West Tivian, Coal Ash District, Charcoal Junction.
In the afternoon, the once peaceful three-way intersection suddenly erupted into intense conflict. Over a dozen disputes broke out simultaneously, all under the influence of a mysterious Beyonder ability. Under this influence, fierce arguments erupted out of nowhere, and minor psychological tensions among the people were instantly amplified into life-and-death hatred. Amid the chaos, it seemed as though countless bloody incidents were about to occur.
At this critical moment, Edmond urgently searched for the source of the mystical power. Guided by his "intuition," he quickly locked his gaze onto a woman standing on the street across the road. She was dressed in simple clothing, wearing a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses. Though she appeared unremarkable at first glance, Edmond’s intuition told him she was the mastermind behind the chaos.
"Found you, the mastermind..."
Edmond’s gaze fixed on Adèle, who was trying to calm the situation. Meanwhile, Dorothy, who was using her aerial vision to monitor the scene, immediately noticed Edmond’s shift in focus. At that moment, she realized something was wrong.
“That leader over there has turned his attention to Adèle... This isn’t good…”
Dorothy thought to herself. Reacting quickly, she manipulated Ed to tap Adèle on the shoulder and say, "Wait, we’ve been spotted. We need to—"
Before Ed could finish speaking, Edmond had already taken action. The captain of the Hunter Squad of the Serenity Bureau pulled out a short cane from behind him. With a slight wave of the cane, a fierce wind suddenly swept through the Charcoal Junction.
The strong wind instantly engulfed the entire intersection, kicking up the thick layer of ash that had accumulated on the ground. The sudden gust forced everyone to cover their faces, unable to keep their eyes open. The intersection was plunged into a sandstorm, and visibility dropped sharply.
The black, dusty wind interrupted the heated arguments among the crowd. Screams replaced curses as people scrambled to find shelter. Adèle, holding onto her hat in the wind, looked at the unnatural storm and muttered."This wind... Is it the work of an Aeromancer? No, at this level, it must be…”
"Run! Don’t worry about me!"
Before Adèle could finish her thought, Ed urgently reminded her. At the same time, a figure rushed out of the swirling sandstorm. Adèle, having been warned by Ed, quickly dodged. Edmond, now in front of Adèle, swung his cane down with force, smashing the wooden advertising pillar behind her.
Seeing this, Adèle knew the situation was dire. Instead of engaging Edmond in combat, she followed Ed’s advice and immediately turned to leap with incredible strength onto the roof of a nearby three-story building. She began running swiftly across the rooftops, jumping from one building to another, quickly distancing herself from the scene.
"So, there is something fishy going on... That strength... Is it Chalice?"
Edmond muttered to himself as he watched the suspicious woman flee. Faced with Adèle’s escape, Edmond was no pushover. With a wave of his cane, the surrounding air currents wrapped around him, lifting his entire body into the air.
Using his Beyonder ability to manipulate the wind, Edmond took flight and pursued Adèle, who was leaping across rooftops. Meanwhile, Ed fled in the opposite direction, disappearing into the dust.
Flying above the streets, Edmond chased Adèle as she continued to leap from rooftop to rooftop. The wind he summoned stirred up the thick layer of dust in the Coal Ash District, reducing visibility in the lower areas. The sudden dust storm left the people on the streets bewildered, and for a moment, no one noticed the extraordinary figures on the rooftops and in the air.
“He can fly? Hmph... So he’s not just an Aeromancer. He’s a Wind Summoner... How did we suddenly run into the captain of the Hunter Squad?”
Looking back at the situation behind her, Adèle muttered to herself. The ability to fly by manipulating the wind was a hallmark of a White Ash Rank Wind Summoner of the Storm Path, a branch of the Shadow path. Since the Storm Path was primarily controlled by the Central Serenity Bureau of Pritt, the Beyonders of Tivian were very familiar with it. Adèle recognized it immediately.
Adèle continued to leap swiftly across the rooftops, while Edmond followed closely behind. Since he was truly flying, Edmond was faster than Adèle, and the distance between them was rapidly closing.
…
Meanwhile, high above in the sky, beyond the reach of the dust storm, the corpse marionette raven controlled by Dorothy flew, providing her with a bird’s-eye view of the chase below.
