001 The Imitator.
002 The Deep One.
004 The Queen Bee.
009 The Splitter.
These four figures had been successfully captured and brought to the Kitsune headquarters, each a testament to the organization's prowess. Yet, the attempts to capture 005 The Metallomorph and 003 The Hollow had faltered. The Hollow remained elusive, his whereabouts a mystery, while the Metallomorph slipped away simply because Kitsune had not acted swiftly enough.
In the wake of these failures, 005's danger level had escalated, a reflection of the threat he posed. Kitsune categorized threats into seven distinct levels:
D (No danger)
C (Somewhat dangerous, but not harmful)
B (Can hurt people)
A (Can kill)
S (Killing is as easy as drinking water)
RS (Extremely dangerous, on par with an entire army)
RT (Can destroy humanity)
RZ (Can destroy planets)
The highest recorded threat level was RT, assigned to 007 The Siren—the only entity classified at this tier. Even the deceased 006 Fateweaver fell into the RS category. Most remaining entities hovered between A and RS, with 003 The Hollow deemed the lowest threat at A.
Kitsune's ranks reflected a similar hierarchy, spanning from D to A. Those at D level had no rights, often contaminated or executed criminals, existing on par with lab rats. C-level employees were everyday citizens with minimal authority, limited to basic tasks.
B-level employees split into two categories: logistics staff and field suppression personnel, akin to the soldiers that had once flooded the battlefield.
A-level employees included senior officials and containment experts wielding extraordinary abilities. Currently, only six A-level experts served within Kitsune:
Spider, master of high-viscosity silk.
Shadow, capable of manipulating shadows to strike.
Eyes of the Future, able to foresee and alter imminent events.
Spiritualist, who could turn his body into nothingness.
These four had successfully apprehended 001, 002, 004, and 009. The remaining two possessed unique talents.
Gluttony, tasked with capturing 005 The Metallomorph, could consume any object and bond with it. Meanwhile, Cobra, responsible for capturing 003 The Hollow, could conjure a serpent that paralyzed its target with a bite. Despite scouring Beiling, Cobra had been unable to locate the Hollow.
All six A-level agents had been injected with a serum derived from 002 The Deep One, extracted from Fish-Man cells to enhance their physical capabilities. However, this enhancement came with a significant downside: a relentless thirst. Once injected, their bodies craved water with alarming urgency, particularly during combat, where they could succumb to dehydration within mere minutes—a dilemma yet unresolved.
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...
Han Verte stumbled through the narrow alley, his skin marred by patches of burns. The sun had been merciless, its ultraviolet rays searing into his flesh as he sought refuge, leaving him in agony.
"Damn it," Han spat, the pain evident in his voice. "Lord Aurora… dead at the hands of those Kitsune." He cursed under his breath, each word a reminder of his isolation. "Everyone else… no word from them. Captured by Kitsune. Without Aurora, it's just a matter of time before they come for me too."
He leaned heavily against the wall, his breath ragged, the sweat that dripped from his brow stinging the wounds that marred his body. The thought of 005 The Metallomorph brought a flicker of hope, but also frustration. Where could he even begin to find him?
"I need him… only chance I've got," Han muttered, the exhaustion overwhelming him. He slumped forward, hitting the ground face-first. His vision blurred as unconsciousness claimed him.
Moments later, a tear in the fabric of reality opened nearby, splitting the air in front of Han. Out stepped a woman, her presence shifting the very air around her. She glanced down at Han, her gaze indifferent as she pulled a small bottle of Potion from the rift.
"To think you've been pushed to this state," Mei said to herself, examining the Potion idly. "It seems I've underestimated the Kitsune... 001, 002, 004—captured."
She sighed, but the matter felt insignificant to her. Their fates were of little consequence. They were expendable, merely cogs in the greater machinery of her plans. However, 009 Splitter—his capture was a different story entirely.
"Splitter… now he's a problem," she murmured, twirling the Potion between her fingers. "That fool is a time bomb. Who knows what could fall out of him next? A God-Killing Sword, perhaps?" Her lips curled into a wry smile. That would be an issue indeed.
The God-Killing Sword was a theory Mei had once entertained—a blade capable of delivering an absolute, final death, even to immortals. It was a dangerous concept, one she had toyed with before, leading her to create the Swordsmith Potion. The experiment had failed, but her mind had never abandoned the idea.
It wasn't that she feared Splitter directly, but his unpredictability—especially in the hands of the Kitsune—posed a significant risk. She had no intention of rescuing him. That would be too much trouble, and besides, she had the ingredients to create another 009. But leaving him in Kitsune's grasp? That was out of the question. Better to have someone eliminate him than deal with the mess he might cause.
Mei knelt down, holding the Potion before her. "I wonder if this will work," she mused aloud, though the outcome seemed irrelevant. She tossed the bottle onto the ground beside Han without a second glance.
Her decision was made. As the Potion shimmered on the ground, Mei turned and stepped back into the rift, disappearing without a trace, leaving Han alone in the alley with whatever fate the Potion might bring.
...
Night had draped the city in darkness by the time Han regained consciousness. The cool air bit at his exposed skin, but something else caught his attention—a small bottle of Potion lying at his feet. Beneath it, a white sheet of paper was pressed flat against the ground.
Groggy and disoriented, Han picked up the bottle first, examining the faint shimmer of its contents. Then, with a trembling hand, he unfolded the note. Two short sentences stared back at him, ink sharp against the paper:
"Kill 009.
—Aurora."
For a moment, Han's breath caught in his throat. He blinked, stunned by the signature at the bottom.
"Lord Aurora?!" His voice wavered with disbelief. "She's… alive?"
His eyes darted around the shadowy alley, scanning for any sign of her presence. But there was no one, only silence. The city seemed to hold its breath, as if waiting for his next move.
"Of course…" Han whispered, a slow grin spreading across his face. "How could she have died? The Lord must have ascended—reached a new level beyond what any of us could understand."
With renewed confidence, Han clutched the Potion tighter. The idea of Aurora's survival filled him with a strange sense of invincibility. If she lived, then hope remained.
Without hesitation, he uncorked the bottle and drank. The liquid slid down his throat with an unnatural smoothness, and for a brief moment, he braced for the pain or disfigurement that so often accompanied the cursed concoctions of their world. But none came. No agony, no mutations, just… a strange lightness in his body, a sensation as if his flesh had become more pliable, more fluid.
The Mirror Devil Potion had taken effect.
Mei's craft was impeccable. There was no trace of immortality in this one, no signature trait that would make Han invincible. She had long abandoned the pursuit of eternal life, understanding the folly of it. Immortal beings, like 009 Splitter, posed too great a risk if captured. And killing them… well, that was another problem entirely.