Despite its battle with the spirit and its severe injuries, the Crimson Bloodhound seemed to not have forgotten its master's hatred against Arai.

With its delicate paws, the smaller blood beast walked toward the crimson dog, clinging to its leg like a small cat before merging back into an arm.

The Crimson Bloodhound sniffed the air, its nose twitching. Suddenly, it stopped, raised its head, and growled fiercely.

"KWANG!"

At that moment, a black chain exploded from the ceiling, coiling tightly around Crimson Bloodhound's neck. It bound its limbs and pinned it to the ground.

The chain was pitch-black and spiked all over. Its ends were tipped with sharp blades that restrained its legs.

"Sha!!"

Three figures wearing black coats, hoods, and masks descended from the ceiling. In the darkness, they were barely visible, appearing like ghosts.

The Law Enforcers had arrived!

Clayton scanned the room, his sharp gaze sweeping across every corner. Although the room was dark, this level of darkness could not obscure his vision. He could see as clearly as daylight—perhaps even better.

His eyes fell on Arai before moving toward the warlock and the crimson dog.

"The warlock has been located—authorization granted to use the artifact [Beast Hunter]."

"Commencing purification of the warlock. Details will be included in the report."

Clayton spoke in an emotionless tone, sounding almost mechanical.

"Soo…"

A white light illuminated the bracelet on Clayton's wrist, and a clicking sound emerged from his belt as something ascended. Slowly, he reached for his holster and drew out a long-barreled black firearm. It appeared to be crafted from a mix of solid black metal and gold. The barrel was engraved with countless magical circles.

The weapon's body bore deeply carved, dark runes.

The weapon emitted a dark and ominous aura, strong enough to terrify any ordinary human to death.

"Kaiser, rescue the children."

"Trud, clean up the mess and investigate the area."

After issuing his orders, Clayton raised his weapon, aiming it at the Crimson Bloodhound's head. The dog, sensing danger, struggled fiercely, but the chains held it firmly in place, leaving no room for movement. It growled and whimpered.

Clayton began reciting a lengthy incantation in an unfamiliar language. With each word, his firearm glowed with a dark golden hue and a magic circle formed at the barrel's mouth.

Another magic circle appeared above the crimson dog's head, resembling a targeting reticle.

The golden magic circle expanded outward from the barrel.

At the same time, Clayton locked eyes with the Crimson Bloodhound.

[First Shot – Eternal Salvation!]

"BANG!!"

The weapon unleashed a deafening blast. A silver bullet streaked through the air, wreathed in a majestic aura and a black specter. The bullet burrowed deeply into the crimson dog's head, leaving a hole the size of an arm.

Had Arai been awake to witness this scene, he would have been utterly shocked.

In fact, the shot carried the force of artillery fire—perhaps even greater!

[Second Shot – The Reaper!]

"BANG!!"

As the bullet entered the air, it was enveloped by the apparition of a massive black dog with enormous fangs. The dog howled fiercely, shaking the room violently. Its golden eyes burned with a deadly, rage-filled glow, and it bared its teeth, ready to devour its target.

"BOOM!"

The bullet pierced through the crimson dog's head, producing an explosive sound. The crimson dog's head disintegrated as if bitten by a colossal maw. The bullet carved a large hole in the wall, shaking the cave violently.

"Woosh!"

As the Crimson Bloodhound's body trembled, it began liquefying at a visible rate. The sticky red liquid vanished as it dripped onto the ground. In the end, only the body of a small child remained, covered in numerous red birthmarks spread across his skin.

"Trud, give the child a proper burial and send compensation to his family," Clayton said in a low voice. He turned his head toward the fallen warlock lying on the ground.

He raised his firearm, aiming it at warlock Yut's head. His finger touched the trigger and pulled it slightly but stopped without firing.

Due to the previous two shots, his hand felt numb. Using an additional shot might shatter the bones in his arm. The recoil was too strong for even his enhanced arm to withstand.

Clayton narrowed his eyes, staring at the warlock again. He noticed something and muttered, "This… a vampire? No…"

He lowered his firearm, returning it to the holster on his belt, and pointed his finger at the warlock. "Vincula—devour!"

Like a ravenous beast, black chains shot out from his hood, lunging at the warlock's body and beginning to consume him savagely.

"Crack-crack…!!"

The sound of chewing and clashing teeth was deafening, like the shattering of dozens of glass bottles at once. Yet Clayton seemed unfazed, his expression remaining unchanged.

"Hus? What's—Aghhhh—!"

The warlock woke suddenly but had no chance to resist or comprehend what was happening to him before being mercilessly devoured.

"Ughhh…" In the end, the ravenous chains let out a satisfied belch, retreating into Clayton's hood.

Thus, a warlock at the early four rank was consumed.

As the chains returned to his hood, Clayton's eyes briefly glowed with a blood-red light. He began to mutter, "Dampir… the Tome of the Darkos Ancestors…"

'What could bring a four rank dhampir to these isles? How did he even reach the four rank?' He felt perplexed. As a five rank Law Enforcer, Clayton held a position just below the Tower Master, granting him access to a wealth of classified information.

