Reviews:

gamer611: Thank you for another rather interesting chapter of the story is this particular chapter was quite the build-up chapter. So the monster was not an Ouroboros monster, but a monster belonging to another OC called the Doctor, can't wait to see how depraved the Doctor is because from the look of things he seems responsible for the disappearances and all of them were failed test subjects for his monster experiments since they are dead. The Rei content was very hilarious since it seems he is the "Bad Cop" to Van's "Good Cop" or in this case "Bad Spriggan" to "Good Spriggan". Seeing Rei pull the "She's Not My Girlfriend" trope on Shizuna made me laugh quite a bit since no matter how hard he denies it, Rei is going to fall for her eventually. Wonder how Kurogane will handle Shizuna dating an outsider? Can't wait to see how the Bracer, Jeager, Spriggan team up will play out since Olivia's going to interrogate Rei about his lies. Overall a very nice chapter and hope you keep up the great work.

Rei's relationship with Shizuna is definitely going to be an interesting one lol. The Doctor is definitely inspired from one of my favorite medias and will bring chaos and fear into the plot... XD And thank you for the kind words! Sorry, this took quite a long time to get released.

NERO TOVACK: Ah come one man! Please don't Rei be a pansy already. I was thinking he could be like Hajime Nagumo from Arifureta, cause he doesn't take shit from anyone who gets in his way. Plus he would shoot anyone down that gets in his way just like Class VII, SSS, The bracers, Etc. He's the Anti-hero of Trails.

As much as that idea is quite amusing, he is kind of like that for specific individuals. He wouldn't just up and unalive anyone who got in his way though. He is definitely an anti-hero... or anti-villain, which will become more apparent once moral decisions start coming in.


Van ruffled the back of his dark locks as a frustrated grunt escaped his lips. He leaned against his seat and sighed, his eyes drifting toward the piles of paper scattered on his desk. Every piece of information he and Rei could get a hold of about the woman he was searching for just lay there, disorganized, with a few having already fallen off his work surface. Simply staring at the documents made his head forehead throb.

He pulled out his orbment and scrolled through a certain number. A reliable contact that had been helping him ever since he became a Spriggan. Van pressed the button, initiating a call.

...

A minute passed.

...

Two minutes passed.

...

Three minutes passed.

...

Four minutes passed...?

That was concerning. He never took this long to answer, nor did he ever miss a call from Van. The Spriggan felt his gut stir for a moment when his attempt to call his contact sent him to voicemail.

"What could you be doing right now, Dingo..." Van muttered, pocketing his orbment with a frown.

The Spriggan asked Dingo for assistance when he accepted Rei's 4spg. Back then, his contact had found dozens of info, though none of them were concrete. Dozens of info that was now on his desks and floor. He wanted to check on the progress of the search for the auburn-haired woman's location from his friend, but now...

The frustration in him went away, replaced with mind concern.

He shot up from his seat before lazily cleaning up the papers. There was always time to organize them later. There was something fishy in the air, and he figured it was related to the recent incidents that were happening in the capital.

"This scent... I hope I'm not right." Van grunted as he left his office.

It wasn't a particularly bad scent, at least not as bad as the decaying animal corpse Rei occasionally gives off. It was a gentle and flowery aroma, mixed with... vanilla and cotton candy?! The fragrance was not annoyingly sweet; it was comforting actually.

But why did Van feel so nervous?

As he walked down the stairs, a familiar voice was heard.

"Excuse me, but has Van Arkride been here before?"

'Elaine?! Why the hell is she here?!'

His ears caught the slight giggle from Paulette. "Yes, he has. Van is one of our regulars. Are you one of his friends?"

Elaine didn't respond immediately, settling in a few seconds of awkward silence before she responded. "Yes. I'm one of his childhood friends, actually."

"Really?! I never knew Van had a pretty childhood friend!" Another giggle, this time from Yume.

Van couldn't refute it. She was pretty... o-objectively speaking! That was merely a fact that anyone could point out— Wait, now was not the time to have an internal argument with himself. He needed to get out of the bistro without Paulette or Yume mentioning he lived upstairs!

Just as he was about to pull his orbment, the door to the stairs busted open.

"Ah, yay! Perfect timing, I was about to get you, Van!" The pink-haired girl exclaimed. "Your pretty friend is here!"

"Dammit, squirt..." Van grumbled.

"Van?" Elaine came over with Paulette. Happiness and relief flashed across her aquamarine orbs briefly, soon adopting a cool, neutral expression as she glanced at the staircase. "I see. So, you've been living on the second floor of Montmart since you returned to Edith."

"You never told her?" The Madonna of Montmart quired with a tilt of her head, frowning.

Van shifted his weight awkwardly, looking away while rubbing his neck. "It's... complicated." He noted the split-second frown on Elaine's visage. The Spriggan sighed, then turned to Elaine. "You've been looking for me?"

"Yes. We need to talk."

"Fine, let's head upstairs for this." With a nod from Elaine, Van led his childhood friend to the second floor of the bistro.

Paulette watched the two climb up the stairs with a concerned gaze. Their interaction was brief, yet she saw and felt the tension between the two. She suspected there was more to their story than their status as childhood friends.

"Mama, why was Van frowning earlier?"

The woman shook her head and smiled at her daughter. "It's nothing to worry about, Yume. Van probably didn't eat any sweets earlier."

