Like a true hunter after her prey, Rin Yuang was seen this way. Running tirelessly after criminals.
Her legs bounced between the structures of the Infernal Inferius, trying to hit a man in non-fatal areas with her pistol.
The criminal used fire magic to try to distract or burn her, but stopping a dedicated investigator was impossible.
He was quickly detained and handed over to the police.
Rinoto Kyouri took notes, offering praise that seemed worth all the effort the dedicated woman had put in.
Roger seemed to observe silently, returning to his work, without congratulating or apologizing for his previous actions.
Late in the afternoon, Rin Yuang sat on a swing in a playground, almost nostalgic.
Swinging and swinging... that moment reminded her of her childhood, of her mother, so gentle, pushing her gently. Her father was just waiting for her to jump and fall into his strong, protective arms.
"..."
The sigh escaped her lips with great melancholy. Not wanting to remember her past anymore, Rin Yuang simply got up from the swing, running her hands through the chains that held her.
"I miss you all so much..."
Arriving home, Rin Yuang put away her pistols, untied her hair, removed her clothes, and went to take a shower.
The hot water was like a balm to her weary soul. The soap was like a purifier, eliminating all the negative energy she'd faced during the day.
After showering, she dried herself and changed into casual clothes: a tank top and light pants. Her footsteps echoed in the empty living room, her gaze lingering on the photo of her parents and friends who would no longer be reunited in this world.
She ate dinner, lasagna, it was all that was left. The evening rain was beginning, making the moment more pleasant, though even more melancholy.
After eating, she drank some black coffee, sat down in a chair, and began her nightly research.
"Who are you, Theatrical Assassin?"
She had been researching for days. It was shocking how limited the information was.
☆☆☆
Current results:
"The Theatrical Assassin is someone with much higher than average intelligence, someone with general knowledge, and a great manipulator."
"I managed to connect the links between the Theatrical Assassin and the Assassin of the Century. In other words, he or she is the same person."
"Who are you?"
☆☆☆
Even though she was exhausted beyond her wildest imagination, Rin Yuang was determined... until her body couldn't take it anymore.
In the early morning, the exhaustion reached its limit, causing her to faint.
***
"You're going crazy, Rin Yuang!"
One of her colleagues, a lower-ranking employee, helped her sit in her office. Despite the dark circles under her eyes, Rin Yuang tried to maintain a friendly tone.
"I... I can't give up on this case, Mia. It's an important case for Libretanhya."
"Your health is more important than a case! I'm not letting you work, not today!"
"Honey... don't disturb me."
Rin Yuang tried to argue, but considering that even Rinoto *told* her to rest, there wasn't much she could do.
"Our boss asked you to rest, Rin! Stop being silly and go home!"
***
Well, arriving home, a feeling of failure washed over her. But maybe rest will do her good...
Her body fell heavily onto the bed, falling asleep almost immediately...
***
In some ruins in a remote area of Libretanhya, Elisa was walking. The wreckage of what could have been an ancient civilization gave off a post-apocalyptic image.
"What would this place be like in the 'Old Society'? United States, China, Japan? Everything seems mixed together." (Murmured)
A few Renkai Creatures were scattered throughout the structures, feeding on each other due to the scarcity of food.
With a slightly louder step, the demons turned their heads in her direction, letting out roars and advancing on her.
"Damn it!"
Elisa ran to an abandoned building. The demons, trying to climb up, were eliminated through the windows and stairs.
With some in more inaccessible places, Elisa touched the ground, trying to feel the flow of Renkai Energy, locating them and eliminating them with blood spikes that emerged from the ground or sides.
After the brief battle, Elisa returned to investigate the area. Entering places that could even be considered homes, sometimes encountering scenes that weren't at all... pleasant, which made her vomit upon seeing them.
Arriving at a sort of temple, Elisa ended up stepping on a false floor, falling into a large abyss.
"Ahhhh!!"
