"Arghhhh!" Jaren lunged forward with a guttural roar that echoed off the blood-stained walls.

Golden electricity surged along the length of his summoned sword, crackling loudly as he swung it in a wide, furious arc aimed straight at Fei Ming’s neck.

The blade sliced through the thick, coppery air, leaving faint trails of sparks behind it.

THWACK! A black umbrella snapped open, intercepting the strike dead center.

The force of the collision jolted violently through Jaren’s arms and shoulders, sending him stumbling backward several steps, shoes splashing heavily through warm pools of blood that soaked into his pants and splattered up his calves.

He caught his balance, heaving, breath coming in short, ragged bursts as he stared at the figure now standing between him and his target.

"Officer Misfortune?" he rasped.

Misfortune lowered her umbrella. Dark red droplets slid from its curved edge and pattered onto the stone floor. She stared at the fuming lad with her usual cloudy blue unreadable eyes.

"Lower your sword." She pointed her umbrella at him.

Jaren’s grip tightened on the hilt until the leather creaked under his fingers.

His arms still trembled from the blocked strike. "What are you doing here, Officer Misfortune?" he demanded, voice rough and strained, each word forced through clenched teeth.

Misfortune closed the umbrella with a quiet, final click. "I could ask you the same thing." She cocked her head slightly. "Lower your sword," she repeated.

Biting his lips, more electricity sparked erratically along the blade.

His shoulders rose and fell rapidly as he fought the urge to swing again. For several long seconds the two officers stood locked in place.

Finally, with visible reluctance, Jaren lowered the weapon, though his white-knuckled grip never fully relaxed.

He took one heavy step closer, walking through the congealing blood. "Director told me you were on a special mission. Was this it?" His voice rose, cracking slightly. "Standing here watching that monster slaughter everyone?"

"Quite the contrary," Misfortune replied, her tone calm. Taking a small step forward, her umbrella resting lightly against her shoulder, she added:

"Unlike you, I wouldn’t charge directly at a threat without first analyzing its strengths and weaknesses."

Jaren flinched. His gaze dropped sharply to the blood covering the floor, lingering on a severed hand lying near his feet. He swallowed hard, before forcing his eyes back up to her face. The muscles along his jaw stood out prominently.

Catching a faint small energy radiating behind him, Misfortune tilted her head toward the three other officers standing a short distance away.

A blonde-haired girl — Seven— waved cheerfully with an enthusiastic smile, her hand cutting through the stale air.

Misfortune looked away without any change in expression.

Ding!

The runic board flashed above the chamber, its blue light reflecting off the wet stone and half-dried blood puddles.

[After a quick debate... We are pleased to announce...]

[The last mini-game is about to begin!]

[Players will be teleported shortly in 5 minutes!]

Jaren’s head snapped toward the board. His breathing grew sharper, more audible. He looked at Fei Ming, then back at Misfortune, eyes wide with disbelief. "Still, aren’t you going to arrest him?!" The words burst out of him.

Misfortune took one slow, measured step forward until she stood barely an inch away from him.

Her cloudy blue eyes locked onto his without blinking. The faint scent of blood clung to her uniform as she whispered, "Did you see him kill anyone?"

"No, but—"

"Did you see it?" she cut in. Her voice dropped lower, tighter. "Do you have any evidence against him?"

Jaren’s face tightened painfully. His jaw clenched so hard the muscles bulged along the sides.

His hands flexed repeatedly at his sides as if fighting the urge to raise the sword again. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

A vein pulsed visibly at his temple. "I don’t," he forced out through gritted teeth, meeting her stare directly, eyes burning. "However, Officer Misfortune, his previous crimes aren’t so easily erased. He is wanted for the massacre at Qing’s brothel. Twenty-three people dead."

The gothic woman remained perfectly still, studying him. "Then bring me solid evidence. If you can prove this isn’t just personal spite, Officer Cyrus, you may arrest him."

His shoulders trembled, before he forced them still.

A mix of frustration rolled off him in waves— visible in the rigid set of his posture, the rapid rise and fall of his chest, and the way his fingers kept twitching toward his sword.