"Oh! So he's just grumpy?"

"Very grumpy. You know how he can get when it comes to his sweets~"

Yume bobbed her head in agreement and giggled, her mom joining in a second later. After settling down, they went back inside the bistro to resume their work.

Meanwhile, Van opened the door to his office, gesturing for the woman to head inside. Elaine took note of the doorplate, then complied, eyes inspecting the interior as she took her seat on the couch. The blonde noticed the stack of documents haphazardly arranged on the desk, quirking a brow.

"What are all those documents for?"

"It's for a job I took a few months ago. Don't ask for the details, I am not obligated to say anything." Van said as he took his seat across from Elaine. "Client confidentiality and all that."

Elaine gave him a half-lidded look. "I hope you're not doing anything dangerous... or involving yourself with shady company, Van."

"Don't know what you mean, Elaine." That only seemed to intensify her stare as Van shrugged his shoulders. "But let's cut to the chase. What do you want to talk about that you went out of your way to find me?" His azure orbs narrowed as he leaned and rested his elbows on his knees.

Van expected Elaine to confront and question him like the time in the waterway. His expectations were not met, however.

"I need your help," She began as Van raised a brow. "Before I elaborate, have you heard of the recent disappearances happening all over Edith?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I've heard they've been missing for a few days to a week now. A lot of folks lately have been 'lively' in the Seiden District."

Van couldn't deny that he felt a bit bad about how the police were currently being treated. Having to deal with the friends and relatives of the victims lashing out of desperation and distress would be mentally taxing. Things could have gotten physical, too, if it weren't for the bracers in the district to calm the citizens down.

He understood both sides, and neither of them could be blamed. His gut told him the disappearances weren't normal kidnappings, and something unordinary was involved.

"It's unfortunate, but that is the case." The bracer nodded solemnly. "The family and friends of the victims could only hold themselves back for so long before they lashed out again. We've been trying to find everyone who disappeared as fast as possible, even coordinating with the CID to widen our search. And earlier, we finally found a lead, but..."

Elaine then gritted her teeth, her hand curling into a fist. "We lost contact with her mid-call."

Dread washed over the Spriggan like a tidal wave. His azure blues narrowed. "Who?"

"Livia," Elaine revealed as Van's breath hitched. "We haven't been able to contact her for an hour now."

The blonde-haired swordswoman looked down at her lap, her features displaying worry and regret.

"I should have assisted her. I should have realized she would look for everyone who disappeared, not just her client's husband sooner. It's my fault! I shouldn't have—"

"It's not your fault." Van cut his friend off sharply, causing her to flinch. Seeing this, he inhaled a deep breath and smiled apologetically. "You can't blame yourself, Elaine. You wouldn't have known. Olivia always had a good poker face. And with this incident, she definitely wouldn't allow her true feelings to leak out in front of you, René, and I."

Her frown deepened. "She still hasn't gotten over what happened thirteen years ago..."

"Yeah, but can we blame her? We got kidnapped—"

"That wasn't her fault!" She snapped heatedly and glared at the Spriggan, who simply raised a hand in defense.

"I'm not saying it was, but you need to look at it from Olivia's perspective. She felt responsible for what happened to us and blamed herself for not being able to prevent it." The dark-haired Spriggan closed his eyes and breathed in. "With these disappearances going on, she must have remembered what happened thirteen years ago, causing her to take responsibility and find all of those who vanished in the capital."

From Olivia's point of view, her desperate goal to find those who disappeared could be a form of a subconscious attempt at redemption that likely fueled her reckless decisions.

I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry... I'm sorry I couldn't stop them from taking you three away...

Her expression and voice were heartbreaking. That was the first time the Spriggan saw her composure crumble to dust. She hid all her burdens and guilt behind a poker face, not wanting any unwanted feelings to spill out. He knew; the former Auclair maid taught him all about maintaining a poker face after all. That kidnapping incident... It was already resolved, but Van knew all too well Olivia wouldn't be able to forget it.

'And neither can I...'

"What do you suggest I do then...?" Elaine's voice came out as a whisper. "I came here to ask for your help. Not as a bracer, but as your childhood friend, wanting to find our big sister figure."

Van got up from his seat and walked over to Elaine. He rested a hand on her shoulder as she looked up to meet his eyes.

"4spg accepted. Let's go find that reckless goth." He cracked a wry grin that Elaine couldn't help but smile.

Helping his friend up, the two exited the office as Van whipped out his ARCUS, dialing Rei's number.

[The number you have dialed cannot be reached at the moment.]

"?!"

"Van, what's wrong?" His friend's lips curved downwards upon noticing his alarmed look. "Did something happen?"

Van bit his tongue in thought, then responded. "I couldn't reach an acquaintance of mine. He must be somewhere where the reception is terrible."

Elaine put a hand on her chin, narrowing her eyes. "Do you know if this acquaintance of yours is outside the capital?"

"No. I'm sure he's still inside Edith." Rei would have told him if he was leaving the capital otherwise. "But this isn't the first time I made a call and didn't reach them."

"Who did you call earlier?" She eyes the Spriggan suspiciously as he waved her off.

"An info broker of mine. I tried calling earlier, but the same thing happened— I couldn't reach him either."

