Amid the storm's fury, Demurc stood unmoved.
A faint whizz cut through the rain, fast and precise.
clang.
In a flash, A chain erupted from his orb, deflecting the projectile.
"Ability to shoot projectiles at high speed and agile movement," Demurc muttered, eyes tracking the Devil's shifting silhouette.
He exhaled softly. "There's nothing more to it, just a common ability for a Tier Five Devil." With that, Demurc tightened his grip. It was time to wrap things up.
A chain shot forward, slicing through the air as it aimed for the Devil. It stretched with violent speed, but the creature dodged, leaping to the side.
The chain slammed into a wrecked vehicle, metal groaning as it tore through steel.
The Devil roared, its voice echoing through the storm. It lunged toward Demurc, It's claws outstretched, eyes blazing with bloodlust.
But before it could reach him—
Crack!
A chain shot through the devil's back, bursting from its chest. The creature froze mid-air, eyes wide, Demurc flicked his hand. The chain twisted mid-air, reversing direction, and hurled the devil's body like a ragdoll, smashing it into the concrete wall with a loud crack.
Demurc retracted the chain and approached the fallen devil. Its body lay stiff, steam rising faintly from the gaping wound. He touched his earpiece, connecting to the NEUS command center.
"The target has been eliminated. Deploy the recovery unit," he ordered.
Turning back, his gaze settled on the captain who was still kneeling in the rain, drenched. Demurc sighed softly and began walking toward him, each step splashed against the wet pavement.
Demurc stopped beside the kneeling captain and gave his back a firm pat.
"Don't blame yourself too much," he said quietly before turning away, heading for cover beneath the shattered remains of a nearby structure.
Moments later, the distant hum of engines grew louder. Several armored vehicles arrived, their lights cutting through the rain. The recovery unit moved quickly, collecting the lifeless bodies of the fallen soldiers and securing the area.
Two medics approached the captain who was still dazed and remained unmoving. They spoke gently, performing first aid and trying to bring him back to his senses as the storm finally began to ease.
Without taking another glance at the scene, Demurc entered the vehicle. "Move out," he ordered and they drove toward headquarters, leaving the scene first.
A few hours later, inside the Warden's chamber. A knock came from the other side of the door.
"Come in," the Warden said, his voice edged with fatigue. He sat behind his long desk, papers and classified files spread across its surface in organized chaos.
The door slid open, and in walked Alice, the same woman who had reported to him earlier. The New head of the NEUS Command Centre carried herself with a composed yet firm air. Each step she took across the floor came with a sharp tap of her boots, cutting through the quiet of the room.
She handed the paper files to Demurc and stood silently before his desk.
The Warden flipped through each page, his sharp eyes scanning the contents, absorbing every crucial detail. The quiet hum of the room filled the air until Alice finally broke the silence.
"Strange encounters have been happening lately," she said, her voice steady but low. "Our patrol squads keep running into stronger Devils, ones that shouldn't even be near the outer sectors."
Atarask, a vast region composed of several cities, is divided into two Zones: the Inner Zones and the Outer Zones. At its heart lie two central cities, the site where the Oddity is believed to have fallen. These cities hold the highest danger ratings, with only a selected few of NEUS's elite Bearers recorded to have entered. Surrounding them are multiple other cities of the Outer Zones, safer by comparison yet still plagued by the lingering effects of the catastrophe.
"We've already confirmed three separate cases in the past week alone. Including the one from earlier," she added. "The Fifth and Sixth Squads, both composed of new recruits, were assigned to patrol the outer sectors of Atarask. Yet they had encountered with a Tier Five Devil, which should only appear much deeper toward the outer zones."
Zekil City, one of the outer-zone cities, had become the epicenter of a string of unusual incidents, including the one that had just unfolded.
What Alice reported was already detailed in the documents before him. Demurc scanned the lines in silence, deep in thought. "The captain of the Fifth Squad… Adam," he muttered, eyes pausing on the name listed as the sole survivor.
He looked up from the report. "How is he?" Demurc asked.
"He's currently under isolation and undergoing a mandatory psychological assessment," Alice said. "Until the evaluation is complete, he's suspended from duty."
"I see," Demurc replied, closing the file.
"What about the deceased? When will the funeral be held?" Demurc asked.
"It will be held in two days," Alice replied after a brief pause. "As for their families… they've already been informed and compensated."
"The Devil, did you uncover its identity?"
Demurc asked.
"Yes, Warden. Her name was Ara, a Tier Five Bearer who was previously active and sighted during searches in Atarask," Alice answered.
"Alright, you may go," Demurc said, rising from his chair and stretching slightly.
He looked to Alice before she headed out. "Report to me immediately if anything unusual occurs in Atarask."
Alice gave a firm nod and left the room. Demurc leaned back in his chair with a weary sigh. His fingers drummed absently on the table, his thoughts drifting in silence.
After a brief pause, Demurc resumed skimming through the stack of files on his desk. One in particular caught his attention, a locked folder. He unsealed it, revealing a profile on the first page.
[CLASSIFIED – BEARER PROFILE]
File No. 05-1A
Name: Cecile Hathaway
Codename: Illusia
Age: 24
Sex: Female
Height: 163 cm (5'4")
Weight: 52 kg
Classification: Tier 5 Bearer
Status: Contained
Description:
Subject possesses medium-length light-blue hair and blue eyes. Physically appears in good health and displays no visible corruption.
Ability:
Cognitive Distortion, induces controlled hallucinations within a limited radius, approximately 10 meters. Victims experience auditory and visual disorientation, often perceiving illusions crafted from their memories or fears.
Capture Record:
Apprehended during patrol, Containment successfully executed by Warden Demurc after an hour of pursuit through Atarask's outer district, Zekil City. Subject offered no verbal resistance but displayed signs of psychological instability.
"Cecile Hathaway," Demurc muttered. She was the first Bearer captured since the formation of NEUS, she was contained only a week ago. Within that short time, she had already shown signs of losing control twice.
The first incident occurred a day after her capture, when the Oddity inside her began to spiral and her mental state showing violent tendencies. "The second was just earlier today..."
Subject's deterioration was temporarily stabilized through the Warden's intervention, stopping Cecile's transformation into a Devil.
One of Demurc's ability allowed him to sense when a certain Bearer was nearing the brink of losing control, when their oddity and mental state began to spiral. To stabilize them, he had to engage in direct physical contact, through intercourse, to calm the Oddity's influence and restore their balance.