.

"Likewise." Ishii smiled. He came out of the box, sitting on the floor. "Now, which one should I explain first… Which one do you want?"

"I want to confirm the person I care about first." Kai narrowed his eyes.

"It seems saving you was not a wrong decision back then." The guy smiled while closing his eyes. "I will just tell you my power. Well, it's the stronger version than what my daughter has, Mind Power. I am sure you have felt it, right?"

Kai nodded. "It's powerful."

"Well, you people call it Telekinesis, but I can also attack people's minds. Well, I won't go too much into details regarding my power and just explain the one that moves my heart to protect Earth." He smiled. "To put it simply, I have a mind that is too great to the point I can see the future."

"Future…" Kai widened his eyes.

"In the normal fight, I will be able to see two seconds in the future, so my prowess is quite good. With the power of Telekinesis, I think I am worthy of being called a Protector." Ishii's face turned sad as he sighed. "Of course, using this ability will cost me a lot."

Mai looked down with teary eyes. "Father lost a portion of his eyesight every time he used this power. He used it three times for you. The first was to predict the attack. The second was to check on you. The third time was to avoid the imminent destruction of the Yajima Family. That's why he used glasses."

"!!!" Kai sucked a cold breath and looked at Ishii with a shocked expression.

"No need to think about it." Ishii waved his hand. "Let me explain the third one first since you want to hear it. I saw the destruction of the Yajima Family in the near future because of the Katsuragi Family's expansion.

"To be honest, I could care less about this place's future because I know that me and my family can go by without interfering with United Asia. However, it turned out that the destruction of the Yajima Family would destroy this country to the point I would face you myself.

"A fight between protectors is the peak fight, capable of turning the entire United Asia into a wasteland. Trust me, it's how it works. Hence, I decided to shelter the Yajima Family to avoid any conflict with the Human Race's protector… You."

Kai narrowed his eyes and asked. "Why? To be honest, you can kill me here right now because you have the ability to do so."

"If it were the past me, I would gladly kill you without hesitation. However, I met my wife…Mai's mother. She taught me how beautiful this world is. Mai herself loved to stroll around while manipulating people's minds to make it look like she was a normal human.

"Hence, I chose not to kill you because you would become the one protecting this beautiful city. And my daughter will be happy too." He made a genuine smile.

"I see." Kai closed his eyes with a severe expression. "I understand. It's not like I want to die too."

"Haha!!! I still remember the report that Mai gave me about you eleven years ago." He laughed. "I told her to protect someone in Chiba where you took a vacation during that time. After learning your existence as a protector, I wanted you to grow up without interfering with your decision, lest I would be labeled as manipulative.

"That's the first time I used my power on you. And it turned out that the attack on that coast wasn't an accident."

"What did you say?" Kai dropped his jaw and stared in disbelief.

"Yes. I have confirmed it myself. That attack was a planned one. I don't know if you remember this, but Mai once used her Mind Power to force those birds to go away…"

"I remember that scene." Kai nodded with a serious expression. "The birds abruptly escaped."

"She used her Mind Power to convince the birds to go back. At the same time, she learned that they were just tasked by someone. After doing a few investigations, she realized that this someone came from the sea."

"!!!" Kai's face turned grim. "To eliminate me?"

"Yes. Someone at Mai's level must be coming to the surface and forcing the birds to attack. As you know, as a protector, you could easily control races for a war or something. Of course, the more intelligent they are, the harder it is to control, like you humans."

"Why though? I couldn't understand what they sought from me, especially since I was a kid."

"You are a protector. That's all it took for them to attack you, not allowing you to grow up. However, I have a premonition. Because of another protector of the same level as mine, I couldn't really read this future, but I believe there will be great destruction coming in the near future."

"Destruction? A war?" Theo furrowed his eyebrows, falling into deep thought.

"I am not sure." Ishii shook his head in disappointment. "There is a possibility that those in the sea are planning for something big."

"I see." Theo sighed. "I can only prepare for this because there is no telling about what will happen and when… At the very least, I know that something is going to happen."

"Well, that's just my hypothesis. At the very least, I have marked this United Asia as my territory. Unless they are planning to fight another protector, they will leave this place alone."

"Now that I think about it, there are three bases in the world: United Asia, EU and US Bases. Among the three, only United Asia didn't suffer from the harassment. Don't tell me…"

"Exactly." Ishii gave a thumb up. "I warned them not to come unless they wanted to fight me. At that time, other Protectors would surely know about it. After that, no one can tell what will happen."

"Understandable." Kai nodded in agreement. "Well, it's not like I am planning to live here anymore. I will be leaving this place to you, Ishii."

"Sure. I just want to live in peace. That's all." Ishii chuckled.

"Though I will surely come for a holiday in the future. At that time, please don't expel me, okay?"

"Knowing your personality, I won't do such a thing. I even might come to your home to visit you in the future. Do the same for me, will you?"

"Of course. A visitor like you is always welcome." Kai gave a thumb up.

"That's good." Ishii smiled. "Anyway, you should be careful against those from the sea."

"I know." Hearing Ishii warn him again, Kai still nodded without hesitation. "I will surely protect what I want to protect."

"Good enough. Anyway, let's move to the second one. I used my power on you when you left this base. Due to the uncertainty, I tried to see whether you could pass the tribulation or not. Since you could, I didn't send someone to help you in secret this time."

"Understandable. I don't want to owe you so much."

"You didn't owe me anything." He waved his hand and continued. "Anyway, I just want to tell you that the whale is your friend."

"The whale?" Kai narrowed his eyes. The people he met kept mentioning the whale, despite not having seen her once.

"Yes. When you reached a certain level, she would surely meet you in her own way."

"Is that so?" Kai narrowed his eyes, feeling a bit disappointed.

"Yep. She is one of the oldest Protectors of this world, witnessing so many eras. If you have something to ask, it's better to ask her. Just make sure you are polite to her or she will spank your butt."

"Ahaha. I will be careful." Kai scratched the back of his head.

"Since I have given you the information, I want to ask you this." His face suddenly turned serious. "What is your plan for the Yajima Family? Will you bring them somewhere else or just let them stay here? I have given them some access to the outside world, so there shouldn't be a problem with food or anything. Besides, we also have TV and other modern technologies here for entertainment purposes."

"Hmm…" Kai looked down and fell into deep thought. "To be honest, I am not sure myself. Unlike my family, they are a big family, so it's hard to migrate just like that. And the Katsuragi Family will surely notice it. Besides, I want to discuss it with them before deciding this matter."

"Fair enough. If we were in the past, a Protector like you only needed to say yes, and they would be gone, but I guess the current era is like this." Ishii shrugged.

"Ahaha, you are disappointed?"

"Nope. Just be true to yourself." Ishii stretched his hand above while yawning. "Anyway, I think it's done."

Suddenly, a random but ridiculous thought appeared in his mind. He couldn't help but ask him. "Ishii…Since you have human blood in you, do you think you can teach me about Protectors? I mean how you become stronger and such…"

"Unfortunately, I can't. To get stronger, I have consumed the blood of my ancestors, allowing me to reach this level. Though, I can offer you some pieces of advice. What do you think?"

"That's enough." Kai repeatedly nodded.

"Sure. Let's talk about it."