Her body smashed against the floor several times. The unpleasant smell filled her nose, and confusion appeared on her face.
The place seemed clean, as if she had recently been visited. She got up, slightly bruised, and began walking silently down the dark corridor.
With each step, candles lit, revealing a scene: a giant creature stood before Elisa. Its body seemed a fusion of several types of Renkai Creatures. Then, the creature opened its eyes.
The back of her neck prickled, and then, without hesitation, the monster raised several swords in its various arms and advanced toward her, roaring in an agonizing sound.
Elisa tried to defend herself with her sword and blood magic, but the being was unpredictable.
The girl tried to jump away, but her legs were wrapped around her, and her body was thrown against a wall.
She groaned in pain, trying to get up. Gripping her sword more firmly, blood coated the blade, and her body formed a kind of armor on her shoulders and sensitive areas.
With a scream, she advanced, and the battle began to intensify. The Renkai Creature's arms were ripped off, and Elisa received cuts across her body, trying to heal with a layer of blood on her skin.
She quickly ran toward a wall, kicking hard, creating a layer of blood. The monster tried to pierce her, but she used her feet to push herself off and spin in the air above it.
The layer of blood came into contact with the candles, engulfing it in flames. With that, Elisa "pierced" the Renkai Creature. Its skin, tough and resilient, pressed it against the fire, causing it to scream in pain.
Elisa stood firm, the muscles in her body bulging, demonstrating the strength she exerted. Then, the being's body began to disintegrate...
Elisa fell to the ground, exhausted, her partial armor crumbling, leaving only a pool of blood around her body...
...
...
...
As if she had been asleep for a week, Elisa felt a delicate caress on her face. Opening her eyes, she only glimpsed the image of a certain person...
Aurora Sinhaygter.
"Apparently, you had a pretty intense fight around here."
She adjusted her glasses and then scratched her gray hair.
"Get up, this is an order from your boss."
Despite his firm tone, he didn't press her again. Aurora stood and walked over to the Renkai Creature's corpse, staring at it with interest.
"Impressive." (Murmured)
"Hmmm... what?"
Elisa sat up, still dazed. Aurora stared at her for a brief moment, then returned her gaze to the corpse.
"Someone created this. It's not a common fusion, which should be deformed. It's all minimally calculated. As if someone wanted to create some kind of bodyguard for this temple."
She stood up again, reaching into a pocket of what looked like a lab coat, pulling out a small device. She activated it and completely surrounded the area, beginning to display digital samples.
"Strange... it's as if no one was here. This person cleaned this place very well... you definitely faced something impressive, girl, congratulations." (She said honestly)
Elisa tried to get up, but fell back to the ground. Aurora frowned at her.
"Are you ever going to get up?"
She approached and pulled her to her chest. Elisa was surprised, but was too exhausted to stop her.
"Sorry, Miss Sinhaygter."
"Don't be formal. Just Aurora for you."
The lab coat slipped from her shoulder and wrapped around Elisa, holding her aloft with small rockets hidden within the suit.
"What is this person hiding?" (She murmured)
As she walked, the lab coat followed her, still enveloping Elisa. Until the path took on a darker energy and revealed several... hearts?!
"No way!"
She stared at the capsules, which held hearts and kept them "alive," continuing to beat endlessly. The hearts belonged to Destroyers.
"I've never seen this in my life, this is like an infinite source of energy!"
She touched the capsules. One seemed to belong to a Thunder Destroyer, sending electrical energy through seemingly untraceable connections.
Another seemed to belong to a Tide Destroyer, sending water through the same untraceable connections.
"This is a completely new method of using Renkai Energy to our advantage!"
Completely excited to such an extent that even Elisa couldn't tell, she began searching for some calculation or conclusion that would allow her to do the same.
And so she found...
"This... what?!"
She looked at a wall, which had several calculations and notes, but they were in an unfamiliar language, making it impossible for her to understand them.
"What a son of a..."