Rubbing his unhealthy paunch, Ryota Fuji picked up his weapons.

He fastened a holster to his waist, slid a handgun into it, and loaded himself up with holy water, salt, and even a rifle.

Though Fuji had long since moved to the management side of the guild, he could still handle himself in the field. He was, after all, once an Eighth-Class Exorcist—the ace of the Red Guild.

That damn Mika, doing as she pleases. She probably thought she was helping, but what she really did was shove Ikaku Akamuro into a deathtrap.Akamuro should have stopped, even if it meant giving the Hidden Flame a chance to escape. Better that than dying. Once you’re dead, it’s all over.This whole thing was reckless from the start. Ikaku Akamuro is strong, I know that. But no matter how you slice it, he’s just an ordinary man with no mana. Taking down a cult of that size all by himself is beyond impossible.Mika just doesn’t grasp the gravity of the situation. Dammit. I can’t believe my exaggerations would lead to a disaster like this.

Rubbing his tired eyes, Fuji got in his car and headed for Beniyama Grand Shrine, where he joined the Akai City police officers waiting near the scene.

A total of twenty-four officers had gathered. The city’s police force was stretched thin after the string of incidents that began at The Matz-Carlton last night, so they couldn’t expect any more backup.

“Huh? The Guildmaster is here in person?”

“We’re critically shorthanded,” Fuji replied.

Several members of the Anti-Demon Division looked surprised to see him. The head of a major city guild such as his had a practically familial relationship with the police.

“I see. What a coincidence. So are we. Means we’re stuck sending in cops when we should be deploying Exorcists.”

“My condolences.”

“Every guild I call just says they’re ‘all booked up.’ I get the timing is bad, but… the Red Guild is the only one whose master was willing to come out personally. We appreciate your cooperation.”

With their MP5s at the ready, the police officers began to ascend the stone steps, their movements somewhat stiff. But there were enough of them.

When they reached the shrine grounds, they all stopped, dumbfounded.

The scene was one of devastation: guardian statues shot to pieces, the purification fountain blown up, and the shrine office, amulet stall, and hall of worship all in ruins.

What the hell is this? This was more than a simple fight. A war definitely happened here.

The tension among the officers skyrocketed. Their uniforms were soaked in cold sweat, their steps becoming even more cautious.

Bodies were scattered across the grounds, including the corpses of several Demons.

Fuji gave a Category 2 Demon a light kick with his boot to confirm it was dead. Just to be sure, he put a bullet in its head, then lifted his gaze and scanned the area, completely at a loss.

No way… Did Akamuro do all this…? Seriously?

Ikaku Akamuro’s body was not among the dead. That could only mean he had defeated everything lying on these grounds and gone somewhere else.

Is that man sane? I mean, yeah, he shot and killed fourteen people at Neon Circle and punched a hole in a Category 2’s stomach with his bare hands.But wasn’t that just a miraculous fluke? And according to Mika, he’d already raided several other locations tonight…

“There’s a suspicious staircase over here!”

Discovering a hidden passage in the main hall, the police unit descended into the underground facility. There, they found a structure filled with the stench of a heretical cult and more than twenty additional bodies.

What in the world could have passed through here?

Only Fuji knew.

Having lost the ability to speak, their senses growing numb even to the horror, the police unit finally reached the deepest chamber.

There, they found the remains of a giant Demon. While most of them were transfixed by the colossal corpse, Fuji’s attention was stolen by a cat crying mournfully over a charred body.

Fuji dropped to his knees and examined the corpse’s face. He could just barely make out the features.

It was Ikaku Akamuro.

What in God’s name happened here? Fuji could only imagine.

Tears were streaming down Fuji’s face before he even realized it.

He understood that this was the end of the lonely battle his daughter had just described. He was looking upon the final moments of an ordinary man who had given his all to avenge the Akai family, with no regard for his own life.

Since he was a young man, Fuji had hated nobles and despised the Coral Terminators who served them. All their talk of rulers, loyalty, and prestige.

He had always wondered: Are you people really all that? Are you really so different from us common folk? So much better?

But in this moment, looking at the charred corpse, Fuji felt something ineffable.

A level of endurance unimaginable to an ordinary person. An inviolable will so profound it felt arrogant to even think of reaching for it.

If he had to describe it in one word, it would be “transcendence.” It was like the gap a powerless commoner feels when witnessing a noble unleash terrifying magic.

Ikaku Akamuro was not a Mage. He was not a noble. He didn’t even possess mana. 

The man who should have been the weakest of all had accomplished something no one could have ever imagined.

What welled up in Fuji’s chest was sorrow over the death of such an incredible man, and a silent, profound respect for him.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.