ã€ŠMaster of Mementos [SYSTEM URBAN FANTASY]ã€‹


 [FOR PEACE] Chapter 1 - Alexander Shen, Your Average Corpo

    Confetti poppers made me go deaf. A shower of brightly-colored streamers fell on my shoulders and one landed inside my store-brand punch. This was our corporate-sponsored alc, and in case we decided to get a little more wild, we had cream soda and root beer getting stale in the fridge.

    Everyone was clapping and cheering while I stood silently against the counter, taking a fake-sip of my plastic-soiled drink.

    ¡°Glory to Glory!¡± exclaimed Manager Husk. He waved around a pendent of Glory Guild¡¯s, its logo ironed onto the fabric: three broadswords crossed together with the rising sun in the background.

    ¡°Glory to Glory!¡± my colleagues shouted too out-of-tempo, but they had the enthusiasm, I¡¯ll give them that.

    Husk paced around the office and waved the flag around like the leader of a parade, and others got the memo. A dozen colleagues joined and marched in lockstep, goofily repeating those three words¡ª¡±Glory to Glory!¡± ¡°Glory to Glory!¡±¡ªlike we were in a cult. No, we were jokingly in a cult, but if Guild Master Archknell told us to lick his shoes, most of us would do it.

    I whistled, blowing air on the plastic streamer still inside my cup. Yeah, time to get rid of that. I flicked it onto the counter and took another sip.

    ¡°Not joining the fun, Alex?¡± someone asked on my left. Martin¡ª? No, Henry? No, not that¡ªJack! It was Jack. Late-twenties, acted my age.

    I shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ve never been much of a fratboy¡ªwell, I¡¯ve never been a fratboy in OU, period. All the parties I went to were either holidays or birthdays, and I only got plastered once.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d say if you didn¡¯t loosen up in college, then you won¡¯t loosen up at all. But c¡¯mon!¡± Jack took one of the smaller Glory pennants and waved it around. ¡°There¡¯s gotta be something in your cold heart that¡¯s excited about this! It¡¯s Glory Guild! We¡¯re trading items for Glory Guild!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re trading biomerch. Not exactly the most high-brow catalog.¡±

    Jack¡¯s pennant drooped like a frown. ¡°I¡¯m willing to trade literal feces if it means partnering with one of the Big Four.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure we¡¯re trading actual shit.¡±

    ¡°Exactly! It doesn¡¯t matter what we¡¯re peddlin¡¯! We¡¯re gonna be filthy fucking rich by the end of next quarter!¡± Jack playfully punched my shoulder several times while saying so. ¡°This year, we¡¯re trading biomerch. Next? Alchems. And the year after that¡ªwith you on the team?¡ªexpeds. By the time we¡¯re done, I¡¯ll have a big fucking mansion outside the city with three mistresses in the sheets.¡±

    I scratched the bottom of my lip. ¡°I think you had one too many drinks.¡±

    Jack soured, pissed that I killed his vibe. ¡°I think you oughta drink more. It¡¯ll get your head outta your ass.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯d need a crowbar for that, not shots.¡±

    ¡°God.¡± He threw the pennant onto the counter. It clattered against the paper plates and bowls. ¡°Take your bonus and shove it up your ass. Maybe gettin¡¯ your prostate pushed in will get you to crack a smile.¡± Jack used his middle finger to vividly paint that image.

    The crudeness actually made me smile and laugh. I raised my punch. ¡°Your three mistresses got that covered, but thanks.¡±

    ¡°Asshole.¡± Jack stormed off.

    I toasted to myself and drank.

    Eavesdroppers shuffled away from me, and their festive attitude quieted down to slanderous gossip. I could hear them now. ¡°Alexander Shen, when will he learn to stop being a hardass?¡± ¡°I wonder what happened to him? He used to be so nice.¡± ¡°I just wanna crack his jaw open every time he flaps his lips.¡±

    Ugh, I should¡¯ve just stolen some snacks and left.

    ¡°Shen!¡± someone else called me. I looked around. ¡°Shen!¡± There he was. Manager Husk, and he didn¡¯t look too happy. He made the plastic streamers on his shoulders wilt. ¡°Can you come with me for a sec?¡±

    I sighed and put my punch down. This was the last time I¡¯d be seeing it. ¡°Yessir.¡±

    Husk led me away from the party¡ªwasn¡¯t much of a happy party anymore¡ªand we went straight into his office. Such a small and cramped space for our department head. ¡°Disorganized¡± wasn¡¯t strong enough to describe it.

    I shuffled through the mess and sat in the guest¡¯s chair, the door slamming shut behind me. He wiggled around his desk, wiping off streamers while doing so, and dropped into his worn office chair. It sank a good three inches.

    He gestured at me.

    I shrugged.

    He scoffed. ¡°Every time, Shen! Every time! Every time something nice happens¡ªsomething good for the company¡ªyou always have to be a contrarian. A pessimist. A¡­ A¡­!¡±

    ¡°An asshole?¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t use that language.¡± He wasn¡¯t denying it. ¡°But others think so. Yet none of us can deny your effectiveness. You¡¯re one of the reasons why System Articles is partnered with Glory. Since January, you consistently produced the best numbers.¡±

    This flattery was raising red flags. I leaned forward in my seat. ¡°Your point is?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m trying to understand you.¡± Husk rested his arms on his desk, crumpling papers and a folder. ¡°You graduated a semester early, magna cum laude. We brought you from items to expeds. You know why? C¡¯mon, ask me why.¡± (¡°Why?¡±) ¡°Because you¡¯re too good for items. So good that I thought I¡¯d be packing my things in a few years. You seemed unstoppable.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m guessing I didn¡¯t quite meet your expectations.¡±

    The look on his face told me I hit the mark. ¡°You¡¯ve changed. You were happy working as an intern here, happier when we officially hired you. Then, after that little incident in March, you completely flipped on us. Once the hour hand hits five, you¡¯re out of here. Any office events or after-hours, you¡¯re a ghost. Talking with your colleagues, it¡¯s all work. And most of all, there¡¯s no passion for System Articles. We talked about the last part a lot, Fujimura and me. You lack dedication, drive, loyalty.¡±

    I sat back and crossed my arms. ¡°We see things differently. Everything I do within these walls is for a paycheck every two weeks, plus any bonuses and commissions that come my way. That¡¯s it. Nothing more. Other than signing a birthday card every now and then.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not how it works, Shen.¡± Husk stood from his chair and papers fell to the cluttered floor. ¡°You¡¯re not a team player. Not anymore. Where¡¯s your passion? Your gratitude? We brought you to expeds! Us! We! Do you know how many times I fought for you when complaint after complaint were thrown onto my desk? Huh? Because I believed in you?

    ¡°You don¡¯t understand how good you have it. Kids like you, they¡¯d kill for this kind of set-up. Kill! Play your cards right, and you¡¯ll be an exec for a castle or Taeyang (??) even. But you aren¡¯t playing at all, you aren¡¯t even at the table! Start thinking about your future, Shen! You¡¯re twenty-three! You¡¯re not in Ordo University anymore, you¡¯re not a child! If you wanna work in this business, act like it. This is the real world with adults, and adults work and adults certainly don¡¯t act like entitled brats. If you don¡¯t fix your behavior soon¡ªwhat are you doing, where are you going¡ª?!¡±

    ¡°Home,¡± I said after standing, doing my best to not step on any of the stuff on the ground.

    He thrusted a finger at me. ¡°We¡¯re not done talking, Shen¡ª¡°

    ¡°I need to cook dinner. I wasn¡¯t planning on staying long for the party anyway.¡± I started for the door.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    Husk stomped around his desk, damned the mess in his way. ¡°I said we¡¯re not done talking¡ª!¡°

    I left his office before he could reach me. I¡¯d already packed my things, so all I had to do was gather my shit at my cubicle.

    From the corner of my eyes, Husk stood at the doorway to his office, glaring hell into me. Everyone watched like we were good TV. ¡°If you leave, you¡¯ll regret it, Shen! I¡¯ll¡ª¡°

    I threw my bag over my shoulders. ¡°You won¡¯t do anything to me. Said it yourself, Husk, I produce the best numbers. And¡­¡± I picked up a small pendent of Glory Guild and waved it around. ¡°I¡¯m the only one here who knows how swords actually think.¡±

    Glory Guild went straight into my trashbin. ¡°Glory to Glory.¡±

    I walked out, but not before stealing a few cookies for the road.

    ***

    ¡°Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey¡ª¡°

    ¡°What, what, what, and what?¡± I put my chopsticks down for a second.

    Althea stared across from me, amused and curious like a juvenile cat. I could see the cat-ears wiggling on her head. ¡°Bad day at work again? That why you came home late?¡±

    I grabbed my chopsticks and shoved a piece of beef in my mouth. ¡°Something like that. My bosses surprised us with good news: we¡¯re officially partnered with Glory. So naturally, they brought out confetti poppers and dollar-store punch to celebrate. Couldn¡¯t ditch.¡±

    Thea squinted deeply with her silver eyes. ¡°That¡¯s, like, the opposite of a bad day. That¡¯s fuckin¡¯ Christmas, but like always, you gotta be the Grinch. ¡®Boohoo, nobody understands my pain.¡¯¡± (¡°Mhm.¡±) ¡°¡®I¡¯m not happy until I¡¯m unhappy.¡¯¡±

    I rolled my eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t blame me for doing my job: trading exped rights and apparently my colleagues¡¯ happiness too.¡±

    She went back to eating like a savage, but I wasn¡¯t in a mood to scold her. Not tonight. ¡°Whatcha trading anyways? With Glory, I mean? How does that work out?¡±

    I popped a clump of broccoli in. ¡°Biomerch. Glory gives us the goods, we find buyers, and we get rich off the fees. We haven¡¯t officially spoken with the agents yet, but we know it¡¯s biomerch because that¡¯s what trading partners start with.¡±

    ¡°I thought you¡¯re doing expeditions,¡± she said, mouth half-stuffed with rice and beef and veggies. At least she was cleaning her plate.

    ¡°I am.¡± I split a mound of rice in half. ¡°We still have our other departments. Functionally, Glory is no different than our other friends, but the partnered sticker says they trust us. There¡¯s more nuance, but the fact that we have it opens a lot of doors that¡¯d normally be locked.¡±

    ¡°Lucky you. Sounds like you¡¯re gonna enjoy some extra cash in your wallet, and do you know what we do with cash?¡±

    I mumbled vaguely.

    ¡°You¡¯ll kindly give your little sister the best graduation gift in her life.¡± (¡°You can only graduate high-school once¡ª¡±) ¡°Shaddup, I¡¯m talking.¡± Chopsticks, as their name implied, chopped a few inches away from my nose.

    Despite her intimidation tactics, I kept eating.

    She showed mercy and put down her weapon. ¡°After you spoil your little sister rotten, you¡¯re gonna take her to Korea for a month-long summer vacation. Or three weeks, she¡¯s willing to compromise.¡±

    If I had to pay a dollar for every time she asked something ridiculous of me, I¡¯d be bankrupt. I aggressively started stabbing my dinner, wood smacking against ceramic. ¡°We promised Uncle¡ª¡±

    "¡ªthat we¡¯d visit him in Maryland or wherever he¡¯s hunkered down. Yeah, I know. But let¡¯s be honest to ourselves, Uncle is perfectly fine going anywhere as long as we¡¯re there. If we ask him to visit us in Ordo, he¡¯s booking the next flight. Cirropolis? Hell yeah, we¡¯re taking a first-class airship to the clouds. So why not Korea?¡±

    I chewed long and hard about that question. I swallowed. ¡°That¡¯s a lot of work. And it¡¯s dangerous.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re not going to the Jianghu (½­ºþ), dipshit.¡±

    ¡°Unless we¡¯re traveling to North Korea.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re not gonna visit the Demonic Cult either, but that¡¯s besides the point. I¡¯ll literally do everything: book us a few beds, create an itinerary, even translate!¡±

    I sighed and rubbed my eyes. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you actually learned Korean just to watch K-dramas and read webtoons. That has to be the worst excuse I heard.¡±

    ¡°Languages are languages.¡± She held up three fingers. ¡°And I got three under my belt. That¡¯s one more than you.¡±

    ¡°Your Mandarin¡¯s pretty terrible, so I wouldn¡¯t count that as one¡ª¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, who here was born in China? Yeah, not me. I communicate just fine in Mandarin.¡±

    ¡°But your accent¡¯s horrible. Anyone can tell you¡¯re American.¡±

    Althea sat up from her chair, livid. ¡°We¡¯re both fuckin¡¯ American, you moron! You¡¯re more American than me, and I was born there!¡±

    ¡°Uh huh.¡± I motioned her to sit down and she did. Begrudgingly, but she did. ¡°I¡¯ll think about Korea.¡±

    ¡°You better think fast. It¡¯s the beginning of May, and we don¡¯t wanna get stuck with a crappy place.¡±

    ¡°I know, I know. First of all, I¡¯ll ask Uncle and see what he thinks. Remember, he was against the idea of Ordo at the beginning.¡±

    ¡°Until you convinced him, yeah.¡± Thea stopped eating for a second and looked out the window.

    Just beyond the glass was a gentle sunset drooping below the cityscape, bringing a curtain to yet another ordinary day in the Slayer Capital, Ordo. It was the largest city in the world, the proud home of the Big Four, and was founded by Primordial himself during the Emergence, on a quaint artificial landmass in the South China Sea. All fun facts and trivia that made you feel like you were living in history, and I was pretty tired of living through history.

    ¡°Why here?¡± Thea asked out of the blue. ¡°You coulda gone anywhere else: London, Germany, China even¡ªactually, not China¡ªbut y¡¯get what I mean. You got really good scholarships everywhere. Why Slayer paradise?¡±

    I smacked my lips together, tasting honey and spice on the roof of my mouth. ¡°Honestly? I was thinking about you more than anything. Me and uncle were. We wanted you out of the States, and shit, I wanted out. Ordo was the best choice for us. It¡¯s a complete reset. We could start over in a familiar environment, and hopefully, we don¡¯t fuck it up this time.¡±

    She laughed, but her eyes told me she didn¡¯t find this funny. ¡°Even with the risks?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯ll always be risks, Thea. Zenith Jin Junjie (½ð¾ý½Ý) is as dangerous as the Encampment and the Union and every big name who filters through the city. But like I said, Ordo¡¯s a clean slate and we¡¯d have zero trouble readjusting. You¡¯ll have zero trouble. That¡¯s worth its weight in gold.¡±

    ¡°Heh. Sure.¡± That was all she said in response.

    Dinner ended not long after that, and we shuffled to our rooms, ready to let the next day kick in.

    Before I secluded myself in my room, Thea saluted me. ¡°Night, jackass.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± Before she shut the door, there was a certain look in her eyes. The conversation was still lingering inside her head. Call me a telepath, because I knew what she was thinking.

    I know I made the right decision, Thea¡ªwe did, me and Uncle. I¡¯d kept a close eye on you since we moved here four years ago. Watched you spread your wings and fall and fly and fall again. And at the end of the day, you collapsed on the couch, tangled with a dozen blankets and pillows, sleeping soundly as horns blared from the street below. Look at you now, about to graduate high-school and ready to take some time to figure things out.

    The world¡¯s your oyster.

    You can be disappointed in me all you want. Tell me I should be doing ¡°more¡± with my life, tell me that going corpo was the wrong move; we had this conversation a thousand times before. I¡¯ve tasted an unhealthy dose of ¡°more.¡± You can jump off cliffs and rescue orphaned puppies, I don¡¯t care, but when you come back home, I¡¯ll be doing the same thing I¡¯m doing tonight: putting your favorite meals on the table.

    Funny thing, though¡­ As much as I insisted on keeping our heads out of trouble, trouble kept finding us. Kept finding me. Your big brother was not only an asshole but also a massive hypocrite¡ªthose two things go together, anyway¡ªso do as I say, not as I do.

    In my room, I opened my closet. In front of my shoe rack were stacks and stacks of binders, folders, clipped and stapled packets. Receipts, records, transcripts, anything I could get my hands on without arousing suspicion. More than I already had, though my superiors think I was depressed or something.

    They weren¡¯t wrong. Looking at all this evidence of fraud could make a man depressed. It took many late-nights to compile this bullshit (and many more laying in bed thinking I was crazy). In this world, evidence was security. Reassurance. System Articles was a mid-sized corp. They didn¡¯t have the biggest skyscraper in town, but they had connections especially in government and agencies.

    So if you want to blow the whistle, you¡¯d better blow until your lungs shrivel into raisins. More importantly, you¡¯d better know who you were whistling to and whose wandering ears might catch the tune. Trouble traveled fast, justice traveled slow, but something good happened today. System Articles, thanks to their honorable reputation, was now partnered with Glory Guild. Castles were several things, but most of all, they hated getting fucked with¡ªand the government had to listen.

    This, though, was a one way ticket. I was going to be out of a job very soon, and word got around quick. Once my name passed through enough channels, I¡¯d be marked. Employers would think I had too much baggage, might threaten the company, or afraid that I might dig up their dirt too. The reason didn¡¯t matter. Simply put, nobody wanted to deal with a problematic employee with a history of drama. Only a saint or someone stupid would hire me.

    Fine by me. This little consequence was just that: little.

    I checked my texts, seeing a message that I¡¯d been anxious to read all day.

    <blockquote>

    Unknown Number

    Hello, Alexander Shen. This is an automated message from the Partnership Center of Glory Guild. Thank you for reporting potential fraudulent activities regarding SYSTEM ARTICLES INC. Please respond to this message whenever possible so you can discuss further details with an agent.

    </blockquote>

    [Start: Part 1 - For Peace]

 [FOR PEACE] Chapter 2 - Glory to Glory

    <blockquote>

    Reason for Termination

    These are the directions for the meeting. Please read them!!!

    </blockquote>

    You¡¯d think a nice and long conversation about fraud would take place in a cold conference room with a team of investigators questioning me for hours on end. Nope. It was instead a nightclub at a crisp eleven o¡¯clock at night. Gorgon¡¯s, which was popular in this part of town because of the specific clientele it attracted: Slayers. This club was operated by and for Slayers.

    Why here of all places? Not a Glory off-site but a public place? Maybe I should¡¯ve just gone directly to the Camps.

    Well, I couldn¡¯t chicken out now.

    I approached the bouncer, a massive dark-skinned man with a sleeve tattoo down his right arm. He was clearly a Slayer given the cig snug between his lips, mana-infused like most of the products inside. The whole place stunk with this distinct acid smell, and already, my stomach was pretty unhappy.

    That got me thinking. Unlike Slayers, normal humans couldn¡¯t process mana. A concentrated drop was enough to kill an adult man. Being around smoke was fine for a few hours¡ªI had used [Temporary Registration] before¡ªbut why were we meeting in a Slayer bar? Me, a human?

    Questions for my contact; better act like I belong.

    ¡°...Who the hell are you?¡± the bouncer croaked, eyeing me down like a fresh cut of beef. ¡°Never seen you before. Rifle?¡±

    ¡°Something along those lines, yeah¡ª¡± (¡°A contract.¡±) ¡°¡ªI¡¯m here to meet a friend. Gave me a magic word and everything: Aegis Green.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± he moaned. He flicked his cigarette into a nearby trashcan and pulled a bright blue marker from his pocket. ¡°Your hand.¡± He wrote a big fat ¡°C¡± on the back of my hand.

    I cracked, ¡°C for ¡®contract¡¯?¡±

    He smacked my hand away. ¡°C for ¡®clear,¡¯ merc, so you don¡¯t accidentally drink something you¡¯re not supposed to. But if you vomit blood on the floor, we¡¯re not at fault. I¡¯d watch your glass, though.¡±

    I rubbed the ink, feeling it smear on my opposite thumb. ¡°Thanks.¡±

    ¡°Mhm.¡± The bouncer stepped inside the bar and called out ¡°Jess! Jess!¡± a few times before a slender chick popped out. She wore a loose tank-top, showing off the couple dozen scars on her arms. The bouncer pointed my way. ¡°This connie is our AG. He¡¯s a ren.¡±

    ¡°Rog¡¯. Follow me.¡± Jess led me inside Gorgon, and I entered a brand new world of bright lights and dancing and clubbing and smells of intense acid and vomit. On stage, a man with a coarse, raspy voice was blasting his vocal cords with chaotic instrumentals behind him. Around me were swords, swords, and more swords. Taking shots of neon-blue drinks, blowing blinding pink smoke from their noses and lips, and judging how some of these guys had glowing veins¡­ They were using stims. That was definitely illegal.

    After the surprise wore off, this wasn¡¯t so different from your normal nightclub. It was a party with a shade of superpowers. Everyone here had [Skills]: access to superhuman feats and magic beyond my imagination. Lots of power concentrated inside a single building. Literal drunk power, and I was a ren.

    My guide grabbed my wrist so I wouldn¡¯t get swept away in the crowd and eaten alive. She took me into the back which was surprisingly chill¡ªmy eardrums didn¡¯t feel like bursting and my nostrils didn¡¯t cry anymore¡ªand we entered a hall of doors. There was silence beyond the walls. Uncharacteristic, eerie silence.

    Jess let go of my hand and noticed me staring at the doors. ¡°Each lounge is equipped with isolation bubbles, so don¡¯t worry about eavesdroppers. What goes on here is no one¡¯s business but yours.¡±

    She knocked on the furthest door on the right three times in rhythm. The door clicked, and she saluted. ¡°Find your way out on your own. Good luck, connie.¡± And she left me there.

    Awesome. Here I go.

    I braved inside. The bubble briefly popped and soft classical music poured through the open door. You couldn¡¯t get a more drastic switch-up from drug-filled rock to serene strings and winds. In fact, the lounge looked completely out-of-place from the rest of Gorgon. It was near spotless, smelled nice, and didn¡¯t have a lick of mana in the air. Refreshing, professional even. This place could fit six comfortably. Tonight, though, it was a date for two, where we would dine on carbonated drinks and finger-foods.

    I glanced right and saw a mounted TV, then glanced left¡ª

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    Holy shit, I didn¡¯t expect that.

    My contact from Glory Guild was Ordo¡¯s sweetheart. If Japan had the Nine Foxmaidens, we had her. You could write a thousand sonnets to describe her beauty and you¡¯d need a thousand more to start scratching the surface. They say seeing her in-person for just a second could change the way you think about beauty and aesthetics. It wasn¡¯t a result of mind magic but natural charm. This sort of attention¡ªfetishization¡ªwas inevitable. After all, she was the ideal outworlder that TV shows and movies peddled: an ethereal elf, tall and had pointy ears and ivory skin and mesmerizing viridescent eyes¡ªthe whole package. Plus, amnesia and an unknown history? The story wrote itself.

    Meet Head Officer Silverhonor, Lyressa fey Suntear, the last person I imagine I¡¯d meet. Hell, I half-thought I entered the wrong room¡ª

    The door automatically shut and scared the shit out of me. I startled, Silverhonor yelped.

    We looked at each other. I had a very good reason to be surprised, but why the hell was she surprised to see me? Her mouth was hanging there and her ears were pointed to the ceiling in alarm.

    ¡°Please tell me I¡¯m in the right room,¡± I said, hands raised. ¡°I¡¯m Alexander Shen, and I prefer if you don¡¯t prick me with arrows.¡±

    Silverhonor continued to sit there like a statue. I would think she was a doll if her ears weren¡¯t twitching. I had my terrible experiences with women, but this already topped the chart.

    ¡°Alright!¡± I reached around for the door, clawing for the handle several times, before thankfully taking it. ¡°I got the memo, have a good night¡ª¡±

    ¡°Wait, wait, wait!¡± Silverhonor snapped out of her trance and sat up. ¡°Alexander Shen, correct? System Articles?¡±

    Fuck me, she was actually my contact. I let go of the handle. ¡°You¡¯re my correspondence? You¡ª? I¡¯m sorry if that sounds insulting, but I wasn¡¯t expecting a sword.¡±

    ¡°I was expecting¡ª¡± Silverhonor stopped herself and inhaled. ¡°Nevermind. Let¡¯s, erm, let¡¯s restart. Let¡¯s forget the last sixty seconds. Please settle down and we can finally begin our discussion.¡±

    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am¡­¡± I sat across from her, setting my bag next to me.

    Silverhonor cleared her throat and laid a hand across her chest. Her ears were still stiff as arrows¡ªwas she still alarmed by my presence? ¡°My name is Silverhonor, Head Officer of Glory Guild. While this isn¡¯t public knowledge, I¡¯m receiving training in corporate roles, which is why you¡¯re meeting with me instead. Archknell believed this would provide valuable experience.¡±

    Okay, that made more sense. Actually, it was a good move. It wasn¡¯t everyday you saw a corpo-sword. For someone like Silverhonor¡­ People would open their ears more to a pretty girl than a sleazeball, and so, Archknell could theoretically hold greater control of his corpo-suite. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    ¡°Right¡­¡± Let¡¯s hope, though, that the amnesiac was capable. ¡°Why here? Why Gorgon?¡±

    A couple pointy ears perked upward. ¡°Why not? My report says you¡¯re a Slayer.¡±

    Instead of ears, my eyebrows perked. ¡°What.¡±

    ¡°It says you¡¯re often in-charge of communicating with Slayers due to ¡®personal experience,¡¯ so¡ª¡±

    ¡°No, there¡¯s been a miscommunication. While we do employ a couple crunchers, I¡¯m a ren.¡± (¡°Pardon?¡±) ¡°I have experience because I hang around swords, not that I¡¯m one myself.¡±

    Silverhonor blinked at me a few times. ¡°You are not a corpo-sword?¡±

    I shook my head and showed the ¡°C¡± on my arm. ¡°Regular human.¡±

    Her wide eyes drifted around me. ¡°But you look¡ª¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s snip that conversation in the bud, SH.¡± I adjusted my collar. ¡°I¡¯m not interested in rehashing the same dozen questions everyone gives me.¡±

    Silverhonor cleared her throat and shifted in her seat. ¡°We can change the venue right away¡ª¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, I¡¯ll survive Gorgon.¡± If it had been anyone else, they would be chased away from the atmosphere alone.

    Silverhonor¡¯s ears slanted perpendicular to her head. I couldn¡¯t read her expression. What was that? Concern? Frustration? Confusion? All three? Most of all, I think, she was cautious, reading me like I was reading her. There was a reason why the bouncer thought I was a mil. If she had the ideal image of an outworlder, then I was on the front cover of Slayer¡¯s Digest.

    ¡°You¡­¡± she said so quietly that I thought it belonged to the music, ¡°¡­you¡¯re different than most people.¡±

    ¡°And we¡¯ll do things differently. Save the interview for later and get started on what¡¯s important.¡± I dug through my bag and got my personal laptop and a flashdrive. The latter was flicked across the table. ¡°This drive contains my findings. Take that to your team and have them comb through it.¡±

    She held the small drive between her thin fingers; I had backups, of course. ¡°Thank you. I know only the basic details as stated in your report. May we begin with that? The background?¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± I already had a summary pulled up on my laptop for reference, and she had a notebook ready.

    We talked. The awe of meeting the Silverhonor waned as my mind switched gears to business, and it was like I was almost speaking with a normal person. We discussed basic background info and context around System Articles. What we do, the office environment, the who¡¯s who, my job as an exped broker, our day-to-day affairs, the boring stuff. Constantly, I had to remind myself that this was one of Archknell¡¯s closest confidants. Sharing too much about me was asking for trouble; you had to practice basic precautions against influential figures like her.

    Soon, the conversation shifted toward the meat of the meeting.

    I crunched an empty chip bag in my hands. ¡°¡­They¡¯re double-dipping: harvesting junk expeds then pushing them off on buyers. You¡¯ll find more details in the flash-drive, but Fujimura Kieta¡¯s partner-in-crime is Yoshita Guild. Coincidentally, his cousin is the GM. So Yoshita purchases these junk expeds and exped rights from netters; then, they scrape it clean and pocket the merch to sell later.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s standard practice,¡± said Silverhonor. ¡°However?¡±

    I pressed my finger down onto the table. ¡°However, Yoshita sells the expeds to System Articles for pennies, without updating the conditions on the market. That part is illegal, and what my bosses do next is even more illegal.¡±

    ¡°System Articles sell functionally worthless expeds onto desperate buyers, then?¡±

    I snapped my fingers. ¡°And they recoup costs and make a hefty profit.¡±

    Double-dipping came in various forms; all the fraudsters had their own artistic take on this genre. Fujimura was one of the most tortured artists I¡¯d ever seen. He targeted immigrants and foreigners, relying on his victims¡¯ obliviousness and the apathy of the system. Oftentimes, these people only had the clothes on their back and dust in their wallets, but they had high dreams of stardom in the Slayer Capital like everyone else.

    Instead, they got chewed up and spat out onto the cold streets. No support. No comfort. No justice. In a game of superpowers, superhumans, and superstars, there was absolute power, subhumans, and fallen stars. The System was a gift that we kept snatching.

    ¡°Shen, are you okay?¡± a sweet voice asked.

    I had a hand on my head. Yeah, that was the natural reaction. A normal, human reaction to something completely vile. ¡°¡­No.¡±

    Silverhonor sighed in mild concern, like a disapproving aunt, though I could tell it was somewhat forced. ¡°I understand. Going against your employers is stressful¡ª¡°

    ¡°Fuck them.¡±

    ¡°Pardon?¡±

    ¡°Fuck. Them.¡± I stood and started pacing around. ¡°You know why I¡¯ve had the cold shoulder since March? One of their victims¡ªhis details are in the files¡ªshowed up to our doorstep bright and early in the morning. He begged for answers and soaked our doormat with tears. Badges came in and dragged his ass out. I asked questions and got told to shut up and forget about ¡®that damned bum.¡¯ That¡¯s when I knew my time there was coming to an end.

    ¡°During my investigation, I located his apartment. His former apartment, because I found the landlord instead. The landlord said four men had broken in, shattered his legs, then burned everything he owned. Clothes, trinkets, worship, gone. Reduced to cinders. So he left town, and frankly, I hope he never comes back.¡±

    Silverhonor listened, her expression stoic but it didn¡¯t suit her. She pretended to hold a distant and professional exterior, but like a dog¡¯s tail, an elf¡¯s ears never lied. They were sharply inclined like daggers ready to strike. She looked at the flashdrive sitting on the table. ¡°¡­Are there more anecdotes like this?¡±

    ¡°A few more. I cataloged them all. Recorded interviews, transcribed them, everything.¡±

    ¡°You weren¡¯t caught during your investigations?¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t been fired or confronted.¡± She frowned. I sighed and leaned against the nearest wall. ¡°Yoshita hasn¡¯t tailed me. According to the Ordoian Open Profile Database, none of them are trackers. Plus, I could spot them from a crowd. I memorized their names and faces.¡±

    ¡°You¡­memorized them?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fighting against swords here, SH. A man¡¯s best friend is intel, and a corpo¡¯s best friend is profit¡ªand I¡¯m squeezing as much value out of every detail I can get my filthy hands on.¡±Silverhonor visibly gulped and hid her apprehension by hiding her mouth. ¡°You¡¯re talking less like a corpo and more like a secret agent. You single-handedly gathered this much evidence while avoiding suspicion from your superiors. You waited until System Articles became an official partner of Glory Guild to pawn this case onto us, knowing the law would listen. Most of all, you¡¯ve been glaring at me since this meeting began.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Only because you¡¯d been giving me mixed signals, but I¡¯d be cautious if I was in your shoes too. No, actually, you were completely right to stay on-guard. ¡°Sorry for being so on-and-off, but I¡¯m dead serious about this case. For your sake, I hope your execs take this seriously too.¡±

    ¡°Excuse me?¡± Silverhonor stood, her ears once again raised in alarm. Her height startled me; she was an inch or two shorter. ¡°Are you¡­ Are you threatening me, Shen?¡±

    ¡°Not you, specifically, but your adoptive guardian.¡± I marched to the table and picked up the flashdrive, then wagged it in her face. ¡°What do castles hate the most? It depends on the horoscope. Some days, it¡¯s the Union. Others, it¡¯s Essies or competition. But when it storms? Scandals. They hate scandals. The media, though? They love it. If they hear that Glory knew about a certain trading partner¡¯s crimes but did nothing? Headlines for weeks, calls for regulation, and terrible statements from your crisis team. A GM¡¯s worst nightmare.¡±

    Her ears, which had been standing, went north to south. In her beautiful eyes, I saw anguish, but that didn¡¯t stay for long. Adrenaline washed away her shock and fear, turning the engine to fuel a new emotion: anger. I was witness to the rarest sight in Ordo, the Silverhonor glaring at me and waiting for an excuse to kill.

    I slowly exhaled, letting my own anxiety leave through my breath. ¡°This is where I say a cliche: it¡¯s nothing personal, it¡¯s business. To me, at least. This is how I enforce your side of the bargain, because I¡¯m a powerless, weak corpo shaking hands with the Big Four. Now.¡± I shook the flashdrive. ¡°Take it, and don¡¯t lose it. There won¡¯t be any back-ups.¡±

    Silverhonor snatched the drive from me, gripping it so tightly that I was afraid she might break it. ¡°You are a horribly ruthless man.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± I shoved my belongings into my bag. ¡°I¡¯m ending the meeting early. Next time you contact me, it should be about the investigation. Otherwise, don¡¯t bother.¡±

    I was about to leave, but I parked at the door. Holes were burned into my back, and there was a little bird called ¡°guilt¡± pecking at my heart. Coincidences were a blessing and a curse. All SH wanted was hands-on experience, but she met me instead. With this stunt, I most likely earned Archknell¡¯s ire¡ªthe second-worst GM I could anger¡ªbut I couldn¡¯t take any chances. Better to make a big splash and have him second-think about steamrolling me.

    Hopefully, he wouldn¡¯t personally come to my house and kill me.

    But Silverhonor? The fish out of water?

    ¡°...I mean it, though. I have no beef with you or Archknell personally.¡± Unless they gave me a reason. ¡°Any other time, I¡¯ll act my place.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t apologize, not now,¡± she spat. ¡°Leave, corpo, and don¡¯t look back. If all goes well, we¡¯ll never have to see each other again. I hope I¡¯ll never meet you again, Alexander Shen.¡±

    Yeah, my worst interaction with a woman by far.

    I said nothing and left the room. New problem: where the hell is the exit?

 [FOR PEACE] Chapter 3 - Best Friends

    Lyressa couldn¡¯t sleep. It was impossible to, more impossible as of late. This was supposed to be a simple investigation. In two hours, less than that even, she¡¯d experienced a litany of absurdities and they all belonged to Alexander Shen. The human man, not a corpo-sword as incorrectly assumed. He was¡­ He was enigmatic. A mystery from head-to-toe.

    Most of all, he was a rogue. What kind of whistleblower would scowl and threaten her and the entirety of Glory Guild? His pursuit of justice was admirable, respectable even, but how could you call a man like him ¡°powerless¡± even if using the loosest definition of the word? No, this went beyond System Articles; he was dangerous.

    Shen expected a corpo when he walked into the room, and likewise, Lyressa expected the same: a sleazy, perhaps cowardly bespectacled man shrinking into his shoulders. Instead, he stunned her. She found a handsome man who looked not at all out-of-place with the other clubbers. Unlike them, whose blood ran blue from infused alcohol and stimulants, he was a healthy man in his prime: around one-eighty-five centimeters tall and possessed the confidence and physique of a high-ranker. He naturally commanded such a large presence that even experienced swords would think twice about challenging him, but that wasn¡¯t the main reason for her apprehension. It was his biting eyes, two gems of mesmerizing silver. It was his neutral, yet frowning countenance. It was his decorated, scarred hands. Shen was a hardened wolf, from his tamed inked hair to his calculating yet predatory gaze¡ªa gaze that was perpetually in search of threats and opportunities. A terrifying combination of taut muscle, small scars, and intelligence.

    Amounted to a junior position as an expedition broker at a mid-level corporation.

    It doesn¡¯t make sense.

    How could a man like him go under the radar for so long?

    Lyressa blinked; she was standing in front of a conference room, which had been assigned for her investigation. Her team was reviewing Shen¡¯s intel as soon as she returned. They were saints, working through midnight and early in the morning. They had to, as she had informed them¡ªand Louis¡ªabout Shen¡¯s threat.

    She yawned and entered. Everyone inside jumped to their feet at attention, respectful of her rank. She gestured for them to relax. ¡°I apologize for barging in. I couldn¡¯t sleep, so I thought to entertain myself with your progress. Can you¡ª¡±

    On the projector screen, there was a picture of a small class of college students. Wayfarers of Ordo University, more specifically¡­ They seemed to be a club or team of business majors. The mouse cursor hovered over a man.

    A man with silver eyes and a rare, genuine smile. He looked almost innocent in that picture.

    ¡°Why is Shen on the screen?¡± she asked.

    Zhou, who was attending to the laptop, raised his hand. ¡°Silverhonor, ma¡¯am, we¡¯ve been going through his intel for the past five hours. It¡¯s meticulous; as in, eight-fourteens would be impressed. As it stands, the System Articles case? We don¡¯t have to do much. All that¡¯s left is formalities and double-checking everything.¡±

    ¡°What¡­?¡± Lyressa rubbed her dry and flaky eyes. ¡°Excuse me, the lack of sleep is getting to me, but you¡¯re saying the case is mostly solved?¡±

    Zhou nodded, gulping. ¡°Shen gave us everything. Receipts, numbers, names, interviews even¡ªI¡¯ve never seen anything like it. It almost makes us forget that he threatened Glory Guild, so forgive us, but we shifted the topic of our investigation.¡±

    He patted the projector screen. ¡°We wanted to investigate him. At first, he looks like an exceptional college grad: full-ride scholarship, majoring in business, internship at System Articles, graduated a semester early¡ª¡±

    Lyressa interrupted, ¡°He ¡®looks exceptional¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Well, he is, but there¡¯s more to the story.¡± Zhou raced to his laptop and flipped through more pictures. ¡°Apparently, Shen is really close with OU¡¯s Systemic Works. On social media, he¡¯s often seen in group pictures with students in the program. Not on his accounts, he rarely posts anything there. Still, it¡¯s more surprising that nobody tagged him earlier.¡±

    ¡°I see, but what makes him so fascinating?¡± More fascinating than he already is.

    Zhou looked to the rest of his team, and they gave each other uncertain, almost pitying looks. ¡°You¡¯d want to sit down for this, ma¡¯am.¡±

    ***

    ¡°God, I needed this. I really needed this¡ª¡±

    ¡°Vic, stop moaning or I¡¯m kicking you out.¡± I was half-ready to snatch his wings and feed them to the birds outside, but I wasn¡¯t that much of an asshole.

    I¡¯d fried a shitton of chicken wings, all so my best friends could take advantage of my kindness in exchange for not feeling alone for a few hours. Plus, they brought beer and liquor to feed my chronic alcoholism. Tonight was a good night to indulge. Althea was studying at a friend¡¯s house for finals.

    Victor Taslim, the dumbass with the muted blue hair, was chowing down and he was one mistake from staining my couch cushions. ¡°Dude, can you blame me? It¡¯s fuckin¡¯ delicious¡ª!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it doesn¡¯t mean you should make-out with a half-eaten drumstick. Actually, it¡¯s the only kiss you¡¯ll ever have, so please, go nuts¡ª¡±

    ¡°Fuck off.¡± Vic was about to push me away before I lurched backwards.

    He was not touching me with those fingers.

    ¡°In his defense, Alex, he¡¯s correct. They are amazing,¡± said a cool, mature voice from the hallway. There she was: the forest-haired cultivator of the hour, Miss Li Chunhua (Àî´º»ª), as beautiful as the day when she first threatened me.

    I said, ¡°Uh huh, what took you so long in the bathroom? You fell in the toilet?¡±

    Chunhua cracked a hollow chuckle, the kind that communicated a severe threat. ¡°No, I was wrestling with your new bottle of hand-soap. I couldn¡¯t open it.¡±

    ¡°You were¡ª? What? All you have to do is spin the thing.¡± I made the gesture to demonstrate. ¡°It¡¯s a bottle-pump. You¡¯ve never opened a bottle-pump before¡ª?¡±

    Chunhua flashed her palm to get me to stop yapping. ¡°Well, I¡¯ve learned much tonight. In the end, I conceded victory and twisted the cap off to pour soap over my hands.¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°And over your bathroom mats.¡±

    My paycheck was getting wasted on taxes and dumbasses. I wanted to scream but kept my boiling frustration in. Air hissed through my nostrils, though. ¡°Christ, xia (ÏÀ), you¡¯re¡ª¡±

    A fast hand smacked my forehead. My neck snapped back and I groaned. Any harder, she would¡¯ve taken my head off.

    <Foolish man,> Chunhua muttered in Mandarin before sitting across from Vic. ¡°Know that I can end your life any time I want, Alex. Though, a fitting punishment for you is cutting off that tongue of yours.¡±

    ¡°Join the line.¡± I rubbed where she¡¯d struck me. ¡°Now, finish your damn food.¡±

    She pouted but listened. Not because I asked, though. Chunhua might be a native from the Jianghu¡ªa real martial beauty like in the magazines and movies¡ªbut people of all cultures shared one thing in common: they loved delicious food.

    ¡°Mmf¡ªmnn¡ªmhrg?¡± Same thing with that creature. The incoherent mumbling belonged to the third and last guest: Okano Kotone (ŒùÒ°ÇÙÒô). If Victor was incurably stupid and Chunhua was a sadistic cultivator, then Kotone was a walking disaster. Her messy, raven hair was completely indicative of her life. She waltzed into the living room with a plate full of protein and had a wing stuffed inside her mouth.

    Chunhua sighed and grabbed a nearby napkin. ¡°Kotone, dear, stop talking with your mouth full.¡±

    Kotone popped it out. ¡°Who¡¯s ending whose life?¡±

    ¡°Yours,¡± I said. I took the throne in my personal lounge-chair, having my own little table with my dinner and a cold beer¡ªGod, I sound like I¡¯m thirty-seven with three separate fantasy football leagues.

    ¡°Cool.¡± Kotone plopped next to Chunhua and took the napkin, patting her lips dry of sauce. On second thought, maybe I shouldn¡¯t have cooked such a messy dinner. Two of my three guests weren¡¯t known to be sanitary.

    Victor cleaned off a bone. ¡°Okay! Who¡¯s gonna ask him?¡±

    Everyone fought a battle of eyes; unfortunately, the girls teamed together and overpowered Victor¡¯s weak staring.

    Vic shook his head and broke the silence, ¡°I¡¯m not gonna ask him! I was thinkin¡¯ you do it, Kotone.¡±

    Kotone retorted, ¡°Can¡¯t speak Cantonese, sorry.¡± (¡°I can¡¯t either,¡± I commented.)

    ¡°That¡¯s not even the right dialect¡ª! Never mind. Chunhua¡ª?¡± Chunhua was aggressively eating her wings. ¡°¡ªyou frickin¡ª!¡±If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    I cleared my throat. ¡°I¡¯m waiting for the question, Vic. Just to remind you: I spent time and money to cook tonight, allowed you into my own home, and you¡¯re about to wipe your dirty fingers on my couch.¡±

    Vic showed his grubby hands. ¡°Okay. Alex, we¡¯re friends, right?¡± (¡°I¡¯m not giving you money.¡±) ¡°It¡¯s not that! No, man, it¡¯s not money. It is kinda a big ask, from Professor Jeon.¡±

    Professor Jeon¡­ She was the main instructor of Systemic Work¡¯s Class A3; in other words, Class A of the third-years. Their class. Most Systemic Works programs lasted for three-years and OU was no exception. I had already graduated, and these dorks were weeks away from theirs. Same with Althea.

    I sipped my beer. ¡°She wants me to help with instruction?¡±

    Vic ripped a napkin and nodded, making sure his hands were perfectly clean. ¡°Yup. Finals are next week, man, but that¡¯s not the big issue¡ª¡±

    ¡°Guilds,¡± I finished his thought. Finals weren¡¯t their main concern. In fact, third-year finals were light on purpose knowing the bigger challenge ahead: at the beginning of June, First Wave was starting.

    First Wave was a five-day variety examination event hosted by major castles. This shindig was purposefully created for young, starry-eyed swords, like three certain idiots in the room. Without First Wave, they would compete against veterans (who¡¯d be later tested in Second Wave), which wouldn¡¯t be a fair fight nor a fair assessment. Recruiters were looking for a good return on investment, after all. Your potential was just as valuable as your current ability.

    I¡¯d say the event was fairly popular. Every year, thousands flew in from all corners of the world for a shot at stardom. Applicants had a grocery list of exams to choose from, and each was sponsored by a guild(s), like the Wisdom [Skill] Exhibition Showcase or the General Aptitude Examination. It was up to the individual to pick which exams they wanted, how many exams, and what guild(s) interested them.

    Once the five days were over, the castles submitted their judgment. For the passing few, they would find a special email in their inbox: ¡°Congratulations, you¡¯ve passed First Wave and you are now eligible to try-out!¡±

    Yup, First Wave was only the first-half of the process, where you earn the right to try-out. All the lucky guys and girls, then, take the real test at the guild(s) itself.

    Needless to say, it was going to be a brutal time for everyone. Even for these three. Vic and Chunhua were B-Ranks in their early-twenties. You rarely saw that unless they were cradles¡ªmeaning, they [Registered] at fourteen¡ªand wouldn¡¯t you know, they were. Kotone was special: C-Rank, [Registered] at eighteen, but had an SS-Rank [Skill]. Lucky her, she was one-in-billions.

    Graduating OU gave them a huge advantage, but advantages couldn¡¯t take you over the finish line.

    ¡°...Alex?¡± Vic¡¯s voice woke me up. ¡°You¡¯ve been thinkin¡¯ for a while, man.¡±

    ¡°Trying to remind myself about the details.¡± I tapped my forehead, the same spot Chunhua had struck, to try and preserve my dwindling brain-cells. ¡°So what does Jeon want help with? General combat instruction?¡±

    ¡°Something like that, yeah, she didn¡¯t tell us the deets. She¡¯s gonna pay you ¡®pretty good,¡¯ though. Or the college will¡ªagain, talk to her ¡®bout it. She¡¯s not expecting charity.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, if I¡¯m going to be interacting with swords, I¡¯d better be paid for it.¡± I sighed, raising my bottle to my eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll think about it. That¡¯s my answer.¡±

    ¡°Not like I didn¡¯t expect this¡ªwait, huh?¡±

    Surprise rocked through my friends, looking at me as if I was a stranger.

    Kotone exclaimed, ¡°We totally thought you¡¯d shoot us down! Like, we told Professor Jeon that you aren¡¯t gonna budge.¡±

    Chunhua added, ¡°We even joked about what reasons you¡¯d give. Work, Althea¡¯s graduation¡ª¡± (¡°His imaginary girlfriend,¡± Vic muttered.) ¡°¡ªthat too.¡±

    I rolled my eyes. ¡°First of all, fuck you guys. Second of all, you¡¯re not wrong, but uhm¡­ A problem popped up in your list, Chunhua.¡±

    ¡°Oh jeez¡­¡± Kotone said, ¡°...Althea got expelled? Did she get into a fight again?¡±

    ¡°Not this time. I¡¯m quitting my job soon.¡±

    That got a bigger reaction out of them. They dropped their chicken, their plates and drinks, and their jaws.

    Chunhua stated, ¡°You looked unhappy working there as of late, but I thought you¡¯d make a decision later.¡±

    ¡°Well, things happened and I¡¯m trying to figure out when to port. That means I¡¯m losing my income really soon, and before you ask, the family doesn¡¯t know yet. Right now, I¡¯m still in the planning process.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why you didn¡¯t turn us down right away,¡± Vic stated the obvious. ¡°Shit, man, I¡¯m sorry. Is it bad? System Articles? Things going south?¡±

    I morbidly chuckled. That alone gave them their answer, but I elaborated, ¡°To say the least, yeah. Or more accurately, things will go south.¡±

    Chunhua narrowed her eyes. ¡°Is it life-threatening?¡±

    I pursed my lips. ¡°Probably.¡±

    ¡°Alex?!¡±

    ¡°God, dude.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s always you¡­¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay, hold on.¡± I stood, taking the stage so nobody could scold me. ¡°The situation itself is handled. What isn¡¯t handled is the reaction. There¡¯s a possibility that nothing happens¡ª¡±

    ¡°Or you get iced,¡± Vic finished.

    I opened my mouth like I was going to argue, but he was right. ¡°Yeah, basically.¡±

    Kotone raised, ¡°What about Thea?¡±

    My throat got really dry. ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m worried about the most. You know how execs work. Corps. Nothing is sacred. If you really get on their bad side, well, the lines in the sand are suggestions.¡±

    ¡°Well.¡± Chunhua sat back and crossed her legs. ¡°I suppose that leaves us with one option: become acquainted with your dilemma and plan for the worst. And Alexander, before you whip that tongue at us, you have no say in the matter. You might be an exceptional fighter, but you¡¯re still human.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t fight you on this.¡± When it came to Thea¡¯s safety, fuck pride. ¡°But that¡¯s enough serious talk for now. I¡¯ll go over everything later, after we finish our food.¡±

    After I motioned at our half-eaten plates, everyone was reminded of their primary needs. We settled down and returned to normal conversations: recent gossip, current events, our plans for the summer, and more about the instructional job if I was going to take it¡ªwhich seemed likelier as I considered my options. It was a cushion.

    We finished our meals and got to cleaning. The girls were handling the dishes, and I was prepping the living room for a long discussion about the next couple days. I thought about the job. Honestly, I should take it. These idiots were going out of their way to help me, spending time that could¡¯ve been used for training.

    I¡¯d rather not leave any good deed unpaid.

    ¡°Alright¡­¡± Living room was done. The girls were still in the kitchen. Got some time to kill.

    Having nothing better to do, I grabbed my beer and walked onto the balcony. It was cool out, the perfect weather for a jog. The night sky was blank aside a few dots like dead pixels on a screen. Cars whirred below me. Windows glowed in golden light with silhouettes dancing within. Among the vistas, there was me: a loser drinking a beer.

    Cheers, Ordo. To me.

    I drank.

    Someone joined me on the balcony: a blue-haired dumbass. ¡°Yo, how ya feeling?¡±

    I shrugged. ¡°Tired.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯d bet.¡± He rested his forearms on the railing, beer snug between his fingers. ¡°It¡¯s fucked up. It¡¯s really fucked up.¡±

    ¡°After everything I¡¯ve been through and seen, you¡¯d think I grew a stomach for this shit.¡± I hissed and shook my head. ¡°It hits hard every time. Guess that¡¯s a good thing. I¡¯m not growing numb.¡±

    Vic faced me; for once, he didn¡¯t look cocky or perverse. Just sympathetic, and maybe a little bit pitying. ¡°What¡¯s after this?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about it. What are you gonna do? I mean, you go against a corp, you¡¯re gonna get blacklisted from all of ¡®em. It¡¯ll be real fuckin¡¯ tough to find a job after this, you know that.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll find something. It means taking a few menial jobs between here and then, but there¡¯s a fish for every hook.¡± Until I fuck that up too. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me, Vic. I got it.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t blame a dude for asking.¡± Vic tapped his beer-bottle against the railing. ¡°Hypothetically-speaking, what job d¡¯you want? Gonna be a broker again?¡±

    I blew raspberries. ¡°Fuck that. It¡¯s not something I can see myself doing, but I¡¯m not picky. If it¡¯s good, stable, preferably moral, and pays well, that¡¯s all I need. Don¡¯t get me wrong, I have preferences, but I compromise.¡±

    ¡°Y¡¯know, I still don¡¯t get it.¡± Vic turned, leaning his back against the railing. ¡°Why you¡¯re corpo. All that muscle¡¯s going towards typing really fast on a keyboard, and yet, you still get your ass in trouble. Look, I know. You never do this unless you have a good reason, but you see a pattern forming, right? What d¡¯ya want, man?¡±

    Time and time again, I was asked these questions. It was why I went along with that bouncer¡¯s assumptions at Gorgon. It saved me the trouble of explaining, saved me that stink eye they¡¯d always give me. I never cared what other people think, but after going through the same conversation a thousand times, it wore on you.

    Vic wasn¡¯t wrong, though. At any sign of injustice or criminality, my hero complex returned like a roaring addiction, enticing me into relapse. But this was something I couldn¡¯t ignore. The moment you put your sights on the innocent, you stopped being human. You become a monster.

    Evil, and evil must be executed.

    This set of ideals naturally gave me grief, but¡­

    ¡°Look, Vic, I¡¯m not interested in that life. Being a mil, a badge, a sword¡ªI want none of their baggage. Corps are a decent balance between action and peace, and clearly, it didn¡¯t work out that way. Hell, I don¡¯t give a shit about the corporate ladder in the first place. What I want for myself¡­ God, what I want is¡­¡±

    I pointed at the sight we had. The city. Ordo. ¡°A night like this, where me and Thea can sleep soundly without worrying about getting snuffed, where she can do whatever the hell she wants without the shadowman stalking behind every corner. Give me something predictable, a schedule, so I know tomorrow won¡¯t press a gun against my skull. I meant it, Vic. I¡¯m tired, but as my uncle says, peace has a price and it¡¯s never, ever cheap.¡±

    Without saying a word, Victor put a hand on my shoulder.

    I groaned and leaned my forehead on the railing. After banging the metal once, I got off. ¡°Sorry for going off on you. I think I drank one too many beers.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, man. You needed to get it off your chest somehow. Prefer this than, I dunno, jumping off the roof.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t tempt me.¡± I stood straighter. ¡°But yeah, thanks. For hearing me out, I mean, and helping. I¡¯d be a sitting duck without you guys.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why we¡¯re friends with your miserable ass.¡± Vic laughed and playfully pushed me. ¡°Got three of the best Slayers in OU. We¡¯re an unstoppable team. Hell, if you do decide to [Register], we could make a damn good ST.¡±

    I chuckled. ¡°You¡¯ll really abandon your dream of being an Angel?¡±

    Vic didn¡¯t immediately answer and glanced inside the living room. The girls were finally finished cleaning. ¡°Chunhua and Kotone might give up on Martials.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a spineless idiot.¡±

    ¡°Get a new insult, man.¡± He cocked his head toward the screen-door. ¡°Let¡¯s start talking ¡®bout System Articles, ¡®kay?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah. I¡¯ll text Thea to hurry her ass over.¡± I finished the rest of my beer and went back inside.

    I¡¯d never admit this, but spending a few hours with them wasn¡¯t the worst thing. There wouldn¡¯t be many opportunities like this in the future; once they settle into their new careers, a friend like me would fade into the background of their exciting lives and I would only see them on billboards and TVs.

 [FOR PEACE] Chapter 4 - Meet the Princess

    After Althea came home, I explained the situation. Needless to say, she wasn¡¯t the happiest, but at this part of our lives, living in constant danger was depressingly routine.

    We created an action plan for System Articles in case they turned their ire onto us, which was likely considering their previous targets. Most of the discussion revolved around Thea, because she still had her obligations at school and couldn¡¯t skip her last few weeks¡ªunlike me, who¡¯d been skipping work for obvious reasons. Plus, I was more concerned about her safety than mine.

    The plan was simple. We weren¡¯t trying to destroy System Articles. My investigation had that covered. Instead, we were defending ourselves from any ambushes. Mainly, defending Thea. I could take care of myself although everyone else disagreed. Didn¡¯t matter, because at this very second, my sister had some of the worst bodyguards this city had to offer.

    ¡°...That should be everything,¡± I said, phone pressed against my ear.

    ¡°Alex¡­¡± Uncle Ali sighed and sounded like he was rubbing his eyes. ¡°I would¡¯ve appreciated this information a few days earlier. I don¡¯t take threats on your life or your sister¡¯s lightly.¡±

    ¡°I know, it¡¯s my fault, but I was half-afraid that you¡¯d¡­¡± I glanced around at my fellow pedestrians minding their own business. I whispered, ¡°That you¡¯d book the nearest flight and by the evening, reporters will have a segment on the Yoshita Massacre.¡±

    Uncle didn¡¯t refute and instead said, ¡°...You have a point.¡±

    ¡°At least try lying to me.¡±

    ¡°Regardless, your plan seems sound. I would¡¯ve considered appealing to the badges or Glory for protection, but you can¡¯t fully trust them unlike your friends. Even then, I have my reservations.¡±

    I turned right at the corner, almost crashing into someone. ¡°You have reservations about everything.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t blame your uncle for being overprotective.¡± He flipped through what sounded like paper. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ An exiled cultivator from the Maolin (Ã¬ÁÖ) Sect, whose master committed the Taboo of Treason. A healing guardian, coming from an exceptional family of mils and healers. And lastly, an esper with an SS-Rank [Skill].¡±

    I whistled, impressed. ¡°I never told you about Kotone¡¯s rank.¡±

    Uncle dropped his notes on a hard surface. ¡°Like I said, I¡¯m overprotective. I keep more tabs on you than you think, Alex, including your inner circle. You¡¯ve made some impressive friends. I¡¯m glad you made friends in the first place.¡±

    ¡°Ha-ha.¡± I turned right at the corner again. ¡°I like to think I¡¯m not socially-inept. That¡¯s besides the point. Are you actually booking a flight?¡±

    Uncle answered in a vague mumble, which didn¡¯t inspire much confidence. ¡°There¡¯s no point, I think. By the time I land at the airport, the case will most likely be resolved. As much as I¡¯d like to stay a few days, I can¡¯t. I still have a few things to take care of.¡±

    Trying to hide the dagger of disappointment in my chest, I said, ¡°Guessing you can¡¯t attend Thea¡¯s graduation, right?¡±

    While I tried hiding my disappointment, Uncle didn¡¯t: ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s in the cards, Alex, which means you¡¯d better take a lot of pictures and videos for me. By June¡ªmid-June at the latest¡ªI¡¯ll settle my affairs and we can enjoy a much-welcome vacation. Korea, right? Thea texted me the other day.¡±

    Of course she did, sneaky bastard. I sighed and turned right. ¡°Thea¡¯s persistent, I¡¯ll give her that. She wants to meet all her favorite K-pop idols like Jun-hyeok¡ª¡± (¡°I thought she doesn¡¯t care about him.¡±) ¡°¡ªlook, they all sound the same to me. I¡¯m not exactly thrilled to spend a few weeks in Korea.¡±

    Uncle assured, ¡°As long as we stay in South Korea and steer clear from the Demonic Cult, we¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯m not completely on-board with the suggestion either, but you know me. I love spoiling my niece.¡±

    ¡°Sometimes, you spoil her way too much.¡± I glanced at the closest traffic-mirror. There was a tiny bud of hope inside my chest¡ªhad been a tiny bud of hope¡ªpraying that today was going to be a calm and uneventful day. Of course, I was stupid because with System Articles going on, I wouldn¡¯t know peace until next week.

    However, whoever the fuck was following me wasn¡¯t involved with System Articles or Yoshita. They trailed a good distance behind me, wearing a light hoodie and a black face-mask. Judging from their figure, they were female, about five-eight. Problem was, there were only two female members in Yoshita and neither of them were that tall. The tallest scratched five-three.

    I didn¡¯t know who my tail belonged to.

    ¡°Alex?¡± Uncle¡¯s voice rang inside my head. ¡°Is something wrong¡ª?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m being followed. I¡¯ll call you after I take care of it.¡± I hung up and pocketed my phone, trying to act natural. Conveying that I got spooked might cause the kind lady to break engagement and flee. In most cases, I¡¯d want that; however, I would love to know her intentions.

    Which meant we had a date, destination the Slayer Capital. We were both anxious, fearful, loveless losers. Instead of playing twenty questions, we played twenty paces. Each step either encouraged us to push forward or pull back. Each move determined the amount of risk we were willing to wager. We were afraid of each other, terrified of what the other was thinking. If the stakes were too high or the vibes were off, the game was over and we¡¯d leave the table.

    Our goals? I wanted a conversation, she wanted observation. Conflicting goals, and that was the juicy drama.

    I stopped at the crosswalk, waiting for the pedestrian light to flicker grayish-white. Miss Tail hovered behind a streetlamp and pretended to be interested in the pebbles racing across the pavement. I got a better look at her clothes. Leggings, sneakers, no obvious weapons so far.

    Pedestrian light was on. I raced to the other side, ignoring the impatient drivers.

    Miss Tail chased. You could tell a lot about a person by how they walked. For this chick? Her gait was pristine. It was practiced, disciplined, always putting her in a position to engage in advanced movements. She had experience in close combat, so that likely meant she often worked in the field. What other talents did she have? Tracking, espionage? I had to consider [Skills] in the picture.

    My next move, then, should be to test those [Skills]. Fortunately, I knew the area like the back of my hand.

    I maneuvered through pedestrian traffic, always keeping an eye on Miss Tail as she flowed through the crowd like a slippery eel. There was a decent gap between us. Good.

    As soon as I turned the next corner, I ducked into the first building I saw: a clothing store. I¡¯d shopped here a few times before. They sold decent work clothes without setting my bank account on fire.

    I browsed the polos, looking through the colors I liked and feeling the fabric. Pretty good, but I¡¯d wait for a sale.

    From my peripheral, I spotted Miss Tail through the storefront windows. Looking a little panicked there, ma¡¯am. Her head swiveled left, swiveled right, ahead, right again¡ªand her shoulders relaxed and she seemed to sigh in relief. I made sure to stand where she could see me, after all.

    Guess my hunch was right: she wasn¡¯t a tracker at all. Didn¡¯t even have tracking [Skills]. How did I know? Trackers don¡¯t tail their marks on foot to begin with. Any decent tracker had tech or [Skills] to monitor your location from anywhere in the city. If they had boots on the ground, then they weren¡¯t trying to follow you¡ªthey were trying to find you.

    Fortunately for this game, Miss Tail was an amateur (not like I wasn¡¯t one myself) who made the fatal mistake of underestimating me. Now, let¡¯s test something else. I picked this store for a good reason. If Miss Tail looked beyond the window and walked her eyes down the main floor, she¡¯d see something on the other side of the store.

    Another set of doors leading to the opposite side of the block.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    Time to flex my acting skills. I pulled my phone out and made an exaggerated, annoyed expression. My ear was smashed against the screen protector, and I walked toward the far-doors acting like a busy exec.

    Miss Tail was on the move, one foot away from stepping inside the store. Then, she stopped and caught herself from making a ¡°catastrophic mistake.¡± The store was sparsely-populated, which meant a lack of concealment. She risked detection by entering, either by me or the employees. For a wise stalker, that was too much risk to take. That left only one choice: going around the block.

    By the time she accepted this answer, I was a few steps away from the door. When I tasted stale city air again, Miss Tail was nowhere to be seen. Good, but I didn¡¯t have much time.

    I put my phone away and trekked further down the block. A few seconds later, my next and final play of the game presented itself: a nice and narrow alleyway for me to hide in. I squeezed inside.

    Now, we wait. A nearby traffic-mirror gave me visibility over the sidewalk. Wasn¡¯t perfect due to the angle, but it was decent enough. My eyes flicked through pedestrian after pedestrian, searching for a familiar woman in a hoodie¡ª

    There she was. She rounded the corner and rushed past the store. Her head made full revolutions several times. ¡°How did that asshole disappear?¡± she probably thought. She looked frustrated. I¡¯d be frustrated too. My friends said I had a ¡°distinct figure,¡± no different than wearing a clown costume in public. It meant people naturally noticed me in a crowd. I wonder why. Was it my muscles or the small scars on my arms?

    Didn¡¯t matter.

    Miss Tail zoomed down the sidewalk. Along the way, her eyes wandered to a tight alleyway where a creep was loitering in. Those saucers widened¡ª

    And I snatched Miss Tail by the wrist, pulled her into the alleyway and pinned her arm against the bricks. Our faces were inches apart, and a smart sword like her would¡¯ve broken free already. However, there were a few fingers pressed against the middle of her chest, right where her central phenomena conduit was¡ªor what they¡¯d call it in the Jianghu, her middle dantian. For a Slayer, this was the equivalent of holding a hammer against their kneecaps.

    I pressed my fingers against her chest just so we were on the same page. ¡°I know a pressure-point technique that¡¯ll send you sniveling to your knees, ma¡¯am. For your sake, I recommend working your tongue, not your [Skills].¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright!¡± Miss Tail revealed her free hand. She had callouses. ¡°Easy, easy, you caught me¡­ I¡¯m going to pull down my hood and mask, okay?¡±

    ¡°Slowly.¡±

    ¡°Slowly, you got it.¡± As promised, her hood fell. A golden brown ponytail flopped onto her shoulder; it was the same color as maple syrup with sunlight shining through. Next was her face-mask, and I got a better look at her eyes: little caramel treats.

    She was¡ª

    What the fuck?

    I pressed myself closer to her.

    ¡°Woah, hey!¡± She turned her head away from me as I got unbearably close. ¡°What are you doing¡ª?!¡±

    ¡°Why are you chasing after me, Celestial Empress?¡±

    In Ordo, we loved our powerful women. Silverhonor was one shining example, as her charm was fantastical and mesmerizing, yet distant. Sort of like a glittering diamond behind glass. For that reason, she appeared out-of-reach, which was why her fans bordered on worship rather than infatuation.

    The latter, though? The perfect example of infatuation was Miss Tail. She was gorgeous in a way that was realistic and close to earth. Even now, when I had her unflatteringly against a wall. Her fans, however, weren''t only attracted to that pretty face. They were attracted to the muscles that were actively pushing against me. Attracted to the callouses, proof of her training and discipline in swordsmanship. Attracted to her scowl, that ¡°I can kill you with one finger¡± look which brought people to their knees (one way or another).

    They were attracted to her status. She was a murim-in, an urban princess, a high-ranker, a martial beauty, a second-generation Angel, and the second-in-line heir of the Ryu Family of the Demonic Cult. Meet Celestial Empress of Angels Guild; or Leona Ryu, Cheonma¡¯s niece.

    So much for steering clear from the Cult.

    She had a wild backstory, but it was quite simple. Her parents, Divine Blade Mistress and Heavenly Azure Swordsman (the younger brother of Cheonma), had left Korea to join Angels during its first years. One thing led to another, and Empress preferred the urban life rather than devote her murim-in blood to sect politics. That made two of us.

    My fingers pushed deeper into her middle dantian, causing her to sharply gasp. ¡°Answer me, princess. Are you here as an Angel or a demonic agent?¡±

    Empress forcibly blinked, tears welling in her eyes. ¡°Wha¡ª? Why would I be here as the Cult¡ª?¡±

    ¡°You tell me, since you¡¯re the one sniffing my ass¡ª!¡±

    ¡°Get your head on straight, asshole!¡± Empress continued to pull her face away from me. ¡°I¡¯m here on the behalf of Angels, not my aunt. I have zero ill intentions, I promise. If you let me go, I¡¯ll explain everything.¡±

    I continued to hold her there, being a little more than skeptical.

    The princess was funny enough to crack a cute smile. ¡°Please?¡±

    ¡°Ugh.¡± I backed off. I was punching above my weight class, plus pinning a woman while civil society was a skip away was how you¡¯d end up in prison.

    Empress let out the loudest sigh of relief and shook the jitters out. ¡°Last time I checked, you had nothing to do with the Jianghu.¡±

    ¡°Last time I checked, Angels didn¡¯t know I existed.¡± I crossed my arms. ¡°So what changed? What put me on your radar, huh?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s none of your business,¡± she said, which was weird. The obvious answer was the System Articles crisis, with Glory Guild spreading word about a problematic corpo. All Empress had to do was say two words and I¡¯d understand, but avoiding the question altogether¡­ Ugh.

    I pressed, ¡°Really? I made a big enough splash to warrant a tail.¡±

    Empress adjusted her hoodie, making sure no one outside the alleyway would notice a celebrity. ¡°I was tasked with observing you. What you eat for lunch, what stores you frequent, where you work, that¡¯s it. We didn¡¯t want to approach you until later. If necessary.¡±

    ¡°Until you fucked up.¡±

    A vein popped out of her forehead. ¡°Do you like irritating swords who could kill you with a single poke?¡±

    ¡°I irritate everybody, princess. I don¡¯t discriminate.¡±

    ¡°Great, you¡¯re a pathological dickhead. That makes my job so much easier¡­¡± Empress threw her arms up and started pacing around. She ran a hand through her ponytail, looked at the clouds as though God had an answer, and generally had a fun time thinking about her predicament.

    Let¡¯s think about this. Angels Guild had perfectly capable trackers in their ranks, so why Empress? Answer: this wasn¡¯t an ordinary observation mission. Something else was going on behind the scenes, something probably top secret. After all, Empress worked directly for Seraph and Rector (and Kosmos by extension). She was one of their personal agents, handling the most sensitive affairs for Angels.

    They didn¡¯t assign trackers because they wanted to limit the number of people in the know. Hence, Empress. It begged the question of their competence in choosing talent, but that''s another story. All signs indicated that they had little-to-no knowledge about System Articles, so Empress was here for a completely unrelated reason.

    ¡°So¡­¡± I spoke up, ¡°...is this the elevator pitch? ¡®Join Angels Guild now, and we¡¯ll stop stalking you!¡¯¡±

    ¡°Hold on.¡± Empress raised her hand. ¡°No one said anything about recruiting you. Like I said, my mission is observation. Intel-gathering.¡±

    ¡°So your endgame isn¡¯t recruiting me.¡±

    Empress nodded. ¡°For what little I can tell you, yes. Don¡¯t worry, you can continue to play broker at your job¡ªor wait, I forgot you¡¯re skipping work.¡±

    I was tempted to pin her against the wall again. ¡°Shame. Just so you know, I¡¯ve been skipping work because I¡¯m about to give my two weeks.¡±

    ¡°A tragedy. One less corpo in the field.¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so hasty.¡± I produced a business card from my wallet. ¡°If you¡¯re that interested in me, here¡¯s my number and email.¡±

    Empress stared at my card like it carried the plague. Hell, she looked offended. ¡°You¡¯re quite brave to beg for a job after insulting me.¡±

    I forced her to take my contact info. ¡°Alternatively, this is me telling you to fuck off with this game-of-spies shit. If you have any questions, ask me. You know, like a normal person? I have no time nor patience to wrestle with swords.¡±

    She smacked her lips together, reading through the info. In resignation, she tucked the card away. ¡°Fine, I will. Thank you so much for your understanding, Alexander Shen. I imagine you give your number to women after you kick them to the ground and threaten their lives?¡±

    ¡°No, you¡¯re just that special.¡±

    ¡°You flatter me.¡± Empress stood at the edge of the alleyway, pulling her hood and face-mask up. ¡°Anyway, I think that settles our business. I have to report my failure. Fortunately for you, we¡¯ll most likely back off and leave you be.¡±

    I couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°Fantastic. I¡¯m assuming we¡¯ll never meet again?¡±

    ¡°Genuinely? For your sake?¡± Empress flashed the same saccharine smile. ¡°I hope so. See you never, Shen.¡±

    She left and merged into the crowd.

    In the last few days, I angered two of the most famous women in Ordo and both of them now hated my guts.

    I¡¯m the most charismatic man I know.

    ***

    Later that day, midnight actually, my phone buzzed.

    <blockquote>

    Pointy Ears

    You won, Shen. An investigation is underway.

    </blockquote>

 [FOR PEACE] Chapter 5 - System Articles

    <blockquote>

    Cultivator

    This is a terrible idea, Alex. Do I need to remind you that you¡¯re a ren?

    Alexander

    Take care of Althea

    Cultivator

    Don¡¯t reply like you¡¯re going to die!

    Answer my messages!

    </blockquote>

    Chunhua was right. This really was a stupid decision on my part, but I had made stupider decisions before. My choice wasn¡¯t made using my head but with my heart. Not for any particularly good motive, mind you. Pretty much the opposite.

    After everything I¡¯d researched, after hearing many stories about fraud and abuse and assault, I wanted to see it for myself: the fire I started and the desperate firefighters trying to put it out. Whether here or at home or anywhere else, blood would be drawn. Might as well get it done and get it out of the way.

    The elevator doors opened.

    I walked onto my floor; right away, I became the celebrity of the room. Eyes, looks, all gawking. I¡¯d been missing for days, yet out of the blue, there I was like nothing ever happened. It was a packed house this morning. I figured so. Fujimura and his other execs didn¡¯t want a mass panic and kept the investigation under wraps for now. For most of the employees, today was a normal day.

    That was what I thought initially, but I was evidently wrong. Everyone was loitering around the cubicles in small groups; they had been whispering to each other until I showed up. The TVs were off. No sales going on. Quiet as a ghost town, populated like a cemetery. Despite being colleagues for a little over a year at this point, they stared at me like a stranger. An outsider. Most were confused, definitely, but a select few directed their anger at me.

    Looking at all these people sobered me a little. It was likely that System Articles would get shut down after this. Just like me, everyone would be out of a job. It wasn¡¯t their fault that Fujimura was an immoral bastard, but crime was crime. System Articles had built its wealth and reputation by using the desperate and poor as a stepping stool. It couldn¡¯t exist, but I shouldn¡¯t let myself get caught up in the guilt.

    Without talking or looking at anyone, I approached my cubicle. It hadn¡¯t been cleaned yet. Surprising. As if to mock the situation, though, there was a small Glory Guild pennant resting on my keyboard. Hilarious. Well, guess I should clean my shit for them.

    Starting with the heaviest items first, they were stuffed inside my sling bag.

    ¡°SHEN!¡± someone fucking shouted from across the floor and scared the shit out of me. That didn¡¯t take long at all. ¡°SHEN!¡± said the same maniac, shaking the whole damned floor with his stomping.

    Guess who it was? My old boss, Manager Husk, with new friends. He had bodyguards on each shoulder. They wore inconspicuous clothes, but anyone who spent at least a year in Ordo knew they were swords. Specifically, these asshats were Yoshita¡¯s. I recognized their faces and knew their names (Sugihara and Takano), their specialties, and their [Slayer Rank]. Both were C¡¯s. Middle-rankers.

    No wonder everyone was on edge. Swords like these meant trouble.

    I snatched a couple metal pens from my desk and slid them into my pockets. ¡°What is it¡ª?¡±

    ¡°Where the hell have you been?!¡± Husk roared.

    ¡°None of your business.¡± I patted my chair. ¡°Not anymore. I¡¯ll be out of your hair shortly, just let me pack my things and¡ª¡±

    Sugihara and Takano blocked my cubicle off, and through the gap, Husk stood a few feet away. ¡°You¡¯re coming with us, Shen.¡±

    Takano lifted his shirt and bragged about an energy pistol tucked inside his waistband. It looked a little worse-for-wear, but like normal ballistics, a gun was a gun. If it worked, it hurt. Question was: were they bold enough to start a shootout in a public office? Honestly, the possibility wasn¡¯t zero.

    I wasn¡¯t going to call their bluff either way.