Perhaps no one knew these isles better than he did.

Under an ancient treaty, all non-human races were forbidden from entering these isles. Even hybrids were not exempt from this rule. And yet, here was a dhampir—not only present but also at four rank? Clayton felt a deep sense of suspicion and unease.

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

"Unless someone aided him…"

A figure came to Clayton's mind, but at that moment, a chilling sense of danger washed over him, as if death itself was looming.

Clayton felt his soul scream, his hair standing on end!

Trusting his instincts, he shouted without hesitation in an unfamiliar language, "Vincula—Shield!"

Black chains with spiked ends shot out from his hood, wrapping around his body and forming a sturdy, impregnable cocoon.

"BOOM!!"

A purple light appeared from the void, striking Clayton's cocoon and blasting it away.

The purple light was searingly hot, burning the ground beneath Clayton and melting the walls. Even the solid rocks began to liquefy. The black chains warped, glowing red-hot before turning to molten slag in an instant. The ceiling began to melt, and the room temperature rose rapidly.

Clayton paid no attention to his injuries or the molten remnants of Vincula. His sense of danger had not subsided.

He shouted once more, "Vincula—Shield!"

"BOOM!!"

This time, Vincula burned intensely. The black chains screamed, consumed by the purple flames.

The left half of Clayton's body suffered severe burns. His uniform disintegrated, and his flesh sizzled and crackled.

"Cough… cough…"

Clayton coughed up blood. He raised his head, cautiously looking toward the smoke ahead.

"Hmm, you used two of the six bullets of [Beast Hunter] earlier, didn't you?"

"Terrifying… Unfortunately, I'm not a warlock; otherwise, I'd have liked the honor of challenging such a 1 grade artifact."

From within the smoke, a man wearing a white coat and a long scarf emerged. Every piece of his clothing was a pure, pristine white, with a multicolored insignia forming a shining star emblem on the back.

His features were strikingly handsome. His nose was sharp, and his crimson eyes resembled the moon in the night sky. He appeared relatively young.

His hair was dyed purple, and tied into a short ponytail at the back of his head.

In both hands, he held two children—the purple-haired children.

The language he spoke was not the Zadaka language, yet Clayton understood him without issue.

Clayton didn't ask any questions. He retracted Vincula into his hood and leaped backward, assuming a defensive stance. At the same time, Kaiser and Trud returned swiftly, carrying three children and a black book.

"You managed to deflect my strike without prior warning! Your reflexes are sharp, which means you've had plenty of experience. Add to that Vincula... Hmm? Are you this branch leader? No, I don't think so. Araton was the last time I came here. Are you a candidate for the position? Yes, that makes more sense; otherwise, you wouldn't have it."

Clayton remained silent. His instincts warned him that even the slightest wrong move could turn him into molten slags, like the walls behind him.

He felt fear... a primal fear born of his instincts!

Seeing Clayton's silence, the man with purple hair chuckled softly.

"Anyway, the previous two strikes were my punishment for you all. You were late in rescuing my children! Go and summon the branch leader! I demand compensation!"

"I can't believe a four rank warlock was roaming freely, even managing to kidnap seven children near a Truth Court tower! If word of this spreads, your reputation will be in ruins!" The man with purple hair smiled but then spoke sternly: "The main tower wouldn't hesitate to dismantle this branch if they heard about it."

Though his tone seemed strict, it carried an air of playful teasing, as if joking with old friends.

However, his words were venomous to the tower's members.

Clayton didn't respond. The lingering sense of danger prevented him from making a move, so he chose to listen to this mysterious figure despite his provocations. Staying calm and thinking rationally was vital in such situations.

But the same couldn't be said for Kaiser and Trud.

"Who are you?" Trud asked with a frown.

The man with purple hair ignored the question and, with a smirk, said, "You know, I saw quite a show earlier."

"Do you want to know what happened? Sure, I don't mind telling you."

Without waiting for their response or permission, the man began recounting the events with apparent enjoyment:

"While wandering through a nearby city with my children, I got distracted for a sec, and the warlock kidnapped them. I was able to locate them within a moment, but I didn't rescue them. It was a perfect opportunity for them to experience the harshness of life. As their father, I can't always watch over them, can I?"

"I hid and decided to observe what would happen. If things became too dangerous, I'd intervene. I thought they might grow from the experience, but alas, what a disappointment! Who would've thought they'd just rely on me? And worse, they waited for me to save them instead of taking action themselves! Such a waste! I taught them how to survive in such situations, the principles and rules to rely on, and yet... Tsk tsk."

"Anyway, the little Sun kid put on a good performance. Oh..." He paused, then pointed at Arai, who was slung over Trud's shoulder. "That blonde boy is the Sun kid."