Elaine's eyes grew wide. "Do you think it's possible that this acquaintance and info broker of yours is in the same area where Livia is currently at?"

"That... would make sense." Van agreed with a blink. He crossed his arms and looked to his side with a pensive glare. "It'd explain why Olivia got cut off. She must've entered an area where there was no signal. The question now is: where could they be?"

"I think..."

As the duo arrived outside, a familiar voice cut through the blonde mid-sentence.

"They're somewhere underground in Edith." The two snapped their heads in the direction of the rather smug reply, meeting the smirk of the bespectacled CID agent.

"René?"

Unlike Elaine, Van was more annoyed than surprised. "Why are you here?"

"Come, Van. You should be able to figure that out." René relished the twitch of Van's right eye. Yup, he knew. "It seems like Elaine beat me to it, however. I can't say I'm surprised."

"W-What does that mean?" She glared, blushing faintly.

"Bastard..."

The bespectacled man offered a chuckle at his friends. He soon dropped it, adopting a serious look, gone were the traces of amusement.

"The CID had already searched all over the surface for the victims. Logically speaking, they're either being held captive inside of a building, somewhere outside of the capital, or somewhere underneath it. I'm leaning more into the possibility of it being the latter though." He pushed his glasses back. "While my subordinates continue to investigate any suspicious buildings, towns, and cities near Edith,"

"You will join us in investigating the underground," Van concluded, to which his friend nodded in confirmation.

"That is correct."

"How certain are you that they're underground?"

"Or how Olivia would be there as well?" Elaine followed up.

"Let's continue this while I drive to our destination." The four-eyed bastard gestured for the two to follow him to his car as Van grumbled. Elaine gave his back a few rubs before complying.

"Continue, four-eyes," Van demanded as he got in the shotgun seat.

Elaine shook her head with René flashing a brief smirk as he started the engine. The agent drove off, getting onto the road before proceeding with his speculation.

"You two are aware of the underground area that is not connected to the subway, correct?"

"They're there!?" Elaine exclaimed, slapping a palm at her forehead as she regretted letting her panic overwhelm her. "Those hideouts... It makes sense, it's one of the perfect places to hide the victims. Those are sections in Edith the guild would overlook because only a few black-market merchants used them."

"I'm ashamed to say that the CID failed to notice the possibility as well." René frowned. "That's not to say we haven't been monitoring the entrances since the disappearances started. We only recently discovered that someone used a lockpick to open the entrance in Central Station Street."

Elaine shared her friend's frown, falling deep in thought. "No black-market merchant would need to do that unless they lost their key."

"Correct. And this next piece of information is why I think that Olivia and the victims are underground: we have not seen any black-market dealers enter any of the entrances since the first disappearance occurred."

Van sharpened his gaze. 'If the entrances were still being monitored and no merchant came to use them, then the culprit probably used another method of getting in. Rei must have been the one who picked the lock.'

The pieces to the figurative puzzle of their whereabouts were finally being put together.

"Whoever kidnapped those people will definitely be a pain in our ass..."


"It looks like we won't be able to contact anyone while we're here," Rei informed his companions as he pocketed his orbment.

"I was afraid that was the case when my call was cut off." Olivia sighed, though Shizuna found the whole situation amusing, chuckling lightheartedly.

"You should have expected something like that to happen while underground." A feral grin flashed across her face. It's not like we'll be needing any backup. I'm confident the three of us can easily take down the person who's responsible for the kidnappings!"

"I can't say I'm strong compared to you two, but your confidence is reassuring. I guess that is obvious given your skills with the sword, no?"

"Aw, you're making me blush!"

The ladies of the trio exchanged giggles and high-fives as they navigated the dungeon-like hideout.

Rei rolled his eyes at the bracer's humble claim. If Olivia asked the merc if she was strong, his answer would be a definitive yes. Their very first encounter and his instincts were enough for him to come to that conclusion. But if there were any doubts...

"Something's coming," Beowulf muttered as he drew his Hrunting. "Ten?"

Unsheathing her odachi, Shizuna corrected, "Twelve, actually." Her grin didn't fade. "Two, ten o'clock!"

"We'll each take four then." Olivia nodded at her companions, the three splitting up.

As if on cue, specters and ghouls appeared out of nowhere, letting out a piercing screech as they zoomed toward the trio.

"If you two don't finish your share in ten seconds, I'm stealing your kills!" The sole male of the group warned as he sliced the approaching apparition in half. "That's one!"

"Ha, I can kill mine in five!"

Sheathing her eastern blade, a shadowlike afterimage appeared beside Shizuna. Olivia grinned as she watched the two mercenaries charge forward. The bracer sidestepped to avoid her lunging targets. With swords in hand, Olivia crossed them together as gold and emerald flashed.

"I said it before, but I'll say it again," She dug her foot into the ground, smiling at her companions. "You two are quite close."

SWOOSH

Olivia vanished from her spot as her targets were torn in half, leaving green and gold crosses over their heads before vanishing in a burst of light. Rei and Shizuna's lips stretched upward as they dealt with their own enemies.

As two shadowlike monsters, holding maces came out of the corner, Rei loaded his blade with a septium bullet.

"They're mine!"

"Not if I kill them first!"