“So they’re from the Central Serenity Bureau? But why did they suddenly attack Adèle? Did they think Adèle was influencing the people at the intersection? How could they be so direct and accurate?”
At this moment, sitting in her carriage, Dorothy frowned deeply. The series of events had made her feel as though they had been set up, and a sense of unease lingered in her mind.
“It seems like someone is scheming behind the scenes. It looks like they used a power similar to Adèle’s to frame her... trying to use the Central Serenity Bureau to eliminate us. Hmph... It seems the situation in the Coal Ash District is indeed a trap.”
“There’s a mastermind manipulating all of this. Not just Adèle and I, but even the Central Serenity Bureau has been dragged into this. The top priority now is to help Adèle escape. If Adèle falls into the hands of the Central Serenity Bureau or ends up in a direct fight with the hunters, causing casualties, that would be disastrous…”
Dorothy thought this to herself, then continued to observe the scene from afar. She realized the situation wasn’t good—Adèle was about to be caught by the Central Serenity Bureau.
“So... without direct confrontation, how can I help Adèle escape?”
As Dorothy pondered this while watching the scene from a distance, an idea soon came to her. She quietly took out her magic box.
…
Meanwhile, Adèle, who had been leaping and running, arrived at a goods storage yard, switching from rooftop leaps to jumping across stacks of goods.
Edmond, who had been chasing her, finally caught up. Seeing the woman not far ahead, Edmond shouted.
"Surrender! Otherwise, I won’t hold back!"
"You’ve got the wrong person, Captain Hunter! I’m not the one you’re after. I have nothing to do with what’s happening in the Coal Ash District!"
Adèle shouted back, but Edmond remained relentless.
"If you say you’re innocent, then stop and cooperate with our investigation. If everything checks out, we’ll clear your name. If you keep running, don’t blame me for being harsh!"
Edmond spoke sternly, but Adèle, whose true identity was that of a famous celebrity, couldn’t possibly stop and cooperate with his investigation. Seeing this, Edmond became even more convinced that she was guilty.
"Don’t say I didn’t warn you..."
Muttering to himself, Edmond swung his cane, sending out countless invisible wind blades toward Adèle. Adèle dodged frantically, and the stack of logs beneath her was instantly sliced into pieces.
"Tch... Can’t outrun him..."
After dodging the wind blades, Adèle landed on the ground, gritting her teeth as she looked up at Edmond, who was hovering in the air. He swung his cane again, preparing to unleash another wave of wind blades. Adèle, however, subtly adjusted her sunglasses and glanced at Edmond, using her ability to slightly divert his desire to attack. The accuracy of Edmond’s wind blades was slightly off, allowing Adèle to dodge them all. Some of the wind blades struck the ground, leaving deep gashes, while others sliced through stacks of goods.
"Hmph... You’re quite good at dodging..."
Edmond muttered softly, then waved his cane again, creating a small whirlwind around Adèle. The whirlwind kicked up dust, obscuring Adèle’s vision and filling her ears with the roar of the wind. Edmond then unleashed another barrage of wind blades into the storm.
With her vision and hearing both impaired, Adèle couldn’t see Edmond’s movements or hear the incoming wind blades. Dodging this wave of attacks would be much harder, so she decided not to bother. Instead, she used her White-rank Chalice power to grab a nearly container-sized metal cargo box and use it as a shield. Edmond’s wind blades struck the metal box, creating a series of sharp clanging sounds and leaving deep gashes in the metal. The fruits inside the box spilled out through the cracks.
After using the metal box to block Edmond’s attacks, Adèle gritted her teeth and hurled the several-ton box, along with its contents, at Edmond. Edmond easily dodged the projectile and continued his assault.
Thus, Adèle and Edmond began to fight in the storage yard. Although both were White Ash Rank Beyonders, Adèle was at a disadvantage against Edmond, barely able to defend herself and unable to mount any offense.
The reason for this was simple: Adèle needed to keep her identity hidden. Not only could she not remove her disguise, but her abilities as a Desire Dancer required her to dance—and sometimes even remove her disguise to fully display her charm. Facing an official Beyonder like Edmond, Adèle absolutely did not want to reveal her identity as a famous celebrity.
Because of her need to maintain secrecy, Adèle fought with one hand tied behind her back. She rarely used her abilities as a Desire Dancer, relying mostly on the passive powers of a White Ash Rank Chalice Beyonder to fight. This was clearly no match for Edmond, and as the battle dragged on, Adèle’s disadvantage became more and more apparent.