"At first, I was surprised he'd been kidnapped too. But I decided to see how he'd handle the situation. To my surprise, when he woke up, he didn't panic or show fear. Instead, he calmly assessed his condition and approached the situation with precision."

"Trud, Kaiser, leave!" Clayton murmured, and both vanished like smoke.

"His mental fortitude is commendable."

"At first, he seemed like he was waiting for someone to rescue him, just like the other children. But after one of them was killed, he became serious and decided to rely on himself. Analyzing the warlock's weaknesses, he crafted a brilliant plan, attacking from two angles, even burning the warlock as a precaution! And he wasn't even at the first rank at the time!" The man with purple hair clapped his hands, clearly amused.

Upon hearing the phrase one of the children was killed, and a faint frown formed beneath Clayton's mask.

Ignoring this, the man continued, "Unfortunately for him, this warlock wasn't ordinary; he was a dhampir. To kill him, one must either decapitate him or burn him entirely. Otherwise, his regenerative abilities, coupled with consuming the children's blood, were enough to bring him back."

"The Sun kid didn't know this, so he thought the dhampir was dead after piercing his throat and gut."

"He was blasted away but possessed a defensive magical artifact that activated just in time. Realizing the dhampir wasn't dead, the Child of the Sun panicked. Yet, he didn't lose his composure and acted swiftly to attempt another kill."

"The Sun kid is decisive! When my disappointing son refused to participate in his plan, he didn't try to convince him further and abandoned him without hesitation. Oh, that cold glint in his eyes—I was sure he'd threaten my children with death if things got desperate! Well, I'd have slapped him if he did."

"I don't know his connection to that little demon, but when he saw her injured state, he nearly left her behind because she was a burden! Naturally, leaving her would've been the most logical choice. Afterward, it seemed like he wrestled with an intense inner conflict before deciding to return and try to save her with his life."

"He changed a lot within a few minutes! The funniest thing is, that he only reached one rank after resolving that inner conflict.

"The little demon is also intriguing; at her age she can use the aura! Although it is an impossible feat for a demon, the world is full of miracles, isn't it? She’s an eight‐year‐old girl who managed to use the sword aura... I think this might interest even Rival."

'The sword aura? A demon?' muttered Clayton, looking shocked.

"Unfortunately, this boy suffers from a great lack of experience, otherwise, he could have killed the warlock long ago. He had been extremely cautious, which caused him to limit himself and his abilities. He can’t be blamed—he’s still a child, and such caution is a good thing as well."

'That sorcerer, although he is of the four rank, was very weak; even a mere beginner in the second or first rank, if well-trained, could kill him with ease! He didn’t possess many spells, nor he didn't have any offensive or defensive techniques befitting his status as a fourth-rank. This means he is a lone sorcerer who does not belong to any organization. He must have devoured many children to reach this level, and being Dambeer, that was enough for him to break through even to the fourth rank indeed.'

"That girl had summoned a spirit from the Spirits Realm, through a magical tool; I had to delay that spirit myself so that the performance wouldn’t be ruined—I did not allow her to release it until the situation had become as dire as possible."

"I suppose you know the rest of the story, don’t you?" he smiled.

This man was completely aware of every detail of what had happened—he had even participated in the situation. And throughout all this time, not even the fourth-rank sorcerer sensed him! No, had he not initiated the attack on Clayton, Clayton wouldn’t have known of his presence at all.

No one had sensed him from the beginning.

He paused from speaking for a moment, looked at Clayton, and asked suspiciously, "I’m curious, so I must ask: How did Dhambir manage to enter this area? This violates the Artemis Treaty, doesn’t it? That old woman will rise from her grave if she learns of your shortcomings in this matter."

"Also, is it fine not to hold the demon? Don’t pretend that you don’t know her identity, for it is obvious…"

He looked at Clayton with a deep gaze.

"The presence of the warlock here was due to a lack of oversight on our part. We will make sure to compensate those affected in this case."

Clayton paused briefly, then added: "As for the girl... her identity or what she may have used is not important. We are in the Truth Court; our mission is to purge the world of warlocks and uncover its secrets. Apart from that, nothing else is our concern."

"I thought so. I don’t care either way, but 'those' will not sit idly by." The man with violet hair laughed and said nonchalantly, "They certainly felt a hint from the girl’s previous sword strike; they will undoubtedly send someone soon."

Clayton looked at Arai, who was unconscious and felt some pity.

The little boy did not know what awaited him.

"If this happens, so be it; it’s not as if this family can stop it."

"You are right," the man nodded in agreement, "but if this happens, I will take care of the boy, the Son of the Sun—after all, I have some kind of special relationship with him."

"Do as you wish, it is none of my concern." Clayton turned around; he was about to leave but was stopped by the voice of the violet-haired man.

"Anyway, I haven’t forgotten yet—I still want compensation! Go and summon the leader of this branch for me." A playful smile appeared on his face, and he laughed lightly, "Oh, if he refuses to come out, just tell him that the Arcana Spectres Master..."

"...Persieus is demanding compensation!"

Clayton shuddered.