Gontas POV:

I gazed at the mist that painted the sky red and shook my head. If I hadn’t taken precautions, I’d be in real trouble with the higher-ups.

“They really used Tengu's Breath, huh...”

I sat on the ledge of the rooftop and let out a sigh. Work in the organization was never easy. Whenever you thought things were going smoothly, you could bet a huge obstacle was heading your way.

The Ruler had dispatched a large number of Royal Guards and Shadow Guards to target our laboratories in District 3 simultaneously. He must have assumed that we had a more stable form of the KEDs, and he wanted a piece of the pie.

It was amazing, honestly. I didn’t think there still existed people who were foolish enough to actually try and double-cross us: Enigma.

We had been caught by surprise for the first couple of days, but it was time to get to work. I couldn’t let these lowlifes look down on Enigma. They needed to know their place, to know that they had been blessed with an opportunity to partner with us.

‘Oh! I better remember to not wake up the sleeping dragon.’

I flicked my hood over my head and disappeared into the red mist.

“Don’t kill him. I need him to bring me District 4’s Leader.”

I was on my way to the nearest laboratory when I overheard a conversation taking place on the street below. There were four Royal Guards standing in front of a guy with messy black hair.

‘...’

I promptly pulled out a bag of popcorn and sat on the ledge. The big guy dashed forward first. He threw a flurry of punches, but messy hair wasn’t fazed at all. He dodged them effortlessly and countered with an uppercut that sent the big man tumbling backwards.

Messy hair released his Ki and moved well. He had a good sense of awareness, moving into awkward angles that made it difficult for the three Guards to attack at the same time.

It was no surprise that he didn’t use Elemental Ki; plenty of practitioners chose not to rely on it—it was a preference thing. Besides, transmuting your Ki into your Ki Nature required a decent amount of your Ki reserves, even after achieving Nagi.

I observed him flip off the wall, then proceed to kick off the big man's back in order to get into a better position to attack the others.

‘Oh, nice. Messy hair is definitely on the level of the Guards in the mid to low 20s.’

I watched the other Guards continue their assault while the boy stood with his arms folded. He seemed to have no intention of making a move even though his comrades couldn’t hold messy hair down.

‘Ah! That’s Storm. He’s only rank 15, but messy hair can’t handle him.’

I pondered to myself while observing the fight below. Was I feeling like a villain today? Or could I afford to do one good deed? I wasn’t sure.

‘These things need careful thought.’

I stuffed a handful of popcorn into my mouth when Storm finally intervened. It wasn’t much of a fight from that point onward; Storm dismantled messy hair.

I did find it weird that he ripped out a large portion of his hair, but I found it weirder that even with so much hair removed, messy hair still looked the same.

“!”

My hand reached into the container, but there was nothing there; I had finished my popcorn faster than I anticipated. I clenched my fist in dismay as I looked at the empty container and let out a sigh.

‘Let’s save him then.’

I yawned while casually jumping down into the street below. I somehow messed up my aim and crashed on top of the big guy standing idly by.

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“Keuk!”

“Enigma!!”

Two men instantly charged towards me as I glanced at the large man I had accidentally knocked out.

“!!”

I sneezed, and their bodies dropped to the floor like a sack of potatoes. I walked past them unapologetically while smirking at Storm, who looked very displeased.

“Move aside, Storm. One good deed a day, keeps the demons at bay~ You know how the saying goes.”

I made a circular motion with my finger while envisioning it representing some sort of halo; it made me feel like I really was committing a good deed.

“You made that up.”

My eyebrows twitched slightly, but I ignored his words. I had to reign in the urge to mop the ground with the boy's face. I guess I took after Master in that regard.

“Okay~ You may be right, but you definitely do not want to fight me.”

I clapped my hands and strolled past Storm while whistling. Messy hair looked up at me weakly but didn’t say anything. I threw him over my shoulder and turned around.

‘Wait. Wasn’t I supposed to be teaching these Royal Guards a lesson?’

I guess there wasn’t a need for me to hold back to such an extent in the first place; I should have killed them with that sneeze.

