Chapter 63: The Next Phase
The office was high above the city, floor-to-ceiling windows offering a panoramic view of Elysium’s glittering skyline. The room was pristine—modern furniture, soft lighting, expensive art on the walls. It slled of expensive perfu and sothing darker underneath.
Behind the massive desk sat a woman of striking beauty. Her pink hair cascaded over her shoulders in soft waves, framing a face that was delicate and sharp at the sa ti. Her eyes were deep crimson, almost glowing in the dim light. She wore a loose silk blouse that hung open, revealing smooth shoulders and the swell of her breasts, entirely unbottoned.
Before the desk, in a high-backed chair, sat a man.
He was motionless. His short black hair was neatly combed, his athletic build filling a tailored suit that spoke of authority and power. His eyes were open but empty—vacant, like a doll’s.
The woman rose from her chair, circling the desk with slow, deliberate steps. Her high heels clicked against the polished floor. She stopped beside the man and placed a manicured finger under his chin, tilting his face toward hers.
"Huhu... it seems you’ve already sunk deep into my control," she murmured, her voice soft and lodic, almost affectionate. "That’s good. I was getting tired of playing at love."
Her smile widened. From her temples, small curved horns pushed through her pink hair—black as obsidian, gleaming under the lights. Behind her, a tail swished lazily, its tip shaped like a heart, the color of dried blood.
"Ernando Bainz," she purred, stroking his cheek with the back of her fingers. "An S-rank hero like you... falling for such a simple trick. How pathetic. You humans are so easy."
The man—Ernando—didn’t respond. His empty eyes stared straight ahead, unblinking.
A phone rang.
The woman straightened, her expression shifting from amusent to mild annoyance. She walked back to her desk, picked up the receiver, and held it to her ear.
"Yes?"
The voice on the other end was low, calm, and carried an unmistakable weight of authority. It was the kind of voice that expected to be obeyed.
"Burn is dead. Soone killed him. The artifact has been taken."
The woman’s eyes narrowed, but her voice remained light, almost dismissive. "Burn? That weakling? He was always too reckless. I told you sending him alone was a mistake."
The voice didn’t rise, but it sharpened. "Don’t make excuses for him. He was adequate for the task. Whoever killed him is more capable than we anticipated."
The woman waved a hand as if the speaker could see her. "Capable? Please. He probably got himself killed by so random hero who got lucky. Or maybe the gate collapsed on him. Either way, it’s no loss."
"Don’t underestimate the situation," the voice cut in, colder now. "The artifact is missing. That is a problem. Have you completed your assignnt?"
The woman glanced at Ernando, still sitting motionless in the chair. A slow smile spread across her lips.
"Of course. The control is fully planted. He’s mine now—body, mind, and soul. No one would ever suspect an S-rank hero of being compromised." She ran her fingers through his black hair affectionately. "He’ll do whatever we need, whenever we need it."
A pause on the line. Then: "Good work, Gea. With this, we can proceed to the next phase."
Gea’s tail curled behind her, the heart-shaped tip twitching with satisfaction. "One more thing. Burn’s failure ans more work for . I’ll have to track down whoever took that artifact. Do you have any leads?"
The voice was dismissive. "Don’t worry about that. The most likely candidates are a group of C-rank heroes. They’ve been active in the area and were seen near the gate before it collapsed. If they have the artifact, they won’t know what to do with it. We’ll find them easily enough."
Gea raised an eyebrow. "C-ranks? And they killed Burn?"
"Burn was careless. Don’t make the sa mistake. Just focus on your next target."
The line went dead.
Gea set the receiver down slowly, her crimson eyes fixed on the skyline beyond the window. Her tail swayed lazily behind her, and her horns caught the light.
"C-ranks..." she murmured to herself, a hint of amusent creeping back into her voice. "How interesting."
She turned to Ernando, still frozen in his chair, and cupped his face in both hands. She leaned in close, her lips brushing his ear.
"You hear that, my dear puppet? There are so little heroes causing trouble. Maybe soon... you’ll get to play with them."
Ernando didn’t respond. His empty eyes stared straight ahead.
Gea’s crimson eyes half-lidded with anticipation. Her tail curled and uncurled lazily behind her, the heart-shaped tip twitching.
"I can’t wait any longer," she murmured, her voice a silky purr. "The next phase... it’ll be so much fun."
anwhile at Andrey’s apartnt....
The apartnt was dim, the only light coming from the floor lamp in the corner and the soft glow of the city beyond the windows. A dium-sized package sat on the coffee table, wrapped in plain brown paper with an official Association seal stamped on the side.
Andrey knelt in front of it, a box cutter in his hand, carefully slicing through the tape.