    ¡°Alright, fine.¡± I hoisted my bag over my shoulder. ¡°Lead the way.¡±

    Sugihara reached out¡ª

    I batted his hand away. ¡°Don¡¯t fucking touch me. I said I¡¯ll go.¡±

    The Yoshitas looked toward Husk for orders. He snarled but nodded. ¡°C¡¯mon.¡±

    Now it was my turn to have bodyguards. I was escorted between Dumb and Dumber with Dumbest leading the group. Dumber had a few fingers tickling his waist, eager to play with his toy. All the while, my former colleagues watched as we disappeared down the hall. They must¡¯ve thought this was a funeral procession. They were right, just wrong about whose.

    We arrived at Fujimura Kieta¡¯s office. Blinds down, windows covered, door locked. Husk knocked a couple times and I had the red carpet rolled out for me. This was an office fitting for a CEO of an immoral corp. Way too big, had meaningless decoration and awards and books, and not enough furniture to fill the space.

    ¡°Go!¡± Sugihara hissed and pushed me inside. Someone within grabbed me by the neck and arm, dragged me to a red couch, and forced my ass down. They took my sling-bag and tossed it on the ground like it was garbage¡ªto be fair, most of the shit inside was random junk.

    As soon as I picked my head up, something metal was pressed against the back of my head. That must be the energy pistol. Something else clicked behind me. That must be the door. Something above my head breathed like a fridge. That must be an isolation bubble. Good, we had everything covered.

    A blue screen opened in front of my eyes, visible for the whole room to see.

    [Threat to life detected]

    [Temporary Registration available]

    ¡°[Register] and we¡¯ll kill you,¡± Husk said.

    I nodded. Wasn¡¯t planning on [Registering] anyway. It¡¯d take too much time.

    In total, I had six on my ass: Takano and Sugihara were behind the couch; Husk and two Yoshitas (Kawakami and Aoki) were at the front. The swords were measly C-Ranks and had unremarkable specialties, focusing on physical combat rather than anything magical.

    Last but not least, I couldn¡¯t forget about the bastard himself sitting behind his artisan-crafted desk: Fujimura Kieta. The pictures on our website had to be photoshopped because he was one ugly motherfucker. Crime took a toll on your body, it seemed. He was in his mid-forties but looked sixty; he was balding but refused to accept the fact; and he had wrinkles as deep as a trench in World War One.

    Fujimura gnashed his yellowish-green teeth together, his pink tongue slipping through and licking at the dull edges. Every muscle in his face rubbed together like rusted gears. Then, he exploded in a tongue-lashing of angry Japanese. He shouted at the top of his lungs, slamming his hands on the table, throwing things without aiming¡ªjust a greed-fueled rant of a criminal about to be busted.

    Eventually, he seemingly understood that I had zero clue what he was saying. He pointed at me and glared and glared, with all the rage of a king seeing his castle walls fall down.

    ¡°Traitor,¡± Husk summarized, though his hushed but seething tone was completely his own. ¡°You¡¯re a traitor, Shen. We¡¯ve given you everything¡ª¡±

    ¡°Oh, fuck off, don¡¯t start on that cosmo bullshit¡ª¡± A subtle push to the back of my skull suggested that I should shut up. I didn¡¯t. ¡°Save your speeches. I was never a member of your little club.¡±

    Husk bit his lips, taking my defiance worse than my ¡°betrayal.¡±

    Fujimura shouted again in Japanese and Husk replied in the same tongue. They had a short conversation, presumably about what they were going to do with a little shit like me. When they finished, Husk curtly nodded.

    ¡°You!¡± Fujimura pointed at me again. So he did speak English. Had a thick accent, though. ¡°You made a mistake coming here, boy! Aoki, Husk!¡±

    Aoki and Husk sandwiched me on the couch. With them and the iron scratching my scalp, ¡°discomfort¡± was the weakest word I could use. The former produced a communicator, turned a few dials, and Japanese leaked through the tiny speakers. Multiple voices.

    Aoki spoke into the comms, couldn¡¯t translate.

    Husk explained, ¡°You have a sister, Althea. You talked about her all the time before that man got to your head.¡±

    And there it was. I knew this was going to happen¡ªfucking predicted it¡ªyet, as soon as her name left his thin lips¡­ A switch in my head clicked and my stomach transformed into a furnace.

    I hissed, ¡°Say her name one more time, I dare you, you won¡¯t be saying anything else afterwards.¡±

    Husk hesitated to speak, seeing something in my eyes that I couldn¡¯t, but I knew what it was. That was brotherly love and he was on the wrong end of it. He cracked a broken laugh. ¡°W-We have a gun pressed against your skull¡ª!¡±

    ¡°And I¡¯m sitting next to you.¡± I stared at him without blinking, and the piece against the back of my head could be a backscratcher for all I care.

    Color drained from the dipshit¡¯s face, and his lips trembled¡ª

    ¡°Shut up!¡± Takano was smart, pushing the pistol so hard that I was forced to bend my neck. Couldn¡¯t let his buddy suddenly get cold feet and ruin the vibe, right?

    Husk grabbed the back of my collar and kept my head down, deliberately avoiding my eyes. ¡°Y-You shouldn¡¯t have fucked with us, Shen! You screw us over, we¡¯ll end you. First, we¡¯ll start with your cute little sister. It was easy tracking her down. She goes to Julius High School, and as we speak, she¡¯s taking a nice walk there.¡±

    Aoki spoke into the comms again. He nodded at Husk, and Husk nodded back.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    Husk shook my head. ¡°Before we dump your body in the South China Sea, you¡¯ll die hearing your sister¡¯s screams. Imagine that, Shen. You lost your parents, now you¡¯re losing the last family you have left all because you couldn¡¯t keep your fucking eyes to yourself!¡±

    A twisted, almost psychotic laugh left me.

    Husk said to Aoki, ¡°Do it.¡±

    Aoki relayed the order and turned a few dials. The volume was at max, now, and he placed the communicator on the table in front of us. It was a radio show, except for prank phone calls, we had live audio of a snuff film.

    Car doors slammed shut, Yoshitas started yelling, and footsteps filled the ambiance. I heard broken English and Japanese mixed together into incoherent sentences. Lasted all about three seconds before another sound added to the scene: rushing, smooth wind, and whistling leaves.

    Then, screams overwhelmed the speakers.

    A blue screen appeared in every sword in the room. Then a second screen, then a third, a fourth¡ªyou get the idea. They were status updates, punctually informing them that their friends were incapped.

    Aoki snatched the communicator off the table and yelled into it. ¡°What the fuck was going on?!¡± he probably was asking. He shouted codenames, real names, begging anyone to pick up. Meanwhile, everyone in the room was listening with their jaws stupidly hanging and their eyes bigger than marbles.

    Husk shook my collar. ¡°What the hell did you do, Shen?!¡±

    I grinned.

    ¡°What the fuck did you do¡ª?!¡±

    ¡°Hello?¡± a voice came from the comms. ¡°Is this on?¡±

    The room went silent.

    Chunhua cleared her throat. ¡°These disgusting men earned themselves a trip to the hospital; though if it was up to me, I¡¯d display their heads on your front-door, System Articles.¡±

    Another voice came on: ¡°Now, can you please stop fucking around and wrap things up already, Alex? You know Uncle¡¯s gonna kill you for being a dumbass.¡±

    ¡°Heh¡­¡± Hearing Althea¡¯s voice almost tempered the heat inside my chest. Almost. Nothing could extinguish the fire except for, hypothetically, feeling their bones crunch underneath my feet. Statistically-speaking, however, the odds were against me. Four C-Rank Slayers against a ren who didn¡¯t have time nor room to [Temporary Register].

    Most people call that a suicide mission, but to me, this isn¡¯t anything special.

    Husk had let go of my collar, his tiny brain trying to make heads and tails of what¡¯d happened. Everyone was. Confusion, such a useful emotion. When no one knew what was going on, it meant they dedicated brainpower to untangle the mess¡ªbrainpower that they diverted from their original tasks. That meant a little slower reaction time.

    Takano wasn¡¯t poking my scalp anymore with that iron.

    Husk glared at me. ¡°Shen¡ª!¡±

    Takano¡¯s arm was yanked over my shoulder. His pistol got knocked out of his hand and took a first-class flight onto Fujimura¡¯s desk, and the ugly fuck shrieked like he¡¯d never seen a gun before in his life.

    ¡°Kuso!¡± Aoki grabbed at me, until he found a metal pen jammed in his throat and started choking on it.

    ¡°Oh God¡ª!¡± Husk went from saying God¡¯s name to crying for Him, as I impaled his hand clean through with my last pen¡ª

    An arm snaked around my neck. Takano. Fuck. The choke squeezed tears from my eyes and casted fire through my nerves. I heaved forward and clawed for my fallen sling bag on the ground¡ª

    Someone yelling. Not from pain. From adrenaline and rage. I blinked once and saw a blurry Japanese man charging at me. I kicked the table into his shins, making him fall and eat shit.

    That convenient distraction weakened Takano¡¯s grip just enough. My fingers curled around a strap. In my next choked breath, his forehead got cracked open by what was effectively a sock filled with rocks. His arm loosened, and by the second hit, it slithered away.

    I leapt from the couch¡ª

    An annoying bastard on the ground (Kawakami) grabbed my ankle. He couldn¡¯t hold on when he got whipped in the face. He rolled over, grabbing at his nose.

    This time, I actually escaped the fray and found myself next to Fujimura¡¯s desk. I dropped my bag. The man himself screamed like a little bitch and scampered to the far corner of his office, yet he had the audacity to yell at his swords. Presumably: ¡°Kill that motherfucker! Don¡¯t give him time to [Register]!¡±

    Sugihara yanked the bloody pen from Aoki¡¯s throat and launched it. The pen was like a dart with the velocity of a fastball¡ªhad to be a [Skill]¡ªbut his aim was shit and stuck into the drywall behind me.

    Kawakami climbed to his feet only to find a flying office chair. I didn¡¯t tell if he caught or ate it because Sugihara was already on the move. He pushed his friend aside, leapt over the crooked table, landed in front of Fujimura¡¯s desk¡ªand he faced the wrong end of an energy pistol.

    He gasped.

    I pulled the trigger.

    Sugihara dropped to the ground, wailing, as the stench of burnt flesh overwhelmed the room. He better count his stars. Instead of having his forehead stripped of skin and meat, his scalp had instead. There was a long burning, bleeding streak across his hair like someone had given him a bad waxing. It hurt, yeah, but he was screaming. Screaming meant he was suffering but alive¡ªas it should be.

    The energy pistol was garbage, little better than welded scrap metal and backyard science. The discharge sounded dull when it should be satisfyingly sharp. Plus, there was an annoying delay between the trigger-pull and discharge. Felt like it was on medium-power too, so that meant decreased lethality. It was running out of life, but it¡¯d serve me well.

    Kawakami reached for his waist and got nailed in the shoulder. His sleeve burned and the skin underneath melted into an ugly, charred crimson like an overripe tomato. The pain made him forget about attacking, and he retreated. He climbed over the couch as multiple shots rang throughout the office, burning holes into the pillows and cushions, and he tumbled over the back.

    He yelled Aoki¡¯s and Takano¡¯s names.

    Takano just finished wrapping a piece of fabric around his friend¡¯s bleeding neck. He looked at me, I looked at him, and our eyes met like star-crossed lovers. He cursed and tried pulling Aoki off the couch.

    Getting shot in the hand discouraged him. Takano yelped and took cover, stranding Aoki there.

    Aoki banged a fist against the cushions. He shouted at his cowardly friends, something like, ¡°Get me out of here!¡± or ¡°Kill that fucking bastard!¡±. Probably both.

    I shot him three times in the chest. His shouting rippled into howling, holes burned in his shirt but his flesh burned hotter, and he rolled dumbly off the couch. Festered there, bled there, no fight in him left.

    But someone else had fight left. Someone who¡¯d made a mistake. A weak hand reached from behind the desk and latched onto the sharp edge. Sugihara. His fingers were hammered in by the butt of the pistol, over and over, fingernails breaking open, until he got the message. For extra measure, I flipped the desk over. Everything fell. A monitor, papers and binders and files, office supplies, heavy paperweights, and the desk itself; crushing Sugihara and pinning him to the ground.

    I whipped the pistol around the room. Husk had joined Fujimura in their safe little corner and held onto his bleeding hand. When the barrel aimed in their direction, they cowered and raised their hands. Harmless fucks. No spine in them¡ª

    The couch was flying at me.

    I jumped out of the way. It crashed into the wall, knocking down treasured pictures and diplomas and awards. They joined the trash on the ground in a shower of broken glass and small chips of wood. But trouble was coming in the form of two quick little legs: Kawakami, with something in his hand. An electric baton, seemed magically-imbued by a [Skill].

    He mightily swung, but the pistol acted like a decent parrying dagger. I knocked it away but he came for the backswing, then came from underneath, above, to the side¡ªquick and relentless, all with the energy of a hyperactive child.

    The pistol had done good work, but after one eventual swing, I¡¯m afraid its time was done. Kawakami batted it out of my hands and a satisfied, sadistic glint shone in his eyes; it was matched only by the electricity coursing through his sig.

    He said the one Japanese word I did know: <Die¡ª!>

    Five ugly knuckles smashed into his chin. He was fast, but my fists were faster. Blood leaked through his pink teeth, and before he could raise his baton again, I was on him. I pressed my fingertips against the center of his chest.

    All I needed was a brief window. Sixteen strikes. If executed correctly, all it took was sixteen strikes.

    [Skill Error: Anti-Slayer Technique - Sixteen Point Incapacitation]

    And I had. Like most of his friends, Kawakami kissed the ground screaming but he was the unluckiest one. To everybody, he was getting burned alive with no visible fire. The fire existed inside his body, flaring throughout his Phenomenon Production System from head-to-toe. His internal mana exploded from within, having the same sensation of being boiled alive.

    If I¡¯d used Sixteen Point Obliteration instead, well, the pain would be a lot worse.

    ¡°Kawakami¡ª!¡± Takano exclaimed from the other side of the room, seeing his buddy cry and roll around like a bratty toddler.

    Then, Takano saw me.

    There was a specific fear that only Slayers could feel. In a world of superpowers and magic, there existed freaks unimaginably stronger than you, so strong that you could only kneel and submit and hope for mercy. Overwhelming power beckoned overwhelming emotions, after all.

    And Takano had that fear in his very eyes.

    I slowly walked up to him.

    This was the moment that defined Takano. Would he beg or fight?

    I had my answer when his foot shot out and I caught it. A weak kick, though. I shoved the dumbass against the door.

    In one smooth motion, I showed him what a real kick looked like. It snapped the door¡¯s hinges and popped the isolation bubble. Takano fell as the door did, hard, but he rolled backwards onto soft carpet and got spritely to his feet.

    ¡°Fuck you!¡± he said in a thick accent, but his actions didn¡¯t match his words. Looked angry, talked angry, but he was retreating.

    I calmly approached.

    Takano roared and swung widely with his bad fist.

    I caught his arm and backhanded him. ¡°Stop that.¡±

    He stumbled backwards and spat blood onto the carpet. ¡°Asshole! Chicken fuck!¡±

    ¡°Get better insults.¡± I primed a punch.

    Takano reflectively gasped and put his arms up, shaking. The punch never came, until he lowered his guard and ate a fist to the nose. That time, that time dealt damage. Both to his body and the soul. It seemed whatever courage he had evaporated at that moment.

    He turned tail and scampered away, leaving a thin trail of blood as shameful evidence. Unfortunately for him, Takano was running into the main floor populated by a few dozen eyewitnesses. As soon as he broke into the space, a dozen gasps and exclamations shattered the unnerving silence.

    Takano stopped in front of the cubicles, hand over his nose. He pointed at a random lady. ¡°You! Police! Call the police¡ª!¡±

    The ¡°criminal¡± kicked him into a cubicle wall. Didn¡¯t know who this belonged to¡ªI forgot¡ªbut that didn¡¯t matter now.

    Takano shrieked as I grabbed him by the collar. ¡°H-HELP! This man will kill me¡ª!¡±

    I punched him. I bloodied his face. I shattered bones. The nose, the orbital. Teeth popped from his mouth and rolled on the ground like marbles. His cheeks were puffed up, red and purple. My hands were covered in blood. His blood. Lips bruised and pink¡ª

    ¡°SHEN¡ª!¡± Something bonked against the back of my head. A weak hit, like getting hit by a plastic bat.

    I looked over my shoulder and found Fujimura holding Kawakami¡¯s baton. Whatever he saw in me, it was enough for him to drop the fancy stick and fall on his ass.

    I let go of Takano. He limply fell sideways, mouth barely moving.

    Fujimura crawled away from me. ¡°M-Maniac! He¡¯s a maniac! Someone call the¡ª!¡± I caught up to him. ¡°WAIT¡ª!¡±

    I stomped his head in. He¡¯ll live, with facial reconstruction surgery.

    That was four, technically six if you counted the useless shits.

    I sighed and finally had a chance to catch my breath. Everyone was staring at me again, this time there wasn''t any confusion or anger. Only fear. About half of the people here were hiding behind something or someone.

    ¡°Show¡¯s over,¡± I said. ¡°I¡ª¡°

    The elevator dinged, and a squad of blue uniforms and bronze badges rushed into the office. Ordo Police Department, the city¡¯s finest, with semi-automatic rifles bouncing on their chests and bulky body armor that could stop most forms of ballistics. Looks like someone already called the police.

    They shouted, ¡°Police! Police! Hands up! Hands up!¡±

    I was the first to do so¡ª

    ¡°It¡¯s him, officers!¡± someone said behind me. That was a voice I didn¡¯t want to hear. Husk leaned against a wall, showing everyone his impaled hand. ¡°A-A gun! He has a gun!¡±

    Motherfucker, I should¡¯ve knocked him out.

    For my negligence, I was rewarded with half a dozen rifles pointed at me. Instead of shaking hands with badges, they pushed my head against the carpet and cuffed me.

    They drew blood from my arm. ¡°What the fuck¡­¡± one officer muttered. ¡°He¡¯s clear! Don¡¯t bug him! I repeat, don¡¯t fuckin¡¯ bug him!¡±

    Good, at least they wouldn''t poison me.

    This was going to be a long day.

 [FOR PEACE] Chapter 6 - Lost the Suit and Tie

    A detective opened the door. He looked overworked but flashed a friendly smile. Either this was good news or there was another long interrogation ahead of me. ¡°Alexander Shen?¡± he asked.

    I waved. As best as I could given the cuffs. ¡°Yessir?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re free to go.¡± He took out a key and unlocked them. ¡°Never thought I¡¯d see a ren take down four C-Ranks. It¡¯s true what they say about this city: you never stop meeting freaks. What are you? Counterforce?¡±

    ¡°If I was CF, they''d be dead."

    The cuffs dropped.

    ¡°...Right. You have good friends, boy,¡± the detective said with an odd wink¡ªyeah, I didn¡¯t like that. ¡°C¡¯mon, I¡¯ll escort you out.¡±

    ***

    The outcome was expected, let¡¯s be honest. There was no way in hell that Husk and Fujimura could get away with this shit. If anything, the stunt Husk had pulled added several charges onto his already long rap-sheet. It was mildly annoying because it took hours for everything to be squared away. The badges didn¡¯t believe a random ren took down four swords, which led to endless and repetitive questioning and interrogation. However, once details started coming in and credible statements were taken and Encampment agents got involved, the ball started rolling.

    Though, what really sealed the deal was my ¡°good friends¡± vouching for my innocence¡ªin other words, corruption.

    For once, I left a police station without any bruises.

    By the time I embraced sweet freedom, it was three in the afternoon and my stomach rumbled like nothing else. I adjusted the small dufflebag on my shoulder, containing my belongings and bloody clothes. Thankfully, they had a plain t-shirt and sweats for ruthless criminals like myself.

    On the sidewalk, a familiar woman was waiting for me: the outworlder. As soon as she saw my ugly face, her pointy ears sank toward the Earth¡¯s core. Made it quite clear that she was here for business, not because she cared for my well-being.

    Silverhonor crossed her arms, impatiently tapping her foot. How long had she been waiting for me? ¡°What compelled you to waltz into System Articles knowing it was dangerous? If you had gotten injured or worse¡ª¡°

    ¡°Good afternoon to you too, Slayer.¡± I cracked my knuckles, rubbing a finger over the hardened skin.

    ¡°Shen¡ª!¡±

    ¡°Retribution,¡± I told her as clear as day, for every badge to listen even. ¡°Let¡¯s face it, SH, those fucks wouldn¡¯t learn a thing. They¡¯d claim what they¡¯re doing is the norm and act like victims. ¡®That¡¯s how the world works,¡¯ they say.¡±

    Her viridescent eyes were as narrow as a line. ¡°So you enacted vigilante justice?¡±

    I admired the police station and every one of its chipped bricks. Inside, the gears of the Law clicked and spun; sometimes they were greased to pull in the opposite direction, other times the gears stopped moving altogether. I said, ¡°Preventative. Words can¡¯t reach these people, not even when the judge rattles off their tickets. But pain can. Pain does.¡±

    She scoffed, tugging on her collar. She was nervous; this wasn¡¯t a conversation you had in front of a police station. ¡°You believe justice as it stands isn¡¯t capable of doling out ample punishment?¡±

    Unwanted memories flickered through my vision: countless news articles, online posts, phone calls and text messages in the middle of the night, the steps of a courthouse, and smiling lawyers. Even an ocean away, the beautiful United States was still whispering inside my ear.

    Silverhonor took my silence with a frown. ¡°Shen¡ª?¡±

    ¡°I trust the law as much as you trust the malies,¡± I said, staring eye-for-eye.

    Mentioning that single word turned her pale skin gray. She clenched her fists, her eyes staring beyond me like how I had moments earlier. ¡°Had High Home made you this cynical?¡±

    I laughed, and the memories persisted. ¡°You did your research on me. I mean, watching Oasisgate unfold the way it did¡­¡± I whistled to release some bad energy. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ That¡¯s a genie you can¡¯t shove back in the lamp.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s no wonder why you threatened Glory. You must despise castles and everything they stand for.¡±

    ¡°You make me sound like a punk.¡± I cleared my throat a couple times, counting the number of skyscrapers and monuments scratching the clouds. ¡°It¡¯s not that simple. I am standing in the Slayer Capital and talking to one of the most well-known outworlders in the city.¡±

    Silverhonor huffed and marched to the curb, watching the busy streets. A few distant pedestrians were looking in our direction but she didn¡¯t seem to care. She was contemplative, either thinking about my words or trying to unravel the mystery of Alexander Shen. Both, most likely.

    Sorry to disappoint, but I¡¯m far less interesting than everyone hypes me up as. I¡¯m just a miserable jackass trying to carve a little peace and quiet for himself.

    I sighed and sat down on a nearby bench. ¡°Look, SH, let¡¯s just¡ª¡°

    ¡°I pity you, Shen,¡± Silverhonor said, back turned.

    ¡°Pardon?¡±

    She faced and leered down at me. ¡°I cannot imagine living my life like how you do: perpetually miserable and cynical of nigh-everything. For such a gifted man, you¡¯re hopelessly confused, trapped between two worlds. Whatever you¡¯re seeking, you''ll likely never get it¡ªmuch like how I may never recover my memories.¡±

    ¡°...I guess that makes two of us.¡±

    ¡°I suppose so.¡±

    An annoyingly luxurious silver car rolled into the parking lot. At a certain point of the day, the light bounced off the paint in a certain way that blinded everyone in a one-mile radius. It was outfitted with all the cool features that I never bothered learning, but damn, if that wasn¡¯t the most beautiful (and shittiest) car I had ever seen. Too bad the driver was circus-freak ugly.

    ¡°Alex, sorry I¡¯m late!¡± Vic hopped out and leaned against the door. ¡°We¡¯re¡ªoh shit, hi?¡±

    Silverhonor stood off to the side, arms crossed. ¡°A friend of yours?¡±

    ¡°My chauffeur.¡± I got up and threw the duffle-bag around my shoulder. ¡°This is my cue to leave. See you tomorrow, SH, at the Encampment. I¡¯ll be there on time.¡±

    ¡°For your sake, you will,¡± she shortly replied as I got walking.

    Vic awkwardly smiled. Even an oblivious idiot like him could sense the bad blood between us. ¡°It¡¯s, uh, it¡¯s good meeting you for the first time, Silverhonor! I¡¯m a big fan.¡±

    Never mind, this dumbass was already infatuated.

    I said, ¡°You might see him and my friends soon. They¡¯re signed up for the First Wave; in fact, Victor here is shooting for Glory.¡±

    ¡°I am¡ª? Oh yeah, I totally am! Yeah, I¡¯m uh¡ªyeah, mhm.¡± Vic was physically incapable of playing things cool. He was scratching his arm way too much, painting himself as a restless drug addict and not an anxious, upstart sword.

    Silverhonor gave a friendly, hospitable smile like a hotel receptionist. ¡°How wonderful. I wish you the best of luck. You as well, Shen. I hope you remember my words.¡±

    ¡°I might.¡± I settled into the passenger seat as Vic flopped behind the wheel.

    I recognize that look on his face. That, right there, was the look of a man who had his whole world rocked. For a lonely, hopeless guy like him? Getting blessed by Silverhonor herself? He was sleeping great for the next month.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    If we survive the drive, because he was driving like a robot. Not a super-intelligent bot you¡¯d find in chess, but a shitty, dollar-store AI that had the memory of a goldfish. He nearly rear-ended the first car we saw, spent a whole second at the green-light and got the entire cavalcade honking at him, and missed a turn and didn¡¯t realize it until I told him.

    I punched his shoulder. ¡°God, you¡¯re such a loser. You folded immediately. You¡¯re doomed whenever a pretty girl smiles at you¡ª¡±

    Vic clung onto the steering wheel. ¡°I¡¯m gonna drive us off a cliff.¡±

    ¡°If you can find any¡­¡± I murmured. ¡°Anyway, thanks for doing this. For picking me up and holding down the fort. I owe you several.¡±

    In our plan against System Articles, we created a schedule where the Three Musketeers took turns shadowing Althea and watching my apartment in case Yoshita attacked. And hey, they did. This morning, Chunhua had tasted action while the other two unfortunately had to house-sit. Then, all three of them babysat Althea as her big brother got himself detained for hours.

    It was a simple idea, but coordinating three busy swords was harder than I thought.

    Victor, though, didn¡¯t seem to mind the lack of action. ¡°Don¡¯t mention it, man. Whatcha talk ¡®bout with Silverhonor anyway? She, uh, she doesn¡¯t seem to like you.¡±

    How she felt about me didn¡¯t matter. We were going to be strangers after the investigation anyway, no use trying to get on her good side. Still, her words rang in my head. Cynical, two worlds¡ªas if I didn¡¯t already know that. She might¡¯ve done her research on me, but my lifestory was more than two defining tragedies. At least, that¡¯s what I told myself. After living through Hangzhou and Oasisgate, what other options did I have? What lifepath was waiting for me, one that wouldn¡¯t turn my heart black?

    I couldn¡¯t simply pick a world and stay in it.

    ¡°Alex?¡± Vic called me. ¡°You good? Not gonna die, right?¡±

    I realized I was leaning my head against the window. I kept it there. ¡°Let¡¯s stop by, ugh¡­ Some drive-thru or something¡­ I¡¯m starving.¡±

    ¡°I gotcha.¡±

    ***

    I lost my suit and tie, becoming an unemployed bum who depended on his uncle. Sporadically throughout the rest of May, I attended meetings regarding System Articles with Silverhonor. They were formalities, nothing important. It was almost guaranteed that Fujimura and his lackeys were going to prison for a long time, if not for the evidence I¡¯d gathered but the fact they tried to off me and Thea.

    Other than the meetings, I had never met with Silverhonor. There was too much distance to establish a genuine rapport, not that I was looking for one. Same for Celestial Empress after that fateful day. I never bothered Angels, and they never bothered me even after I gave them my number. I¡¯d told Thea and Uncle Ali about what happened on the day of¡ªjust another thing to keep at the back of our heads as usual.

    So what did I do with my newfound freetime? First of all, graduation. Althea passed her finals and walked the stage. As promised, I recorded every second for Uncle. I¡¯m proud of her; she graduated high-school with minimal incidents. Really, I thought they¡¯d expel her after she fractured a guy¡¯s skull, but this city was full of surprises.

    I had another graduation party, this time for the swords. Vic, Chunhua, and Kotone celebrated their finals with drinks, cake, and tears. Their college life, like mine, was officially over. Now it was time for the big leagues, but on that night, they could forget about the future and spend time laughing and singing along to whatever bad music was on the speakers.

    On the very next day, they went to work despite their hangovers. So did I. I had no reason to not take up Professor Jeon¡¯s offer. Class A3 needed extra hands to prepare them for First Wave where they¡¯d compete against freaks and prodigies from Antarctica to Switzerland.

    It was a way to keep myself busy and get some money in my pocket. It didn¡¯t pay as much as System Articles, but income was income. It meant, however, being surrounded by Slayers day-in and day-out: watching them train, analyzing their performances, picking out holes and pointing out shortcomings, helping proctor exercises, even teaching a thing or two about the artform of combat¡ªbasically, whatever Professor Jeon wanted me to do.

    But Ordo University didn¡¯t only have Class A3. There were other third- and lower-years too; hell, Systemic Works was its own little world on-campus. Everyone knew everyone, and everyone wanted to be included.

    Which meant I suddenly had to consider other students in other classes other than A3. It was one thing lending my middling expertise to third-years¡ªthey were heading to First Wave too¡ªbut for the juniors? Who had at least a year until then?

    Not fun, let me tell you.

    ¡°¡ªyeah, who are you to tell me to leave?¡± spat a first-year. He came with his little entourage wanting to check out what their seniors were doing. Spoiled little bastard, the definition of daddy¡¯s money.

    I focused on writing notes down on my clipboard. ¡°I am. Your seniors need to focus¡ª¡±

    ¡°I mean, look at this.¡± The first-year grabbed my shirt and threw the fabric back. ¡°Looks like the ren went thrifting recently, eh?¡±

    I rolled my eyes. ¡°Leave, or¡ª¡±

    The little shit slapped my clipboard but I managed to hang onto it. ¡°Or what? You don¡¯t know who you¡¯re talking to. I can kill you with a single flick¡ª¡±

    He shut up. Forcibly. Slayer or not, getting a clipboard jammed into your throat was painful. He dropped to his knees and started gasping for air. Before his friends tried anything funny, I waved the deadly weapon at them.

    With the clipboard, I pointed at the open door. ¡°Walk, or you¡¯ll crawl there.¡±

    They got the message. Unfortunately, later that day, I was chewed out by administration for ¡°assaulting a highly-valued student.¡± By that, he complained and his father complained. No punishment, though. OU didn¡¯t want to scorn one of their most popular alumni.

    This wasn¡¯t the first time someone wanted to bully the ren, and despite my efforts, no one seemed to catch the hint. At least this wasn¡¯t Baekyong (??) Academy, because that place? Shit, it resembled an unethical psychology experiment more than an actual campus. Regardless, helping Class A3 wasn¡¯t terrible. I had free lunch, spent more time with my friends, all while getting paid doing so.

    The days went by.

    System Articles felt like it happened yesterday, but when I opened my eyes¡­ It was already the end of May.

    First Wave was starting in a few days.

    ¡°Thank you for your help, Alex,¡± Professor Jeon said while we were in her office. The blue-haired sword was in her late-thirties but looked a decade younger; the power of good genetics. ¡°I think my kids will do just fine in First Wave.¡±

    ¡°Either way, I earned my check. Unless I¡¯m getting a commission for every student who gets an offer.¡±

    Professor Jeon laughed. It was a fake laugh. ¡°No can do. The department is running low on funds.¡± (¡°That¡¯s bullcrap.¡±) ¡°But I have something better than commissions: good news. Next academic year, we have new positions in Systemic Works if you¡¯re interested. I know you prefer several degrees of separation from systemics, but it pays well.¡±

    I had a feeling she was going to offer a more permanent position. She was right; OU was a little too intimate, but I wasn¡¯t exactly in an optimal place in terms of employment. ¡°Send me the details,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯ll give it a serious thought.¡±

    She smiled. A real smile, this time. ¡°Great! And one more thing.¡±

    From a drawer, she produced a lanyard with a laminated card attached. It had my name and face on it with the word ¡°VISITOR¡± written at the top.

    ¡°This.¡± She tapped the card. ¡°Is a visitor¡¯s pass for First Wave. In other words, it¡¯s a golden opportunity to network with the Big Four and other major guilds. And you¡¯ll get to cheer your friends on too!¡±

    For most people, this was basically like having the winning lottery ticket. Some would pay thousands to have an opportunity to deliver their elevator pitch to the Big Four, but I wasn¡¯t most people. Don¡¯t misunderstand, it was a great opportunity to network and job-hunt, but¡­

    ¡°Why don¡¯tcha do it?¡± Thea asked when I got home that evening. ¡°Look, Alex, you¡¯re not exactly in an optimal spot in terms of a job.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s literally what I thought.¡± I slapped her leg, making Thea move her lazy ass so I could sit on the couch. ¡°But there¡¯s a problem¡ª¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re terrible with women?¡± (¡°Yeah¡ª¡±) ¡°You¡¯re basically an eunuch?¡± (¡°Yes¡ª¡±) ¡°You can¡¯t talk yourself out of a mugging to save your life¡ª?¡±

    ¡°Shut up.¡± I whacked the lanyard against her thigh.

    She scowled and slapped me away. ¡°It¡¯s not my fault that you pissed off Glory and Angels! Like, seriously, that¡¯s on you. But hey, they¡¯re both castles. You prolly won¡¯t meet Silverhonor or Empress while working there.¡±

    I squinted at her. ¡°Thea.¡±

    She was focused on watching her anime. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Knowing our luck, you think that¡¯ll happen?¡±

    Thea sighed and rubbed her eyes. ¡°Right, our track record doesn¡¯t exactly, y¡¯know, track. Either way, you got a free invitation to First Wave. Opportunity¡¯s an opportunity. You never know what¡¯ll happen. Just gotta avoid Martials Guild and you¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± I held the lanyard in my hands, rubbing a thumb on my unflattering picture. ¡°Plus, everyone will appreciate me being there.¡±

    ¡°Sounds like you talked yourself into it.¡±

    I pressed the card against my forehead. ¡°Guess I have¡­ Shit, this will either be the best decision I¡¯ll ever make or the worst.¡±

 [FOR PEACE] Chapter 7 - First Wave

    Welcome to First Wave here at Primordial Plaza, famous for hosting concerts, outdoor conferences, carnivals, and so on. The last example was most similar. Instead of shoddily-installed amusement rides and scammy games, every square inch was filled with exams of varying lethality. You couldn¡¯t walk more than a few meters before finding an information booth or a provisions tent, making sure everyone knew where they were going and had water in their system.

    Off in the center was the reason why it was named ¡°Primordial Plaza¡±: there was a monument to the most historically significant Slayer. They¡¯d immortalized his signature spear, [Leventis], in thick stone, capturing every detail from the ribbon-like tassels to the intricate engravings of a battle along the shaft. At the very top was the shiny spearhead.

    (For First Wave, [Leventis] was actually the location of a classic exam: the Leventis Climb. Slayers had to climb to the top of [Leventis] and descend as quickly and efficiently as possible.)

    Although exams hadn¡¯t begun yet, the Plaza was already populated and most of the applicants hadn¡¯t gotten past the gates yet. It took an army to keep First Wave operational and on-track to finish in five days.

    Let¡¯s hope they can handle the traffic. According to the news, there were a little over six thousand accepted applicants. However, since I was in the middle of the pack, it felt like ten thousand. We had swords of all nationalities and specialities here, dressed in their [Loadouts] with their gawky armor and robes and terrible fashion and outfits one step away from a public indecency charge. They brandished their sigs out in the open. I passed a dude with a massive sword on his back speaking with a girl with two familiars buzzing around her head. Some genius had a massive fucking spear that was twice the height of himself. Others came strapped with iron like this was a gun show.

    They passively listened to employees standing on soapboxes, giving directions through a megaphone. Above them, mounted TVs displayed the same info but in a dozen different languages.

    You had to admire the chaos of First Wave. You were surrounded by swords of various disciplines, personalities, and philosophies¡ªbut they all had the same pearly ambition: a ticket into the Big Four and an opportunity to make it big. Somewhere, my friends were in line as three nameless faces in the crowd.

    Meanwhile, I was at the guest line.

    ¡°Can I see your card, sir?¡± asked the attendant, and I gave my lanyard over. She scanned the barcode and it came back positive. ¡°Good! Here.¡±

    She gave me a small bag containing free merch and informational documents. ¡°You¡¯ll find a packet containing the schedule and locations of all exams over the next five days. If you have any questions, please approach an employee wearing a bright orange vest. You¡¯re free to leave and re-enter First Wave as many times as you want as long as you have your card.¡±

    I nodded. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°Have a good day!¡±

    I was let inside without any hiccups. First thing I did was to pull my phone out.

    <blockquote>

    Alexander

    Made it inside

    Victor Squared

    let¡¯s goooooooo

    Cultivator

    Wonderful, we¡¯re still in line.

    kansai

    i wanna die

    </blockquote>

    I checked the lines. Yeah, at this angle, they were impossibly long. I¡¯d tell the trio to keep their chin up, but I was feeling demoralized on their behalf.

    Eh, they¡¯ll live.

    According to the schedule, the first exams started in an hour. Tentatively. Given it was the first day, we could expect a delay of at least thirty minutes, probably more. That left me some time to roam around and use my tongue for something productive. Golden opportunity to do so, because all the important people would be waiting just like me.

    For now, let¡¯s just walk.

    I strolled through Primordial Plaza and rudely poked my head into everything. They¡¯d divided the Plaza into different sections to group similar exams. I was currently in the General Section, which tested broad ability and looked at the totality of your character. One example was the General Aptitude Examination, taking the form of an enclosed arena. I saw technicians making last minute adjustments to the barrier projectors.

    Going deeper into the Plaza, I entered other sections¡ªSurvival, Utility, Support¡ªand saw more of the same: workers making adjustments, proctors chatting it up, and me? I was wandering around like a kid who had lost his mom. I didn¡¯t know who to talk to; the recruiters didn¡¯t make their allegiance obvious.

    I explored and explored, even getting a light breakfast in.

    I checked my phone. It¡¯d been forty-five minutes and no business cards. Great¡ª

    ¡°Gomen-gomen-gomen-gomen¡ª!¡± From out of left-field, a high-speed chase was taking place. Several swords and security guards ran after an androgynous kid who looked no older than eighteen. From their voice, I think the little trespasser was a boy. He was Japanese, obviously, and was somehow more goofy than Kotone. Tears welled at the corner of his eyes, the wind flapped at his whitish-blue hair, and his cosmic-navy eyes danced all over the Plaza for an escape route.

    It was clear he didn¡¯t belong here. He wasn¡¯t a Slayer, at least I think so. His [Loadout] was a Demonic Cult t-shirt and jeans, not exactly abiding by the dress-code. He probably snuck in to meet his favorite idols.

    He had guts, I¡¯ll give him that¡­

    For a brief moment, by the smallest divisible fraction of a second, our eyes met. Whatever Shinto god or goddess compelled him, he decided to book it straight towards me.

    He immediately ran behind my back. (¡°What the hell¡ª?!¡±) ¡°I apologize, sir, but you seem like a man of righteous character¡ª!¡± (¡°In what way?!¡±) ¡°Please don¡¯t let me get caught¡ª!¡±

    ¡°Hey, hey, hey!¡± The first Slayer on-scene rolled in, boots skidding across the pavement. ¡°C¡¯mon, kid, you know you can¡¯t be here! Leave the poor guy be!¡±

    The kid hopped to look over my shoulder. ¡°I apologize for the chaos, but I absolutely have to stay! That¡¯s a hill I¡¯m willing to die on!¡±

    More reinforcements arrived. The Slayer resumed negotiations: ¡°Let¡¯s not get too hasty, okay? Look, if you want an autograph from Archknell or Seraph, we can¡ª!¡±

    ¡°No!¡± the kid exclaimed, still hopping over my shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m not here for an autograph! I¡¯m here for a meeting, for something much greater!¡±

    ¡°And what¡¯s that?¡±

    The kid inhaled and puffed his chest out. Stars sparkled inside his eyes like the multiverse itself was reflected. ¡°On my name, Amamizu Rei (ÓêË®ë‘), I have ventured all the way from the treacherous mountains of Japan to rescue Ordo from the throes of catastrophe!¡±

    We stared at him. Everyone here did. Silently. Judging.

    This kid watched too much anime.

    Amamizu Rei cluelessly looked at everyone. ¡°Hmm?¡±

    I picked him up by the collar like a momma cat with her kittens. ¡°Huh?¡±

    The kid got hoisted onto one of the sword¡¯s shoulders like a sack of potatoes. ¡°Ehh?!¡±

    Then, he was carried toward the gate. ¡°NOOOOOO! RESCUE ME, KIND SIR¡ª!¡±

    And he was gone.

    I think I got my unfortunate encounter out of the way. This would be a funny story to tell¡ª

    ¡°My oh my, I was wondering what caused the commotion but it seems I came much too late. How pitiful. I wanted an appetizer before the main course.¡± A five-foot, ashen-haired woman stood next to me with the smuggest smile on her face. ¡°Though, you¡¯ll perform nicely in that boy¡¯s stead, Alexander Shen.¡±

    Should I feel shock or disappointment that the Guild Master of Wisdom Guild knew my name? Meet Sophos, the Genius of Stars, who was the textbook definition of a haughty, full-of-herself mage. She earned that right. She was the mage of Ordo; No.3 in the [Fabel Rankings] in this region, only because Kosmos and Seraph took the next two spots. Otherwise, she¡¯d dominate. Don¡¯t let her youthful looks deceive you, though. She resembled a young woman in her mid-twenties but she was actually in her sixties thanks to some magic mumbo-jumbo.

    Just another achievement for the second-most talented magician to grace the Phenomena Society. From its founder, she learned his SSS-Rank [Skill], [Original Magic].

    To explain how rare an SSS-Rank [Skill] was¡­ You could win the lottery a hundred times in a row and those odds would still be better. Nobody knew the numbers, but estimates said that around a dozen had SSS-Rank [Skills]¡ªand that was out of ten billion in the world and counting. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    And one of the unlucky dozen was staring right at me. Or up at me considering her height.

    Sophos¡¯s smile lengthened considerably, and she adjusted her round-rimmed glasses. ¡°Why, cat got your tongue? I know I¡¯m quite mesmerizing in-person¡ªmore than that elf certainly¡ªbut don¡¯t stare at a woman for too long. I may be a genius, but even I get self-conscious when I¡¯m the eye-piece of a man.¡± She betrayed a slight blush.

    I cleared my throat and found a random direction to look at. She was old enough to be my mom. Grandmother, even. ¡°You heard about me from Silverhonor?¡±

    ¡°And Empress. Naturally, anyone who manages to irritate Silverhonor has their name passed around like a curse. To irritate her and the murim-in princess?¡± Sophos put a hand over her mouth and snickered at my expense. ¡°I almost can¡¯t believe it! For a man as ridiculously handsome as yourself, you have the conversational skills as an ape! A Neanderthal! A hopeless, scrambling rogue!¡±

    Sophos continued to laugh at me. I was getting bullied by a little girl. Yeah, that shock and disappointment went straight into irritation instead. If I could legally kick this little brat and get away with it, I would. For now, I had to endure it.

    My restraint was tested, though, as she pointed at my eyes. ¡°My, what terrifying eyes. Your silver gaze on mine, it looks like you want to beat me black-and-blue. I¡¯m afraid not, unless you want to be atomically obliterated. I am a True Mythos, after all, but you don¡¯t seem frightened by my presence.¡±

    I took my ¡°silver gaze¡± elsewhere. ¡°You already know who I am, you¡¯re insulting me, so I might as well drop the formalities and talk to you casually.¡±

    ¡°No, that fearlessness is the reason why you moved against Glory so brazenly.¡± Sophos stepped toward me, a mad glint of curiosity in her white eyes. ¡°You had your fair share of exceptional experiences, which is why you¡¯re talking to me as if we¡¯re acquaintances. How fascinating. If I could, I¡¯d bind your wrists and ankles to a table and dissect you personally.¡±

    I shimmied away from her.

    Sophos enjoyed another laugh. ¡°A harmless joke, obviously. I dissect only breachers, not humans. Color me interested nonetheless. You¡¯ve come here to network, haven¡¯t you?¡±

    Earning the attention of Sophos herself was, well, that came with a lot of implications. I gulped. ¡°How could you tell?¡±

    Sophos raised a couple fingers and rubbed the corner of her imaginary mustache. ¡°An easy deduction, Watson. You¡¯re in a precarious situation in terms of financial stability. Currently, you slave away as a part-time instructor at Ordo University. Despite your distaste of castles, you¡¯re here. Why? It¡¯s child¡¯s play.¡±

    She pressed a finger against my chest. ¡°You¡¯re killing your pride for a good salary.¡±

    That was probably the worst way she could have phrased it, but not like I did myself any favors. Silverhonor had spread that rumor around; or, it was as what Sophos said: an easy deduction. Anyone who loved castles wouldn¡¯t threaten Glory Guild. Hell, most sane people wouldn¡¯t do that regardless of opinion. Truth be told, my opinion about castles was more than a blanket hate-love, but this wasn¡¯t the time nor the place for semantics.

    Gently, I brushed her finger aside. ¡°And what does that mean for us¡ª? Eh?¡±

    Something changed after she touched me. All the arrogance inside her eyes were replaced¡ªI didn¡¯t know what or why¡ªand her pupils had been rendered into quivering pinpoints. When she noticed my change of expression, Sophos disengaged and had her back toward me.

    ¡°Sophos?¡± I asked. ¡°What¡¯s going on¡ª?¡±

    ¡°W-Whether or not I am interested, Wisdom will contact you,¡± she said with a slight tremble in her words. ¡°And don¡¯t worry about a business card or anything outdated such as that. I have my methods, mhm!¡±

    ¡°Okay¡­?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s all!¡± She waved faster than appropriate. ¡°Toodle-loo!¡±

    And there she went, leaving as fast as she arrived. That was¡­interesting to say the least. I¡¯d never seen Sophos look shaken before. What the hell did she see? Was it me or¡­? Ugh, there was no use thinking about it. Let¡¯s focus on the facts. I had her attention. Yeah, getting the Sophos interested in you was like finding a unicorn in the woods but that wasn¡¯t the point. If she knew about me, then everyone knew¡ªthe higher-circles, I mean. They had my name on a list. Of what? Blacklist, persons of interest, possible superstars? I didn¡¯t know, nor did I want to know.

    But the Big Four knew about me. Angels, Glory, Wisdom, and¡­ Martials.

    Martials Guild most likely knew my name. If Empress had shared the details about getting threatened with a pressure-point technique, then¡­

    Fuck, this wasn¡¯t good.

    Like I said, going to First Wave would either be the best or worst decision in my life. Jokes on me, that decision was made from the moment I met with Silverhonor and Empress. Talk about consequences.

    I got my phone out.

    <blockquote>

    Alexander

    Thea needs me for smth

    I have to bow out

    Victor Squared

    aw man

    you coming back later?

    Alexander

    Depends

    Cultivator

    If you need help, we¡¯re here.

    Alexander

    Nah, I think we¡¯ll be good but thx

    </blockquote>

    Let¡¯s get out of here.

    ***

    This was a mistake. I shouldn¡¯t have made contact¡ªno, what am I thinking? Not even Master could predict a situation like this. It was so profoundly absurd that you¡¯d be laughed out of the room for even considering such a thing! Yet for it to happen¡­!

    ¡°You scared him away.¡±

    ¡°Geh?!¡± Sophos jumped several meters in the air. She landed, cleared her throat, and stood professionally as any good Guild Master would. Speaking of terrifying men, here¡¯s one.

    The creepy man behind the corner remained unfazed by her circus act. These cultivators knew nothing of manners or basic decency, even for an urban prince like him. She would¡¯ve preferred the company of the ironically-honorable Demonic Cult than the ¡°sect¡± belonging to the Coward of Red Tears. Though, the Coward and his son were two very different men. In fact, they seemed related not at all.

    The only thing that proved their relations was their [Ancestral Qi], the famed [Skill] of the Jin Family.

    The cultivator stood face-to-face with her genius self. Yes, he was quite different from his father. If that old man was a decaying relic, then this boy was the crown prince in a historical C-drama. He had the posture, beauty, and dress of one, able to charm any fair maiden with a wink alone. Though, he was far from an ideal partner. While he possessed the required elegance, he had the lethality of a hand caressing the hilt of a sheathed blade. Each time he smiled, his lips would curl so slightly to barely reveal a thin white line of teeth¡ªand yet, his eyes would smile not at all.

    Sophos bit the inside of her cheek. He is the last man I want to have a conversation with. ¡°Vice Guild Master Jin Tianyou (½ðÌìÓÓ)¡ªugh, what a mouthful.¡± I meant to say that last part in my head, dammit!

    Jin Tianyou ignored her offense and continued, ¡°Guild Master Sophos. Forgive me for eavesdropping on your conversation.¡±

    Sophos turned her head and scoffed. ¡°I will not, unless you kowtow and lick the underside of my shoe. You ¡®orthodox¡¯ cultivators of the Heavenly Xia Court are often without tact and sophistication. Like father, like son, I suppose.¡±

    Her insults were pellets deflecting off of hard armor. His father would¡¯ve snapped back, yet all his son did was smile that meaningless smile.

    He held his hands behind his back as though he was addressing a retainer. ¡°I was merely curious about why you approached a ren. The Sophos I¡¯m familiar with, she pays no second thought to any¡­¡± He paused to think. ¡°Unqualified individuals. That man, Alexander Shen, must have something appealing. Other than his notorious wit as I heard.¡±

    Dammit. We brought Shen further troubles than we intended. More importantly, I¡¯m in trouble! Any conversation with Jin Tianyou was toxic. Toxic to her guild, and toxic to her sanity most of all.

    She said, ¡°It¡¯s quite frankly none of your concern, cultivator.¡±

    ¡°Is that so¡ª?¡±

    ¡°Shoo.¡± She motioned. ¡°Shoo, shoo. I¡¯m brushing you away like a stray cat. Come on, leave, little boy. Listen to your jiejie, she has better things to do.¡±

    Jin Tianyou stood next to her, yet he faced the vastness of Primordial Plaza, staring at the spot where the poor corpo had been standing minutes earlier. He maintained his perfect posture and expression like a doll. Yes, that was the best way to describe him. His entire existence, his reason for living, his character; it was just that: a doll.

    ¡°I believe Alexander Shen is my concern,¡± he said like he was talking about the weather. ¡°I¡¯ve watched him for not even five minutes, yet I could tell something festers inside him. A flame burns within his bosom, brighter and hotter than any aspirants outside these very gates. He¡¯s the most abnormal man in the entire Plaza¡ªno, in the entire city.¡±

    That¡­ That very well may be true, which is more of a reason why you should never meet him. Shen left exactly at the right time. I¡¯m not sure if I could pull Jin Tianyou away once his mind is set on something. Sophos clicked her tongue. ¡°Well, that¡¯s quite a high praise from you, but I very well have to be going.¡±

    She started walking and expected a polite farewell from Junjie¡¯s boy. He said nothing. He didn¡¯t move from his place. Jin Tianyou kept staring at where Shen had been as if he would come walking back.

    For a corpo who strayed from castles, Alexander Shen gained the attention of the Big Four in a single month through no fault of his own.

    Sophos fled and found a quiet corner in the Plaza where she wouldn¡¯t be disturbed. She snapped her fingers and formed a small isolation bubble around her. A powerful kind, one that would stop nearly all attempts of penetration from outside actors. Whatever she said here would be secure despite being in public.

    [CALLING: Rector]

    He immediately answered, ¡°Sophos. Have you made contact with Shen?¡±

    ¡°That¡­¡± Sophos gulped, shakily taking off her glasses to clean them using her shirt. She applied enough pressure that they could break.

    Rector moved closer to the call-screen. ¡°Sophos?¡±

    ¡°I-I had to remove myself from the conversation for my own safety,¡± she spat, sounding harsher than she intended. ¡°Thinking about it now, when Empress had been caught by that devil, she was lucky to escape with her life.¡±

    ¡°What¡ª? You¡¯re not making sense. Shen is a ren. What could¡¯ve prompted this reaction¡ª?¡±

    ¡°I used my appraisal [Skill] on him,¡± Sophos answered shortly. ¡°Rector, we have to re-evaluate everything we know. Because that man¡­ That man has an SSS-Rank [Skill] and an undeveloped SS-Rank.¡±

    He was dead silent.

    Sophos continued, ¡°We cannot let this information spread; for now, we¡¯ll keep this intel between us and restart our observations. Expand them, even. Everything and everyone connected to Alexander Shen, not a morsel wasted.¡±

 [FOR PEACE] Chapter 8 - Turning Point

    Thanks to my paranoia and the advice of Thea and Uncle. I decided to abandon First Wave altogether. I literally spent less than three hours there, most of it transit and waiting in line, only to leave right away. Hilarious. Still, it was the correct choice as it was too risky to stay longer. The Big Four knew who I was, and Martials Guild most likely had my name on file.

    I stirred too much trouble in the past month. For the rest of the year, it was best to lay low and let the attention fade before I made any big moves. That meant I shouldn¡¯t take Jeon¡¯s offer, because I¡¯d be in constant contact with influential swords. Nor should I join a corp¡ªas if I could get a job given my status as a whistleblower¡ªbecause my hero complex. Really, I needed a job that was calm, lowkey, and hopefully didn¡¯t pay me pennies.

    Also needed to find a pig with wings while I¡¯m at it.

    Jokes aside, my career was a problem for another time, probably after our vacation to Korea. If worse came to worst¡­ We¡¯d move, but I didn¡¯t want that. I actually liked Ordo despite everything. This crummy city felt like home.

    Plus, I made friends. Damn shame I couldn¡¯t cheer them on during their exams. I¡¯d told them that the ruckus during System Articles had blacklisted me from the industry; it was a half-lie, but they didn¡¯t question things as they had First Wave to focus on.

    They did send me countless videos and photos throughout the event: Chunhua standing on top of [Leventis], Kotone with blood pouring down her nose, Vic laying on the ground pale as a ghost. They¡¯d been enthusiastic in the first couple days, but they soon crashed as the days passed. Just waking up in the morning was an exam in itself. That was the hidden test I reckoned: endurance, seeing how well you performed while under constant strain and pressure to succeed.

    They survived. I knew they would.

    ¡°I¡¯m done! I don¡¯t wanna be a Slayer anymore!¡± Kotone whined, slamming her beer-glass onto the table. Her cheeks were flushed pink; she was tipsy despite how she looked. Trust me, we all knew what Kotone looked like while drunk.

    Beside me, Vic had his head down. Occasionally, he plucked a fry from his plate and popped it in his mouth. ¡°I¡¯m achin¡¯ all over¡­¡±

    Even Chunhua, a cultivator, was slumped. ¡°It¡­ It seems I underestimated the domestics¡­ I haven¡¯t felt this exhausted in years¡­¡±

    Meanwhile, I was casually munching on nachos. ¡°We could¡¯ve gone to my place and crashed there, but no, someone insisted on going out. Look at you idiots. I¡¯m not carrying your asses to the metro.¡±

    Vic tiredly glared at me; what was he going to do? Punch me? He said, ¡°Big words from a guy who didn¡¯t even go to First Wave. I can¡¯t believe the Big Four actually blacklisted you.¡±

    I shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m not surprised. I didn¡¯t do myself any favors, so I have no right to complain. Neither do you. You brought this on yourself¡ª¡±

    A fry bounced off my face.

    Kotone laughed at my pain. ¡°You deserve that, jerk!¡±

    Chunhua put a hand on her shoulder. Her grip remained strong judging from how Kotone tensed. ¡°Easy now, let¡¯s not unload on Alex. He didn¡¯t do anything this time.¡± (¡°¡®This time¡¯?¡±) ¡°Since he complained about going out, perhaps he¡¯ll be interested in celebrating our entry into the Big Four at his place?"

    ¡°Don¡¯t get too cocky.¡± I sipped my beer. ¡°Results don¡¯t come out until next week, and you have the actual try-outs. Knowing Martials and Angels? Phew, good luck with that¡ª¡°

    Someone kicked me under the table.

    For the rest of the night, it was like that. Usually, whenever I make fun of them, they¡¯d snap back with their own ¡°witty¡± response and we would argue from there. Tonight? Nah, they were too exhausted to flap their tongue. Instead, they assaulted me like throwing food, kicking me under the table, or flicking my shoulder.

    I was rooting for them, though. They¡¯d get an offer from at least one of the Big Four. After that, who knows?

    We stumbled out of the bar, shoulder-to-shoulder, until we reached the midnight subway. They got off on the first station to Ordo University, leaving me mostly alone in a train-car with a couple other people. We minded our own business.

    I scrolled on my phone.

    <blockquote>

    @slayerVS

    Since the First Wave is going on, I decided to give this week¡¯s matchup an Ordo theme!

    No.13 Slayer of Ordo, Saga, Head Officer of Martials Guild, Blackviper

    VS

    No.12 Slayer of Ordo, Saga, Head Officer of Glory Guild, Silverhonor

    @cassiequeen

    ok they could fight but they could also marry me!!! i have two hands for a reason!

    @phenomena_society

    Attached was a picture of Sephirah Hamidi and her team standing inside a laboratory.

    Sephirah Hamidi and her team are making great progress for humanity¡¯s next venture! We have harnessed the power of safely redirecting portals, soon we will be able to open portals ourselves and travel the multiverse!

    @jianghu_info

    The leader of the Mountain Fist Sect has reportedly been assassinated according to members from within the sect. Many speculate that the Demonic Cult is involved due to the sect¡¯s open hostility and direct action against the Cult¡¯s influence.

    @YolandaN

    After being convicted in his involvement with Sanctuary Traders, Ambush of Oasis Guild has taken to social media to lambaste the decision in a drunken tirade. He comments on the lead prosecutor, referring to her as ¡°an overweight wh*re¡± and other similar remarks during his livestream.

    @javidriver

    nah bro wtf are these ticket prices i just wanna see a robot play the cello. fuck scrapers man imma hunt em down

    @gemmielove

    ngl i really hate lee yoonho like STAY AWAY?!?!! junhyeok DOESN¡¯T LIKE YOU like you¡¯re the reason why we need need *need* to eat the rich. like god i¡¯m sick and tired of this community glamorizing chaebols, yall really need to educate yourselves and be serious abt fighting capitalism

    </blockquote>

    I felt like my brain was rotting for every post I read. What else could I do, though? The ride back home was going to take a while¡ª

    My phone violently buzzed like I was holding onto a bee-hive. Strange, I didn¡¯t recognize the sensation. It wasn¡¯t a text or a phone-call nor an ordinary notification. I checked the screen¡ª

    <blockquote>

    EmergencySOS

    ALTHEA SHEN has activated an SOS.

    </blockquote>

    My phone buzzed again.

    <blockquote>

    EmergencySOS

    ALERT: ALTHEA SHEN¡¯s mobile device has been deactivated.

    </blockquote>

    I was on auto-pilot. Before I knew it, I was staring down her last known location: between Rook and Fielding Street. Rook and Fielding. Where was that? I heard of them before but where¡ª? Right, I remember now. First Wave, or more accurately Primordial Plaza. The corner was along the way, at least where I traveled from.

    Speakers buzzed. The conductor¡¯s words went through one ear and out the other, but within the minute, the train crawled to a screeching halt. We stopped, the doors creaked open like old gears churning, and I faced a sign. Crusader Avenue. It wasn¡¯t the nearest station to Primordial Plaza but close. It was close enough.

    Now I had to find Althea. Find her last location. Figure out what happened. And¡­

    And¡­

    ¡°Oh God.¡±

    I sprinted out of the metro.

    ***

    She wasn¡¯t at Rook and Fielding. All I found was her phone laying underneath a bench, the screen shattered and the internal wiring exposed like bone underneath flesh. The pink case was peeled off, and her various adorned stickers were scratched into whites. It was like I was holding onto her severed finger.

    I didn¡¯t know how long I was holding onto her phone, but suddenly, I was bothering every person on the street. Over and over, I asked about a black-haired girl with silver eyes, about any strange shit, about fucking anything that could lead me somewhere. Anywhere. All I received were non-answers, hollow good-lucks, or apathetic clues.

    Why was she here, anyway¡ª? Right, fuck, she was hanging out with friends. She must¡¯ve been coming back home until¡­

    My heart felt like it was going to give out. I¡¯d ran for so long just to get here¡ªspoke a million words just to get nothing in return¡ªonly to just hold her fucking phone in my hand and all this city could do was honk their fucking horns.

    ¡°Hey!¡± A guy stopped me in the middle of the sidewalk. ¡°You¡¯re lookin¡¯ for someone, right¡ª?¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± I gasped, feeling fire running up my esophagus. ¡°What the hell do you know?!¡±

    The man held his hands up. ¡°Easy, chill. We were talking ¡®bout it earlier, but uh, we think we saw Firebrand chasing after something. Toward the Plaza. Y¡¯know, First Wave.¡±Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    ¡°Firebrand? Why the fuck¡ª?¡± I slapped my forehead. Stupid question, there wasn¡¯t any time for stupid questions. ¡°What was he running after?¡±

    The guy shrugged. ¡°Dunno, don¡¯t ask me. I¡¯d try askin¡¯ security at First Wave if they saw anything.¡±

    A lead. A pretty pisspoor lead, but it was a lead. It was hope. My legs were reinvigorated. Without thanking him, I went for another marathon¡ªthis time, Primordial Plaza. I recognized the route, I saw [Leventis] lit up like a Christmas tree. I¡¯d walked the same path on the first day of First Wave. Tonight, there were a lot less people and virtually no blockades.

    What the fuck was going on? Why was Firebrand in the area? What did he have to do with anything¡ª? No, think, go over the details. Firebrand was another superstar in Angels Guild. He wasn¡¯t the heir of a sect, but he had a flashy skillset, a ¡°rebellious personality,¡± constant PR nightmares, and a flattering face.

    More importantly, Firebrand was personally recruited by Seraph and Rector when he was fourteen.

    Him and Celestial Empress were on the same team.

    Was this about my run-in with Empress? Fuck. Either way, if I found one of them, there was a good chance at finding Thea too. And¡­

    From tonight onward, we¡¯d be entangled with Angels Guild. Of course. It was always us.

    I ran to the front-gates sweaty and burning. All the lights were on. Right, First Wave was over as of this evening, so they should be packing everything up. Yet no one was here. Nobody. I didn¡¯t hear demolition. No power tools, no voices, just the mechanical buzz of generators keeping the lights on. There didn¡¯t seem to be anyone manning the security booths or patrolling the perimeter. It was like a ghost town¡ªno, it was a ghost town¡ªabandoned by the Big Four for no real reason.

    I banged my fist against the iron bars. ¡°HEY!¡± I shouted as loud as I could. ¡°Anyone here?! HEY!¡± Even with making a racket, only dust investigated. Looking through the bars, I saw wilted cameras. They¡¯d been deactivated.

    What the fuck¡­?

    ¡°Dammit, fuck!¡± I punched the gate out of frustration, dull pain ringing through my arms.

    Think! First Wave shouldn¡¯t look like this. There should be an army of workers tearing this place down. Firebrand was seen in the area, Empress was surely involved, my sister was missing, what did this mean?

    Putting the pieces together, it was simple.

    Angels Guild had ordered every worker to evacuate Primordial Plaza; they had the power to do so. Why? I doubt they wanted this place empty just for us, but we were most likely connected to the true cause. As if I give a fuck.

    I wanted nothing to do with it.

    Either way, my answer might be in here.

    I climbed the gate and landed safely on the other side.

    ¡°Anyone alive?!¡± I yelled into the Plaza, looking high and low for any sign of life. For good measure, I found random sheet metal lying around and kicked it, making some noise.

    ¡°Get out of here!¡± a woman¡¯s voice startled me. From a rooftop, she descended about six meters ahead of me. A Slayer, evident by her outfit. It was eye-catching, but something you wouldn¡¯t wear in public. It was inspired by the Jianghu but took some creative liberties, like her leggings and whatever her ¡°cultivator robes¡± were. They¡¯d been bastardized: sleeveless, asymmetrical, only went halfway down her thighs. Ivory and azure and demonic red were fighting for dominance.

    Her [Loadout] was hideous but recognizable.

    Celestial Empress stood before me, and when she finally got a good look at the trespasser, her next words were trapped in her throat. She gasped. ¡°Shen?! How are you¡ªwhy are you here¡ª?!¡±

    ¡°Where the fuck is my sister?¡± I calmly asked, as calmly as I possibly could be. ¡°Why is Firebrand chasing after her?¡±

    ¡°How do you¡ª?!¡± Empress shook her head and braved a few steps toward me. ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter¡ª¡±

    ¡°I think it very well fucking matters,¡± I snarled, stopping her from coming any closer. ¡°You sent all the workers away, you sent Firebrand after Althea for no damn reason¡ª¡± (¡°Shen, listen to me!¡±) ¡°¡ªshut the hell up!¡±

    Empress shrunk as I raised my voice. Her hand instinctively went toward her waist, clenching as though feeling for a hilt. ¡°Dammit, Shen, listen to me! You and your sister are in extreme danger¡ª!¡±

    ¡°Danger from fucking what¡ª?!¡±

    ¡°Let me finish my fucking sentence!¡± Empress roared over my protests. ¡°Get it through your thick fucking skull, you aren¡¯t safe here! Okay?! Your life is in danger, your sister¡¯s life is in danger, that¡¯s why we sent Firebrand to escort her! We want to protect you, not perform whatever conspiracy you cooked up inside your head!¡±

    Shut up, I don¡¯t care what excuses you give. I¡¯ve stopped caring. I had enough. You and I both know that you can¡¯t walk away from an incident like this as though it never happened. Chasing after my sister, saying we were supposedly ¡°in danger,¡± even if that was the case¡­ It meant I was right: you¡¯d involved us into something massive.

    Once again, our lives were taking a detour all because someone reached through the window and turned the wheel themselves. We now carried Angels Guild¡¯s burdens, their skeletons, their politics, their secrets.

    This was a bitter reminder of reality: our lives were never ours to begin with. No matter how much we claw towards our mundane ambitions¡ªhow much I struggled¡ªeverything could easily be taken away by one wrong person at the wrong place and at the wrong time.

    They take and take and take, ripping pieces of our lives like vultures picking at a carcass. By the time the feast was done, we were left to reassemble the scraps and make something new out of ourselves. Then, it happened again, and again, and again. We rebuilt ourselves only to get torn down. More vultures tear at us, and all we could do was hopelessly swat them away before they took our arms. We¡¯d be left as helpless husks with no tongue to speak with, and we could only watch with our wide eyes and turn inside our heads about where it all went wrong.

    The truth was, no matter how much we assign blame or reason, it wasn¡¯t our fault. That¡¯s how the world worked. Things happened: to you, despite you, always you.

    The peace we¡¯d built was gone just like that. All because of Angels. All because of me. And tonight, the cycle started anew.

    I¡¯m sick and tired of it. Of everything.

    All I wanted was¡­ What I want is¡­

    I took out Althea¡¯s phone from my pocket, seeing my black and broken reflection in the shattered screen. I flipped it around and rubbed my thumb over the scratched stickers of animes and webtoons and whatever geeky stuff she liked consuming.

    Empress breathed to recollect herself. ¡°Shen¡ª¡±

    I dropped the phone. It bounced off the side of my shoe and clattered flatly on the ground.

    ¡°Shen¡­¡± A hand was on my shoulder. I was looking at Empress¡¯s shoes. ¡°Please, I¡¯ll call some friends and take you to somewhere secure. All we want is for you and your sister to be safe, okay? C¡¯mon, lift your head up. Tell me that you understand.¡±

    ¡°...Yeah,¡± I said as dead as winter. I moved my lips close to her ear. ¡°I understand everything, Empress.¡±

    Empress was about to speak but then sharply gasped.

    ¡°But I just don¡¯t believe you.¡±

    [Skill Error: Anti-Slayer Technique - Flow Reversal]

    It was just a single impact. From an outside perspective, it looked like a damn good punch but there was more to it. Flow Reversal was a step horizontal to Sixteen-Point, where you instead disrupted your opponent¡¯s internal mana flow and forced it to react against itself. The impact produced a violent reaction akin to an explosion. Afterwards, the mana flow would be obstructed for a while. The technique, though, was most effective when used against powerful swords.

    The heiress of the Ryu Family definitely was one of them.

    Empress was launched off her feet and got sent flying into a steel wall. She crunched into the metal and put a bitch-sized dent in it.

    [Threat to life detected]

    [Threat to loved one detected]

    [Temporary Registration available]

    ¡°Slayer System,¡± I muttered, ¡°activate [Temporary Registration].¡±

    Pain. It felt like someone was shoving heated rods down my veins. I collapsed on all-fours, biting my lip so much that blood poured down my chin. It was the one thing that stopped me from straining my vocal-cords and rendering me mute. The pain centralized into my sternum, focusing there for an eternally long few seconds. Then, it was sent directly into my brain.

    I couldn¡¯t stop myself from screaming that time. I went limp, forehead cracking against the pavement, the hard surface muffling me. It was like someone was pushing against my skull from the inside-out. My eyes wanted to pop free, my teeth grinded together into dust, and my ear-drums begged to claw through my ear-canals to escape.

    I went deaf, and the world went blindingly white.

    And all of the sudden, everything stopped. The pain and pressure were gone, leaving only an intense warmth coursing through my blood. It was like I¡¯d been soaking in a hot-tub.

    In front of me was a familiar blue screen.

    [Welcome back, Alexander Shen. As a Temporary Slayer, you have limited access to the System¡¯s functions but you are able to use Skills like a normal Slayer. You will lose access once the danger is neutralized.]

    [Please check your Slayer Profile before entering combat]

    ***

    [SLAYER SYSTEM PROFILE]

    Name: Alexander Shen

    Slayer Rank: E-Rank Temporary Slayer

    Skills: 4/3

    Memento Recollection

    Rank SSS

    Type: Item Accumulation

    Description: You possess the special power to materialize your interpersonal relationships as physical items. These items are called [Mementos], created when you have established a significant bond with an individual (the holder). Each [Memento] is ranked from F (weakest) to SSS (strongest) depending on the relationship.

    The rank is dynamic. If the holder is deceased, the [Memento] will remain but its rank cannot be changed. There is no limit to how many [Mementos] you are able to acquire. You can receive a personal description of each [Memento] upon selecting it. You cannot use duplicate [Mementos] simultaneously unless explicitly stated.

    This is an [Awakened Skill] and is thus always active without taking up a [Skill Slot].

    Certain Shot

    Rank A

    Type: Concept Application

    Description: Apply the Certainty Principle to any launched projectiles. They will hit their determined target in a theoretical reality, however still obeying natural law and logic in the real world.

    Forged Skin

    Rank A

    Type: Body Enhancement

    Description: Through brutal conditioning conducted by your uncle, your skin has become harder than steel and resist damages of almost every type.

    Mana Impact

    Rank C

    Type: Internal Energy Manipulation

    Description: Condense mana in a determined point inside your body and release it upon impact. You are able to control the quantity of mana condensed. Higher concentration will produce a more powerful result.

    Acquired Skills

    Home Cook

    Rank B

    Type: Cognitive Enhancement

    Description: You are able to remember all recipes you have cooked previously down to the individual ingredients and measurements required.

    Intimidating Presence

    Rank C+

    Type: Presence Enhancement

    Description: Apply mild intimidation to any weak-willed individuals around you. You are able to toggle this [Skill] on and off at will.

    Algebraic Mind

    Rank C

    Type: Cognitive Enhancement

    Description: You can mentally perform difficult algebra without the use of a calculator.

    Note Transfer

    Rank C

    Type: Reality-System

    Description: You are able to transfer all contents from your [Notes] into physical documents or electronic files and vice-versa.

    Undeveloped Skills

    Anti-Slayer Technique

    Rank SS

    Type: Nested, Pressure Point Techniques

    Linked Skills: Sixteen-Point Obliteration [SS], Sixteen-Point Incapacitation [SS] [?], Momentum Kill [S], Flow Reversal [S] [?], Phenomena Negative [S]

    Description: Created by Alistair Romanos, your uncle, these techniques were specifically designed for a single purpose: to eliminate Slayers as a regular, Systemless human. Today, the Anti-Slayer Techniques are said to be the greatest and most coveted countermeasure against Slayers.

    Acquisition Requirement: You must attain adequate mastery over all five linked [Skills]. Current progress: [2/5].

    Mementos

    Chain Gauntlets

    Rank A+

    Holder: Bastien Romanos (deceased)

    Memento Type: Gauntlet

    Description: The [Memento] of your father, taking the form of tightly-wound chains. His wisdom and teachings are crystalized within these hands. Above all, they contain his sins, his regrets, and his responsibility. Much like how your own hands have scars.

    Special Effect: You may unravel the [Gauntlets] into long chain-lengths.

    Yuzhou

    Rank A+

    Holder: Shen Xingyu (deceased)

    Memento Type: Armor

    Description: The [Memento] of your mother, taking the form of full-body armor. This [Armor] is protection. Warmth. Security. It will protect you from the outside world and endure as a constant reminder of her bright spirit. Always look towards the light, she says, and remember who made you smile.

    Special Effect: When paired with [Chain Gauntlets], [Technique Daggers], or [Nightingale Watch], increase the rank of this [Memento] to S.

    Technique Daggers

    Rank A

    Holder: Althea Shen

    Memento Type: Dagger

    Description: The [Memento] of your younger sister, taking the form of silversteel daggers. You¡¯ve been through everything together, from the moment you held her tiny hand to today. Even if the world is falling down, you would crawl through Hell for her.

    Special Effect: When using [Technique Daggers], you may summon additional [Daggers] up to the number of [Techniques] in your sister¡¯s possession. The maximum is currently 4.

    Nightingale Watch

    Rank A

    Holder: Alistair Romanos

    Memento Type: Magick Firearms

    Description: The [Memento] of your uncle, taking the form of matte-black magick firearms modeled after their real-life counterparts. He imparted you with many things: his infamous Anti-Slayer Techniques, his combat experience, and his philosophy. Violence can only be subjugated through extreme violence. That¡¯s the way of the horrible world for people like us.

    Special Effect: This [Memento] takes the form of individual firearms: [Nightingale Pistol], [Nightingale Rifle], and [Nightingale Shotgun].

 [FOR PEACE] Chapter 9 - To Us, Always Us

    ¡°Empress?! Empress, you suddenly went quiet! Did you encounter the Alt already¡ª?!¡±

    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± S-Sorry, sweetheart. Leona took a trembling hand to turn off her comms. As much as she adored Chie¡¯s encouragement, she couldn¡¯t afford any distractions. Not now. Not when she was facing a threat just as problematic as the Alternates.

