As Rei descended from the sky, the white-haired "Reaper" form began to recede. The citizens of Aurion, seeing the colossal threat silenced, began to crawl out from their homes. The local Mayor—who had been hiding in a reinforced bunker—rushed toward Rei and Dell with a sycophantic smile.
"Thank you, young masters! Truly, a magnificent feat! You helped us defeat those titans!"
Rei turned his sightless gaze toward the official. "Helping you? What did you do to make you think I was 'helping' you? I saved my own skin and protected the land I intend to claim."
The Mayor paled, realizing his mistake. "You are right... forgive my rudeness."
"I have cleared the Dead Zone of titans," Rei said, his voice cold. "I want you to prepare the legal papers to transfer all of that land to my group, the Revolutionaries. Now."
"Wait!" the Mayor stammered. "The Dead Zone is massive—ten times the size of this city! We can't just hand it to one group. It should be divided for the public expansion of Aurion."
Dell stepped forward, his gauntlet humming. "And what exactly did you do to earn a single inch of that land?"
"But... the public interest—"
Rei's patience snapped. The crystal blade of his scythe expanded, the violet light casting a shadow over the entire city. "I am not donating my hard work. Either sign the transfer or prepare to see this city follow the titans into oblivion."
The surrounding citizens, terrified of the boy who had just killed mountain-sized monsters, turned on their own Mayor. "Just give him the papers!" someone shouted, punching the official in the shoulder. "Do you want us all to die for your land expansion?"
Trembling, the Mayor was forced to sign the documents. Rei added his signature and took the deed. "If I find that you've intercepted my messages or broken this pact, I will return. And you won't like the form I take."
As the black winds fully subsided, Rei's hair returned to blonde and his eyes to blue. He felt a wave of exhaustion hit him—the Reaper form had drained him. Only the passive recovery of the Chaos Scepter kept him on his feet.
At the Hunters' Tower, the staff trembled as Rei handed over the land deeds. "Send these deeds to prince Ben here is the address," Rei commanded. "And send this letter to him as well immediately."
The receptionist, sweating profusely, handed Rei a letter in return. "A... a message for you, Master Alenshade."
Rei handed the parchment to Dell, who read it aloud:
"Rei, this is Ben. I'm glad to hear you're safe. I've sent Lyla and Tenko with the Midgard Cart to Felvet Town. They'll arrive in two months. Kaiser will also be there for the Five Swords Competition. You can regroup there and take whatever supplies you need. Stay safe."
"Felvet Town it is," Rei said. "But first, we go to the inn. I need to address... her."
Back in their room, Rei leaned his scepter against the wall. "You can come out now."
The black wind swirled, and the white-haired girl manifested, floating gracefully before them. She immediately drifted toward Rei, hugging him with a happy expression.
"She really likes you," Dell noted, watching the massless entity. "She needs a name."
"How about Pandora?" Rei suggested.
"Not bad. And that form she gives you... we should call it the Reaper Form," Dell added. "What's the plan for the next two months?"
"I'm going to teach Pandora how to speak and read," Rei said. "If we're going to be partners, we need to be able to converse and maybe with this I might be able to get some information out of her"
In a neighboring city, the night was shattered by the sound of combat. Four assassins had slipped into the inn where Kaiser's party was resting. Using their dagger they went for the kill instantly but they were met with instant, lethal force. Adriel dislocated an assassin's arm and snapped his neck in one fluid motion, while Sentry used wind blasts to sent the assassin crashing out of the wall and Hella used her martial arts to sent the assassin out of the window. Meanwhile Kaiser cut the hands of the assassin and killed him by piercing his heart.
Suddenly soldiers started coming to their room armed with full body armor and the nearby corridors, "We need open space!" Kaiser yelled as soldiers flooded the corridors.
Sentry said "follow me" Sentry jumped from the window and used the wind blast to cushion his fall, similarly as Adriel and Hella jumped Sentry used wind whirlwind to cushion their fall as well and then Kaiser jumped with whirlwind and landed perfectly, but they were quickly surrounded by multiple soldiers and each of them took their sword stance where as Sentry too readied himself with sorcery
Suddenly, a rhythmic clink-clink-clink echoed through the alley. It was the sound of metal rings on a staff. The beggar they had met on the road walked calmly toward the center of the standoff.
"I order you to surrender," the beggar said, his voice soft and melodic compared to the harsh threat he was saying. "Otherwise, none of you will leave this place alive."
The soldiers roared with laughter. "A beggar telling us to surrender? Get lost, young man!"
The beggar smiled. It was a kind smile, but his eyes remained closed. He thumped his staff against the earth. The ground shattered—but only beneath the feet of the soldiers, pinning them into the cracks. Kaiser and his friends were left untouched.
The beggar raised his staff and spoke with a voice that seemed to vibrate the very air:
"Lift up your eyes, for the God of Hosts provides a path of light; let the Breath of the Almighty bring peace to the weary and establish the Divine Covenant as a blessing upon all the corners of the earth."
In an instant, the soldiers' flesh turned to shimmering gold. Before they could even scream, their bodies broke apart into flecks of divine light, vanishing into the wind.
Kaiser gripped his sword, his heart racing as he stared at the ragged man in the straw hat. This beggar... just who—or what—is he?
The man turned his sightless face toward Kaiser and offered a gentle nod.