Anastasia stared in shock down the length of the dark alley. Despite that, she couldn't spot any trace of Takeshi. She lowered her gaze and noticed faint cracks in the ground and scattered dust.
She raised her head sharply and caught sight of a swift shadow climbing over the adjacent building.
'Did he take advantage of my blind spot and jump upward?'
She turned toward the nearby officers and shouted:
"Five of you—follow me, now!"
That fast-moving shadow was indeed Takeshi. He dashed across the rooftops under the moonlight without hesitation.
'I need to head to the hospital immediately to meet Lauren—'
His thoughts were cut short when a nearly transparent arrow grazed his cheek. He turned instantly and saw a woman holding a large black bow engraved with strange symbols.
She glared at him sharply and said in a faint voice, barely audible:
"I've seen your face."
She raised her hand, grabbed the air itself, and pulled—condensing it into a translucent arrow. Placing it on the bow, she drew it back and said:
"Second-rank police officers possess abilities that set them apart. With this power, I'll pierce your heart."
She released the arrow. It shot forward with lightning speed. Takeshi twisted and caught it with his uninjured hand, but the friction tore into his skin and knocked him off balance, sending him crashing down.
"Where did she get this kind of power?"
He glanced down from the rooftop to see five police officers staring up at him. They could barely make out his face.
At that moment, Takeshi leapt behind a tiled rooftop and took cover.
'Damn it… she saw my face. Do I have to eliminate her?'
He grabbed a roof tile and hurled it upward. A transparent arrow pierced straight through its center before vanishing into thin air. Takeshi looked at the hand that had caught the arrow earlier—there was nothing there.
Why is killing always the first thing that comes to my mind?
Using the bow's recharge time, Takeshi jumped off the tiled roof and slipped into an empty alley. At the same moment, the five officers rushed into the alley—and the first thing they saw was someone charging straight at them.
It was Takeshi. He raised his fist and punched the leading officer with crushing force, sending him flying into the others. He grabbed the same man again by his shirt.
When Takeshi briefly lifted his gaze, he saw Anastasia aiming her bow directly at him.
"This is the end for you, you lying rat!"
She released the bowstring. The arrow shot straight toward Takeshi's head. He knew—there was no time to dodge.
No other choice!
Takeshi yanked the officer he was holding in front of him. The arrow pierced straight through the man's head and dissipated into the air, killing him instantly.
Takeshi hurled the corpse aside, sprinted forward, leapt over the remaining officers, and ran toward the massive crowd to blend in.
Anastasia lost control. She clenched her teeth, furrowed her brows, raised her hand to the sky, and pulled down three air-forged arrows at once, setting them onto her bow.
"I won't let you escape!"
She fired. The arrows aimed directly for Takeshi's back—specifically his spinal cord. But tongues of flame erupted in their path and incinerated them instantly.
"What…?"
Takeshi disappeared into the sea of people.
"Who gave you permission to attack my deputy?"
Rick Ziffer appeared beside Anastasia. His eyes burned with rage, and his hands were literally engulfed in flames. Anastasia found herself speechless—she had killed a fellow officer with her own hands and realized she had attacked the deputy of Rick Ziffer himself.
"I'm sorry…"
"And what good is your apology to me?"
An orange aura enveloped Ziffer, radiating overwhelming heat and crushing pressure. He spoke coldly:
"What you must do is acknowledge your grave mistake and recklessness—and make amends for it. Will you swear that you will do so?"
Anastasia looked down at the officers below her—and at the one she had just killed—listening to their panicked shouts.
"Hey! Wake up!"
"What happened?!"
"Look at his head!"
Her trembling eyes closed.
"I… swear."
***
[Minutes after the chase]
Lauren exited the hospital Takeshi and Koji had visited earlier. Exhaustion from a long, brutal day was etched clearly across her face. As she lifted her eyes, she saw someone heading toward the hospital—or so she thought, until she recognized him.
"Isn't that Takeshi?"
The moment Takeshi saw Lauren at the hospital gate, he quickened his pace and walked straight toward her.
"Hey, Takeshi—"
He cut her off the instant he stopped in front of her.
"Sorry for coming this late, but did you finish my request?"
That morning, Takeshi had asked Lauren for two things. The first was to lend him some money—which he hadn't used for anything, nor had it satisfied his hunger. The second request was the one he was asking about now.
Lauren replied,
"I'll finish it tomorrow morning when I come back—"
"I need it now."
Takeshi turned to leave, raising his hand as he said:
"I'll be in the abandoned building district. Just come there once you're done—and sorry for the trouble!"
Takeshi vanished from Lauren's sight. She turned back toward the hospital with sluggish steps, forcing herself to move.
Takeshi knew almost nothing about the abandoned building district—neither its exact location nor layout—so he had no choice but to return to the crowded streets to ask someone.
As he entered one of the packed streets, his eyes caught a familiar cart carrying familiar goods.
"Isn't that Sota's cart?"
He moved closer—and before reaching it, he saw Scorpion as usual, shouting above Sota's head.
"That bastard…"
Takeshi stayed where he was, waiting until Scorpion left. Then he approached Sota.
Standing in front of him and blocking the light, Takeshi said:
"Hey, Sota."
Sota looked up, recognized Takeshi, stood up, and extended his hand.
"Welcome, Takeshi! I suppose you're here to buy some high-quality hay!"
Takeshi smiled faintly, thinking:
So that's why that bastard is here…
Thanks to Scorpion's reputation, Sota had already sold a large portion of his goods. Takeshi scratched the back of his head.
"No, not that. I just wanted to ask you something—"
Sota sat down on his chair and said:
"By the way, I wanted to ask you about Isosha and how he's doing…"
Takeshi's faint smile vanished.
'He means Orfin…'
***
At the same time, within the Great Pine Forest, a man cloaked in a black robe that concealed his entire body walked through an isolated clearing away from the towering trees. Moonlight barely touched his face—it was the old man, Orfin.
After several minutes of walking, Orfin reached a vast cemetery—crow-infested, filled with fragile graves resting upon fertile soil. He entered and walked until he reached a grave that stood intact, unlike the rest.
The name engraved upon it read: Lyra Forden.
He knelt before the grave, pulled an old, withered bouquet of flowers from beneath his cloak, and placed it down gently.
"I've found him, Lyra. I will fulfill his father's wish… and make him strong."