The two raced each other to get the additional kills. The ex-jaeger gritted his teeth when he saw that Shizuna was still faster. He thought he had gotten stronger since their last meeting, but it seemed he was wrong.

Shizuna glanced at the ex-Zephyr, sending a smug grin as if she knew what was going through his mind.

'Is she taunting me to use that or what?'

As the two got their foes in slashing distance, the eldritch monstrosities suddenly froze, golden and green crosses marking their chests.

"Huh...?"

Olivia appeared behind the ghouls, a gust of wind accompanying her return as she tapped her blades against each other.

"Judgement Crucifix."

The astral crosses glowed bright and detonated like bombs, light purging their bodies, leaving no trace of the monsters' corpses.

"Well, would you look at that! You've beaten both our kill counts." Rei remarked with a grin, resting Hrunting on his shoulder. "Those were some flashy moves."

Shizuna was all too eager to agree. "Mhm, that was amazing! I knew you'd be strong, but you surpassed my expectations. Your speed and agility were impressive, not to mention your sword skills. I'd love to test my skills against you!" She grinned as she tightened her hold on her odachi.

Rei wasn't having it, pinching her cheek like how he would his little sister figure. "Don't go starting fights until we're finished with our business here."

"A-Ahaha, I know, I know. I got too excited."

"Battle nut..."

"Hehe, thank you."

"That was not a compliment!"

Olivia giggled under her breath at their banter. Rei's grumbling was cut short as his ears picked up the sound of footsteps approaching them. His eyes narrowed as he pulled out Lobo, gaining the attention of the two women as they put their guard up.

"Oi." He fired at the darkness of the corridor. "Stop trying to hide your presence. I know you're there."

The footsteps grew loud enough for the swordswomen to pick up as the cloaked figure stepped out of the shadows. The figure's garment covered their visage and most of their body, only leaving their lower half, covered in what they assumed to be a blue and purple bodysuit, exposed.

Olivia pointed her blades at the newcomer, her hostility apparent. "Are you the one who's been kidnapping the citizens of Edith?"

"And what if I am?"

A flamboyant and condescending voice of a male left the cloaked figure, holding out a vial. Emerald eyes narrowed as aura covered the blades of the dual sword user.

"Then you'll face my blade."

The coldness of Olivia's words briefly surprised the ex-jaeger but grinned in approval.

"Hoo, you must be quite skilled for me not to detect your presence," Shizuna commented with a smile, tightening her grip around her weapon. The sadistic glint in her eyes promised that the culprit will experience pain. "I'll have fun getting answers from you."

"Let's make his suffering as long as possible, you two," Beowulf said as he loaded his blade rifle with bullets. Olivia bent her knees and crossed her twin blades.

"No killing. I still need to interrogate him."

"Ja. / You got it."

"Heh..."

As the trio got ready to charge, the cloaked man began to chuckle as he popped off the cork of the vial. Slowly, his quiet chuckle morphed into full-blown, maniacal laughter as he rested a hand on his face, his laugh booming throughout the place.

The three felt a shiver run down their spine at the unhinged cackle. What did the fool find so amusing in this situation? The trio leaped away when the cloaked man flicked the contents of the vial around them, spilling the strange liquid as they seeped into the cracks.

"Was that some kind of acid...?!"

"It didn't look like poison any poison I've seen..."

Olivia and Shizuna mused under their breaths as their eyes landed on the purple fluid. Rei felt his instincts warn him of what was to come. His amber hues spotted the supposed kidnapper's smirk as another round of laughter bubbled in his throat.

His patience in enduring that horrid fit of laughs was growing thin.

"Actually, fuck it. My gut's telling me you won't try answering our questions even after we beat your ass, so I'm gonna ask you now," Hrunting ignited with a burst of mirage septium energy. "Why the hell have you been kidnapping randos?"

The cloaked figure stopped laughing as he stared at the mercenary and raised a brow, intrigued.

"Randos?"

"It's one thing to kidnap children, women, or people in a position of power. I can easily imagine you kidnapping them and demanding a ransom, but you didn't kidnap a specific category of people and called it a day. You kidnapped teenage brats, office stooges, the elderly, and a goddamn magazine reporter. A pretty odd combination of people to kidnap, don't you think?"

His lady acquaintances stared at him with varying levels of confusion and surprise, subconsciously digesting his words. The cloaked man merely flashed a grin as Rei continued.

"I honestly doubt you're going to be demanding ransoms for those people. Maybe if they're nobles, but they're not." Rei glared, making his way toward the man. Olivia confirmed on their way here that the ones who were kidnapped were not nobles.

Olivia and Shizuna were about to move, only for them to remain in their place when Rei raised a hand. The merc halted just a few reges from the supposed kidnapper's face, purple and blue eyes staring at amber in amusement.

"You were kidnapping anyone who you could get your hands on, weren't you?"

The cloaked man stayed silent. Under his hood, a smirk could be seen growing on his face as his lips parted.

Before he could react, Rei's eyes shot wide open as he felt a heavy force crash against his abdomen, knocking off his feet as he crashed against the wall.

"Rei!"

The two swordswomen shouted before glaring at their companion's assailant. They didn't see him lift a finger, yet Rei was blown back with such force.

"Bingo-bingo! You are absolutely right! I didn't care who they were as long as they were in my zone in the Seiden District, I will kidnap them!" He laughed and evaded Olivia's cross slash.