    She peeled off the steel wall, head ringing. Dinner was boiling inside her stomach, threatening to spew all over the pavement and asphalt. Her internal qi was out of whack. It was like ants were swimming up and down her bloodstreams, getting jammed and causing a long line of traffic. Her whole body was numb. She could barely move her arms and legs.

    What¡­? Leo violently coughed, hot spit dripping down her lips. What did he do to me¡­?

    It¡¯d happened so fast. His hand had been pressed against her sternum then¡­ No, that hadn¡¯t been a bluff? Back then, when they¡¯d first met, he had threatened her with a pressure-point technique. That had to be a bluff¡ªbecause pressure-point techniques weren¡¯t as universal as seen in movies or comics¡ªbut to think he actually had a technique up his sleeve¡­

    It was already established that Shen wasn¡¯t a normal person, but to be in possession of a technique like that was absurd.

    ¡°D-Dammit, what the hell is going on¡­?¡± Leo coughed again, crawling to a nearby bench to hoist herself up. Slowly, painfully. Her legs were jelly, and her arms couldn¡¯t lift a feather without shaking.

    In front of her, Shen was standing up¡ªwhen did he collapse?¡ªand immediately, alarms banged inside her head. She sensed something from him. Killing intent, anger; those things were there, obviously, but this was tangible like a familiar flavor on your tongue. Mana. There was a presence of mana inside him.

    He had [Temporary Registered].

    This psycho is actually trying to kill me?! ¡°Shen¡ª!¡±

    Shen turned his shoulder and stared at her cold. His eyes were dim and black.

    [Skill Activation]

    Something unimaginable happened.

    [Memento Recollection - Yuzhou, Chain Gauntlets]

    Armor formed around his body like a second skin. Sleek but thick, covering every single inch and leaving nothing exposed. It was black and silver from head-to-toe, designed for combat performance: smooth surfaces, sharp ridges, fitted and articulate. It resembled a personnel mecha that Hinode (ÈÕ³ö) would manufacture or the Counterforce¡¯s Degenbrechers, but this was merely a shell. An elegant, fearsome shell that had a roguish and arguably more fearsome pilot. And around his forearms were thick industrial-gray gauntlets resembling tightly wrapped chains.

    Leo looked on, unsure if the feeling in her heart was awe, shock, fear, or simply dread. This couldn¡¯t be his [Loadout]¡ªTemporary Slayers didn¡¯t have access to that feature¡ªso this was¡­ This was a [Skill]? What kind of [Skill] allowed him to¡ª?!

    His [Gauntlets] unfurled, and the tightly-wrapped chains loosened and dropped to the ground in a pile.

    In one mighty heft, the chains came down on Leo.

    The attack was a shot of adrenaline to her blood, bringing meager clarity to her limbs. She rolled away a moment before the chains whalloped, crunched through the bench she¡¯d been leaning on, bent the metal and shattered the wood, and gored the concrete underneath.

    ¡°What the fuck are you doing?!¡± Leo found herself yelling. ¡°We¡¯re on the same side!¡±

    ¡°As fucking if!¡± He whipped again. The chains were blocked by a conveniently-placed streetlamp and got wrapped around the pole. The fucking psycho hissed through the narrow slits of his helmet, and through sheer strength alone, yanked the streetlamp off its base. The bulb crashed and died on impact, bringing a little bit of darkness to this area.

    Dammit, I can¡¯t reason with this psychopath! I have to incap him the hard way! Then, Leo looked down at her wobbling legs and her trembling arms. She wanted to cry. Never mind, I can¡¯t incap him right now!

    Leo scrambled and ran as fast as her crappy legs could take her. Every step was agony as though fleeing with pins-and-needles. [Heavenly Cloud Step], her qinggong, was ineffective because movement-type [Skills] needed legs and she didn¡¯t have any at the moment. Trying to engage in close combat was out of the question, as her arms couldn¡¯t hold [Twin Heavens] properly. She needed to recover but that required time, time that was running scarce¡ª

    [Skill Activation: Mana Impact]

    Something exploded behind her. A black-and-silver blur entered her right peripheral. Shen bounced off a nearby wall, fast and deadly like a leopard, and pounced.

    Leo leapt forward¡ªimpact! Concrete flew and pelted her legs in a spew of pebbles. She climbed to her feet. She¡¯d seen her fair share of terrifying Slayers over her short career, but watching an armored dick yank his arm from a small crater he made, that was a kick to morale¡ª

    She faced five ugly knuckles. By sheer instinct, Leo bent backwards far enough that his arm flew over her. Thank goodness for her flexibility. She stumbled, off-balanced, and a leg smacked her behind the thigh. This time, she was on the ground for real.

    Shen eclipsed her, and without hesitation, drove a fist downward onto her soft skull.

    Leo pulled her head away in time and avoided painting Primordial Plaza pink and red with her brain-matter. Her tiny arms latched onto Shen¡¯s, holding his fist in-place. This would be a good time to wrestle and try to gain the upper-hand, if her legs worked.

    Back-up plan!

    [Skill Activation: First Azure - Swordless Ethercross]

    With a free hand, she swiped across Shen¡¯s hideous helmet to reveal his snarling face underneath. Unfortunately, that didn¡¯t happen. Instead of cracking his helmet open like a walnut, there was only the smallest scratch on the surface.

    He huffed.

    Leo nervously laughed. I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m gonna die to this prick.

    A second later, her limp body was kicked into an information booth. She bounced off the metal wall and fell face-first onto the cold floor, groaning, her entire body aching like a long day after Auntie¡¯s training. Her hand reached up and patted for the counter¡ª

    [Memento Arsenal - Nightingale Rifle]

    Until a fucking spell-bullet nearly tore her fingers off. Leo let out an uncharacteristically frightened yelp and pulled back. Spells riddled the booth with foul, acidic-smelling holes. If the builders hadn¡¯t used mana-resistant materials during construction, Leo might actually be dead.

    She sat against the counter as spells whizzed over her head. First, [Armor]; next, [Gauntlets]; now, a [Magick Rifle]?! Where is he pulling these weapons from?!

    Questioning a mystery was a futile effort. She clasped her hands and brought them to her belly. She concentrated, pushing extraneous sensations aside. The gunfire, the smell of acid, the torn air¡ªall removed. The panic blaring inside her head was pacified into a gentle wave. Her mind was taken from the external world and was brought into the internal realm.

    Shen really had done a number on her qi. She¡¯d never seen a pressure-point technique produce these effects before, but they were recoverable. Because the strike had completely shifted her system, it caused partial blockages and uneven flow throughout her body. Temporary problems, yes, but fatal in battle. To begin, she had to solve the issue step-by-step.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    First, she manually took over her qi flow¡ªa hard impact thumped against her back, ignore it¡ªand mapped her pathways. She rebalanced her body, pushing and pulling qi out as necessary¡ªa spell ricocheted off the counter, don¡¯t worry about it. Her body, although still numb, felt better already. The blockages were next. She undid them, one-by-one, while forcing her qi to flow correctly¡ª

    The gunfire stopped.

    Leo exhaled and released her hands, and she listened for life.

    [Signature Trigger: Twin Heaven - Father]

    Shen reached over the counter. A gorgeous, masterfully-crafted blade fanned free and kissed his helmet in a satisfying clang of metal; if he wasn¡¯t wearing protection, half his face would be hanging off. Instead, he was unharmed. Cursing and backing away, mind you, but unharmed.

    Leo flipped over the counter and powerfully drove a kick into his hard chest, yet he caught her leg and tossed her like a shot-put. She recovered in the air, spinning like a beautiful ballerina, and landed solidly on two balanced feet. Her system wasn¡¯t completely repaired, but hopefully it could figure itself out.

    ¡°Shen, that¡¯s enough playing around! I don¡¯t want to hurt you!¡± she commanded, whipping her signature around. A single sword had to do, for his safety and her own. No doubt he could capitalize on¡ª

    He blasted off his feet.

    Fireworks of steel against steel crackled across the plaza. Shen rabidly wailed onto Leo. There was no sense of rhythm or strategy in his attacks. He fought purely from his angry, miserable heart. It was a far-cry to the man she¡¯d first met: a surprisingly cunning corpo whose confidence was borderline magical. His life was seemingly in order. He knew what he wanted, why he wanted it, and how to get it.

    Now, look at the silver-eyed demon. He was an animal. A monster. Instead of finding his sister, he lashed out at the one person who was trying to help him. Why? What set him off? Was it his endless paranoia? His grudge against castles? No, it couldn¡¯t be right. As much as Leo thought it¡¯d be easier to cross Shen off as yet another psychopathic punk, it didn¡¯t feel right.

    Not with a man like him. There had to be more to the story.

    Leo braced as Shen forced his armored forearm against [Father]; he growled and panted and snarled through gritted teeth. Through the silts of his helmet, his silver eyes seemingly vibrated, wide and desperate.

    ¡°Shen!¡± she yelled. ¡°Let me help you¡ª!¡±

    ¡°¡®Help¡¯?!¡± He pushed and ignored the sharp edge eating into his [Armor]. ¡°Help?! I don¡¯t want your fucking help! What I want¡­! What I want is for you to leave us the fuck alone!¡±

    Shen mightily struck with his other hand and clanged against steel again, forcing Leo a few meters back.

    Dammit, just help me understand¡ª! Leo¡¯s breath hitched.

    He created a new weapon: a [Magick Pistol].

    Spell-bullets flew, but this time she was ready. Effortlessly, they bounced off her blade and cracked against the ground, the walls, and even a few lights.

    Out of frustration, he threw his [Pistol]. She clattered it away¡ª

    Ugly five knuckles were staring at her again. They kissed her blade. The vibrations rattled her sensitive arms, but she kept strong and pushed against the armored asshole. ¡°Shen, listen to me, we want the best for you¡ª!¡±

    ¡°Bullshit!¡± he roared and pulled away.

    Leo raised her guard, believing another punch was coming, but what flashed across her vision wasn¡¯t knuckles. It was the glimmering edge of a silver [Dagger] that had nearly cut her cheek open. His hands moved fast¡ªtoo fast for an ordinary corpo¡ªand brought Leo on the backfoot, forcing her to block and deflect and parry.

    The [Dagger] peeled down but got caught by [Father¡¯s] edge. Leo reinforced the clinch, and they were locked together once more. Shen slammed his other hand into the back of the dagger, to force the edge down, but the hold refused to break. He did it again, failed, and again, failed, and frustration roared out of his mouth in a steaming breath.

    ¡°We never¡­! We never asked for this! Why us?! Why is it always FUCKING us?! Why do you fucking people keep targeting and dragging us into your endless bullshit¡ª?!¡±

    Momentarily, his strength slacked.

    Leo pushed him off and a deep, azure gash was slapped across his helmet.

    It cracked down the middle, wide enough to reveal a single silver eye.

    Shen gasped and stumbled back. He dropped the [Dagger] and clawed at his helmet as though searching for a wound. ¡°Haha, fuck¡­¡± He found the crack, and after some amount of struggle, ripped his helmet open. The two halves fell to the ground and exposed his ugliness to the open air. ¡°FUCK!¡±

    His armored fingers ran through his sweaty hair, then they rubbed all over his face as if trying to remove a mask.

    Leo lowered [Father] slightly. ¡°Shen¡­?¡±

    ¡°Why¡­?¡± He looked at her, and the anger in his eyes had vanished. ¡°Why won¡¯t you leave us alone? Why does it always have to be us?¡±

    As horrible as this sounds, hearing his despondency was a great feeling. It took one good hit for him to wake up from his trance, but seeing Shen like this was hardly any better. First, there was the confident corpo; next, she met the psychopath who had better weapon skills than most swords; and finally, there was the worn, tired, and scared man.

    Leo wasn¡¯t ignorant about the Shens¡¯ lives before Ordo. Their family history was an open secret amongst the Big Four at this point. Only now, when recalling their past, everything began clicking together. It explained Shen¡¯s cynicism as Lyressa had described, his annoyingly sharp tongue, and most of all, the reason behind his outburst.

    Shen was raging against the world itself.

    To him, the world was the reason why tragedies kept happening to him and his sister.

    It took their parents away from them in Hangzhou.

    It took their faith in humanity during Oasisgate.

    Leo lowered her sword and approached him. ¡°I¡¯ve¡­ I¡¯ve asked myself the same thing a thousand times over, Shen. I¡ª¡°

    ¡°God¡­¡± Shen fell to his knees and covered his face. ¡°I-I didn¡¯t mean to¡­¡±

    ¡°Easy, easy, it¡¯s alright¡­¡± A few years ago, I was just like him. ¡°Look at me, Shen. I promise you, we won¡¯t¡ª¡±

    [Skill Activation]

    Another presence appeared beside her.

    [Technique Sovereign - Memento Echo]

    And Leo had a sword to her neck¡ªno, that was an exact replica of [Father].

    ¡°Get the fuck away from my brother, bitch, or I¡¯ll chop your head off with your own sig,¡± said Althea Shen, drenched in sweat and breathing like a balloon. Despite her state, she had the same cold, ruthless look in her eyes as her brother did moments earlier. She wouldn¡¯t hesitate slitting a throat for her own survival.

    The team had spent so much time and resources on researching Alexander Shen, but they overlooked one major thing: this girl right here. Now it made sense why Firebrand had so much trouble trying to catch her. If Alexander was able to hold his own against Leo, then the same could be said for his little sister given by how she managed to perfectly copy a signature.

    If Leo had fought the Shens at the same time¡­ She wasn¡¯t sure if she could come out unscathed.

    ¡°Thea?¡± Alexander sounded relieved hearing his lost sister, until he saw what she was doing. ¡°Thea, back off¡ª!¡±

    ¡°Dammit, wait, don¡¯t you fuckin¡¯¡ª!¡± another voice came barreling onto the scene: a bumbling, hot-headed doofus. That was Firebrand, who had been in-charge of protecting the girl. Instead, he was covered in dirt, grass, water, and other liquids. ¡°Look, Shen, we don¡¯t wanna¡ª!¡±

    Althea pointed at Firebrand. ¡°Take another step and I¡¯m lobbing her head outta the Plaza.¡± (¡°Listen to your brother¡ª!¡±) ¡°Shut up, Empress! Another word, and I¡¯m gonna do it!¡±

    ¡°Put the sword down!¡± yelled Alexander.

    ¡°Why the hell should I?! You should be on my side!¡± Althea pressed the edge against Leo¡¯s skin, drawing a small cut. ¡°That creep over there¡ª!¡± (Firebrand scowled.) ¡°¡ªchased me across the fuckin¡¯ city, and then, I saw Miss Demonic Cult over here bringing you to your knees!¡±

    ¡°It was a misunderstanding!¡± Alexander said.

    Leo nodded as best as she could. ¡°We don¡¯t want to kidnap you!¡±

    Althea snarled, ¡°Then please tell me, wonderful Angels, about why you¡¯re doing this¡ª?¡±

    Around them¡ªno, across the entire Plaza¡ªevery light began flickering but not in unison. It was as if each light had come alive and acted on its own eccentricities. They slowly yawned and quickly blinked. The flashes ran together and the pauses in-between took seconds. Some spoke in morse code and others spoke a language known to only them.

    Althea lowered her mimicry and joined everyone in gawking at the paranormal sight.

    They searched the shadows, the rooftops, until Firebrand gasped and turned pale. He brought a shaky finger to the top of Leventis.

    There was a breacher standing on the very tip of the spearhead, malformed and twisted like a stretched, bastardized image of a human. The legs were too skinny, the torso was too long, the shoulders too wide, the arms were too thin, and the head was too small. Yet, it stood perfectly balanced on the small point. Its hands were¡ªnot held¡ªtwo long curved blades in the shape of the crescent moon. Then, the monster changed. It became fuzzy as if captured in a low-quality image. Color was haphazardly splashed onto its body like someone was mindlessly spinning RGB dials. Sharp red transformed into hideous brown into grotesque lemon¡ªnothing consistent or aesthetically-pleasing to the eyes.

    It was a monster that didn¡¯t belong to reality.

    A bug in real life.

    ¡°What the fuck is that¡­?¡± Alexander asked through the flashing lights.

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Leo gulped. ¡°That¡¯s the reason why we were chasing after you. You¡¯re being hunted by that thing, an Alternate.¡±

    The Alternate raised one of its swords, its limbs groaning like an old engine, and swiped across the air.

    The lights went up in puffs of smoke and dust.

    Primordial Plaza was dropped into darkness.

 [FOR PEACE] Chapter 10 - The Alternate

    The Alternate, the breacher supposedly hunting us, leapt high from its perch and ascended to the night. Its silhouette was perfectly framed by the crescent moon and a sprinkling of stars. For a moment, it seemed to hover in the air with surprising elegance.

    Then, the Alt rapidly spun downwards and crashed into the middle of our group. We leapt away in the nick of time. Between us, long, slash-like gouges erupted from the pavement; they ran across the ground and up the walls like fault-lines, accompanied by screaming wind and tremors.

    Despite the ugly destruction, the Alt took a serene stance. It cocked its head towards me, and an invisible dagger of terror punctured my chest. I¡¯d fought breachers before, the kind you¡¯d find in fantasy novels, but this? This was incomprehensible. This wasn¡¯t a monster, this was an alien¡ªsomething that couldn¡¯t be found in any Worldlines.

    ¡°Firebrand!¡± Empress shouted at her comrade, wielding [Twin Heavens] in full. I could barely see her face and we were in whispering range. ¡°Light it up!¡±

    Firebrand held his right arm to the sky, and a sleeve of tiny crimson orbs spawned from his skin.

    [Skill Activation: Firelight Festival]

    The orbs dispersed and spread throughout the Plaza like small drones; they hovered above rooftops and blessed us with reddish-orange light. We saw each other¡¯s faces again, and the word ¡°afraid¡± wasn¡¯t enough to describe them.

    The Alt stared at the floating crimson orbs. It said, ¡°¨x¨{¨}¨† ¨…¨{. ¨€ ?¨„ ¨~¨{?¨{ ¨‰¨† ¨{?¨‰¨{?¨„¨€¨…?¨‰¨{ ¨‰¨~¨{ ?¨~¨{¨…? ¨† ¨…¨ƒ?¡ª¡±

    [Chain Gauntlets]

    Whatever the fuck that was, it received two chains as a response. They whipped around its chest and hugged its arms together. Then, I played tug-of-war, pulling and pulling. ¡°I got it¡ª!¡±

    ¡°¨|¨Š¨‰¨€¨ƒ¨{.¡±

    When I blinked, the world was upside down and I was in the air, chains stripped. I was flying. My destination was a random building. I bounced off the metal roofing and landed on a random walkway. A shrill wind told me my pain hadn¡¯t ended yet. Barely, I jumped out of the way as the Alternate came down where I¡¯d recently landed.

    Yeah, I think I believe Empress now. This bastard was chasing after me!

    [Memento Recollection - Nightingale Shotgun]

    A hot cloud of spells blasted into the Alt¡¯s shoulder, into its chest, its head, but all three slugs might as well be tickling the fucking thing. It was glitching, I didn¡¯t know how to accurately describe it. One sword was above its shoulders one second and at its waist in the next, as though it was operating under high-ping in a video game.

    Just what the hell was I fighting?

    ¡°Look out, corpo!¡± shouted my savior.

    From above, a comet of flames slammed down onto the Alt. What a gorgeous sight. Firebrand, wielding a flaming greatsword as large as him, was locked in a clinch, sword against swords. The heat evaporated the filth staining his ponytail and robes, and he roared.

    [Flame Avatar Shift - Burning Tempest]

    His ponytail came undone and his skin took on this lamplight glow. Power was added to his muscles, enough to break the pavement underneath the breacher.

    And without fucking warning, the Alt teleported two feet eastward, away from me, and stood stiff and stared at a random direction.

    Firebrand gasped and flopped to the ground. Two shadows suddenly landed beside me, and I nearly punched them. Good thing I didn¡¯t. They were the girls who¡¯d surely punch me twice as hard as retaliation.

    As Firebrand regrouped, we watched the Alt carefully. Well, more ¡°gawked¡± than ¡°watched¡± to be precise. It was literally standing there, twitching like a drug addict in an alleyway, seemingly distracted. It wasn¡¯t attacking or doing anything of note.

    I had the [Shotgun] ready just in case. ¡°What the hell is it doing?¡±

    Empress glanced at my toy and swallowed the obvious question. Instead, she said, ¡°Long story short, it¡¯s not meant to exist, period. It¡¯s trying really hard to maintain its existence.¡±

    Thea gripped her [Echo]. ¡°I¡¯m gonna pretend those words mean something to me, so I have something better to say: what¡¯s our plan?¡±

    In response, I switched my gear: turning the [Shotgun] into a [Pistol] and wearing a [Gauntlet] on the other arm. My broken helmet was regenerated. ¡°You said it¡¯s hunting me, so I¡¯ll act as bait. You guys will pick out opportunities to deal some damage.¡±

    Firebrand loudly exhaled, steam bellowing out. ¡°Never thought I¡¯d agree with the corpo.¡±

    Empress raised an eyebrow. ¡°So you¡¯re calling the shots now?¡±

    ¡°You got any better ideas, princess¡ª?¡±

    An arc of wind pressure drew a deep, rough line between us. A few inches in either direction and we¡¯d be in multiple pieces.

    I shouted, ¡°No time to complain, let¡¯s go!¡±

    I made my bravest and most suicidal decision of the night: running straight at the fucking monster. The Alt went to slash at the air again, but at the last possible microsecond, it jerked around as though getting hit by three invisible punches. Looks like I got lucky for once.

    I pushed mana to my legs and let [Mana Impact] take me up and over the Alt. From launch to landing, I lit the bastard up with [Nightingale]. Did nothing, obviously, but I wasn¡¯t the heavy-hitter in the team.

    That would be Firebrand. A molten beam of fire slammed into the Alt like an eighteen-wheeler, forcing the fucker back. It incomprehensibly screamed, its voice horribly distorting like it was put through the shittiest speaker.

    The Alt raised an arm halfway only for some pesky chains to bind it again. I pulled as hard as I could, but even with my muscles, it didn¡¯t budge. However, all we needed was a single second.

    The flames paused.

    [First Azure - Ethercross]

    That¡¯s where Empress intervened. The [Azure Series], her father¡¯s swordsmanship, was a derivative of the [Heavenly Demonic Artes], essentially taking the ¡°demon¡± out of ¡°heavenly.¡± This was the first technique: [Ethercross], concentrating power and finesse into a singular slash; and with her [Father]¡¯s blade, she painted it beautifully onto its immobile arm.

    But she didn¡¯t sever it, and now she was in the frying pan. Firebrand couldn¡¯t attack from afar without hitting her, and I don¡¯t think Thea could do anything either. She fought best against human opponents, which meant she was fundamentally weaker against breachers¡ªwell, in our case, aliens that weren''t supposed to exist.

    My chain went slack. I couldn¡¯t risk making the same mistake again. Let¡¯s see if this thing was dumb enough to prioritize me!

    ¡°Hey, fucker!¡± I shouted and unloaded [Nightingale] into its back.

    The Alt, who was turned away from me, stiffened.

    ¡°I¡¯m over here¡ª!¡±

    It teleported again.

    In front of Althea.

    I¡¯d forgotten something very important: the key detail that would undo our laughable plan. As it turned out, my biological sister who was just as weird as me was also a Shen.

    I really was a self-absorbed asshole, huh?

    [Skill Activation: Blur]

    But if Althea knew how to do one thing, it¡¯d be running away. She transformed into a [Blur] and smartly fled, but I couldn¡¯t sit around and let the Alt finish its hunt.

    ¡°Figure something out!¡± I shouted at Empress, reminding her of the original plan, and gave chase.

    [Skill Activation: Mana Impact]

    Althea¡¯s movement [Skill] was way better than mine¡ªhell, [Mana Impact] wasn¡¯t even a movement [Skill] to begin with¡ªregardless, it allowed her to maintain consistently high speed. As a result, Primordial Plaza was her playground.

    Unfortunately, it was also the Alt¡¯s. As fast as she ran, the monster ran a few steps slower and had those fucking swords. It slashed and cut and swiped and scraped, hitting everything but my sister. It kept jerking around too, arms frequently teleporting and making its attacks completely unpredictable. We were lucky, but you couldn¡¯t say the same for Primordial Plaza. It was unrecognizable now.

    Thea cursed like a sailor, bouncing from street-to-roof and roof-to-street, doing everything she could to prevent catching a blade to the ankles. Fortunately, she knew how to use her speed. That¡¯s better than most speedsters. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    I, comparatively, lacked the discipline. [Mana Impact] was slow. While [Blur] was one continuous activation, [Mana Impact] was a one-time burst of speed. If she ran, I bunny-hopped. I followed the trail of destruction caused by the Alt one jump at a time. Sweat soaked my clothes underneath [Yuzhou]. My temporary PPS thumped and ached, but giving up wasn¡¯t an option.

    At this rate, however, I would burnout within five minutes.

    I could do five minutes.

    I switched [Mementos] and pulled [Nightingale Rifle]. If I couldn¡¯t catch up, then I had to slow the fucker down. Spell-bullets pelted its back again; they were bee-stings, of course, but they contained a message: the Shen you should really come after was over here.

    Eventually, the Alt received the message and turned its head¡ª

    The building I was standing on, the roof had been sheared off. I didn¡¯t even see the sword move. Before the roof fell out, I leapt and covered my arm in [Chains]. They unraveled and shot toward a nearby streetlamp, wrapped around the overhead light, and I swung myself across the road.

    ¡°I¡¯m over here!¡± I said, perching on another rooftop. I laid additional fire. ¡°Come get me¡ª!¡±

    The Alt prepped another arc, but my dumbass sister didn¡¯t take the distraction as a cue to retreat. She had other ideas.

    [Memento Echo - Juroku (Ê®Áù)]

    Like, for example, copying Firebrand¡¯s signature greatsword and charging at the Alt. She hefted the flaming sword and slammed fire onto its back. It screeched something terrible, but she kept the pressure, ruthless and opportunistic like how Uncle had taught us. Thea got low, spinning on her knees and feet, creating a fearsome whirlwind of crimson-orange.

    Every revolution pushed the Alt backwards and the fire prevented a swift counterattack. It was trapped in a red tornado that burned brighter than the lamps Firebrand had conjured. Something like that had to do damage, but the breacher wouldn¡¯t make it easy for either of us.

    Because, without warning, it teleported beside Althea.

    But she predicted that might happen.

    I said earlier that Thea was fundamentally weaker against breachers. It wasn¡¯t completely accurate. As long as she was fighting alongside Slayers, where she could see their [Loadouts] and [Skills] in action (especially mine), then she had the theoretical strength of the entire team. Personally-speaking, as much as Thea denies it¡­

    She has greater potential than me. She inherited Mom¡¯s superpower, after all.

    [Observation Lock - Ethercross]

    Copying, that is.

    In a million years, [Ethercross] would never be used with a flaming greatsword, but Thea loved breaking tradition.

    Her [Ethercross] crunched into the Alternate¡¯s side and launched it away far enough to earn herself a double. The monster crashed through a wall to one of the examination buildings, stuck there for the time being.

    Thea managed to crack a proud smile before falling to one knee. Firebrand¡¯s [Echo] dissipated.

    I jumped down and ran to her side. ¡°Shit, you okay¡ª?¡± I stopped myself. Her arms were burned. Fuck, I didn¡¯t account for that. She could copy signatures and [Skills] but that didn¡¯t mean she had the proper foundation to correctly use them. ¡°Thea¡ª?!¡±

    ¡°T-Think I¡¯m running low,¡± she muttered through clenched teeth. ¡°I can¡¯t go on for much longer. How ¡®bout you?¡±

    [Mana Impact] had used a lot of juice, so consequently, my PPS was acting up. I shook my head. ¡°Haven''t hit the wall yet, but it¡¯s coming.¡±

    ¡°What the hell are the Angels doing¡ª?¡±

    Just as she asked that, a plume of fire rose above the rooftops a fair bit away. Guess that was their signal. I forgot we had no way of communicating with the Angels, but fortunately they knew how to improvise.

    I patted her back. ¡°That¡¯s our cue.¡± The Alternate stepped out of the hole it¡¯d made and thwacked the ground with its swords. ¡°That¡¯s really our cue to leave, let¡¯s go!¡±

    ¡°Ugh, dammit!¡±

    [Blur]

    [Mana Impact]

    Once again, we ran. I pushed myself harder, trying to maintain enough distance as the Alternate tried slashing us from behind. We split up, came together, and split once more. Several times we had close calls. We stumbled, we tripped, we dodged.

    Somehow, through sheer luck and will, we were nearly at the rendezvous point.

    What were they doing¡­? Ah, I know. I remember this area, I¡¯d visited it during the first day of First Wave. We were running toward the Eschaton Simulation Battles. The exam was on the tin: Slayers had to fight against simulated Essies in a massive arena. You naturally needed a lot of space and protection to ensure a safe fight.

    These guys were clever.

    I turned toward Thea, who was panting her lungs out. ¡°Thea, run ahead and regroup with the Angels!¡±

    Thea stared at me wide-eyed.

    ¡°I know what they¡¯re doing! Go to the big-ass arena!¡±

    ¡°Shit, fine!¡± Reluctantly, the little brat took a detour and disappeared out of sight.

    Which left me and the Alt.

    I looked over my shoulder and nearly got my head cut off for doing so.

    ¡°¨z¨† ¨…¨† ¨‰ ¨|¨ƒ¨{¨{, ¨y¨† ¨…?¨Š¨{?¨† ?!¡±

    ¡°What the hell are you even saying?!¡± I shouted out of frustration. My legs were killing me. They were going to fall off at any second, but dammit all¡ªlike hell I was going to die to this fucking thing!

    The arena was coming up. For once, I loved the designers. They¡¯d constructed a glass dome around the arena to allow for natural lightning. Perfect. I charted a path: hopping between roofs, using the streetlamps as monkey-bars, all while avoiding death. Conveniently, a pressurized arc of wind flew past me and shattered the reinforced glass.

    With one last [Impact], I dove through the hole and fell face-first into the middle of the arena.

    There was no time to whine and groan. I saw a flicker of red and brown hair at nine o¡¯clock. I scrambled toward them, resorting to crawling on all-fours. I tripped, banged my knees, and the sound of something landing behind me nearly induced a heart attack.

    Someone grabbed my arm and threw me down a small staircase.

    ¡°Leo!¡± Firebrand yelled.

    She pressed a button on the center console.

    Machines came to life. A magic circle manifested on the arena-floor, spinning, spinning, spinning. The Alt looked down for a brief moment, then the truth dawned. By the time the dumbass realized what was happening, it was too late.

    A barrier formed around the arena¡¯s perimeter. A thick, transparent barrier that could survive almost anything you could throw at it. That¡¯s what the Angels were planning: using First Wave itself to trap the Alt inside.

    Like a pissed gorilla trapped in an enclosure, it rushed toward us. We shrieked like kids as it thankfully rammed against the hard barrier. It slashed, creating large wounds that thankfully regenerated. Despite seeing the regeneration for itself, it kept cutting.

    ¡°Holy shit,¡± Althea gasped, patting her chest. ¡°I think I¡¯m gonna piss myself.¡±

    I climbed to my feet, leaning against a random table for support. I dropped the helmet to see better. The Alt was lashing at us, verbally and literally. Couldn¡¯t understand what it was saying, though.

    ¡°Are we good?¡± I asked desperately.

    Empress shrugged as she backed away from the console. ¡°For a little bit, I think. I don¡¯t know how much mana the barrier has left. We couldn¡¯t find the crystal deposit.¡±

    ¡°What about teleporting?¡± Thea said. ¡°That thing, can it teleport outta there?¡±

    Firebrand wiped away the dirt and saliva on his lips. ¡°I dunno. Something tells me teleporting isn¡¯t one of its original abilities¡­¡±

    As he said that, the Alt stopped attacking. Its arms went limp and it blankly stared¡ªjust like earlier. We released a collective breath as we observed the strange behavior; for a while, the Alternate stayed like that.

    Staring. Quietly.

    Until the Alt teleported a few meters backward. Then teleported to the east, the west, in the air, pressed against the barrier, sideways and upside down and diagonal¡ªit was fucking teleporting a thousand times a second.

    ¡°We need to get the fuck out of here,¡± I said.

    We ported from the arena and found an open space to wait for our inevitable demise, because honestly? Our chances of victory were getting slim. It didn¡¯t seem to feel exhaustion. Any single one of those slashes could kill us, and as much as I hate to admit it, me and Thea were burdens. Empress and Firebrand had to prioritize our safety as well as killing the fucking thing.

    ¡°Empress!¡± I yelled. ¡°Please tell me we have reinforcements!¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re coming, and I don¡¯t fucking know when!¡± she spat back, drawing her blade. ¡°How¡¯re you and your sister holding up?¡±

    ¡°Terrible!¡±

    ¡°Horrible!¡±

    ¡°Join the club!¡±

    Firebrand held his greatsword out. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Rector¡¯s coming! We¡ª!¡±

    The Alt ported a dozen meters in front of us. As it had performed a thousand slashes on the barrier, it did the same here. Its swords were smears as they cut through the air. We were blasted by wind, by tremors, by the sounds of our sinking hearts. We¡¯d seen what those swords could do: effortlessly going through concrete and metal like they were nothing.

    And the swords stopped.

    There weren¡¯t any blade-arcs. No gouges along the ground. No eerie winds foreshadowing. Nothing. It was like the Alt was playing around with its swords like a little boy on Christmas.

    We looked around and at each other to see if we weren¡¯t going crazy. We weren¡¯t. The Alt had abnormal powers. Take its random-ass teleporting from earlier as an example. Hell, a little while ago, it registered my [Shotgun] blasts minutes after I pulled the trigger¡ª

    Oh. Oh fuck.

    ¡°EVERYONE, MOVE!¡±

    I grabbed Althea and ran for the nearest cover. Between the buildings, that¡¯d do. I threw her there¡ª

    My ears deafened. My vision blurred. I couldn¡¯t see or hear what happened, but I knew. The Alt¡¯s wild flurry of attacks hadn¡¯t registered in reality yet, and now it had. We barely had enough time to find somewhere safe¡ªfor my sister to find some cover, hopefully. She seemed unscathed, relatively-speaking, but her eyes went wide.

    [PARTY STATUS]

    INCAPACITATED: Alexander Shen

    I fell to the ground.

    Her eyes were still wide, and her mouth was wide open like she was screaming.

    The back of my shirt was wet.

    I blinked.

    I opened my eyes and someone had their arms underneath my armpits, dragging me backwards. A thin trail of blood followed me.

    I heard voices.

    ¡°¡ªbrand, get them outta here!¡±

    ¡°¡ªgonna leave you here¡ª!¡±

    ¡°¡ªlex! C¡¯mon, say¡ª! Alex¡ª!¡±

    I guess¡­ I guess something bad happened to me.

    Just my luck.

    Even through my blurry vision, I could see the Alt encroaching on us. We were probably too slow to run away. Like I said, me and Thea were burdens. If only I kept my emotions in check, huh?

    Looks like you were right, Empress. You guys really were trying to help us all along¡­ This was comeuppance.

    I¡¯ll make sure to apologize, either in Hell or in a hospital bed¡­

    I closed my eyes¡ª

    ¡°Golem!¡±

    A massive rocky fist smashed the Alt, and as soon as the fist withdrew, magic flew over our heads.

    That was the last thing I saw before exhaustion finally claimed me.

    [Commission Error! Commission Error! Commission Error!]

    [Event Commission ¡°The ¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€ Alternate¡± has been completed]

    [No payment administered due to lack of registration]

    Event Commission: The ¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€ Alternate

    Pay: N/A

    Description: ¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€ ¨€¨€ ¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€ ¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€ ¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€. ¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€ ¨€¨€ ¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€ ¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€ ¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€ ¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€ Cosmic Disaster. ¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€ ¨€¨€ ¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€ Alexander Shen. ¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€ ¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€ ¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€ ¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€. ¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€ ¨€¨€ ¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€ ¨€¨€¨€¨€ ¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€ ¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€. ¨€¨€¨€ ¨€¨€¨€ ¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€ ¨€¨€ ¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€ ¨€¨€¨€ ¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€, extermination ¨€¨€ ¨€¨€¨€¨€ ¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€ ¨€¨€ necessary.

 [FOR PEACE] Chapter 11 - For the Peace that Never Existed (I)

    ¡°Heya, conqueror, whatcha doing?¡±

    ¡°Just watchin¡¯.¡± I held my water-bottle between my legs as Mom taught my little sister a thing or two about throwing a punch. As well as you could teach an eight-year-old anyway. Mom was half-playing and half-teaching, encouraging Thea to work her tiny arms.

    Dad patted my back and sat down next to me. ¡°You know something? I think your sister¡¯s gonna be as gifted as you are.¡±

    I shook my head, scowling. ¡°I¡¯m not ¡®gifted,¡¯ stop calling me that¡ª¡± (¡°You are¡ª¡±) ¡°No¡ª!¡± (¡°You completely are¡ª!¡±) ¡°I¡¯m not! Seriously, I¡¯m not, so cut it out!¡±

    ¡°Easy, easy, don¡¯t tear my head off!¡± Dad laughed at my expense. ¡°I¡¯m teasing you, s¡¯all.¡¯

    In protest, I turned away and continued to watch Thea. This time, she tried doing a high-kick but toppled over harder than a tower of blocks. Mom attempted to stifle a laugh. However, a snicker leaked through and that made the little brat upset, and as we all knew, you never make Althea Shen upset. In an instant, she delivered a brutal beatdown to the woman who¡¯d brought her into this world. No one could survive that.

    Dad quietly chuckled to himself, scratching his chin. ¡°By the way, I finally got that email from your teachers.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°The System stuff. Y¡¯know, the¡­¡± He vaguely motioned with his hand. ¡°The recruiters, that¡¯s it. You¡¯ll have JSPs across the county coming to your school soon.¡±

    Right, my homeroom teacher mentioned that this morning. She hyped it up, said it was going to be the ¡°biggest opportunity yet¡± for us middle-schoolers. We¡¯d have JSPs giving their sixty-seconds to try and convince a bunch of thirteen-year-olds to [Register] in their academies. Nothing sounded better than a bunch of hormonal teenagers with superpowers studying in a single place.

    Didn¡¯t like the idea now, didn¡¯t like it then.

    I dismissively shrugged. ¡°Thought you and Mom didn¡¯t want me [Registering].¡±

    ¡°I¡ªwell, you¡¯re not wrong. We don¡¯t like the idea of you going somewhere far¡ªtoo many bad influences¡ªbut we aren¡¯t burning that bridge. You¡¯re thirteen, Alex, about to turn fourteen soon. That¡¯s when all these¡­¡± He bit his lip. ¡°All these scum wanna snatch impressionable kids from the cradle. But you¡¯re different. If you wanna [Register], we¡¯ll make it happen. On our own terms.¡±

    Yeah, the culture hadn¡¯t changed much since I was a kid. We slept in Legends Guild pajamas, dressed up as the Sovereigns for Halloween, wrote journals in elementary school about our favorite swords, and dreamed of being the next Kosmos. We watched TV shows, read novels, scrolled through social media, everything. They were our superheroes, and we could be like them by signing away our ¡°freedom¡± to the Slayer System.

    As for our family? We were skeptics. All of us.

    I stared absently at Mom and Althea. ¡°I¡¯m not that into it. I¡¯d rather do something else other than being a sword, y¡¯know?

    Dad¡¯s smile got wider hearing my answer, guess it really made him happy. ¡°Like what?¡±

    I shrugged and gave a dismissive hum. What did Dad expect from a thirteen-year-old? To be fair, the recruiters were much worse. At the time, I wasn¡¯t thinking about my future; all I thought about was dinner and homework. That¡¯s it. Dinner and homework, as someone my age should think about.

    But if I had to imagine myself ten years from today¡­

    ¡°I dunno,¡± I said. ¡°Maybe I could go into the Marines like Uncle, or visit the Jianghu, or travel ¡®round the world like Ordo or Cirropolis. I haven¡¯t really figured it out yet, but I¡¯m sure if I put my mind to it, I can be anything I want.¡±

    Anything I want, huh? Yeah, I could¡¯ve been anything. A mil, a heroic xia traveling the plains, a detective by day and superhero by night, a CEO of a Fortune 500, the next SSS-Rank Slayer¡ªthe possibilities were endless. Had been endless. Ten years from that day, I couldn¡¯t have been more wrong. I was jobless. Aimless. My life, instead of being a series of well-calculated steps, was a chain of accidents and tragedies.

    I could never mind my own business, like System Articles.

    I could never carve my own path, like now.

    For someone like me, the ¡°peace¡± I kept whining about¡­ It never existed in the first place.

    ***

    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±

    ¡°Easy, easy.¡±

    ¡°D-Dammit¡­¡±

    ¡°I got you, hang on.¡± Someone was holding onto me: a blurry face that wasn¡¯t my sister¡¯s, but my caretaker was twice as ugly and had a grating voice. ¡°Don¡¯t move too much, and please, don¡¯t yank the IV out of your arm, okay?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not an idiot¡­¡± I muttered out of reflex as she helped me sit against a pillow. When was the last time I felt this terrible? Head was woozy, body was aching, everything had pins-and-needles. If I tried climbing out of bed, I¡¯d earn myself another concussion.

    My undertaker laughed and took a few steps back. ¡°You don¡¯t exactly inspire confidence. Now.¡± She held up three fuzzy fingers. ¡°How many fingers am I holding up?¡±

    I squinted at her. ¡°Empress.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not a number, but alright, looks like you didn¡¯t suffer any brain damage. I¡ªoh.¡± Empress grabbed something from the side-table and handed it to me. My glasses. ¡°I should¡¯ve given you this first. Sorry, I¡¯m new to this nursing thing.¡±

    I put them on and the world got a whole lot clearer. ¡°Yeah, well, you¡¯re better at putting people in the hospital than the other way around. Jokes aside¡­¡±

    Finally, I established my bearings. To no one¡¯s surprise, this was an ordinary hospital room¡ªmost likely Angels Headquarters Hospital. In the opposite corner of the room, a mounted TV had the Ordoian News. The volume was too low to hear anything. Didn¡¯t need to, because they had the headlines in big and bolded letters: ¡°BREAKTHROUGH INCIDENT AT PRIMORDIAL PLAZA!¡±

    It was a little after twelve o¡¯clock¡­ I was out the entire morning.

    Empress turned the TV off. ¡°Officially-speaking, Angels and Wisdom Guild handled the breakthrough with no casualties other than the taxpayers¡¯ wallets. Nobody knew we were there, but besides that, thanks for surviving. The Alt got you, Shen, but thankfully your [Armor] prevented anything serious. Really, your mana burnout was more severe. We had to get you to a healer before your [Registration] ended.¡±

    This was my luckiest hospital visit to date. [Yuzhou] and [Forged Skin] saved my life, and my [Registration] lasted long enough to receive healing. Ordinary humans couldn¡¯t be treated by healers, after all. They¡¯d die, painfully, from the mana intake. In exchange for fast and effective treatment, however, my body would be ridiculously fragile throughout the recovery period. A punch from a five-year-old could break a rib.

    But there was a bigger issue at hand.

    I asked, ¡°Where¡¯s everybody else?¡±

    ¡°I notified them already. They should be coming around at any second.¡± A knock on the door startled me. Made my aching muscles act up, dammit. ¡°They just came around.¡±

    ¡°Not yet, Empress,¡± said the visitor, a nun in white and gold cloth. Judging from the shiny badge clipped to her robes, she was probably a faith healer working for the hospital. As the stereotype went for healers, mine was overworked and took no bullshit. ¡°Thanks for watching my patient while I deal with his family.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome, sweetheart¡ª¡±

    ¡°Please get out.¡±

    ¡°Right, sorry, I¡¯ll just uh...¡± Empress left the room and abandoned me to the healer.

    One check-up later, my post-op appointment concluded. I had my instructions, my prescriptions to help with recovery, and a lengthy explanation of my unique medical status. The healer threatened me to not do anything stupid or else she would ¡°activate [Temporary Registration] on my behalf.¡±

    After her kind words, she fetched my ¡°family and superiors,¡± which meant we could finally discuss what had transpired last night.

    A party bumbled into my room, starting with Celestial Empress who showed a sympathetic smile. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    Following her was Ordoian royalty. Kissing his feet was the bare minimum you could do to show respect. He was an unreasonably pretty dark-skinned man. Had smooth and silky midnight hair, no blemishes on his skin, and a natural charm that could seduce men and women alike. Put him in a beauty pageant and he¡¯d win the whole thing. Today, he sported front-cover fashion: long and flowing red robes adorned with golden jewelry and decadent gems¡ªhis [Great Spirit Parure], the catalyst he needed to summon his [Paracelsian Elements]. Vice Guild Master Rector and the CEO of Angels Guild. In other words, second-in-command of the systemic ladder but top dog of the corpos. One of the most powerful and influential men in the Slayer Capital.

    Sophos trekked behind him, yawning and rubbing her eyes. My little sister hobbled inside next, twice as tired as the Guild Master. She had gauze tightly wrapped around her forearms. Right, she¡¯d sustained burn wounds wielding Firebrand¡¯s sig.

    I had one more guest: a middle-aged man who looked like your local pastor. First thing he did was take in his surroundings. From the room¡¯s dimensions to the number of dust-bunnies sitting in the corner. Every single detail, nothing escaped him. He rubbed his arms, fidgeted with his fingers, picking at the surgical scars on his arm hidden by ink. I was the last thing he set his green eyes on. He swept his faded chestnut hair away from his glasses and smiled warmly. ¡°It looks like I came earlier than planned, Alex.¡±

    That¡¯s my uncle, alright. Politely-speaking, I had forgotten about him but I wasn¡¯t surprised to see him. When Thea had activated the SOS, it was communicated to two people: myself and Uncle Ali. Because he didn¡¯t receive an update from either of us¡ªespecially when Thea¡¯s phone went kaput¡ªhe must¡¯ve taken the first flight here.

    I¡¯m glad he cared enough about his niece and nephew. His presence meant the world.

    I asked, ¡°Guess Thea managed to contact you?¡±

    Uncle Ali glanced at Rector. ¡°Actually, I found Angels first and introduced myself to the Third Pillar.¡±

    Rector cleared his throat and turned away. ¡°That¡¯s one way of putting it, but that¡¯s a story for another time. Now, everyone, find somewhere comfortable to stand or sit because we have a long conversation before us.¡±

    The room was divided between the Shens and the Slayers. Althea and Uncle Ali sat by my side, while Empress, Rector, and Sophos were on the opposite side of the room. Looking at the numbers now, this situation was fucking absurd. Two Guild Masters and the heiress of the Demonic Cult were addressing us, all because a random alien-monster-thing had targeted our asses.

    On our side, we had an eighteen-year-old dork who was pinching herself to stay awake, an United States Marine who had probably smuggled an arsenal through the airport, and a dumbass who got himself hospitalized.

    Talk about a title matchup.

    The Guild Masters whispered and argued about something. I couldn¡¯t hear, but I figured it was about the details. Eventually, Rector rolled his eyes and threw his hands up and stepped forward. ¡°I¡¯ll start the explanation,¡± he said. ¡°I wanted to save this conversation when Shen¡ªexcuse me, Alexander¡ªwakes up. I apologize for bombarding you so after your beauty sleep, but your family¡¯s very curious.¡± (¡°Impatient, more like,¡± muttered Sophos.) ¡°Shut up.¡±

    Uncle Ali chuckled, not offended whatsoever. ¡°Start at the beginning for us, Rector.¡±

    ¡°Yessir. Two months ago, we commissioned Sophos with a special experiment; by ¡®we,¡¯ I mean myself, Seraph, and Kosmos. We wanted to transmit a message across the multiverse, hopefully communicating with other Slayer Worldlines. After all, going off of basic multiversal theory, we aren¡¯t the only Worldlines with the Slayer System. Instead¡ª¡±

    ¡°Instead, it went catastrophically wrong,¡± Sophos dramatically said, hand over head.

    Rector hissed, ¡°You couldn¡¯t last more than one minute without interrupting me¡ª¡± (¡°You were being too slow, Zakaria.¡±) ¡°¡ªmoving on, yes, the experiment went horrifically wrong. Instead of communicating with other Worldlines, we attracted a different kind of attention instead. The attention of this¡­¡±

    He was stuck on his words, visibly trying to figure out how to explain it.

    Sophos finished his thought, ¡°An existentially-dubious entity.¡±

    Althea commented, ¡°The Alternate?¡±

    But the little genius shook her head. ¡°Not exactly. We summoned the Mother of the Alternates, their creator. She greeted us by siccing her child onto my facility. Thank goodness Rector brought his team of orphans, otherwise the First Alternate would¡¯ve done serious damage. Unfortunately, though, Mother escaped and has been on-the-loose since.¡±

    ¡°Question.¡± Uncle Ali raised his hand. ¡°A cosmological experiment like this, I imagine, needs to go through a year¡¯s worth of bureaucracy and procedures. I¡¯m assuming you went through all the necessary hoops?¡±

    All three Slayers uncomfortably shifted around.

    Uncle whistled, and my sister groaned and banged her head against the bed.

    ¡°Motherfucker¡­¡± I facepalmed. ¡°Look, I¡¯m no fan of the Union but this is why we have the Research Security Organization. At this point, I¡¯m not even angry. A castle isn¡¯t a castle if you don¡¯t routinely ignore rules and regulations.¡±

    Uncle Ali put a hand on my shoulder. ¡°Trust me, Alex, this is by far the least unethical experiment I¡¯ve seen.¡± (¡°What sort of experiments have you seen?¡± Empress asked.) ¡°But continue.¡±

    Sophos nudged Rector.

    He sighed. ¡°For the past two months, we¡¯ve been chasing after Mom. We found three additional Alts, but they went poof before we could perform any substantial research. A month ago, Sophos single-handedly located and subjugated the Fifth Alt. Before its ¡®death¡¯ so-to-speak, it mentioned a name. Your name.¡±

    A month ago¡­ That was during the drama with System Articles. The timeline matched. I said, ¡°That¡¯s why you were observing me. To see if I had any connections with the Alts or their Mother.¡±

    Rector hummed in the affirmative. ¡°After you caught Empress, we decided to leave you be. For the record, we didn¡¯t think it was a fluke; however, we lacked necessary intel to develop the lead further. So we continued to observe, and observe, and observe, until May passed without incident. We thought Mother faded away on her own, until last night where she returned with a vengeance.¡±

    Empress stepped in this time: ¡°One of my other team members, Problem, found the Sixth Alt, and guess what it said? ¡®Shens.¡¯ It fled, which led to the whole fiasco, yadda yadda yadda. You know the rest of the story, but this isn¡¯t a fluke anymore. It¡¯s not even a bad coincidence. The Mother has targeted and probably will continue to target you and your family.¡±

    Althea muttered under her breath, ¡°Of course¡­¡±

    Fuck¡­ This was why Angels Guild got involved in my life. A monster they summoned was targeting me for no obvious reason. I should be upset about their mad experiment, but what were the fucking odds? In their perspective, Mommy Alt picked a random civilian and his family who happened to be weirdos! You can¡¯t predict something like that. It was a freak ¡°accident.¡± Knowing ¡°accidents,¡± the Mother had its reasons but last time I checked, the Shens weren¡¯t enemies with the multiverse itself.

    Uncle Ali massaged his chin. ¡°What are they? The Alts?¡±

    It was Sophos¡¯s time to shine. She stood confidently before us and exclaimed, ¡°I have no idea!¡±

    I¡¯m either going to kill myself or this shitty Guild Master.

    Sophos saw the sheer disgust and disappointment in our eyes and immediately folded: ¡°Hey, don¡¯t look at me like that! I mean it. We gathered little data on the Alternates, and they leave no physical trace to analyze. All we have is theory and speculation. What we do know is this: the Alternates and their Mother are cosmic entities. They fundamentally do not obey our natural understanding of the Planet. You saw it for yourself. The Sixth Alt was a living, breathing glitch in this simulation we call ¡®reality.¡¯ Though, I liken it as more of a ¡®bug¡¯ than a ¡®glitch,¡¯ and the Planet is the ¡®administrator¡¯ trying to snuff it. This conflict unfortunately leads to collateral damage and we¡¯re the janitors cleaning up the mess.¡±

    Althea, who looked too tired to have a cosmology lecture, said, ¡°So what was the Sixth Alt? I mean, it clearly was something.¡±

    Sophos answered, ¡°Every Alt thus far is modeled off of something, yes. What that ¡®something¡¯ is, again, we don¡¯t know. Perhaps they¡¯re creatures of darling Mother¡¯s imagination, or they¡¯re manifestations inspired from both the Mother and Ordo itself, or a thousand other possibilities. As I said, we lack the necessary data to confirm or deny anything.¡±

    ¡°But it said my name,¡± I butted in. ¡°That¡¯s proof it¡¯s inspired by something tangible in the real-world. In some shape or form, the Mother is affected by our reality. It has an ego.¡±

    Hearing my comment, she had a slight, impressed smile. ¡°So you are paying attention, good. Yes, you¡¯re correct, which makes this even more baffling and honestly thrilling. A cosmic entity possessing real-world traits. No wonder why it¡¯s struggling to exist. Its very existence is paradoxical, which leads us to the elephant in the room.¡±

    Yeah, the single question that had been on our minds since the shitshow began¡­

    ¡°Why us?¡±

    ¡°Why you?¡±

    Sophos laughed and pushed her glasses up. ¡°Exactly. As much as I hate repeating myself, again I¡¯m¡­¡± She gulped, and the pride in her eyes flickered. ¡°I-I¡¯m not quite sure¡ª¡±

    ¡°What do you know?¡± Uncle Ali pounced hearing the tiniest fracture in her voice. ¡°Do not hide anything from us, Sophos.¡±

    Rector scratched his bottom-lip while Empress looked between the Guild Masters, confusion written across her face. She wasn¡¯t in the know.

    Uncle reiterated, ¡°I won¡¯t repeat myself again. You know why the Alts targeted my kids, or at the least, you developed a theory. Share it.¡±

    The Guild Masters had a conversation through eyes, arguing about who was going to answer the most important question. Sophos lost the battle in the end. Like a child, she stomped to a panel next to the door¡ªoh, I see why. I hadn¡¯t realized until now, but we were speaking inside an isolation bubble.

    That apparently wasn¡¯t enough, as Sophos snapped her fingers and created another bubble, having two layers of defenses.

    She stood at the foot of my bed and said, ¡°I¡¯m aware of your SSS-Rank [Skill], Alexander Shen.¡±

    ¡°You have a what?!¡±

    ¡°How the hell?!¡±

    ¡°You¡­¡±

    Hearing those words¡­ It was like Sophos had paralyzed me. Fear exploded inside my stomach and it turned into horrible, muscle-burning aches. The room spun around and around. My chest tightened, then tightened again. Electricity fired through my nerves. My back was tearing itself open. An invisible hand squeezed my lungs and forced every molecule of oxygen through my burning throat. I couldn¡¯t breathe. Everything hurt.

    When¡­ Where¡­ How¡­

    That was impossible¡­ It should be impossible¡­ You can¡¯t just peek into someone¡¯s [Profile] like that¡­

    My head was splitting open.

    My arms refuse to move. I try breathing, gasping for air, but it¡¯s like I¡¯m swallowing water.

    I can¡¯t¡­

    I¡­

    The last thing I hear is someone screaming my name.

 [FOR PEACE] Chapter 12 - For the Peace that Never Existed (II)

    <blockquote>

    Victor Squared

    are you really okay?

    i mean if you cant say anything abt what happened then its kinda suspect

    kansai

    type ¡°i love kotone¡± if youre being held hostage

    Alexander

    It¡¯s a complicated situation but I¡¯m not in any danger

    Cultivator

    Are you sure? You *are* notorious for attracting needless trouble.

    Alexander

    I¡¯m alright dw

    </blockquote>

    Someone knocked, interrupting my exciting conversation with the worrywarts back home. ¡°Shen, it¡¯s Empress.¡±

    Of all people I¡¯d expect to bug me, she was near the bottom on my list. Either she drew the shortest stick or someone was holding a proverbial gun to her noggin.

    I dropped my phone on my lap. ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°I come bearing gifts,¡± she said, then paused for a moment. ¡°And news. Mostly news.¡±

    Heh, she probably said the last part expecting I¡¯d deny her. What was I going to do? Scream and shout at her? Maybe hop out of bed and flop dead on the floor? Fun ideas, but they would stay ideas.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be a stranger,¡± I said.

    Empress let herself inside, bringing in snacks and sugary drinks¡ªthe most dastardly contraband. She smiled briefly before turning on the isolation bubble, making sure our conversation would stay within these walls. She grabbed a chair, sat next to me, and put the basket down in arms reach.

    Our positions couldn¡¯t be more reversed compared to when we first met. I had pinned her against the wall using my wit, now I was pinned to a bed thanks to my emotions. Definition of irony right there.

    ¡°How¡ª?¡±

    ¡°Fantastic,¡± I answered her question before she could spit out another word. ¡°My whole fucking life got turned upside down because of you people, so much that my heart couldn¡¯t take it. Thanks.¡±

    Empress flipped from pity to guilt, and a knife turned inside my stomach.

    I looked at my dead legs and breathed. ¡°I¡¯m, erm, sorry. I¡¯m sorry. Didn¡¯t mean to lash out like that. I think we both know the answer to your question, but I¡¯ll humor a conversation: I feel like shit inside and out.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what I figured¡­¡± Empress glanced at the TV which absently played a random sitcom for background noise. She looked outside the window. She was staring at everything besides me. ¡°Your reaction¡¯s completely justified. I mean, extradimensional monster, having your big secret out in the open, that¡¯s a lot for a person. Too much.¡±

    Understatement of the century. Being injured and having anxiety weren¡¯t good for your body. Since I came to, I¡¯d been wracking my head about how Sophos appraised my SSS-Rank [Skill]. I already figured out when and how: First Wave, when she had touched my chest and ended the conversation afterwards.

    Slayer System offered privacy and security that made politicians weep (in fact, multiple governments had tried enforcing a [Skill] registry to no avail). It was impossible to peek into someone¡¯s [Profile]¡ªlet alone an [Unregistered] user like myself¡ªand gain details about their [Skills], their wallet, their [Fabel Ranking] stats, and so on. Appraisal-type [Skills] didn¡¯t have that capability. For Sophos to blatantly bypass the System¡¯s security, she had to bypass the Planet itself¡­

    ¡°How?¡± I asked Empress. ¡°How did Sophos know about my [Skill]?¡±

    Empress tiredly laughed and leaned back in her chair. ¡°It¡¯s cosmo, but from what I understood, her appraisal power is tied to [Original Magic], and that is directly tied to the Planet. That¡¯s how she went around the System.¡±

    God, the odds were so terrible that I had to laugh. Of all people, of all people in the entire world, I encountered the one midget with the exact powerset to expose me.

    There was one consolation to this mess. My dramatics had shifted the attention onto me, which meant the GMs would ignore Thea. However, I hadn¡¯t spoken with her or Uncle since I woke up. For the second time I mean. They were likely arguing with the GMs about our future, so the content of their conversation was lost on me. Also probably why Empress decided to pester me¡ª

    Something brushed the side of my neck. I flinched, and the sudden movement made everything ache again and I groaned.

    Empress pulled her arm back, retracting a bag of mini-cookies. ¡°Sorry. I thought cookies would cheer you up. Plus, it¡¯d be a waste to leave free snacks unopened.¡±

    It took guts to guilt-trip a mental patient, but alright. I¡¯d be a dick to turn her down. ¡°Fine,¡± I said.

    She opened and handed the cookies to me, how kind. ¡°Now, truth be told, I lied a little about the news.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± I blubbered, mouth full of sugar and chocolate.

    She plucked sour cream and vinegar for herself. Disgusting. ¡°There¡¯s none! Discussions stalled completely, but everyone¡¯s stuck in the same room until they come to a compromise. That includes your sister, who asked me to visit you.¡±

    I brushed crumbs off my gown. ¡°I¡¯m guessing my uncle¡¯s playing hardball.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Empress laughed, and that was a laugh of insanity. ¡°He¡¯s raising hell for you. I¡¯d never seen a mil fight two Guild Masters. Normally, all the mils I meet are either pushovers or assholes. Your uncle, though? He¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°Different? Freakish? Terrifying?¡±

    ¡°And more. He made Sophos shrink into her shoulders. Sophos! I¡­ Gosh, now I understand how you threatened Glory without batting an eye.¡±

    I chomped down on a cookie. ¡°Fighting above our weight class runs in our family.¡±

    One of her hands drifted to her stomach. She didn¡¯t immediately respond. Surely, she was thinking about Flow Reversal but kept the obvious question locked tight. Even if it was out of harmless curiosity. That, however, was a stark reminder of my crimes. I¡¯d used an Anti-Slayer Technique on her, attacked her, tried riddling her with holes and caving her head in. When she first walked through the door, I spat acid in her face. Hell, when I woke up for the first time, an apology was the furthest thing from my mind.

    It took a special idiot to bring a goody basket to the maniac who¡¯d tried killing them.

    It took a bigger and worse idiot to pretend it never happened, all because he was feeling a little sad.

    ¡°Shen¡ª¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± the words came out. I wasn¡¯t thinking. Apologies, genuine apologies, had to be thoughtful. Intentional. Already fucked that up, and I was biting down the urge to not slap myself in front of the nice murim-in lady.

    Empress raised an eyebrow, confused.

    I took a deep breath and started again, ¡°I want to apologize, Empress, for what happened last night. It was stupid and psychotic, call it what you want. You have every right to be pissed and screaming at me¡ª¡±

    She put her hands up. ¡°I¡¯m not gonna do that¡ª¡±

    ¡°I tried killing you.¡± (¡°That¡¯s not what happened¡ª¡±) ¡°I wanted to hurt you badly, I don¡¯t care, the facts are right there. My emotions got the better of me and I freaked out; that¡¯s the best way I could¡¯ve phrased it. Fortunately, karma came around, and now, look at me. I¡¯m so pale that I qualify to be a ghost.¡±

    Empress gestured at my sorry state. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call this ¡®karma¡¯¡ª¡± (¡°Consequences.¡±) ¡°¡ªshut up. You got hurt under my watch. I don¡¯t care if you made it difficult; my mission was to protect you.¡±

    I felt plastic crinkling underneath my arm. My cookies. I put them aside. ¡°Doesn¡¯t make up for the fact that I was out-of-line. Go ahead and mock me all you want; hell, punch me while you¡¯re at it. It¡¯s the least I deserve.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Empress threw her chips aside too, looking and sounding a little too eager about my sarcastic offer. ¡°Let¡¯s say I do it. Hard as I want, no holding back. Will this make us even?¡±

    Looks like I dug myself a hole, but I wasn¡¯t in a position to fight Empress. Not this time. I exhaled, the air whistling through my teeth. ¡°You¡¯ll have to explain to the nun, but take your best shot.¡±

    ¡°In that case.¡± She stood and clenched her fist. I expected a quick blow to the skull or to the leg¡ªsomething that would make me cry¡ªbut instead, the punch was like a mom and an airplane. It tapped my shoulder and it was barely a touch. ¡°Now we¡¯re even.¡±

    I looked at her fist, then at her. ¡°Empress¡ª¡±

    She retracted her hand. ¡°We¡¯re even. In fact, we¡¯re more than even. We¡¯re starting from scratch. Hi, my name¡¯s Leona Ryu, or Ryu Gyeong-hui (???), and I enjoy sleeping, long walks in the park, and reading philosophical treatises.¡±

    I kept looking at her.

    Empress cleared her throat and turned away, a little pink staining her cheeks. ¡°At least go along with the joke. Use your big head and pretend I don¡¯t work for Angels. I¡¯m just an acquaintance who¡¯s worried about you. I mean it. You¡¯ve been through a lot, and your next steps aren¡¯t that clear.¡±This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    A part of me immediately thought she was prying for additional intel, maybe to tip the scales in her bosses¡¯ favor. Angels had protected us but they didn¡¯t have our best interests at heart. Hell, maybe they planted a bug in the room to record every dirty secret. Or Empress, knowing how vulnerable I was, lied about Thea asking her in an attempt to lower my guard.

    These were crazy, paranoid thoughts. I was doubting my sanity more and more as Empress continued to sit quietly in her chair, smiling at me like everything was going to be just fine.

    Empress glanced toward the door. ¡°I won¡¯t force you to say anything. You can kick me out anytime you want.¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine, just¡­¡± I shrugged, too hard at that and made my shoulders ache. ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s next. Before, as long as we kept to ourselves and avoided some places, we¡¯d be okay. That¡¯s why we moved to Ordo.¡±

    ¡°So you didn¡¯t stay in America?¡± she asked, leaning against the bed¡¯s armrest.

    I laughed; I wanted to sound amused but I think I sounded depressed more than anything. ¡°You did your research on me. You think I want to stay after riding through Oasisgate and the Riots? Plus, we aren¡¯t on friendly terms with the Legends, and¡­ And well, my uncle had unfinished business in the States. I didn¡¯t want to get in the way of that.¡±

    ¡°Guess we have that in common.¡± Empress winked. ¡°Better here than Korea. Too many bad memories, bad people, bad everything. Where, though? If you¡¯re leaving the Capital behind.¡±

    ¡°Fuck if I know. I¡ªGod, even if we find somewhere nice and lowkey, I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll work out. Look, I¡­¡± I groaned and rubbed my eyes. ¡°I realized something, Empress: I¡¯ve been lying to myself. I thought a peaceful life was possible, it¡¯s not. That went out the window when Hangzhou kicked off and I awakened that [Skill]. Trying to chase after it is like catching a shooting star. It doesn¡¯t exist. Not for a guy like me, not for our family of freaks¡ª¡±

    ¡°Then join us,¡± blurted Empress.

    I blinked a couple times, spinning those three words in my head.

    Initially, I wanted to be pissed. I thought, ¡°That¡¯s her game all along! She wanted to recruit me!¡± Until that stupid look on her face proved me wrong. The weight of her words had sunk her caramel eyes to the floor, and her lower jaw hung dumbly. She wasn¡¯t a calculating murim-in, she was a complete dumbass.

    I coughed, fire igniting in my throat, but I ignored the pain. ¡°Repeat that¡ª?¡±

    ¡°Join Angels!¡± she fucking doubled-down and stood like she was going to ¡°punch¡± me again. ¡°If you¡¯re tired of running away, then join us¡ª¡±

    ¡°Hold on!¡± I threw my hand out and immediately regretted it. Pain, aches, the usual. ¡°I¡¯ll ignore how ridiculous your request is and look at the logistics. You need Rector¡¯s permission¡ª¡±

    Empress thrusted a finger at me. ¡°We¡¯re not talking about Rector, we¡¯re talking about you. You¡¯re right about everything, Shen. Everything. Running away won¡¯t give you a quiet life. Your SSS-Rank [Skill] paints a target on your back. You have enemies you don¡¯t even know yet, and you¡¯re too much of a vigilante to let things fly by.

    ¡°And long before today, you already knew that. Isn¡¯t that why you learned how to protect yourself? So I¡¯m offering you the next step: fight. Get stronger so they¡¯ll piss themselves thinking about you! We¡¯ll give you everything you want: money, resources, connections¡ªAngels Guild will protect you and your family¡ª¡±

    ¡°And how the hell do you know that¡ª?¡±

    ¡°Because they¡¯re protecting the heiress of the Demonic Cult.¡± She put a hand over her chest. ¡°And I promise you, they¡¯re great people doing the best they can. They¡¯ll take care of you, and you can make a life for yourself and your little sister. Even if you decide otherwise, please think about it.¡±

    I¡­

    ***

    ¡°I was surprised to hear Empress¡¯s invitation. I¡¯ll admit: I never thought they would extend a contract first,¡± Uncle Ali said, hovering by the window. To keep his eyes busy, he watched pedestrians and traffic, and he fidgeted with a random pen he found. ¡°It¡¯s not a terrible proposition by any means. What Empress is offering¡ªlet me correct myself, what Angels is offering¡ªis protection in exchange for our services. Practically-speaking, it¡¯s a badge of immortality. Most will think twice about targeting us.¡±

    ¡°It means we¡¯re throwin¡¯ our weight behind Angels,¡± said Althea. She sat next to my bed and helped herself to the goody basket Empress had brought in. I wasn¡¯t going to eat and drink that stuff anyway. Too much sugar and sodium.

    I commented, ¡°That¡¯s lot of risk.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s gonna be risk either way. We¡¯re basically picking ¡®tween jumping into a lion¡¯s enclosure or swimming in a pool of piranhas.¡± She rolled a candy wrapper between her palms. ¡°The thing is, if we want their full protection, we gotta give ¡®em our biography. Your SSS-Rank [Skill], my SSS-Rank [Skill], our family history, everything.¡±

    Uncle clicked hard with his pen, the ink-blotched tip shining in the sunlight. ¡°That¡¯s a given if we want to be serious partners with Angels. Or more aptly, employees. Agents, like Firebrand and Empress.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll get caught up in their business.¡± Althea leaned back in her chair and yawned.

    I chuckled. ¡°Thea, look at me, we already are.¡±

    ¡°I mean more caught up, idiot.¡± She playfully kicked my bed. ¡°C¡¯mon, we don¡¯t know what they¡¯re planning or why they decided to conduct a cosmo experiment. It¡¯s all unknowns. I wanna trust Angels, but things are always different on the inside.¡±

    Uncle turned away from the window. ¡°Let¡¯s also see things from their perspective. They¡¯re also taking as much risk as us. From out of nowhere, the Mother Alt targeted a random civilian. This random civilian and his immediate family happen to hold quite dangerous mysteries. How are they related to the Jianghu? What enemies have they made already? These are a few questions they have.¡±

    ¡°They already have Empress on their team, protecting her on Cheonma¡¯s behalf,¡± I mentioned. ¡°That¡¯s all we know so far. The rest of the team are blanks, but¡­¡±

    I looked at both of them. Althea was popping a chocolate caramel bomb into her mouth and Uncle Ali was cleaning his glasses out of habit rather than necessity. They weren¡¯t taking the offer as negatively as I thought; well, this was our future we were talking about. We had to look at the situation as impartial as possible.

    I asked the big question, ¡°What do you guys think?¡±

    Thea gulped, licked the caramel on her lips, and sighed. ¡°I think we oughta take it.¡±

    Uncle Ali barely reacted; he expected this answer. ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡±

    She gestured at me. ¡°I think it¡¯ll be great for Alex¡ª¡± (¡°It¡¯s not about me.¡±) ¡°¡ªit is about you, dumbass. This whole fuckin¡¯ thing is about you! Everyday, you keep saying how I¡¯m meant for ¡®great things,¡¯ but I can¡¯t expect the same from you?¡±

    I shook my head. ¡°That¡¯s different, Thea¡ª¡±

    ¡°Bullshit, it¡¯s different!¡± She rose higher in her seat. ¡°I never liked you working a corpo job ¡®cause y¡¯know why? It¡¯s not you¡ª¡± (¡°What do you know about me?¡±) ¡°¡ªI¡¯m your freakin¡¯ sister, dipshit. It¡¯s not you and you could be doing a lot better¡ª¡±

    ¡°Like what, chasing after movie deals and royalties¡ª?¡± (¡°That¡¯s not what I mean.¡±) ¡°¡ªI don¡¯t give a shit about stardom or a fat wallet¡ª¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not what I mean!¡± Thea yelled over me. I shut up, and she calmed down and stared at me with her big, stupid eyes. ¡°Seeing you like this fuckin¡¯ hurts, you know that? You¡­ You feed me, take care of me¡ªyou do everything, and you want nothing but the best so I can finally live a happy life again. A-And I just want the same for you, because I¡¯ve seen it, Alex. Living how you are right now, it¡¯s not gonna work. Not anymore. Like fuck, this might be a blessing in disguise, hehe¡­¡±

    She wiped her eyes, laughing it off. Guess I really am an asshole, huh? Ignoring my sister¡¯s feelings for so long, but maybe she was right. This was a blessing in disguise.

    Uncle Ali put a comforting hand on her shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡¯

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, stop¡ªI¡¯m fine, really¡­¡± Thea inhaled, sniffling. ¡°I think I made my point, yeah, heh. I think we should do it, and I mean it. We, us, together. I¡¯m not gonna budge on this.¡±

    I¡­ Alright, I don¡¯t have any grounds to argue. Didn¡¯t have the energy anyway. A part of me wished we made this decision under better circumstances, but this was the best we would ever get.

    Yet, what did I think about the offer? With my dwindling brain-cells, I¡¯d been combing through what Empress said, turning my thoughts around and around, playing out contingencies and worst-case scenarios. Since Hangzhou, we have been ¡°protecting ourselves.¡± We were the sleeping bear you didn¡¯t dare poke, but unfortunately, a bunch of hunters wanted our hides.

    Logically, the next step was to ¡°fight back.¡± It made sense on a rational level, but our SSS-Rank [Skills] scratched the surface of the Shens¡¯ family history. ¡°Fighting back¡± wasn¡¯t that simple¡ªimpossible for a family like us¡ªso the most we could do was survive. To do so, we had to change everything about how we lived. How I lived. I was going to be an official, licensed Slayer, finally putting my [Skills] to good use. I might be a celebrity. I might remain unknown. Anything could happen in this business, but one thing was certain: I will fight breachers and people and institutions far greater than me, beginning with the Mother Alternate.

    Joining Angels seemed like the ¡°correct¡± choice¡ªeven though my heart continued to twist and waver¡ªbut it was going to be obscenely difficult. I could always decline and return to the familiar and wait until another extradimensional monster came around. But¡­

    I swallowed and looked at my uncle. ¡°What do you think?¡±

    Uncle kept his hand on Thea¡¯s shoulder, looking down at the floor. ¡°I think striking a deal is inevitable, either now or in five years.¡±

    Thea looked up at him. ¡°What d¡¯you mean?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s look at our situation in a broader perspective. If we genuinely want to avoid all confrontations, we¡¯ll have to live like hermits. It¡¯s possible even in our day and age, but¡­¡± Uncle tensely laughed and patted my sister¡¯s shoulder. ¡°It won¡¯t be a satisfying life, nor do I want that life for you.¡±

    I followed his train of thought, ¡°So if we continue living like how we always had¡­¡±

    ¡°Someone will eventually knock on our door, someone who won¡¯t be as friendly as the Angels. We¡¯ll be no match for them, and I can¡¯t protect you forever. I wanted more time to prepare and think through our options since you left for Ordo, but our legacy caught up to us.¡±

    Thea said, ¡°Guessing you made a list?¡±

    Uncle nodded. ¡°A short one, a list of organizations that won¡¯t immediately enslave you. If I had the freedom to choose, it would be Angels Guild. They have a great track record and their resources are unparalleled. They¡¯re intelligent, honest, and share many of our adversaries.¡±

    I never thought it that way. Uncle was right, our current way of living wouldn¡¯t be enough to survive. Even if we move again, someone else would come along and they wouldn¡¯t be as nice as the Angels. We had a choice; with anyone else, there would be a gun pressed against our heads.

