In less than a minute, every last Shirogane sorcerer in the warehouse was killed. The ease with which it happened left Rose and the others stunned, and because of that, they remained on their knees until the white lady turned her attention in their direction.
"... wait…" Rose whipped her head in Viktor's direction. "That's the client!?"
Sighing, he fixed his hair and turned to the white lady, not hesitating to wear a frown.
"That was a close call. I almost lost an eye."
The silver whip that decapitated Ushida splashed on the floor then swelled as more seeped from between the metal plates.
"Do you doubt my abilities, Viktor?" Bianca said. "I'm the best the Romano family has to offer, you know."
The fixer wanted to add something about it being the case since the other powerful Romano Sorcerers are either dead or captured, but he decided otherwise.
The silver flowing through the floor rose to form a wall before separating into two. Each side moved in a different direction, dragging away the corpses and cleaning off the blood. Only one body remained in the cleared path, and going by the height, everyone recognized who it was.
"I left that one alive," Bianca said. "I'm sure you would want to settle things between you first."
With a body littered with wounds, Kirk was struggling to lift himself up. The needles had pierced him in all the right spots, bypassing his subdermal armor and damaging his bionics. He was bleeding nonstop and would be dead in a couple of minutes at most, but from the looks of it, that was a luxury he didn't have.
As he stared at the ground, barely able to draw in a breath, a pair of shiny shoes entered his field of view. Kirk didn't look up. He kept his gaze down then squeezed his eyes shut, wanting to curse but unable to.
"Double booking? Really?" Said Viktor. "I thought a veteran like you knew to avoid such mistakes."
The tall merc didn't respond. He didn't need to. Greed was something many fell victim to. It was the sole reason the world was marching to its end. Anyone could be swayed by the right price, and from the looks of it, the Sorcerer had paid more than enough.
"In this world, trust isn't something that can be regained once it's lost." The Fixer said. "Goodbye, Kirk."
Something whistled through the air, and the next moment, the merc's head jerked to the side, blood and brains erupting from his head. A loud bang followed, and looking at its source, a large hole could be seen on one of the metal sheets, a result of the bullet that had just flown in.
Rose stared at the hole then turned to look at one of the windows near the ceiling.
"So… you knew he was double booked?" She asked. "Since when?"
"Since your first meeting with the Stahlwölfe scion." Said Viktor. "You should've noticed that we had received quite a lot of help since that time."
Thinking about it, she realized that some things did seem strange, both during their first visit to the white mansion and when the time came to steal the relic. When adding Shirogane Ushida into the equation, all of it started to make sense.
The head of security wanted the heist to succeed so it's no wonder that he helped them get through. That said, it still didn't make sense that he had to rely on someone else to steal the relic when he was the leader of a group whose whole thing was becoming invisible. This text is hosted at novel⚑fire.net
"He wanted his alliance with the Stahlwölfes to last. Their research has proven to be quite fruitful, so abandoning it before completion would have been a waste
Looking up, Rose saw that the whit lady was approaching them.
"Why do you think the authorities suddenly decided to raid the Stahlwölfes?"
"So it was a success…" Mr. Pike said.
"Indeed." Said Bianca. "Klaus might have been an obsessed idiot, but he still managed to create a miracle."
"Is that why you sought to destroy his empire?"
"Hm? Not at all." She shook her head. "I simply disliked the idea of marrying a mundane man."
"Calling one of the most powerful men in the world mundane." Rose chuckled. "Aren't your standards a bit too high?"
"I do have high standards. Not for others, but for myself." Bianca smiled. "Anyway, I must apologize for the trouble you have gone through. It never occurred to me that the BEO would send its Genomes after this relic. Then again, it only makes sense that they did."
"Everyone seems to be obsessed with that scythe. Does that mean the myths are true?" Rose asked.
After everything they went through, it was nothing it not confirmed. The jade scythe was special, and not just for its ability to decide the future ruler of the now-dead empire. People wouldn't have gone to such lengths to retrieve it if that were the case.
"I wouldn't know," Bianca replied. "And you shouldn't wish to know."
Though she was smiling when she said the words, the message behind them was nothing but friendly. No more questions about the relic or its purpose. Now that it had been delivered, it would be for the best if they forgot all about it.
Bianca held a hand out and her other maid, the one with short hair and dark skin, stepped forward and handed her a smartphone. After tapping on its screen a few times, she turned to Viktor.
"I hope this will be enough for your trouble."
The fixer allowed his gaze to wander down for a second then faced his client once more, a smile quickly forming on his face.
"Thank you for your generosity."
"It's the prize for a job well done." Staring at him for a moment, she followed with a question. "May I ask a question? I'm willing to pay the appropriate price for the answer."
Though he gave her his permission, the white lay kept her silence, holding his gaze the entire time as if trying to look into his mind.
"The one who can negate Sorcery. Do you really not know his identity?"
The smile disappeared from the fixer's face and he lingered with the answer for some time. Eventually, he could only shook his head and give the same answer he gave Shirogane Ushida.
"Unfortunately, I don't know who he is." He said. "Just like you, this was my first time hearing about with such powers. "
Though she still looked at him with suspicion, the fixer didn't change his answer, nor did he seem all that intimidated. Eventually, the white lady grew tired, leading her to turn around and walk away.
"This might the last time we meet, but if I ever find myself in some other trouble, I will make sure to contact you first."