"What zone?! What are you talking about?!"

A slash from the Ikaruga merc was avoided by their assailant as he somersaulted back. Despite the hood covering most of the man's countenance, the crazed madness in his eyes was clear.

"THIS!"

He slammed his palms on the ground as the jaeger and bracer were brought to their knees by an invisible force. The weight behind whatever was pulling them down was immense that Olivia faceplanted onto the ground. Shizuna, in her attempt to resist, raised her head and inspected their surroundings to see purple and black energy shrouding their bodies.

'H-He can manipulate gravity...?' That would explain how Rei was knocked back without making any obvious movements.

"All I had to do was wait for someone to step onto my zone and force them to stay." The cloaked figure explained. "No one could hear their screams for help because of my gravitational field! You should have seen some of the looks they gave me, and how much despair filled their eyes!"

"You... monster...!" Olivia spat, forcing herself to raise her head, despite the gravitational pull.

"And I thought... I was insane...!" Rei grunted, trying but struggling to overcome the man's power.

Shizuna was the only one who showed some success in overpowering the heaviness, slowly but surely getting back on her feet. The cloaked man's eyes grew wide, mildly impressed as he released another cackle.

"Marvelous! I didn't think there was someone other than the boss who could resist my almighty gravity!" He spread his arms out as he received a glare from the three. "Since two out of the three of you managed to impress me, I'll tell you a little about myself and the reason for the kidnappings."

Sphere-shaped purple aura covered the cloaked man's hands. "You may refer to me as the Master of Gravity, Baromagnes! I have been tasked to gather as many test subjects as possible by my superior." He declared as he slammed the ground. "To transcend them into beings above humans!"

The trio expected a shockwave to erupt on the ground or the underground hideout to shake, but neither of those occurred. Instead, to their shock, several hands made out of soil came out of the cracks in the ground. Rei couldn't process what he was seeing.

There in front of him were several creatures made out of dirt, the fragments of the floor covered their bodies like armor, rising from the very ground they stood.

Their bodies were larger than most humans but small compared to the usual monsters that existed in Zemuria. Their soulless eyes bore holes through the bracer and mercenaries, sending a wave of discomfort and dread. They were unlike anything they'd seen before.

Despite the pressure he was being subjected to, Rei stared at the creatures with an observing gaze. He felt his stomach churn as he used Hrunting to support himself, trying to get back up.

'These monsters... They're giving off the same vibe as that mantis freak. Could what Olivia said about someone doing human experimentations be true?'

"What... are those...?!"

The Master of Gravity turned to the struggling Olivia and flashed a wicked grin. The monsters crept toward the three as their dirt hands morphed into claws.

"The Professor called them Terrawalkers, kaijins that are born from inorganic material. They're perfect when it comes to serving as mindless minions." Baromagnes explained and produced a barrier around him, preventing the monsters from approaching him. "The Professor said the formula was still experimental so these Terrawalkers aren't aware who is friend or foe except their own kind. I couldn't care less if they tried attacking me. I'm invisible!"

Panic rose within Olivia as the Terrawalkers inched closer, her eyes darting onward her companions.

While the heaviness was still present, Shizuna was the only one who could lift her weapon to defend herself. Rei, on the other hand, was unable to use his blade rifle nor lift his gun due to the gravitational pressure. However, confusion mixed in with panic when she saw a grin on the merc's face.

'To smile in this situation... Does he have a plan?'

"Perhaps I said too much but no matter." The cloaked man sighed with a shake of his head. "Farewell, you three. May you serve to be a delicious feast for the Terrawalkers!"

As the Terrawalkers inched closer to the two swordswomen, a familiar voice cried out.

"Not on our watch!"

A lightning arc flew across the room as it pushed back the ones close to the swordswomen. The attack caught the kidnapper by surprise as his control loosened, the gravitational force that pulled the trio down vanishing.

"That was...!" Olivia snapped her head at the back.

"Took him long enough..."

Rei flashed a strained grin at Olivia as a familiar bluish-black blur passed them, accompanied by the blonde.

"Raging Buster / Kaleido Fencer!"

Bludgeon strikes and bladed thrusts assaulted the monstrosities as they forced them back, bullets of orbal energy supporting from behind.

Olivia turned around as a smile stretched across her face, seeing the childhood trio arrive.

"You guys came!"

"I'm glad to see you aren't too hurt, Livia." Elaine smiled with teary eyes, soon wiping them away as she eyed the slight bruises on the former Auclair maid. Her gaze redirected to the cloaked figure, glaring daggers. "I will not forgive you for kidnapping the innocent and separating them from their families!"

"Better get ready for a long interrogation!"

"Agreed. You said a lot of interesting things about these monsters." René nodded at Van as he pushed his glasses. "And it's only right for us to know who you are working with."

"Ha! Like I would say anything to you party wreckers!" Swiping downward with both hands, Barogmagnes subjected all of them to his almighty gravitation, pulling them down to the ground.

"The hell...?!

"This pressure...!?"

"How is this... possible...?!"

The force was much stronger and heavier than earlier; Shizuna wasn't able to resist its weight this time. As she began forcing her body to get up, her thoughts were running wild about how the man was capable of manipulating gravity.

'Is he wielding an artifact...?'