    ¡°So¡­¡± I started, not really thinking about my next words, ¡°...either way, we¡¯re signing a contract.¡±

    ¡°Guess that makes the decision a little easier,¡± Thea said, smiling sweetly at me. One of the few rare smiles she¡¯d give me.

    And she was right. This was our uncle talking. If he vouched for Angels Guild, then that was just as valuable as Kosmos personally recruiting us¡ªand that was no hyperbole. Everything pointed toward Angels. The logic, our characters, the world, everything said to [Register] under Angels.

    No more working as a corpo. No more hiding. Everything in our life thus far had led up to this. Mom and Dad, the Hangzhou Disaster, Oasisgate; it was all for this single monumental decision.

    Uncle brought us into a close hug; it was awkward for me, as I was still chained to the bed, but it didn¡¯t matter. ¡°I think we made our decision. Whatever happens next, I¡¯m proud of you. I¡¯ll give my life to protect you kids, and I¡¯ll do anything I want to make this transition as easy as possible. Hopefully, we¡¯ll find out why the Alt targeted Alex.¡±

    We quietly laughed together.

    ¡°I¡¯m ready as I¡¯ll ever be,¡± Thea said. ¡°I¡¯m kinda excited.¡±

    Meanwhile, I felt¡­ Honestly, I didn¡¯t know what I was feeling. ¡°I¡¯m tired, that¡¯s how I feel. But I¡¯m barely ready.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Uncle patted our backs. ¡°I¡¯ll tell Rector.¡±

    ***

    ¡°Shens,¡± was the first thing Rector said when he reentered my prison cell. ¡°I apologize for everything. Genuinely. From Sophos being a little gnome to Empress giving you a heart attack, Alexander. She doesn¡¯t have the authority to offer you a place in Angels, don¡¯t worry¡ª¡±

    ¡°We accept it,¡± my uncle said, speaking for us. ¡°We accept Empress¡¯s offer.¡±

    ¡°I know you¡¯re going to deny her. The last thing we want is more stress on¡ª¡± Rector stopped in the middle of his sentence and stared straight at him. ¡°What.¡±

    ¡°We discussed it, and we¡¯re accepting her offer.¡±

    ¡°I¡ªhold on, are you out of your damned minds¡ª?!¡±

 [FOR PEACE] Interlude - Registration

    Slayer System: Initiation

    Welcome, Alexander Shen, and thank you for [Registering]. You are now an official Slayer, acting in full capacity to protect your Worldline from threats in the greater universe. This page will serve as a brief summary of your new occupation as a Slayer. If you want further information, please read the individual pages.

    AS A SLAYER, you are expected to fight for the betterment of your Worldline.

    AS A SLAYER, you swear to deal no harm to your Worldline¡¯s stability.

    AS A SLAYER, you cannot turn away from your duties.

    AS A SLAYER, you are aware this status is for life.

    What is the Slayer System?

    The Slayer System is a permanent defensive protocol initiated by the Planet, first enacted when a Hole in the Fabric is detected.

    This ¡°Hole¡± is an emergency spatial breach that introduces otherworldly aliens. These aliens originate from Worldlines that are hopeless and destroyed; as a result, they are almost always hostile and pose an active threat to your world. If left unchecked, civilization will be destroyed and your Worldline will face Dissolution much like the invading Worldlines.

    To combat this fate, the System gives power to humanity by [Registering] them as Slayers. The System supports their survival effort against these hostile breaches. Today, thanks to your resilience, your civilization has experienced unimaginable growth and prosperity, developing a brighter world from the ash of old.

    What are Slayers?

    Slayers are [Registered] users of the System. During [Registration], you were implanted with a permanent Phenomenon Production System (PPS) inside your body, allowing you to perform phenomena that would normally be impossible. This phenomena is known as [Skills].

    Slayers are forever bound by the System to protect humanity from spatial breaches. To enforce your compliance, you will be given a [Weekly Commission] that will contribute to humanity¡¯s survival in some capacity and interpretation.

    All Slayers possess a [Slayer Rank] from F to EX, which is a determination of your experience and competence. Increasing your [Rank] will also increase the number of [Skill Slots] from 2 (F-Rank) through 11 (EX-Rank).

    All mechanics and functions of the System will be available to Slayers (unless you are a Junior Slayer) such as: the [Channel] messaging system, access to System Monetary Points (SMP) as a universal currency, and a competitive ranking system of [Fabel Rankings]. To find out more about the individual functions, please visit their respective pages.

    What are [Skills]?

    [Skills] are abilities that produce a certain phenomenal effect, such as discharging [Flames] or having a natural [Fire Resistance]. They can range from being active-use [Skills] or passive [Skills], but they are not limited to this spectrum. It can be said that [Skills] are a reflection of your identity and progress as a Slayer.

    Studying, practicing, training, and so on; they are your acquisition methods for new [Skills]. It is your prerogative to research acquisition methods that will best fit with your [Profile]. By adequately developing new abilities and furthering your existing talents, your Phenomenon Production System will crystalize your efforts as a [Skill].

    Some [Skills] do not take up a [Skill Slot]. These are [Awakened Skills]: [Skills] that cannot be separated from your [Profile]. Most Slayers will never see an [Awakened Skills], as they can only be gained through special circumstances. You, Alexander Shen, are among the special few. Congratulations!

    What are [Commissions]?

    [Commissions] are designated missions given by the System to complete, where you will be awarded SMP upon completion. There are multiple types of [Commissions]:

    [Weekly Commissions]: Weekly tasks to fulfill your obligation to humanity. Failure to complete your [Weekly Commission] will result in: fines, corporal punishment, demotion of [Slayer Rank], death, and other consequences.

    [Commissions]: Operational missions, such as resolving an expedition or completing a major project.

    [Subcomissions]: Smaller tasks that will eventually result in the completion of their respective [Commission].

    [Event Commissions]: Emergency tasks that require immediate completion.

    [Slayer Commission]: Tasks created by your fellow Slayers.

    [Rank Ascension Commission]: A required, tailor-made task that will increase your [Slayer Rank] upon completion.

    Conclusion

    This is the surface of what the System offers. We recommend you to read through the various informational pages and interact with your local community to better understand your new responsibilities. In your time, we also advise joining a guild or an organization, so you can become a productive warrior of humanity.

    All Slayers can choose a codename for themselves. The regulations are:

    1) No obscene language

    2) Identical codenames will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis

    3) No special characters

    4) Max limit of 30 characters

    [Please enter your codename here]

    ________________

    [You have entered ¡°Conqueror¡±]

    [Codename granted]

    [Welcome to the Slayer System, Conqueror]

    ***

    [Congratulations, Conqueror! Due to your past actions, you are now registered in the Fabel Rankings!]

    [Fabel Ranking]

    The [Fabel Rankings] is a System-sponsored ranking system based on multiple metrics including but not limited to: combat ability, accomplishments, humanitarian work, popularity, and so on. The [Rankings] consist of multiple categories based on occupation, geographical area, and more. There are two main [Rankings]: Slayers and guilds.

    Slayers:

    The most comprehensive [Ranking] is [General Ranking], which takes the entire population of Slayers. Every Slayer is organized into six distinct brackets:

    <ol>

    <li style="font-weight: 400">Tale: 100% of Slayers</li>

    <li style="font-weight: 400">Chronicle: Top 75% of Slayers</li>

    <li style="font-weight: 400">Saga: Top 50% of Slayers</li>

    <li style="font-weight: 400">Epic: Top 25% of Slayers</li>

    <li style="font-weight: 400">Legend: Top 10% of Slayers</li>

    <li style="font-weight: 400">Mythos: Top 1% of Slayers</li>

    </ol>

    Only Mythos Slayers are ranked numerically. All Legend Slayers onwards are eligible for a [Fabel Title] such as ¡°Shooting Star Miracle¡± for Mythos 1 Kosmos.

    Another significant [Ranking] is the [Geographical Rankings]. For you, Conqueror, your current residence is the Slayer Capital, Ordo. This means you will be ranked against fellow Slayers within the city-state. [Guild Rankings] are similar in this regard, where you will be ranked against your fellow colleagues in Angels Guild.

    There are additional [Geographical Rankings] beyond city-level, and other categories that are not solely based on geography! Please explore during your own time!

    Guilds:

    Guilds are separated into their own category. Like [General Rankings], guilds have the [General Guild Rankings]. Every existing guild is organized into six distinct brackets:

    <ol>

    <li style="font-weight: 400">Manor: 100% of guilds</li>

    <li style="font-weight: 400">Castle: Top 75% of guilds</li>

    <li style="font-weight: 400">Citadel: Top 50% of guilds</li>

    <li style="font-weight: 400">Palace: Top 25% of guilds</li>

    <li style="font-weight: 400">Kingdom: Top 10% of guilds</li>

    <li style="font-weight: 400">Dominion: Top 1% of guilds</li>

    </ol>

    Only Dominion Guilds are ranked numerically. Otherwise, the same [Ranking] categories exist for guilds as they do for Slayers! Please explore during your own time!

    [Your Rankings¡­]

    General Ranking: Chronicle (Deep Arcana)

    Geographical Ranking - Ordo: N/A

    Geographical Ranking - Asia: N/A

    Specialty Ranking - Weaponmaster: N/A

    Guild Ranking - Angels Guild: N/A

    If no data-value appears, then you: 1) are registered as a Deep Arcana which will affect your ranking; 2) haven¡¯t performed significantly enough to be ranked; or 3) your actual numerical rank is too high to be meaningful.

    Being marked as Deep Arcana indicates that your true capability is not yet measured/revealed; thus, any calculations will be inaccurate.

    You may go into your [Privacy Settings] if you wish to reveal or conceal your [Rankings] to other Slayers.

    ***

    General Guild Rankings: Top 10

    1st: Otherguard Security Forces

    2nd: The Vatican

    3rd: Phenomena Society

    4rd: Seven Seas Division

    5th: Martial Zenith Sect

    6th: Taeyang Guild Systems

    7th: Fushimi Clan

    8th: Cloud & Sky Division

    9th: Legends Guild

    10th: Angels Guild

    General Rankings: Top 15

    1st: Shooting Star Miracle, Kosmos

    2nd: First Magician, PhenomenaEnsure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

    3rd: He Who Had Reached Heaven, Longwang (ÁúÍõ)

    4th: God Smiles, Testament

    5th: Once and Future King, Monarch

    6th: Zheng Da Guang Ming (Õý´ó¹âÃ÷), Elder Judge Shui Yuan (Ë®Ô´)

    7th: Reflection in Blades, Yomiya Yasuyuki (ÓàŒmÒ¹Ñ©)

    8th: Charity, Flowers, and Justice; Hwarang (??)

    9th: Old Listener of the Bellowing Sea, Nautica

    10th: Wolkenk?nig, Grand Architect Johann

    11th: Night Parade Maiden, Fushimi Kuzuha (·üÒŠ¸ðÈ~)

    12th: Immortal Armor, Apocrypha

    13th: Crimson Moon Serpent, Cheonma (??)

    14th: Warlock of the End, Geburah Sephirah

    15th: System Breaker, Cross (V)

    What does ¡°V¡± stand for?

    ¡°V¡± represents a ¡°Valiant¡± candidate. Valiants are [Unregistered] individuals¡ªin other words, a regular human without the Slayer System¡ªwho have performed tremendous feats that deserve recognition.

    ***

    [SLAYER SYSTEM PROFILE]

    Name: Alexander Shen

    Codename: Conqueror

    Slayer Rank: E-Rank Slayer

    Fabel Ranking: Chronicle (Deep Arcana)

    Skills: 4/3

    Memento Recollection

    Rank SSS

    Type: Item Accumulation

    Description: You possess the special power to materialize your interpersonal relationships as physical items. These items are called [Mementos], created when you have established a significant bond with an individual (the holder). Each [Memento] is ranked from F (weakest) to SSS (strongest) depending on the relationship.

    The rank is dynamic. If the holder is deceased, the [Memento] will remain but its rank cannot be changed. There is no limit to how many [Mementos] you are able to acquire. You can receive a personal description of each [Memento] upon selecting it. You cannot use duplicate [Mementos] simultaneously unless explicitly stated.

    This is an [Awakened Skill] and is thus always active without taking up a [Skill Slot].

    Certain Shot

    Rank A

    Type: Concept Application

    Description: Apply the Certainty Principle to any launched projectiles. They will hit their determined target in a theoretical reality, however still obeying natural law and logic in the real world.

    Forged Skin

    Rank A

    Type: Body Enhancement

    Description: Through brutal conditioning conducted by your uncle, your skin has become harder than steel and resist damages of almost every type.

    Mana Impact

    Rank C

    Type: Internal Energy Manipulation

    Description: Condense mana in a determined point inside your body and release it upon impact. You are able to control the quantity of mana condensed. Higher concentration will produce a more powerful result.

    Acquired Skills

    Home Cook

    Rank B

    Type: Cognitive Enhancement

    Description: You are able to remember all recipes you have cooked previously down to the individual ingredients and measurements required.

    Intimidating Presence

    Rank C+

    Type: Presence Enhancement

    Description: Apply mild intimidation to any weak-willed individuals around you. You are able to toggle this [Skill] on and off at will.

    Algebraic Mind

    Rank C

    Type: Cognitive Enhancement

    Description: You can mentally perform difficult algebra without the use of a calculator.

    Note Transfer

    Rank C

    Type: Reality-System

    Description: You are able to transfer all contents from your [Notes] into physical documents or electronic files and vice-versa.

    Undeveloped Skills

    Anti-Slayer Technique

    Rank SS

    Type: Nested, Pressure Point Techniques

    Linked Skills: Sixteen-Point Obliteration [SS], Sixteen-Point Incapacitation [SS] [?], Momentum Kill [S], Flow Reversal [S] [?], Phenomena Negative [S]

    Description: Created by Alistair Romanos, your uncle, these techniques were specifically designed for a single purpose: to eliminate Slayers as a regular, Systemless human. Today, the Anti-Slayer Techniques are said to be the greatest and most coveted countermeasure against Slayers.

    Acquisition Requirement: You must attain adequate mastery over all five linked [Skills]. Current progress: [2/5].

    Mementos

    Chain Gauntlets

    Rank A+

    Holder: Bastien Romanos (deceased)

    Memento Type: Gauntlet

    Description: The [Memento] of your father, taking the form of tightly-wound chains. His wisdom and teachings are crystalized within these hands. Above all, they contain his sins, his regrets, and his responsibility. Much like how your own hands have scars.

    Special Effect: You may unravel the [Gauntlets] into long chain-lengths.

    Yuzhou

    Rank A+

    Holder: Shen Xingyu (deceased)

    Memento Type: Armor

    Description: The [Memento] of your mother, taking the form of full-body armor. This [Armor] is protection. Warmth. Security. It will protect you from the outside world and endure as a constant reminder of her bright spirit. Always look towards the light, she says, and remember who made you smile.

    Special Effect: When paired with [Chain Gauntlets], [Technique Daggers], or [Nightingale Watch], increase the rank of this [Memento] to S.

    Technique Daggers

    Rank A

    Holder: Althea Shen

    Memento Type: Dagger

    Description: The [Memento] of your younger sister, taking the form of silversteel daggers. You¡¯ve been through everything together, from the moment you held her tiny hand to today. Even if the world is falling down, you would crawl through Hell for her.

    Special Effect: When using [Technique Daggers], you may summon additional [Daggers] up to the number of [Techniques] in your sister¡¯s possession. The maximum is currently 4.

    Nightingale Watch

    Rank A

    Holder: Alistair Romanos

    Memento Type: Magick Firearms

    Description: The [Memento] of your uncle, taking the form of matte-black magick firearms modeled after their real-life counterparts. He imparted you with many things: his infamous Anti-Slayer Techniques, his combat experience, and his philosophy. Violence can only be subjugated through extreme violence. That¡¯s the way of the horrible world for people like us.

    Special Effect: This [Memento] takes the form of individual firearms: [Nightingale Pistol], [Nightingale Rifle], and [Nightingale Shotgun].

    *

    Name: Althea Shen

    Codename: N/A

    Slayer Rank: E-Rank Slayer

    Fabel Rank: Chronicle (Deep Arcana)

    Skills: 4/3

    Technique Sovereign

    Rank SSS

    Type: Skill Accumulation

    Description: By thoroughly understanding an individual, you can create an inspired ability: these are called [Techniques]. There is no limit to how many [Techniques] you are able to create and store. [Techniques] are ranked according to your understanding of an individual (the holder), from F (weak understanding) to SSS (very strong understanding).

    [Techniques] have fluid growth, changing according to sudden events and your own perspective. If the comprehended individual is deceased, their respective [Technique] can still undergo development. It is possible to lose [Techniques] through dramatic events. Only one [Technique] is allowed for each individual. You can receive a personal description of each [Technique] upon selecting it.

    This is an [Awakened Skill] and is thus always active without taking up a [Skill Slot].

    Blur

    Rank A

    Type: Mobility

    Description: Upon activation, you are able to move so fast that your body becomes a blur to the naked eye.

    Always Sharp

    Rank B

    Type: Concept Application

    Description: Whenever you hold an edged object, it will always be razor sharp regardless of its condition. This has no effect on the object¡¯s durability, however.

    Thick Skin

    Rank D

    Type: Body Enhancement

    Description: Through brutal conditioning conducted by your uncle, your skin is tougher than the average person and can withstand light damage.

    Acquired Skills

    Fast Reader

    Rank C

    Type: Cognitive Enhancement

    Description: You can zoom through text at an incredible speed!

    Holographic Mirror

    Rank D

    Type: Holographic Projection

    Description: Whenever you¡¯re looking at a piece of clothing or accessory, you can summon a holographic projection of yourself wearing your chosen article.

    Undeveloped Skills

    Anti-Slayer Technique

    Rank SS

    Type: Nested, Pressure Point Techniques

    Linked Skills: Sixteen-Point Obliteration [SS], Sixteen-Point Incapacitation [SS] [?], Momentum Kill [S], Flow Reversal [S], Phenomena Negative [S]

    Description: Created by Alistair Romanos, your uncle, these techniques were specifically designed for a single purpose: to eliminate Slayers as a regular, [Unregistered] human. Today, the Anti-Slayer Techniques are said to be the greatest and most coveted countermeasure against Slayers.

    Acquisition Requirement: You must attain adequate mastery over all five linked [Skills]. Current progress: [1/5].

    Techniques

    Memento Echo

    Rank S

    Holder: Alexander Shen

    Technique Type: Item Replication

    Description: The [Technique] of your older brother, who¡¯s too stupid for his own good. Through observation, you can perfectly replicate the signatures of others and retain any special effects (if available). This extends to any [Memento] from [Memento Recollection]. [Echoes] have a maximum duration of ten minutes, and you can retain only one [Echo] at a given time. Some [Echoes] cannot be replicated.

    Observation Lock

    Rank S

    Holder: Shen Xingyu

    Technique Type: Skill Replication

    Description: The [Technique] of the best mother in the whole world. When observing a [Skill Activation], you can [Lock] the [Skill] and use it as your own. The [Locked Skill] lasts for five minutes or is replaced by another. You are able to refresh the duration with additional observation. You can possess only one [Locked Skill] at a time. Some [Skills] cannot be [Locked].

    Stalwart Bastion

    Rank S

    Holder: Bastien Romanos

    Technique Type: Body Enhancement

    Description: The [Technique] of your father, and you can never forget the warmth of his arms. Thicken your muscles, your tendons and ligaments¡ªevery part of your body can exert tenfold the strength, resilience, and durability than before. The maximum duration is five minutes.

    Execute

    Rank A

    Holder: Alistair Romanos

    Technique Type: Concept Application

    Description: The [Technique] of your uncle, who did everything to raise you and your brother. Mark any living target with [Execute]. The [Execute Mark] will take the physical shape of the target¡¯s lifeforce. Destroying the [Mark], then, will conceptually kill the target; however, the shape and difficulty will depend on the target themselves. You may only have one [Execute Mark] active at a given time, and the [Mark] will last for thirty minutes before expiring.

    *

    Weekly Commission: Alternate Investigation Team

    Weekly Pay: 48,000smp

    Description: You have been assigned to investigate the mysterious Alternates that have invaded Ordo. Gather information and compile your findings with your other team members to solve the case.

 [FOR PEACE] Chapter 13 - Alexander Shen, Your Average Slayer

    <blockquote>

    @Jumjumjum

    Is it me, or is it really strange that we don¡¯t have any more details about the breakthrough @ First Wave? It¡¯s been four days. I think they¡¯re hiding something. Breakthroughs don¡¯t happen like this.

    @spearhead_official

    Hey, Slayer here. Breakthroughs happen more often than you think, but they rarely cause any damage. They¡¯re mostly stray animals walking through the breach. You¡¯re right, though. The breakthrough at First Wave is incredibly odd *especially* seeing pictures of the damage. None of the Big Four or the Encampment have described what the breacher was.

    @ordoianupdates

    After the unexpected breakthrough at Primordial Plaza, the First Wave is proceeding without delay for the Big Four. Reports say that applicants are already receiving their invitations. Between now and Friday, we should see the Big Four dropping an official schedule of their individual guild exams.

    @fredpods

    BREAKING: CEO of System Articles, Kieta Fujimura, has reportedly attempted suicide in custody. His condition is currently unknown

    @victorsss

    I GOT INNNNNNNNNNN

    </blockquote>

    [Group Private Message - knights of kotone]

    [Members: Uprise (creator), Victor, Forest Master, Conqueror]

    [Victor]

    [image attached]

    I GOT IN BOYS

    [Conqueror]

    congrats maybe you can get your wings like me

    [Victor]

    fuck you

    how the hell are you even an angel again?

    [Conqueror]

    Circumstances

    [Forest Master]

    Circumstances aside, congratulations on your good news

    [Victor]

    thanks we¡¯re all getting a stroke of good luck

    [Conqueror]

    Not me

    [Victor]

    stfu

    how¡¯s kotone doing?

    [Forest Master]

    She¡¯s hopping on her bed like a puppy. Our work is far from over, though. Pundits said the competition this year is ¡°noticeably fierce,¡± and yet the number of spots remain the same. Martials Guild will be yet another challenge for us.

    [Victor]

    yup

    you think a spot will open if alex dies?

    [Conqueror]

    Try me

    [Victor]

    in fact since you¡¯re an angel now what do you know about the upcoming exams?

    [Conqueror]

    You do realize that¡¯s breaking company policy + I¡¯m not involved with the tryouts in any capacity

    [Victor]

    damn guess i gotta figure out another way to cheat

    [Conqueror]

    Officially we don¡¯t know each other

    [Forest Master]

    I¡¯m also assuming you can¡¯t help us prepare for exams?

    [Conqueror]

    That¡¯s also against policy yeah but I don¡¯t have the time anyway

    Yknow when I registered I thought I¡¯d be jumping straight into work but no, of course not

    For the past few days it¡¯s all fucking admin and bureaucracy bullshit, and that¡¯s *with* Angels expediting everything

    They said it¡¯d normally ¡°take weeks¡± without Angels

    [Victor]

    rip my dad takes care of that stuff for me

    [Forest Master]

    Imagine how painful it was for me, a disgraced xia fleeing from her homeland. I had to sit through hours upon hours of ¡°interviews¡± to ensure I wasn¡¯t a spy sent by the Court and among other things. Not to mention the blatant sexual harassment

    I¡¯m surprised I left the Encampment without drawing blood

    [Conqueror]

    frfr

    [Victor]

    whatcha doing rn tho?

    getting along with your new team? bombing the camps?

    [Conqueror]

    Finishing up licensing, then I¡¯m done. Just gotta wait for the pencil pushers to process their shit

    Thea¡¯s coming later

    [Forest Master]

    Why¡¯s that?

    [Conqueror]

    My bosses don¡¯t know what to do with her just yet but they want me working right away

    [Victor]

    damn was gonna ask if you wanted drinks tn

    after everythings done ig

    [Conqueror]

    We¡¯ll celebrate one way or another

    Or mourn

    [Victor]

    @Uprise kick him

    ¡°...Talking to your friends?¡± asked my new Team Leader, Celestial Empress. Outside of work, she was Leo. She peeked between me and the road, curiosity getting the better of her. She was the driver as decreed by rock-paper-scissors.

    I brushed the System screen away. ¡°One of my friends just got an invite to earn his wings.¡±

    ¡°How exciting,¡± she said, tapping her finger on the wheel. ¡°What is he like?¡±

    ¡°Oh, he¡¯s the typical cradle. He¡¯s rich, chronically stupid, a sexual deviant, probably will get arrested for tax fraud in ten years¡ª¡± (¡°Alex.¡±) ¡°¡ªbut he¡¯s a decent guy. Better than most cradles I¡¯ve met. They¡¯re almost always spoiled and entitled like a few people I know.¡±

    I looked at her for the last part.

    Leo had a dangerously sweet smile on her face. ¡°You do realize I¡¯m driving, right? And oh, would you look at that? I think I see a telephone pole with our names on it.¡±

    I rolled my eyes and propped my elbow on the passenger door. ¡°I¡¯m the one with [Armor], princess.¡±

    ¡°It won¡¯t save you from an explosion.¡± She playfully nudged me. ¡°You haven¡¯t told your friends about what happened, right? Lips sealed?¡±

    I nodded, watching cars and people fly by. ¡°I was honest: something big happened and I can¡¯t disclose anything. They probably suspect that we were involved with the breakthrough, but they know better than to ask questions. Asking questions is an easy way to admire the pearly gates.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re not gonna kill them¡ª!¡±

    ¡°I almost died.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because the Alt nearly did you in,¡± whined Leo, braking harder than necessary at the stoplight.

    I winced, the seatbelt squeezing my chest as we got moving again. ¡°So you tried indirectly killing me.¡±

    ¡°Shut up. I really will crash us into a telephone pole and leave you in the wreck.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s another threat, princess¡ª¡±

    Leo stomped on the brakes and nearly forced my heart through my throat. For the rest of the car-ride, we remained in silence while a podcast played on the radio. Something about a K-pop idol; Thea¡¯s recommendation I think. They were both into the same things, I didn¡¯t care for it.

    Thank God, though, no more long car-rides with this maniac. Angels Guild had expedited the process and pushed me through the system. We (them) spent obscene money on fees and taxes, went through a dozen pens, but we were in the final stages now. "We," as in myself and Althea, despite my little sister being benched for the Alternate investigation.

    Not even a week ago, I was combing through job listings; now, wings fell on my lap. I was in Primes, working directly for Seraph and Rector, and had a salary and benefits that¡¯d make most weep in envy. Sounded good on the outside¡ªfucking, it sounded euphoric. However, once you knew about the circumstances around my contract¡­

    Well, you¡¯d have a heart attack.

    ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± Leo said as we rolled through the gates. The protective barrier allowed us through without a hitch.

    Here we were, one of Ordo¡¯s most renowned tourist destinations: Angels Guild Headquarters. In the beginning, Seraph and Rector and Kosmos were a single Slayer Team living in a small apartment. Look at them now. In less than two decades, their HQ rivaled college campuses. Except for students running to and from class, you had corpos and swords walking together and tour groups making way. This place had everything you needed for a guild: admin and corporate facilities concentrated together, workshops and labs and blacksmiths dispersed all over, a giant courtyard that was more court than yard, a hospital (which I¡¯d stayed in), and that was scratching the surface.

    One of the busiest places on Earth, where you could brush shoulders against high-rankers and a little kid with fake wings on his back.

    We parked and made our way toward the Wings¡ªthe heart of Angels HQ. It wasn¡¯t anything special, honestly. It looked like your average skyscraper, but most skyscrapers didn¡¯t have large wings stuck to its face. That was the logo of Angels Guild: two flawless white wings, outstretched to embrace the world.

    I¡¯d never toured any of the Big Four for obvious reasons, so this? This was overwhelming. It¡¯d take me months to get used to this sight. It¡¯d take even longer for me to get used to the attention. Eyes, more eyes, whispers and gossip; all directed toward us. At Leo, mostly. Angels Guild had an army of celebrities in its ranks, but Celestial Empress was in a league of her own. She was a princess in the Demonic Cult and in Angels; to the swords and corpos observing us, someone like her shouldn¡¯t be escorting a random asshole like me.

    ¡°Don¡¯t lose your head, Conq,¡± Leo teased as we entered the Wings. ¡°C¡¯mon, let¡¯s go.¡±

    One elevator ride later, we were at the top floor. It was the opposite of the ground floor: pristine, orderly, quiet. Silent, even, but not to provide an ideal working environment. It was the silence of respect, dignity. Great things happened here, greater people worked here. As soon as you stepped out of the elevator, you couldn¡¯t help but exhale in awe and simultaneously realize your tiny, tiny place in the world.

    And I felt tiny and tinier with every step I took down these sacred halls and toward the simple yet deceiving double-doors at the end.

    This would be the first of many times where I visit the Office of the Guild Masters.

    Leo knocked. ¡°It¡¯s us.¡±

    The doors automatically opened.

    The Office of the Guild Masters was cozier and warmer than I expected, like a personal study inside a grand mansion. It was packed with decoration, but not crowded. My eyes were yanked in a million different directions, hopping from one curio to the next. ¡°What was this?¡± ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°Am I allowed to touch it?¡± These questions rattled my head. There were trophies and trinkets and books, liquor and tea locked behind glass, and incense was in the air. I didn¡¯t know what most of this stuff was, but they all contributed to a single word: legacy. Give it a century and museums would have recreations of this office in exhibits.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    My eyes followed the dark beige carpet, over the large Arabian rug and a seating area for guests, and ended at two massive desks facing each other. They divided the room in half. The left was organized, professional you could say, yet hadn¡¯t seen much use. At least, compared to its counterpart. That desk was what I imagined from a Guild Master: a complete and total tornado of papers and files. They stacked so high that they blocked out the back of a monitor.

    ¡°Ignore the mess,¡± a dark-skinned man greeted us, standing from the very same desk. ¡°I promise myself that I¡¯ll take care of it, but let¡¯s be honest, that¡¯s a pipe dream.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because you¡¯re way too busy¡­¡± a short Japanese girl said above a murmur. Compared to the Vice Guild Master, her presence was like an ant''s. She sank into her shoulders and enjoyed counting the dust molecules on the floor. Monochrome hair framed her round cheeks and tired eyes. Had to be eighteen at least, twenty at the oldest.

    I¡¯d rather not judge based on appearances, but she didn¡¯t look much of a fighter. Not like me and the princess over here.

    Rector physically brushed her comment aside with a hand. ¡°I can handle my schedule just fine enough, Chie. And¡­¡± He looked down at her wardrobe and sighed in disappointment. ¡°You could¡¯ve worn something nicer¡­¡±

    ¡°This is all I had.¡± She pulled down her baggy t-shirt, which had a full cast of characters from an anime. ¡°I don¡¯t go out of my workshop anyway."

    Leo snorted and patted my shoulder; she took a seat on one of the couches and made herself at home.

    ¡°Chie, an investment in something nice wouldn¡¯t hurt¡ªyou know what, never mind.¡± Rector walked around and clapped the small girl by the shoulders. ¡°Conqueror, this munchkin is Fukumoto Chie (¸£±¾Ç§{); otherwise known as your team engineer, Sage.¡±

    There wasn¡¯t any information online about Sage, so I was coming in blind. She looked innocent enough, at least. Small, introverted, but nothing malicious. Though, with a name like ¡°Sage,¡± I thought she¡¯d be eccentric. Artisans were usually wackjobs.

    Sage weakly waved.

    I waved back. ¡°Hi.¡±

    Leo rolled her eyes. ¡°You had a million things to say during the car-ride, but only a ¡®hi¡¯ here? Really?¡±

    ¡°Well, I can¡¯t act normally with that thing¡ª¡± I pointed at the skull of a four-horned breacher mounted on the wall, ¡°¡ªstaring at me, princess, but alright. I apologize, Sage. Alexander Shen, Conqueror, call me whatever.¡±

    Sage nodded and attempted to maintain eye-contact; she failed a second into the challenge and turned to the floor again, rubbing her arm. ¡°C-Chie works just fine. It¡¯s, erm, it¡¯s very good to meet you, Alex. Mhm. Now that I¡¯ve introduced myself¡ª¡±

    Chie took a single step, and Rector pushed her toward Leo. (¡°Wah?!¡±) ¡°You¡¯re not escaping that easily¡ª¡± (¡°But I have a million projects to finish¡ª! My [Yokais]!¡±) ¡°¡ªuh huh, sit down.¡±

    I stifled a laugh from coming on as Chie was forced to sit next to Leo.

    I found Rector sighing again. I asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Guild Master Seraph? I thought I¡¯d be meeting her too.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s working on the try-outs, but she promised that she¡¯ll meet you personally. Wherever and whenever that will be,¡± Rector said, gesturing toward the seating. ¡°Now, it¡¯s your turn to sit. I know you¡¯d rather be at home than talking with me.¡±

    I didn¡¯t protest, and we gathered around a table in the middle. Somehow, I missed the big fucking crate sitting on top. You could squeeze a grown man inside if you bent his arms and legs into the fetal position.

    Rector took a comfortable lounge-chair as the king of the court. As one of his retainers, he saw me eyeing the crate and smiled. ¡°Do you remember the signature request form you filled out? Here it is.¡±

    ¡°I hope you like it!¡± Chie exclaimed, mustering a small but proud smile. Never thought I¡¯d receive a Christmas present this early, but the great Sage was a little miracle worker. Leo did say she was ¡°yet another prodigy on the team,¡± and that seemed to be true.

    Every Slayer needed equipment specifically designed for them. These were signatures. For the public, they were cultural icons. Take Seraph as an example. She wielded [Ascalon Creed]; you¡¯d find thousands of foam replicas in the gift shop. Sigs weren¡¯t limited to only weapons, though, but the most well-known sigs were almost always weapons.

    Speaking of weapons, that put me in an awkward spot with deciding my first sig. I didn¡¯t need them when [Memento Recollection] was a thing. I¡¯d have plenty of weapons on hand and more in the future. Instead, with the advice of Uncle Ali and Leo, we shifted focus: what would be most beneficial regardless if [Memento Recollection] was active? We decided it¡¯d be universal protection, so I gave my measurements.

    Chie had interpreted my wish and stuffed it inside that crate. ¡°Open it,¡± she said. "You can have the honors.¡±

    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± I stood. My fingers found the latch, and the heavy lid was thrown open.

    Inside was a beautifully-crafted black-and-silver bodysuit, seemingly inspired by military designs or even adapted from an existing one. Across almost every inch, armor plating was woven into the fabric, in a geometric pattern, to the point where this thing was more plates than suit. Despite that, the armor was surprisingly light. It¡¯d give me adequate protection while sacrificing little maneuverability in the process.

    After taking the bodysuit out of the crate, I found more clothes packed inside. Pants, combat boots, and a pair of gloves. All black. There was also a fancy-looking earpiece too for comms. Guess they were saving me the pain of looking like a bad comic book superhero, having to stroll around the city in a skintight bodysuit.

    Chie joined me from a safe and comfortable distance. She admired her own craftsmanship, and some of the anxiety melted in her emerald eyes. ¡°I had to make some compromises with your armor. Like prioritizing slash and stab protection over ballistics and spells. This is only the first iteration, though, so erm, don¡¯t expect perfection right away. It should perform adequately enough. For that reason, I¡¯d like you to collect valuable data while you¡¯re in the field.¡±

    I smiled and nodded, trying to paint gratitude plain on my face. ¡°I¡¯ll be thorough with my report when everything¡¯s said and done.¡±

    But Chie wasn¡¯t looking at me. She only nodded in response. ¡°Thank you, and I apologize if you encounter any issues. Now, uhm, can you put it on?¡±

    I looked around the room. ¡°Where?¡±

    Rector pointed at the doors. ¡°There¡¯s a bathroom down the hall. Take the first right, and you should see a sign.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡± Then, I looked at all the junk on the table. ¡°How am I going to carry this to the bathroom?¡±

    ***

    High Intensity Combat Suit

    Rank A

    Type: Armor

    Description: Manufactured by team engineer Sage (that¡¯s me!), your [High Intensity Combat Suit] is a lightweight combat bodysuit that¡¯ll serve you well in the field! On Celestial Empress¡¯s recommendation, your [Combat Suit] is paired with additional clothes so you don¡¯t have to fight wearing only a skintight bodysuit. For additional information, please tap on this link.

    [Loadout Registering¡­Saved!]

    Current Loadout

    Weapon(s): N/A

    Armor: [High Intensity Combat Suit]

    Accessories: N/A

    There we go. Of all the mechanics the Slayer System offered, the [Loadout] function was arguably the most convenient. It acted as an instant wardrobe, replacing your civilian clothes with your saved [Loadout]. Outside of combat, it meant everything saved in your [Loadout] would be stored by the System in a hidden dimensional pocket. You could pull items out at any time, yeah, but that was the extent. It wasn¡¯t an inventory like what you¡¯d see in video games.

    Putting everything on was a lot more time-consuming than I thought, which was why the [Loadout] function existed, probably. To save minutes when seconds mattered.

    I entered the Office of the Guild Masters for the second time; for a moment, I expected Leo and Chie to blind me with camera flashes, taking an obscene number of photos to celebrate the occasion. But they weren¡¯t in the room. Neither them or the massive hulking crate. Just Rector, sitting in the same chair. Something was on the table: a packet.

    Rector waved and pointed at my new get-up. ¡°Looks great, Conqueror. I¡¯m glad all the money I¡¯m spending on you isn¡¯t wasted. Anyhow, the girls are bringing the crate back to Chie¡¯s workshop.¡±

    ¡°Right, thanks.¡± I sat down in the same spot. ¡°In other words, you wanted a private discussion. I doubt you wanted to complain about the licensing process with me.¡±

    Hearing my straightforwardness made him stiffly smile. ¡°Trust me, Conqueror, my rants about Ordo¡¯s current systemic policies are enough to fill books. That¡¯s besides the point. Here.¡±

    He pushed the packet toward me, and I picked it up. It was a contract. Flipping through the pages, nothing seemed off. All standard practice you¡¯d find in guilds.

    Rector explained, ¡°Normally, we would do this in reverse, but this is extraordinary circumstances. I wouldn¡¯t take the contract seriously; this is a formality. A¡ªwhat¡¯s the word?¡ªa paper trail in case we need it. Otherwise, our agreement is completely off-the-books. Other than [Private Messages], nothing will be written in ink. Nobody will know about your SSS-Rank [Skill] or¡­¡±

    He gulped. ¡°Your sister¡¯s SSS-Rank [Skill] either. I¡¯ve spoken with Sophos and she swore to secrecy. Despite my strong opinions about her professionality, she can be trusted on this.¡±

    ¡°And our previous clause still stands?¡± I asked, mindlessly reading the contract. ¡°No one else knows unless they need to?¡±

    ¡°Correct, Chie doesn¡¯t know. For her and everyone else, [Memento Recollection] and [Technique Sovereign] are S-Ranks. It cuts both ways too, Conqueror.¡±

    I raised an eyebrow. ¡°Pardon?¡±

    Rector glanced at the door like someone was about to walk in at any second. ¡°If you haven¡¯t noticed already, this team is¡­ Well, it¡¯s not a team of highly-trained operatives. Far from it. They¡¯re bumbling idiots half the time, but they have secrets just like you. Some even as consequential. They won¡¯t know yours, and you won¡¯t know theirs unless they share first. Out of respect for your new teammates, don¡¯t pry.

    ¡°Especially Chie and Aiden. We didn¡¯t consult with them when we made the decision to recruit you. Chie¡ªLord bless her¡ªwas welcoming. She''s shy now, but once she warms up to you, she''s wonderful. Aiden...? Not so much. I¡¯m telling you this ahead of time so you can anticipate some conflict.¡±

    Sage and Firebrand¡­ I remember reading something about the latter. He reportedly joined Angels Guild at fourteen; since then, he had a fiery reputation amongst his colleagues. Makes sense, I guess. Couldn¡¯t expect everyone to hold hands and sing happy songs.

    I nodded. ¡°Yessir.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll share the same message to your family. We¡ªobviously, me, Seraph, and Kosmos¡ªare trying to figure out what to do with them. As we said before, we aren¡¯t comfortable with Althea joining the Alternate investigation, and your uncle is¡­¡± Rector paused. ¡°I honestly don¡¯t know.¡±

    I laughed, putting the contract on the table. ¡°Yeah, I asked him about what his preferences but all he did was shrug his shoulders.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll figure something out, hopefully. But erm¡­¡± Rector vaguely gestured at his head. ¡°Does your family enjoy introducing themselves via threats? As I recall, you pinned Leo against the wall¡ª¡± (¡°I did.¡±) ¡°¡ªand your uncle, he¡­¡± Rector paused again, sounding a mix between shock and exhaustion. ¡°Broke into this office and pressed a gun against my temple."

    You know, I never found out how my uncle introduced himself to Rector, but that sounded like him. I said, ¡°I think that¡¯s a family secret, sir.¡±

    Rector laughed and scratched his head¡ªmaybe the same spot where iron had kissed him. ¡°Using my own words against me, I like you already. Let¡¯s talk about our next steps, though. About the Alternate investigation.¡±

    I sat closer, attentive.

    He began, ¡°You¡¯ll investigate potential formation points with your team as they pop up. Sophos and Problem made this tracker¡ªit¡¯s ¡®garbage¡¯ as they said¡ªbut they¡¯ll inform you of any occurrences. If you confirm an Alt, well, we¡¯ll figure it out from there.¡±

    ¡°Problem¡­¡± I muttered. ¡°He¡¯s one of my teammates, right? I¡¯ve seen him in our [Group Chat], but he only said ¡®hi¡¯ and that¡¯s it.¡±

    Rector nodded. ¡°He¡¯s the resident intellectual of the team, a ritualist and cosmologist. His teacher had been a former Keter of the Phenomena Society, so he and Sophos have that connection. I can¡¯t imagine how insufferable that room is, but thankfully, I¡¯m growing gray-hairs in my own house.¡±

    So my teammates were: Leona Ryu, Celestial Empress; Fukumoto Chie, Sage; Aiden Brand, Firebrand; and Morgan Weyer, Problem. Plus, Thea and Uncle Ali, but they were benched. Only five of us, six including Rector.

    ¡°Not a big team, especially when we aren¡¯t cut out for investigating breachers like this,¡± I stated.

    ¡°What did I say earlier? This team isn¡¯t orthodox and far from ideal, but it¡¯s the only team we can trust. Because, well¡­¡± Rector chuckled to himself and looked down at the fine carpet. ¡°As cheesy as this sounds, we¡¯re family. I won¡¯t force you to attend birthday parties, but that¡¯s how it is. Though, knowing the nature of your [Skill], it wouldn¡¯t hurt to throw a compliment here and there. Or you can continue to annoy Leo at your peril.¡±

    A family, huh¡­?

    Rector thought of this team as a family? Him, Seraph, and Kosmos?

    I cracked the smallest smile. ¡°I¡¯ll think about it, sir. I¡¯ll try to not regret this decision.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s all I¡¯m asking, and Conqueror?¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°Thank you for being gentle with Chie. She¡¯ll warm up to you, don¡¯t worry. Just don¡¯t intimidate her too much.¡±

    ¡°As long as Leo doesn¡¯t slander me, I think we¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    ***

    [CALLING: Sophos]

    ¡°Ah, isn¡¯t it the wonderful Idris Zakaria? To what do I owe this pleasure¡ª?¡±

    ¡°Shut it, Sophos.¡± Rector eyed the door. Alexander had left to rejoin the girls, taking the contract with him. ¡°I¡¯m checking in on the earlier lead.¡±

    ¡°That¡­¡± Sophos sighed as voices rang in the background. ¡°What do you expect? I barely have time to research while juggling the responsibilities of a guild, you know. Mystic is one bad day away from launching a coup, that poor boy.¡±

    ¡°We need something.¡± Rector approached his desk, combing through a few files until he found the one he was looking for: a thick fellow with Alexander¡¯s name and picture on it. ¡°I can¡¯t figure it out myself. You didn¡¯t mishear anything, right? When you encountered the Fifth Alternate?¡±

    She hummed in the negative. ¡°Don¡¯t doubt my beautiful ears, of course I didn¡¯t mishear. It explicitly said: ¡®Alexander Shen, Conqueror.¡¯¡±

    Rector bit his lip. That was the crux of the issue. ¡°So how did the Alt predict his codename?¡±

    [Complete: Part 1 - For Peace]

    [Next: Part 2 - For Humanity]

 [FOR HUMANITY] Chapter 1 - Agents and Anomalies

    For the next week, we chased after Alts. Their phantoms, really. Every time Sophos and Problem alerted us to a possible ping, we¡¯d head there and find jack squat. So we wrote our empty reports and came home with our tail between our legs. The whole song and dance started again a few hours later. Sometimes in the morning, sometimes in the afternoon, even in the middle of the night.

    Nothing, each and every time. Since the attack at Primordial Plaza, the most action I¡¯d gotten was nearly getting into an accident after some asshole turned without using his blinker. With the lack of Alternate encounters, our understanding of them hadn¡¯t changed. Sophos was throwing theory after theory, but they were effectively useless without evidence. Hell, a part of me thought this was a mass delusion event; we were all going crazy and seeing the same thing and swearing their existence. I¡¯d believe it, if my memories of Primordial Plaza didn¡¯t slap me in the face everyday.

    At this point, we had to hope the Mother Alternate died on its own. It¡¯d be the easiest and most painless method, which meant it would stay as a hope.

    Rector had ordered the team to rest in anticipation for the next stage of First Wave. The Big Four were hosting tryouts for all the lucky bastards who¡¯d passed, and Angels Guild was first in the schedule this year. If an Alt did show up, it¡¯d be then and we had to be ready. On that note, Vic had been screaming in my [PMs] about how his nerves; not even his mother¡¯s praying could calm him down. He¡¯d be fine. Probably.

    The System dinged inside my head, and a notification appeared: A new message in [Group Private Chat].

    [Group Private Chat - Angels Family]

    [Members: Rector (creator), Seraph (moderator), Kosmos (moderator), Celestial Empress (moderator), Sage, Firebrand, Problem, Conqueror, Althea Shen]

    [Sage]

    [image attached]

    It was¡­ It was a screenshot of some anime game. A very voluptuous girl in a bikini was posing for the camera with a happy smile and an empty head.

    [Sage]

    I DID IT!!! EARLY PITY!!!

    ¨t(¨‰?¨‰)¨s

    [Rector]

    Chie¡­

    [Firebrand]

    Congrats

    [Problem]

    I wasn¡¯t quite sure what I was expecting when I received the notification, but it wasn¡¯t that

    Congratulations if ¡°early pity¡± is a good thing, my condolences if it¡¯s horrible

    [Sage]

    IT¡¯S GREAT

    [Problem]

    Congratulations, then

    [Rector]

    Let¡¯s not clutter this chat. Please keep the conversations entered around the Alternates

    [Sage]

    Oh, this is her summer alter

    [Rector]

    I don¡¯t know what that is, but it doesn¡¯t count.

    [Sage]

    Sorry¡­

    ¡°...Work?¡± Uncle Ali asked, twirling his fork in the spaghetti I¡¯d cooked for tonight.

    I muted the [Party Chat] for the next sixty minutes and dispelled the screen. ¡°I¡¯m starting to have second thoughts about this team.¡±

    ¡°Hey, you signed the contract.¡± Thea dispelled her [Group Chat] too, having a cute little smile on her face that I wanted to rip off. ¡°You¡¯re stuck with ¡®em. Anyway, aren¡¯t you gonna eat?¡±

    I was about to protest until she pointed at my plate with a dirty fork. My fairly full plate that I¡¯d barely touched since I sat down. Meanwhile, Thea demolished her dinner and looked like she wanted seconds.

    Out of spite, I stuffed spaghetti down my throat. It wasn¡¯t the brightest idea, but I chewed my food and swallowed. ¡°I¡¯m eating,¡± I said.

    She rolled her eyes and got up from the table. ¡°Barely. I¡¯m gonna help myself to plate number two since you hate your own cooking tonight.¡±

    Uncle Ali lifted his empty cup. ¡°Can you refill my water while you¡¯re at it?¡±

    ¡°Roger, roger.¡± And off she went.

    Uncle watched her leave until she disappeared into the kitchen, then I became the subject of his observation. His eyes motioned downward toward my dinner. ¡°Restless?¡± he ripped the band-aid off.

    I sighed and stabbed at the pasta with my fork. ¡°More like trauma. I¡¯m expecting Leo or Rector to dial me at three-in-the-morning again. That¡¯s why I couldn¡¯t sleep last night, and I know I¡¯m not getting any sleep tonight either. I might stay up or something.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d get as much sleep as possible,¡± he advised. ¡°Trust me, when the investigation starts up again, your body will start begging for it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll overdose on melatonin,¡± I said, taking a big gulp of water.

    Thea finally joined the table again. Uncle had his water, and she had a mountain of spaghetti topped off with the last garlic bread I¡¯d put in the air-fryer. She definitely worked up an appetite, but she needed the calories.

    While I¡¯d been chasing false-positives throughout the city, Thea was getting put through the wringer by our uncle. She had to acclimate to her new physique as a Slayer and be comfortable with using [Skills]. The last part was important. With [Technique Sovereign], she needed to intuitively understand the ins-and-out because that was going to be the foundation of, well, everything.

    There was a long road ahead of her. For both of us.

    On that note, I really should eat; otherwise, I was going to raid the fridge at midnight.

    I swirled a tornado of spaghetti¡ª

    A knock on the door. Who was bothering us this late?

    My fork fell, the spine hitting the edge of the plate with an annoying clang. I stood and the chair painfully rubbed against the floor. ¡°I got it.¡±

    At the door, I squinted through the peephole¡ªthe hell? There were two men in suits standing outside my door. The taller of the two had his hands comfortably folded on his lap and wore the smallest smile on his thin lips. He looked completely unbothered, confident like an aged ship captain during a storm. He had scars in the form of wrinkles, each one counting a year he¡¯d been in the business¡ªwhatever that may be. There was a certain kind of arrogance in him though. An enlightened arrogance, no different than a college hippie thinking he got the world figured out.

    The man glanced at his watch and brushed a hand through his freshly-dyed black hair. His dark-haired partner shrugged. That guy had half the years and half the authority, but he made up for the difference with enthusiasm. He was boldly smiling, one step away from outright grinning; a guy like him could steal the room with ease. Stars were in his eyes, and he swayed where he stood, unable to fully keep his excitement in.

    Thea called from the table, ¡°Alex¡ª?¡±

    I raised a hand and slowly clenched it into a fist. Through the door, I said, ¡°We¡¯re not interested in a conversation, agents. Go home.¡±

    The senior reached into his jacket and flashed his badge: First Class Agent Cathal Dwyer of the Anomalous Entities Bureau. ¡°It¡¯s in your best interest to open the door, Conqueror,¡± he said with a slight Irish accent.

    His buddy did the same: Special Agent Vincent Dietrich of the International Agency of Homeworld Investigations. ¡°Please?¡± he said, sounded American.

    A malie and an eight-fourteen working together, you don¡¯t see that everyday. Not just any malie too, he was a fucking First Class Agent. The Malie Bureau didn¡¯t throw these hounds around the world like candy, and for some reason, they thought interrupting our family dinner was the play.

    Naturally, my reaction was: ¡°With all due respect, Agent Dwyer, fuck off.¡±

    Dietrich snorted while Dwyer was unfazed. He tucked his badge away and said, ¡°Open the door, son. I¡¯m not asking.¡±

    Before I could tell them to fuck off again, someone gently brushed me aside and took my place. Uncle. He opened the door and revealed two slimy-looking goons from the Global Union, standing together like trolls under a bridge. ¡°What do you want?¡± Uncle asked, sharp and cold like a sword¡¯s edge.

    Dwyer gestured toward himself. ¡°First Class Agent Dwyer of Anomaly.¡± Then at his partner. ¡°Special Agent Dietrich of IA.¡± (¡°How do you do?¡±) ¡°A discussion¡¯s needed, Mister Romanos. Let¡¯s talk inside¡ª¡±

    ¡°Inside?¡± Uncle burned holes into Dwyer¡¯s wrinkles but he wasn¡¯t cowed. ¡°You¡¯re not stepping a foot inside¡ª¡±

    ¡°One conversation, Romanos,¡± Dietrich said before looking through the doorway. ¡°Then, we¡¯ll be out of your hair and you can enjoy your spaghetti. Or you can make it harder on yourself.¡±

    Uncle pressed his lips together. We both knew it was a terrible idea to let them inside, but it¡¯d be easier to hear what they had to say then kick them out. Otherwise, they would send the message in another way.

    I deferred the decision to him, and albeit reluctantly (an understatement), he retreated a few steps. ¡°You¡¯ll stand and you¡¯ll touch nothing, not even a ball of dust on the ground.¡±

    The agents nodded and allowed themselves in. Dietrich shut the door, and now they were locked in the same room as us. Weren¡¯t afraid, though, not one bit. This wasn¡¯t their first rodeo with swords, nor were we the scariest they¡¯d met. In their eyes, we were a peculiar and tragic family of three, finding themselves in a world way bigger than we imagined.

    Dietrich stuffed his hands in his pockets and dressed down our apartment, while Dwyer took careful measure of his opposition: my uncle who was glaring at him, me who was glaring at him, and Thea who was¡ªyou guessed it¡ªglaring at him.

    Dwyer calmly adjusted his watch and smacked his lips together like a pistol before a race. ¡°Normally, I would give my congratulations to new Angels, but all I have for you is my sympathy and pity. You know why we¡¯re here.¡±

    ¡°To threaten us?¡± Thea asked with a hand on her hip.

    ¡°No, I think you should be educated about your new superiors.¡± He was staring directly at me when he said that. ¡°Seraph, Rector, and Kosmos; wonderful, aren¡¯t they? They¡¯re heroes and philanthropists, having ended the Terrors themselves. Because of their performances, they deluded themselves as more righteous, mightier than Lady Justice and the common law that protects us. I don¡¯t think that¡¯s right.¡±If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    ¡°That¡¯s funny,¡± I said, taking my attention to Dietrich. ¡°Did Lady Justice take off her blindfold when Oasis walked into court?¡±

    Dietrich responded quickly as a snake, ¡°You¡¯re proving his point, Conqueror. These castles are out of control. Same in America, same in Ordo. Worse, even.¡±

    ¡°Angels Guild is the most egregious,¡± claimed Dwyer, moving his hands like a politician. ¡°We know they¡¯re involved with the breakthrough in some capacity. Same with Wisdom. They deliberately endangered the city, and to an extent the whole world, out of fatal arrogance. And this is what we¡¯re aware of. You¡¯ve experienced this for yourself. How many times have they thrown caution to the wind, hm? Endanger us all for their games?¡±

    Dietrich stepped forward fearlessly. ¡°And who¡¯s gonna tell them otherwise? You three lived in High Home, you know how immortal Oasis Guild was. Here? Kosmos is a god. The only SSS-Rank Slayer in history and nobody comes close to putting him in a grave, ¡®cept for Cross maybe. A single word from him makes waves. You¡¯ve seen it. Each time the Union puts out legislation he doesn¡¯t like, he dissents and the bill goes into the gutter. Does that sound like an ideal world to you?¡±

    I didn¡¯t give their argument¡ªor attempt of one¡ªany thought. They were full of shit, delusional or otherwise. Maybe they made some good points, but the words came from a snake¡¯s mouth. No matter how sweet the bullshit sounded, a snake was still a snake and you should never listen to its hissing.

    Something in my face must¡¯ve given away my feelings, because Dwyer¡¯s stoicism had fallen into subtle yet seething disappointment.

    Uncle Ali took off his glasses and cleaned the lenses with his shirt. ¡°So what do you want us to do, exactly?¡±

    Dwyer stared at him stern and grave. ¡°I¡¯m giving you a lifeline: abandon them and join us. We¡¯ll offer you greater benefits and protections. Anything you want, really, as long as you correct your path.¡±

    Thea clicked her tongue. ¡°Or else?¡±

    The malie paused, blinking at my sister. I could see the gears turn inside his head. ¡°You¡¯re a smart girl, Miss Shen, you know¡ª¡°

    ¡°I wanna hear you say it,¡± she dared.

    Dwyer chuckled, his tone taking on mild aggression. ¡°Darling, Angels Guild won¡¯t last. The Global Union, as it had since the Emergence, will. Everything and everyone related will go down, one way or another. Throwing your weight behind these criminals will cut your freedom very, very short. It¡¯s dangerous, ignorant¡ªit¡¯s shortsighted. I personally hate seeing innocents be punished.¡±

    As if you thought of us as innocent to begin with; if you did, you wouldn¡¯t be threatening us. By aligning ourselves directly with the founders, we made enemies out of the Global Union¡ªthe world government¡ªand they¡¯d stop at nothing to put us into the dirt. Funny thing though, we were already enemies with the Union. They hadn¡¯t realized it yet.

    Just thinking about allying with the Union sent pangs of disgust running through my stomach. It was clear by our faces that we weren¡¯t buying their game.

    Dwyer shifted, putting his weight entirely on his left leg. Through the slight opening of his lips, his teeth were locked together.

    Uncle Ali put his glasses back on and called it, ¡°I think you should leave¡ª¡°

    ¡°It¡¯s our responsibility to restore order,¡± Dwyer interrupted, speaking more fiercely. ¡°To maintain this fragile security that everyone takes for granted. You know that better than anyone. You survived the Hangzhou Disaster¡ª¡° (I locked my jaw.) ¡°¡ªand the chaos during the Riots. The Union is security. It¡¯s peace. Protection. It doesn¡¯t come from a single man or a guild. Call it for what it is. It¡¯s despotism, tyranny. We don¡¯t believe in that. We stand for democracy and decency, not this bastardization.¡±

    How many times did he practice that speech in the mirror? Sounded more like a politician than an agent, but at his age? He probably was gunning for an admin role as director or something of the sort. I couldn¡¯t hate this prick more.

    I cleared my throat. ¡°My uncle made his point. The door¡¯s right behind you¡ª¡°

    Dietrich stepped in the ring, facing our uncle. ¡°We¡¯re disappointed in you, Romanos. As a mil, you swore an oath to protect our world¡ª¡°

    ¡°I swore to protect my kids,¡± Uncle growled.

    ¡°You¡¯re letting your biases cloud your judgment. You and I both know that Angels will only put your kids in harm¡¯s way¡ª¡°

    ¡°You need to leave, now.¡±

    Uncle reached out but Dwyer slapped his hand away. A crack in his composure, a sneer. ¡°You¡¯re willing to let your kids die too? After losing your wife¡ª?¡±

    Next thing I knew, I was restraining my uncle from murdering Agent Dwyer. I pushed against him, used all of my strength, and even then, I barely kept him at bay. It took Thea for him to snap out of his trance. He backed off, fire in his eyes, and he had the better sense to walk away without another word.

    Dwyer looked satisfied with himself, betraying a small smirk. ¡°Conqueror¡ª¡°

    ¡°Get the fuck out.¡±

    ¡°Conq¡ª¡°

    Someone doused the fucker in water. Thea was holding onto an empty cup, and Dwyer was standing in a puddle and had his nice suit-and-tie soaked. Dietrich cursed and stepped away, and he looked at us like we were fucking maniacs. He muttered something I couldn¡¯t tell, and turned to his superior.

    Dwyer surprisingly didn¡¯t get angrier; instead, the water seemed to have sobered him. From his jacket, he produced a small handkerchief and causally patted his face down. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Dietrich,¡± was all he said.

    ¡°Right.¡± Dietrich opened the door. ¡°Enjoy your spaghetti.¡±

    Dwyer exhaled and stared me down. ¡°Consequences, Conqueror. Understand that.¡±

    I glanced at Uncle Ali down the hall, who was pacing to keep his emotions in check. ¡°I can say the same to you.¡±

    He huffed and left a pound heavier than when he first came in. Dietrich crawled behind and slammed the door as retribution. Their footsteps faded.

    Now all that was left was, well, a ruined dinner and another sleepless night.

    ¡°Alex,¡± Uncle came back to the living room. ¡°Call Rector. Thea, start packing your things¡ª¡°

    Thea was taken aback. ¡°Can¡¯t we improve our security?¡±

    ¡°Not with the tools they have. They might¡¯ve planted a bug already,¡± Uncle said before finding the puddle on the ground. ¡°We need Rector to find temporary housing for us. It¡¯s not safe here anymore.¡±

    One thing after another, huh?

    Using the System, I dialed Rector.

    [CALLING: Rector]

    He picked up immediately. ¡°Conqueror, I was just about to warn you. We¡¯ve gotten word that a couple Union dogs are¡ª¡±

    ¡°Yeah, we already met them.¡±

    Rector paused, then said, ¡°...I guess that makes my warning a little pointless.¡±

    ***

    ¡°Come in, come in, make yourself at home,¡± said the kind samaritan. She allowed us into her surprisingly mundane apartment.

    It was as large as I expected, but there were hardly any decorations other than family pictures. Nothing that screamed ¡°Leona Ryu, Celestial Empress.¡± If you took a photo of her place, it¡¯d show up on the listing. Plain, gray colors, and ordinary. Even with our place, I wasn¡¯t big on interior design but me and Thea gradually inserted our personal touches. At some point in the past four-five years, it felt like home.

    This didn''t strike me as home despite what Leo said.

    Leo helped us carry our bags and plopped them in the living room. ¡°I¡¯ve prepared the guest bedrooms, but someone has to sleep on the couch¡ª¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll take it,¡± Uncle Ali said, putting a large and suspicious crate next to the couch. A part of me wanted to protest, but I knew better; this wasn¡¯t a winnable argument.

    ¡°Alright, and uh¡­¡± Leo gestured toward his package. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°Toys,¡± he replied out of reflex. He caught himself after the fact and sighed. ¡°Sorry, sometimes my sense of humor can¡¯t help itself. It¡¯s equipment I¡¯d smuggled from the States. I obviously can¡¯t leave them at my kids¡¯ apartment, but don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll hide them.¡±

    Hearing his very matter-of-fact answer, Leo vacantly nodded and turned to me with an expression that said ¡°What the fuck.¡± Fortunately, she cleared her throat and dropped the conversation.

    Instead, we focused on settling in. After informing Rector about the visit, we needed a new roof over our heads. The Union would¡ªor already had¡ªbugged our apartment. That was where Leo came in. She personally offered because her place was in a swords-village. A majority of the residents were Slayers, so security here was top-notch. Plus, everyone knew everybody, and everyone hated the Global Union. It made sneaking in that much more difficult, and as the princess of the Demonic Cult, her place understandably had extra security on top.

    For now, this would be our new home.

    We were planning on moving anyway after we signed a deal with Angels. This sped up our plans.

    After an hour or so, we finally had some time to relax and wind down. It was late, but none of us understandably couldn¡¯t sleep. Especially me. Especially Uncle. Very few things could set him off, and the assholes ticked the biggest one.

    ¡°Alex? What¡ª? Why are you going through my cupboards?¡± Leo blubbered as she marched into the kitchen. Her kitchen.

    ¡°I¡¯m checking your hammers and nails, and¡­¡± I shut one of the cupboards softly. ¡°You have nothing. You¡¯re one of the biggest stars in the city, yet you can¡¯t afford a half-decent cutting board?¡±

    She put a hand on her chest, offended. ¡°Excuse me?¡±

    I opened her fridge and showed the pathetic contents inside. ¡°What the hell is this?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s my fridge, sir¡ª¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not a fridge, it¡¯s a fucking¡­¡± I pulled out one of the many beers inside. ¡°It¡¯s a fucking cold box of broken dreams.¡± I threw the beer back with its friends. ¡°There¡¯s what? Leftover takeout, moldy processed cheese, jars of kimchi, it¡¯s like someone died in here.¡±

    Leo scoffed, her face twitching. ¡°I let you inside my home and the first thing you do is insult my fridge?¡±

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m not insulting you yet.¡± I yanked her freezer open, and a box of microwave-dinner and a bag of frozen chicken nuggets crashed by my feet. ¡°Now I¡¯m insulting you. What the fuck. You eat like this? I¡¯ve seen your trash¡ª¡± (¡°You¡¯ve seen my trash.¡±) ¡°¡ªit¡¯s all cardboard boxes of this garbage!¡±

    I kicked her microwave-dinner and chicken nuggets.

    Leo screamed in outrage and threw her darling children onto the counter. ¡°Don¡¯t kick ¡®em, you asshole! I paid a pretty penny for them¡ª!¡± (¡°You¡¯re a millionaire!¡±) ¡°¡ªwhy are you raiding my kitchen, anyway?!¡±

    I clicked my tongue and put the fallen ¡°food¡± back into the freezer. Or stuffed them in, more accurately. ¡°I¡¯m starving,¡± I told her. ¡°And I didn¡¯t get a chance to finish dinner, so I thought I¡¯d fix a second dinner for us.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll order something,¡± she said, pulling her phone out. ¡°Lemme check what places are open at this hour¡ª¡±

    ¡°I need to work my hands, princess.¡± I pressed my finger against her phone-screen, not letting her browse. ¡°Plus, when was the last time you had a freshly-cooked meal? That wasn¡¯t from a restaurant or the cancer-in-a-box hogging up your freezer?¡±

    She scowled and yanked her phone away from me. ¡°Another word from you, and I¡¯m handing you to the Union.¡±

    Didn¡¯t answer my question. I smacked my lips together and leaned back against a counter, watching the doorway. I exhaled, heat escaping through my breath. ¡°My uncle¡¯s pretty pissed, alright? The assholes got to his head. I thought I¡¯d fix one of his favorites, something simple and easy.¡±

    The anger in her eyes subsided, and she lowered her phone. ¡°Your uncle? Really? To me, he seems like the kind of man who doesn¡¯t let anything bother him.¡±

    ¡°Not tonight, no. I¡­¡± I rubbed my mouth, trying to figure out what to say. ¡°I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s nothing¡ªwell, it¡¯s not nothing, but you know what I mean.¡±

    Leo held the edge of her phone-case close to her lips. ¡°Right¡­¡±

    ¡°I also thought you¡¯d enjoy a home-cooked meal; it¡¯s my way of saying thank-you. You¡¯ve done a lot for us, and I don¡¯t want my gratitude to be left unsaid. If that¡¯s fine by you. You¡¯re the boss here, in more ways than one.¡±

    All that frustration and annoyance that I shouldn¡¯t have riled were gone, it looked like. Leo dropped her arms and shook her head like I was the most obnoxious man on Earth. It wasn¡¯t wrong. ¡°Where are you getting the ingredients? I¡¯m pretty sure every store is closed.¡±

    I chuckled. ¡°I know a few places. C¡¯mon, let¡¯s head out.¡±

    ¡°Wait.¡± She raised her hand to stop me. ¡°I¡¯m coming with you?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I need a warrior-princess to scare away the assassins, and to educate her on real food.¡±

    ¡°Okay, asshole, you¡¯re lucky that I¡¯m trying to be a nice person.¡±

    ¡°Mhm, sure. Go fetch your keys.¡±

 [FOR HUMANITY] Chapter 2 - Wings Over Humanity

    ¡°I say this every year, but it really does astound me how much has changed over the past two decades¡­¡± said the gorgeous woman standing in front of the Wings. She rose over her audience on a tall platform, eclipsed them with the shadows of her six crimson and beautiful [Wings]. Sunlight reflected off her pearl-white skin and dazzled her golden eyes and white-blonde hair; and the wind breezed around her long navy gown which tightly clung onto her contours. A literal angel was standing before them, someone so beautifully human that she seemed sculpted by God.

    In her golden eyes was an endless well of compassion and benevolence; it pierced so deeply into everyone, into me, that we were simultaneously breathtaken and humbled. Yet despite her divine aura, her regard fell intimately on each and every dreamer standing before her. Her voice was soft, smooth, personable. She might be on a platform due to occasion, but she seemed to prefer a table. To meet a Guild Master like that, someone who exemplified grandness and humility in a single breath, was one-in-a-million.

    There wasn¡¯t a more deserving owner than the No.2 Slayer of Ordo, the Angel of Humanity, Seraph.

    Seraph softly exhaled and watched over the calm sea of applicants standing at her beck and call. ¡°It has been eighteen years since we first created the Alm Angels, then a few years later, Angels Guild followed. By all definitions, we are a child amongst adults. We don¡¯t have the long history of Legends nor the mysticisms of the Fushimi Clan, so what exactly do we have?

    ¡°Many would say tribulations. After all, in the textbooks, Angels Guild rose to prominence due to the Terrors. They aren¡¯t incorrect. Without the Terrors, I cannot say we¡¯d have this prosperity. However, allow me to contest that viewpoint. I see Angels not by our obstacles but by the period in-between. The days where we laugh and we cry and we rebuild. It¡¯s what we take away from our struggles, and how we act despite and for them.

    ¡°That is the core of our three golden words: ¡®Wings Over Humanity.¡¯ After a storm, plants bloom. After a fire, ash revitalizes soil. That¡¯s why we founded Angels Guild. Fame and wealth are byproducts of our actions, but they are not the focus. We do not stack skulls of fallen monsters, but to contribute¡ªmeaningfully contribute¡ªto our wonderful world that has blessed us with life. Sorrow and tragedy will always exist, but we are here so they will never persist. Everything you do for this guild is for your family, for your loved ones and friends, for the strangers standing beside you¡ªfor humanity.

    ¡°I thank all of you for standing here today, wanting to be a part of our efforts. I cannot show my gratitude enough, because without you or this wonderful city, Angels Guild as you know wouldn¡¯t exist. Kosmos wouldn¡¯t exist. So let me return to the question I¡¯d posed earlier: what do we have? It¡¯s simple: we have the world.¡±

    Applause exploded from the audience and with a few cheers too. Seraph laughed and waved toward them and the cameras.

    Once the cheers died down, she approached the microphone again. ¡°Now, I won¡¯t bore you any longer. However, my Vice Guild Master may disagree.¡±

    ¡°Haha, very funny.¡± Rector shooed her off the podium and took her place. ¡°I don¡¯t have a sentimental speech like hers, nor will I try to motivate you. I think you have enough motivation already, but I digress. I¡¯ll explain the minutiae of the long-awaited tryouts, so have your coffees ready because this will take some time¡­¡±

    Someone patted my shoulder. My new best friend, Celestial Empress. Time to head inside. Neither of us were interested in listening to Rector¡ªno offense to him¡ªexplain the rules and exams. We ducked into the Wings after occupying a balcony. As it turned out, you¡¯d usually get some privacy if you had a murim-in princess in your company.

    Same with inside. We took an empty table. People glanced our way once or twice and moved on, not wanting to be entangled in our overwhelming and oppressive reputation. Though, I could tell they were wondering who the hell I was.

    Leo sipped her coffee and sighed in satisfaction. ¡°You think we¡¯ll encounter an Alt during exams?¡±

    I plopped my elbows onto the cold surface. ¡°One popped up during Primordial Plaza. If I were the Mother Alternate¡ª¡± (¡°You¡¯d make a fantastic mom.¡±) ¡°¡ªshut up, I¡¯d cause some trouble by summoning one right now.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s assuming the Mother is operating on our rules,¡± she said.

    ¡°Which makes it several times scarier¡­¡± I replied before letting out a deep yawn.

    Something was going on below us; a hubbub formed near the entrance. I heard a collage of voices and saw a sea of bodies making way. For something? Someone? We quickly had an answer, and that answer came in the form of a beautiful six-winged Angel flying onto the mezzanine which we were at.

    In a heartbeat, I straightened my posture as Seraph spotted our table immediately.

    Leo snickered, hiding her smirk behind her coffee. I kicked her foot under the table.

    ¡°Conqueror,¡± Seraph said, her tone relaxed and lowkey compared to her speech earlier, ¡°it¡¯s good to finally meet you. I apologize for the delayed introduction, for yourself and on behalf of your family.¡±

    We shook hands, and I hoped I didn¡¯t look too much of an asshole. ¡°It¡¯s no problem at all, ma¡¯am.¡±

    ¡°I pray you have as little problems as possible, but¡­¡± Seraph glanced at Leo and sighed. ¡°Well, I¡¯m afraid more troublesome days are ahead of us. It¡¯s my regret that you were recruited under these circumstances, but I hope we can both make the most out of this opportunity.¡±

    Normally, I¡¯d be skeptical about a Guild Master saying those words to me, but Seraph was different. Everybody loved singing her praise. I could tell why. She was undeniably charismatic and kind-hearted. What she said during her speech, those weren¡¯t hollow words. Yet that wasn¡¯t the full picture, I knew that. A few speeches couldn¡¯t define her character. In the end, my knowledge of Seraph wasn¡¯t better than most people¡ªbut she was my superior nonetheless.

    I cleared my throat and looked off to Leo. I said, ¡°She¡¯s definitely making the most out of it. Since I moved in, Leo has been hooked on my cooking.¡±

    Seraph chuckled and Leo became the center of our attraction. ¡°So I heard. I thought we¡¯d encounter the Global Union eventually, but we underestimated them this time. Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll help you find a new place to stay.¡±

    Leo put her coffee down. ¡°I¡¯ve been telling Alex about an open apartment a few floors below mine, so that¡¯s an option.¡±

    ¡°In other words, she wants a second home where she has free access to good cooking.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s an entirely new sentence that I didn¡¯t say,¡± Leo said.

    I was thinking about that option; if Leo arranged extra security for her place, we could do the same. That would come later, preferably after the investigation was done with.

    ¡°Regardless, is your family doing alright?¡± Seraph asked, genuine concern in her golden eyes. ¡°I know Idris already spoke with you, but interacting with the Union is unpleasant at best.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s nothing we can¡¯t handle.¡± I tried to give a reassuring smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we don¡¯t believe the bullshit¡ªerm, bullcrap¡ªthey¡¯d spouted.¡±

    Seraph turned pensive. ¡°I¡¯m not asking what you think about us.¡±

    And my smile dropped. ¡°Pardon?¡±

    ¡°You''re free to believe whatever you want. Angels Guild isn¡¯t a paragon of ethics, and we won¡¯t pretend that we are. You¡¯ve experienced our¡­dealings for yourself. In a way, the Union is correct, but not necessarily because we think we¡¯re better¡ªwe simply want to be better. But¡­¡± Seraph softly inhaled and crossed her arms underneath her breasts. ¡°That¡¯s enough sophistry from me. As long as you¡¯re kind to your colleagues, we¡¯ll honor our arrangement as best as we can. I¡ª¡±Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    A System notification appeared before her. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s my cue to leave. Please give my prayers to your family, alright? And to your friend. Mansyur Taslim, correct?¡±

    I stammered, ¡°V-Vic. Victor, I mean. That¡¯s his western name.¡±

    ¡°To Victor, then. Make sure you keep an ear on your comms.¡± Seraph bowed her head and hurried, flying downstairs and heading toward the back.

    As fast as she amazed me, as fast as she astounded me. I¡­ I wasn¡¯t expecting that response at all.