Without another word, he stepped back toward his team, leaving long red smears behind him.

Seven moved closer and nudged his arm lightly, her touch gentle. "Hey, hey. Officer Misfortune can be scary at times, but she’s actually a real softie deep down," pausing as she glanced at the officer they talked about.

"Let’s focus on getting the material we need and handle the bigger problem, okay?"

Jaren exhaled a long, shaky breath. Some of the rigid tension drained from his shoulders. He turned to her and managed a small, strained smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. "Thank you."

Fei Ming—the most hated man in this chamber— stood a short distance away with hands loose at his sides, watching the entire exchange in silence.

His dark eyes narrowed as they settled on this Hawks officer who had attacked him.

As he studied the young officer’s flushed face, he noticed the way his shoulders still trembled with barely contained rage, the pure hatred burning in his gaze even as he was pulled away.

’He mentioned the Qing’s brothel massacre. Was he among the Wrath worshippers? Or connected to Wrath in any way?’

Fei Ming had no idea who the man was.

He had never seen him before. Yet here stood someone who wanted him dead so badly that the desire practically radiated from his body.

A faint, almost imperceptible curve touched the corner of his mouth.

The amusement he felt was quiet, cold, and deeply personal.

Someone hated him enough to charge in screaming for his blood. How interesting.

However, something else caught his attention.

Keres approached from the side, his white hair matted with blood.

The young man walked with his usual loose stride, pins hidden beneath his sleeves clicking with each step he took.

When he stopped in front of Fei Ming, he called his name softly. "Fateless!"

Fei Ming turned toward him with a neutral expression, face blank.

Smiling, Keres reached out and placed a bloody hand over his shoulder, fingers gripping firmly as he pulled him closer.

The warm, sticky blood seeped through the fabric and pressed against skin.

"Mannnnnn," Keres sighed, the sound long and drawn out, his breath brushing Fei Ming’s ear. "I didn’t expect you to do it publicly. It’s so... I can’t even express how I feel right now."

A bit confused, Fei Ming raised an eyebrow. "Do what?"

"You know," Keres continued, voice dropping playfully as he leaned in. "Those white liquid thingys you swallowed in front of everyone."

His bloody hand squeezed Fei Ming’s shoulder tighter. "Not that it bothered me in the slightest. I’m perfectly fine with all the freakiness you came with, etcetera, etcetera, but..."

Keres lifted his free hand and poked Fei Ming’s cheek with one finger. "Poke~"

His pink eyes dimmed under the chamber light. "Your actions in the game we just played... got me thinking. Just how dangerous are you, Fateless?"

Fei Ming grabbed the finger poking his cheek. His grip tightened.

However, the amused man only grinned wider through the discomfort. "I mean, you own a ginger cat you absolutely adore, but you just killed half your team. Olive and Xia are kinda traumatized, you know. Just look at them."

Fateless gaze shifted past Keres.

Olive was knelt deep in the gore, knees submerged in cooling blood and torn flesh.

His eyes were wide open, coated with tears, staring into nothingness as he gazed at the mangled bodies of his former teammates.

Blood painted his hands and forearms.

And behind him, Xia stood with both palms pressed tightly over her mouth. Shoulders shaking as she tried to comfort him.

One hand hovered uncertainly above his back without quite touching. Her eyes were wet, but she kept forcing them away from the worst of the carnage.

Seeing this, Fateless should feel a bit of remorse. Or some guilt when his team would die like this.

He searched for it.

Where was the spark of guilt? Where was the feeling of penitence?

His gaze drifted over to Helena’s body, then over to Eli’s.

’Ahh. How much I’ve grown from this.’

Fei Ming felt... nothing.

Crack! He broke Keres’ finger.

Hissing through his teeth, Keres did nothing but smile.

"Ah, I see. Now I know the reason why you look and act differently each time we meet..."

He leaned in even closer, voice dropping to a whisper. "Your humanity slowly washed away. I wonder what’s draining it."

A bright white light suddenly engulfed the entire chamber. The world twisted violently, pulling at their bodies as the game teleported them.