I clicked my tongue and glanced back at Storm out of the corner of my eye.

“Count yourself lucky, Storm. If it wasn’t for messy hair, I would have killed you all.”

“...”

I bent my legs and shot into the red sky above. Now that my good deed was complete, I needed to get rid of this dead weight.

‘I’ve wasted too much time.’

I picked a direction, and a shockwave of air erupted around my arm as I launched messy hair into the distance.

‘If he doesn’t die from that, at least he’ll be near the end of Tengu’s Breath.’

I shrugged my shoulders and switched gears while the ends of my black hooded cloak flapped gently.

“Time to work.”

I narrowed my eyes, and the air shook around me. I shot forward like a rocket as I headed towards the nearest laboratory.

***

Gunnar POV:

I tore through the red mist at a frightening speed. My head throbbed as I struggled to stay conscious from the sheer force of his throw. The wind ripped away at my skin, tearing open dozens of new wounds while my acceleration only increased. The only thing I knew was that man from Enigma... He was far... far above Storm in every single aspect.

“Heuk...!”

A pained moan escaped my mouth as the wind slapped against my face repeatedly. I had no choice but to be grateful that he had jumped in to save me from a further beating. Thanks to his interference, there was now a better chance for me to save Ven and the others; unless they had already escaped. But from the way Storm spoke, that didn’t seem to be the case.

I had left my original hiding place because the battle was becoming more and more intense. In an effort to join up with the others, I came across the same group of Royal Guards I had distracted earlier.

I wanted to blow it off as a coincidence, but it clearly wasn’t one. Storm had his eyes on me from the moment I called their King, 'Ruler'—that didn't sit well with him.

The red mist became thinner as my descent finally began. I bounced off the top of a few rooftops before finally rolling to a stop a few meters away from the mist's boundary.

“Ugh...”

My knees buckled, and my limbs trembled all over as I attempted to get back to my feet. I had no time to waste. I needed to report back to the District Leader as soon as possible.

“Come on... Move...!”

My legs finally responded to my will, and I dragged my sluggish body to the edge of the rooftop. I mustered up what little Ki I had left, which slightly alleviated the heaviness that weighed over me.

I kicked off the ledge, barely making it to the other building as I rolled to carry over my momentum. My slow steps gradually turned into a jog, then a sprint. I began to adjust to the damage I had taken, enabling me to conserve more energy by moving in a more efficient way.

‘Ven...’

I ignored the rising concern stabbing away at my heart. She was my number one priority, but even if I went back, what could I do in this state? Not to mention that before that Enigma guy showed up, Storm said he wouldn’t kill any of them.

I didn’t trust his words. Who would? But at the same time, I wasn’t in a position, nor did I have the power to go against him. I clenched my teeth in frustration while I darted across the rooftops.

‘The District Leader... He can handle Storm.’

Everyone in District 4 knew how strong our Leader was. It was one of the many reasons why the average resident felt at ease. I had learnt from him and grew a lot by following his instructions. He was a Leader that I would lay down my life for.

“!”

A number of Blood Hounds looting the local shops in the outer parts of District 3 abruptly entered my vision. They had already caused a mess on the inner side, but they still weren’t satisfied.

I watched them slap an elderly woman into a building wall. She collapsed to the ground from the blow as blood seeped out from an open wound on her head.

‘...’

I bit my quivering lip hard enough to burst the fleshy fold. Blood trickled down my chin as I peeled my eyes away and continued onwards. I calmed my beating heart by clenching my fists tightly.

‘Hold on a little longer, guys.’

My speed had increased dramatically, and the boundary between District 3 & 4 soon came into view. Once I crossed past it, I’d need to find the District Leader.

I was almost there.

I made it into District 4, and two Watchers near the border immediately appeared by my side.

“Gunnar! Who did this to you?”

“To be injured this badly. Is the situation in District 3 that dire?”

I shook my head. Now wasn’t the time for small talk.

“I’ll tell you the details later. Where’s the District Leader?”

“Main building, top floor.”

I thanked Jess and Miles for their assistance. I used everything I had left and accelerated forward.

‘Wait for me, Ven.’