    I looked at Leo, and all she was doing was running her finger along the rim of her coffee-cup. ¡°In her defense, you aren¡¯t exactly the biggest fan of castles.¡±

    Right, I forgot that I¡¯d created something of a reputation for myself thanks to System Articles and my background in High Home. I was a punk, anti-castle vigilante who couldn¡¯t stand the sight of injustice. Sounded a lot cooler than what I actually was. ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡± I said, pausing, ¡°...I won¡¯t say you¡¯re wrong, but it¡¯s not completely true either. Just that, I don¡¯t know¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s hard to trust like that?¡± she finished my thought.

    I shrugged. ¡°Something along those lines, yeah. I don¡¯t mean to offend Seraph. From what I¡¯ve seen, she seems like a decent person. A great person. Since Oasis, though, I can¡¯t help but look between the lines and think.¡±

    ¡°Give it time,¡± Leo said. ¡°But do you remember what I said? They¡¯re good people. Seraph, Rector, Kosmos; the world is lucky to have them.¡±

    I chuckled, thinking back to textbooks and documentaries about the Terrors. ¡°That¡¯s an objective fact.¡±

    The knot in my stomach wasn¡¯t completely unraveled, however. Thinking back to our unfortunate encounter with Dwyer and Dietrich, choosing between them and Angels wasn¡¯t a choice at all. Any option was automatically better than that shitshow that we call a ¡°government.¡± But if I was going to wear wings, I¡¯d rather have faith in them rather than think the other side was much worse.

    Right now, Leo was right. It was too early to tell. For both sides, actually; if we should trust Angels, and they should trust us. Thus far, they went above and beyond¡ªlike a certain murim-in hosting a family of three inside her apartment.

    ***

    The next couple days went by without a hitch. Tryouts went as planned. Tons of potential Angels had their wings clipped, and tomorrow would be the last day. Victor, to everyone¡¯s surprise, was still in the game. Well, I figured he¡¯d make it far if not the end. He had a rare specialty and wasn¡¯t completely an idiot despite my insistence.

    For us, the investigators, we sat on our asses and waited and watched and observed. A few alerts panged, but nothing came of them. With the lack of leads in the investigation, we instead entertained ourselves with good action. Sometimes, we shared popcorn; other times, we placed bets. We had fun.

    Well, most of us had fun.

    I¡¯d gotten to know the great Fukumoto Chie a bit better. She enlightened me about the ¡°fantastic¡± genre of gacha games while I preached financial responsibility. I made fun of some of the contestants while she clicked her tongue and scolded me for being a jerk. Team-building conversations, and her crimson-haired friend scowled through every second of it.

    As Rector said, Aiden wasn¡¯t fond of me. He preferred to stay in the background, listening to every word we say. Leo, the most extroverted of the group, urged him to throw a few jokes here and there, but he refused probably because of me. However, because Leo was there, she likely dissuaded Aiden from trying anything.

    Because, well, today, Leo was sent to Morgan and Sophos to help investigate something¡ªthey didn¡¯t say what¡ªso that stranded me with Chie and Aiden. Didn¡¯t know what Chie was doing, but Aiden was another story.

    [You received a new notification]

    [Firebrand]

    Meet me in the renovated training ground

    According to the map, all the training grounds were tucked in the northeast corner. Many of them had been used, were being used, or would be used for the tryouts¡ªall except for the one being renovated. Despite being directionally-challenged, it was pretty easy to pick out the sole building under construction from the rest.

    Meeting Aiden in an isolated environment wasn¡¯t the brightest idea I had, but not like I should ignore or tattle on him. That would only build further resentment.

    If we were going to be teammates, I should at least figure out his problem.

    That¡¯s why I trespassed, walking through tarps and stepping over wires, following dead hallways until I reached one of the main rooms. It looked to be a gymnasium of sorts, with strange white panels layered over every surface. Simulation tiles? I couldn¡¯t tell. There was no training equipment here, only tools, materials, and wires all pushed against the walls.

    I wasn¡¯t focused on the room¡¯s aesthetics anyway, because a certain someone was standing in the center: Aiden Brand. He wore his [Loadout] to our meeting: a fancy swordman¡¯s robes taking some inspiration from the East, crimson just like his hair and fiery gold like his flames, with no undershirt. It allowed a window to his chiseled chest, and more importantly, a strange molten scab running between his pecs. It was as if someone had glued a thin, lava-like crystal down his sternum.

    I didn¡¯t know the story behind his scar; to the public, it was something that existed, no different than Silverhonor¡¯s pointy ears and Blackviper¡¯s cybernetic limbs.

    Seeing me, Aiden sneered and cocked his head back, letting his long ponytail sway like the tail of a venomous snake. ¡°You actually came, Conq.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, well, you clearly have something important to tell me.¡± I eyed the panels, clean ones and dirty ones and ones that hadn¡¯t been wired up yet. ¡°In here, of all places.¡±

    Aiden puffed an almost-invisible cloud of steam. He took a single step forward, his heavy foot rattling the panel underneath. ¡°Why did you join Angels? You and your family?¡±

    So that¡¯s why. Just plain suspicion and skepticism.

    ¡°What kind of answer do you want?¡± I stepped sideways, making sure the distance between us was constant. ¡°A different life-path was in order for us, but that¡¯s all I can tell you.¡±

    In response, Aiden unsatisfyingly hummed and matched my movement. Whenever he dared to inch closer, I retreated the same distance. Once, he suddenly lurched forward and I reacted, but he never pounced. Throughout our game, his burning eyes were completely trained on me. Never once did they break eye contact; something told me that if I lost the staring contest, the punishment was hellfire.

    Social media painted Firebrand as a reckless Slayer who was a little too loosey-goosey with his [Skills]. In the six years he¡¯d been at Angels, he accidentally caused a few fires, said the wrong things to the wrong people numerous times, and was basically the majority of the guild¡¯s PR disasters. For that reason, his ¡°adoring fans¡± thought he was an idiot destined for a cell¡ªor worse.

    But the guy who¡¯d brought me here?

    Aiden was far, far more calculating than the internet gave him credit for. The look he was giving me? He knew exactly what he was capable of and knew exactly what he was doing.

    I was being tested.

    ¡°...What did Rector tell you?¡± Aiden finally said after he got enough data.

    I fought, ¡°Why did you wait until Leo was gone to confront me? If you wanted to appease your suspicions, all it¡¯d take is a single, honest conversation with Rector.¡±

    He stood still, but that didn¡¯t pacify me, because his expression was stone. Then, without reason, he relaxed. ¡°Y¡¯think Rector will listen to me? Him, Seraph, Kosmos, they¡¯ll help anyone no matter the risk. That¡¯s why they took in Leo ¡®spite her relation to the Demonic Cult, and Morgan too, whatever he did to the Society. Our GMs collect danger like it¡¯s candy.¡±

    My eyes briefly lowered to his scar before meeting his eyes again. ¡°They¡¯re good people. All of them. They helped me after the run-in with the internationals.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± he said plainly.

    ¡°They helped you and Chie.¡±

    Aiden cracked a smile. ¡°Mhm. They¡¯re keeping us safe. They¡¯re keeping Chie safe. But there are some things you gotta worry about.¡±

    His predatory eyes returned, and I once again gained his full hostility.

    ¡°We know the trouble Leo and Morgan might bring, but you?¡± Aiden gritted his teeth. ¡°Your sister got one over me. Your uncle pressed a gun to Rector¡¯s skull. And there¡¯s you, a former corpo who took down four C-Ranks. We¡¯re supposed to¡ªI¡¯m supposed to roll-over and accept everything without asking a single question? As fuckin¡¯ if.¡±

    Either my senses were deceiving me, or the room was getting hotter. I started to sweat.

    ¡°Whatever you are¡ªCounterforce, xia, I don¡¯t care¡ªI¡¯m not gonna let your baggage hurt my girl.¡±

    [Flame Avatar Shift - Burning Tempest]

    Exactly like Primordial Plaza, a new surge of energy changed Aiden. His ponytail loosened, his skin glowed, and most of all, the scar grew a few centimeters larger in every direction. Looks like he wanted a fight from the beginning. Amazing.

    What did I expect? This is how Slayers often talked: through [Skills] rather than words. Of course, I¡¯d rather resolve things diplomatically, but sometimes, you needed to save your breaths.

    [Memento Recollection - Yuzhou]

    Through my helmet, I asked, ¡°You won¡¯t cool down until someone bleeds?¡±

    [Jiroku] appeared in his dominant hand in a great plume of fire. He flipped it around and rested the edge on his shoulder. ¡°I need to see what kind of a bastard you are, Conq. Don¡¯t hold back on my behalf, ¡®cause I won¡¯t.¡±

    Next thing I saw was his greatsword.

 [FOR HUMANITY] Chapter 3 - Family of Freaks

    [Skill Activation: I-Fire]

    I found myself in a pretty tight spot: back against the wall and sweating like hell underneath [Yuzhou]. What¡¯s worse was the tornado of twisting red flames coming at me, having been spawned from Aiden¡¯s left palm. It crashed into the wall a few meters to my right, giving the white panels a fresh coat of gray ash and black soot. With a heavy motion of his arm, Aiden mightily swung the [Fire] toward me.

    While it looked terrifying¡ªfelt more terrifying up this close¡ªthe tornado was relatively slow.

    I slid through the gap between flames and floor, feeling the heat scorch my helmet. On the other side, I spotted Aiden standing there like a super-villain, glowering, his lava-orange eyes tracing me.

    The [Fire] whipped in the other direction without losing its momentum, bringing me right into its crosshairs again.

    Tch, asshole.

    The game went on.

    We hadn¡¯t been fighting for more than a few minutes, but I¡¯d gotten familiar with his style. Aiden was a versatile fighter, able to confidently switch between close and ranged combat thanks to his rather unoriginal gimmick. Most reputable Slayers had their trademark [Skills]¡ªjust like signatures¡ªsuch as [Crimson Moon] for Cheonma or [Senbonzakura (Ç§±¾—@)] for the Nine Foxmaidens.

    For Aiden, according to the internet, it was [Flame Avatar Shift]. The [Skill] allowed him to increase all attributes in five distinct stages, each one more powerful than the last. I didn¡¯t know if there were any drawbacks. I hope so, because the first, [Burning Tempest], was already kicking my ass.

    [Skill Activation: P-Fire]

    I also noticed something else.

    He had golden flames wrapped around him in a protective, fiery cloak. It blocked most of the shots I took with [Nightingale], seemingly possessing different properties than the tornado he¡¯d nearly killed me with earlier.

    Two distinct fire-related [Skills]? One red and the other gold? I never heard or saw that before, but not like I was expecting anyone normal in this team.

    I dispelled my [Pistol] and sucked in a heat-filled breath. If my helmet was down, he¡¯d see one scared sword who wasn¡¯t in the mood to get roasted alive today. ¡°You satisfied yet, FB? I¡¯m not much of a top-tier fighter compared to you and the princess.¡±

    Despite stating the obvious fact, Aiden got even grumpier. The golden [Fire] extended down and dragged across the floor, leaving light scorch marks in its wake. He had [Jiroku] low at his waist, and he marched. This couldn¡¯t be the same delinquent who had constantly made headlines. He looked like a king.

    ¡°You disabled Leo with a pressure-point technique,¡± Aiden said. ¡°Where¡¯s that [Skill] now? What else are you hidin¡¯ from us, Conq?¡±

    The reason I couldn¡¯t use the [Anti-Slayer Techniques] was because someone was literally the walking embodiment of fire, but sure, alright.

    I spat, ¡°Nothing that warrants dragging this out.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be the judge of that¡ª!¡± Aiden stomped forward and quickly spun; initially, I expected a hefty but reckless flaming greatsword, but even with [Jiroku]¡¯s length, he was out-of-range. He wouldn¡¯t hit me, and that was the point.

    Aiden wasn¡¯t attacking with his sig; he was attacking with the golden flames. His cape dramatically unfurled like a fishing net, catching me off-guard and making me do a terrible dance to avoid getting burned. I failed to retreat far enough, and so on the second spin, I was perfectly in-range for [Jiroku].

    Clever bastard.

    [Memento Recollection - Chain Gauntlets]

    He wanted to chop my head off, but I gave him my arm instead. [Jiroku] chomped through my left [Gauntlet] and stopped at [Yuzhou]¡ªdon¡¯t let me imagine what¡¯d happen if I hadn¡¯t summoned more protection. Even now, letting myself spend ten seconds this close might kill me.

    But there was a silver lining: [Jiroku] was lodged in the [Memento].

    For a moment, we were stuck together. That¡¯s all I needed.

    [Mana Impact]

    I clocked the shit out of him using my better hand. Briefly, his eyes rolled into whites but rage brought him back to life. Veins popped in his strong hands and I felt [Jiroku] burning into [Yuzhou]¡ªthis crazy dickhead was planning to push through my arm, now?

    It¡¯d be for naught, because a foot [Impacted] his stomach and forced a guttural groan from his hot mouth. The golden flames around him dissipated. My kick was powerful enough to break the clinch, his fingers slipping free from the hot handle, and allowed me to toss his toy aside for the time being.

    When [Jiroku] hit the ground, a shadow on the white floor flared. If a flaming greatsword wouldn¡¯t do the trick, Aiden thought, then a fiery fist would. An unforced error. If Aiden¡¯s expertise lied in his ability to manipulate the element fire, then he was stepping into mine: hand-to-hand combat.

    This was the one thing I¡¯d trained in.

    Aiden¡¯s burning knuckles couldn¡¯t reach me.

    Instead, mine were driven into his side and again to the cheek. Angered, his elbow cracked against my helmet but bounced off, ineffective. I kneed his stomach, assaulted him with swift jabs, and pushed him back. I stomped forward and his leg shot out, missing me by a mile, and a simple kick down below brought him crashing onto his back.

    Cursing, he flashed his palm and an ominous red light swirled there. Next thing I know, a concussive blast pounded my chest, but it wasn¡¯t as hot or powerful as I thought, luckily. The little distraction brought the asshole a precious second.

    And he used it to punch me square in the head. My helmet absorbed the impact and half of it shattered, revealing my sweaty-ass face underneath. I leered down at him, and despite my state, Aiden paused.

    I slammed my remaining helmet into his forehead, causing a sharp crack to echo throughout the training gym.

    Aiden wobbled backwards, his bell rung, and found my arms snug around his neck: a rear naked choke. He gasped, and as the choke tightened, that gasp sharply rose into a pained gurgle. Strange sounds garbled through his throat, words probably, that he couldn¡¯t articulate nor do I want them to be articulated.

    ¡°Tap!¡± I cried while he fruitlessly clawed at my [Gauntlets]. ¡°Tap, don¡¯t make me incap you!¡±

    I kicked the back of his leg and made him stand on one knee.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be stubborn, FB! Tap!¡± I kept the pressure as it stood, ensuring he heard the message without taking him out of the picture altogether. ¡°Tap¡ª!¡±

    From the corner of my eye, [Jiroku] twitched.

    As if controlled by strings, the fucking thing plowed into me with the force of a speeding scooter, knocking me off Aiden but I stayed on my feet.

    The man himself was keeled over, hands on his neck, coughing out thick clouds of steam. Despite having a close call with defeat, the experience seemingly made him angrier rather than satisfied or timid. Just what the hell could I do to extinguish that fire in his eyes?

    ¡°You damned¡­¡± Aiden plucked his signature off the charred ground and used it to pick himself up. ¡°Ugh¡­¡±

    He groped at his neck, wincing.

    ¡°We done?¡± I asked.

    ¡°As if!¡± The stubborn bastard raised [Jiroku]. ¡°We¡¯re not done ¡®til one of us is incapped!¡±

    Familiar red flames swirled around his shoulders, but they didn¡¯t form armor this time¡ªit was the opposite. Dark maroon and crimson flushed his arms and enveloped his signature, twisting and morphing it, until [Jiroku] was unrecognizable from its original form. It looked demonic, having taken on the [Fire]¡¯s rich yet dark color and grew a few inches longer.

    Christ, he was taking this too far.

    That thing could chop down a fucking tree in a single swing.

    I wasn¡¯t sure if I was sweating more from my stuttering heart or the heat he was emitting. ¡°FB, that¡¯s enough! I think we both made our points very fucking clear¡ª!¡±

    ¡°I told you, Conq!¡± [Jiroku] further burst into flames, resembling a lance more than a greatsword. ¡°We¡¯re not leaving ¡®til one of us is on the ground¡ª!¡±

    [Yokai No.0 - Temari (ÊÖšÂ)]

    Well, Aiden got his wish.

    A strange, colorful soccer-ball flew from out of nowhere and unceremoniously knocked him to the ground. Just like that, all the tension vanished. I dispelled my [Mementos]. [Jiroku] returned to normal, the fires were extinguished, and Aiden looked incredibly confused¡ªno, there was a different emotion on his face.

    That of sheer dread.

    ¡°AIDEN BRAND!¡± cried the smaller, furious girl. ¡°I leave you alone for one hour, you¡ª!¡±

    Chie kicked Aiden while he was down; no doubt her tiny legs hurt worse than mine. He tried defending himself but her kicks got through regardless. Damn, I could learn a thing or two from her. Aiden pleaded and cried for mercy, trying to excuse himself, but Chie didn¡¯t know the word. She kept kicking and kicking.Stolen story; please report.

    After exhausting enough of her fury, Chie clamped a hand on Aiden¡¯s shoulder as he kneeled, his eyes downturned to the blackened and surprisingly intact floor. She said to me, ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry you had to see that, Alex. I repeatedly told Aiden to not do anything mean, but this¡­! This idiot¡ª! Hey!¡±

    Chie pinched his ear, causing him to wince. ¡°At least look at Alex while I¡¯m apologizing!¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright! Let go of my ear¡ª!¡± Chie twisted. ¡°¡ªow, okay! I got it! I got it!¡±

    She let go with an indignant huff. Aiden reluctantly faced me, staring at my collarbone rather than my two pits of silver.

    Chie clapped her hands together and bowed her head slightly. ¡°I¡¯m so, so, so, so sorry this happened! I knew Aiden might try something. I should¡¯ve been more suspicious when he asked me to check out one of the tryouts, so this is completely on me. But please, don¡¯t assume the worst! Everyone¡¯s excited to have you and your family, but¡ª!¡±

    ¡°I get the message!¡± I exclaimed loud enough to prevent Chie from rambling. ¡°I¡¯m willing to let bygones be bygones if Aiden says the same words.¡±

    ¡°Hmph.¡± Chie looked down at the offender in question, pouting. ¡°Alex is letting you off easy, y¡¯know.¡±

    Aiden puffed steam and burned holes through my collarbone. ¡°Sorry,¡± he said as quietly and insincerely as humanly possible¡ª

    ¡°Is that all you got?!¡± Chie twisted his ear again, her hold so strong that she lifted Aiden back onto his feet. ¡°You have to apologize!¡± (¡°I know¡ª!¡±) ¡°No, you don¡¯t! An apology is an apology. Explain what you did wrong, say you¡¯re sorry, and shake hands!¡±

    Aiden managed to slip free from Chie¡¯s grasp. Despite everything I¡¯d given him during our spat, his right ear was the worst of his injuries: it glowed a humiliating, painful red. He clenched his fists, stared at the ground for a couple seconds, and finally found the words and humility to meet the eyes of the man he¡¯d tried incapping.

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± (¡°Good start!¡±) ¡°I¡­ I thought your family was too suspicious to ignore and also thought our GMs were taking this too lightly. So I wanted to find out for myself.¡± (¡°Against everyone¡¯s advice.¡±) ¡°Yeah, that, uh¡­ I thought¡ªI assumed you were dangerous to the team.¡±

    Chie coughed. ¡°And you got your butt kicked by his sister.¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to mention that¡ª!¡± (¡°But it¡¯s true!¡±) ¡°¡ªugh. But yeah, that¡¯s why I brought you here. If you did pose a threat¡­¡± Aiden shook his head, not wanting to finish that thought. ¡°Never mind. I probably went too far this time. Sorry. My emotions got the better of me and that¡¯s totally on me, mhm. There¡¯s one thing I won¡¯t apologize for, though.¡±

    Aiden firmly stood, his determined gaze against mine. ¡°I still think the Shens are suspicious¡ª¡± (¡°Aiden!¡±) ¡°¡ªbut, let me finish, you¡¯re more well-meaning than you look. During our fight, you held back, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    I was suddenly cognizant of the sweat sticking to my [Loadout]. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to fight you in the first place, FB.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± His calloused hand rubbed the spot where I¡¯d choked him. ¡°I¡¯ll admit: I underestimated you, Alex. You¡¯re tough for a fresh Slayer, but it doesn¡¯t mean the next time we fight will be easier.¡±

    I raised an eyebrow. ¡°¡®Next time¡¯?¡±

    ¡°What? I said it earlier: you guys are too suspect. Somebody has to remind you of your place¡ª¡± Chie slapped his shoulder. ¡°¡ªthis is how I¡¯m apologizing! Are you gonna tell me I¡¯m wrong?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡ª!¡± Chie frowned and rubbed her head. ¡°How are you gonna stand there and threaten him again¡ª?!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Chie,¡± I said, raising a hand. ¡°The last week has understandably been hectic for everybody, so I¡¯ll accept the challenge¡ªif it means FB here might eventually get a peace-of-mind.¡±

    Aiden rolled his eyes at my condescending. ¡°Don¡¯t get too cocky. I¡¯m one of the strongest swords in the guild.¡±

    Haven¡¯t I heard that once or twice before? I nodded. ¡°Right.¡±

    Chie sighed. ¡°I guess that resolves things, but both of you are forgetting one last important step!¡±

    Me and Aiden exchanged a mildly confused look, then we mutually looked back at Chie.

    She scoffed and crossed her arms. ¡°The handshake! Both of you, shake hands and we¡¯ll call it there!¡±

    If the boss says so.

    We sealed our promise with a firm, sweaty, and calloused handshake.

    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s done.¡± Aiden wiped the sweat off his robes. ¡°I should, uh¡­¡± He glanced around at the partly-damaged training gym. ¡°I should take pictures and catalog the damages¡­¡±

    After finishing his last sentence, vitality was sucked from his skin and he shambled to his handiwork. With his phone, he snapped pictures of every smudge, crack, and mark, wincing each time he hit the button as if making an expensive bank transaction. This definitely wasn¡¯t the first time his emotions ¡°got the better¡± of him.

    Chie watched him with me, and just now, I noticed the flying soccer-ball from earlier floating above her shoulder.

    I pointed at it. ¡°Never seen that before.¡±

    ¡°Huh¡ª? Oh! I haven¡¯t told you about my [Yokais] yet!¡± Chie held onto the so-called [Yokai] and presented it to me. ¡°This is [Yokai No. 0: Temari], the first one I¡¯ve created in the series. Each [Yokai] is based on, y¡¯know, yokais and serves a different purpose. I want ¡®em to help you guys in the field, sorta like mini-helpers if you get what I mean.¡±

    ¡°I think I do, yeah.¡± So these [Yokais] were supportive drones. Interesting. ¡°How many [Yokais] are under your belt?¡±

    ¡°Uh.¡± Chie let go of [Temari] and began counting with her fingers, whispering names instead of numbers. After a few names, she stopped. ¡°It¡¯s complicated, but trust me when I say it¡¯s a lot! For most of my [Yokais], Sophos has to vet and approve them before they can be added to my arsenal.¡±

    ¡°Sophos?¡± I squinted at [Temari]. ¡°You¡¯re the team engineer; shouldn¡¯t you make the last call instead of Sophos? Hell, Rector and Seraph too.¡±

    ¡°I¡ªoh, I haven¡¯t told you that either, hehe¡­¡± Chie awkwardly scratched the back of her head. ¡°I¡¯ve been her apprentice for almost four years.¡±

    That was the most surprising piece of information I heard today. I¡¯d say at least half of the swords at Wisdom Guild were actively fighting for some form of tutelage under Sophos; publicly, she hadn¡¯t taken on an apprentice in the last seven years! How the fuck did everyone manage to cover this up for the last four?

    Wait, Chie was twenty. That meant she had impressed Sophos at sixteen.

    Now I started to feel insecure.

    Chie recognized the many questions on my face and laughed out of embarrassment. ¡°I-I know, it¡¯s not as serious as you think.¡±

    ¡°I mean, studying under Sophos is on the bucket list for every magic- or magitech-oriented sword. What about Rector? I haven¡¯t known him for long, but wasn¡¯t he opposed to the decision at the beginning?¡±

    ¡°He was more than ¡®opposed,¡¯ hehe.¡± Chie folded her arms at her midsection. ¡°Sophos had to beg for days before he finally relented. Even then, he¡¯d placed, like, a dozen restrictions.¡±

    I chuckled. ¡°You were, what, sixteen? Hell, I¡¯d be concerned about Sophos stealing one of my junior swords from me.¡±

    ¡°Actually, that¡¯s not why he was so¡ªand still is¡ªoverprotective of me.¡± Chie focused on Aiden, who was snapping more incriminating pictures at the far-walls. ¡°Rector is our adoptive guardian.¡±

    I did my best to not turn my head toward her.

    ¡°I know Rector told you to not pry into our history, but I figured I oughta tell you because, well¡­!¡± Chie did a big, exaggerated shrug. ¡°You should know something like that! We might be a Slayer Team on paper, but we¡¯re actually a family of freaks who love each other more than anything. Me and Aiden especially...¡±

    How should I react to that information? For a start: empathy. I didn¡¯t know what life Chie and Aiden had before meeting Angels¡ªand despite what the former said, I wouldn¡¯t ask¡ªbut they clearly were living better. There was this mesmerizing light in Chie¡¯s eyes. You could only get that light when the stars were out, the birds were singing your favorite song, and every little thing brought smiles to your face. Everything was right in her world: her place, her future, her family.

    Although she and Aiden were Rector¡¯s adoptive kids, an unmistakable shade of pink was clearly smitten on her cheeks as she watched the doofus walk around. That wasn¡¯t the face of sibling love.

    Now I understand.

    What Rector said, he meant it literally.

    This team was a family.

    That¡¯s why Aiden felt threatened by us, the Shens. We had suddenly intruded into his safe-space and brought in all sorts of uncertainty: who were we? What skeletons were we bringing? Could we really be trusted?

    Would we hurt Chie? Would we bring an end to Angels Guild? Would we destroy his family?

    If the roles were reversed¡­ If I had to pick a strange family or mine, then that wasn¡¯t a choice at all.

    I¡¯d probably do the same thing he did but without a fight. More like obsessive stalking.

    I wonder, though...

    Would I ever be accepted?

    ***

    [Rector]

    My troublesome children, there¡¯s a strange incident in World Falling Gabriel. Meet me there.

    [You have entered World Falling Gabriel]

    [Status: Stable]

    [Expedition Rank: E]

    [Management: Angels Guild]

    The job calls. Aiden couldn¡¯t finish taking photos of the training gym before we were whisked away to an exped.

    This wasn¡¯t my first time entering another world; my first was a supervised field trip during elementary school, courtesy of a local guild in the county. Since then, my experience with expeds amounted to videos, photos, and TV. When System Articles came into the picture, they became numbers and graphs.

    Standing in an actual exped was different from selling one through a screen. I¡¯d never gotten a chance to sell a stable; for one, System Articles legally couldn¡¯t because we didn¡¯t have the proper licensing. For a good reason. Stables were a class of its own due to their rarity and intensely high demand. You had all the time in the literal world to do whatever you want. Harvest resources, perform dangerous experiments, hunt faunus, or all of the above. In our case, hosting training programs, simulations, or tests, such as the Feather Hunt.

    Examinees were randomly organized into teams; together, they were tasked to locate and nab fast-moving feathers in order to move onto the final stage. And of course, there were so many groups yet so few feathers.

    Falling Gabriel facilitated the best environment to test their skills. Basecamp was luckily situated in the middle of the wilderness. It had green forests, wide pastures, and dense hilltops; everything you needed to watch twenty-somethings tear each other¡¯s teeth out. In fact, this world was near-identical to ours. I wasn¡¯t quite sure if the mana in the air was natural or a consequence of magic machinery. Otherwise, that was the only evident difference. If you took a picture of the landscape and showed it to a random person on the street, they¡¯d think it was a picture of Earth. Our Earth. Blue sky, a single sun and moon, birds sounded like birds and not mansnatchers. I¡¯d be fooled too.

    But this Worldline was dead. Civilization had gone extinct a long time ago, and we were the advanced scavengers picking at the carcass.

    Basecamp looked and operated like a military camp. Everybody had their own missions. You had breakers, swords and mils, logistics¡ªpersonnel dedicated to the Feather Hunt was a comically low fraction¡ªthe operation dedicated to keep Falling Gabriel functional was so complex that my brain couldn¡¯t handle the information.

    ¡°Over here,¡± Aiden beckoned me, making sure I wouldn¡¯t get lost in the crowd.

    As we strode deeper into camp, more and more people recognized the three of us¡ªor rather, recognized Aiden and Chie¡ªand made way.

    Outside basecamp, we stood before a fairly large teleportation installment: a teleport hub, in simpler words. A house-sized mana crystal was the hub¡¯s centerpiece, suspended high by cables and wires and levitation magic. Each cable and wire were connected to a circular platform of differing sizes. Some were small, capable of holding a squad of mils, and others were large enough to comfortably occupy a truck. You needed the variety.

    Only in stable Worldlines could you see something like this. In dissolving Worldlines, teleporting would get increasingly more dangerous as they got closer to their demise.

    Knowing that, I bet this thing was the most popular attraction in the entire base.

    Except for right now, because Rector was present. If he was here, one of two things happened: he was checking in, or something had gone terribly wrong. Hopefully, it was the former.

    Rector waited near one of the platforms; he saw us and smiled, and because he saw us, he stopped smiling.

    Because we were called on such short notice, Aiden and I didn¡¯t have time to look presentable; as a result, he saw our fresh battle-wounds.

    Rector pointed a furious finger at us, he opened his mouth, but no words came out. Instead, he pointed to the platform. ¡°Get your asses on the platform. We have a ¡®highly-irregular breacher¡¯ in Area G16, and I pray to the good Lord that you didn¡¯t just come out of a ¡®spar.¡¯¡±

 [FOR HUMANITY] Chapter 4 - Why Does My Heart Hurt?

    We ported into a forest. Didn¡¯t look any different from the ones back in our world. A botanist could tell you which species were foreign, but to my eyes, everything was the same five species of plants.

    Rector produced a tablet from his robes. I peeked over his shoulder and saw a detailed map of Falling Gabriel. To be specific, Feather Hunt. The map was partitioned into grids, and an overwhelming number of moving dots were scattered everywhere like someone had blown glitter across the screen. Teams, individual examinees, could be both. We were on the inside edge of a sector shaded in red. Had to be G16.

    Then, he opened a blue-screen. I assumed it was a [Private Channel] or a [Group Chat] with the proctors. We couldn¡¯t see the contents of another Slayer¡¯s screen unless explicit permission was given; it was one of the privacy measures the System had. Whatever the contents were, it made Rector¡¯s lavender eyes dance.

    I asked first, ¡°What¡¯s the sitch¡ª?¡±

    ¡°Several trackers just went offline.¡± Rector focused on his tablet and flicked through several menus, his expression growing graver by the second. ¡°Pendulum, Exam Team 21, Trajectory¡ªtheir last signals were snuffed less than a minute ago, seconds apart.¡±

    The forest got a little quieter after he said that.

    Aiden stepped in front of Chie, actively looking around the foliage for anything of note. ¡°Did we cordon G16 after reporting the breacher?¡±

    Rector morbidly chuckled. ¡°They did, mhm. I don¡¯t know the exact circumstances, but I think Team 21 found the breacher and notified Pendulum and Trajectory. Like good little kids, they waited for us.¡±

    That wasn¡¯t reassuring news. This was blatant confirmation of a breacher¡ªif not the Alt itself¡ªbut for, what? Five, six swords to go offline just like that? Either the breacher was so powerful that they incapped an entire team in less than ten seconds, or they disrupted the electronics. Could be a combination of both. Probably was a combo of both.

    ¡°Sage.¡± Rector tucked his tablet away. ¡°Contact the others and tell them we have a likely Alt sighting.¡±

    Sage nodded and pulled up the [Chat]¡ª

    A piercing scream, and birds fled treetops. Toward our two o¡¯clock.

    ¡°GO!¡± Rector barked, but we were all one step ahead of him.

    [Skill Activation: Mana Impact]

    I was third in the stack, rushing through the forest and around thick trees, barely keeping sight of the obscured path ahead. Couldn¡¯t see movement yet. Rector and Firebrand maneuvered effortlessly compared to my stumbling and hobbling. I wasn¡¯t used to navigating with [Mana Impact], especially in a rough environment like this. Because it was a single-instance burst of speed, I had little control over my finer movements. If I positioned myself an inch in the wrong direction or use too much juice, I¡¯d trip on a root or crash into a tree¡ª

    Just as I thought that, my boot caught a root. Sounds about right. Panic impaled my heart and I crashed hard onto my shoulder. Somehow, I rolled onto my feet and kept moving. Someone appeared on my flank: Sage, checking on me. I nodded, she nodded. She held onto a small, winged drone that acted like a miniature helicopter¡ªone of her [Yokais]. It was a little humiliating that an engineer had a better method of traversal than me. Then again, she was Sophos¡¯s apprentice.

    Rector and Firebrand slowed down to match our pace, and we kept a straight formation as best as we could.

    ¡°Slayer System, message for Angels Tryouts [Private Channel]!¡± Rector shouted during his sprint, a strange pale-green aura hissing off his robes. ¡°Relay: ¡®Halt all operations effective immediately!¡¯¡± A blue-screen briefly popped up before he whisked it away¡ª

    Someone was up ahead, incapped, lying face-up toward the crowded branches and treetops: a young woman wearing a stereotypical mage outfit and a big hat too. Well, her hat was a few feet away, torn, laying next to her shattered crystal wand. Blood soaked the left side of her face. She looked concussed, drifting in and out of consciousness.

    Then, about five meters northeast, an armored man was arched over a fallen log. Had been an armored man. Most of his armor was in pieces, decorating the ground like a plane crash. Several things had rendered him a pincushion, at the shoulders and back and thighs. I couldn¡¯t tell what the projectiles were. Arrows? Daggers? They were long, abnormally featureless, and the colors were unrealistically dull like they¡¯d been put through an image software.

    The four of us grimaced.

    An Alternate. Healers couldn¡¯t be called until we secured the area. Considering the injuries¡¯ severity, we didn¡¯t have much time until our casualties¡¯ conditions turned worse. This was a tall task even for our S-Rank Vice Guild Master.

    Sounds of combat stole our attention next, down a trail of crunched branches and leaves. Another armored sword got launched back, his shield taking most of the blow, but his feet skidded uncontrollably over the uneven terrain. Like me earlier, a root got him and his footing was fucked.

    A discolored person stood before him¡ª

    ¡°Sylph!¡±

    Rector. His [Parure] glowed, and from a single word, he commanded one of the four [Paracelsian Elementals]: [Sylph, the Air Elemental]. I heard stories about his famous summoning-type [Skill]. For any summoner, commanding one of these [Elementals] was an achievement in itself. To command all of them? You¡¯d be hailed as a genius, and that Rector was.

    With a single motion of his arm, a pillar of air screamed toward the Alternate, tearing and ripping trees from the earth. Chunks of crust, rocks, and roots were funneled into what was effectively a horizontal tornado. I couldn¡¯t see or hear anything after the first second, but I saw the aftermath: a massive and disgusting scar tarnishing the forest, running toward the horizon. You could see this new landmark from space, I bet.

    The rest of us rushed the fallen sword. Because he was caught on the outside edge of [Sylph], the poor bastard was covered in dirt and leaves. Being discombobulated out of his mind, he took several tries to stand up, gasping for air.

    ¡°Holy shit¡­¡± he muttered, leaning against a lucky tree that managed to survive. ¡°That¡­ That thing took out everybody, man. My team, the proctors, I never saw anything like it.¡±

    ¡°As long as you¡¯re alright¡ª¡± My next few words were stuck in my throat. I recognized this guy¡¯s shield, and his flail and his armor underneath the gray and brown muck. They were unmistakable. [Hope] was the silver shield he carried for others, and [Order] was for those who wanted to take that away. ¡°Vic?¡±

    Victor blinked several times to get the dirt out of his eyes. Even though I was standing right in front of him, he didn¡¯t seem to believe it. Neither could I. This was a cruel twist of fate; of course, of all teams the Alternate had to encounter, it was Vic¡¯s. It had to be him.

    ¡°Alex?¡± he said. ¡°Wha¡ª? How the hell are you even here¡ªwhy are you here¡ª?!¡±

    He had his answer when Rector caught up with us. Seeing his face alone caused Vic to freeze in place.

    Rector said, forceful and direct, ¡°Conqueror¡¯s with me, Victor. He told me you¡¯re a healing guardian. Can you still carry your shield?¡±

    Vic glanced at me before admiring the very man who could give him wings. Those three sentences slapped him back to reality. He swallowed his questions and his fear, and he firmly nodded. A familiar fire was ignited in his eyes; that was the face of one determined idiot. Last time he was this motivated, he was chasing after a cute exchange student¡¯s number. Today, however, he had another target to chase.

    ¡°Yessir,¡± he replied with all the confidence in the world.

    ¡°Good, you¡¯re with me¡ª¡±

    Sage shouted, ¡°It¡¯s coming!¡±

    ¡°Golem!¡±

    Rector seized the vanguard. Thick bronze rock encased his arms, tripling their size and growing his wing-span so much that his ¡°fingertips¡± grazed the flattened earth.

    There was a crunch and bang, then wind blew loose leaves and branches back.

    When the wind subsided, his rocky hands held the Alternate back, which had returned with the power of a fighter jet. Rector rooted himself in place and refused to let our breacher go.

    We finally got a better look at the motherfucker. The Alternate was different than the one we''d encountered in Primordial Plaza. It appeared more ¡°stable¡± (whatever the hell that meant with these things). Like the dull objects from earlier, the same filter was washed over the Alt. It lacked curves and edges, details and features, like a low-polygon model from an unfinished video game. Despite that, we could still make out distinctive characteristics. Its frame was feminine, it was wearing a flowing gown that was freakishly frozen despite physics¡ªsame with ¡°her¡± long hair. It pushed an equally low-polygon sword against [Golem]¡¯s arms.

    And¡­

    And there were two flat, wing-shaped objects attached to its back. Wings. They were wings. And that gown was¡­ And her hair¡­

    The Alternate wasn¡¯t her. It shouldn¡¯t be her, but¡­

    Rector came to the same conclusion; or rather, his mind immediately recognized the similarities. The tension and grit he had was gone. He stopped clenching his teeth, and slowly his jaw fell like a gavel. ¡°Sera¡­?¡±

    If it was anyone else, anything else, then he wouldn¡¯t be shaken. Because this Alternate looked like ¡°Seraph,¡± his arms relaxed through no fault of his own. It was a moment of genuine shock, something you simply couldn¡¯t prepare for unless you were a machine.

    And it happened at the worst time.

    ¡°Seraph¡± pulled away and spit Rector through the stomach with [¡°Ascalon Creed¡±].

    [GUILD STATUS]

    INCAPACITATED: Rector

    ¡°IDRIS!¡± Sage¡¯s scream was a distant thing in my ears.

    ¡°Seraph¡± yanked her blade free, an arc of her best friend¡¯s blood canvasing the dirt. Rock fell from Rector¡¯s arms and decayed into meaningless ash, and he wobbled backwards. [¡°Ascalon Creed¡±] shadowed his glazed and horrified expression.

    [Flame Avatar Shift - Burning Tempest]

    Until her sword clanged hard against [Jiroku]. Aiden knocked her sword-arm aside and swung his greatsword, again, like a baseball bat. Steel clanged. ¡°Seraph¡± took it but she couldn¡¯t mitigate the force and got carried off the ground. She was the original ¡°Angel¡± for a reason, however. Her wings opened and carried the force elegantly onto two feet, standing a handful of meters away.

    Firebrand, sweaty and panting from adrenaline, turned his shoulder. ¡°Vic, stabilize Rector; and Conq, you¡¯re with me! And Sage¡ª?!¡± If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    Sage wasn¡¯t listening; she was watching Rector writhe underneath Vic¡¯s touch.

    ¡°CHIE!¡± Firebrand shouted, and finally she looked up. ¡°Order a perimeter around G16 and tell Seraph to fuckin¡¯ run!¡±

    ¡°O-Okay! Okay!¡±

    ¡°Sage, hold him down for me!¡± Vic told her.

    I tore myself away from the sight.

    I couldn¡¯t think about what happened. Had no time to. I banished those thoughts out of necessity. We had to fight. We had to survive. Make no mistake, fighting ¡°Seraph¡±¡ªor whoever this Alt plagiarized¡ªwas a fight we could not win. Our best chance was lasting long enough for Seraph to arrive.

    ¡°Alex!¡± Vic called from behind. ¡°Here!¡±

    [Skill Activation: Taslim Conceptual Defense]

    Four smaller, transparent duplicates of [Hope] revolved around me and Firebrand¡ª[Conceptual Defense]. The function was on the tin. We each had four instances of absolute conceptual protection and mitigation. Whenever ¡°Seraph¡± landed a good hit, it would absorb the damage and any resulting effects like momentum or wind.

    We needed every little advantage.

    I donned my [Armor] and  [Gauntlets].

    ¡°Seraph¡± stood motionless, blood still dripping from her sig. ¡°Na¡­than¡­¡± she said, barely loud enough for us to hear.

    Firebrand lowered [Jiroku] slightly. ¡°What¡ª? Nathan? What¡¯s wrong with Nathan¡ª?!¡±

    ¡°Nathan¡­¡± ¡°Seraph¡± covered her face, hunched over like a grieving widow. ¡°Ah¡ª! Nathan¡ªNathan¡ªNathan¡ªNATHAAAAN!¡±

    She despairingly screamed toward the broken and dust-laden sky. I couldn¡¯t begin to understand the context, but there was no reason to. Despite how ¡°human¡± her emotions were, she wasn¡¯t one. She was an Alternate, a breacher, a monster. Everything she felt had never belonged to ¡°her¡± in the first place.

    Without any choice, me and Firebrand charged.

    He was the first to close the distance, swinging [Jiroku] downward onto the mourner. In a flash, steel echoed throughout the ruined forest and a flaming greatsword without its owner buzzed past my head.

    [Mana Impact]

    I drove my fist into ¡°Seraph¡¯s¡± unprotected flank. She howled and [¡°Ascalon Creed¡±] flashed again, until a fiery kick pushed her back. Then another [Impact] to the jaw, a flaming fist below the ribs, a boot, and a hot hook to the chin. Firebrand and I juggled blows, hitting ¡°Seraph¡± toward the other relentlessly, as long as our stamina and wits could last.

    Wasn¡¯t for very long. Just like [Jiroku], Firebrand got sent flying into the trees and I didn¡¯t catch the initial strike. Just a single blow packed that much force. I hadn¡¯t realized until now, too, that [Conceptual Defense] had run its course for both of us. No more damage immunity. No more protection.

    And ¡°Seraph¡± was standing in front of me.

    ¡°Dammit!¡± Recklessly with no real options, I threw a punch only for ¡°Seraph¡± to catch my [Gauntlet]. Her hand squeezed around my knuckles and crunched the [Memento]. I dispelled it before she could do any more damage.

    My other fist came around¡ª

    Something hit the underside of my chin. My helmet shattered, and cold wind lashed at my exposed face. Clouds, earth, clouds, earth again. I was in the air, way above the trees, high enough that the drop would hurt and hurt bad.

    If ¡°Seraph¡± didn¡¯t kill me first, that was. Somehow, moving faster than my ascent to heaven, she was hovering above me with her wings outstretched. Feathers broke off and marked me as their next target. At least a dozen of them: sharp, low-poly things that would shred my [Armor] like it was paper¡ªand I wasn¡¯t in the best position to defend. How the hell would I?

    [Skill Activation: Yokai No.7 - Yamabiko (É½Ñå)]

    A spherical drone appeared in front of me, painted like a dying bird, and had these strange cones embedded into every hexagonal plate. They were speakers. A horrible, high-pitch sound exploded, enough that I could physically see the sound waves. They functioned as a repulsive barrier and the feathers dumbly collided into it. The feathers slowed as if moving through sand then stopped altogether and finally blown away.

    And that was all I could see before gravity wanted me back down.

    I was screaming, I was cursing, I was probably pissing my pants, but fortunately a hero caught me.

    Firebrand. ¡°Stop screaming, dumbass!¡±

    Would you look at that? Just earlier he tried killing me.

    I felt the pleasure of both feet on the ground, and sweet relief temporarily won over adrenaline. Then, the [Yokai] dropped like a brick in water and landed a couple feet away, sparking and broken.

    What little morale I had was quickly erased seeing that.

    FB and I looked up.

    There she was, like a killer angel ready to smite us.

    ¡°NATHAN¡ª!¡± She summoned feathers again; this time, a lot more than a dozen. Multiple dozens, and counting them all would drive me insane.

    I shouted, ¡°Move, move, move¡ª!¡±

    Feathers rained, whistling and zipping and whining. The sounds were mortifying like they were whispering directly into my ears. I flinched, yelped, fumbled my way throughout the gash Rector had carved into the forest. I was barely one step ahead. Going on like this, I¡¯d be running into a grave.

    Had to do something.

    [Memento Recollection - Nightingale Shotgun]

    [Certain Shot]

    [Certain Shot], that¡¯d do. It was a conceptual-type [Skill]. The next projectile I launched, it would always hit its target in a ¡°theoretical world.¡± By that, if nothing got in the way, then it¡¯d be bullseye every time.

    A single spell was enough to blast a feather out of the air. I kept pulling the trigger, playing skeet shooting with these glorified pigeons.

    ¡°Sera!¡± Firebrand yelled through the chaos, swinging [Jiroku]¡ªmust¡¯ve fetched it¡ªand whipping around a ribbon of fire, burning away feathers. ¡°Sera, listen to me! Nathan¡¯s fine! Nathan, he¡¯s¡ª!¡±

    He shouldn¡¯t have said that name. It was like a curse.

    All the feathers stopped and turned toward him.

    ¡°Oh shit.¡±

    A moment before they converged, I saw a small flying ball rushing in front of him.

    [Yokai No.8 - Koma-inu ( þÈ®)]

    The [Yokai] formed an onmyodo-like barrier¡ªthe kind that the Fushimi Clan would employ¡ªand protected against the first volley of feathers. The barrier cracked after the second. The third finished the job and annihilated everything on the other side, even felling a tree as collateral damage. When the smoke cleared, the only thing that remained was broken electronics. No blood or guts.

    Firebrand was right underneath ¡°Seraph¡± with [Jiroku] over his head.

    [Flame Avatar Shift - Ardent Passion]

    His veins furiously glowed throughout his body in a crimson-orange light. They bled through his robes, turning him into a human torch. Steam hissed as his muscles creaked like a steampunk engine. Something changed in his eyes. Before, they were determined and composed¡ªnow, they had a hint of insanity.

    This had to be the second stage of [Flame Avatar Shift].

    Smoke puffed between his teeth. ¡°BURN!¡±

    ¡°Seraph¡± was engulfed in a pillar of flames, and it burned so brightly that I shielded my eyes. I couldn¡¯t tell what was louder: her screams or the screams of the fire.

    Firebrand refused to ease off the gas. He kept burning her and panting and smiling and the flames only got brighter and hotter.

    ¡°FB¡­¡± I muttered too quietly for him to hear. At some point, the screaming stopped. ¡°Firebrand!¡±

    He didn¡¯t let up.

    ¡°AIDEN!¡± I threw a rock, smacking him against the chest.

    It was like throwing a bucket of cold water on him. He came to his senses and the pillar was snuffed just like that. [Jiroku] fell to his side and his arms spasmed from the exertion. All I could hear was his exhausted breathing. That¡¯s it. Only his breathing. ¡°Seraph¡± wasn¡¯t talking anymore, her wings weren¡¯t flapping, and her feathers weren¡¯t singing. What a welcomed sound.

    The forest was, for the first time in eternity, quiet again.

    FB looked around at the fallen trees, burnt leaves, and the blue sky with ash in the air. ¡°Hey¡­ We killed it, right? We killed ¡®Sera¡¯?¡±

    I was going to nod and clap him on the back, but someone beat me to the chase.

    She wasn''t dead.

    I raised my [Shotgun]. ¡°DUCK¡ª!¡±

    [Skill Activation: Got Your Back]

    [¡°Ascalon Creed¡±] met [Hope]. Vic. I¡¯d never been happier to see him, because I completely forgot about that [Skill]. [Got Your Back] was something simple: whenever an ¡°ally¡± had their back turned, he could instantly teleport behind them. It was more than useful; it was gold precisely because of moments like this.

    Firebrand cursed, Vic cursed, we all were swearing like a bunch of sailors and ¡°Seraph¡± was incoherently yelling too. She pressed [¡°Ascalon¡±] against [Hope], the edge biting into the face and making Vic bend the knee.

    A shotgun blast knocked her off. Another pushed her back, and again. These slugs wouldn¡¯t do shit, but they weren¡¯t useless. I looked at our MVP while ¡°Seraph¡± was staggered. ¡°FB, cook her!¡±

    ¡°Comin¡¯ up!¡± He rushed forward and stabbed [Jiroku] in the earth. Fire broke through the soft soil and created a beautiful geyser, turning our "Guild Master" into the Burning Man.

    She wouldn¡¯t let herself get beat by the same trick twice, which meant I didn¡¯t have much time. I darted around, dispelled [Nightingale] and clapped. [Gauntlets] formed around my arms. As the fire raged, two chains arced outward and wrapped around her sword-arm. I grounded myself and pulled like I wanted to tear her fucking arm off. ¡°VIC!¡±

    ¡°On it!¡± Vic understood the assignment. He dropped [Hope] and spun [Order], his flail, around like it was a toy.

    [Lashing Flail]

    The chain on his flail extended to pretty much the same length as mine. Vic snagged her other arm and started pulling too, both hands on the handle. We played the worst game of tug-of-war. Neither of us wanted to let go. If we did, that was an easy way of recording our names in the history-books: the two dumbasses who got murked before their careers started.

    I looked at the last piece of the puzzle. ¡°FB, you¡¯re up!¡±

    He grunted and shut the oven off¡ª

    ¡°Shit!¡± ¡°Fuck!¡± Vic and I both shouted.

    ¡°Seraph¡± went buck-wild. She thrashed and yanked on our chains; for a moment, my footing slipped and I nearly fell. Neither me or Vic had the strength to keep her restrained. Not for more than a few seconds¡ª

    [Yokai No.15 - Raiju (À×ª•)]

    Lightning struck ¡°Seraph,¡± but it wasn¡¯t storm-clouds that did the deed. Our savior was a small drone that had electricity sparking around its shell. The lightning bolt wasn¡¯t as devastating as the real thing, but it brought a couple seconds.

    That was enough for Firebrand.

    He stepped inside and shoved [Jiroku] through ¡°Seraph¡¯s¡± chest, deep, just like how she¡¯d skewered our Vice Guild Master.

    She screamed static.

    Firebrand was unfazed. He pushed [Jiroku] deeper and deeper until only a few inches remained between "flesh" and crossguard. ¡°You¡¯re not gonna hurt anyone else, Sera¡ª!¡±

    Her wings flapped, then wind flattened my face. My whole body was yanked downwards like God had a finger on me. Air was in my ears. Couldn¡¯t tell what happened. All I knew was¡­ All I knew was my feet weren¡¯t touching the ground anymore, and I saw the beautiful horizon in the distance and a few mountains were waving at me.

    We were in the air. We all were. Me and Vic, still holding onto our chains; and Firebrand, whose sword was stuck inside ¡°Seraph.¡±

    Together, we had a single second of mutual realization and subsequently horror.

    ¡°No¡ªno¡ªno¡ªno¡ªno¡ª!¡±

    Then, ¡°Seraph¡± plummeted back to the earth with us as passengers.

    [PARTY STATUS]

    INCAPACITATED: Conqueror

    Black. Darkness. Muted sounds, iron in my mouth. Pain and aches all over. Wind knocked out of me. I blinked. Blinked again, and a small picture-frame in my vision was my only window. Something was happening in front of me. Blurry figures. Fighting. Someone was yelling. Something flew across the air.

    Firebrand¡­? The Alt¡­? I¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­

    Branches scratched my face. I bit down on a bunch of leaves and spat them out.

    Vic was standing somehow. He tried running at ¡°Seraph¡± and was smacked away, flying straight into a tree.

    Dammit¡­

    [Memento Recollection - Nightingale Pistol]

    Somehow, I had the better mind to call for iron. With what strength I had left, I aimed straight ahead and fired. Didn¡¯t know where, didn¡¯t know what, but hopefully¡­ Hopefully it was ¡°Seraph¡±¡ª

    A feather ripped [Nightingale] out of my hand and cut my palm open. I gasped, but surprisingly, no pain. Just the warm sensation of blood and the not-so-warm sight of a bloody hand.

    I blinked.

    Firebrand was on his knees, using [Jiroku] to hold himself up.

    ¡°Seraph¡± was standing before him.

    A groan cracked through my dry throat. ¡°FB¡ª!¡±

    [Skill Activation]

    There was a bell-like sound, ringing as if a good deed was done.

    [Wings of Seraphim]

    A white blur rammed into ¡°Seraph,¡± a woman who wore the same gown and had the same hair¡ªhowever, she had six wings unlike her two. From the imposter¡¯s back, an ivory blade poked through, spotless.

    ¡°Begone, imposter,¡± said Guild Master Seraph.

    [Ascalon Creed] glowed, and a holy light burst from the white-steel. It leaked through the Alternate¡¯s wounds, through her eyes and open mouth, and her skin cracked and flaked off.

    ¡°Seraph¡± was consumed by the light until all that was left was a lonely Angel.

    [Event Commission ¡°The Seraph Alternate¡± has been completed]

    [You have been paid 250,000ssp]

    Event Commission: The Seraph Alternate

    Pay: 250,000ssp

    Description: If God truly does exist, then why did He give me this life? Only you know the answer, Nathan. So please, answer me for the last time¡ªlet me hear your voice again!¡ªwhy does my heart hurt? Why do good people die and why do the worst reign? If this is ¡°humanity,¡± then I reject it. I reject this awful world that took you. You... You had been everything to me. Where you rest, haunt me until this "body" withers. Possess me, so then I can finally be "human."

 [FOR HUMANITY] Chapter 5 - Boy, Angel, Miracle

    <blockquote>

    @LiamJAN

    Angels Guild has put out an official statement regarding the breakthrough earlier today. Here is a brief summary:

    - All tryouts will be postponed until further notice

    - Everyone injured during the breakthrough will make a ¡°full recovery.¡± This includes Vice Guild Master Rector

    - Angels will work with those affected regarding compensation

    - They will conduct an ¡°parallel internal investigation¡± regarding the breakthrough in conjunction with the Encampment

    @bethsickle

    FUCK, if god was good and actually exists then he should¡¯ve killed rector. don¡¯t @ me if you¡¯re a angel bootlicker

    @roacyber

    At this point, the Union needs to label the Big Four as apocalyptics already. If they¡¯re not intentionally causing the next Terrors, then they¡¯re dangerously incompetent. It¡¯s long been time to round up all these high-rankers

    @smrt105

    look at all the grifters and conspiracy theorists showing up today

    @Timothyjin

    Remember the names of these ¡°pundits¡± who immediately call for Angels Guild¡¯s dissolvement. They¡¯re almost always on the payroll of the Union, because to them, Kosmos is everything they¡¯re not. It¡¯s envy, greed, and arrogance all wrapped into one. They¡¯re despicable, soulless husks.

    </blockquote>

    [New message from Victor]

    [Victor]

    just got back home, docs finally dismissed me

    how abt you?

    [Conqueror]

    Same, all healed up

    Waiting on the GMs

    [Victor]

    rip

    idk what i¡¯m gonna tell the girls

    [Conqueror]

    Didn¡¯t Seraph personally go over everything with you?

    [Victor]

    yea i mean they¡¯re smart

    at least chunhua is

    they¡¯ll figure out that you were involved in primordial plaza

    [Conqueror]

    They know better than to ask directly

    [Victor]

    yeah well i¡¯m gonna need the practice

    seraph linked me with her attorneys when camps start asking questions

    probably gonna talk with my family¡¯s too

    [Conqueror]

    I¡¯d do it right away

    Camps won¡¯t ask questions, the union will

    [Victor]

    srsly?

    [Conqueror]

    You know how i said my apartment was suddenly flooded so we moved?

    [Victor]

    yeah

    [Conqueror]

    I lied

    Internationals came to my apartment the other day and threatened us

    [Victor]

    fuck dude¡­

    you okay?

    [Conqueror]

    Not the worst thing I¡¯ve experienced

    [Victor]

    i mean about everything

    me and the girls were talking abt it

    your whole life fucking changed man, just a few weeks ago you were complaining about the big four and look at you now

    you sure you okay? angels aren¡¯t blackmailing you or anything like that? cause i¡¯ll pull you out, my dad¡¯s no joke he has the clout

    [Conqueror]

    It was our choice

    My choice

    [Victor]

    thought you wanted a quiet life

    [Conqueror]

    Yeah well remember what I said?

    Peace has a price

    Apparently it''s singing with the angels

    [Victor]

    alright

    no matter what happens we got your back

    after today? my lips are sealed

    shame tho that tryouts got delayed

    :pensive:

    [Conqueror]

    Bright side you pretty much guaranteed yourself a spot in angels

    Saving Rector¡¯s and Firebrand¡¯s lives are pretty good achievements on your resume

    [Victor]

    heh well because i suddenly got implicated in an international investigation angels ain¡¯t looking so hot anymore

    idk i really need to talk with my fam abt it

    they¡¯re letting me rest b4 the big conversation starts

    [Conqueror]

    gl

    [Victor]

    thx

    one more question: wtf is your skill

    [Conqueror]

    Long story short, it¡¯s an s-rank creation skill

    [Victor]

    obviously yeah why wouldn''t it be anything else

    anyway imma try to organize my thoughts and leave ya be

    gn

    [Conqueror]

    Gn, and thanks for looking out for me

    [Victor]

    yea a dumbass like you needs friends

    I dispelled the [DMs].

    ¡°Was that Vic?¡± Aiden asked across the lounge, flipping his phone around his hand. In fact, he¡¯d been playing with his phone for the past thirty minutes. The half-hour before that, he was practically eating a pencil. Waiting in the Office of the GMs for the past few hours would do that to you.

    I nodded and said, ¡°He¡¯s back home. What happens after is, well, it¡¯s up to him.¡±

    Chie, like the rest of us, couldn¡¯t relax. She was sitting on a pillow, using the main coffee-table as a miniature workshop area. Her patient was one of the [Yokais] that had been busted during the fight. One of the [Yokais] that *could* be repaired, anyway. ¡°Erm, I know Seraph spoke to him about the Alternate, but do you think he¡¯ll tell the Union anything?¡±

    I shrugged, rubbing my mouth. ¡°Victor? He won¡¯t say a thing; however, his family and their attorneys might say otherwise. If you look at the whole picture, he¡¯s suddenly implicated because his friend happens to be an agent for a couple problematic GMs. His parents like me, but they might pressure Vic to throw Angels under the bus to protect themselves. Can¡¯t say I blame them. It¡¯s a natural reaction.¡±

    ¡°Damn.¡± Aiden began tapping the back of his phone. ¡°What kind of family does he belong to?¡±

    ¡°Just the special kind,¡± I said. ¡°His mom and younger sister are Traveling Healers; on the other side of the family, his father¡¯s an O-6 in the Ordo Aerial Command and his older brother is an Expeditioner."

    Listing the Taslim family history got their attention.

    Aiden whistled. ¡°Must be a lot of pressure to live up to.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, no kidding. Accomplished mils on one side and healers on the other; and he¡¯s the middle-child stuck in-between.¡± Normally, I would agree that the Taslims were a crazy family; however, I was the last one who should be saying that.

    Chie put a hand on her chest. ¡°Then¡­ Then do you think your friend can hold his ground?¡±

    I didn¡¯t immediately answer, and that didn¡¯t give much hope to either of them. I ended up saying, ¡°It¡¯s not guaranteed, no. Pressure from the Union, that¡¯s¡­ That¡¯s something neither of us know much about. It¡¯ll be completely new to him."

    ¡°Considerin¡¯ he fought an Alt, I think he¡¯ll be fine,¡± Aiden said, having a small smile.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± I replied, because why should I bring down the mood?

    Someone knocked on the door. We stood immediately.

    The doors opened and revealed the rest of the team: Seraph, leading the pack; Rector, who was up and walking like he didn¡¯t just get a sword to the stomach; Leo, as tired as ever; and¡­ And at the caboose was a little boy, no older than ten, wearing an oversized cloak that seemed to be purchased at a costume store. He had curly purple hair and dimmer purple eyes, but despite his age, he had a resting intellectual face¡ªthe kind that said, ¡°I¡¯m smarter than everyone in this room and I¡¯m not afraid to remind you.¡± Clearly he wasn¡¯t a normal child, because the average kid didn¡¯t know how to levitate off the ground.

    ¡°Good morning, everybody,¡± Rector said as soon as he entered the room. ¡°I apologize for the wait¡ªAlexander, why¡¯s your jaw on the floor¡ª?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s because he¡¯s looking at me,¡± the kid answered, scowling. ¡°Did any of you tell him?¡±

    Everyone was silent or mumbling.

    Aiden took the bullet: ¡°We thought you should explain.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for your consideration, Firebrand, but damn you.¡± The kid sighed and stared at me. His gaze didn¡¯t belong to his age bracket. ¡°Yes yes, get your reactions out so we quickly brush this topic aside. Morgan Weyer, Problem, I¡¯m the cosmologist. Did I graduate with a PhD at the age of seven? Yes. Did Master Alzahrani recognize my talents at eight? Correct. If you haven¡¯t noticed already, I¡¯m being sarcastic. I was a twenty-five-year-old man before I was cursed with this juvenile body. No, I won¡¯t tell you how, and no, I won¡¯t answer any further questions. Pleasure to meet you, Alexander Shen. I¡¯d shake your hand, but my arms are too short to reach yours.¡±The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    Today was full of surprises, wasn¡¯t it? I smiled and nodded, because that was the only thing I could do. ¡°Right, good to finally put an unexpected face to the name.¡±

    ¡°Mhm, sure.¡± Morgan floated to the wall and stayed there like a taxidermied deer-head; I guess that was his way of sitting.

    Everybody settled in, sitting on or around the lounge, and the Guild Masters stood in front of their desks. It was a long day for all of us. Seraph and Rector had to take care of public and internal matters first. Shutting down the exams, talking to the right people, and they still weren¡¯t done I imagine. After we leave, they¡¯d go back to work.

    Seraph and Rector looked at each other, exhausted, dreading this conversation and more.

    Seraph spoke first: ¡°If you¡¯re concerned about the aftermath, don¡¯t be. Rector and I will take care of everything; however, this means our priorities have changed. We discussed this with Leo and Morgan, and we decided that Morgan should take the lead given his knowledge and experience.¡±

    Rector hummed in agreement. ¡°The internationals are showing their hand, so we¡¯re officially on defense. We handled them before, and you know the protocols in case they do interfere. That goes for Chie, Aiden, and Alexander especially. When they hear about your involvement, they might chase after you. We¡¯ll do our best to keep them off your tail.¡±

    Morgan spoke up, ¡°Onto our matters, Sophos has initiated a new project regarding the Alternates. Don¡¯t ask me what, because she hasn¡¯t told me anything at the moment. In the meantime, your mission remains the same: investigate any occurrences and handle them accordingly. A different mouth is giving the same orders, essentially, because the real mouth is full of¡ªexcuse my language¡ªmanure.¡± (¡°I¡¯d rather you swear, Morgan,¡± Rector said.)

    I raised my hand. ¡°Speaking of, did Sophos say anything or is she busy at work?¡±

    ¡°Curious about her opinions, hmm? We¡¯ve already given her your statements regarding the Alt. She¡¯ll¡­¡± Morgan paused. ¡°Do something.¡±

    That didn¡¯t give me much hope.

    ¡°On that subject. Alexander,¡± Seraph spoke to me directly. ¡°Your friend, Victor, assured me he¡¯ll stay quiet about what happened, but how much do you believe him?¡±

    I glanced at Chie and Aiden before addressing her: ¡°Fully, just not his family. I told the same thing to these guys here, but his feet will be taken to the fire. If he does give up info, it won¡¯t be consensual.¡±

    Leo nodded and faced the GMs. ¡°I did a little digging on the Taslims; his father¡¯s a high-ranking airship officer. That¡¯s a pressure-point to the Union. We can¡¯t expect him to give up his family for us.¡±

    Rector groaned, ¡°Right. At least we¡¯ll be prepared, and at least he doesn¡¯t know much anyway¡ª¡±

    Metal clanged against the table. The conversation stopped. Chie scrambled to pick up her screwdriver. I never noticed, but she had been tinkering with her [Yokai] since the debriefing began.

    Looking at her expression just once, Rector¡¯s shoulders dropped and he pressed his lips thinly together. ¡°Chie¡­¡±

    ¡°Chie, sweetheart¡­¡± Seraph muttered.

    ¡°I-I¡¯m fine,¡± she said, cradling her broken [Yokai]. ¡°I¡¯m just¡­ I¡¯m just wondering why. Why did the Alt look like you, Sera? Of all people, out of everyone! Why was it you? I¡¯ve been looking up cosmo theories online and trying to wrap my head around it, but I can¡¯t figure it out.¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡± Morgan started, then banged the back of his head against the wall. ¡°I¡¯m not sure either. I read your statements, yes, but I want to hear it from the survivors.¡±

    That meant the four of us.

    I looked at Aiden. Really, it was us two. We saw ¡°Seraph¡± and caught every detail of her.

    He nodded.

    I took the stand, ¡°It was ¡®Seraph,¡¯ I think. A different ¡®Seraph,¡¯ one with two [Wings] instead of six.¡±

    Seraph amended, ¡°[Wings of Seraphim] began as two wings and grew as I developed. Really, I had two wings throughout my late teens and early twenties, I believe? Idris?¡±

    Rector¡¯s lips moved around, unconvinced. ¡°I think so, I can¡¯t do the math right now.¡±

    ¡°Well, whatever the case, ¡®she¡¯ kept saying this one name over and over.¡± I rubbed my ears, her screams still ringing in my head. ¡°¡®Nathan.¡¯ You guys know who he is¡ª?¡±

    As soon as I said that name, the room turned into a freezer.

    I think I stepped on a landmine. ¡°I¡¯m¡ª¡±

    ¡°It was Sera,¡± Rector muttered so quietly that it scared me. ¡°That Alternate was Sera.¡±

    Seraph clamped a hand over her mouth and hugged herself with her other arm. ¡°Nathan¡­ Nathan is Kosmos¡¯s real name.¡± She gulped and lowered her hand. ¡°No, to be more accurate: you know him as the strongest Slayer in the world and the only SSS-Rank in history, Kosmos. To me, he was and always will be Nathan Hyun, my husband and the father of our child.¡±

    That¡­ If that was the case, then¡­

    ¡°Then why?¡± I asked her. ¡°Then why was ¡®Seraph¡¯ screaming his name like he died?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. There were several times when he scared me¡ªscared all of us¡ªbut I don¡¯t know. I¡­¡± Seraph paused and began to connect the dots on her own. ¡°You said this ¡®Seraph¡¯ had two wings, correct?¡±

    I nodded.

    She looked toward her VGM. ¡°Idris, are you thinking the same thing?¡±

    He was admiring his shoes. ¡°Of course I am. If ¡®Seraph¡¯ had two wings, then she was most likely younger than all of us. The only timeframe that makes sense is¡­¡±

    Seraph finished his thought, ¡°Was before ¡®Kosmos.¡¯ And before Kosmos, there was only Nathan. Alexander, do you know what [Total Body Rejection] is?¡±

    I affirmed, ¡°Yeah. My uncle has [Registration Rejection]¡ªwait, are you implying¡­?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I am.¡±

    Shit. They were both autoimmune diseases of a similar nature. With the Slayer System, everyone was born with a ¡°conceptual seed¡± that allowed the PPS to ¡°grow¡± once [Registered]. Uncle Ali wasn¡¯t born with this ¡°seed,¡± so if he [Registered], [Rejection] would kick in and he could lose his life. However, he was perfectly healthy otherwise. For Nathan? God¡­ He had the ¡°conceptual seed¡± but his body rejected it, producing the same effects as [Registration Rejection] but it was constant, lasting for every waking second of his life. Anyone who had [TBR] was, well, they lived a miserable existence with a shortened lifespan on top. Nobody in recorded history lived beyond thirty, and living to that point might be considered torture in itself.

    So this¡­ This was new information¡ªgroundbreaking information. Nobody knew much about Kosmos¡¯s personal life, only rumors. Every appearance he made, he wore a full suit of armor equipped with anti-perception features. The man underneath the helmet was a ghost. What information we did have, it came from Seraph and Rector by association. I... I¡¯m starting to see the reason behind the secrecy.

    You don¡¯t simply cure [TBR].

    You don¡¯t simply cure [TBR] and become the world¡¯s only SSS-Rank Slayer.

    Seraph recognized the conclusion I¡¯d drawn, and she confirmed it again, ¡°Nathan wasn¡¯t given a long and comfortable life. His parents abandoned and left him in an orphanage. Every morning, breakfast was accompanied by a cup of pills. To him, the outside world was a TV, a bookshelf, and his bedside window¡ªand his only friend was another boy who had to take care of him.¡±

    Rector put a hand to his eyes and morbidly chuckled.

    Seraph inhaled, trying to keep herself from falling apart. ¡°D-Despite that¡­ Despite everything, he was happy. I still remember those days. His endless optimism, how he laughed at himself, the beautiful hope in his eyes, his smile¡ªoh, the conversations we¡¯d have. We would talk all night about his favorite Slayers and guilds. He loved to fantasize himself as a high-ranker, slaying breachers and helping others like him. But¡­ But we both knew that they¡¯d likely remain as fantasies. So I promised myself that I would make them a reality: to create a guild dedicated to the world, to humanity. Because Nathan represented the best of us: an angel, someone whose soul was pure and beautiful. I¡­¡±

    Seraph stared at the ceiling. ¡°I was always afraid that on one unsuspecting morning, he would never wake up. That day never came, but our future had. It¡¯s everything I prayed for. Everything. Twenty years later, my Nathan hasn¡¯t changed at all. He may be taller and wrinkles are starting to show¡ªbut he¡¯s still the same boy who taught me what ¡®love¡¯ means. It¡¯s¡­ I¡¯m sorry, I¡­¡±

    She deeply exhaled and laughed at her own ramblings. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to talk for this long. I haven¡¯t given you a clear answer, but¡ª¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, ma¡¯am,¡± I said, looking toward the others. ¡°We understand plenty.¡±

    No one disagreed, everyone nodded.

    Morgan spoke up, ¡°It¡¯s valuable information, yes, thank you. To reiterate¡­ Our current theory is: the Alternate impersonated Seraph not as she is today, but as she was about two decades ago. And for some reason, she mourned a death that never came to be.¡±

    Seraph rested a hand on her chest and nodded profusely. ¡°I-I think so, yes. Idris¡ª?¡± (¡°I¡¯m running with whatever he says.¡±) ¡°Then yes. Yes.¡±

    Morgan floated off the wall. ¡°So be it. If it wasn¡¯t obvious already, Rector isn¡¯t in the right state of mind and I don¡¯t think any of us are. We should call it a night and regather ourselves tomorrow. I¡¯ll share this info with Sophos and get her thoughts on the matter. The rest of you? Sleep. God knows you¡¯ll need it.¡±

    Rector clapped. ¡°You heard him. First thing tomorrow morning, we¡¯ll update you.¡±

    We all slowly stood¡ªexcept for Chie, who was cleaning her mess. I faced Seraph, and through the bodies, she found me.

    I opened my mouth. She shook her head.

    ¡°You ready to head back?¡± Leo asked, patting my shoulder.

    ¡°Take care of yourself, you two,¡± Seraph told us. ¡°Make sure you eat.¡±

    If she commands. ¡°Alright,¡± I said. ¡°Alright.¡±

    ***

    Gradually, half the team left, leaving only Chie and Aiden in the room.

    Aiden worriedly said, ¡°Idris¡ª¡°

    ¡°No no, don¡¯t start this now.¡± Idris held the kids by the shoulders, rubbing them, but his hands were slow and his eyes were slower. ¡°Go home and rest, okay?¡±

    Chie was holding her broken [Yokai] in her hands. ¡°B-But¡ª¡°

    Idris patted her head, caressing her dirty hair. ¡°It¡¯s an order.¡±

    She was still reluctant to leave¡ªno one could blame her after what had transpired¡ªbut ultimately, Aiden convinced Chie, by simply holding her hand.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, babe,¡± he said. ¡°We have a lot of work tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Okay¡­¡± Chie replied so quietly that it was borderline silent. ¡°Please take care of yourself.¡±

    ¡°We will. Now get out of here.¡±

    They left, and the Office was quieter than ever before. Today had finally ended, but tomorrow was going to be longer. Because, well, although Sera preferred to be rational and have empirical evidence for her theories, something told her this was the beginning of the Mother Alternate¡¯s rampage. To create an Alt based on her was¡­

    ¡°Sera,¡± Idris reached out to her.

    She was looking out the window¡ªlike how Nathan would, when he had been an Angel¡ªand said, ¡°I couldn¡¯t tell our whole story. It would¡¯ve been too long and much too confusing. I still remember what I said, hehe. ¡®Pathetic little man, teach me the ways of humanity.¡¯ Can you believe how ridiculous I was?¡±

    ¡°You weren¡¯t exactly an ordinary teenage girl,¡± said Idris, standing beside her. ¡°Quite the opposite.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true, I wasn¡¯t. I¡­¡± Sera sighed and rested her forehead against the glass. ¡°I don¡¯t know, Idris. I can¡¯t imagine my life without him. I can¡¯t imagine this world without him. If Nathan had passed back then¡­ I think I would¡¯ve gone insane like how my Alternate had. But why¡­? Why did she live in a future that never happened?¡±

 [FOR HUMANITY] Epilogue - Sweet Dreams, Sweet Angel

    ¡°We have confirmation: the Board of Operations has unanimously chosen the next Guild Master of Legends Guild. Arlo has won the vote. I repeat, Arlo will be the new Guild Master. I can¡¯t say this is the most expected outcome, but the Board has chosen. He will formally take his new position later this week. We should hear about his pick for Vice Guild Master¡ªwhich, based on previous precedence¡ªwill most likely be one of his former opponents during the succession crisis.¡±

    ¡°...You¡¯ve been hooked on the whole drama,¡± I told Dad.

