In a hidden alleyway, a salaryman was panting heavily, a desperate expression making his face hideous.
"Go away!"
The salaryman suddenly shouted, looking at the darkness in front of him with fear.
Woosh! Woosh!
He threw out attack after attack, but none of them landed.
It was as if his attacks were being devoured by sothing in the darkness.
As he continued backing away, his hands touched a cold surface, causing his face to turn extrely pale.
'No… no…'
The salaryman's heart fell, knowing that he had reached a dead end!
At that mont, footsteps echoed in the alleyway.
Slowly, an outline shaped itself in the darkness.
Seeing this, a maniacal laugh imdiately escaped his mouth, tears sliding down his cheeks.
"Hahahahaha!"
The salary man scread hoarsely, glaring at the figure with resentnt.
"I just wanted to find my daughter!"
"I just wanted to see her smile again…!"
"But all of you…!"
"What did I ever do wrong to you people?!"
The salaryman cried out, his knees weakly falling to the ground.
Thud!
He stared miserably at the darkness in front of him, slamming his fists against the ground.
Bam!
"Tell ?! What did I do wrong?!"
"You want to know?"
At that mont, a dark-haired young man walked out from the shadows, stopping right in front of him.
Zold stared down at him expressionlessly.
"Your existence itself is wrong. A demonic spirit shouldn't try to act as a human, you know? It's plain distasteful."
Hearing that, the salaryman's eyes widened, a flicker of horror appearing in them.
He knows!
How could he know?!
Before the Demon of Sentint could move, Zold snapped his fingers.
Snap!
At that mont, flas descended from above, falling onto the demonic spirit's vessel.
"Ah… ah.. Ahhh!!!"
The Demon of Sentint howled as his body slowly burned into a crisp, the crimson red flas searing his skin as he slowly turned into a scorched husk. His screams slowly died down until nothing was left for him to voice out.
Whoosh!
The salaryman's body turned into dust, his remains drifting against the wind, vanishing.
But at that mont, Zold's brows furrowed harshly, his gaze lowering.
"... Was I wrong?"
Below him, there was no Spirit Orb that dropped from the Demon of Sentint.
Every awakened lifeform ford a Spirit Orb in their deaths, which included demonic spirits.
If nothing had dropped, then that could only an one thing.
'... It wasn't its main body?'
Zold suddenly thought, imdiately spreading his spiritual sense to the maximum.
However, he couldn't find anything.
He shifted his gaze below, recalling the salaryman's screams and expressions.
The Demon of Sentint's puppets weren't capable of such lively expressions.
Moreover, that couldn't be faked by a newly born demonic spirit either.
Then, only one possibility remained, it was really the Demon of Sentint who was in that salaryman's body.
Zold thought for a long while. His expression was complicated, standing in the alleyway by himself.
Then, after a while, he shook his head and vanished into the shadows.
---
The 13th Demon Hunter Squad gathered in the western area.
"Captain! You're back."
Akihito smiled widely, seeing Zold suddenly appear behind them.
He was already used to seeing his captain appear and vanish abruptly.
Zold nodded slightly.
"How did it go?"
He asked, walking towards the three of them.
"I didn't do much…" Akihito had an awkward smile. "Seiji killed one, and Ayase killed two. The two of them were sothing else."
Hearing that, Seiji suddenly spoke. "Well, you also had a brilliant idea."
Zold raised his brows, curious. "Brilliant idea?"
Hearing that, Akihito awkwardly explained the details, but he couldn't help but have a sense of pride.
After the explanation, Zold couldn't help but be amused.
Akihito had unintentionally guessed the true nature of the Demon of Sentint.
He glanced at Seiji and Ayase, the forr of whom seed to be burning in embarrassnt, while the latter stared daggers at Akihito.
"Good job. Seiji, Akihito, and Ayase."
Zold praised them.
After them, he asked Namita.
"And you?"
Namita answered casually. "I killed the two."