"Be good little boys and girls and stay put! The poor Terrawalkers are starving." The Master of Gravity barked as his minions surrounded Shizuna and the others. "Happy feasting! Hahaha—"

"You know, I was contemplating enduring your gravity powers a little longer, but I'm getting tired of hearing your shitty laugh..." Rei growled as he lifted his head, just barely. "All of you... Get out of here and find those civilians... Leave this asshole to me..."

"Rei, what are you..." Van grunted, eyeing him from the corner of his eye.

Watching Rei's futile attempt to push himself off the ground, Barogmagnes scowled. "What are you blabbering about? Unlike the silverette, you were struggling to break through the gravitational pull the most! What makes you think you can do anything about this situation?"

"You..." The eyes of the cloaked man widened as Rei once again used his blade rifle to lift himself up from the ground. Clutching a hand on his chest, he felt his lips curl into a feral smirk. "Talk too much! RAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

A pillar of amber and black energy burst out of the ex-jaeger's body as he roared. The pillar soon dyed down, revealing Rei himself, no longer under the power of Baromagnes' gravity. His hand was covering his face as he slowly dropped it to his side, a dangerous expression plastered on his countenance.

For a moment, everyone saw bloodshot eyes before Rei's usual amber hues. They all stared at him in awe and disbelief.

They expected some kind of dramatic transformation, but his appearance didn't change much. His muscles bulked slightly, but that was it for physical changes. The most apparent change after that display was the merc's presence.

It... unnerved Olivia and the childhood trio.

But Shizuna?

She was staring at him in complete fascination.

"Haaaa, I forgot how good it feels when I use this!"

Rei exhaled with an expression Van didn't know he was capable of making: a face of absolute bliss.

Rei could feel it running through his veins. The rush of power, waves of insanity, and insatiable desire to carve flesh with steel. Rei felt all of those flowing through him like orbal energy being poured into a machine. He was in a state of euphoria.

On his countenance, a sultry smirk emerged. His amber eyes glinted in madness and bloodlust.

Everyone but Shizuna stepped back out of instinct when Rei's mad gaze turned to his prey. Was this really Rei...? The very air he gave off was dense, dark, and full of unhinged lunacy. It was like he was a completely different person.

The atmosphere went cold as Rei lifted his foot to step forward, snapping Barogmagnes out of his shock.

"W-Whatever you do is futile against me—!?"

"You don't say?"

Several heads flew off their shoulders the second Rei shortened the distance between him and his prey. The bodies of the Terrawalkers soon fell, one by one, their heads fell and lay on the ground. Greenish goop dripped off from Hrunting's tip as Baromagnes stared at it, dumbfounded.

Rei's right arm twitched once, and it was enough to force his opponent to deploy a barrier. Grunting, Baromagnes barely managed to protect himself from the mad merc's swing, getting knocked back a bit. The sword strike held immense killing intent and hunger for blood. It made his run cold.

"Wow, I didn't think you would be able to block that. Let me try again." The dark-haired merc smiled with glee.

"S-Stay back!" The cloaked man yelled, fear dripping off his voice as he thrust his hands forward.

A flow of gravity energy flew out of his palms, sending Rei crushing onto a wall once more. A triumphant smirk flashed across Baromagnes' countenance. That should put that fool in his place.

Turning his attention to the others, the cloaked man thrust out his arms.

"Now, onto you five—"

"Yo!"

Baromagnes froze in place as malice roared from his right. As he turned his head, a hand wrapped itself around his face, dragging him off the ground. The back of his head was met with the rough walls of the interior.

"Bah...! H-How...?!"

Red dripped off Rei's forehead, yet his smile refused to fade. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. Let this be a lesson to you. Never take your eyes off your target until you make sure they're dead~! Haha!"

The merc hurled the gravity master across the room before proceeding to kick himself off the ground. Rei pulled Hrunting back, and with two pulls to his trigger, savage winds gathered around the blade.

"Jackknife!"

A barrier appeared right before the fatal slash. It saved the cloaked man from meeting his maker, but it wasn't enough for him to prevent being hammered into the wall. He coughed up his life essence upon impact.

"Y-You..." Baromagnes managed to get out as he glared intensely at the smiling mercenary.

"Still alive? Great! I'm just getting started!" He laughed and loaded up his blade rifled with another bullet. He peeked over his shoulder to look at his stunned companions. "Go! You lot can't keep the people we've been looking for waiting, ya know!"

This brought Olivia and the trio back to reality as they nodded before heading off.

Rei grinned, facing the gravity master as the man pried himself from the wall with his powers. Baromagnes was seething. He stared daggers at the smirking man as his energy shook the underground ruins. Fragments of broken walls and debris began to rise and fall around him.

"Screw the Doctor's orders! I'm not retreating until I kill you!" Baromagnes spat with venom as he fished out several vials from his cloak. "Rise and serve me, Terrawalkers!"

The Master of Gravity threw the containers across the area before pounding the ground with energy. Terrawalkers started to rise, and they were more of them compared to earlier, easily tripling the amount. The inorganic kaijins surrounded the merc, trapping him.

Purple and black aura circled around Baromagnes as he levitated above the merc and his minions.

"You have nowhere to run now! I'll make you suffer a slow and painful death!"

"Hahaha! Sure, go ahead and try!" Rei laughed back with a crazed look in his eyes. "If you can't do it in five minutes, I'll pay you back tenfold."