Lisa sat on the edge of the couch, leaning forward with obvious curiosity, her twintails swaying. Sarah was practically bouncing on the cushion beside her, her arms crossed but her foot tapping impatiently against the floor.
"Co on, Andrey, hurry up!" Sarah complained. "You’re taking forever!"
Lisa placed a calming hand on Sarah’s knee. "Patience, Sarah. He’s opening it as fast as he can."
Sarah huffed. "It’s just tape, not a bomb."
Sein lounged on the far end of the couch, one leg tucked under her, her eyes fixed on the television. So action movie was playing—explosions and gunfire filled the background. She didn’t look at the package, but her ears were clearly listening.
Andrey finished cutting the tape and unfolded the flaps. Inside, nestled in foam padding, were several items.
A pistol.
It was elegant—white with gold accents, the grip carved with intricate feather patterns. Along the barrel, delicate wings were etched, spreading outward as if the gun itself was about to take flight. It looked more like an art piece than a weapon.
Beside it, a simple ring—plain silver band, no markings, no gemstones. Just smooth, polished tal.
And three vials of potion, glowing faintly blue, red, and green.
Sarah leaned over, her expression shifting from impatient to unimpressed. "Eh... this is it?"
Lisa tried to hide her disappointnt, but her smile was a little strained. "Oh, lots of potions! And this pistol looks really strong..."
Andrey picked up the pistol, testing its weight. It was balanced, surprisingly light. Weapon Mastery humd in the back of his mind, feeding him information—caliber, action type, effective range. He turned it over in his hands.
"...Is this even legal?" he asked quietly.
Sarah stared at him. "Are you stupid? Of course it’s legal. The Association wouldn’t send us illegal stuff." She flopped back against the couch, arms crossed. "But I thought the reward would be more... extravagant. We saved a lot of people, you know."
Lisa waved her hands placatingly. "It’s fine, it’s fine! The potions are great, and we got compensation money yesterday. This is still a good reward."
Andrey nodded, setting the pistol back in its foam padding. "It’s decent. The potions alone are worth a lot."
Sarah squinted at him. "Are you planning to use that gun to shoot things? I can’t picture any of us holding a pistol." She tilted her head, trying to imagine. "A Magical Girl with a gun...?"
The system’s holographic screen exploded in front of them, pink and sparkly and frantic.
System: NOOO!! Don’t ruin Magical Girls with dangerous things like that! Put it away imdiately! Don’t let the idols touch it!
Lisa blinked. "I... I can’t really imagine us using a gun either..."
Andrey picked up the pistol again, turning it toward himself. "Obviously I’m the one who’ll use it. With Weapon Mastery, I can fight more flexibly now. Ranged attacks have always been my weakness. This solves that problem."
Sein finally looked away from the TV, her green eyes studying the pistol. "Hmm. Not bad. With that thing, you’ll have more options in a fight. Close combat is fine, but sotis you need to hit sothing that won’t let you get close."
Sarah had already lost interest in the gun. She picked up the silver ring, holding it up to the light.
"What do you think this is?" she asked, turning it over.
Lisa leaned closer. "An attribute ring? Those boost specific stats, right?"
Sein shook her head. "No. That’s an inventory ring. A cheap imitation, sure, but it can store a few items. You’re lucky to get one of those. They’re expensive."
Sarah’s eyes went wide. "Eh?! How expensive?!"
Lisa’s jaw dropped. "Whoa... this is a jackpot!"
Sein shrugged, returning her gaze to the TV. "I don’t know exactly. I never cared much for them."
Andrey looked at her. "Why not?"
Sein didn’t look away from the screen. "Because using one of those would just slow
down in a fight. Having to sort through stored items while sothing’s trying to kill you? No thanks. I’d rather carry what I need on my body and use it directly."
Andrey nodded slowly, understanding her logic. He picked up the ring and slipped it onto his finger. The band adjusted instantly, shrinking to fit perfectly.
System: Inventory Ring (Imitation) equipped. Storage capacity: 5 slots. Current items stored: None.
Andrey touched the ring, and a small holographic grid appeared in his vision—five empty squares.
"Useful," he murmured.
Sarah huffed, still clearly disappointed by the lack of flashy rewards. "Well, at least soone’s happy."
Lisa smiled and patted her shoulder. "Co on, Sarah. We got potions, a cool gun, and a magic ring. That’s pretty good."
Sarah grumbled but didn’t argue.
Sein stretched on the couch, her shirt riding up slightly. "When’s dinner? I’m hungry."
Andrey glanced at the clock. "I’ll start cooking in an hour. Rest until then."
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