    It was a little bit after midnight, and everyone was asleep. I''d been studying for high-school exams¡ªwhat was it again? chem?¡ªand decided to grab a snack. There Dad was, though, sitting on the couch, glued to the TV screen. In fact, he¡¯d been following the succession crisis at Legends Guild since the old GM passed. Liberator, that was his name.

    I figured it had to do with his childhood. Dad and Uncle Ali were born and raised in Chicago, home of the Legends. They rarely spoke about their childhood. Whenever Legends came up in conversation, they always switched topics.

    It was a sore spot, a taboo, but I was used to it. We had a lot of taboo subjects in our family.

    Dad continued to stare at the screen as it flashed Arlo¡¯s headshots.

    ¡°Dad?¡± I asked again. ¡°You okay? Dad¡ª!¡±

    Dad startled and jumped five feet in the air. Startled me too. When was the last time he¡¯d been shaken like this? His eyes were dark, distant, like the TV was a window down memory lane. ¡°What¡¯re you doing here, conq?¡±

    I gestured toward the news. ¡°I thought Mom got you off the couch by now. I¡­ I dunno. What¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡± Dad bit his lip. He wanted to tell me it was nothing, but both of us knew that was a lie. Instead, he put a hand over his mouth like that would be a better answer. This wasn¡¯t the first time he had acted strange, but those moments were few and far in-between. Usually, this was a conversation better left ignored and forgotten.

    But I was here. We were alone. I was worried.

    Something on my face had cracked his armor, and his hand fell to his lap. ¡°I¡¯m¡­happy that Arlo won the nomination. He¡¯s a good man.¡±

    Instead of hovering like a stranger, I sat next to him on the couch. ¡°Then why d¡¯you look so tense?¡±

    He inhaled, the present-day coming back to his eyes. ¡°...It¡¯s a long story, Alex. It has something to do with my past.¡±

    That right there told me to stop pushing. Dad¡­ My father had been a felon and was locked away for seven years. At the time, I didn¡¯t know the entire story. He wasn¡¯t one of those motivational speakers, broadcasting his past sins over a microphone. Quite the opposite. He kept his repentance to himself.

    Even I¡ªa sixteen-year-old dumbass¡ªknew a part of him had never moved on from that time. He was still locked behind bars, eternally a criminal.

    I cleared my throat. ¡°We oughta head to bed¡ª¡±

    ¡°D¡¯you think I¡¯m a good man, Alex?¡±

    What a question to ask your son, huh? I wasn¡¯t ready for it. It stunned me. I blubbered, unable to sift through my shock to find the right words.

    Dad realized his mistake and laughed at himself. His voice was lighter, now. ¡°Right, my bad, that¡¯s¡­ That¡¯s too big of a question to ask, I¡¯m sorry. Just, well, seeing Arlo all over the news, it reminded me of that period in my life. It was a dark time for me, Alex. For years, I thought a second chance was out of my hands. Now that I¡¯m here, with a gorgeous wife and two wonderful children¡­¡±

    He stopped and rubbed his lips, then fell backwards against the couch. ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡±

    Like I said, we both knew that was a lie. Looking back on our conversation, I knew what he was going to say: ¡°I don¡¯t know if I deserve this life at all.¡± But he didn¡¯t voice those intrusive words, because there were some things you shouldn¡¯t say to your kids.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t sound like nothing,¡± I said against my better judgment.

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s not.¡± He solemnly nodded. ¡°It¡¯s not.¡± Dad stared straight at me with his piercing green eyes. It turned my blood cold. This was my father: a man standing at six-eight but his heart stood taller. For my entire life, I knew him by his laughter and muscles. Picking me up whenever I fell, patting my shoulder whenever I cried¡ªand tonight when all the doors were shut, he¡¯d laid bare his scars and his ugliness toward the young man that happened to be his son.

    ¡°I¡­¡± Dad gulped, his throat sounding dry. ¡°I want you to be a better man than your father. I want you to give something to this world.¡±

    My throat was impossibly dry too. I swallowed a glob of saliva, my head racing. ¡°Dad¡ª¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m saying this because your father has made terrible mistakes growing up, because your grandparents weren¡¯t good people. Me and your mother, we¡¯re doing everything to give you a childhood we never had. This is a big ask, I know, but I have faith in you. You will be a greater man, and hopefully, a husband and a father too. As long as you¡¯re a better man than you were yesterday, you can do it.¡±

    You can¡¯t say something like that and get my hopes up, you know. Being a husband and father are out of the question. I can never be as good of a man as you. It¡¯s impossible. Too many things have happened since that night, Dad. Hangzhou killed that dream, you and Mom with it.

    ***

    ¡°...Alex.¡± Someone pushed against my shoulder. Ache, ache, ache. ¡°We¡¯re here.¡±

    I blinked and rubbed my eyes. We were ¡°home.¡± Guess I daydreamed too much. ¡°Right, sorry.¡±

    Leo sighed and tapped me again. ¡°Can you walk?¡±

    Since I left Angels HQ, my injuries and exhaustion dropped on me like an anvil. My entire body was sore as hell. That''s the price for top-quality healing. If it weren¡¯t for the healers and doctors, I¡¯d be staying the night in a hospital and wrapped up tighter than a mummy.

    I shrugged to answer her question. ¡°Don¡¯t know, but I¡¯m not at one-hundred.¡±

    She rolled her eyes. ¡°Alright, c¡¯mon. I¡¯ll help you out.¡±

    Leo became my personal caretaker. She kindly opened the door and yanked me from the car. As I expected, my legs became jelly almost instantly. Nearly plummeted onto the pavement, but my useless limbs got shocked back to life. Barely.

    I hooked an arm around Leo¡¯s shoulder, and we were off.

    ***

    ¡°Easy, don¡¯t let him fall like a sack of potatoes¡­¡±

    Leo and Uncle Ali eased me onto the couch for some much-needed rest.

    As far as I could tell, extreme soreness was the extent of my post-healing trauma. It should fade into something manageable by tomorrow morning. If not, well, that meant another trip to the doctor¡¯s office. Or overdosing on painkillers.

    ¡°And here¡¯s some water.¡± Thea plunked a glass of cold water onto the coffee-table, then dragged the table closer so I wouldn''t have to reach far. ¡°That everything, your highness?¡±

    I glanced at the brat. ¡°A letter of resignation, probably.¡±

    ¡°Already? Lazy-ass.¡± She playfully flicked my foot. ¡°One little fight and you''re already throwing in the towel."

    Thea took the adjacent couch, legs crossed, and watched TV. She and Uncle Ali had been glued to the silver-screen since the breakthrough was first reported. Currently, the excitement had died down as investigations were beginning to kick off. As Seraph and Rector said, they were going to ¡°cooperate¡± with the camps and internationals. By that, they were going to be a real pain in the ass and rightfully so.

    Uncle listened to the annoying and pretentious news-anchors. ¡°Dwyer will probably take over the investigation. The Encampment will fight, but they¡¯ll fold by tomorrow.¡±

    Thea commented, ¡°I¡¯m confused why the Union sent a malie in the first place. Breakthroughs aren¡¯t handled by the Malie Bureau. That¡¯s for Distortions and Breaches.¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    ¡°The Union knows more than we thought,¡± I said, rolling onto my side. ¡°They know the breakthroughs aren''t the issue. The Alternates are, and they''re aware of their existence. That¡¯s malie territory. Since the Big Four are connected, you need an eight-fourteen.¡±

    Leo leaned against the back of the couch I was laying on. "Regardless, the internationals have a lot of work ahead of them. According to our insider sources, they''re trying to prove the unthinkable: that we''re geddons while staying within legal boundaries. Good luck with that. You know what they say: ¡®Swing at the king, you¡¯d better not miss.¡¯"

    She was right. This was a battle of legality and of public opinion. Any little mistake, any little misconduct, it¡¯d be seen as the Global Union once again targeting Angels Guild through unlawful methods. Currently, the public conversation revolved around the Big Four¡¯s competence, giving the internationals momentum. Being dangerously incompetent and willfully malicious were two very different things however, so if Dwyer started pointing fingers too soon¡­ It''d be a blunder that may be impossible to recover from.

    It was an important battle. For them, the stakes were high. They could bring down their biggest enemy or further earn the scorn of castles and high-rankers across the world.

    So what will Seraph and Rector do¡­? They can either play aggressively and control the conversation, or play safely and wait for an inevitable opportunity.

    As much as I¡¯d like to theorize, I did enough thinking today.

    I rolled onto my back and stared at the barren ceiling and also at a nosy princess looking down at me.

    ¡°What¡¯re you thinking about, Alex?¡± she asked.

    I shrugged and shifted around. ¡°Everything. My brain¡¯s simultaneously fried and in overdrive.¡±

    Leo patted the springy backrest. ¡°Sounds like you need calories in your system. Should I heat up some microwavable garbage? We¡¯ll have a family dinner over piping hot trash and spoiled milk.¡±

    Attacking me with my own words. This was the second-most humiliating defeat I had today. I mumbled vaguely and turned away from her. ¡°I¡¯d rather eat actual garbage.¡±

    ¡°Yes or no?¡±

    ¡°Fine, whatever, do what you want.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll taste the best pre-made cooking in your life.¡± Leo skipped to the kitchen.

    Thea followed and said, ¡°I¡¯m comin¡¯ with. I¡¯m hungry again.¡±

    Within seconds of invading the kitchen, the girls were arguing about something. Probably about what pasta I preferred or they were bad-mouthing me. Either or, I wasn''t devoting brainpower to listen to their gossip.

    Uncle Ali threw on a random sitcom and turned up the volume. A cleanse from real-life drama. I never thought I¡¯d be glad to hear canned laughter and horrible jokes.

    I said, ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s worse: the fact that I¡¯m enjoying this awful sitcom or the unholy concoction being brewed behind me.¡±

    Uncle took Thea¡¯s spot. ¡°Rock bottom is different for everybody. How''re you feeling, though? Exhausted? Overwhelmed?¡±

    ¡°Drained,¡± I answered. ¡°We¡¯re left with more questions than answers, more problems than solutions. That¡¯s how it goes, I guess. All we can do is tackle the next big thing.¡±

    ¡°All in due time, Alex. At least you¡¯re supported by a team.¡± He glanced toward the kitchen. My number one supporter was in that room, chatting it up with my little sister who was my number one hater.

    When he mentioned that, though, something popped in my head and I found myself asking: ¡°Speaking of, before we earned our wings, you said you had a small list of candidates? To, you know, ally with?¡±

    Uncle firmly nodded. ¡°I did. Why do you ask?¡±

    ¡°Angels was your first pick. What¡¯s your rationale?¡±

    He chuckled and gestured at the luxurious apartment we get to stay in for free. ¡°Jokes aside, I told you my reasons back then. I¡¯ve committed an ungodly amount of time into studying Kosmos. The more I researched, the more I respected him.¡±

    ¡°Massive words coming from you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m serious. Kosmos is more myth than man. Can you count the number of times he took a firm stance on a political matter?¡±

    I shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s not often, I know that. I think, what, once or twice a year? He doesn¡¯t like throwing his weight around.¡±

    Uncle raised a finger at me like it was a ruler-stick. ¡°That¡¯s right. You can disagree with his positions, but he rarely uses his influence. In fact, he doesn¡¯t want to and prefers to remain neutral. Why?¡±

    ¡°Because he¡¯s afraid?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s incredibly cautious and rightfully so. Kosmos commands the international community of Slayers. Whenever he says ¡®jump,¡¯ they¡¯ll jump. Despite wielding this amazing yet unimaginably dangerous power, he chooses to do nothing. It takes a special man to look at our world and choose to not put his weight on the scale unless strictly necessary. In his case, a special man surrounded by decent people.¡±

    I said, ¡°Seraph and Rector.¡±

    ¡°Mhm. They¡¯re another reason why I¡¯d ally with Angels Guild. They understand power far better than most in their echelon and wield it appropriately. Not perfectly¡ªno one is perfect¡ªbut good enough.¡±

    ¡°And¡­¡± I hesitated, but I spat the words out: ¡°And you¡¯re okay with our arrangement? Once word starts to spread and the wrong people find out you¡¯re an Angel, they¡¯ll raise Hell.¡±

    Uncle confidently nodded; there wasn¡¯t a single hint of hesitation in his eyes. ¡°They can try.¡±

    Again, these were massive words coming from my uncle. He wasn¡¯t one to make definitive statements; if anything, he was more cynical and paranoid than I was. For him to sing Kosmos¡¯s praises¡ªespecially given his career in the military¡ªit was the highest form of praise a man could give to another.

    I couldn¡¯t help but smile, until a memory crept into my head. That conversation with Dad, on the night Arlo was selected to be the new Guild Master of Legends Guild.

    Uncle Ali saw my smile drop and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    I shook my head. ¡°It¡¯s nothing¡­ Just remembering something.¡±

    He saw through my bullshit. ¡°Are you sure?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡± My throat felt scratchy. Carefully, I reached for my water, gulped half of it down, and set it back. ¡°I was, erm, I was thinking about Dad again.¡±

    Hearing his name brought a tinge of lasting grief to my uncle, extending subtly from his lips and to his eyes. ¡°What about your father?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, just¡­¡± I rested the back of my hand over my forehead. ¡°Do you remember what he wanted most from me?¡±

    ¡°For you to be a better man than him, of course I remember. Alex¡ª¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not talking about me this time.¡± Memories flashed, and I could faintly hear flapping wings. ¡°Dad always tried to be a better man than he was yesterday, but guess what? Seraph said the same thing just the other day. Angels Guild does all these things, philanthropy and illegal experiments and what-have-you, not because they¡¯re better than the Union. It¡¯s because they want to be. That¡¯s¡­ I can¡¯t exactly hate that.¡±

    We all had our reasons to believe in Angels Guild. Just maybe¡­

    Before my uncle could say anything, the microwave erupted in alarm. We heard a ¡°Food¡¯s ready!¡± from Althea. In a couple minutes, we had two imposter chefs march from the kitchen with four microwavable pastas in their hands. Smelled good at least. Too bad my stomach was going to be pumped full of microplastics, but I''d be fed.

    I groaned and sat up.

    Thea put my ¡°dinner¡± down. ¡°Fresh cheese, sir.¡± She sprinkled shredded cheese from a store-brand bag.

    ¡°Where¡¯s it sourced from?¡±

    ¡°Milk.¡± Then, Thea delicately placed a fork on my plate. ¡°And silver.¡±

    ¡°Fantastic. Zero stars.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t appreciate real gastronomy¡ª¡± (¡°Don¡¯t use big words.¡±) ¡°¡ªshut up, asshat.¡± Thea sat next to me, hot pasta on her lap.

    I wasn¡¯t going to dig in right away; looked way too hot. Last thing I wanted was a burnt tongue alongside a sore body.

    Leo preferred sitting on the ground, using the table for its intended purpose. ¡°What were you guys talking about while we were cooking¡ª?¡± (¡°You weren¡¯t cooking.¡±) ¡°¡ªshut up, asshat.¡±

    Thea swirled her pasta around with a fork. ¡°I was interrogating her ¡®bout the Alternate.¡±

    Uncle Ali answered for us, ¡°Kosmos. Speaking of, you know the man behind the helmet, right?¡±

    ¡°Heh.¡± Leo put an elbow on the table. ¡°Of course. I don¡¯t wanna say too much, but Kosmos and Nathan are¡­ How do I put this? They¡¯re a character and its actor. Two completely different people. Kosmos is a god amongst warriors, while Nathan is a goofy man trying to find time for his family. One day, you¡¯ll meet him.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to it,¡± my uncle said. ¡°It¡¯ll be interesting to finally speak with him without filters.¡±

    ***

    Someone was gently knocking on the door. Phone read four in the morning, what the fuck¡­ I barely had time to sleep, dammit¡­

    With aching muscles still plaguing me, I slowly climbed out of bed and walked toward the blurry door.

    On the other side was Leo. ¡°There¡¯s been a new development,¡± she whispered.

    ¡°Motherf¡ªalright, come in.¡± I let her inside and quietly closed the door. ¡°Is it the internationals?¡±

    Leo scratched her eyes while shaking her head. ¡°No. Rector didn¡¯t tell you, but he asked Glory and Martials to keep a heads up for anything suspicious, saying a breakthrough may happen on their territory. VGM Jin Tianyou alerted him of a ¡®very strange occurrence¡¯ in the Jin Family Manor.¡±

    My heart was thumping. I did my best to contain my nerves. ¡°What does that mean? We should know it¡¯s an Alternate, right? We have the technology to track them.¡±

    I recall a short lecture: Sophos and Morgan had repurposed spatial tracking technology¡ªin simpler words, trackers that caught teleportation signals¡ªto detect breach-like signals instead. It mostly caught false-positives due to the constraints.

    Leo told me, ¡°Morgan said it¡¯s far from perfect, especially when it comes to a highly-protected manor outside the city walls.¡±

    I cursed under my breath. ¡°Fuck, okay. How are we handling this? Who¡¯s going to the VGM?¡±

    ¡°He asked for you,¡± Leo said, pale in the skin. ¡°He specifically asked for you and only you to investigate this. Otherwise, he¡¯s going to Agent Dwyer with all the information he has.¡±

    [Complete: Part 2 - For Humanity]

    [Next: Part 3 - For Mother]

 [FOR MOTHER] Chapter 1 - Son of the Zenith General

    ¡°You¡¯re going alone, Alex. Keep us updated, and take notes on everything. If this really is a potential Alternate encounter, don¡¯t take any chances and call in the cavalry. If not, leave and don¡¯t look back. Understand?¡±

    In terms of worst-case scenarios, I compiled a short mental list: going outside and forgetting to wear pants, getting my bank account hacked and losing all my savings, and having to meet the son of a former Zenith General. Alone. No back-up due to blackmail. It was a common strategy in the Jianghu; probably was one of the better shitty things you could do.

    If Jin Tianyou was anything like his father, Jin Junjie, then he¡¯d gladly start yapping. We couldn¡¯t call his bluff, then, so that meant a lovely morning drive outside city walls, with no one but the radio keeping me company.

    Normally, someone like Jin Tianyou would live in Starry Heights¡ªthe Beverly Hills of Ordo, so-to-speak. Almost every elite sword and their families lived there, including Seraph and Rector. However, the Jins thought otherwise. Of course they did, because they saw themselves as superior to the urban filth wasting away inside the city.

    The Jin Family Manor was its own special place. It was a quaint, court-styled complex built on top of a hill, bringing traditional sect architecture to the Sovereign Peninsula. Resembled a TV set from a historical C-drama, if I hadn¡¯t noticed high-tech cameras and an iron gate surrounding the high-walls. You¡¯d see that a lot in the Jianghu''s older structures: their architecture was a strange mesh of history and modern technology. These days, newer sects¡ªnewer buildings in general¡ªleaned toward function more than aesthetic. Much to the dismay of the Court¡¯s Standards of Architecture, of course.

    It didn¡¯t matter here. The Manor was isolated, out-of-place, constructed for exclusion and exclusion only. You could admire the Manor, but not up close or else you¡¯d be chased away. The proper place was down below, where you had to crane your head upwards and see the magnificent walls and a little sliver of the slanted roof-tiling.

    The Manor was a testament to Jin Junjie¡¯s hypocritical arrogance. He abhorred urbanites, yet founded Martials Guild within the urban and westernized heart of the Slayer Capital. He was among the elites, yet lived far away in his own special hut. The most successful and pathetic cultivator in Ordoian history, I think.

    But this man had been a Zenith General once upon a time. No matter my opinions, this was still one of the most dangerous places in Ordo.

    ¡°Identify yourself,¡± said the robotic voice at the front gates.

    ¡°Conqueror,¡± I answered. ¡°Vice Guild Master Jin Tianyou is expecting me.¡±

    ¡°Please wait.¡± Cue annoying music. It lasted for a few seconds before the voice cut back on. ¡°Welcome, Conqueror. Follow the road and park your vehicle in any of the available spaces. Afterwards, walk down the eastern path and through the main gate. As you enter the grand courtyard, you will find Master Jin. Thank you.¡±

    The gates automatically opened. Here we go. Yet another once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in my hands.

    I drove for a slow twenty seconds, taking my time to observe the surroundings. I thought I¡¯d find curious maids and servants poking their heads through doorways and windows, but there was no one. Heard nothing but singing birds and whistling wind. The parking lot was empty. I parked and slammed the door loudly, and all I did was startle nearby squirrels. The morning was dead and lifeless here, feeling straight out of a horror movie.

    The Manor was exclusive, yeah, but you needed a sizable staff to maintain the property¡ªso where the hell was everyone?

    I don¡¯t like this.

    Dammit, not like I could turn back now.

    I found the ¡°eastern path¡± as mentioned; a few lonely steps later, I was facing two massive red doors about twice my height. Dragons danced through the wood, their scales glittering with gold leaves, daring me to enter. I didn¡¯t want to. Just about every muscle in my body told me to fold. Give up. Nothing good will happen if you walk through these gaudy doors.

    Unfortunately, the Manor itself made the choice for me.

    The doors opened on their own.

    ¡°Motherfucker¡­¡± I muttered, cracking a morbid smile.

    Before me was the masterpiece of the Jin Family Manor: the grand courtyard, which was exactly how I imagined. Large, fantastical, dream-like¡ªas though stepping inside a different world. Despite the lack of visible caretakers, the courtyard was undeniably breathtaking. Patted stones led to displays of colorful nature: a crimson tree giving shade to violets, a running spring cutting diagonally through the courtyard, and glowing flowers stealing lumens from the sunrise. Gravel satisfyingly crunched underneath my feet, the color somehow perfectly uniform. Walls surrounded me, with more of those red gates preventing access to other sections of the Manor. In front of me, rising above everything, was a lodging fit for a prideful emperor. Four stories tall, built more as a throne room than a house.

    I couldn¡¯t gawk for long, because something else had immediately grabbed my attention: a cultivator kneeling parallel to the spring, using a flat rock to hold his tea brewing equipment. I¡¯d seen so many pictures of him online, watched so many videos. The urban prince of Martials Guild, wielder of [Ancestral Qi]¡ªVice Guild Master Jin Tianyou.

    He was dressed in a fine cultivator robe, the colors and quality so pristine that you couldn¡¯t mistake his status. Blue and white, seemingly a pure and innocent combination, yeah? I¡¯d agree if it was anyone but him wearing them. In a city filled with high-rankers and prodigies, Jin Tianyou was a step above the rest. He was a monster. I had no rational reason to claim this¡ªit sounded insane¡ªbut my gut was firing on all cylinders: ¡°This man is dangerous. This man is dangerous. This man is dangerous.¡±

    Give him five years, give or take a few, and he¡¯d be in the top one-hundred. Another five years, he might even rival Shui Yuan (Ë®Ô´).

    <Hmm¡­> Jin Tianyou was staring down two flaking tea-cakes. He asked in Mandarin, <What do you prefer, Conqueror? Raw or ripe pu¡¯er?>

    I dry-swallowed and carefully made my approach, so careful that it probably looked like I was walking in a minefield. <I-I don¡¯t drink tea. I¡¯m more of a coffee-person.>

    <You¡¯ll try ripe this morning, then.> He wrapped what I assumed to be the raw pu¡¯er and set it aside. <Come, sit.>

    It wasn¡¯t an offer. Either I indulge in his hospitality or he¡¯ll have morning tea with Agent Dwyer and Dietrich instead. Dammit all.

    My legs buckled as I lowered myself onto the ground. I bit the inside of my cheek to stop myself from impolitely groaning in front of him. This was the consequence of barely having any sleep to recover, all because of the living nightmare in front of me.

    Jin Tianyou had the slightest yet amused smile, an eyebrow half-raised, from watching a geriatric man in his early twenties. Most women would swoon from the attention he was giving me, but he was pretty like how a handcrafted doll was: porcelain and enigmatic. What was he thinking? What was he planning?

    He parted his smooth lips, head slightly turned. <I heard you were injured during yesterday¡¯s breakthrough.>

    I nodded, and as though he cursed me, my muscles flared in aches. My poker-face kept the pain from bleeding through. <I haven¡¯t fully recovered.>

    <I should¡¯ve brought out a tea that¡¯ll encourage healing. My apologies.> Jin Tianyou broke off a chunk of ripe pu¡¯er and dropped it into a lidded cup. <Have you tried Chinese tea before?>

    I watched as the leaves were drenched in already-boiling water. <A few times. I went to a teahouse for one of my friend¡¯s birthdays, but that¡¯s the extent of it.>

    <I see.> Jin Tianyou let the leaves steep for a handful of seconds, then the infusion was filtered into a transparent pitcher. The color was wonderfully dark like light chocolate. Clear too, not a hint of debris. He poured the tea into his small cup first, then mine. He asked, <I suppose you know what to do with the first wash?>

    Chunhua lectured me once about it. I said, gingerly holding the warm cup, <I do, Guild Master Jin.>

    He did the same. <To new relations.> Then, he poured the tea into the spring.

    <To¡­new relations.> I did the same. My fingers gripped the ceramic hard so that my sweat wouldn¡¯t cause a diplomatic disaster. Longest few seconds of my life. Once it was over, I mentally sighed in relief.

    The second steep was on its way, the water splattering and drowning the opened pu¡¯er. <You have your questions. They¡¯ll be answered in a matter of logic. The first on your mind must be: ¡®Why me?¡¯>

    I couldn¡¯t refute his claim. All I could do was sit there like a girder, watching as he refilled my teacup. This steep was darker than the first round, and faintly, I spotted my wavering reflection. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    Jin Tianyou took my silence as affirmation, holding his cup in-line with his upper-lip. <Do you recall Primordial Plaza, Conqueror? When you first spoke with Sophos?>

    Speaking with Sophos was several times less nerve-wracking than our conversation, but yeah, I did. I said, <Does this mean you were eavesdropping on our conversation, Guild Master Jin?>

    He hummed in the affirmative and sipped his tea.

    I took this time to taste the pu¡¯er for myself. Earthy, smooth, it wasn¡¯t bad. It partly washed down the bitterness in my mouth but it couldn¡¯t untangle the knot in my stomach.

    <It was surprising,> he told me. <Sophos operates on her own¡­rationality for the lack of a better word. To approach a civilian went beyond unordinary, until that civilian was the same man who made small waves amongst the Big Four.>

    Was that why he wanted me? To check out the random asshole of the week? I hid my grimace using the cup. <I didn¡¯t make the best impression on certain people.>

    <On the contrary, you certainly impressed me.> Jin Tianyou drank the rest of his tea, then rubbed his fingers against the smooth surface of the cup. His fingernails were one micrometer away from scratching it. His lips smacked together, loudly, like a clap of the cymbals.

    The sound echoed inside my head. My throat was suddenly dry, and downing the rest of my tea wasn¡¯t enough to quench it. <What¡­ What do you want with me, Guild Master Jin? Why did you pick me of all swords?>

    <It¡¯s obvious. I want to know more about you, the enigmatic Conqueror. You, who so easily integrated into the high-rankers of Ordo. That¡¯s why I threatened Rector: to ensure this private meeting.>

    I put my cup down, and it clanked against the wet rock. <Threats aside, you know I can¡¯t tell you how that came to be.>

    <No, there¡¯s no need. I already know.> Jin Tianyou, against his stoicism, betrayed a slight smirk. One that revealed a dagger-thin strip of his white teeth. He set his cup down without so much of a sound. <It¡¯s because you¡¯re different from the rest.>

    My mouth opened to automatically refute, but it was left hanging there. <I¡­ I don¡¯t think I follow.>

    Jin Tianyou gracefully rose to his feet and held his hands behind his back. He embraced the early sunrise with pride. <This is the Slayer Capital, home to the highest caliber of warriors. Prodigies study in Ordo University¡ªsomething you¡¯re familiar with¡ªveterans flock to the Big Four in droves. This is the birthplace of the greatest hero, Kosmos. We live in a cesspool of talent, discipline, and labor. Geniuses clash with fellow geniuses, ambition sparking against ambition. At a certain point, it becomes¡­predictable. Overabundant. As I realize these words¡ªgenius, prodigy, savant¡ªare uninteresting rhymes, I find myself growing less and less enthused.> Jin Tianyou faced me, now. <Until I encountered you at Primordial Plaza.>

    My heart thumped.

    <You had been a civilian then, but I saw it clearly: your promise. You inhabit an entirely different realm and you¡¯re aware of this. Within ten years, you¡¯ll reach the same critical acclaim as your Guild Masters. Rival them, perhaps. Triumph over them. Do you understand the reason behind your visit now, Conqueror?>

    The cultivator loomed over, the weight of his pale-blue gaze oppressing me to the core of the earth. While he maintained an unnaturally stoic expression, his eyes were wide and unmoving, completely fixated on mine. <You, like myself, will rise above the heavens, for that is our purpose in this world.>

    Like how Sophos could appraise my [Skills], Jin Tianyou had a sixth sense and saw right through me. He saw my potential, a fire ignited by the mysterious [Memento Recollection] and my uncle¡¯s [Anti-Slayer Techniques]. Unlike him, I had no desire to ¡°rise above the heavens.¡± The cultivators¡¯ way of living was antithetical to mine, and this psychopath was the perfect representation of it.

    That wasn¡¯t a human being looking down at me. It was a demon, a monster.

    In his eyes, my image was reflected in them.

    <Ha¡­> Jin Tianyou cracked a small, subdued laugh and stepped away. <I look forward to our continued meetings, and most of all, your progress. Here.>

    From his robes, he handed me a small folder.

    I reluctantly took it, my body feeling much lighter now that he backed off. <What¡¯s this?> I asked, my voice coming out in a low hiss. I didn''t know how to take his words, so I pushed them aside in favor of the mission.

    <The file regarding the incident. As I told Rector, there has been a strange occurrence in the past couple nights. It¡¯s why the Manor is lifeless, as I ordered the staff home.>

    Finally, we were talking about the job. I opened the file and¡ª ¡°Jesus Christ!¡±

    I nearly dropped the file in the spring. A crime scene photo flashbanged me: a close-up of a middle-aged woman, her left cheek clawed off to the point where her crooked and pink teeth were exposed.

    I sputtered, <What the hell is this?! You said this is a ¡®strange occurrence!¡¯>

    He replied flatly, <It¡¯s strange to see a woman¡¯s teeth through her cheek.>

    Jesus.

    I ignored his comment and flipped to the next page¡ªand there was another photo. This time, the victim was an older male. His left forearm was ripped to shreds, and a part of his scalp was nothing more than a hairy meat-flap. Looked like his torso also sustained some wounds.

    Jin Tianyou noticed my disgust and explained, <The victims are recovering from their injuries, don¡¯t worry. The first attack occurred the night before, then the second last night. Hours ago, actually. These incidents approximately occurred around the new day; however, there are no witnesses. Everyone who discovered the victims only saw their wounded colleagues, never the culprit. Initially, I had brushed the matter aside to prioritize my other responsibilities, but the second attack forced my hand. With the breakthrough at Angels, I suspected it may be connected to your going-ons. Thus, I¡¯m handing this case to you.>

    <Right¡­> I stood, skimming through the photos and other notes he¡¯d personally handwritten. <Where¡¯s your father in all of this?>

    Jin Tianyou briefly paused. <In the Jianghu. He won¡¯t be available for quite some time.>

    It wasn¡¯t atypical of Jin Junjie considering his position; frankly, better his son than the General himself. I asked, <You haven¡¯t checked the camera footage?>

    <I didn¡¯t have the time. They¡¯re yours.>

    <What about the crime scenes? I don¡¯t know the layout of your Manor.>

    Jin Tianyou pointed behind him, toward one of the red gates. <I provided a map, but the first attack occurred in the western wing outside the Bathhouse. The second¡­> Then, he pointed in the completely opposite direction. <In the eastern wing, behind the Hall of Public Knowledge. You¡¯ll spot and smell the blood before you¡¯ll see it.>

    I didn¡¯t know how to react to that last sentence, but alright. Reading his notes closely, he knew only the bare circumstances. Wasn¡¯t helpful, plus I had no evidence that these attacks were committed by an Alternate. Needed to investigate further to confirm the possibility. What was more likely though? An animal or a sadist, or an Alternate? Admittedly, it was a coin-flip.

    I looked at the thick walls surrounding the Manor, then turned to the hazy clouds drifting above us.

    Jin Tianyou tilted his head slightly. <Conqueror?>

    <...I want a full detailed list of your security measures, Guild Master Jin, and files on every employee you have. That includes their contact info.>

    He let out a soft hum. <Very well. I¡¯ll have them arranged later. As you most likely guessed, I cannot shadow you during your investigations.>

    Wasn¡¯t surprising. With his father gone, he was technically the Acting Guild Master; and with the internationals poking around and tryouts being delayed, the logistics became fucked to put it lightly. Yet something was bugging me.

    I asked, <Are you letting me have free reign of your Manor?>

    Jin Tianyou looked toward the main gate. <No, but how coincidental. I was about to mention your companions, because they¡¯ve just arrived.>

    As the main gate automatically opened, I expected an eager junior who¡¯d lick Jin Tianyou¡¯s shoes for a crumb of his attention. Instead, the woman behind the gate was the exact opposite. His attention? Praise? Didn¡¯t need that, didn¡¯t want that. Hell, she didn¡¯t care enough. Because, very few people were insane enough to stroll through the front-door with a cigarette in their mouth.

    Blackviper was notorious for that: her lackadaisical attitude. She was a Head Officer but more known as Jin Tianyou¡¯s second. Easy to see why. Past her good looks and skintight black bodysuit, those lazy electronic eyes could kill. Every part of her body could. Cybernetic arms, hidden weapons, the rifle strapped to her shoulder. Similarly to the Manor, she should only be admired from a safe distance.

    In her original Worldline, she had been an assassin after all. Now in our world, she was hunting monsters, not humans. At least, to my knowledge.

    ¡°Boss.¡± Blackviper took her cig out and brushed aside her midnight hair, her ponytail swaying side-to-side. ¡°I brought ¡®em.¡±

    Filtering behind her were two more women.

    A forest-haired cultivator and a stupid-looking esper in streetwear.

    I nearly dropped my file again.

    Me and Chunhua locked eyes first, and her shock quickly morphed into silent, seething rage.

    <They will be your companions,> Jin Tianyou said to me. <Blackviper, Forest Master, and Uprise. As tryouts have been delayed for all guilds, I decided to administer a special test instead¡ª>

    I whipped my head toward him. <You brought them here¡ª?!>

    <To support and encourage you, because I expect the issue to be swiftly resolved. After all, the premise of your being here is the ignorance of our pesky internationals.> A threat. We were all in danger of being reported to Dwyer. <At midnight, then, I¡¯ll visit my Manor again in hopes of a positive development. Do your best.>

    Event Commission: Attack on the Manor

    Pay: TBD

    Description: For the next sixteen-ish hours, I have to investigate two savage attacks at the Jin Family Manor. I¡¯m torn between two orders: determining if the culprit was in fact an Alternate, as per Rector and Morgan; and providing a satisfying conclusion, as Jin Tianyou expects. You don¡¯t blow off a cultivator like him, even if his father¡¯s a disgraced Zenith General. Scorning the Marital Zenith Sect was an easy way to earn an Extermination Edict. I¡¯m catastrophizing, obviously, but not a good idea. Sixteen hours. I need to make them count. Hopefully, the girls will cooperate.

 [FOR MOTHER] Chapter 2 - Two Crime Scenes, Two Victims, and a Lonely Manor

    angels breakthrough

    primordial plaza breakthrough

    anomaly bureau

    distortion and breach institute

    first wave

    ordo

    Oiwjhadowya8dyhowand wajdi

    Chunhua held the backspace key until the entire query was deleted. How long have they been at it¡ª? Ah, hours, because it was three-thirty in the morning. Wonderful, how genuinely wonderful. All that effort and neither of them could gather a hint of useful information. This must be the reason why Chunhua preferred the front-lines; it was quite simple to wave your spear around and stick the nearest foe.

    The men were uncharacteristically quiet since the breakthrough at Angels Guild. They¡¯d responded in the group-chat, a meager ¡°Everything¡¯s alright!¡± which was not only false but also concerningly deceptive. They were involved with the incident in some capacity, Alexander especially, and now internationals were investigating Angels.

    As Chunhua scrolled through endless articles and websites, an unsettling conclusion revealed itself: Alexander did play a part in Primordial Plaza, these ¡°breakthroughs¡± were unnatural, and he was now deeply involved in the conspiracies of the Big Four. Victor, due to his relationship with that idiot, was now implicated and he had to be radio-silent.

    ¡°Chunhua!¡± an adorable voice squeaked behind her. Kotone swiveled around the couch and stood in front of the TV, looking and sounding like she''d directly injected caffeine into her veins. "I have an idea!"

    Chunhua set her laptop aside, letting the hot battery burn a hole into the couch instead of her lap. ¡°I¡¯ll hear you out.¡±

    Kotone pointed out the window. ¡°We¡¯re infiltrating the Wings and demanding answers from Seraph.¡±

    ¡°Absolutely not. I value my life.¡±

    ¡°Okay, no more ideas.¡± Kotone slouched and flopped on the opposite end of the couch. She let out a long, annoyed sigh. ¡°I don''t know else to do. We¡¯re not gonna get any answers from Vic or Alex, or from Thea and Uncle Shen¡ª¡± (¡°Uncle Romanos.¡±) ¡°¡ªUncle Romanos. We don''t know where they''re even staying at!"

    Because Alexander never disclosed the hotel he was staying in, and the Taslim household was most likely in lockdown. What a messy, dramatic situation. Yet, knowing its depth¡­

    ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s for the best that we stay out of this¡ª¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Kotone shot straight up.

    Chunhua elaborated, ¡°I¡¯m saying that it might be for our benefit¡ª¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not talking ¡®bout our benefit, what about theirs? Breakthroughs are popping up around us, internationals are investigating¡ª!¡± (¡°Kotone¡ª¡±) ¡°¡ªand we¡¯re supposed to sit back¡ª?!¡±

    ¡°Kotone!¡± Chunhua raised her voice enough that her dear friend was subdued. She sighed, letting her tone drop back down to a whisper. ¡°If we intervene, we¡¯ll make an already-sensitive situation worse.¡±

    ¡°But¡ª!

    ¡°No arguments. Situations like these occurred fairly often in my sect. For your own sake and your friends, the best choice was to remain on the fringes. Observing, yet never stepping in unless absolutely necessary.¡± Of course, politics in the Jianghu had considerable differences from politics in the urban world: laws, regulations, and so on. However, the two worlds were estranged siblings more than acquaintances.

    Despite her rationality, it fell on the deaf ears of sentimentalism. Kotone bit her pink lip. "I bet your friends would''ve wanted help."

    I know they did, because when it was my turn, I wished for the same thing. No one lent their hand. They looked away, and I was resigned to my fate. ¡°For now, let¡¯s¡ª¡±

    [New message from Blackviper]

    What¡­?

    Kotone stared at the blue-screen, but due to the Slayer System''s privacy measures, she couldn''t read its contents. ¡°What¡¯s the notification for?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡± Chunhua stood from the couch. ¡°Give me a moment.¡±

    She walked into the kitchen and opened the [PM].

    [Blackviper]

    good early morning

    forest master right?

    maolin, exiled, all that cosmo?

    [Forest Master]

    What do you want, assassin? I¡¯m in no mood for petty insults at this hour.

    [Blackviper]

    not gonna be in the mood for this message then

    jin tianyou wants you and the esper

    Chunhua gasped, hovering a hand over her mouth. Jin Tianyou? Her? Could it be about Maolin¡ª? No, why would a man like him be concerned with a comparatively minor sect? Plus, if it really had been about her, why Kotone? Logically, then, it couldn¡¯t be about Kotone either.

    If it wasn¡¯t either of them, then¡­

    Then Chunhua didn¡¯t know why he was calling a meeting, and that was the most terrifying answer.

    [Forest Master]

    Why? Why myself? Why Kotone?

    [Blackviper]

    does it look like i ask questions

    no that¡¯s a rhetorical question i don¡¯t

    you¡¯ll have to find out the hard way

    [Forest Master]

    That¡¯s assuming I answer his call.

    [Blackviper]

    you¡¯re a smart pretty lady fm

    you know this isn¡¯t a request

    i¡¯m picking you up at seven

    we¡¯re going to his family manor

    be on your best behavior, tell that to your gf too

    ***

    <Alexander, I haven¡¯t seen you in days and this is how we see you again?!> Chunhua was a few inches away from grabbing my collar and shaking me. After Jin Tianyou had abandoned us in the main courtyard, this was how she greeted me after I went radio-silent. Deserved, honestly.

    ¡°Hey, hey, hey!¡± Kotone stepped between us. ¡°Let¡¯s not break into a fight, okay? And please, can you guys argue in English? I''m a different Asian than you guys!¡±

    Chunhua angrily scoffed and turned around, looking at everything but me. ¡°Kotone, we finally met Alex only to be used as pawns by Guild Master Jin! He brought us here as leverage!¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡± Kotone blinked a few times, then gulped. ¡°Is that what really happened? I-I kinda thought we¡¯d be helping Alex with cleaning the Manor or something¡ª¡±

    ¡°Christ, Kotone.¡±

    ¡°Kotone!¡±

    ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m trying to crack a joke, I¡¯m sorry!¡± Kotone nervously laughed, saw that neither of us were in a mood for stand-up comedy, then laughed quieter. ¡°Is it that bad? I¡¯m genuinely asking.¡±

    I clicked my tongue. ¡°I mean, you guys are now implicated in you-know-what. Worst case scenario, we¡¯re facing international charges.¡±

    Chunhua bit down hard on her lip, an ugly expression taking over her usually elegant face. ¡°It¡¯s not¡ª! I¡ª! Ugh, dammit! <Fuck!>¡±

    She smacked her own head out of frustration.

    Kotone and I froze.

    Chunhua glared at me as if I had caused her crusade myself, "Damn you, Alex. Damn you, damn Jin Tianyou, and damn his cowardly father too¡ª!¡±

    A tar-filled, disgusting cough interrupted her tirade, and our nostrils flared at the scent of cheap cigarettes. Behind us, Blackviper was punching her chest a few times to get the bad chemicals out of her system. ¡°S-Sorry, I swallowed my cig. Ahem, yeah, sorry."

    "What is it, assassin?" said Chunhua, hotly rolling her eyes and showing disrespect. "Are you offended I spoke the truth about your superior?"

    ¡°Oh, I agree. Just don¡¯t say that to Father Jin, pretty cultivator¡ª¡± (¡°Li Chunhua.¡±) ¡°¡ªSelene Blake.¡± Blackviper flashed a toothy grin, which did nothing to cool the tension.

    Kotone gulped and hovered around said "pretty cultivator" like a puppy trying to cheer up its owner. Usually, it''d work like a charm. Not this morning. The ugly-faced cultivator refused to look at me or any of us. I didn''t know what her true problem was. On normal days, we''d have a long and heartfelt conversation over coffee or tea, but clearly, normalcy became a luxury. Monitoring her behavior would add yet another block on my wobbling tower; I had to trust that her mood would improve naturally. If not... Well, let''s hope for the best.Stolen story; please report.

    Kotone uneasily looked around at her new family for the rest of the day. "So erm, what now?"

    Blackviper crushed her cig into the size of a penny then flicked it aside. ¡°Guild Master Jin''s orders are pretty clear: investigate the attacks and see if you can suss out a culprit ¡®fore he returns around midnight. Conqueror¡¯s takin¡¯ lead. I¡¯m here to fulfill requests and keep you away from certain areas.¡±

    ¡°Guess that¡¯s the job¡­¡±

    ¡°Fine, so be it.¡±

    Amazing. Yesterday, my own Guild Master dropped me from a height of hundred meters, and today, I had to wear a detective cap. With the brain damage I¡¯d accumulated thus far, call me the world¡¯s shittiest detective with a team of crazy women: a pissed cultivator, an airheaded esper, and a snarky assassin. Sounded like a premise to a comedy movie or a bad anime. No, this was a psycho¡¯s very twisted idea of a test. Either we find the culprit, or we¡¯d be bugged and interrogated (tortured).

    My new team was staring at me¡ªfor one of them, glowering¡ªexpectedly. Let¡¯s get started, then. Two crime scenes, two victims, and a lonely manor outside the city. What we need to do first is¡­

    ¡°Know a place where we can establish a base of operations?¡± I asked Blackviper.

    ¡°Yup. Follow me.¡±

    We followed Blackviper through one of the northern gates and entered a hall. Don¡¯t ask me which one, I hadn''t memorized the manor''s layout yet. The interior was decorated to impress: statues of historical and mythological figures, various traditional art-pieces from the Jianghu, and there was a giant tower of compressed tea-balls. This wasn''t where we set up shop, though¡ªand thank God, because I didn''t trust my friends around this much expensive decor¡ªBlackviper offered a large conference room instead. We had whiteboards on either side of the room and an embedded projector-screen at the far wall.

    ¡°Yeah, this will work.¡± I plucked a few markers and tested them. Good as new. ¡°We¡¯ll reconvene here whenever necessary¡ªwhat the hell are you guys doing?¡±

    Kotone stared at the tea-tower. ¡°Why do the Jins need this much tea¡­?¡±

    Blackviper went back and tapped her shoulder. ¡°Put your fingers¡ª¡±

    A loud smack echoed throughout the hall. That was the sound of my hopes and dreams crashing, or more accurately, the sound of Chunhua slapping Blackviper''s hand away. ¡°Don¡¯t touch her, assassin.¡±

    Blackviper took the provocation as kindly as getting spat on. She sharply snorted, and lightning cracked between the two women. While they fought a battle of eyes, the bystander tried to mediate but she was invisible to them.

    ¡°Tell the little miss to keep her hands to herself, then listen to your own advice,¡± BV said.

    Chunhua tilted her head slightly like a lion sizing up a gazelle. ¡°Stay that bloody hand, then. I don¡¯t want that filthy thing touching my Kotone.¡±

    Blackviper leaned her head inward. ¡°Don¡¯t bark when you know you can¡¯t bite, Maolin.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll¡ª¡±

    Making the most dangerous decision of the morning, I physically stepped between them. This might result in my death, but I was (somehow) their commander and thus was obligated to keep order. ¡°That''s enough, ladies. Don¡¯t make today any longer than it has to be. We¡¯ll fulfill Jin Tianyou¡¯s request, ideally early, so¡­¡± I looked at my two idiot-friends. ¡°You can go home.¡± Then Blackviper. ¡°And you can take the rest of the day off.¡±

    Blackviper smirked and strolled into the conference room with a wink. ¡°Take some diplomacy lessons from the playboy. He knows what I want.¡±

    Chunhua bit her lip and muttered, <Bitch.>

    BV threw up the bird. ¡°I have enhanced hearing and an auto-translator.¡±

    ¡°Bitch!¡± Chunhua said loud enough that the whole city could hear.

    Me and Kotone shared the same pained and exhausted expression. This was going to be a nightmare.

    ***

    ¡°Let me understand this correctly: Jin Tianyou hired you as an amateur detective through the most roundabout method; and worse yet, more of your college friends and an outworlder-assassin are involved. And if the case isn¡¯t resolved by midnight tonight, we¡¯re doomed.¡±

    I nodded, but Morgan couldn¡¯t see that. It wasn''t a video-call. ¡°Yeah, that about sums it up.¡±

    ¡°Well, that sounds exciting. It¡¯s certainly better than listening to Sophos prattle on about her intelligence.¡± Morgan chuckled to himself. It sounded arrogant, but at the same time, it was from the voice of a preteen. Imagine a kindergartener laughing like an academic.

    ¡°Whatever, what should be my next step? Everyone knows this investigation is connected to the recent breakthroughs, and Blackviper¡¯s keeping a close eye on me.¡±

    Morgan cleared his throat and said, ¡°The mission remains the same, Conqueror. Keep quiet and confirm if the culprit of these barbaric murders¡ª¡± (¡°Attempted murders.¡±) ¡°¡ªis an Alternate. We can¡¯t intervene, otherwise we¡¯d force Jin Tianyou¡¯s hand, and we can¡¯t remotely babysit you either. Not with our recent development.¡±

    ¡°Recent development?¡± I asked. ¡°Something else happened?¡±

    ¡°Potentially,¡± he said, ¡°Archknell left a very ominous message to Rector about fifteen minutes ago, so we¡¯re unraveling that thread. That means we¡¯re spread thin: Martials, Glory, Angels. If you include Sophos, that¡¯s Wisdom too.¡±

    ¡°Shit¡­¡± That meant outside help was unlikely. My situation, although perilous, was stable. What was going on at Glory, though?

    Despite my concern, Morgan laughed his strange laugh. "If anything, it¡¯s fortunate that Jin Tianyou brought your friends along. You have help.¡±

    My teeth grinded together. Outside the conference room were the rest of my ¡°team.¡± More pessimistically, my two stupid friends shared the same space as the right hand woman of the very maniac who orchestrated this.

    ¡°My friends are in danger, Morgan. Jin Tianyou dragged them into our mess. It¡¯s bad enough that Vic¡¯s involved, but with that fucker pressing a gun against our heads, I can¡¯t tell what¡¯ll happen next.¡±

    Morgan paused for a couple breaths. ¡°We¡¯ll protect them. Rector will, I mean. You can¡¯t undo an explosion, after all. Right now, the priority is the investigation while maintaining silence about the Alternates. Blackviper¡¯s more reasonable than her reputation paints her to be. Think of the assassin as dependable, but not trustworthy.¡±

    Fuck, part of me hoped I could find an out. I didn¡¯t want to do this. Not for Jin Tianyou, not with my friends, not in this state. I was getting headaches from thinking about the details, plus my body wasn¡¯t cooperating either. The soreness was still present. Coupled with the looming threat of international agents¡ªand the fear of the Heavenly Xia Court glancing in my direction¡ªthe mild stress was more of a poison than motivation.

    I didn¡¯t know if my body could hold for the next fifteen or sixteen hours under these conditions, but it had to be me. Jin Tianyou would accept no one else. He had to know what I was capable of.

    ¡°¡­Alexander?¡± Morgan¡¯s voice broke my mind out of a fog. ¡°I¡¯m sure this is feasible. You handled System Articles before, so this is well within your wheelhouse.¡±

    My head suddenly pounded. ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Morgan paused again. ¡°I¡¯m not good at rousing speeches. That¡¯s a job for our Guild Masters, but despite our short relationship¡ªif you can call it that¡ªyou¡¯re here for a reason. You survived this far. You¡¯ve been through worse and in worse health. You¡¯re fully capable and so far competent, which is a compliment I don¡¯t give out freely.¡±

    If only he knew about the real reason why I stayed clear of Martials Guild, then he would be singing a different tune. He was right, though. This was far from the worst experience I had. One day. Just tough it out for one day¡­

    I cleared my throat, ignoring the pains. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best, Morgan. All I can say.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll try to keep you updated with Glory, but focus on the mission and your friends. We¡¯ll speak again soon.¡± Morgan ended the call.

    Okay, no more wasting time. I had to get the ball rolling. Let¡¯s hope the girls got along while I was out.

    I turned off the isolation bubble and opened the door¡ª ¡°Oh, motherfucker.¡±

    What should be three girls waiting for me was replaced by a curled and crumpled rug, a fallen tea-ball, and a small trail of tea-leaves leading toward the open entrance. That entrance happened to be broken, as one door was hanging off its broken hinges.

    Someone was shouting outside and sounded like a fight was going on.

    Fuck me. Could mean one of two things.

    [Memento Recollection - Nightingale Rifle]

    Within moments, I was out the door. To my relief, the culprit wasn''t attacking. To my dismay, then, Chunhua had. She¡¯d just been pushed back by Blackviper, dragging her thorny spear across the gravel and dirt. Kotone was behind her, sweating a storm and no matter her pleas, our dumbass battle-addict wouldn¡¯t listen. She was seeing red.

    Meanwhile, BV maintained a cool stance, lazily swinging a sleek, single-edged black blade around. She glanced in my direction and smirked. ¡°There you are, Conq¡ª¡°

    Chunhua charged ahead.

    But she couldn¡¯t take one step before gravel spewed in her face. I¡¯d shot there, sending a spell and hopefully a message too. ¡°Stand the fuck down, Chunhua.¡±

    Chunhua gnashed her teeth and whacked her spear on the ground. <How dare you tell me to calm down, Alex?! This vermin insulted my master!>

    <I didn¡¯t tell you to talk¡ª>

    She marched toward me, now, and waved her spear with the full intent of using it. <Say that again, cockhead¡ª!>

    I batted the spear away, and before she could react, five fingers were curled into her collar. Her steam blew in my face, and mine was blowing in hers.

    I said, growling, <I don¡¯t give a shit who said what¡ª>

    <She¡ª!>

    I violently shook her, enough that her head bobbled. <Be angry with me all you want, fine! Sure! But you¡¯re crossing the fucking line and you¡¯re better than that. So if you don¡¯t cool down and unfuck your head from your ass, I¡¯ll do it for you. Now, I want you to nod your head without saying a word, got it? You understand?>

    My threat shoved a cork in the bottle. Her lips were sealed one way or another, however she felt. I didn¡¯t want to say or do this, but kind words were ineffective against cultivators. You had to put your foot down and be willing to bloody your knuckles; fortunately, Chunhua and me already went through this song and dance multiple times before.

    She knew the outcome if she tested me.

    She nodded, rage still smoldering in her gaze, but it wasn''t my problem anymore.

    I let her go. ¡°Wander around the main courtyard. I¡¯ll get you when we¡¯re ready. Go.¡±

    On the last word, Chunhua dispelled her spear, glared at Blackviper for one last time, and walked.

    ¡°I¡­¡± Kotone was obviously very frazzled. ¡°I¡¯ll just uhm¡­¡±

    Without finishing her sentence, Kotone chased after her best friend. Good. I couldn''t be the kind voice today. Not when I was worked up, not in my position. Later, though, later.

    ¡°Fuck me¡­¡± I dispelled [Nightingale] and faced the assassin who still had her sword drawn. God, how did Chunhua let herself get worked up? Anyone could see the provocation coming. Blackviper was notorious for not giving a shit about what other people thought, including her own GMs. Plus, she might¡¯ve purposefully instigated a fight to gauge my reaction.

    I could expect her saying, ¡°Didn¡¯t know you had that in you, Conq!¡± but hollow praise didn¡¯t reach my ears. In fact, she didn¡¯t say anything. Blackviper was strangely staring at me, her eyes somewhat wide. Not the look I was expecting. Satisfaction, relief, awe maybe, those things. Not¡­whatever she was thinking.

    I investigated myself. Didn''t look weirder than normal. ¡°What¡¯s going on, BV? I know I made interesting friends¡ª¡°

    She gripped her sword tighter. ¡°System Articles.¡±

    I raised an eyebrow. ¡°...What about it?¡±

    Blackviper narrowed her cybernetic eyes. ¡°Incapping four C-Rankers was impressive, but they were bottom-of-the-barrel thugs. An STM squad can murk a warehouse of C-Rankers by themselves. Your average mil can mow down an S-Ranker with enough bullets¡ªassuming a lot of things, obviously¡ªhell, at the right time and place, a kid can blow a sword¡¯s brains out. That¡¯s the great equalizer: technology. Just like that Godkiller you were holding earlier.¡±

    Motherfucker, out of one frying pan and into another. As calm as I could, I said, ¡°Your point is?¡±

    Blackviper lowered her head, and inside her long gaze was the cold and unforgiving Grim Reaper. Death was written across her pupils, toward me, and it chilled my pain and fear replaced it. ¡°At the start, I thought Jin Tianyou was being dramatic like a schoolgirl discovering love for the first time. I¡¯ll admit, I was wrong.¡±

    I pressed my lips together. ¡°You were wrong?¡±

    ¡°Mhm,¡± she hollowly hummed. ¡°You can off everyone here without breaking a sweat. Dunno how you got your hands on Counterforce weapon systems, but I won¡¯t ask. Heh, sounds oxymoronic: Chinese, Counterforce. Almost makes me laugh if I didn¡¯t wanna piss myself.¡±

    Shit, now Jin Tianyou was going to be aware of this information. I slowly asked, ¡°You telling your boss?¡±

    ¡°Dunno, gonna shut me up like what you did with your friend? Maybe worse?¡± BV managed a small, cheeky smile. There was tension in her face. I think she was as wary of me as I was wary of her. Never thought I could get that reaction from a hardened assassin.

    I shrugged and turned toward the main courtyard. ¡°I thought about letting you take a closer look, but that might be off the table.¡±

    Blackviper laughed and some of that tension relaxed. ¡°A man after my own heart. Fine, Conq, I¡¯ll back off. For now, at least. Go and figure out what we¡¯re doing next. You¡¯re the boss, I¡¯m just the helper.¡±

 [FOR MOTHER] Chapter 3 - Corpo, Slayer, Detective

    I¡¯d given Blackviper my questions. Like what Morgan said, she was dependable. Gathering everything I needed¡ªcamera footage, employee information, the security, whatever else¡ªwould take time, as she didn¡¯t have access. What she did accomplish was finding some medicine so I could last the whole day without falling over myself. Found some ¡°magic pills¡± and I popped them dry. They were actually magic. The soreness whittled down to a one on the pain scale. She said the effectiveness should last the whole day, but considering I was going to be ¡°active like a nympho on stims,¡± I shouldn¡¯t count on it. Whatever gets me through the day¡­

    With all this said, there was realistically only one (technically two) things to do.

    ¡°Here it is, the Hall of Public Knowledge. Despite the corny-ass name, it¡¯s just a public library for the visitors,¡± Blackviper said, imitating a tired tour guide. ¡°But if you look straight ahead, you can find bloody murder. It¡¯s one of our newest attractions. That¡¯s why everyone left.¡±

    Bloody attempted murder, to be exact. He Zhilan had been attacked here last night¡ªaround eight hours ago¡ªbut ¡°mauled¡± was the better word to describe it. Even after drying throughout the night, the blood had painted gravel, pavement, and grass a light crimson. Sparkling too, from dew and other particulates. Some spots in the gravel were deformed. Small craters, trenches, but they weren¡¯t footprints in the sand. Couldn¡¯t be relied on, I mean. While Jin Tianyou had immediately ordered everyone home¡ªthus, giving no time for the staff to clean¡ªthey did discover the poor bastard in the first place. Their feet had stomped and pushed the gravel around.

    Hopefully, there should be enough evidence to paint a better picture of what happened.

    Kotone was holding her nose; the smell wasn¡¯t that bad, but then again, I¡¯d gotten used to the scent. Pretty much everyone but her had that in common. She asked, ¡°That¡¯s a lot of blood¡­ How did he survive?¡±

    Blackviper lazily commented, ¡°Eh. You¡¯d be surprised how resilient the human body is. One time, I¡ª¡±

    ¡°Please do not talk about your previous life, assassin,¡± Chunhua spat. Still pissed at everyone and everything, but this was an improvement. She didn¡¯t want to disembowel me or our helpful guide; only in her thoughts. She said, ¡°Let¡¯s not waste any time here, Alex. Tell us what we need to do.¡±

    ¡°Alright, give me a second¡­¡± My eyes scanned the bloody mess then nearby structures. ¡°Kotone, Chunhua, comb the rooftops and walls for any evidence. Take pictures, write notes, whatever¡ªjust try not to disturb them. We already have to pay for one door thanks to a certain someone.¡± (Chunhua pouted.)

    ¡°Can¡¯t believe all that training is paying off to this instead¡­¡± Kotone quietly complained to herself. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll take, uh¡­ East? Right?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll take the other side, then.¡± Chunhua performed the most famous technique of the Maolin Sect: [Thousand Leaf Transformation]. As the name implied, her entire body morphed into a blossom of vibrant green leaves. Without much ceremony, the whole damned thing got whisked upward.

    Kotone¡¯s turn. She summoned six out of her twelve skinny, metallic [Psionic Pylons]¡ªher signature, which I couldn''t explain today¡ªand created a hexagon shape. Within the area, electricity bounced between the [Pylons] and generated a psionic field. Fearlessly, Kotone stepped on, her feet depressing the field like an insect walking on the surface tension of water, then her magic carpet took her away.

    BV whistled, watching the girls work.

    Last but not least was her: ¡°BV, can I trust your eyes? They¡¯re ¡®netics, so you¡¯ll see things I can¡¯t.¡±

    Blackviper nodded. ¡°Roger, but mine aren¡¯t the best forensics.¡±

    ¡°Better than mine. I wear glasses.¡±

    We entered the crime scene. According to Jin Tianyou¡¯s original report, He Zhilan was found a few feet away from the pavement, laying on a bed of bloody gravel. Judging from a fairly large and dried pool of blood surrounded by wide stripes and dotting, I think we found the exact location. Using the blood splatter in the gravel and grass as reference, then, we could trace his last steps by working backwards.

    Went something like this: the wounded man, with his arm mauled and part of his scalp flapping, spontaneously hopped to his feet and danced frantically with an unknown partner. Grass to gravel then gravel to grass. Blood shot back into his body, stitched his veins and blood vessels back together and did the same for his head. Skin was reattached to skin. Soon, his mad feet clacked against solid pavement, and his feet slowed down into a steady walk. Nothing seemed to disturb him anymore, as all he wanted to do was get to his destination beyond the Hall of Public Knowledge.

    It wasn¡¯t accurate, but from the general vibe¡­ He was attacked on the pavement then got pushed away from the hall, which meant the culprit likely ambushed him from¡­

    ¡°Alex, I think I got something!¡± Kotone dropped down in front of me and BV, stumbling, but managed to catch herself. She showed a picture on her phone: the Hall of Public Knowledge''s roof, the section that was facing the scene. Sandwiching one of the spines was broken ceramic tiling. If the picture wasn¡¯t deceptive, each of the damaged areas wasn''t any larger than two feet put together.

    Hurray, our first piece of useful evidence.

    I told her, ¡°Text me the photo and keep searching.¡±

    ¡°Yessir!¡± Kotone was off again.

    Blackviper scanned the scene with her cybernetics. ¡°On that note, nothing screams killer. No hair, no teeth, only blood and a few bits here and there. Nothing belonging to the culprit, I oughta say.¡±

    I recalled the photo of He Zhilan and Huang Chunxi, remembering how they ended up. ¡°They clawed your people apart.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s my point exactly, Conq. Our guy is a fuckin¡¯ psycho. Something or someone like that doesn¡¯t care ¡®bout wiping their trace. Your best bet is DNA, but you don¡¯t have that luxury. Just gotta hope that the cameras caught something.¡±

    I glanced at one of the cameras. ¡°Let¡¯s walk around at least, see if our feet accidentally kick something.¡±

    Blackviper¡¯s eyes weren¡¯t lying; she really didn¡¯t see anything. Nothing was hiding underneath the gravel, or in the grass, or even in the trees¡ªI checked, she made fun of me. One time, I thought I struck gold but much to the detriment of my sanity, it was a small nugget of flesh. Human flesh. That wasn¡¯t evidence, that was a biohazard. My ¡°partner¡± found jack squat too, enough that she gave up on searching a couple minutes in and sat down on the pavement.

    Dammit all¡­ I would¡¯ve thought a sadist like our culprit left something but no.

    How the hell can I figure this shit out within¡ªwhat?¡ªfifteen or sixteen hours?

    ¡°Alex, I couldn¡¯t find anything odd in the vicinity,¡± Chunhua came back negative after some time.

    ¡°Other than the thing on the roof, same here,¡± and so did Kotone.

    I¡¯d suspected as much. Would Huang Chunxi have anything?

    ***

    Mostly, no. Her scene, which was outside the Bathhouse, was the opposite of her friend¡¯s. The cleaning crew had washed away the blood (they seemed suspiciously good at it). Aside from a few scratches on the pavement, there wasn''t anything else on the ground¡ªand that¡¯s assuming the scratches were caused by our guy. Much like the Hall of Public Knowledge, though, we found some broken roof-tiling overlooking the scene.

    While there didn¡¯t seem to be anything else, I ordered the girls to roam around and see if they stumbled into a million dollars.

    They didn¡¯t, but I did. After some mindless searching, something bright and vibrant caught my eye: a royalty-red object hiding underneath a bush, tangled in some branches.

    ¡°BV!¡± I called out to her. ¡°Found something over here.¡±

    In a flash, she met up. She crouched beside me and flicked her cybernetics on. ¡°Looks like someone¡¯s pretty red dress got caught up in some branches. Don¡¯t ask me whose. None of the uniforms sport this color.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t imagine our psycho-killer is wearing a cocktail dress while ripping a man''s scalp off¡­¡± I reached over and snatched the fabric. Immediately, something was off because this didn¡¯t feel like silk. How do I describe it¡­? It was like the sensation after eating a pineapple but all over my palm instead of my tongue. ¡°BV, hold this for a sec¡ª¡°

    As soon as I flashed the fabric, I was holding air instead. The strange sensation faded. Just to make sure I wasn¡¯t going crazy, I tapped my fingers together a few times. Yeah, my hand was fucking empty.

    Blackviper was staring at my empty hand too, a bit wide-eyed. That was the most confusion I¡¯d seen from her today.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on? You guys find something?¡± Kotone, with Chunhua a few steps behind, peered around the corner and found two confused idiots kneeling in the grass.

    I truthfully answered, ¡°Either we found something, or we¡¯re both suffering from psychosis.¡±

    BV shook her head. ¡°Don¡¯t count your stars just yet, Conq. This sounds like bullshit, but we found a torn piece of red fabric. As soon as he picked it up, it disappeared.¡±

    Good, I wasn¡¯t going crazy. I really did see and touch that thing.

    Chunhua crossed her arms, skeptical and probably suspicious too. ¡°¡®Disappeared¡¯? Evidence doesn''t simply ¡®disappear¡¯ without warning.¡±

    ¡°Things disappear all the time. People, things, you name it. Sporting sensitive equipment you don¡¯t want gettin¡¯ out? Install a conceptual deletion timer. Everyone does it¡ª¡±

    ¡°How is this relevant, assassin?¡±

    BV rolled her eyes and stood, causing Kotone to back off and hide behind her best friend. ¡°They almost always leave a mark, like ashes after a fire. Here? As you can see, there¡¯s nothing. The fabric went poof! It was completely deleted out of existence.¡±

    Kotone, peeking over Chunhua¡¯s shoulder, led, ¡°You said something like this ¡®almost always¡¯ leave a mark¡­?¡±

    Blackviper said, ¡°You can¡¯t make generalizations in this economy, but lemme tell you: you need top-level skills to completely erase something without so much of a speck of dust.¡±This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    ¡°So¡­¡± I dusted myself off and stood. ¡°If our culprit has those kinds of skills, then why use them here? Why target two random rens and call it a day?¡±

    Chunhua bit her lip and looked toward the Bathhouse, spotting faint splotches of blood that survived the water and chemicals. ¡°I¡¯ve been struggling to answer that question myself. This¡­sadist infiltrated one of the most secure homes outside of Ordo, twice, just to hospitalize two servants? Are we sure we¡¯re not missing anything?¡±

    I muttered dismissively, ¡°If the culprit had hit anywhere else, we would know about it already.¡±

    Wait, that brings up an interesting thought¡­

    Jin Tianyou had said he didn¡¯t investigate the attacks due to present obligations, but think about it. His home, which surely had cutting edge security, was broken into. Two of his employees were mauled. If I was him, I¡¯d check my office to see if my secrets were safe. Considering nothing was (evidently) hit, I would still be concerned. As a familial member of the Martial Zenith Sect, any security breach would be catastrophic and potentially life-ending. For him to shrug it off so casually¡­ Either he was incompetent or he knew something we didn¡¯t. Knowing him, it was the latter.

    So what did he know? Could I confront him? Would I even get answers in the first place¡ª? No, think about it. I had let the recent drama frame my perception of the case; in other words, I was so fixated on Alternates that I completely neglected the next likely possibility.

    Blackviper nudged my shoulder. ¡°What¡¯re you thinking about, Conq?¡±

    I exhaled to calm my heart. ¡°Can you ask your boss something for me? Ask if this has anything to do with Jianghu politics. If it does, we¡¯re leaving.¡±

    BV raised an eyebrow, gears turning inside her head, and eventually arrived at the same conclusion. Guess she was largely in the dark as well, because I doubt she would willingly involve herself in high-stakes politics. After a curt nod, she marched behind the Bathhouse and left me with the girls.

    While being glued to Chunhua''s arm, Kotone watched the assassin leave. ¡°I thought we were here ¡®cause of the breakthroughs.¡±

    I spotted Blackviper''s arm poking around the corner. ¡°Me too, but there are actually two pretty good explanations for what we¡¯ve seen. Something with the breakthroughs, as you mentioned, or we found ourselves in the middle of Jin Tianyou¡¯s chessboard.¡±

    Chunhua¡¯s skin turned several shades paler. ¡°If the Marital Zenith¡¯s enemies are involved and Jin Tianyou knows about it¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± I said, ¡°we need to run far away.¡±

    Kotone gingerly asked, ¡°Is it that serious?¡±

    Chunhua calmed her nerves enough to explain, ¡°The Martial Zenith Sect is the ruling sect of the Jianghu.¡± (¡°Led by Shui Yuan?¡±) ¡°That¡¯s right. The Jins are but one branch family. While Jin Junjie has forever ruined their reputation, they are still an honored family. To be entangled in their affairs is, to put it lightly, a death sentence.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± was all Kotone said. You know, I couldn¡¯t believe she was applying to Martials Guild. Of all guilds in the city¡ªhell, in the entire world¡ªshe picked one of the more volatile ones. Being associated with the Jianghu was no different than being associated with chaos, even if you were a middling grunt.

    I don¡¯t mean to disrespect her, but I wasn¡¯t sure if she could handle the culture there. Chunhua wouldn¡¯t be around forever, after all.

    ¡°Conqueror!¡± BV shouted as she regrouped with us. ¡°Jin Tianyou confirmed: this does not have to do anything with ¡®current conflicts.¡¯ He didn¡¯t elaborate, so do what you will with that information.¡±

    While Chunhua sighed in relief, I didn¡¯t feel much better about our current situation. This fucker was holding vital information from us, but fine. I wasn¡¯t in a position to dictate the terms. If he was to be trusted¡ªa big ask¡ªthen all the evidence was pointing toward the supernatural. It honestly wasn¡¯t much better than the alternative. With the Jianghu, we could somewhat predict trouble. With Alts? Shit, they could be anything.

    I said, grumbling, ¡°Alright, but my position still stands. If I think this investigation is involved with his politicking, we¡¯re done.¡±

    ¡°He said he¡¯ll honor your decision in that case, which sounds like complete bullshit but I¡¯m just the messenger. As your messenger, I also have something else to report: camera footage and security logs.¡±

    ***

    It was a little after ten o¡¯clock, fourteen hours until reckoning. We huddled inside the conference room as the sorriest detectives you¡¯d ever see. Our agenda was written on the whiteboard thanks to yours truly, and the projector was set up. Our job for today? Seeing what truly happened during those two nights.

    Blackviper had hooked up a laptop to the projector, in-charge of the technology. ¡°I¡¯m pulling up Huang Chunxi¡¯s first.¡±

    After fiddling with the program, we were bombarded with eighteen different cameras. Most of them were actively tracking moving objects, framing them inside a red or green box. It took a hot minute for me to parse through the visual information, but from what I gathered, most were stationed on the Manor¡¯s perimeter. The rest focused on the interior, specifically observing the area around the Bathhouse itself.

    The footage was absolute chaos, though. The cameras were picking up everything: workers slaving through the night, animals scurrying across the courtyard, and a bunch of false-positives popping in and out. BV worked her magic, and only one green box shone from the rest. It surrounded a middle-aged woman wearing a plain and muted uniform¡ªnothing like the red fabric we¡¯d found earlier. Huang Chunxi.

    ¡°This is around fifteen minutes before the attack,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ll speed up the video a little bit.¡±

    That she did, and we watched, tracking her progress.

    Huang Chunxi entertained a conversation with a colleague, then she took a relaxing walk around the Manor. For minutes, nothing happened. No one was doing anything particularly of note. The perimeter was calm. None of the squirrels were planning anything nefarious. Literally, we were all engrossed in complete silence, trying to catch any small details. Anything.

    As the timestamp ticked onward toward the fateful moment, my heart started thumping. I was anticipating it, like a jumpscare in a movie. The culprit had to show themselves somehow. Huang Chunxi was at the Bathhouse at this point in time but there weren''t any signs of life from our psycho-killer. Any moment, though, we¡¯d see something.

    Then, our victim stopped and looked around. Her eyes briefly made contact with the camera, and¡ª!

    ¡°Jesus!¡± I shouted, jumping back in my chair.

    We were all startled.

    Every single camera flashbanged us with seizing pixels, red and blue and green, flashing so violently that I was afraid of getting a seizure despite not having epilepsy. The speakers blared with painful static, and BV slammed the mute button then turned down the brightness. Single-handedly saved our hearing and vision.

    We stared at each other, with much of the same confusion me and Blackviper had with the disappearing fabric. Pretty fucking lucky that the cameras went out just as the attack happened. Well, that wasn¡¯t accurate. The cameras were still running, but the live feed was corrupted. I imagine if the cameras got knocked out, it would set off an immediate alarm.

    Kotone had a hand over her beating heart. ¡°That scared me¡­¡±

    Chunhua pointed at the screen. ¡°Can we fix the footage? Maybe make the sound clearer?¡±

    BV shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s plausible, but you¡¯d need experts to de-fuck it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s gonna take more than a day,¡± said Kotone. ¡°I mean, even if we find someone on short notice, they¡¯ll prolly be done around midnight.¡±

    If it was possible in the first place. If the culprit was an Alternate, then this wasn¡¯t a problem that you could easily patch up. Like what Kotone implied, we¡¯d only waste time trying to look for an expert. Fucking Jin Tianyou, imposing a time limit on us. If we had more than a day¡­

    I sighed and tapped the table impatiently. ¡°Fast-forward to the end.¡±

    ¡°On it,¡± said BV.

    When the footage was cleared, Huang Chunxi was lying face-down covered in her own blood. Within a couple minutes, her colleagues and friends rushed to her side. We didn¡¯t spot anyone else, the cameras didn¡¯t spot anything either. The perimeter seemed stable, there wasn¡¯t any obvious disturbances or damage. Only the scene of the crime and the faint screaming rattling the night.

    He Zhilan was exactly the same. No activity leading up to the attempted murder, complete fucking static and pixels during the act, then chaos afterwards. Once again, the culprit left a near-perfect crime scene.

    Trying to explain this rationally was going to drive me insane.

    Kotone was rubbing her face, looking away from the gore. ¡°What the heck are we dealing with? Did you check the security logs? Because, like, someone who tears apart innocent people prolly doesn''t care ¡®bout cleaning after themselves.¡±

    BV nodded toward me. ¡°I made the same point to Conq earlier. I checked our logs and guess what? Besides from the manual alarms Jin Tianyou had triggered, they¡¯re all green. Our security detected jack-shit. The tech-guy even confirmed that the logs themselves weren¡¯t tampered, so as far as we know, they¡¯re genuine.¡±

    ¡°That makes no sense!¡± Kotone threw her hands in the air. ¡°You guys got a top-notch security barrier, right? What about their readings?¡±

    ¡°Internal, external, everything¡¯s clean,¡± said BV.