The cloaked man glared down at the ex-jaeger, clenching his fists. "You... You dare still act arrogant!? You're all alone! You have no chance of defeating these Terrawalkers and myself!"

"How is he alone when I'm right here?"


Ice enveloped a column of Terrawalkers as each of them got sliced in half. Shizuna Rem Misurugi walked on the path she created for herself with a smile, casually cutting the kaijins that came her way as if taking a stroll in a park. Her blade easily cleaved through their body of stone and dirt.

She made it to the center without much trouble. Her ice blue gaze glued to the form of the ex-jaeger.

How fascinating.

The energy that flowed within him was dark, chaotic, and unstable, but his current strength now surpassed her current self.

Was it like the jaegers' signature War Cry? No, that technique wouldn't give this big of a power boost. It was more likely a variation.

Every muscle in the man's body was itching for violence and blood. She could tell with a mere glance. They were like rowdy children that refused to listen to their parents.

That is why her pleasant surprise was reasonable. A normal person would have completely lost themselves to the urges, to the bestial impulse and instincts. Yet here was Rei, keeping the 'rowdy children' in check.

Rei glanced at the silver-haired mercenary, annoyance lacing his crazed eyes. "What are you doing here?"

"Hehe. Did you really think I'd let you have all the fun?" She giggled, lifting her odachi as she tightened her grip. "Besides, I wanna see more of what the current you are capable of!"

"You're such a piece of work, you know that?" He growled as he pulled out Lobo, burying bullets in the heads of the Terrawalkers. "Don't hold me back."

Shizuna stepped out of a claw attack, freezing several kaijins and cutting them. "You don't have to worry about that!"

"Enough with you fools' yammering!" Baromagnes exclaimed. "Die!"

He fired a blast of gravity energy as Shizuna leaped out of the way. Her eyes widened when Rei stood still. Was he seriously going to take the hit?

Her worry was unfounded as her fellow mercenary grinned. Malice and insanity swirled around the ex-jaeger's form as he swung his blade rifle, slashing through the blast and sending the Terrawalkers flying.

A vein popped on Baromagnes' forehead. "Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"

He held his head and screamed as Shizuna and Rei slowly slew the kaijins getting in their way. The silverette scoffed at the cloaked man's tantrum.

'Pathetic.' she thought.

Giving into his rage, Baromagnes threw every single Terrawalkers with his powers, enforcing them with gravity.

"Helix, strike!"

"Give me more! Make me feel alive!"

Baromagnes gritted his teeth at the sight. The two hacked and slashed through every single Terrawalker that he threw at them with ease. His blood boiled at their defiance. His glorious powers always made him feel superior towards the weak, yet these... lower beings continued to show resistance and great strength.

Underneath his rage, fear started to bloom.

The Master of Gravity tried forcing the two down to their knees like earlier, swiping his hand downward. They were able to avoid all of his attempts to restrain them, however. Rei's wild movements proved impossible for him to be targeted while Shizuna managed to predict whenever he would use his powers to pull them down.

Every time Baromagnes prepared to use his wide gravitational pull, Rei rained down bullets to disrupt his concentration.

His anger increased, but so did his fear.

'If this keeps up, I will have no choice but to remove my limiter!' The Master of Gravity placed a hand on his chest. He had no time to consider anything as he felt malice and chaos from behind.

He snapped his head toward the direction as Rei greeted him with a grin.

"Hi~! And goodbye!"

For a split second...

Baromagnes reacted first and blasted Hrunting off the merc's hand with a gravity pulse.

"Ah!"

His lips curled into the biggest smirk he could muster. Baromagnes encased his fists with condensed gravity energy as he aimed for his merc's heart.

"This is the end, fool!"

Killing the last remaining group of Terrawalkers, Shizuna stared wide-eyed from below the two. Rei might not live if that attack connects to his chest.

Despite the possibility of avoiding the attack being close to zero, a crazed smirk soon blossomed on his face, infectious enough to spread to Shizuna.

Like a machine on auto-pilot, Rei's body shifted his weight to the side as the energy-coated fist barely grazed his chest. Shock colored Baromagnes' countenance; amusement colored Rei's.

Malice, bloodlust, and madness all gathered around the hands of Beowulf, orange and black mingling with each other. His hands' hue became the darkest shade of orange with black outlines.

Grinning, Rei drew his hands back before swiping in an X-shaped motion. "Fatality: Fanged Decapitation!"

A claw-shaped shockwave of orange and black fired off from his hands like a bullet.

Unlike Rei, Baromagnes didn't have any bestial instincts. And because of that, he was far too slow to form a barrier.

BOOM!

The heat-based attack exploded upon impact, knocking Rei back due to his close proximity.

"Hup!"

Shizuna leaped through the air and wrapped her arms around the merc. The crazed expression he wore had disappeared, replaced with utter exhaustion as he panted heavily. The overwhelming insanity and bloodlust from his person had faded as though it was never there.

The silverette's lips lifted themselves into a slight smile. As much as she wanted to ask him all of her curious questions, she refrained after considering the current state of his friend.

They were friends, right? Yeah, they're definitely friends.

Shizuna made the merc lean against the wall, crouching down to check on his condition.