The other three looked at him, surprised.
But Zold wasn't surprised.
"Keep up the good work." He nodded slightly, then added, "Seiji, drive the car. Let's go back to the headquarters."
Seiji quickly nodded and went inside the van.
The other mbers followed him as well.
But Zold didn't enter yet. He appeared behind the police chief, putting his hands on the man's shoulder.
"Eek!"
The police chief squealed, causing the surrounding officers to fall silent.
Even Zold fell silent.
Turning around, the police chief imdiately sighed in relief when he saw it was just Zold.
'Why did you have to appear like that…'
But considering the man's status, the police chief cleared his throat and forced himself to smile.
"... Captain Starks, you're back! How did it go!?"
Zold paused for a mont, then answered. "It's fine for now. But don't get complacent, increase the patrol in Kyokotsu Ward."
He checked every place in Kyokotsu Ward with his spiritual sense and wasn't able to find it. Most likely, it was still recovering in so other place in Hyotokye.
Hearing that, the police chief finally could rest his unsettled heart.
"Understood, Captain! Thank you for your help, Captain Starks and the 13th Demon Hunter Squad!"
"It's our duty."
Zold shook his head. He waved his hand as he turned around, returning to the van with the others.
---
Hyotokyre, Shinjuku Ward.
The drive back to Shinjuku Ward was smooth and quick, allowing them to return within an hour.
After arriving, Zold had dismissed the squad, allowing them to return to their hos and relax for the day.
As for him, he needed to talk with Nagito.
Coming straight into the Chairman's office, Zold knocked twice.
"Co in."
Nagito's voice ca through the door.
Click!
Zold pushed open the door, seeing Nagito sitting alone at his desk.
He stepped inside, closing the door on his back silently.
"How did it go?"
Nagito didn't bother raising his head, stamping each piece of paperwork on the desk.
"You were right. It was a demonic spirit." Zold replied calmly. He paused, slowly continuing: "But not just any demonic spirit. It was the Demon of Sentint."
Tap!
Nagito's hand suddenly froze in the air, dropping the stamp he was holding.
He raised his head, looking at Zold silently.
He understood the implications of Zold's words imdiately.
Nagito closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. A mont later, he opened them again, and his expression was extrely calm.
"But why?"
"... I'm not sure." Zold covered his mouth, thinking deeply. His brows furrowed harshly. "Maybe it's because of our existence as Regressors that the calamity is accelerating."
Nagito furrowed his brow. "You an that the Apostles had noticed us?"
"It wouldn't be strange if they did…" Zold said, shaking his head. "It's not confird. But sothing has definitely changed this ti."
Nagito accepted that for now, lowering his gaze.
The Demon of Sentint itself was nothing to worry about.
Their worry was how it could appear now, when it was only supposed to be born later?
That can only an that the calamity was accelerating faster than they had initially thought.
After a while, Nagito raised his gaze, asking Zold.
"What else do you need?"
Zold paused, then spoke.
"The Demon of Sentint is still alive."
Nagito fell silent, a deep frown erging from his face.
"You let it escape?"
Zold furrowed his brows, shaking his head.
"I killed it, but it has another body elsewhere."
Its appearance was one thing, but now it had even escaped Zold?
Sothing was fishy.
Zold and Nagito realized this almost imdiately.
"You were sure you killed the main body?" Nagito asked, solemn.
Recalling that mont, Zold nodded seriously.
"Yeah. I can't be mistaken."
Nagito was silent for a mont.
The only way for a Demonic Spirit to survive even after their main body was destroyed is if they left a wisp of their soul beforehand.
But the Demon of Sentint was just recently born, how could it know how to leave a wisp of its soul?
'Unless…'
Seeing that Nagito was deep in thought, Zold excused himself.
"I'll go now."
He had said everything he wanted to say. He turned around and stepped outside the room, but before he left, he paused, leaving behind an ominous warning.
"Be careful, Nagito."
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