    Seriously? These security barriers were top-of-the-line when it came to, well, security. You''d find the same tech in places like government buildings and critical infrastructure. They had the technology to monitor all traffic inside the protected area. Any anomalies would easily be exposed. In today¡¯s day and age, these checks occur multiple times per second, twenty-four-seven, without fail. To bypass this, you need: intimate knowledge of the security barrier and its exploits, and a presence concealment [Skill] or really good tech. Usually both. Or if you were Kotone, just blow everything up and walk in through the front-door.

    For the Jins, they had the funds to purchase a cutting-edge security barrier. Most likely, the tech also originated from the Jianghu. Not a lot of people could flawlessly sneak through.

    I let out a loud breath, breaking between a crude laugh and a sigh. ¡°To summarize, the culprit managed to infiltrate the Manor without setting off the alarms. Once inside, they perfectly concealed their presence, obscured the cameras¡¯ feeds, attacked Huang Chunxi and He Zhilan, then left without leaving a trace.¡± (¡°Twice,¡± reminded BV.) ¡°Yeah, twice. They did this twice.¡±

    BV put her elbows on the table. ¡°Speaking as an assassin¡ª¡± (eyeing Chunhua) ¡°¡ªit¡¯s possible to have this perfect of an infiltration.¡±

    I commented, "Only you and Kotone can infiltrate the Manor."

    "Yeah¡ªthis chick?" ("Psionics.") "Right, of course. Espers are weird."

    Chunhua smacked her lips together. ¡°But we¡¯re rounding back to the conversation we had earlier. Someone with intimate knowledge of your security systems and high-level [Skills] wouldn¡¯t waste their talents on two random servants. Not when there¡¯s a bigger prize.¡±

    I spoke up, ¡°Let¡¯s also cross another possibility off the list: that the culprit is one of the servants. You think it¡¯s possible?¡±

    Blackviper hummed in the negative, ¡°Don¡¯t think so. I don¡¯t have the full roster yet, but your average maid and butler can¡¯t pull this off. Too many constraints and variables. Could they be accomplices? Again, we¡¯re circlin¡¯ back to the same question.¡±

    ¡°So it can¡¯t be done by a person, right?¡± Kotone asked the table. ¡°Logic and actions don¡¯t match. If it¡¯s like that, then I have my own theory. It¡¯s, uh, it¡¯s kinda crazy though.¡±

    ¡°Say it, esper,¡± Blackviper told her. ¡°We¡¯re not working with a lot.¡±

    ¡°Hear me out, it¡¯s ghosts but wait!¡± Kotone raised her hand, preventing anyone from speaking over her. ¡°I know it¡¯s crazy, but everything lines up. A ghost doesn¡¯t need to infiltrate the manor or maintain concealment, because it doesn¡¯t operate by our rules to begin with! I mean, look! The culprit appeared at midnight, attacked innocent people for no real reason, then vanished without a trace. That has ¡®paranormal¡¯ written all over it.¡±

    I looked at the other girls first. They weren¡¯t immediately brushing her theory aside. Neither was I, because I came into the investigation with a similar perception.

    Blackviper could only chuckle and lean back in her chair. ¡°A ghost¡­ Somehow, that makes the most sense.¡±

    Chunhua nodded, and even she cracked a smile. ¡°I honestly concur. Using her logic, we can handwave most of our questions with the paranormal, which leads us to the core of the issue.¡±

    At that moment, all three girls were looking at me.

    Yeah.

    If this was a ¡°ghost,¡± then our haunted spirit was most certainly an Alternate. That meant our investigation was the third publically-known breakthrough, having two casualties already.

    Well, shit.

 [FOR MOTHER] Chapter 4 - Ghost of the Past

    ¡°...Are you certain about this?¡± Morgan asked as I once again took over the conference room for myself. ¡°The culprit is an Alternate?¡±

    ¡°Ninety-eight percent certain,¡± I said. ¡°It can¡¯t be an animal or a human. Animals leave tracks, and with the sophistication required to pull off this stunt, it¡¯s not realistically your average joe let alone Slayer. That leaves the only possible option: an Alternate.¡±

    Morgan sighed on his end of the call, taking a few seconds to digest this information. ¡°...If the pattern holds true, I don¡¯t know if we can give you the manpower when midnight strikes. The situation at Glory has escalated, and it¡¯s requiring all of our attention.¡±

    I gulped. ¡°How bad is it?¡±

    ¡°Silverhonor¡¯s gone missing, and Archknell is hysterical. With Agent Dwyer scurrying around the city, he thinks the malies kidnapped her. We¡ªmore specifically, Empress and Firebrand¡ªhad to hold him back from marching out the front-doors and committing global terrorism. We think an Alternate is involved in her disappearance, but we¡¯re still gathering details. Nothing¡¯s confirmed for now.¡±

    Shit¡­ Of all people in Glory, why her? We hadn¡¯t spoken since we wrapped up System Articles and we sure as hell weren¡¯t on friendly terms, but fuck¡­ Both possibilities were terrible. Being kidnapped by the malies was a fate worse than death, and facing an Alternate was a complete unknown.

    I asked, trying not to think about Silverhonor right now, ¡°What¡¯s Sophos doing throughout this?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s still working on a ¡®project that should end this charade once and for all,¡¯ her words. Our GMs have their hands tied as well, so we¡¯re the only ones preventing a city-wide catastrophe. Wonderful.¡± Morgan groaned and something banged. Sounded like a head against table. ¡°If that wasn¡¯t clear enough, I¡¯m being sarcastic. It¡¯s very likely that you have to rely on the talent you have, which from what Rector says, they¡¯re quite strong.¡±

    I glanced toward the door. ¡°A cultivator, an esper, and an assassin definitely are a fighting force, but you know these Alts. The last one was fucking Seraph. If this Alt turns out to be Jin Junjie, we¡¯re fucked. That¡¯s a fight we can¡¯t win.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m taking that into consideration. There¡¯s only one real way to move forward¡­¡± Morgan inhaled. ¡°You have to identify the Alternate. I can¡¯t tell you what you should look for, as our information is still scarce. Think back to our conversation with Seraph, though. Her Alternate, as we theorized, is a version of Sera Creed grieving the death of Nathan Hyun¡ªa future that did not come to pass. In fact, assume your Kotone friend is correct: this is a ghost. The Jin Family Manor is haunted by someone linked to this god-forsaken family¡¯s wrongdoings. It could be Jin Junjie himself, perhaps a version where he grew a spine. It could be any one of his many enemies, big and small. It¡¯s not an easy task, I know, but as soon as you identify the threat, we can move forward with an action plan.¡±

    He was right: this wouldn¡¯t be fucking easy. Jin Junjie made a lot of enemies, and everyone wanted their pound of flesh. Worse, I had to consider both dead and currently living candidates since Seraph was still alive when her Alt appeared.

    Dammit¡­ I could practically see the whiteboards filled with names.

    But this helped. I had an objective.

    I nodded, dreading the coming hours. ¡°Got it. Hopefully, I can dig something up. Thanks, Morgan.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m simply doing my job. I understand why Rector loathes his position.¡± Morgan sighed again. ¡°It¡¯s constant chaos. A boy like me shouldn¡¯t be subjected to inhumane labor.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re mentally twenty-five.¡±

    ¡°What would I give to have the same mental age as my physical body¡­¡±

    ***

    ¡°So.¡± Blackviper had her arms crossed. ¡°You confirmed with your superiors that the culprit is actually a ghost, and they¡¯re most likely an old enemy of the Jins.¡±

    Kotone added, ¡°Who¡¯s coming back to haunt them midnight tonight.¡±

    Then Chunhua, ¡°But it could also be the Jins themselves.¡±

    I nodded a few times, hearing how ridiculous that all sounded. ¡°Yeah, pretty much.¡±

    BV exhaled and her shoulders sagged. ¡°It¡¯s gonna be a long-ass day.¡±

    ***

    Needless to say, trying to identify every enemy that the Jins made was the equivalent of individually listing the entire population of a small country. We had even informed Jin Tianyou that the culprit was connected to his past or even potentially himself; according to Blackviper, he laughed it off and praised our ¡°diligent work.¡± So he was going to be unhelpful and the current terms of the ¡°agreement¡± were still valid. Asshole.

    The suspect pool was too fucking large. It could be virtually anyone with a grudge against Jin Junjie or his son. It could be them, but my hunch said an enemy or an associate was likelier. Personally, the Alternate was connected to the father due to his past antics, but we couldn¡¯t discount anything at this point of the investigation. The timeframe was extensive too. Seraph, according to the internet, was thirty-six (pretty damn young considering her accomplishments). Her Alternate was at least eighteen, so roughly twenty years ago.

    That was the baseline we were working with: anyone who hated the Jins enough, dead or alive, going back twenty years if not further.

    Spelling out our task was demoralizing, for both myself and my team. We had to press on anyway.

    ¡°Here.¡± Blackviper slammed down a giant stack of paper onto the conference table. It toppled over and scattered across the surface. ¡°This is every employee who has worked here since the Manor¡¯s construction. Plus, I sent you the contact info for all the current employees.¡±

    ¡°Thanks¡­¡± I sipped warm tea that Chunhua was kind enough to brew for me. I would need it, because for the next few hours, I was going to be an annoying telemarketer.

    While everyone was combing through the files, I was sitting at the end of the table with my phone plugged to the wall. I called the victims first; well, more precisely, their families. My opening was: <Good day, I¡¯m Shen Yuhang (ÉòÓîº½), an investigator Guild Master Jin employed regarding the incident. I received your number to discuss details about what happened that night.>

    They didn¡¯t ask questions¡ªthey were taught not to¡ªand relayed what the victims had said. Huang Chunxi was working the night shift; everything was normal until she heard a strange sound in the wind.

    <Singing,> said Huang Chunxi¡¯s daughter. <M-My mother said she heard a woman singing a lullaby. When she turned to look, that¡¯s when something jumped on her¡­ She can¡¯t remember what happened but all she saw was ¡®red¡¯...>

    After the first attack, He Zhilan was understandably freaked out; however, as Jin Tianyou hadn¡¯t taken aggressive action, the Manor¡¯s operations proceeded as normal. For him, the circumstances were the same: night shift, performing his duties, until he too heard something.

    <My husband heard someone crying,> his wife told me. <That¡¯s all he said: ¡®Someone was crying¡­ Someone was crying¡­ Someone was crying.¡¯ Are you happy now, Investigator Shen? My husband has been brutalized because of that horrible man. We know better than to approach the police, but we will not be civil with our compliance. Go to hell, you and Guild Master Jin.>

    A woman singing the a lullaby¡­ Wearing red¡­ Crying¡­ That halved our suspect pool statistically-speaking, but as you expected from an immoral cultivator, Jin Junjie didn¡¯t have the best track record with the opposite gender.

    After getting what information I could from the victims¡¯ families¡ªfor now, at least¡ªI turned toward the employees who¡¯d been working night shifts during those days. Same opening, same questions.

    <I-I didn¡¯t hear any singing or crying, or maybe I did, I don¡¯t know!> said one of the employees.

    <Singing? Crying? Who cares about any of that? What¡¯s Guild Master Jin going to do? How is he going to compensate us, huh?> said another.

    <Wearing red? Our uniforms don¡¯t have any bright red.>

    <It¡¯s Angels Guild, I swear. They¡¯re letting all these monsters loose.>

    <I didn¡¯t see anything on the roof¡ªwhat? You found torn red fabric? Wasn¡¯t any of ours.>

    Thanks to Blackviper, I also gained access to the employees¡¯ group-chat. Might contain information that they didn¡¯t dare disclose to the scary investigator. Unfortunately, that wasn¡¯t the case. Scrolling through the backlog of the past two days, most of the exchange was people asking questions and thinly-veiled insults toward their employers. I sympathize, but none of the messages here were useful¡ª

    ¡°I think I got something!¡± Kotone suddenly hopped from her seat, holding her phone with two shaky hands.

    She showed us the screen: a pretty antiquated website about Chinese spirits and ghosts. The article she was on described something called a ¡°nu gui.¡± I wasn¡¯t big on the paranormal, so despite my Chinese heritage, I was basically flying blind. Why was she researching literal ghosts, though? I used the word ¡°ghost¡± because that was the best way to describe the Alternates, but to take it literally¡­

    I spoke up, ¡°Kotone, I think¡ª¡±

    ¡°Wait, don¡¯t dismiss it just yet!¡± Kotone turned the phone back to herself. ¡°We know our paranormal friend is a woman wearing red, right? As it turns out, the nu gui perfectly describes her. It¡¯s a female vengeful spirit, created when a woman commits suicide after being wronged. That¡¯s not everything. During the, y¡¯know, she wears a red dress to increase the odds of returning as a grudge¡ªwhy are you guys staring at me like that?¡±

    Wait, I heard this before. A woman who¡¯d been wronged by Jin Junjie, consequently taking her own life while wearing a red dress. I know this story. I know her name. It was¡­

    ¡°Zhu Xinyue (ÖìöÎÔÂ),¡± the three of us said. Me, Chunhua, and Blackviper.

    Kotone looked around the table. ¡°Who?¡±

    BV immediately started rummaging through the older employee files. ¡°She¡¯s¡ªshe was¡ªJin Tianyou¡¯s mother and the dead wife of Jin Junjie. Around two decades ago, she lived here before ¡®an incident¡¯ happened. Must¡¯ve been bad, ¡®cause she got shipped off to her family¡¯s manor in the Jianghu. That¡¯s when she picked out a pretty red dress, did her make-up and said her farewells, and took a nose-dive off her balcony.¡±

    Chunhua added, ¡°I know of her family. After that ¡®incident,¡¯ the Zhu House was forced to pay ¡®reparations¡¯ to Jin Junjie which had effectively destroyed them¡ª¡±

    I started waving my hands. ¡°Wait wait wait, are we absolutely certain that our suspect is Zhu Xinyue?¡±

    ¡°It is!¡± Chunhua raised her voice. ¡°The details match. Zhu Xinyue is a woman, possesses a grudge against the Jins, and is most known for wearing red.¡±

    The other two girls weren¡¯t verbally disagreeing with her. Well, Kotone perpetually didn¡¯t know what was going on. If Blackviper wasn¡¯t speaking out, then she had to agree with the speculation somewhat.

    Then, it was my job to show some skepticism: ¡°I¡¯m not saying it¡¯s wrong, but we need to be confident about this. If we¡¯re wrong, if our ghost isn¡¯t Zhu Xinyue, then we¡¯re fucked at midnight. Going against a cultivator is, according to personal experience¡ª¡± (glancing at Chunhua) ¡°¡ªunpleasant at best.¡±

    Blackviper slid over a small stack of files to me: old employees when Zhu Xinyue had still lived here. ¡°For once, I¡¯m agreeing with the cultivator. She¡¯s our mark.¡±

    Chunhua and Kotone nodded.

    I took the files, then. ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s pick apart her life. Don¡¯t leave any details out.¡±

    We went to work, concentrating our efforts on Zhu Xinyue. First thing we did was notify Jin Tianyou. For most people, hearing that their deceased mother was roaming around and clawing random people, they would understandably freak out. Jin Tianyou was different, because he once again laughed it off and praised us for our good work. Wasn¡¯t sure how to take that, but we moved on.

    I also notified Morgan that we identified the Alternate; the specs we were gathering about Zhu Xinyue indicated she wasn¡¯t a particularly strong cultivator. For now, I said that additional firepower wasn¡¯t needed but we left the door open for any unexpected surprises.

    As we gathered more information, though, I was beginning to believe it.

    ¡°Transcendental Beauty Zhu Xinyue¡­¡± I muttered to myself. ¡°The Zhu House knows how to glamorize their heirs.¡±

    Chunhua bit her lip, combing through a few articles online. The Jianghu wasn¡¯t known to post information to the internet; everything was mostly physical records. ¡°You¡¯re wrong. It¡¯s not to glamorize, it¡¯s to advertise.¡±This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    Blackviper snorted, stirring her instant ramen¡ªour lunch¡ªwith a pair of chopsticks too good for it. ¡°Some things don¡¯t change no matter what world you live in.¡±

    Chunhua ignored her comment and explained, ¡°It¡¯s¡­not uncommon for smaller houses and sects to treat their daughters as merchandise, regarding their wombs as treasures. Their purpose is to birth the next great heir of a major sect, being useful for only nine months out of their entire lives. These women try to be ideal wives, because otherwise, they would most likely be discarded.¡±

    ¡°And Zhu Xinyue was one of them?¡± Kotone somberly asked, and Chunhua nodded. ¡°S-So the Zhu House basically sold their daughter to Jin Junjie?¡±

    ¡°To give birth to Jin Tianyou, yes. Fortunately, she wasn¡¯t immediately discarded. According to what little information there is online, Zhu Xinyue was notably a ¡®once-in-a-generation musician with a voice of smooth cider.¡¯¡±

    I finished the story, ¡°Until the incident happened, and she was sent home.¡±

    We were all thinking the same thing, but my thoughts ran a layer deeper. Remember what Morgan had said about the Seraph Alternate? If she was born from an unrealized future where Nathan had passed, then Zhu Xinyue had to operate on the same logic. In that case, the ¡°incident¡± had to be the divergent point like Nathan''s fate.

    So what happened twenty years ago, just before she committed suicide?

    We turned our attention to the former employees during the time. We gathered their contact info and made phone-calls. Many didn¡¯t answer, but those that did brought mixed results. They weren¡¯t pleased that their old employment was bothering them, but after picking the right words, they shed light on Zhu Xinyue¡¯s departure.

    What little light.

    As expected, Jin Junjie had covered up nearly everything. Nobody, not even the most trusted and senior staff at the time, knew. What was told was this: Zhu Xinyue had a mental break and ¡°endangered the life of her four-year-old son,¡± and for that reason, she was sent home to ¡°rest.¡± Most of the employees said that this outcome was depressingly expected. Jin Junjie had forbade her from traveling beyond the walls without his company. This ¡°Manor¡± was her own prison, where she could only observe the outside world from her isolated balcony. All she could do was watch her own son and ¡°sadly sing from her perch at midnight.¡±

    We pressed for details, but that was all they knew.

    Zhu Xinyue simply couldn¡¯t take the isolation anymore and snapped. In what way, we didn¡¯t know.

    We spoke with employees for hours and hours, and before I knew it, the hour-hand passed four.

    Four in the afternoon, eight hours until midnight.

    Kotone was resting her head against the table, BV had gone to the records room to investigate by herself (as we weren¡¯t allowed in the building), and Chunhua was busily researching on a laptop. She¡¯d been working the hardest out of us, more out of discipline rather than enthusiasm.

    Chunhua looked up from the screen. ¡°Are you alright, Alex?¡±

    I shook my head and glanced at the whiteboards; they had fallen victim to my mad scratching. Nothing but facts about Zhu Xinyue. Useless trivia like her birthday to a bulleted chronology of her life. ¡°I wish our ghost was another cultivator like Jin Junjie. At least we¡¯ll be smiling about it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid there are rarely happy stories in the Jianghu.¡± You included. ¡°Except yours, I suppose.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Kotone lifted her cheek off the table. ¡°I thought you were American.¡±

    I answered, ¡°My mom was born in the Jianghu but was adopted into a Mainland family. It¡¯s a long story, I don¡¯t want to get into it, but yeah. By technicality, I¡¯m half-xia. Who knows, me and Chunhua could be cousins.¡±

    Chunhua had an expression that could only be described as ¡°Yikes!¡±. ¡°I hope not. It would make our three-and-a-half dates incredibly awkward in retrospect.¡±

    Kotone cleared her throat. ¡°So what I¡¯m hearing is: you¡¯re half-xia and you never tried to figure out what sect you belong to?¡±

    Believe me, we would love to know that information. I didn''t let her question visibly rattle me, and I said, ¡°We did, but eventually we gave up. I¡¯d rather not know anyway. It might bring more drama into my life.¡±

    Out of the corner of my eye, a frown developed on Chunhua''s chapped lips. My attention was stolen by Kotone leaning back as far as she could in her chair. ¡°Speaking of drama, we¡¯re doomed, aren¡¯t we? What does Jin Tianyou want from us? Dispatch his own mom? We already solved most of the mysteries! What is he gonna do? Expose us to the internationals, and we get locked up¡ª¡± (¡°Kotone.¡±) ¡°¡ªand interrogated and enslaved by the malies¡ª!¡±

    ¡°Kotone! You¡¯re being silly again,¡± Chunhua said, clicking her tongue like an unamused aunt. ¡°We did enough. Even if Jin Tianyou is unsatisfied, our work explains itself. At most, it means we won¡¯t be accepted into Martials Guild¡ªa blessing, I¡¯d say. Even if we succeed, I refuse to sign a contract with him.¡±

    I popped, ¡°What changed your tune? You were determined to cozy up to the Coward of Red Tears.¡±

    She didn¡¯t appreciate that snide comment and showed a deadly smile. ¡°Jin Tianyou brought us here as leverage. Who¡¯s to say he won¡¯t pull further stunts like this in the future? And besides¡­¡± She gulped, her expression briefly falling dark. ¡°I refuse to be used like this again.¡±

    Was that why she was so pissed earlier? Being used like a pawn or realizing a future with Martials Guild wasn¡¯t in the books¡ª? No, her anger ran much, much deeper than that.

    ¡°...What¡¯s your plan now?¡± I carefully asked.

    Chunhua dramatically sighed to release the bad demons from her lungs. ¡°I¡¯m more interested in what our sweet esper is planning.¡± (¡°Huh?¡±) ¡°Obviously, I won¡¯t let you sign into Martials now this has happened.¡±

    Kotone nervously laughed; I bet she hadn''t thought about the future until now. ¡°Does it look like I have my future planned out? I mean, I picked Martials on a whim¡ª¡±

    ¡°You picked Martials because of me,¡± Chunhua said sweetly, but her kind tone wasn¡¯t replicated in her eyes. ¡°I couldn¡¯t voice my thoughts back then, but I had always objected to your decision. Martials Guild isn''t right for you¡ª"

    ¡°What does that mean?¡± Kotone retorted, quick and sharp.

    Just like that, the room got a little quieter. Chunhua did not immediately respond, but her true thoughts were written plain across her face. Martials Guild was different from the rest of the Big Four; it partially resembled a sect and brought all the wrong politics from it. The culture was said to be ruthless, intensely competitive, downright an active hostile environment at times. Theoretically, it would take a sweet girl like Kotone, chew her up then spit her out.

    ¡°You¡¯re too weak and vulnerable for Martials,¡± that was Chunhua''s message. It hung thickly in the air without a single verbalized word.

    Kotone started playing with her fingers, restless. She cracked a few of her joints, rubbed her callouses, anything to shake off the jitters inside her heart. She said, ¡°Alex¡ª¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been wondering that too,¡± I confessed, not letting her ask the obvious question. ¡°You have [All-Machine Resonance], a damn good psionic [Skill], so why here? I was thinking Wisdom for their resources, or Angels like me and Vic. Not Martials. Hell, you could go back to Japan¡ª¡±

    ¡°I enrolled in OU because I don¡¯t wanna go back home.¡± Kotone stared cold at her best friend. ¡°I love Kyoto, but not that much. So what I chose Martials? Why does that bother you? Do you not want me to join, huh?¡±

    No answer.

    Chunhua, who¡¯d been a wildfire throughout the whole day, could only stare at the scratched surface of the conference table. I didn¡¯t know what to say either. It wasn¡¯t my place, first of all, but not even a silver tongue could talk your way out of this corner.

    "Okay." Kotone stood, all her usual goofiness sapped from her posture. ¡°I¡¯m gonna take a walk.¡±

    She left the room quietly, not even slamming the door. And now there were two. I think we officially hit rock-bottom in terms of morale. Last thing I wanted¡ªlast thing I imagined today¡ªwas to have their friendship strained. Seeing Chunhua like this, blankly staring at her laptop and rubbing her drained eyes, was miserable.

    I whistled to diffuse the bad energy in the air. <Chunhua¡ª>

    <I really am something,> she said quietly. <I don¡¯t deserve a friend as sweet as Kotone. She¡¯s too good for me. But you understand, don¡¯t you, Alexander?>

    <About what?>

    A flame was reignited in her gaze, existing alongside her deep sorrow. <About why I¡¯m on this path. I may live in Ordo, but at the end of the day, I am still a cultivator of the Jianghu. I¡¯m the exiled protege of Spear Patron Li Ying. Nothing has changed. Nothing¡­>

    That¡¯s right, I remember now. Everything was starting to click together again. Chunhua had wasted thousands of hours training for Martials Guild due to a certain asshole. She could no longer use the Jins and their connections as a stepping stone back home. After three years, she hadn¡¯t inched closer to her true objective¡ªthe reason why she moved to Ordo at all. Otherwise, why would she? A cultivator like her wouldn¡¯t be allured by the gorgeous vistas or promises of fame and fortune; no, she was raised to hate the urban, westernized world.

    Yet she needed to bite the bullet in order to accomplish her life¡¯s mission. A year ago, she had entrusted me with this secret.

    <No matter what¡­> Chunhua swallowed, giving the opposite wall a mile-long stare. Her pupils were pinpoints, shaking, as if she had been transported back to her former sect. <I¡­ I must return to the Jianghu and kill that fucking bastard with my own hands! Nothing¡­! Nothing else matters.>

    ***

    BV returned with nothing to show for it, and Kotone came back a little after too. All we could do was get back to work and try to figure out the final mystery.

    I kept track of the current drama at Glory Guild. Silverhonor was still missing but it was kept hush-hush by everybody. They had been retracing her last steps, but so far, no luck. Trying to reach out to SH through [DMs] proved fruitless as well, so they were experimenting with a whole bunch of methods. Worst case, they¡¯d need to call in outside help which would jeopardize the secrecy. To top it off, they still weren¡¯t sure if her disappearance was linked to the Alts.

    Rector and Seraph fared no better on their end either. Due to the breakthrough and the indefinite delay of guild try-outs, they were getting nailed inside and out. The internationals and media were demanding answers. The Board of Operations were asking too many questions. In the middle of the interrogations, they had to figure out their next moves guild-wise while ensuring our conspiracy wouldn''t torpedo them.

    To top it off, Uncle Ali and Thea had been bugging me about the investigation.

    And I still hadn''t solved the mystery.

    I blinked, it was eight at night. The sun had fallen, and lights flickered alive across the desolate and barren Manor. Insects chirped. Gravel crunched underneath my boots. The wind whispered like a thousand ghosts and brought chills down my spine. I wasn¡¯t superstitious¡ªI was emotional and irrational, yeah¡ªbut the eerie sight of the Jin Family Manor made me a believer in the supernatural. A tortured soul lurked in the shadows somewhere.

    Four hours before our deadline, and Morgan had an additional deadline as well: I should make the last judgment call at ten. If I was confident this team could take down Zhu Xinyue, then we should. If not, pull out. I couldn¡¯t directly mention Morgan''s deadline to the girls due to Blackviper¡¯s presence, but I had my ways to gauge public opinion.

    To get out of that stuffy conference room, we loitered in the main courtyard where I first met Jin Tianyou this morning. Over twelve hours ago, I was nearly pissing myself while speaking with him; now, my fear was replaced with homicidal tendencies.

    I devoured a rice-cake from the kitchen, which might as well be my dinner for tonight. ¡°You guys think we can handle Zhu Xinyue?¡±

    BV raised an eyebrow, munching on a granola bar. ¡°You think she¡¯ll pose a challenge?¡±

    I finished my snack and wiped my hands. ¡°It¡¯s a good habit to prepare for the worst.¡±

    Kotone''s dinner was a large cookie. ¡°What makes you say that? We have a lot of firepower right now, don¡¯t we?¡±

    My head nodded side-to-side. ¡°You know how Rector was incapped yesterday, and how I¡¯m sore as hell?¡± (Everyone nodded.) ¡°That was because of the breakthrough. We nearly got wiped because of the breacher.¡±

    Sharing this small revelation brought a mixture of reactions from the girls. Dread, annoyance, more annoyance. Really, only Kotone was demoralized. My bad.

    Blackviper ate the last of her granola bar, crushed the wrapper into a tight ball, and threw it aside. ¡°I should¡¯ve used my sick days, dammit. Guess that settles it: we should wrap up our detective work soon and start making preparations. Maybe if we¡¯re lucky, Jin Tianyou can visit early.¡±

    Chunhua mustered a quiet scoff. ¡°Do you really believe he¡¯ll come? He''ll most likely abandon us to his mother so he can test Alexander¡¯s skills. You might be ordered to do the same.¡±

    She didn¡¯t try to argue.

    ¡°At least say something, assassin! Make your scheming less obvious¡ª! (¡°Hold on.¡±) ¡°¡ªdon¡¯t tell me to¡ª!¡±

    Blackviper exclaimed in a loud whisper, ¡°Shut the fuck up!¡±

    Chunhua kept going, ¡°The audacity¡ª¡°

    ¡°I told you to shut the fuck up!¡± BV whispered with more ferocity.

    After all the conversations we had together, why would a woman like her suddenly drop her voice?

    Realizing that, we stopped talking and listened. The Manor had fallen into complete silence, and something changed in the air.

    BV¡¯s cybernetic eyes glowed with information. ¡°A silent alarm has just been triggered. The security barrier caught an unknown about fifty meters north from our position.¡±

    Kotone stiffened like a log. ¡°I-I thought the ghost came at midnight. It¡¯s not even nine yet¡ª!¡±

    ¡°Shut it.¡± Blackviper faced northward toward our bogey. We didn¡¯t hear them. Not a single thing. No singing, no crying, just our breaths and my heartbeat inside my stomach. ¡°It¡¯s moving.¡±

    Chunhua whipped her arm out. Leaves peeled from her robes to form a shape: a long and thorny spear, which had vines coiling around the shaft like taut rope, finishing off with a marble-white spearhead. This was the prized spear-creation technique taught to her by Li Ying: [Spear Blossom].

    Blackviper pressed something on her right thigh, and she produced the same sleek black sword I¡¯d seen earlier in the day. ¡°It¡¯s approaching the northern gates.¡±

    ¡°Dammit,¡± I hissed and clapped my hands together.

    [Memento Recollection - Nightingale Rifle]

    ¡°I¡¯m notifying Jin Tianyou right now,¡± BV said, cool and collected. ¡°When the intruder walks through the gate, murk it. Don¡¯t take any chances, but try not to destroy more property. Right, esper?¡±

    Kotone was flabbergasted. ¡°Why are you pointing me out¡ª?!¡± (¡°You espers cause the most collateral damage.¡±) ¡°¡ªI don''t!¡±

    ¡°Focus!¡± I reminded everyone, my barrel aimed toward the northern red gates.

    ¡°Whatever, twenty meters!¡± Blackviper told us, eyes locked on the same target.

    We maintained our positions. ¡°It¡¯s comin¡¯ fast.¡±

    We steeled ourselves. ¡°Fifteen.¡±

    Adrenaline poured into my bloodstream. ¡°Ten.¡±

    A familiar soreness creeped into my muscles. ¡°It¡¯s here¡ª¡°

    We finally heard a noise: the sound of life that didn¡¯t belong to us, the animals, or the insects. I couldn¡¯t tell what it was, what our intruder was saying or what they were doing, because the gates rumbled louder. The thick wood awfully creaked and made this horrible screaming noise like a rabbit being slaughtered.

    The gates opened.

    ¡°Moshi-moshi¡ª? AHHH!¡±

    Chunhua had already pounced. She crossed the distance in less than an eyeblink and we heard the deadly sound of a spear sinking into something soft. Flesh? No, couldn¡¯t be. It was¡­

    It was sand and gravel.

    ¡°What the¡ª?! Tell me your name or I¡¯ll paint this manor with your entrails¡ª!¡±

    ¡°NOOO! I¡¯M SORRY! DON¡¯T KILL ME!¡± screamed the intruder. That¡­ That did not sound like a ghost. It sounded like a kid.

    Blackviper put her sword down. ¡°The fuck?¡± She started running over.

    Me and Kotone glanced at each other just as confused, and chased after her.

    When we regrouped with Chunhua, she was blankly staring at our intruder¡ªour fucking ¡°ghost¡±¡ªwho was hysterically sobbing. The spear lodged next to his head had completely paralyzed him, so all he could do was lay there and cry his little heart out.

    This¡­ This kid didn¡¯t look older than eighteen. Had whitish-blue hair and¡ªwait.

    I looked him over.

    I knew this kid.

    I saw him before.

    ¡°You¡¯re¡­¡± The Japanese boy opened his cosmic-blue eyes and stared up at me. ¡°You¡¯re that kid from Primordial Plaza. Amamizu Rei, right?¡±

 [FOR MOTHER] Chapter 5 - Your Tears Falling on my Cheeks

    Rei sniffled, holding onto a lukewarm water-bottle like it was a teddy-bear. Kotone had taken on a therapist role tonight, sitting next to him as they quietly chatted in Japanese. I couldn¡¯t hear their entire conversation, only bits and pieces. Not like I could understand Japanese anyway.

    All the scary people were huddled in a tight circle. Blackviper, who couldn¡¯t stop glancing at the poor kid; Chunhua, who was having a horrible day after threatening to disembowel said poor kid; and myself, the only person who could vouch for him.

    BV rubbed her eyes. ¡°Okay, run the story again, Conq.¡±

    I sighed and impatiently tapped my foot. ¡°As I told you, I hardly know him. We ran into each other on the first day at Primordial Plaza.¡± (¡°Right.¡±) ¡°He snuck in, got caught, and was taken away. That¡¯s it. I thought he had an inflated sense of justice from watching too many animes, but a psychopath who mauled two rens? Look at him.¡±

    We looked at Rei again, who decided to chug the rest of his water. Halfway through, he choked and violently spewed water all over the sand and gravel.

    ¡°He made my point.¡±

    Blackviper rubbed her face, as even she was perplexed by the situation. ¡°He is a Slayer, I can tell you that much. He¡¯s smart enough to block [Basic Information], so y''know what, I¡¯m gonna hand the questioning to you, Conq. You¡¯re best friends with the kid.¡±

    As if she needed a reason to pawn off her work to someone else. ¡°Alright, and Chunhua?¡±

    ¡°Huh? What?¡± Chunhua, frazzled as hell from the emotional whiplash, blinked several times.

    ¡°Stay here.¡± (¡°Alex¡ª¡±) ¡°You¡¯re a mess right now.¡±

    She didn''t argue further and watched from afar.

    With Blackviper tagging along, I introduced myself into the conversation. Rei shakily climbed to his feet, his eyes red from all the crying he did. Kotone stayed sitting, and I couldn''t decipher her expression.

    ¡°Conqueror, I uhm¡­¡± Rei restlessly pressed his hands together. ¡°I apologize for the sudden intrusion. And erm¡­¡±

    I raised my hand to stop him. ¡°It¡¯s alright. Do you have any emergency contacts? Any family, friends?¡±

    He shook his head.

    ¡°I¡ª¡± I stopped myself because it took a whole second for me to process his answer. ¡°Wait, you don¡¯t have anyone to contact? Where¡¯s your phone, surely you have someone¡ª¡± (¡°I lost it.¡±) ¡°¡ªwhat?¡±

    Rei shamefully stared at the ground. ¡°I, uh, I traveled to Ordo by boat. I wanted to take a video of an airship flying overhead, but then waves struck and my phone sort of, erm¡­¡± He made a tumbling gesture with his hands.

    Okay, let¡¯s move onto the next question because I didn¡¯t know how to respond: ¡°What about your wallet? Where¡¯s your ID¡ª?¡± (¡°I lost that too.¡±) ¡°¡ªwhat.¡±

    ¡°When I snuck into Primordial Plaza, my wallet must¡¯ve slipped out at some point¡­ It had all my money¡­¡± On that note, this kid had been wearing a Demonic Cult t-shirt. He was wearing the same clothes since I last saw him.

    I was rubbing a temple, because holy shit, what was I supposed to do with this information? I summarized, ¡°Rei, let me understand this correctly: you have no contacts and no ID for the majority of your stay in Ordo. How did you even survive?¡±

    ¡°...I¡¯ve been by myself for my entire life,¡± he quietly said, still staring at the ground. ¡°The city isn¡¯t as scary as the mountains.¡±

    Kotone spoke up, ¡°He¡¯s from Tsugaru. He grew up in the mountain-range there, but¡­¡± She shrugged, being just as clueless as the rest of us.

    Blackviper patted my shoulder and stepped forward, taking the metaphorical microphone from me. ¡°I have a question for you, Tsugaru. How the hell did you get past the barrier? You should¡¯ve been electrocuted¡ª¡± (¡°Huh?¡±) ¡°¡ªroasted to a crisp¡ª¡± (¡°Eek!¡±) ¡°¡ªand¡ª!¡±

    ¡°How did you get through?¡± I reiterated the question while glaring at the not-so-kind assassin. She cackled under her face-mask.

    Rei gulped and showed us his shaking palms. ¡°I-I didn¡¯t know there was a barrier. I just hopped over the walls¡ª!¡±

    ¡°You hopped over the fucking¡ª? Ah, fuck this, I¡¯m takin¡¯ a smoke. He¡¯s all yours.¡± Blackviper slapped my back, joined Chunhua, and took her smoke break.

    ¡°Is¡­ Is she okay?¡± Rei asked, completely oblivious.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± I lied. ¡°You¡¯re a Slayer, right? What¡¯s your [Rank]? Do you have any, uh, equipment on you?¡±

    ¡°Oh, right! I¡¯m just a D-Rank Slayer. And uhm¡­¡± Rei held out his hand and summoned his [Loadout]. It was a single measly item: a worn, beaten katana. A sorry excuse for one. The sheath was chipped and peeling off in thin strands, abused like it¡¯d been whacked against a tree, and scratched up. The hilt''s wrapping was coming undone. I did not want to know what the actual sword looked like.

    I wasn¡¯t Japanese, but even I was hurt looking at this. ¡°Rei¡­¡±

    Rei quickly stashed his ¡°katana." ¡°This is the only sword I have left, but even with this sword, I have to accomplish my mission here. Surely, you know what I¡¯m talking about, Conqueror! Something is here, had been here, I don¡¯t know, but it shouldn¡¯t belong in this world! It was the same in Primordial Plaza!¡±

    What? How did he¡­? Who is he? He shouldn¡¯t know about the Alternates. Was there a leak¡ª? No, impossible. Remember what Leo said: Morgan and Sophos couldn¡¯t confirm an Alternate sighting using their tracker. It was because the Manor was outside the city, plus the security barrier likely played a part in blocking the tracking signals.

    How did Rei know an Alternate had visited the Manor when our current technology didn¡¯t?

    This was too intentional to be considered a coincidence. I needed to know more.

    ¡°Rei,¡± I began, thinking through every word, ¡°did you get a weird feeling around a few months ago?¡±

    His eyes lit up. ¡°Yes! You do know what I¡¯m talking about! It began two months prior. I had this strange, otherworldly sensation and it happened repeatedly before suddenly disappearing a month ago. I thought that was the end, until when I was overwhelmed by a sense of dread over a week ago. It was horrifying, Conqueror-san! Somehow, I knew it originated from Ordo, so I ventured here as soon as possible but..." Until he lost his phone and wallet and got kicked out of First Wave.

    The details matched. I gulped. ¡°Another question: did you have multiple of these¡­feelings at once?¡±

    Rei tilted his head slightly. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know, I¡¯m sorry. I only snuck into the Manor because the ¡®feeling¡¯ here was overwhelmingly strong.¡±

    ¡°What about yesterday? Anywhere else?¡±

    ¡°Only here, Conqueror-san. I-I think. I''m not sure."

    ¡°And Primordial Plaza? Why did you visit First Wave when the breakthrough happened days after you showed up?¡±

    Rei nervously laughed and said, ¡°Please don¡¯t look down on me, but I-I thought to plead my case to the Guild Masters. On the night of, I didn¡¯t expect to wake up with pins and needles, but when I arrived to the Plaza, the breakthrough was already taken care of."

    "What about our breakthrough at tryouts?"

    "I-I don''t know, Conqueror-san. It came to a surprise to me!"

    Christ, okay, let¡¯s think about this. The timeline matched up perfectly: he described the experiment''s failure and the sudden drop of appearances. That meant Rei was telling the truth much to his ignorance. Somehow, he could sense the Alternates. It was flawed, imperfect, and seemingly random: he couldn¡¯t determine the location of the disturbance (Ordo) right away; in fact, it was only when he anticipated the Mother''s dramatic return; and he didn''t predict the Seraph Alternate (because she¡¯d appeared in an expedition).If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    It didn¡¯t mean Silverhonor wasn¡¯t snatched by an Alt. The Alternate''s presence could be strong enough to mask other signals.

    Strong enough to...

    The Alternate should appear at midnight, but if Rei was here because he felt something...

    ¡°Conqueror!¡± I heard Blackviper¡¯s distant voice behind me. ¡°It sounds like this kid is yours¡ª¡±

    ¡°Rei.¡± I ignored her. My throat dried up. Panic pummeled my stomach and brought aches across my muscles whining about yesterday''s trauma. I asked, ¡°Is it here? Do you have that ¡®feeling¡¯ right now?¡±

    The kid gasped and hung his mouth. He nodded, nodded again, and gulped. ¡°Y-Yes. I don¡¯t know how to describe it. It¡¯s like¡­ It¡¯s like something is stirring inside my chest and pulling me apart, but not by my arms and legs. It goes deeper than that. Conqueror-san, I think¡ª¡±

    <? The moon is bright, the wind is quiet. ?>

    I had never heard such a beautiful and soothing voice in my life. I blinked. All my hurt and worry vanished and a warm blanket was curled over my shoulders. It was my armor from the scary outside world. A rough, calloused hand held my own, yet her nourishing touch was the softest thing I had ever felt. I laid my head on her lap and watched her cracked lips subdue my restlessness with a lullaby. I never felt more safe.

    What wouldn¡¯t I give to hear my mother sing to me one last time.

    <? The tree-leaves hang over the window. ?>

    ¡°It¡¯s coming from¡­¡± someone else spoke, Kotone, pointing toward the west, ¡°¡­over there.¡±

    Mom disappeared, the warmth was gone, and all that was left was my cold and aching body.

    Our alertness, the battle-born instincts we¡¯d cultivated throughout our lives, were pacified at the tenderness of her song. Her voice was simply too sweet for us to ignore, and we were too tired. Like thralls, we shambled toward the source. All we wanted to do was listen.

    <? My little baby, go to sleep quickly. ?>

    We passed through gates, between the many halls, as her voice grew louder. Lights around us flickered, brightened and dimmed, like it had during Primordial Plaza. Then, without warning, all went dark.

    <? Sleep, dreaming sweet dreams. ?>

    There, dancing on one of the dark roofs, was a breathtaking, dark-haired beauty frozen in time. Her bare, corpse-pale feet bounced across the dusty ridge. She twirled and spun, letting her red dress entrancingly spin like a wide net casted over water. Her arms were outstretched, covered in blood down to her elbows, concealing the hauntingly white skin underneath.

    Then, the blood was gone.

    That¡¯s right. No matter her allure, she was fundamentally broken. Broken and twisted, like the other Alternates. During her dance, there were a few moments that betrayed her true nature. No, they were more like mirages¡ªlike they never happened. She reached toward the clouds, yet her fingers bent and twisted and her arms snapped in multiple places. Her lithe legs hopped forward. As soon as she landed, her legs twisted sideways and bone shot through the skin.

    She smiled. Then, her neck folded backwards and blood filled her mouth and turned her teeth a dark crimson.

    Yet she continued singing, uninterrupted, as if the omens never existed.

    <? The moon is bright, the wind is quiet. ?>

    ¡°It¡¯s her¡­¡± Rei muttered, eyes wide with fear.

    ¡°Zhu Xinyue, we were right.¡± Chunhua, with what strength she could gather, stepped toward the singing mistress. ¡°We¡­ We have to do something.¡±

    Blackviper could barely move her arms. ¡°I-I¡¯m locked up. The bitch¡¯s singing is doing something to us.¡±

    No wonder we walked here without a hint of aggression. It had to be a [Skill]. So much for fighting a weak cultivator. If she could tear the scalp of the average man, then she could do the same to us.

    <? The cradle moves softly. ?>

    Before she noticed our presence, I¡­ What could we do? Like Blackviper, my muscles weren¡¯t cooperating. More so than usual, I should add. I could barely twitch my fingers in the right direction. Maybe the paralysis would be broken once she made the first move, but¡­

    Knowing how Huang Chunxi and He Zhilan ended up, one of us might get incapped.

    <? Little one, close your eyes. ?>

    Think. Think about the research we had done. Zhu Xinyue was yet another tragic woman born in the wrong place. Her life was, as Chunhua said, amounted to nine months and nothing more.

    She hated Jin Junjie, her husband, and most likely hated her family too. But her son, Jin Tianyou¡­ What about him? That ¡°incident,¡± just what did she do? How did she endanger him, if that was even true?

    It was bad enough that the Zhu House had to pay reparations to Jin Junjie, so what?

    I¡­

    I don¡¯t know.

    <? Sleep, sleep, dreaming sweet dreams. ?>

    Zhu Xinyue finished her performance. She stood coffin-like on the roof¡ªan image flashed: covered in blood, shattered bones, and a screaming red mouth¡ªand she returned to normal.

    <My boy¡­> she muttered loud enough for us to hear. <What did I do to my boy?>

    Did she actually do something to him?

    Her head craned in our direction. Blood poured down her cheeks, scratches tore her cheeks open, and the wounds disappeared. <Ah, tell me. What did I do to my son? What did I do to my boy? Tell me¡­>

    BV snarled, ¡°Hey¡ª!¡±

    <Tell me, tell me, tell me, TELL ME¡ª!>

    <I can tell you,> said a calm man, whose serene voice matched Zhu Xinyue¡¯s singing. Light footsteps glided over the pavement, and a flicker of familiar robes swooped by us.

    Jin Tianyou.

    Rei hid behind me as the prince of Martials Guild approached his late mother without so much of a change in his usual demeanor. He was looking at his own flesh-and-blood¡ªthe woman who¡¯d brought him into this world¡ªlike she was a neighbor.

    <Who¡ª?! Wait.> Zhu Xinyue peered down. She¡¯d passed when he was five or six, so she shouldn¡¯t recognize the man before her. Yet there was a twinkle of recognition in her eyes. She vanished from the roof and reappeared before her boy. <You¡­ You can¡¯t be¡ª!>

    Jin Tianyou smiled like he had with me. <Fine night, isn¡¯t it, Mother?>

    <Tianyou? Is it¡­?> She carefully met her son and laid a hand over his cheek. Every muscle in her face twitched from grief, and this moment of lucidity had brought her form stability. <It is really you. My boy. My son. How? Why are you greeting your mother with a smile?>

    <What kind of son doesn¡¯t?> he retorted.

    <No, no! This isn¡¯t right. It isn¡¯t right!> Zhu Xinyue stepped back and combed her hands through her hair. <Why do you not feel hatred for your mother?! Why don¡¯t you seethe with rage upon seeing me, who¡­! Who¡­!>

    Her hands clenched his neck, and she squeezed. <Who had snuffed your life like this, my son? Why do you greet me with a smile? Why¡ªah.>

    Jin Tianyou wasn¡¯t bothered by the touch. His smile narrowed.

    He wasn¡¯t smiling as his mother''s son.

    Zhu Xinyue¡¯s pupils shrunk to pinpoints. <Have you shed tears once for your mother? For anything at all?>

    <Tears aren¡¯t needed for you.>

    A twisted smile came upon Zhu Xinyue and the grip on her son¡¯s neck tightened. Nails dug into his flesh. Her eyes shone wet with tears. <You are a calamity on this earth, Jin Tianyou, but as my child, you are my responsibility. I must do this. I must protect our home.>

    <Oh, Mother,> Jin Tianyou calmly replied¡ªhis mother wasn¡¯t doing a thing to him, <if that was your wish, then you should¡¯ve followed through.>

    A coarse scream ripped throughout the courtyard.

    Jin Tianyou was on top of his mother, his cold hands wrapped around her neck. Zhu Xinyue clawed hopelessly at his arms, at his face, but he did not react. His expression didn¡¯t change at all¡ªno, he looked disappointed.

    <Hah¡ªstop!> sobbed his mother. <Stop, Tianyou¡ªstop! You¡¯re hurting me¡ª! Please¡ª! Stop, please¡ª!>

    <I remember when I was pinned against your weight. Those manic eyes of yours, their crazed gaze had engraved a place in my memories forever.> His grip tightened and Zhu Xinyue wailed. <You squeezed my life through your fingers like this. Slow, enough for me to see death grinning inside your pupils, Mother.>

    <I¡¯m sorry¡ª! I shouldn¡¯t have¡ª! I shouldn¡¯t have¡ª! Forgive me, please! I beg you¡ª!>

    <You were seconds away, Mother, from taking revenge against your husband who regarded you as just a womb, from committing a heinous crime for the sake of the world. Yet, you let go. Your child was a demon, but that boy was nourished by your own breasts. How could you murder your own child?>

    Jin Tianyou slammed her head against the pavement.

    She gasped, and her eyes began to roll backwards as tears ran down.

    <All the pain you experienced was for naught. Those unfulfilled, disregarded seconds separating you from reclaiming your strength were created out of your weakness. And you returned to oblivion.>

    Her arms sank and went limp.

    <Because you were powerless and refused to seize your ambitions, you accomplished nothing. Nothing but taking your own life. You are pathetic, that is simply the truth.>

    Zhu Xinyue wasn¡¯t struggling anymore.

    <I will not make the same mistake. I will not die like you. I will not be weak.>

    His conviction was granted, and his mother withered away into dust.

    Jin Tianyou stood, dusted his robes off and flattened the wrinkles to appear presentable. He peered down where his mother had been for a second, but no emotions stirred inside him.

    He turned to the five of us and innocently smiled. ¡°Thank you for allowing me to see my mother again. I believe that¡¯s everything¡ªah, who¡¯s that boy over there? We haven¡¯t met, have we?¡±

    Christ, help us.

    [Event Commission ¡°Attack on the Manor¡± has been completed]

    [You have been paid 250,000ssp]

    Event Commission: Attack on the Manor

    Pay: 250,000ssp

    Description: All the skills I had learned, all the techniques I had accumulated, all the wisdom I had grasped, they were worthless compared to my womb. Yet, as I once hoped, I¡¯d smile seeing your chubby face and innocent eyes. How wrong I was¡­ There is nothing in your eyes, my son. There is only a gluttonous demon waiting to be fed. For the sake of our world, our Jianghu, I pray for your painful death so the land can remain virtuous and free.

 [FOR MOTHER] Epilogue - Your Calloused Hands

    ¡°Mom? Mom¡ª?¡± I looked through the screen-door and saw my mother in our backyard, working on our (her) garden. Like any mom on social media, she''d acquired a new obsession after watching a few videos online. Unlike most moms, she had the competency to actually make a decent one from scratch.

    I''d forgotten how strong Mom was. She wore a sleeveless top, speckled with dirt and fertilizer, and exposed her sweaty arms to the hot summer. Every time she swung her shovel into the soft soil, defined muscles bulged through her forearms and exposed a quilt of scars, stitched together by a sadistic hand. On the underside of her right wrist, I noticed a faded magic tattoo depicting a trio of interlocked dragon scales.

    ¡°Alex?¡± her voice broke me from my staring. I didn¡¯t know how long I was stupidly gawking at her scars. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is something the matter?¡±

    ¡°Oh, erm¡­¡± Because of my awkwardness, I forgot why I came here. Thankfully, my memory luckily jogged itself back to life. ¡°My history teacher wants me to do something for my big essay coming up.¡±

    ¡°Has he?¡± Mom buried her shovel in the dirt. She grabbed a nearby towel and dried herself off.

    I gulped, knowing the topic ahead wasn¡¯t an easy one to break. ¡°It¡¯s about the Jianghu. I think I off-handedly mentioned that you, uhm, that you were born there¡ª¡°

    ¡°I can¡¯t tell you anything about the Jianghu. I wasn¡¯t raised there,¡± Mom said, sitting down on the edge of one of the planters. ¡°What¡¯s your essay about?¡±

    I figured that would be my answer, but I indulged her, ¡°It¡¯s about differences ¡®tween Mainland China and the Jianghu, and we have to argue our case about which is ¡®better.¡¯¡±

    Mom wrapped the towel around her hands to busy herself. ¡°¡®Better¡¯? Pah, ¡®better¡¯ my ass. I think I remember your history teacher this year. He¡¯s from the Mainland, right? What does he believe?¡±

    ¡°I mean, we spent several classes talking about the Jianghu, like Wei Wudong¡¯s (ÎéÎÀ¶«) Rebellion. He also went on a lot of rants about culture, technology, tradition¡­¡± I shrugged my shoulders to imply the rest.

    Mom snorted and tugged the towel tautly. ¡°So he¡¯s like most ¡®scholars,¡¯ seeing the Jianghu as antiquated and barbaric. He¡¯s not completely incorrect, but he falls for the greatest trap: failing to see that his own history books are written in the blood of their adversaries.¡±

    Much like Dad, I didn¡¯t know much about Mom¡¯s childhood. All I could do was guess where her cynicism and opinions came from. I said, ¡°I¡¯m not sure ¡®bout anything I read, honestly.¡±

    ¡°Good, you shouldn¡¯t trust everything so easily, Alex. Just as the Mainland spit on their brothers and sisters and call them ¡®savages,¡¯ the savages do the very same thing to them. Neither are better. They¡¯re both terrible, different only by borders. If I had to choose, I¡¯d rather whack the man who forced me to pick.¡±

    Her opinion wasn¡¯t common amongst the ¡°civilized¡± West. Most we knew of the Jianghu were through news articles, movies, and social media. If you interviewed people on the street, half would fondly spin a fantasy about nature, martial arts, and honor. The other half? They¡¯d spout stereotypes and declare all of them geddons, wishing the Union and the Mainland would come together and remove them from the map.

    Rarely would anyone look at the Mainland, because why would they? The Jianghu was a complete outsider in today¡¯s world. Every inch was ruled by government or military, yet there was a huge swath of land dominated by rivaling factions, bounded by the law of fists and power. Yet, cutting through the weeds¡­

    ¡°They¡¯re both power-hungry fools,¡± Mom said after listening to my silence. She dropped her towel and stood. ¡°In the Jianghu, you¡¯re dominated by endless schemes and plots. And in the city? Ha, same thing! Yet they hide themselves behind laws and civility. Pathetic. Those who pen the laws are often the worst criminals, and those who tout decency can be the most degenerate.¡±

    Her evidence was written by her scars, that much I knew. But like my conversation with Dad, I wasn¡¯t quite sure what to say or do. Back then, I was young and relatively innocent. A sweet kid, having no clue about the dark secrets our world had.

    Mom saw that in me, my ignorance, and remorse washed away her past grievances. She walked up and brushed my messy hair and smiled sweetly, then rested her calloused and dirty hand on my cheek. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to rant, but I want you to remember my words. The world isn¡¯t as bright as you think. There are horrible people living amongst us no matter where you go.¡± (I glanced at her scars.) ¡°You can be the most moral man in the world, and that makes you more of a target.¡±

    ¡°I get it¡­¡± I lied.

    She knew I was lying, and her smile grew more somber. ¡°That¡¯s why we¡¯re going through the effort of honing your talents. In a few years, the world has to be ready for you, my beautiful boy. You¡¯ll be so strong and kind just like your father.¡±

    My cheeks went pink. ¡°Alright, alright¡ª¡±

    ¡°No, no, let me finish.¡± She patted my cheek and smeared more dirt to make fun of me. ¡°You have to be both, okay? Strong and kind. Power without heart is a tyrant, and heart without power is a lamb. You¡¯ll have both. That¡¯s why your father calls you ¡®conqueror¡¯ all the time, because you¡¯ll conquer land and yourself. It¡¯ll protect you, like armor, from whatever the world has.¡±

    After all these years, I finally understood what she was saying. The Hangzhou Disaster happened because a few lazy bureaucrats fucked everything up, and Oasis Guild ended up being a cesspool of deviants of all dimensions. But not even you, Mom, could understand just how deep of a mess we were in. It wasn¡¯t your fault. You couldn¡¯t have known.

    I can¡¯t be a good man like Dad, and I can¡¯t be as strong as you. As strong as you want me to be. Leo was right. We have enemies that I don¡¯t even know yet, far more powerful than our small brains can fathom.

    But¡­

    But at least I wasn¡¯t Jin Tianyou.

    ***

    ¡°...I¡¯m home.¡±

    Waiting in the living room for me was, as expected, my family plus a certain brunette who I didn¡¯t expect to be here. They dropped everything and crowded me like a bunch of paparazzi. It was good to see their faces again, even Leo¡¯s.

    Uncle Ali started the conversation, ¡°We heard what happened from Rector. Even I find it hard to believe, but¡­?¡±

    I whistled, the memories still fresh inside my head. Every last second. ¡°Yeah. Yeah¡­ The Alternate was Zhu Xinyue. In her case, she lived a future where she did kill her son. Then, in twisted irony, Jin Tianyou choked his own mother to death.¡±

    ¡°Holy shit¡­¡± Thea had a hand over her mouth. ¡°Holy shit¡­¡±

    Something patted my arm and I flinched, batting Leo¡¯s hand away without meaning to. Despite my nerves getting the better of me, she smiled reassuringly. ¡°Let¡¯s sit down and catch up, okay? The doorway is a bad place to have a conversation.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, definitely, yeah¡­¡±

    We crowded the living room just like last night but without the microwave dinners and smiles and fun stories. Not even I could crack a joke, but hey, veterans in the industry did say you would see new things everyday as a Slayer. Matricide was apparently included. Only in the Jianghu would you see something like that.

    As I pulled my shoes off and got myself comfortable¡ªnot relaxed¡ªI turned to Leo who made the poor decision to sit beside me. ¡°I thought you¡¯d be searching for Silverhonor.¡±

    She shook her head. ¡°I got back a couple hours ago at Archknell¡¯s insistence. We¡¯re still searching for her, but he needs time to think about, well¡­¡±

    Thea finished her sentence, ¡°About making it public?¡±

    ¡°His next moves,¡± Leo corrected. ¡°We haven¡¯t confirmed the culprit yet, but we¡¯re slowly believing it¡¯s an Alt. That¡¯s all I¡¯ll say because everything else is theory and speculation. Your turn, Alex. Update us about your end.¡±

    ¡°Right, God¡­¡± I rubbed my eyes and let my back sink into the couch. ¡°I mean, Jin Tianyou isn¡¯t tattling to the internationals but that¡¯s the least of our worries now. I took my team to Rector and Morgan. They talked with Chunhua and Kotone, told them to staple their lips, keep in contact, the whole spiel. The girls will do fine, it¡¯s just¡­¡±

    Leo said for the group, ¡°Amamizu Rei.¡±

    ¡°Amamizu fucking Rei.¡± I had to kidnap the kid to the Wings, because what else could we do with him? We couldn¡¯t let him go due to his ability to sense Alternates and his abnormal background.

    Uncle Ali butted in, ¡°From what little I heard about this Rei character, do you think there¡¯s anything suspicious about him?¡±

    I laughed out loud, only for my laughter to spread mild soreness throughout my chest. ¡°Suspicious in what way? No, he¡¯s too¡­sincere, but he raises a dozen questions. Someone like him shouldn¡¯t exist, period. No identification, no family or friends, has a special ability.¡± (¡°At least we have ID,¡± Thea commented.) ¡°Exactly! That¡¯s why I left him with Rector and Morgan, where they¡¯ll hopefully figure him out.¡±

    ¡°Sounds like Rector might have to contact the Fushimis¡­¡± Leo muttered. ¡°They¡¯re our go-to in Japan.¡±

    ¡°If the Foxmaidens have anything on Rei, I¡¯ll be glad to hear.¡± I chuckled and lowered my head, staring at my lap and the rug.

    God, I hope Rei does alright. It was a big change coming from the mountains in Japan and finding yourself in the Office of the Guild Masters. He was only eighteen, Althea¡¯s age (she wasn¡¯t a good metric for comparison). Compared to the larger world, the kid unknowingly stepped in a pile of shit. Fortunately, it was our pile of shit. We would take care of him¡ªAngels Guild would take care of him, like they had with me.

    Thea cleared her throat several times, bringing me back to reality. ¡°So. Can we finally talk about the elephant in the room? It¡¯s been sorta botherin¡¯ us for the whole day.¡±

    Uncle brought a hand to his collar and rubbed the lining to soothe himself. ¡°Jin Tianyou sought your company because he was inexplicably attracted to you.¡±

    I choked on air. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t phrase it like that, but yeah. He has a sixth sense for powerful people, and upon seeing me, it was like¡­ Okay, don¡¯t misunderstand but it was like love at first sight. Except for ¡®love,¡¯ it¡¯s unexplainable power.¡±

    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°Except your power¡¯s pretty explainable,¡± Leo commented off to the side.

    ¡°To get a definite answer from you,¡± Uncle began, ¡°Jin Tianyou did not isolate you for any political reasons? Just out of his own morbid curiosity?¡±

    So there were no misunderstandings, I nodded several times and said it outright, ¡°He did not. I confirmed it myself. It was completely and only him. His father wasn¡¯t involved to my knowledge, but Jin Junjie will most likely know our names once he returns from the Jianghu.¡±

    Uncle licked his lips, then pressed them together into a thin line. ¡°He¡¯ll most likely see us as pesky foot-soldiers for Angels Guild, but I can¡¯t predict his behavior nowadays. It¡¯s best to remain cautious and limit our confrontations with him and his son.¡±

    ¡°Not plannin¡¯ to ever meet him,¡± Thea said.

    ¡°Obviously, I¡¯m not going near that mother-killer,¡± then me.

    Throughout our exchange, Leo was sitting there mildly confused. She was looking between the whole family like we were a bunch of freaks, which we were, but gears spun inside her peanut-sized brain. Of all the urban princes and princesses in the world, there was no one more consequential than the heiress of the Demonic Cult''s Ryu Family.

    I remember what Althea had said before we had officially joined Angels: if we wanted their full protection, we had to share our secrets. This was our biggest and most precarious one, the reason behind all of our strange actions. Thus, we wanted Leo in the discussion; if our words weren¡¯t meant for her sensitive ears, we would¡¯ve kicked her out of the room already.

    After spending some time thinking, Leo finally asked the big question, ¡°Are¡­ Are you guys actually related to the Jianghu?¡±

    Uncle Ali, who¡¯d been ready for it, said without missing a beat, ¡°Their mother, Xingyu, was born there.¡±

    ¡°Oh."

    Leo blinked.

    "Oh my fucking God!" Leo sprung to her feet and began madly ranting in Korean. Her living room transformed into a glorified track field; within a few seconds, she''d completed enough laps to qualify for the Olympics. Despite not understanding a lick of Korean and watching her burn holes into her floor, this was a pretty tame reaction. Least it wasn''t a heart attack. I know one person who would genuinely have a heart attack hearing this news. Well, make that two with Rector.

    Anyway, I should calm the princess down.

    When Leo was in-range, I grabbed her wrist and tugged. "Leo."

    My calm yet tired silver eyes grounded her back to reality.

    ¡°Right.¡± She sniffled and wiggled her hand free. ¡°Right, we have to treat this conversation as seriously and calmly as possible, right¡­ Just¡­¡± She sat down next to me again. ¡°This is bad.¡±

    ¡°Tell me about it.¡±

    ¡°Tell me about it.¡±

    Me and Thea said exactly the same thing. Siblings.

    Uncle Ali folded his hands together and sat on the edge of his seat. His foot repeatedly thumped on the rug. ¡°Now you know. To say we''re in a dangerous position is putting things lightly. My kids both have SSS-Rank [Skills] and have blood relations to the Jianghu. The only other xias that have SSS-Ranks are¡ª¡±

    ¡°Shui Yuan and Longwang. For [Crimson Moon], that¡¯s only an SS-Rank.¡± Leo grabbed a nearby pillow and hugged it for comfort. ¡°I¡ªokay, lemme think for a second. I¡­ Have you traced down their mother¡¯s sect?¡±

    Uncle grimly shook his head. ¡°I tried, believe me. I used every connection I had, but I found nothing. I traced their mother¡¯s footsteps, combed through every piece of record I could find, but there was nothing. Nothing, however, might prove something else. An Eradication Edict.¡±

    Hearing those two words brought goosebumps all over my arms. Even Althea, who¡¯d been collected throughout the discussion, was biting her lip.

    Leo squeezed the pillow hard enough that the stuffing might pop from the seams. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ That¡¯s not out of the realm of possibility, but¡­ Shit, I don¡¯t know how to process this! If you can¡¯t confirm your own origins¡ªhell, even if you had¡ªyour existence can cause a literal war in the Jianghu if not globally.¡±

    Uncle said, ¡°That¡¯s why I stopped searching as soon as I realized the consequences. If anyone is tipped off, then it¡¯ll lead to armageddon.¡±

    ¡°And that¡¯s why we¡¯re a pretty paranoid family,¡± I commented, trying to lighten the mood. ¡°How does it feel to know our secrets, princess?¡±

    ¡°It feels pretty damn terrible, you dick!¡± Good answer. ¡°You call me a ¡®princess,¡¯ but you and your sister probably belong to a secret sect¡ª!¡±

    Uncle raised his voice, ¡°Let¡¯s refocus on the conversation. Leo, we told you this first because¡ªwell, the situation with the Alternates is more pressing¡ªbut mainly because of your aunt. She has resources that I don¡¯t. She can potentially find answers that we desperately need. That we all need.¡±

    Leo laid the pillow flat across her lap and rested her arms on top. ¡°She could. She definitely could, but are you sure about this? It means you¡¯re allying with the Demonic Cult and the Ryu Family after this. There¡¯s no going back, but if you accept, I¡¯ll ring her up tonight and you can have a long conversation with her. You¡¯ll have to explain everything from their mom¡¯s background to their SSS-Rank [Skills], though."

    The three of us did what we do best: look at each other and share funny faces. We¡¯d already discussed this, and we were okay with it. We had to be. Angels Guild needed to know, and carrying the logic forward, it meant the Demonic Cult and Cheonma had to know too. In exchange, we had promise. We had peace of mind: for our own safety and for the world''s.

    As always, Thea and I let our uncle have the final word: ¡°Do it, Leo. I¡¯ll talk to her myself and let the kids rest.¡±

    Leo exhaled like she could finally breathe again. ¡°Alright, just¡­ Let¡¯s get the facts figured out first before we jump in.¡±

    Thea raised a hand, her left leg hopping out of nervousness. ¡°S-So uhm, what about Rector and Seraph?¡±

    Leo said, ¡°We are not telling them until after the investigation¡¯s over. They don¡¯t need another heart attack. And before you ask, this revelation won¡¯t change anything. Trust me, I think we¡¯re all carrying world-destroying secrets, so what¡¯s one more to the pile?¡±

    I smiled and laughed; for some reason, I didn¡¯t feel nervous. Maybe it was delirium, maybe I suffered enough chaos that even death seemed funny to me. But I liked the feeling inside my chest. I needed more of that. ¡°Just what fucking guild did you rope us into?¡±

    ¡°One filled with freaks, sir.¡±

    ***

    The apartment was cold and silent when they walked inside. The cool air striking Chunhua¡¯s skin couldn¡¯t sober her mind from tonight''s events. Her foot hit a fallen jacket, Kotone¡¯s, and she gently brushed it aside. Their home was how they left it: messy and confused. They didn¡¯t have time to clean before Blackviper picked them up, and hindsight said it would¡¯ve been better if they had ignored her altogether.

    ¡°...We¡¯re home,¡± Kotone was the first to break the silence. She leaned against a wall and took off her shoes, struggling as her fingers failed to find a grip, but managed to pop her feet free. ¡°So uh¡­ What do we do now?¡±

    What a wonderful question. What could they do? What could she do? Martials Guild was a failure. Even if Chunhua was stalwart in her desire to join that forsaken guild, Jin Tianyou would get her killed. Slaughtering your own kin, your own mother, was a line that ninety-nine-percent of cultivators wouldn¡¯t cross. So yes, what could she do now? Her best hope at returning to the Jianghu was, unfortunately, the Jins. They were apart of the orthodoxy unlike Empress and the Demonic Cult, though you could hardly call this ¡°orthodox¡±¡ª

    Something poked her and she jumped.

    ¡°Woah!¡± Kotone hopped back, defensive. ¡°Sorry, I-I didn¡¯t mean to. What, uh, what were you thinking?¡±

    Chunhua swallowed as her throat was dry, but saliva couldn¡¯t quench the thirst she had. ¡°Nothing. I wasn¡¯t thinking about anything.¡±

    ¡°I mean, you can tell me¡ª¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Kotone. Leave it be.¡± You would be disgusted if I shared my real thoughts. You would see me in the same light as Jin Tianyou.

    ¡°C¡¯mon, it¡¯s alright¡ª¡±

    ¡°Kotone,¡± Chunhua said again. ¡°I¡¯d¡­ I¡¯d rather not have this conversation right now.¡±

    They were harsh words, yes, but necessary. It was necessary, even if it meant seeing how crestfallen her best friend looked and how the hurt swelled inside her tired, dim eyes.

    ¡°I¡­¡± Kotone audibly gulped. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for what I said earlier. I was super stressed, and yeah, I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to apologize. I¡¯m¡­¡± I¡¯m hardly any better than that man, aren¡¯t I? ¡°It wasn¡¯t my greatest day.¡± I can never escape the Jianghu. ¡°But we can talk later. Let¡¯s sleep, okay?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I need twelve hours, hehe.¡± Kotone¡¯s laugh was hollow, but she tried. She always tried to be the light of the group despite herself. She patted Chunhua''s shoulder and began shambling toward the hallway, already dreaming about her soft bed. ¡°G¡¯night.¡±

    ¡°Good night,¡± and Chunhua¡¯s voice was barely above a whisper. She held the spot where Kotone had touched her, like it was a rash, and shuddered. I don¡¯t deserve your touch, not today. I¡¯m much too filthy.

    ***

    ¡°I suppose that ends a good day.¡± Jin Tianyou sipped fine tea from his favorite tea-set, whole leaves imported from bum-fucked who-knows-where in backwoods China. ¡°This was Mother¡¯s favorite tea too. Very sweet.¡±

    It takes a special kind of wacko to drink his mom¡¯s favorite tea after choking her to death, but this was a cultivator. Blackviper thought she saw it all but no, you saw new things everyday as a sword. Apparently, matricide was included.

    All she could do was hum and nod along.

    Jin Tianyou looked out the window and admired the vast complex of his quaint little manor. ¡°What do you think about him? Conqueror?¡±

    Blackviper shrugged. I feel bad for the guy. ¡°I can see why you¡¯re attracted to him. He¡¯s more dangerous than he looks, which is already sayin¡¯ a lot. Also pretty thorough too.¡±

    ¡°Is that it?¡± Jin Tianyou flashed a glance in her direction before taking another sip of tea.

    He walks around with Counterforce weapon systems, so he''s trained in countersystemic action. Precedence says he''s our worst nightmare. ¡°What else can I say ¡®bout him? He has potential, he¡¯s not a fuckin¡¯ retard¡ª¡±

    ¡°Do you think he can rival Mythos-level Slayers in the near future?¡± Jin Tianyou asked like that was a normal thing to say. ¡°And I mean near. Ten years at most.¡±

    What the hell was she supposed to say to that? Again, she shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m an assassin, not a scouter. My job¡¯s breaking down my marks as they are, not what they will be.¡±

    Jin Tianyou held a small smile and set his tea down. ¡°Then amuse me. If you were to fight Conqueror as he is today, what would be the odds?¡±

    More questions¡­ When would he learn that she was a mindless grunt and not some genius tactician? Blackviper sighed and scratched her cheek, working through the information she¡¯d gathered in the past day. ¡°Seventy-thirty, me.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s high praise.¡±

    ¡°Like you said, Conqueror¡¯s not normal. There¡¯s something going on inside his eyes, but I don¡¯t care enough to find out. What about you? You happy? You¡¯re done with all the questions?¡±

    Jin Tianyou shook his head and reached into his robes. He pulled out a thin slip of paper and put it on the table. ¡°I have a request this time. This is a list of names within the guild. Tell them that a breakthrough occurred in my manor, so I¡¯ll be occupied with ¡®business¡¯ here.¡±

    Blackviper raised a curious eyebrow as she took the slip. The names were all rather influential swords within the guild. Was he going behind Rector¡¯s back¡ª? No, Jin Tianyou wasn¡¯t that dumb or petty. He was turning a crisis into yet another opportunity: to see which of the names here would leak the information.

    ¡°Alright.¡± She pulled up her [PMs]. ¡°After this, I¡¯m off-the-clock and taking a sick day tomorrow.¡±

    In other words, she didn¡¯t want to be around the office when his plan inevitably brought chaos.

    [Complete: Part 3 - For Mother]

    [Next: Part 4 - For Remembrance]

 [FOR REMEMBRANCE] Chapter 1 - Case of the Missing Elf

    ¡°We have confirmation that a third breakthrough had reportedly occurred at the Jin Family Manor. Jin Tianyou, who is the Acting Guild Master, hasn¡¯t made any public statements regarding the breakthrough. While there are no reported injuries so far, skepticism regarding spatial security in Ordo is continuing to grow. Over the past twenty-hour hours, we¡¯re seeing the conversation shift from the Big Four to redirection facilities and their protocols. There has been immense external and internal pressure for the Encampment to answer growing questions¡ª¡±

    I turned off the TV.

    ¡°What the fuck¡ª!¡±

    ***

    ¡°Believe it or not, Jin Tianyou did us a favor.¡± Rector held his steaming cup of coffee he¡¯d gotten from the cafeteria, tapping his fingers on the cardboard sleeve. ¡°He completely shifted the conversation off of Angels, and the internationals have to rethink their entire premise going forward. They¡¯ll be doing that a lot in the next forty-eight hours, I think.¡±

    We, the entire team, nodded and hummed and muttered a few words of relief and encouragement.

    I said, ¡°Until the internationals go through the traffic cams and see me driving to the estate.¡±

    Rector flattened his lips and sipped his coffee to bite down the surely scathing remark he had, but the coffee scalded his tongue instead and he winced. ¡°Small victories, Alex. Small victories, but we have something else to settle. Right, Morgan?¡±

    Morgan, who was levitating between Leo and Aiden, tilted his head and let his nappy purple hair dangle. ¡°Which something? Is it that haughty mage, the haughty Deathweaver, or is it perhaps the newcomer who''s been sitting there since we came into the room?¡±

    We all turned toward the stranger sitting at the lounge. He had a plate of Chinese-style breakfast crepes, and he¡¯d been wolfing them down during our nice conversation. Looks like he¡¯d been shopping because he was sporting new clothes. Instead of a Demonic Cult t-shirt, it was some anime.

