“Ah!!!”
With the sound of shattering glass, a bullet shot straight into Goffrey’s chest, knocking him backward onto the ground with immense force.
At the same time, on the street below, the countless floating bone blades that had been attacking suddenly froze in midair before dropping lifelessly to the ground. The Hunters, who had been under siege, stared in astonishment at the scene before them. These vicious, bloodthirsty bone blades had suddenly lost their power, leaving the Hunters momentarily unsure of what had just happened.
“The controller! The one controlling those bone blades is behind the right-side window of building Number 14! I just hit him!” From the balcony, Elena shouted loudly to her fellow Hunters below.
Gregor, leading the group, immediately reacted upon hearing her warning.
“Move! Let’s capture him!”
Without hesitation, Gregor led the remaining Hunters to the entrance of building Number 14. Wasting no time, he pulled out his pistol and fired several shots at the lock before kicking the door open and storming inside.
On the fourth floor, Goffrey, who had been shot and collapsed on the floor, twitched his fingers slightly before gritting his teeth and slowly sitting up, his face ashen.
“Ugh… ahhh…”
Groaning, Goffrey reached for his chest, tearing open his clothing to reveal skin cracked like stone. Blood seeped out from the fissures, and at the center of the web-like fractures, a bullet was lodged deep within.Clenching his teeth, he reached for the bullet and pulled it out of his chest. The bloodstained bullet had been severely deformed, as if it had struck something incredibly hard. Once removed, the stony texture of his chest quickly faded, and the network of cracks turned into a series of small wounds.
“Huff… huff… Why? Why was I discovered? How did they see me…?”
Sitting on the floor, confusion and fury twisted Goffrey’s expression. But before he could dwell on it, he heard rapid gunfire from below, followed by the sound of multiple footsteps storming in. He immediately realized that the building had been breached.
“I can’t stay here any longer. I need to get out—now.”
Understanding that his location had been compromised, Goffrey quickly found cover and got to his feet. With a swift motion, he swung his bone weapon, summoning the scattered bone blades from the street back to him. The blades shot through the window and returned to his side.
Keeping the floating bone blades close, Goffrey started descending the stairs. Just as he reached the third floor, he locked eyes with the Hunters coming up.
“There he is!”
Upon spotting him, Gregor tightened his grip on his sword and charged forward with the Hunters at his back. In response, Goffrey flicked his hand, sending the bone blades whistling toward them. Gregor swiftly drew his sword and deflected several blades with a series of sharp clangs. Since the blades were all coming from the same direction, blocking them was easier. Meanwhile, the other Hunters quickly took cover, avoiding the incoming projectiles as they embedded themselves in walls and furniture.
Within the confined, complex space of the building, Goffrey’s abilities were significantly restricted. The limited visibility made it difficult for him to maneuver, let alone counter Gregor and his team. His attack had been neutralized almost instantly—but that didn’t matter. Goffrey had never intended to cause serious harm. His goal was to delay them.
Using the bone blades to briefly stall the Hunters, Goffrey suddenly bolted toward the open window, recalling all of his blades as he moved. Just as he leaped toward the back window on the third floor, Gregor hurled his sword straight at him. The blade struck Goffrey’s shoulder, but with a sharp clang, it bounced off.
Leaping from the third floor, Goffrey grabbed two of his bone blades by their dull edges, using their levitation to slow his descent. He landed safely on the grass behind building No. 14 and immediately sprinted toward the distant forest.
Gregor rushed to the window just in time to see Goffrey’s figure vanishing into the darkness of the night.
“Damn it!!”
Furious, Gregor slammed his fist onto the windowsill. He took several deep breaths, steadying his emotions before turning to his team.
“Contact HQ immediately! Call the emergency response team—we have multiple wounded in urgent need of treatment!”
…
In the darkness of the forest, Goffrey panted heavily as he fled. Before long, he emerged from the small grove that served as a green buffer for the residential district, reaching the roadside. He followed the road for a while before stopping under a tree, where an unattended carriage awaited.
He loaded all his bone blades onto the carriage, then climbed into the driver’s seat and set off into the night. As he rode away, a crow flapped its wings and descended from the sky, landing atop the carriage. Silently, it rode along with him into the distance.
…
At upper city of Igwent, in a luxury riverside hotel.
In a well-furnished suite, a gaunt-looking man stood by the window overlooking the dark river. His face was heavy with contemplation as he occasionally glanced at the clock on the wall, as though waiting for something.
Moments later, the door suddenly opened, and a battered Goffrey staggered inside. Shutting the door behind him, he immediately collapsed into a chair, panting heavily. After catching his breath, he tore open his clothing to reveal a fresh wound on his shoulder.
“You’re injured? What happened? How did the investigation on that miracle brat go?” The man, named Oswan, furrowed his brows and asked seriously.
Goffrey let out a long sigh, his voice laced with frustration and resentment.
“Hah… I screwed up. That brat has local Black Dogs protecting her. I tried to capture her, to see if she had any traces of being treated by the Stone, but I failed. Instead, I ended up getting bitten back by those damn Black Dogs.”
Oswan’s eyes flickered with surprise at Goffrey’s words. He muttered with a hint of disbelief,
“Local Black Dogs? In Pritt… aside from a few select cities, their influence isn’t all that strong. At most, they’d have a single Black-rank director. Don’t tell me… you ran into the director here?”