Blazren stord out of the room, his boots hitting the floor hard with every step.
He didn’t talk to anyone.
Didn’t look back.
He walked through the hallway, fists clenched, jaw tight.
He reached an empty hallway near the back of the Association building and stopped.
"Damn it..." he muttered under his breath.
He slamd his fist against the wall.
"Damn it!"
The impact left a dent in the tal panel, but it didn’t help.
His mind was spinning.
They were losing heroes every week.
And now, all he could do was "sit tight"?
He shook his head, angry.
"I’ve been fighting longer than that kid’s been alive," he growled.
"And now I have to watch from the side?"
He leaned forward, both fists pressed against the wall.
"If only I had more power..."
His voice was low, bitter.
"If I was AA-Rank... no, if I was S-Rank... I could wipe them out myself."
He slamd his hand again.
"I could protect the others."
"I could stop watching people die."
He turned and paced the hall, breathing hard.
"I trained so many rookies... led so many raids..."
"And now I’m told I’m not strong enough to help?"
He stopped again and looked up at the ceiling.
"How did it end up like this?"
A passing staff mber saw him from far but didn’t dare speak.
They had never seen Blazren like this.
He had always been calm. Focused. A leader.
Now he looked like a man about to break.
He sat down on a bench, gripping the edge tightly.
"They’re getting stronger every day," he said to himself.
"That group... Heavenly Demon Sect..."
"They’re not just so random gang."
"They’re trained. They move with purpose."
He stared at his own hands.
"Velvet Demon... she’s dangerous enough..."
"But the way they act..."
"They’re following soone stronger."
He knew it deep down.
Soone was pulling the strings.
And he hated it.
Because he couldn’t stop it.
"Damn it," he whispered again. "I need more power..."
"But there’s no shortcut. And ti is running out."
He sat there for a long ti.
He was thinking of every hero he couldn’t save.
---
Inside the quiet eting room, Neuro stood alone, the lights dim around him.
His eyes stared at the screen still showing data on the recent activity of the Heavenly Demon Sect.
A faint smirk ford on his lips.
He was still.
But inside, he was... amused.
Happy, even.
He rembered the look on Blazren’s face when he left.
The frustration. The helpless anger.
Neuro’s smirk widened.
"I like that expression," he said softly to himself. "It suits him."
He turned back to the screen and tapped it once.
More images popped up.
Blurry photos of black-and-red suited girls moving through ruins.
They were dragging bodies behind them.
He tilted his head.
"They’ve been busy."
He opened the logs.
One month of movent.
Corpses... more and more every day.
So were heroes.
So were beasts.
Others... just rogues and forgotten criminals.
Didn’t matter.
They all ended the sa way—dead.
And their bodies were never found again after reports.
Neuro leaned forward slightly.
"They collect anything," he said.
"Beasts... villains... even their own kind."
"As long as it’s a corpse..."
He shivered slightly, sothing close to a thrill running through him.
"That’s interesting."
He zood in on a photo of one of the girls.
"I watched every fight," he whispered. "Every movent."
"They’re improving."
He licked his lips slightly, just once.
"Faster. Cleaner. Stronger."
"Not just training. Not just skill."
He stared at the data again.
Sothing was happening after the killings.
"Just what are they doing to the corpses?" he whispered.
His fingers twitched near the edge of the table.
"They don’t leave a ss. No trace. No waste."
"They absorb them... sohow."
He closed his eyes for a second and smiled.
"It really interests ."
Then he spoke a little louder, voice firm.
"This Heavenly Demon Sect..."
He leaned back and placed both hands behind his back.
"They’re good enough."
He paused, eyes half closed.
"Good enough for to act."
And just like that, the smile faded.
His face returned to calm.
But deep inside, his obsession had already begun.
---
Zain walked into the Hero Association building with a light step.
He looked calm. Pleased.
His hands were in his pockets, and a small smirk sat on his face.
I really got a lot of hack points, he thought.
He didn’t need to do anything now.
The girls from the Heavenly Demon Sect were already out hunting more corpses for him.
All he had to do was wait.
For now, he had another plan.
Ti to move up the ranks. AA-Rank sounds nice.
He also wanted so fresh info.
What the Hero Association knew, what they were saying, and who was getting in his way.
As he walked deeper into the building, his eyes landed on soone familiar.
Blazren.
Zain could tell right away.
The man looked pissed.
He stood near the mission board, arms crossed, brows low.
Zain didn’t care.
He walked over with a grin. "Hello, old man."
Blazren turned sharply.
His eyes locked on Zain.
Heavenly Demon... he thought imdiately. Of course it’s you.
"You," Blazren said.
Zain raised an eyebrow.
"What’s the matter, old man? You look like you want to punch soone."
Blazren frowned deeper. "Nothing. I’m just frustrated."
Zain leaned casually against the wall. "Frustrated? Because of what?"
Blazren looked away for a second, then answered.
"Because of this damn Heavenly Demon Sect."
Zain blinked. "Oh?"
Blazren nodded. "They’re killing heroes. Too many. Too fast."
Zain acted surprised. "That bad, huh?"
"Yeah," Blazren said. "Over two hundred dead in a month. B-Rank. A-Rank. Gone."
Zain crossed his arms. "That’s a lot."
Blazren looked at him again. "If I find out who’s behind them..."
He clenched his fists.
"I’m gonna burn him or her to ash."
Zain tilted his head.
"But hasn’t the leader already shown herself? The Velvet Demon?"
Blazren frowned hard. "Velvet Demon is strong, yes. But no."
"She’s not the real leader."
Zain raised an eyebrow. "No?"
Blazren shook his head.
"I’ve seen her. I’ve watched the way the group moves."
"That kind of order doesn’t co from soone like her."
"There’s soone stronger behind her. Smarter."
Zain didn’t say anything.
But inside, he smiled.
What a good instinct.
Reviews
All reviews (0)