    Rei looked up, gulped his last bite, and waved. ¡°Hi.¡±

    Morgan flatly replied, "Hello there."

    Rector cleared his throat. ¡°This is, uh, the newest and certainly temporary member of your team.¡±

    ¡°Seriously?¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Wow.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Hold on.¡± Morgan floated forward and stared Rector down. ¡°I thought we agreed to send Rei to Sophos for further investigation. Who changed their mind? You? Her?¡±

    ¡°Her. Sophos suddenly had cold-feet and said we should ¡®keep him for now.¡¯ So in the meantime, I¡¯m adopting yet another Japanese child¡ª¡± (Chie awkwardly smiled.) ¡°¡ªwhich is¡­ Which is not how I imagined my life would turn out.¡±

    Morgan looked pensive. ¡°We¡¯re devoting our full attention into the Glory situation. I don¡¯t have much faith in his abilities¡ª¡±

    ¡°You can trust me!¡± Rei shot from his seat and stood proudly in front of us, hand over heart, completely oblivious to the dash of hot sauce splattered across his bottom-lip. ¡°I may be a D-Rank Slayer but I swear to be a wonderful and long-lasting¡ª¡± (¡°Temporary,¡± reminded Rector.) ¡°¡ªaddition to the team! As an honorable and righteous kensei!¡±

    Leo chuckled and crossed her arms. ¡°Guess I¡¯m not the only swordsman anymore.¡±

    Morgan pressed, ¡°Yes, every Japanese child dreams of defeating Yomiya Yasuyuki in a duel, but I¡¯ve seen your poor excuse of a katana. That can¡¯t cut through grass let alone flesh.¡±

    ¡°I¡ª!¡± Rei stopped himself and frowned. ¡°...I¡¯m certain it can cut through grass!¡±

    ¡°Rector,¡± Morgan appealed to our boss directly. ¡°Again, I haven¡¯t seen nor heard solid evidence that he can positively contribute to a battle.¡±

    Rector sipped his coffee. His tongue wasn¡¯t burnt this time around. ¡°Which is why he¡¯ll have a support position with Sage. He has a sixth sense for Alternates. Unrefined and imprecise, but unprecedented.¡±

    Despite his ¡°demotion,¡± the promise of contribution gave way to stars inside the kid¡¯s eyes. A bright glow surrounded his head, and he couldn¡¯t stop himself from smiling due to excitement. ¡°As I said, I swear to be a valuable¡ª¡± (¡°And temporary,¡± Rector reminded again.) ¡°¡ªmember of the team!¡±

    Even Chie, a sweet and inoffensive girl, didn¡¯t look particularly thrilled about her new partner. ¡°It¡¯s, uh, it¡¯s good to be working with you, Rei.¡±

    Rei bowed like a little puppy. ¡°I¡¯ll be in your care, Chie-senpai!¡± (¡°Just Chie.¡±) ¡°Whatever you want, I¡¯ll fulfill my duties to the best of my abilities as your diligent¡ª¡± (¡°And temporary,¡± Rector.) ¡±¡ªkouhai!¡±

    I playfully nudged Leo. ¡°Looks like I¡¯m not the youngest member of the team anymore.¡±

    ¡°Aw, shut up.¡± She nudged me back.

    ¡°Now, uhm¡­¡± Rei looked around at everyone, tense all of the sudden. ¡°Where might the bathroom be?¡±

    Rector pointed at the door. ¡°Down the hall, first right, you should see a sign.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Rector-sama!¡± (¡°Just Rector.¡±) ¡°I¡¯ll be right back!¡±

    And he zoomed out the room.

    When the door was shut, the isolation bubble whirred back to life and enveloped us. We all took a breather from that little bundle of energy.

    ¡°Rector¡­¡± Aiden began, staring at Rei¡¯s empty plate on the table, ¡°...what¡¯s the deal with him? I thought you and Morgan checked him out?¡±

    Rector leaned against his messy desk, sighed, and carefully placed his coffee down amongst the clutter. ¡°Truthfully, I want you to monitor him. As you saw, he¡¯s more honest and genuine than your average pastor.¡±

    ¡°What about your, uh¡ªthere¡¯s no good way to say it¡ªthe interrogation,¡± Leo asked. ¡°Did any inconsistencies show up?¡±

    Morgan shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s a negative in the loosest sense. Rei gave vague answers at most, such as describing his childhood or how he managed to evade the Manor¡¯s security barrier. He doesn¡¯t lie, but he does hide. Not out of malice mind you, but take my word with a grain of salt. My specialty is reading books, not people.¡±

    ¡°I agree with Morgan,¡± said Rector, ¡°which is more reason why we should keep a close eye on him. It¡¯s a miracle that Rei wasn¡¯t discovered sooner. A boy with powers like that is, well¡­ Regardless, we¡¯ll keep custody of him until that damned vixen finally frees up her schedule.¡±

    Least I wasn¡¯t the only enigma in the team. I hadn¡¯t worked this job for a full month but I was already out-weirded by a partly-delusional eighteen-year-old kensei.

    Morgan, having received our new revised orders, nodded. ¡°We have to resolve the kidnapping of the angelic elf and monitor the least strangest Japanese boy. Very well. Is that everything, or should we nag Sophos during our operations?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s my job, but yes. Those are your orders. As soon as you¡¯re ready, you know where to go. And Conqueror?¡±

    I knew this was coming from the moment I walked into the office. ¡°Yessir?¡±

    Rector had a kind yet threatening smile. ¡°Be on your best behavior. He¡¯ll be here shortly.¡±

    ***

    When I imagined a highly-professional and efficient base of operations for the Silverhonor case, it wasn¡¯t a cluttered workshop. It was filled with a dozen different magitech constructs, a dozen more unfinished and gutted projects that I couldn¡¯t divine, and a single corner infested with wires and other gadgets. That corner was, as I quickly discovered, where Morgan had set up the Alternate tracker.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for the mess!¡± Chie began moving some of her tools off of the main island in the middle. ¡°I was working all night rebuilding my [Yokais].¡±Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    Leo discreetly elbowed my side as she helped Chie. Right, that comment was aimed at me and my judging eyes. Chie did sacrifice several [Yokais] during our fight with Seraph. I should tone down my bitterness before the man of the hour arrived.

    Morgan and Rei filtered to the corner while Aiden checked out some of the WIPs. I imagine our newest recruit didn¡¯t have anything in the works yet, which made his position in the backline more necessary. Hell, if he had anything in the pipeline, he probably wouldn¡¯t get his sigs until a month from now given everything here.

    Just what sort of inventions was Chie throwing herself into?

    Chie grabbed a heavy-looking box and struggled to lift it off the table, but I came along and took the weight off her hands.

    ¡°Th-Thank you,¡± she said as she went for a lighter box.

    We moved the boxes. ¡°I¡¯ve seen way messier, don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Chie had a small smile. ¡°You don¡¯t have to act nice all the time. I know my workshop¡¯s a mess, but with all the work that piled up, it¡¯s erm¡­ It¡¯s gotten hectic.¡±

    ¡°Regardless of how hectic it is¡­¡± Leo plopped down junk beside us and leaned an elbow on the only clear spot of the table. ¡°We don¡¯t want you to overwork yourself, sweetheart.¡±

    ¡°Hmph.¡± Chie¡¯s cheeks inflated, and she turned away from her kind unnie. ¡°I can rest later. I have to do my part so no one else gets hurt.¡±

    Leo bit her lip, then suddenly yelped as an elbow was jabbed into her side. My elbow. She should¡¯ve remembered that Chie was there when Rector got incapped. No wonder she felt obligated to work herself to the bone.

    To avoid retribution, I quickly said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you won¡¯t have to pull all-nighters for long. Unless¡­¡± I spotted various posters and bits of merchandise from video-games and animes. ¡°You go back to playing JRPGs and reading manga until the crack of dawn.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t do that anymore!¡± Chie exclaimed while hugging one of her half-finished [Yokais]. ¡°Who told you that? Aiden?¡± (¡°What? What did I do?¡±) ¡°Last time I stayed up was¡­¡± She stopped herself, and her eyes fell to the floor. ¡°...Erm, never mind, but I promised Rector that I¡¯ll have a proper sleep schedule.¡±

    ¡°Your lips to God¡¯s ears,¡± Morgan said in the back. (¡°What does that mean?¡± Rei asked.) ¡°If all goes well, there¡¯ll be no more casualties and we can bring the elven princess back home, and today hopefully won¡¯t be so miserable.¡±

    ¡°I doubt it; the forecast¡¯s calling for a downpour,¡± said a new, powerful voice that chilled my blood to a frost.

    Standing at the door was a tall man in his thirties, dressed like royalty in a battlefield. Half of his outfit was built for warfare, and the other half was designed for a gala. A fine-looking suit strapped together by rough leather and dark plates, belts snuggly fitted around his waist and thighs, pouches over buttons. Around his right shoulder, a furred crimson cape swayed at the knee and he held it, making sure it wouldn¡¯t be caught by Chie¡¯s contraptions.

    I noticed his ¡°gloves,¡± which looked like someone had wound reddish-black yarn around his hands. Simple in appearance but far from it. They weren¡¯t gloves, but rather an SS-Rank weapon crafted by the Phenomena Society: [Netherstring Gauntlets].

    Guild Master Archknell surveyed the workshop with his cherry-black eyes, first noting Rei who was a new face. Then, his attention snapped onto the whistleblower of System Articles.

    He stepped toward the main table with his heavy boots, every step sounding like the crack of a whip. He let go of his cape and tilted his head slightly, allowing his black-fading-red hair to dangle like a sword.

    Calmly, his tone low and dense with implications, he said, ¡°It¡¯s finally good to meet the ¡®incomprehensible black wolf¡¯ in-person. It doesn¡¯t look like you¡¯re a powerless corpo anymore.¡±

    I cracked a small yet terribly anxious smile. ¡°Right¡­ I never thought I¡¯d meet you under these circumstances.¡±

    Archknell licked his lips and looked at the two kids in the corner. ¡°These circumstances would¡¯ve never been arranged if Angels and Wisdom hadn¡¯t shit the bed.¡±

    Morgan floated toward the group with Rei skittering behind him. ¡°I¡¯m assuming the elf¡ª¡° (¡°Lyressa.¡±) ¡°¡ªhasn¡¯t established contact yet?¡±

    He snarled, ¡°What do you think? And who¡¯s the boy behind you?¡±

    Rei yelped and turned rigid. ¡°Amamizu Rei, Archknell-sama! I am their newest recruit and a proud swordmaster!"

    Archknell¡¯s bitterness visibly transformed into confusion, then disgust, then more confusion.

    Morgan clarified, ¡°He can sense our pesky breachers. He won¡¯t have a role in direct action.¡± (¡°Whatever it takes to rescue Silverhonor-san!¡±)

    Archknell rubbed his eyes, clearly too stressed to begin thinking about our new arrangement. ¡°What kind of team¡ª? Never mind. Let¡¯s stop the pleasantries and finally discuss our next actions. Is everyone on the same page?¡±

    We nodded. Rei and I had been caught up while we were waiting for Archknell. Yesterday morning, Silverhonor skipped work without leaving a message, which was uncharacteristic especially when Glory Guild try-outs had been postponed. With Silverhonor possessing a dual-role in the corpo and systemic ladder, her presence was extremely necessary and she was too responsible to leave her colleagues hanging. Archknell had [PM]ed her but no response, which was even more uncharacteristic. Having been notified by Rector about the ongoing crisis, he investigated and visited her last-known location via a GPS-tracker on her phone: her apartment.

    He only found her phone.

    Fast-forward to the present. Archknell was keeping her disappearance a secret¡ªnot because of us obviously, he wasn¡¯t a fan of Angels¡ªbut because the news would bring so much trouble to everyone. Currently, the excuse was a sudden illness but it wouldn¡¯t last long in this news cycle let alone within the guild.

    So who kidnapped the elf? Everyone had considered the Malie Bureau were the culprits considering their history, but the theory was likely false. Archknell didn¡¯t find evidence of a struggle in her apartment, and these assholes would have contacted us already. That led to the likeliest conclusion: an Alternate. However, both the tracker and Rei didn¡¯t sense anything funny but that was our best lead.

    Archknell knew the bare minimum: that the breakthroughs were connected, and the breachers were¡­

    ¡°...doppelgangers believing in a false history,¡± Morgan said. ¡°That¡¯s speculation, but the previous two breachers support the hypothesis.¡±

    ¡°Two.¡± Archknell glanced at Chie and Aiden standing together. ¡°During your try-outs.¡± Then at me. ¡°And at the Jins.¡±

    Morgan nodded. ¡°Correct. At Angels, we encountered a doppelganger resembling Seraph. For the Jins, the deceased mother of Jin Tianyou and wife of the other one. In both cases, they believed ¡®someone important to them had died.¡¯ This is the false history, because in our Worldline, they¡ªtheir loved ones¡ªare still alive. I¡¯m not suggesting Silverhonor¡¯s doppelganger will be the same, because¡­¡±

    ¡°Her amnesia,¡± Archknell said for the class.

    ¡°Yes, so what I¡¯m saying is: while we have precedence, Silverhonor throws all our theories out the proverbial window.¡± Rei whispered something into Morgan¡¯s ear, causing him to sigh. ¡°Right, I forgot that not everyone here is aware of her backstory. Archknell, would you summarize for us? Just so everyone is aware of the relevant details?"

    Archknell¡¯s heavy eyes flickered onto Rei and made him jump, but that was as far as he went for admonishment. He leaned against one of the side-tables, pulling his shoulder-cape in front of him. ¡°Two years ago, I led an expedition team into the Infinity Dungeon, aiming to penetrate Level 76 and hopefully go deeper. On Level 53, though, we encountered a never-before-seen Crystal Forest. A Stage like that isn¡¯t in the known rotations for 53. It¡¯s not unheard of to discover a new Stage in a rotation, but it¡¯s exceedingly rare. So I reported the Stage to the Dungeoneers and they advised me to focus on exploration. I did. After about thirty hours of navigation, we came across a massive hollow husk of a tree. Inside was a single crystal embedded in the pale wood: a cocoon housing a sleeping elf."

    ¡°That was Silverhonor-san?¡± Rei asked, hiding behind (the smaller) Morgan.

    Archknell managed to hold a small, nostalgic smile. ¡°That¡¯s right. We freed and stabilized her condition as best as we could. In her haze, she started asking questions in English. ¡®Where am I?¡¯ ¡®Who are you?¡¯ ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯¡±

    ¡°Wait,¡± Chie butted in, ¡°she was asking questions in English?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t mishear. None of my subordinates did. Silverhonor knows English upon waking up. Outworlders like her, whose Worldline shouldn¡¯t resemble ours, logically don¡¯t have English as their native language. Because she does know English, that leaves a lot of troubling explanations.¡±

    ¡°Explanations that she can¡¯t answer,¡± I said.

    ¡°Explanations that the malies want.¡± Archknell gripped the table hard, and I feared he¡¯d snap a chunk off. ¡°I knew they¡¯d be waiting to snatch her as soon as we broke topside. I¡¯m not na?ve. If I allow them to a single quarter, they¡¯ll do unspeakable things to Lyressa. Thus, I called in favors and used my authority to protect her.¡±

    Chie''s lips trembled. Discreetly, Aiden took her hand and squeezed it tightly. I decided to look elsewhere.

    Despite the dark implications, Morgan spoke casually, ¡°But they still questioned her, correct?¡±

    ¡°Under my supervision. Everything was: the interrogations, meetings, medical, and so on. Lyressa was officially diagnosed with amnesia, being completely unable to remember her past, and I became her legal caretaker.¡± (His eyes swept toward Chie and Aiden.) ¡°That¡¯s how she became Ordo¡¯s favorite elf. For the past two years, Lyressa has been an honored member of Glory Guild and she¡¯ll stay that way.¡±

    Leo politely raised a hand. ¡°Has Lyressa regained some of her memories? Maybe a faint vision or a dream?¡±

    Archknell crossed his arms and stayed silent for a few moments, thinking. Although we just received an answer, he was keeping his cards close to his chest. He said, ¡°Nothing substantial. Her dreams consist of blurry colors and distant voices, that¡¯s all.¡±

    I thought out loud, ¡°So if a breacher had attached itself to her, we have no idea what we¡¯re getting.¡±

    Morgan chirped, ¡°That¡¯s what I said earlier, yes¡ª¡±

    Rei, who¡¯d been flicking his eyes between the dirt on the floor and our special guest, turned his head upward. His stare widened as if he was looking through the ceiling and into the dark clouds. ¡°Does¡­ Does anyone hear that?¡±

    We didn''t. We only heard ourselves and the whine of electricity coursing through the room. None of us were on the same frequency as him.

    Wordlessly, Morgan tugged Rei¡¯s sleeve as if telling him to keep talking.

    ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡± Rei looked around the room to try and pinpoint its direction, I think. ¡°She¡¯s crying.¡±

    Archknell stepped forward. ¡°Whose voice is it, boy? Is it Lyressa¡¯s¡ª?!¡± A blue screen interrupted him mid-way through his excitement. He almost brushed it aside before he caught its contents.

    He tapped it.

    ¡°It¡¯s Mongrel. A demesne appeared in one of our training fields.¡±

 [FOR REMEMBRANCE] Chapter 2 - Forest Outskirts

    ¡°Of course this happened while I was on the job... I wonder if contract enslavement is on the menu when I return.¡±

    ¡°For Sophos? You should¡¯ve expected bullshit from her¡ª¡±

    ¡°You think this is ''bullshit,'' you uneducated brute? This is is an international crime wrapped in armageddon wrapped in¡ª¡±

    ¡°Shut up and look alive, they¡¯re here.¡±

    The idle banter was performed by an unsuspecting comedy duo. They¡¯d cordoned the training field from all prying eyes, and thanks to the small man with a comically large witch hat, a large isolation barrier hummed around the perimeter. The barrier was different from the mechanically-generated ones I¡¯d experienced: this was meticulously refined and personally crafted with care and precision.

    It was the type of skill you¡¯d expect from the Vice Guild Master of Wisdom Guild, Wonder. Wonder dressed like a young student from a fictional wizard academy: had the long and dark robes, the hat as mentioned earlier, round-rimmed glasses, messy and stringy peach hair, stressed golden eyes with rotating magic circles around the pupils. He was always seen with his tome either under his armpit, hugging it, or attached to the hip. Young, yeah, but older than me; young, though, definitely for his position. The old VGM and his master, Sibyl, had nominated (forced) him into the role so Sibyl could transition into the CEO position.

    Onto the next celebrity, he couldn¡¯t be any more different from Wonder. This man¡ªthis beast¡ªhad the crudeness that the mage despised, the experience he wanted, and the muscles he gawked at. If the men had eye-candy like Silverhonor and Empress, then the women had him: Mongrel, VGM of Glory Guild.

    He was about Dad¡¯s height, six-eight, and definitely had the same muscle mass. His arms and legs had the output power of ten-thousand men, and that was barely an exaggeration. Mongrel resembled a wild hound, exotic and dangerous. He preferred strolling around shirtless with baggy and torn trousers, wanting everybody to trace his numerous scars with their eyes and gulp in fear of his warrior-body. Unrestrained gray hair fell all the way to his waist, possessing enough volume to act like a pseudo-cape. As much as I¡¯d like to ignore him, his burning amber eyes were locked onto me.

    Mongrel rolled his tongue over his sharp canines, and I thought I heard Rei yelp at the back of the group. My attention was split between his hulking figure and the ominous white-walled dome about twenty meters east.

    They¡¯d caught the demesne first during discussions about guild try-outs, and now they had this on their plate.

    Archknell joined the VGMs, acknowledging his Glory-hound first then the genius. ¡°Any new developments?¡±

    Mongrel let his smoldering gaze linger on me for another second, then he faced the demesne. ¡°Not when I first reported, no. It appeared without warning, and luckily we had the mage here who isolated the field from the public. Nothing came out so far. Sense trouble inside, though.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s less of a demesne and more of a battlefield,¡± Wonder quietly corrected, rolling his eyes like how Problem would. ¡°A demesne usually alters existing laws and principles while battlefield creation¡ª¡± (¡°The difference matters shit.¡±) ¡°¡ªI¡¯m trying to provide valuable intel here. Problem, what do you say?"

    Problem huffed. He wore his hood which casted an impervious darkness so nobody could see his youthful face; on top of that, he spoke with a modulator to hide his underdeveloped voice. ¡°If we¡¯re to break inside, we need accurate information. If what Wonder says is true, then this resembles a battlefield rather than a demesne. But¡­¡±

    But since this was surely an Alternate¡¯s doing, then this space most likely defied our current understanding of artificial environments anyway.

    I spoke up, ¡°What should we expect from this enviro then? If it¡¯s a battlefield, then it should act like a simple demesne, right?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a far more nuanced subject than that, but for the sake of conversation, let¡¯s assume none of our theories are concrete¡ª¡±

    Mongrel growled, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what the hell that thing is, Angel. Is Lyressa trapped inside or not?¡±

    Problem hesitated, craning his head toward the hound, cautious. ¡°Most likely. It appeared in Glory territory, and our tracker¡ª¡± (Rei fidgeted.) ¡°¡ªconfirmed a strange presence.¡±

    Archknell braved closer to the dome, startling Wonder and he threw his arm to stop the Guild Master from advancing further. (¡°Wait¡ª!¡±) ¡°Out of my way, genius. Mongrel¡¯s right: your useless theories will only waste time. Lyressa¡¯s inside and we have no idea how long this enviro will last. I¡¯m breaking through¡ª¡±

    Panicked, Sage exclaimed, "You don''t know what''s inside! It''s dangerous¡ª"

    The ground rumbled as Mongrel stomped toward her, causing Firebrand to jump between them and drawing [Twin Heavens] from Empress. ¡°¡®Dangerous¡¯? The fuck d¡¯you think we are¡ª?¡±

    ¡°Get the fuck out of her face, Mongrel!¡± FB roared over him, fire pulsing in his eyes.

    ¡°Bark again and I¡¯ll crush your fuckin¡¯ bones¡ª¡±

    ¡°ENOUGH!¡± Archknell shouted over everyone, his cheeks burning with frustration. He faced Problem. ¡°I¡¯m going inside whether you like it or not, Problem. Either you can accompany me or you can patiently wait. You have thirty seconds¡ª¡±

    ¡°Empress, Firebrand,¡± immediately answered Problem, neutral and impassioned. ¡°You¡¯re joining Archknell. Sage, prepare one of your [Yokais] for surveying.¡±

    Empress bit her lip and lowered her twin-blades. ¡°Alright.¡±

    Firebrand, who was still facing Mongrel, coldly replied, ¡°Regi.¡±

    Sage, hiding behind him, could only nod and squeak, ¡°Okay!¡±

    (Rei sighed, disappointed. ¡°Dang it!¡±)

    I would¡¯ve picked them too. Logically, I wasn¡¯t a consideration. I¡¯d been through the wringer for the past couple days, so my combat strength was reduced plus I had existing tension with Glory Guild. Asking either VGM to join wasn¡¯t smart either. We needed Wonder to keep watch of the dome and the isolation bubble, and if Mongrel joined¡­ Well, that¡¯d be two Angels and two Glory. Two of the strongest Glories. If anything were to happen, such as an internal conflict, they¡¯d overpower us easily. Too much risk.

    The numbers were on our side. With this division, we¡¯d maintain footing on both fronts. Theoretically. Practically, despite having our whole team here, we were powerless.

    Archknell huffed. ¡°So be it. Come on.¡±

    The infiltration team was assembled and we faced the dome. One of Sage¡¯s [Yokais], a freaky-looking drone with mechanical eyes covering almost every surface inch, was joining them. [Hyakume], she told me. A magical visor covered her eyes, allowing her to see whatever [Hyakume] was observing.

    Wonder hovered the closest to the shimmering dome, reluctant to touch it. ¡°I¡¯ll create a small opening for you. It¡¯s best that I do it to prevent any unexpected consequences.¡±

    Problem tapped his right ear. ¡°Make sure you keep us updated."

    Annoyed, Archknell huffed and looked on, seemingly ignoring Problem and by extension his advice. Of course, he was the great Deathweaver, No.7 in Ordo, and one of his own was trapped inside an unknown environment. Being ordered around by a haughty kid was beneath him. I¡¯m being sarcastic, but laying it all out¡­ Well, he had reasons to follow his own heart. Let¡¯s hope he makes good decisions for all of us, but you know what they say: hope for the best, prepare for the worst.

    He gave a wordless signal to Wonder, and in response, the genius pressed his bare hand against the dome¡¯s hard, glimmering surface. The area around his hand brightened. With nary a sound, a hair-thin crack about my height opened. A tiny opening revealed what was on the other side¡ªI couldn¡¯t see through the bodies¡ªbut the breach expanded enough to comfortably side-step through.

    Archknell entered first, then [Hyakume], and finally our Angels. I caught pale white soil and tall finger-like grass, everything pallid, and a pastel-colored something nestled beside ivory trees.

    It closed, and the snapshot of the enviro ended just like that.

    Sage gasped, her eyes frighteningly darting left and right behind her visor. ¡°The mana density is on par with an S-Rank expedition. It¡¯s¡ª!¡±

    ¡°A replica of Crystal Forest,¡± we heard Archknell through Sage, his voice static. ¡°No, this is a perfect recreation. It¡¯s exactly how I remember it down to the most minute detail.¡±

    ¡°Does that mean you remember how to navigate it?¡± Problem asked loud enough to be caught by [Hyakume].

    Archknell hummed in affirmation, and I thought I caught Empress¡¯s voice in the background. ¡°I should. What does your tracker think?¡±

    Rei looked all over the dome, pensive and uncertain. ¡°I uhm¡­ I can hear a voice but I can¡¯t tell where or what she¡¯s saying. It¡¯s all over the place, like an echo.¡±The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    Problem repeated, ¡°Did you catch that, Deathweaver? It¡¯s present but the location¡¯s unknown.¡±

    ¡°Regi. In that case, we¡¯ll do this the old-fashioned way. Let¡¯s go, Angels.¡±

    The expeditionary team ventured onward into the Crystal Forest. I wasn''t sure which team was better: fighting side-by-side with the same Guild Master I''d blackmailed not too long ago, or waiting with a loose cannon itching for an excuse to pop my head off. Either way, I was stuck outside, waiting. Minutes passed, time slipped by as my thoughts were occupied with theories and concern. Then, without warning, our comms blared something loud and shrill and shrieking. The harshness subsided after a few seconds, but static followed and stubbornly stayed. I rubbed my ears. Wonder and Rei did the same, yet Mongrel stood stoically as if it didn''t bother him.

    Problem tapped his earpiece. His head canted downwards as if scowling. ¡°How¡¯s your visuals, Sage?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s rough. I¡¯m getting major interference from the enviro. I¡¯m losing functionality. I can¡¯t detect anything around us.¡± There was a voice on the other side, but I couldn¡¯t tell whose it was or what they were saying. ¡°Sorry, can you repeat that? You¡¯re breaking up! Please repeat¡ª! Ack?!¡±

    Her visor darkened, and she blinked a few times. ¡°Hello? Anyone? I¡ªoh man, I think [Hyakume] is offline.¡± The visor was dispelled, face tensely wrenched with disappointment.

    Great. Couldn¡¯t last more than ten minutes before it went kaput. It wasn''t her fault, anyway.

    However, not everyone shared the same opinion. Mongrel saw an opportunity and thus spat saliva a few inches away from Wonder''s fine wizard shoes. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have accomplished anything with your toy anyway.¡± The rumors were true: as handsome and surprisingly articulate as Mongrel was, it was wasted on a sour personality. Reminded me of someone.

    Unwilling to indulge in petty arguments, Sage turned away from the Vice Guild Masters and hovered closer to her teammates. I moved to block her and Rei from Mongrel''s line-of-sight.

    Problem repeatedly pressed his earpiece to no success; he couldn''t get through to the rest of the team. He let his small fingers drop. ¡°Splendid. They¡¯re trapped inside with no forms of communication to the outside world. I suppose fidgeting with the enviro is out of the question?¡±

    Wonder, the fellow intellectual, shrugged like he didn''t give a crap about the swords inside. ¡°I''d rather not irritate this thing further."

    ¡°Prepare anyway. If Rei has a sudden feeling of doom, we need to intervene as soon as possible¡ª¡±

    ¡°Barking orders, are we? Walking into my house and making yourself the lord, yeah?¡± Mongrel stomped around our little group, apparently deciding that this would be a good time for a confrontation. ¡°Doing whatever the hell you want, you and Sophos. When things blow up, we¡¯re pulled in and one of our own gets hurt and yet you expect us to lend a hand? And Glory keeps getting raked over pride.¡±

    A chilly wind fluttered Problem''s hood but it remained nailed to his head; in the concealing darkness, dim purple eyes fluttered open. ¡°This is not the time nor the place to air your grievances¡ª¡±

    ¡°Shut the fuck up.¡± Mongrel aimed a nasty glare at Problem, but the small guy didn''t flinch. ¡°You¡¯re all repulsive. Disgusting. Flaunt the rules all you want and let us watch the wax drip from your wings¡ª¡± (¡°How did I get involved...?¡± Wonder muttered.) ¡°¡ªif it was my way, I¡¯d tear your feathers myself. Beginning with that bitch Seraph¡ª¡±

    ¡°Take her name out of your mouth!¡± raged a small voice, having the same fury as when she''d found her boyfriend moments away from turning himself into a bonfire. ¡°You know nothing about what we''re doing, about her!"

    Pity and disdain curled the Apex Predator''s lips, but not sympathy. He wouldn''t feel sympathy for anything, not even for a dying puppy. "I feel sorry for you and Firebrand most of all. Another one of their little experiments¡ª¡± (Sage tensed, her hard cheekbones showing as she sucked her cheeks in.) ¡°¡ªdancing on the palm of their hands. It makes me sick what they¡¯re doing to you.¡±

    Neither Problem and Rei seemingly knew the context behind his words¡ªI doubt Mongrel had the entire story anyway, just drawing sweeping conclusions from small details¡ªand Wonder remained silent despite possessing the same status. Was he too intimidated to speak or too morbidly curious to see where this conversation would lead?

    Out of everyone, only Sage had the courage to stand against the Vice Guild Master of Glory Guild: ¡°Sera always said you were the worst possible choice for VGM. You¡¯re just a ¡®mutt who doesn¡¯t belong¡ª¡¯¡±

    Mongrel''s burly, calloused, and muscled hand launched toward her.

    I caught his wrist; rather, he allowed me to catch his wrist. You¡¯d think this little attempt at physicality was done out of deserved provocation, but his eyes were cunningly narrow. My ugly mug was reflected in his bulging pupils, and he let himself enjoy a slight measure of satisfaction by revealing a thin line of sharp teeth. He wasn¡¯t angry at all, or well, his anger was second to curiosity. Mongrel really was the Apex Predator, because I was his target all along. This whole confrontation was to provoke me into acting. Tests, tests, tests, games, games, and fucking games. All these high-rankers trying to suss out the new kid on the block, fucking ridiculous.

    Mongrel tore his wrist away from my comparatively weak hold. ¡°It looks like Seraph''s new dog decided to finally bite¡ª¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t give a shit what comes out of your mouth.¡± I held the hand that¡¯d grabbed him to hide my trembling. ¡°I¡¯m here to fix our own mess, not to entertain another high-ranker with his arm shoved elbow-deep in his own ass. And if you ever touch Sage or the kid, we¡¯ll fix you.¡±

    ¡°Hah¡ª?¡± Mongrel and his thick neck wrenched forward¡ªI could hear the muscles stretching like steel wires¡ªand stared me down. ¡°Corpo or sword, your words are too big for your teeth¡ª¡±

    ¡°Rei.¡± I turned around and patted his shoulder. ¡°You feel anything yet? Are the voices getting clearer or are they still jumbles?¡±

    ¡°Ah¡ªuhm¡­¡± Rei glanced behind me and stiffened, but I don¡¯t give a shit anymore. Let the mutt stew by himself. ¡°I-I still don¡¯t know what she¡¯s saying¡ª¡±

    A shadow fell over my shoulders.

    Then, two thin shadows followed: dual magical staffs. One was ebony, carved from a darkwood tree. At the head was a purple arcanic crystal surrounded by a cage of twisted roots. Its partner had the opposite aesthetic: pearl and ivory wood not unlike the trees I¡¯d seen in the Crystal Forest. There was a sword-like guard below the crown, framing the arrowhead-shaped red crystal. [Arcane & Crystal].

    ¡°A very poor decision,¡± Problem said, having summoned his signature to block Mongrel¡¯s path. ¡°Though Conqueror didn¡¯t include himself in his threat, I am. Either you can make yourself helpful and see your pretty elf home, or you can leave. It¡¯s your choice to jeopardize this operation further.¡±

    ¡°Heh.¡± Mongrel put his hand on his face, then smoothed over his greasy hair. ¡°One of these days, Conqueror, I''ll uncover why our ''heroes'' are so fascinated with you."

    Mongrel fucked off to the side and kept to himself, checking his [PMs] from the looks of it.

    Everybody could finally breathe again.

    Sage quietly laughed. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that from you, Alex.¡±

    ¡°Hey.¡± I lightly patted her back. ¡°We¡¯re a team, remember? It¡¯s my job to look out for my colleagues.¡±

    Sage returned the gesture, but she smacked my back harder. Yup, definitely a force to be reckoned with. Remind me to never challenge her to a spar. ¡°You¡¯re fitting in already! I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m happy for you.¡±

    ¡°Mhm, and uh, did Seraph really say that? About Mongrel?¡±

    ¡°This wasn¡¯t the first time Mongrel targeted me and Aiden.¡±

    That¡¯s all I needed to know.

    Onto the other Japanese kid in the group, Rei had a¡­very interesting look on his face. I think he was about to cry. ¡°Y-You think I¡¯m apart of the team, Conqueror?¡±

    Well, I thought you¡¯d instantly get annihilated if Mongrel decided to slap you silly. ¡°You¡¯re here, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    A single tear rolled down his face. ¡°Conqueror¡ª!¡±

    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s enough.¡± [Arcane] smushed the kid¡¯s face. ¡°Let¡¯s refocus our attention onto the elephant in the room. Wonder¡ª? Wonder, what the hell are you doing?¡±

    Wonder was laying face-down on the ground. ¡°Trying to sleep."

    ***

    Thirty minutes passed since the team infiltrated Crystal Forest. We tried several times to establish a connection through any means: comms, [PMs], and so on, but nothing worked. Rei¡¯s sixth sense was ineffective, as he was tormented by directionless voices and no other information. Eventually, Mongrel rejoined the group and started to act like a VGM for once, all business and no jokes, but his ideas bore no fruit. Wonder and Problem shared theories but they lacked the confidence to test them. We were flying in the dark, basically, (im)patiently waiting for a development.

    ¡°Under what circumstances should we break in?¡± I asked Problem when my watch told me thirty-two minutes had passed.

    Problem rubbed his eyes, his fingers disappearing into the darkness which was freaky to look at. ¡°If they transmit an SOS through the System or the System tells us directly. They have Archknell¡¯s power.¡± (¡°Not his trust.¡±) ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m afraid of.¡±

    Great. I checked on the other Angels. Sage and Rei were chatting about¡ªwell, I didn¡¯t know. They were speaking in Japanese, and with my limited knowledge of the language, I could only make out a few words here and there¡ª

    A deep bass reverberated throughout the area, flattening grass-patches and blowing our clothes back. It came from the dome, and the walls were shaking, shaking, shaking. Rei was the first to start running in our direction.

    ¡°¡ªher!¡± he said but I couldn¡¯t completely hear him. Another bass sounded and the world began trembling. I held a hand over my stomach, trying to not blow my breakfast on enemy territory. ¡°¡ªscreaming!¡±

    Shit, we might get our wish granted.

    We regrouped, finally able to hear each other. The reverberations and shaking stopped shortly after. Mongrel tried speaking but Problem told him to shut up; Wonder tried speaking but Problem also told him to shut it. We had to maintain visuals, seeing or hearing if anything would change on the outside.

    Rei held onto my sleeve, and he whispered, ¡°S-She¡¯s getting louder. She¡¯s sobbing. Something¡¯s happening inside.¡±

    Problem tightly nodded. ¡°I gathered that. I think they found the breacher¡ª¡±

    "Guh¡ª?!" Rei clasped his ears like a dog hearing a dog-whistle, dropping to one knee.

    "Rei¡ª?!"

    "Kid¡ª?!"

    [PARTY STATUS]

    INCAPACITATED: Celestial Empress

    INCAPACITATED: FIrebrand

    My head went blank.

    ¡°WONDER!¡± Problem screamed, his modulator distorting and a hint of his youth powering through, ¡°OPEN A HOLE!¡±

    Wonder flew toward the enviro faster than an eagle.

    ¡°Conqueror, with me! Rest of you, stay here!¡±

    Without waiting for Mongrel to inevitably protest, Problem and I caught up with Wonder who¡¯d opened a similar hole like earlier. We couldn¡¯t give our thanks as Problem barreled through first, then I hopped in. Something caught my foot. I tripped, slamming my shoulder hard onto soft white grass.

    ¡°Fuck!¡± I swallowed foreign dirt and grass. Immediately, I spewed them out and had a heavy, bitter taste on my tongue. Someone took my arm and pulled me up. ¡°Thanks, Problem¡ª¡±

    ¡°I have your back, senpai!¡± That was not fucking Problem.

    Rei was standing with us. The hole was closed. He was with us.

    Problem threw his hood off so Rei could see his angry, child face. ¡°What did I just say, Amamizu Rei¡ª?!¡±

 [FOR REMEMBRANCE] Chapter 3 - Heart of the Forest

    ¡°It¡¯s this way!¡± Rei broke through a thick shrub of bushes, ignoring how the sharp sticks and branches cut into his new clothes and skin. Despite his age and experience, the kid was ridiculously fast.

    ¡°Dammit, shit!¡± Unlike me, over six feet tall and understood elegance like how a redneck understood the city. I barreled through the bushes and felt feeble scratches on my skin. [Forged Skin] was doing work.

    ¡°Wait, wait, wait¡ª!¡± Problem roared and flew right over me as if someone had thrown him like a football. He swooped in front of Rei like an eagle, stopping him from pushing further.

    I caught up, trying to ignore the aching inside my muscles and joints, and finally had a moment to take in our new surroundings. The Crystal Forest. It was a handsketched scene from a children¡¯s fantasy book, and we were the unflattering mistakes on canvas. Every note was pastel. We stood on white and lips-pink grass. The bushes we¡¯d bumbled through were bleached blue, and around us were haunting trees. Long and thick pale limbs reached toward the cloudless and blank sky, sprouting paler leaves as pencil-colors sprinkled throughout the setting like soft violets and oranges. No animals here, and no shadows. Not even our bodies casted them but light came from somewhere.

    Growing on tree-roots were bushels of multicolored pastel crystals. Looking closer at some of the trees, the bark was peppered with shiny, reflective motes. A few had chipped off and seeded the dirt. Interesting. Could these crystals be harvested¡ª? No, that was the corpo talking, forget about that¡ª

    ¡°Conqueror, focus,¡± Problem reminded me, pulling my eyes away from the strange environment. We faced Rei again, whose head was pulled like a needle in a compass. ¡°Rei¡ª¡±

    ¡°She appeared!¡± Rei said, nodding toward the direction. ¡°I-I had to come! I¡­ I¡­¡±

    Something was caught in his throat, and he couldn''t squeeze out the rest of his sentence. Another mystery, then? Dammit, this was problematic. Sage was alone with Mongrel and Mystic, and we had to watch Rei given his current behavior¡­ Rei knew something was going on, but was it relevant to the operation or personal to him?

    Problem¡¯s narrow eyes went narrower. ¡°Dammit. It¡¯s too late to ask Mystic to open a hole. Conqueror, try contacting Rector.¡±

    I raised an eyebrow, opening my [PMs] as ordered. ¡°Okay¡ª?¡±

    [SLAYER SYSTEMS ENTANGLEMENT DETECTED! MULTIPLE FUNCTIONS ARE OFFLINE]

    I blinked at the error message. ¡°What the hell.¡±

    Problem rubbed his eyes. ¡°No, I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on. The System doesn¡¯t get errors on their side, only on ours like making an unpermitted codename. Whatever this enviro is, it¡¯s somehow able to directly touch the System itself which isn¡¯t the most reassuring thought.¡±

    [Memento Recollection - Technique Dagger]

    I waved my [Dagger] around then banished it. ¡°[Skills] are still active. Guess that¡¯s all we need.¡± As characteristic as it was for me to freak out and bitch about the never-before-seen error, we had to focus on the mission.

    ¡°In that case, we¡¯ll be running straight into the fray.¡± Problem hovered closer to the kid. ¡°You will hang back, do you understand? I recommend against disobeying another one of my orders.¡±

    Rei gulped and nodded. ¡°Y-Yessir!¡±

    ¡°Good. No more time spent dilly-dallying, come on!¡±

    Problem let Rei take off again, and just like the Seraph Alternate, I was last in the stack. Damn my legs. Damn my [Skills]. Give me a [Memento] that could increase my speed or something, or let me traverse through forests better. My comrades glided through the various obstacles of foliage while I laid a slow path of destruction. I had traumatic flashbacks of falling, hearing "Seraph" scream.

    Please don¡¯t let this fight end like last time.

    At some point, after I was breathing fire into my lungs and the soreness was roaring like a bad addiction, the earth began trembling under our feet. Groaning. Something distant crashed, and a light shockwave passed through and pounded wind against the grass and leaves. We didn¡¯t need Rei to guide us anymore. We followed the sounds and the far sights: smoke, glitter in the air, and ash. Silhouettes in the smoke, and shouting.

    Rei and Problem arrived at the edge first, and I nearly barreled into them a couple seconds after. I tried asking what was going on but instead I coughed¡ªgood going. An ear-shattering impact deafened the world. A wall of air slammed into me, powerful enough to send my feet skidding five yards back. Dirt and gravel sand-blasted my face, then smoke swallowed our vision. Went blind, someone shrieked beside me, yet somehow, we stumbled into clean air with not-so-clean lungs.

    We were on the edge of a massive clearing¡ªgradually growing depressed at the center, so it was more like a crater¡ªoverlooking a crystal ore jackpot, a ruined jackpot. Most of the million-dollar deposits were rendered worthless from the ensuing battle. The white grass was now gray and brown and black, shining with dirty sparkles, and the air tasted like acid and bitter medicine.

    ¡°Dammit!¡± swore the culprit: Archknell, with immature crystal-buds growing from his thighs and shoulders like warts. He swung his arms forward, black strings unraveling from his [Netherstring Gauntlets] like long carpets of hair. They coiled into a couple dozen ropes as thick as telephone poles. They blocked and deflected a slew of arrow-like projectiles crashing down onto him, explosions rocking the area and creating fireworks.

    Despite my better judgment, I traced the trajectories.

    There she was: the Silverhonor Alternate, casually just levitating in the air. She was more ¡°decayed¡± than Seraph was. Bright colors peeled off her skin like wet wallpaper. The colors flashed every second, incomprehensible and difficult to stare at for long. The abnormality encompassed her whole body, making her appear like a texture error in a game. Most notably, tears poured down her cheeks in paradoxically bright and dim colors, yet her eyes were solid whites like pearls.

    We had no idea where the original one was. Same with our teammates.

    The Alternate pulled her arms as if nocking an imaginary bow, and right as I thought that, she created a magical bow more pixels than mana. Distorted, unstable. An arrow glitched into life between the frame and hands, first charged with white mana, then purple, and green, and blue, and finally gold. She released, and Archknell cursed.

    [Netherstrings] wove a thick wall, deflected the arrow, and it bounced off and ripped through a quarter-mile of forest a few meters to his left. Everything in its path was destroyed, alongside our eardrums.

    ¡°¡ªare they?!¡± Problem shouted next to me, and as you could tell, I only caught the last two words.

    Rei tapped our shoulders and pointed ahead. The other side of the battlefield, about a football field away from our position. There was a mangrove tree¡ªor a similar species¡ªwith its roots spread low and wide across the broken soil. Halfway up the tree was an ugly bulge like food caught in your throat. The tree was stripped bare of branches, being just a thick leg of wood. Sickly pink and green splotches ran up and down the trunk. In the little cove it''d created for itself was another array of bright crystals, and among them just barely, I saw a small twitching hand poking from the hard rock.

    Archknell had said he''d found Lyressa trapped in a crystal, and that was stuck inside a hollow tree.

    Holy shit¡ª

    Wind swept my legs. Crashed onto my back, fragmented crystal shards poking through my [Suit] like broken glass. Couldn¡¯t tell what happened but Archknell was suddenly in the air, and with him, Silverhonor had ten magical bows summoned behind her.

    The bows let loose.

    [Signature Trigger: Arcane & Crystal]

    Just in time, Problem¡¯s [Arcane & Crystal] jointly-formed a defensive barrier of purple and red, a complex-looking magic circle swirling within.

    The high-rankers struck before I could see what was happening up there. Felt it, though. We all did. The wind was harsher than the last bout, spewing around the barrier¡¯s edges with the force of a waterfall. I dropped my weight and held Rei close so he wouldn''t get blasted back to Japan. Problem audibly groaned and forced his dual-staffs forward, then dirt and sparkles rained from above. We bathed in the stuff. Drowned in it. Our clothes grew twice as heavier, our lungs inhaling more of the toxic shit. I kept our heads down as best as I could.

    It felt like an eternity, but eventually the aftershocks subsided.

    This is what a fight between high-rankers looks like. Silverhonor, our SH, was an A-Rank. The Alternate? She was going toe-to-toe with an SS-Rank Slayer, which meant she was in his weight class.

    Not good. We were caught on the fringes, and the collateral damage from their attacks were enough to kill us ten times over.

    Blinking the dirt out of my stinging eyes, I found Problem and Rei looking back at me. We all knew: we should not involve ourselves.

    Problem looked back toward the strange tree. ¡°It¡¯s now or never, Conqueror! Rei, find a safe spot and stay put!¡±

    Rei coughed, wiping his eyes. ¡°O-Okay! I-I understand!¡±

    Problem patted my back with one of his staffs. ¡°On you!¡±Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    I gritted my teeth, chomping through hard gravel and crystal. Mana swelled inside my core, and I sent it straight at my feet.

    [Skill Activation: Mana Impact]

    My body didn¡¯t agree with my decision. It ached, and as soon as I landed my first bunny-hop, the bones in my legs teased a break¡ªdon''t you give up on me yet. I had room to spare. The pain simply told me how many miles I had left in the tank. I launched myself forward, leaving behind a thick trail of dirt. My boots cracked and crunched the crystal-seeded soil, and death whispered in my left ear. Explosions, impacts, yelling and cursing, trees ripped from their roots and tremors banging the earth.

    The big-ass tree wasn¡¯t so far when I was standing on the outskirts, but now when I was making the journey, the distance was the length of China.

    I caught something on the corner of my eyes: an eighteen-wheeler in the form of a pinkish-green crystal flying toward me. I gasped, tried stepping away but a tremor fucked my balance. My feet scraped on the ground and barely I regained my footing before hopping away. The crystal landed with a monstrous thud, and once again, I was on the ground. A moment sooner and one of my legs would¡¯ve been crushed.

    ¡°Take cover!¡± Problem shouted above me.

    I rolled until my elbow painfully smashed against the same crystal. The bad thing about this enviro was the lack of shadows, so imagine my surprise when the whole world began falling around me. Crystal splinters showered my position, many of them cracking against my new home and making piano-sounds. The earth shook some more, and half a tree-trunk dramatically landed a few feet away from me, sticking out from the soft ground like bone from skin.

    [Arcane & Crystal] fired off magic blasts, hit multiple somethings, and more debris rained.

    I coughed, punched my chest to expel detritus.

    ¡°Go!¡± Problem exclaimed.

    My feet were already moving before my head did.

    My curiosity got the better of me. Archknell was completely enveloped by [Netherstrings], no different than armor like my [Yuzhou], but he resembled a twisted dark knight with elongated limbs and claws instead of fingers. [Strings] flapped from his shoulders like tassels. Silverhonor had surrounded herself in a shimmering barrier, and raised a hand toward the ¡°sky.¡±

    An arrow soared and bloomed into golden rain.

    It encompassed a wide area.

    ¡°Motherfucker¡ª!¡± I couldn¡¯t help but scream as I went faster than a sprint.

    The first droplet landed a few meters ahead of me, kicked up a pillar of dirt as if a mortar had hit. The next blew up the remains of a fallen crystal and covered me in a disgusting amount of glitter. I leapt over a destroyed deposit just as Silverhonor blessed me by hitting that exact spot a few breaths afterwards. The explosion threw me off my feet, I did a couple gymnastic flips and completely fucked the landing and banged up my side. Nothing felt broken, just my morale¡ª

    A light shimmered in front of me.

    An [Arcane] barrier deflected a droplet, and it ricocheted toward the tree-line and casually chopped down a couple trees.

    I clawed to my feet, crawling then breaking into a run again¡ª

    A young child cried. An explosion hitting the top of a lucky (now not-so-lucky) tower of green crystal. Across the top of my vision, a smoking black tarp was gliding toward the ground like an airplane without a pilot.

    [Mana Impact]

    My brain had already calculated it. The distance, the lead, the amount of power needed, and I joined Problem in the air. My math wasn¡¯t perfect. I was a little too powerful and I underestimated the speed of his descent, but it was close enough.

    I nabbed him by the arm and pulled him into my chest, and let my back face the ground.

    That was a mistake.

    Ended up landing not on soft dirt but cracking my spine against a hard bed of stone. I howled, feeling spikes stab throughout my back, and we bounced off and landed unflatteringly on solid turf. My legs went jelly for a second, and a foot away, Problem didn¡¯t fare any better either. He tried standing but collapsed into a crumpled, dirty blanket, groaning.

    For someone like him, his body couldn¡¯t take much punishment.

    ¡°I got you¡ªfuck¡ªcome on, Problem.¡± Somehow, either through sheer spite or suicidal ideation, I stood and helped my savior up. I carried him with one arm, dragging both of our beaten bodies toward the sacred tree.

    We made it.

    I walked as fast as my shitty legs let me, then I threw Problem inside the cove first. Stumbling with him, I prized a thick bunch of roots and caught my breath. Battle raged outside, but Archknell knew to divert Silverhonor away from the tree. We¡¯d be safe here; that was the hope.

    ¡°C-Conqueror¡­¡± Problem grabbed some of the roots too, looking around at the crystals tucked underneath. ¡°There¡­ Right there¡­¡±

    He pointed at two human-sized crystals laying on the ground, unsupported. Freakily, they had living, breathing people inside like a prehistoric mosquito trapped in amber. Empress''s and Firebrand''s last expressions were immortalized, that of understandable terror, but they were too slow to avoid what was coming. What a way to get incapped.

    Time to get them out.

    I limped over and rested against Empress¡¯s prison first. ¡°Wake up.¡± I clenched my fist, channeling it with mana. ¡°Dumbass.¡±

    My five bruised and battered knuckles cracked it open. As soon as her skin was exposed to the warm air, she started violently choking. No oxygen. Another punch freed her head, and I physically ripped the rest with my two shaking hands. When enough of her body was exposed, I pulled and laid her on the ground where she could recover.

    Sharp thwacking got my attention. Problem was using [Arcane] like a hammer, laying spiderweb fractures over FB¡¯s prison, trying to avoid his hand that was sticking out. I hobbled over and did the same thing: break it open and rescue our firestarter.

    Our Angels were back to the realm of the living, having experienced what SH had when she was first rescued by Archknell, and they didn¡¯t enjoy it.

    ¡°God¡ª!¡± Empress punched her chest several times, barely having the strength to sit up. ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s, ugh¡­¡± Firebrand tried to stand but fell back down onto the crystal he¡¯d been trapped in. ¡°Fuck¡­ What happened¡­? Can we port?¡±

    After he said that, a silver laser cut about ten feet from our hidey-hole and pounded the ground into oblivion.

    "No," I told everyone.

    ¡°A-Alex¡­¡± Empress painfully moaned, one hand on the ground. ¡°Lyressa¡­ She¡¯s trapped too.¡±

    ¡°Where?¡±

    She pointed at the roof of our cove, which was just wood as far as I could tell. ¡°I-Inside the tree.¡±

    Yeah, expected as much. The bulge we''d seen earlier housed Silverhonor''s crystal. Christ. The Mother had a twisted sense of humor. First, Seraph believed her husband was dead; next, Zhu Xinyue actually murdered her son; now, we were reenacting Archknell''s voyage into the Crystal Forest. Bigger problems: how was I going to break through the wood? Should I chop a hole underneath¡ª? No, I didn¡¯t know SH¡¯s state. Any wrong move and she¡¯d be in pieces, me with her.

    ¡°There¡¯s¡ª¡± Firebrand hacked his guts out, ¡°¡ªt-there¡¯s a hole up at the top of the tree. I don¡¯t think I can climb it¡­¡±

    A distant explosion was an unnecessary reminder of what laid outside.

    Problem shook his head. ¡°Conqueror¡ª¡±

    I sighed and put a hand on my hip. ¡°Alright. Wait here for me.¡±

    Pushing through the multiple sclerosis I''d just developed, I ventured outside and got a better look at the tree. Looks a lot bigger down here, probably the height of a five-story building. I''d have to scale that distance with no harness. Shit.

    Regardless of my feelings, the job needs doing.

    [Technique Dagger, Chain Gauntlets]

    [Daggers] were attached to [Chains].

    I bounced off the tree-roots, using them as stools to reach the main trunk. My [Daggers] surprisingly sunk into the wood without much force, which gave me slightly more confidence that I could pull this off. In my short yet "thrilling" life, I had many experiences but rock-climbing (or tree-climbing in this face) was not one of them. This was as new to me as the Slayer thing.

    As I hung there contemplating my next move, my position offered a perfect vista of the ongoing fight. They''d moved away from the clearing and into a nearby section of forest. Our fighters were on the ground surrounded by smoking, flattened ruins. Neither side had caved in yet, but one of them was human and the other was a breacher. Humans, despite their dramatics, were limited by pesky things like stamina, energy, and blood. Archknell was running low on all of them.

    He still donned his mummy-wraps, but blood poured through the individual strands and soaked the [Strings]. Being hunched over like that? Damn, he looked like a mad berserker who''d somehow gone more insane. Silverhonor, meanwhile, had her pearl eyes discolored red and black. Visible holes and gashes adorned her figure. She didn¡¯t bleed blood but bled something else, I couldn¡¯t tell what it was exactly. A blackish-blue glitter of sorts.

    Archknell unraveled more [Strings], and they wove a rough, bloody warhammer and shield. The hammer came down and strongly clanged against an invisible barrier, shimmering from the impact, and that¡¯s all I was willing to see.

    Had to keep moving. One meter at a time. One foot at a time. One centimeter.

    I climbed over the bulge that likely housed SH. Despite the soft wood, it was getting difficult to penetrate the [Daggers] deep enough. My forearms were burning; how long could I keep this up? A part of me thought to speed things up and start jumping between holds, but with my strength and experience, I couldn¡¯t.

    I couldn¡¯t risk it¡ª

    Another explosion and gust of wind.

    My legs were immediately snatched from the tree, forcing me perfectly parallel to the ground. I embarrassingly shrieked as my grip on my [Daggers] began slipping¡ªthen it happened. Good thing I thought ahead. Because I¡¯d attached them to [Chain Gauntlets], I was still hanging onto the tree only because I had driven the [Daggers] deep in the wood.

    At least, that¡¯s what I thought until one of the [Daggers] slid free and threw my left arm back.

    That time, I almost pissed myself.

    After a few seconds, the wind showed me mercy and I slammed into the tree. Yeah, that hurt. My right arm was hanging there, and a single [Dagger] was holding my weight.

    Not wanting to test my luck further, I got back to climbing, using the pain as motivation to end this rescue mission as soon as possible. My morbid curiosity wanted to see what had caused the wind, but my sanity wouldn¡¯t handle the knowledge.

    Just focus. All I had to do was keep climbing to the top. Closer and closer, ignore what your arms were telling you. They might fall off, but we could always reattach them later. Your heart was beating from fear and exhaustion, but this was far from the worst you¡¯d seen and felt.

    A gust stung my open wounds. My hands were clammy and grainy and numb, but I saw the most handsome sight: the top of this damned tree. A second wind rejuvenated me, and when my hands gripped the ledge, I was manically laughing.

    I pulled myself up and nearly took a twenty-ish foot drop. Catching myself at the edge, I looked down. A crooked hole led straight to the bulge, and inside was a pastel-pink crystal in the shape of a bumpy, irregular egg. Barely, through the clouded rock, an elven woman was nestled in the fetal position but her expression wasn¡¯t at peace. It was tortured.

    Losing your memories would do that to you. Waking up in a foreign world, a stranger to its inhabitants and worse, to yourself. You only knew your own name, forced to trust your own dulled wits. It was a good thing that you found Archknell, someone who gave a shit about morals and basic decency. He gave you a home, a place to belong, and foundation so you may finally uncover your own secrets.

    I was just one bystander watching you sift through the sand. Wish we didn¡¯t have to meet again like this, but¡­

    ¡°Time to wake up, Silverhonor.¡± I hopped down, dragging my [Daggers] down the inner-walls to slow my descent.

    Then, after I was close enough, I let myself fall the rest of the way.

    At the bottom of the long drop, I clenched my fist and threw it forward.

 [FOR REMEMBRANCE] Chapter 4 - Weep No More

    ¡°Where are you¡­?¡± muttered the elf so quietly that I almost didn¡¯t catch it above the ruckus outside.

    ¡°Right here.¡± I lent my filthy hand toward our elven beauty, though she didn¡¯t look too great either. We were both dirty and miserable people; at least one of us couldn''t remember our tragic past.

    Silverhonor heaved, lying in her crystal-bed; her eyes and lips fluttered unconsciously. Slowly, I could hear it, the gears inside that big head started moving and sense was gradually restored in her distant gaze. She gulped, and a troubled breath popped out instead of words. A dry throat heaved, having gone without water for so long. She gulped again.

    ¡°You¡¯re¡­¡± she started, pressing her cracked lips together, ¡°...Why are you here, Shen?¡±

    I shrugged. ¡°I ask myself that everyday. Come on, it¡¯s not safe here¡ª¡±

    ¡°Where is she?¡± Silverhonor tried sitting up but her arms disagreed, and she fell back into the crystal. Before I could help her, her hand and her stupid pride pushed me away. ¡°Where is she, Shen¡ª?!¡±

    I reached again but she stubbornly refused my help. ¡°She¡¯s outside fighting Archknell; well, you¡¯re fighting Archknell¡ª!¡±

    ¡°What in the world are you talking about?! I¡¯m referring to the woman with half her face pixelated!¡± exclaimed SH, and that gave me pause.

    There was another Alternate? We didn''t see a second one around. Rei would¡¯ve theoretically sensed ¡°her¡± already. Plus, logically-speaking, ¡°she¡± would¡¯ve shown herself given the intensity of the fight outside. Was SH hallucinating, did the second Alt already leave, or¡­?

    I bit the inside of my cheek¡ªthere wasn''t any time to ask questions¡ªso I firmly grabbed her wrist and wrestled her from the crystal. She resisted at first, but her limbs were jelly and I still had enough strength to win the contest. ¡°That¡¯s a conversation for another day; we really need to port."

    Silverhonor begrudgingly leaned against me for support. The gravity of the situation was beginning to dawn on her, it seemed, and remorse replaced the frustration in her jewel-like eyes. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m sorry for dragging you into this. Sincerely, I-I¡­¡±

    ¡°Save your apologies, let¡¯s¡­¡± I traced our climb back up, and I let out a very unconfident sigh. ¡°I didn¡¯t think about how we¡¯re climbing out of here. Can you handle yourself¡ª?¡± (She glowered.) ¡°¡ªalright, okay, that¡¯s a no. What about blowing the floor beneath us¡ª?¡± (Glower.) ¡°¡ªcool, I can¡¯t do that either.¡±

    ¡°Are you practicing your stand-up routine while we¡¯re in the midst of a life-threatening battle?!¡± she said, yet she was the one holding onto me for dear life.

    ¡°You¡¯re the A-Rank here; I¡¯ve been a Slayer for not even three weeks¡ª!¡±

    A deep, almost indescribable sound splintered the air. What did it sound like¡ª? A thick cable, that was it. It sounded like a thick cable, the one you''d find in heavy machinery and construction, being whipped around by a giant at neck-breaking speeds. Around us, the walls of the great yet hollow tree vibrated and spread the love to our fractured bones and sore muscles, rattling us like tambourines in an orchestra¡ª

    Crunch.

    Something lobbed off most of the tree above our heads. Gone, ripped off, just like that. Splinters rained on our shoulders and I instinctively shielded Silverhonor using my own body. The visceral sensation of wood tearing from wood reverberated into my flesh, carved a place in my ears, and would''ve paralyzed me if my fear of death wasn''t kicking my ass into gear. The only consolation was the fact that we were alive, because as it turned out, a tightly-wound and gargantuan [Netherstring] cable had nearly taken our lives. At first, I thought to scream all sorts of things at Archknell, but the [String] was slack, folded in on itself. The Deathweaver wasn''t in control; it''d been severed.

    One distant crash later, we escaped death for the tenth time today. Fortunately, our climb was reduced from twenty-ish feet to around six. That was doable.

    ¡°You¡¯re going up first!¡± I grabbed Silverhonor''s thin waist and lifted her up¡ªunder any other circumstances, this would be a city-wide scandal.

    Her hands slapped the splintered ledge and she yelped, feeling at least a hundred different wooden daggers long and small stab into her palms; annoyingly, she took several long moments of patting around until she was brave enough to climb. From thigh to knee to ankle, I pushed her upwards to safety.

    I joined her, [Forged Skin] flattening the splinters, and shakily stood on a single knee. Didn''t want to think about how high we were even after our lucky accident; I was about to hop off and improvise the landing, but a clump of silver-hair was thrown against my arm by the wind. ¡°SH, get the hell down¡ª!¡±

    ¡°That¡­ That really is me.¡± Silverhonor stood tall, grinding her feet on the frayed wood, as the Crystal Forest was razed into dust, smoke, and broken trees. Destruction had waved away large and uneven swaths, stripped everything barren and leaving only craters and ripples in the pale dirt. The harbingers were high-rankers floating in the air and hunched over as though controlled by a lazy puppeteer.

    One way or another, human or Alternate, they were bleeding and sweating and panting, but neither were close to the brink. They, however, had wordlessly yet mutually agreed on a timeout as they both admired and gawked at the elf standing beside me.

    The original finding her doppelganger. The guardian finding his heart.

    Silverhonor¡¯s lips trembled and she inched forward treacherously, feet halfway off the edge. I grabbed her just in time, yet she ignored me and continued to fixate on her Alternate. On "herself." Tears welled in her exhausted eyes, and in my grasp, she trembled. I couldn''t tell if anger or sorrow was showing more. ¡°Why¡­?¡±

    I tugged on her arm¡ª

    ¡°WHY?!¡± she screamed so the whole world could hear, yet her words seemed to fall on the deaf ears of her Alternate. ¡°Why must you torment me with what I¡¯ve lost?! My dreams are tainted by your fragmented memories, and I wake nearly every night grieving the hole in my heart that you placed there! I cannot put a time to my own tears, only a name for my grief: the Lyressa fey Suntear before the Crystal Forest! Can you recall what she had experienced?! Tell me the name of her first love, her greatest achievement¡ªanything! What can you tell me, you damned bitch who wears my face?!¡±

    ¡°Lyressa!¡± Archknell screamed. ¡°Stay back! Don¡¯t¡ª!¡±

    ¡°I am as hollow as the tree I emerge from! Tell me, what am I? What purpose do I serve here?! Am I as grotesque as you, what meaning can we possibly create¡ª?!¡±

    Silverhonor¡ªthe Alternate¡ªwaved her hand in our direction.

    I tackled the real one off the tree, and an arc-shaped energy wave crashed into the damaged trunk. That would¡¯ve been us.

    This was the part where I had to improvise a landing. As good as I was at improv, I couldn¡¯t think of one that didn¡¯t include shattering a dozen bones from the fall. My bones. Fortunately, I had friends  waiting for me and the elven princess. A strange sensation overtook my skin, overwhelming the itchiness from the sweat and dirt and splinters; it felt like I¡¯d been dropped into a vat of slime or got put into a chrono-chamber. Everything moved slower, even my breathing. Around our bodies, a peculiar purple aura enveloped us. I couldn¡¯t see the caster before we were gently dropped onto the ground. Only Problem had the tools to pull that kind of trick.

    Silverhonor hopped off me and raced to find her Alternate, but someone grabbed her wrist. ¡°Lyressa, you can¡¯t go out there¡ª!¡±

    She pulled away. ¡°Unhand me, Leo! I can finally have my answers! Two years, I¡¯ve been waiting for two years¡ª!¡±

    ¡°And they¡¯ll be cut short if you think about exposing yourself again!¡± Problem intervened, floating toward her with a beaten and bruised face¡ªit wasn¡¯t a good sight to see a kid like that, whether or not there was a grown man¡¯s brain inside there.

    As Firebrand kindly helped me up, Empress physically blocked SH. ¡°Please, you can¡¯t do this¡ª!¡±

    An impact landed ten meters behind Empress, dirt spewing everywhere again. Like rats, we scurried to the safety of the great tree¡¯s surfaced roots. The Alternate had proven Empress''s point in the scariest way possible: we were all fucking ants compared to the Mythos-level Alternate that was giving Archknell a run for his money. And speaking of, [Netherstrings] covered the sky and converged somewhere that none of us could see.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    Archknell was pushing the Alt away. I hope.

    Firebrand pulled on the roots, pissed at everything and especially at himself, and snapped a few weak twigs off. ¡°This can''t be a simple enviro. There''s gotta be something else we''re missing."

    Empress hovered near the elf, making sure she wouldn''t run off to her death. ¡°You think it could be an Inner World¡ª?¡±

    ¡°No, impossible, no. I¡­¡± Problem hissed from pain and frustration, scratching at one of his cuts and flaking hard dirt off. ¡°Inner Worlds are a different beast than enviros, but then again, it could explain why the Alt can stand a chance against a Mythos-level Slayer.¡±

    Because she could be a True Mythos, was what everyone was thinking. I also had another thought: if the Alternate resembled Silverhonor in any capacity, then did she possess the same power? Asking questions was useless in our position; we wouldn''t get worthwhile answers to either of our theories, but we eyed the elf anyway.

    She shuddered, hugging herself, and shot disdainful scowls at each of us. ¡°I-I¡¯m a blundering fool like the rest of you!¡± Despite her harsh language, her voice was breaking. ¡°I don¡¯t have the answers you want; all I bring is this! Chaos, confusion, and destruction¡ª!¡±

    ¡°Please don¡¯t say that, Silverhonor-san,¡± said a boy. He appeared outside our little huddle, his skin brown and gray from smog, and a few sticks stuck to his clothes and in his hair. Although he had the brightest eyes out of everyone, they were smaller here, dimmer, as he admired the pocked ground. "You aren''t hollow."

    ¡°Rei?¡± Problem tore crusts around his eyelids. ¡°I¡¯d told you¡ª¡±

    ¡°Who are you?¡± asked SH, fists clenched.

    Rei shook his head as though telling her that he didn¡¯t pose a threat. ¡°I¡¯m only a young kensei working for Angels. I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m also searching for my own answers. While this is the first time we¡¯re meeting, you¡¯re nothing like what you¡¯ve claimed. Even without your memories, you¡¯re still¡ª¡±

    Another tremor, but it felt different this time. Existential, that was the best way I could describe it. The show was coming to an end, like a stage pulling up the curtains and revealing the actors behind the characters.

    On the far ¡°horizons¡± of the enviro, it cracked. These cracks ran from one end of the world to the other, splitting the ¡°sky¡± in half, and the true world leaked through. It brought rain and dim lights. Yawning fractures spawned from the cracks and gradually began to consume bright pastels of the Crystal Forest. Beneath our feet, the ground shifted like sand.

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Firebrand asked, looking around. ¡°Did Archknell break the enviro¡ª?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll take too much energy¡ª¡± Problem paused, ¡°¡ªWonder. It seems he made a good judgment call.¡±

    Silverhonor flinched as another close impact rang. ¡°What about my doppelganger?!¡±

    Empress flexed her hands, making sure her fingers worked. ¡°We¡¯ll have to beat her outside the enviro.¡±

    Another tremor rumbled throughout the Crystal Forest. The cracks and fractures sprouted smaller branches, connecting together, and infected the ground. We scattered, instinctively keeping our feet away from the scary-looking breakages like we''d fall through. Everyone did, except Rei.

    It wasn¡¯t because he was unafraid, but his mind was too preoccupied with the sight above him: the ¡°sky¡± was transformed into an abstract artwork you¡¯d find on pottery. Strangely, small droplets of water fell on his cheeks and left clean streaks.

    I inched toward him. ¡°Rei?¡±

    Curtains fell over his cosmic-blue eyes. ¡°It¡¯s raining, senpai.¡±

    Glass shattered, and a bright light overwhelmed my vision.

    ***

    The first thing I felt was a heavy downpour washing away the grime I¡¯d accumulated. Mud poured down my [Combat Suit], and my eyes stung from the sludge rolling down from my nappy hair. I tasted dirt in my mouth, crunched gravel between my molars, and spat everything onto the wet ground. My hands wiped my head, my face, my vision multiple times, enough so I could barely see through the rain.

    The enviro, the Crystal Forest, was destroyed.

    The isolation barrier was gone too.

    Through the heavy screens of rain, I barely saw my team. Empress and Firebrand were together, shivering from the cold rain. Problem quickly whipped his hood back on. Behind us, Sage and Mongrel and Wonder were standing there, flabbergasted at our state; and behind them, a line of Slayers¡ªGlories¡ªformed as our curious audience. Luckily, they acted as a barrier to prevent additional onlookers from further exposing our exploits.

    In front of me was Silverhonor standing next to Rei, and they faced our two defiant fighters.

    Half of Archknell¡¯s armor and his [Loadout] were ripped off. Wet crimson masked most of his face, dripping onto his shoulders and bare sculpted chest and watering the grass and weeds. The skin around his [Netherstring Gauntlets] had long been peeled, raw and bleeding flesh underneath, which must feel absolutely terrible with the constant rain.

    Lastly, our most troublesome Alternate to date was shrouded by the rain. I didn¡¯t know if she was bleeding or showed further signs of hurt, but she was still standing and freakish tears continued to stream down from her solid eyes. She could still fight, and in a public space like this, collateral damage didn¡¯t mean a destroyed enviro. It meant millions in property damage and millions more in wrongful death lawsuits.

    How could we beat something like that even in its damaged state¡ª?

    Rei stepped forward.

    ¡°Little kensei?¡± Silverhonor asked. ¡°What are you¡ª?¡±

    ¡°Rei!¡± I shouted. ¡°Don¡¯t think about it¡ª!¡±

    ¡°...I must act,¡± he said, soft-spoken, barely audible over the storm. Where was his enthusiasm? What happened to the little ball of energy who¡¯d been so eager to be a part of the team? ¡°I have to act.¡±

    Archknell saw his approach and threw an arm out to stop him. ¡°Stop right there, Angel! Don¡¯t come any closer! It¡¯s too dangerous¡ª!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard your tears for so long. I¡¯ve felt your grief.¡± Rei produced his worn and battered katana that I¡¯d seen back at the Jin Family Manor. He slipped off the peeling sheath and tossed it aside, revealing a blade that was in an even worse state. The edge was chipped, the whole thing slightly bent, and the tip was flattened; it was far too dull to cut anything. That wasn¡¯t a sword. It was scrap metal. ¡°Yet no matter how much you wail and beat at the ground, everything will be washed away in the rain.¡±

    Archknell continued to hold his arm there, yet the boy continued to walk. ¡°I¡¯ll incap you, Angel! Do not¡ª!¡±

    ¡°Please, Archknell-sama. Allow me to conduct her last farewells, so that she may weep no more.¡± Rei stared ahead at the Alternate without hate or pity in his gaze nor with sympathy or kindness. His emotions were, as he said, washed away in the rain; the Alternate stared back, as no such emotions existed within her. ¡°I cannot say we are the same. We live separate lives, because I¡­ I am¡­¡±

    He exhaled.

    ¡°My existence is [Broken Swords].¡±

    An image flashed before my eyes: a drowned plain, more water than earth, covered in high stalks and cut-down reeds. Rei was surrounded by them as rain continued to fall¡ªno, wait, those things weren¡¯t reeds.

    They were swords, buried into the wet ground or laid in pieces. I saw swords of all kinds: single-edged, dual, long and short, all finding themselves in this waterlogged graveyard of blades.

    The image left my eyes.

    Archknell nearly fell backwards, his bulging eyes visible through the rain.

    ¡°That¡­!¡± Problem gasped. ¡°That was an Inner Mirage! How¡ª? What are you, Amamizu Rei?!¡±

    Rei shut his eyes.

    He could never answer Problem¡¯s question, as the Alternate had shot a golden arrow toward him. He didn¡¯t move. He didn¡¯t bother to react. And so, the arrow blew a hole in the center of his chest.

    The rest of his body dissipated in the droplets.

    Rei reformed behind the Alt. ¡°No matter how many swords I hold¡­¡±

    She whipped around and blindly lashed with a magical bow, yet he vanished. ¡°Not a single one remains¡­¡±

    He reappeared a few meters away, staring at the ground. ¡°Will I be able to fulfill my promise¡­?¡±

    Silverhonor flexed her hands¡ª

    Rei teleported in front of her as if the rain had whisked him there. ¡°Will I ever become just like ¡®you¡¯¡­?¡±

    He tightened his lips and clamped both hands onto the wet hilt, and his cosmic-blue eyes were the sole shining light amidst the rain.

    [Skill Activation]

    ¡°Sayonara, Silverhonor-san.¡±

    ¡°Kowareta Ken (‰²¤ì¤¿„‡).¡±

    [Broken Sword]

    A single, smooth cut rang throughout the training field. That¡¯s all it was. One cut.

    ¡°Urashiki (ÐÄÊ½).¡±

    [Type Heart]

    There was no obvious injury on the Alternate, yet she stumbled forward. Her magical bow withered into small motes of light; she raised her arms and found them decaying into dust. As she turned back to look at the small boy, all she could see was his downturned head looking down at the broken pieces of his katana, gathered together in a small puddle of shattered steel and mud.

    He let go of the hilt.

    Then, she too returned to mud.

    [Event Commission ¡°Disappearance of SIlverhonor¡± has been completed]

    [You have been paid 250,000ssp]

    Event Commission: Disappearance of Silverhonor

    Pay: 250,000ssp

    Description: Don¡¯t look back. There''s nothing for you anymore. Curb your curiosity and never fantasize what you left behind. Erase those years from your long life. Live on blissfully, and let your scars fade away and love once more. This is for your own good, Lyressa.