"Several broken bones, deep cuts, and a bleeding forehead, huh?" She surmised to herself. "You were able to perform that well despite those injuries. You could have passed out from blood loss... but you didn't. You're pretty amazing, Rei!"

Her peppy remark was met with light snoring. Shizuna giggled as she got back up.

Her light-hearted visage crumbled into a cold-hearted expression as she walked over to where Baromagnes should have crashed into. Icy winds blew away the remnants of dust and smoke caused by the explosion. When the dust clouds cleared, her lips twitched into a faint frown.

She found the bloody crater that Baromagnes made.

But there was no body to be found.

"How unfortunate..." Shizuna heaved a sigh as she sheathed her odachi. "I suppose I'll have to finish the job if I somehow encounter him again."


Deep in the ruins...

Sniffles and cries echoed from a locked room further in the corridor. Young children and teenagers were trapped in a cold and dark room with no food or water around. Their wrists were tied tightly to prevent escaping. The young ones expressed their helplessness and sorrows through tears as they sobbed over their predicament. The lack of food and water hurt, but nothing hurt more than being separated from their parents.

The teenagers weren't doing any better. They might be older, but even they couldn't keep themselves calm after seeing no signs of being rescued and not receiving any food and water for two days. Their voices dry from screaming for help.

The adults trapped inside as well did their best to calm the children down. They were all real troopers. Despite the hunger and dehydration, they prioritized taking care of the young ones, only eating the bare minimum before giving the rest to the kids.

"Mr. Dingo! My stomach... It hurts so much! A-Am I going to die...?!"

One of the kids had buried his face into one of the adult's chests. He was a half-middle eastern man with silver hair and turquoise hues. His complexion made it apparent how thirsty and hungry he was. The silver-haired man hushed and hummed, trying to comfort the sobbing boy.

"No, of course not. Help is on the way, I promise." Dingo reassured softly.

"H-How could you be so sure? Don't make stupid jokes like that! We've been trapped here for days! No one is going to come!" One of the teens snapped at the man before breaking down in sobs. "I-It's hopeless..."

"Calm down."

A smooth and deep voice said with a tone full of authority.

All of the teenagers turned their gaze to the middle-aged man with swept-back brown hair. His wrists were tied, but his posture remained straight. The man wore formal attire consisting of a beige blazer, a collared long-sleeved shirt, and a pair of black slacks. He had a fierce and reliable air that draws in people.

The man glanced at everyone. "There's a commotion going on somewhere in these ruins. You all must have heard of an explosion or at least felt this room shaking, right?"

Dingo nodded as he sighed at the teens' perplexed expressions. "It's true. Did you all not feel the tremors from earlier?"

"Ah! You mean it wasn't my imagination...?" An elderly man questioned lowly as the silverette shook his head.

One of the resident office workers followed up with a question of her own. "Wait, does that mean those gunshots aren't from our kidnapper?"

"It didn't look like that man possessed a gun."

"I-It must be the police then!"

"Or the bracers!"

"Yeah! They must have finally figured out where we are!"

A chorus of relieved cries and cheers replaced the sobbing. Dingo grew a faint smile as he turned to the hero who made it happen.

"Good work, Mr. Gramheart."

"I should be saying that to you, Dingo Brad. It looks like you were the first to notice the noises. That's quite impressive." Gramheart chuckled, leaning against the wall.

"Right back at you, Sir."

Dingo and the others perked up at the heavy sound of footsteps approaching the room.

"Is this the room?"

"Probably. What else could it be if it's at the end of the corridor? Better leave this to me, Elaine. This is my specialty."

That voice!

"Van!" Dingo called out his friend's name as he heard him gasp.

"Dingo!? Are the others who got kidnapped in there too!?"

"Yeah, we're all here!"

"Give me a sec. I'll pick this lock in no time."

"Stand back, Van. This way is faster. Everyone, move away from the door!" A female voice cut it.

Everyone complied before they heard steel running through steel. The door of the locked room was soon sliced in half as Van and the others entered the room.

Elaine and Olivia gasped in horror at the kids as they rushed toward them. René went over to the Gramheart while Van started freeing the others from their restraints. They all shared looks of disgust upon seeing the state the kidnapper left them all in.

After freeing Dingo's wrists, Van closed his eyes with his teeth clenched. "Sorry, we took so long..."

Dingo frowned before patting his shoulder. "It's all right, Van. You and the others saved us. No need to beat yourself up over this."

"...Yeah," Van answered after a few seconds of contemplating silence. He then turned his gaze to the CID agent and the brown-haired man. "This guy's our V.I.P. huh?"

The older man walked forward and offered a hand. "Thank you for coming to our rescue. My name is Roy Gramheart, a member of the republican party."


Ahaha... Yes, it has been some time. I haven't forgotten this fic, I simply had other priorities ahaha... I managed to gather the motivation again so I hope I can upload more Stained in Orange and Black. After the next chapter, we will be doing some time skips, just a fair warning there. Also, here is Rei's current Craft List. Well then, see you all at the next one!

[Rei Liafall's Crafts]

Jackknife

-A barrage of intense slashes fueled by the user's ferocity-

High Beast Bite

-Fires an energy blast akin to a wolf's howl-

[REDACTED]

-An advanced variant of War Cry. Embraces anger and bloodlust, unleashing insanity onto enemies-