“This is bad... I can’t shake off this mad dog... Do I have no choice but to fight him head-on here? But if I do, my identity will be exposed. Whether the theater can stay open is one thing, but I definitely don’t want to face the combined pursuit of the Wolf Blood Society and the Central Serenity Bureau.”
Adèle thought anxiously to herself. At that moment, Edmond pointed his cane at her from the air and fired an air cannon. Adèle barely managed to dodge the attack using her desire manipulation. The air cannon struck the ground near her, creating a powerful explosion that sent shockwaves and flying debris in all directions. To avoid the blast, Adèle rolled on the ground. As she got up, she saw Edmond pointing his cane at her again.
Just as Adèle was about to prepare for Edmond’s next attack, a gunshot suddenly rang out. Edmond, who was about to attack, sidestepped to avoid the incoming bullet and looked in the direction of the gunshot. What he saw made him pause.
At the edge of the storage yard, in the direction the bullet had come from, a group of about seven or eight people were kneeling on the ground. They were dressed in various outfits, appearing to be ordinary civilians. They were all kneeling with their hands on their heads, their faces filled with fear as they looked toward Edmond. Behind them stood two men with pistols, their faces menacing as they pointed their guns at the back of the kneeling people’s heads. One of the men shouted at Edmond.
"Hey! You there, Hunter! Stop right now and let her go! Otherwise, I’ll blow their brains out! Got it?! If you understand, then let her go! I’m warning you, Hunter! I’ve got hostages, so tread carefully!"
The man, standing behind the line of terrified hostages, shouted arrogantly. Faced with the thug’s threats, Edmond coldly glanced at the trembling hostages and then turned to Adèle with a sneer.
"Hmph, so you have accomplices. Resorting to such low tactics? You really underestimate me."
Hearing Edmond’s words, Adèle also looked toward the hostage situation and couldn’t help but smile.
“Hmph... Looks like there’s a new act…”
Ignoring the thug’s threats, Edmond coldly observed the two hostage-takers. With a slight flick of his cane, two nearly invisible wind blades shot out, slashing the throats of the "thugs" before they could react. Blood gushed out as the two "thugs" collapsed to the ground, dead.
With the "thugs" dead, the "hostages" screamed and scrambled to their feet, fleeing the scene in panic. Just as Edmond was about to turn his attention back to Adèle, something unexpected happened.
The fleeing "hostages" suddenly stopped in their tracks, as if something had snapped in their minds. They began to curse and shout at each other, pointing fingers and hurling insults. The tension quickly escalated, and they started physically attacking each other, punching, kicking, and even choking one another. Some were already bleeding from the violence.
Seeing this, Edmond frowned. He had seen this before—back at the Charcoal Junction, the people there had also suddenly started arguing and fighting for no reason. This scene was a repeat of that.
These hostages’ minds were being controlled!
"Stop!"
Edmond shouted sternly, then unleashed another wave of wind blades at Adèle. Adèle dodged them, but the fighting among the hostages continued. Some were already bleeding and missing teeth, but they showed no signs of stopping. Edmond intensified his attacks on Adèle, using the wind to kick up more dust to obscure her vision and launching even fiercer attacks to keep her from controlling the "hostages." But it was no use—the "hostages" continued to fight, and one even smashed another’s head open, causing the victim to collapse to the ground, blood pooling around them.
“It’s no use... Attacking her isn’t stopping them from killing each other. Even blocking her vision isn’t working. Is she still able to maintain control under this pressure... or is she not the one controlling them at all!?”
Edmond thought to himself. At that moment, one of the "hostages," now covered in wounds, turned to look at Edmond and shouted.
"Don’t think killing my men will save them! No! I’ve freed their bodies... but their minds are still in my grasp... You can’t escape, Hunter. Leave now, or I’ll make more innocent people kill each other!"
The battered "hostage" threatened Edmond. Hearing these words, spoken under mental control, Edmond finally realized that the person controlling these people’s minds wasn’t the woman he was chasing, but someone else.
So, who was it? Where was he? If his ability had a range limit, or even required line of sight, he might be nearby!
Edmond thought urgently, then began scanning the area, hoping to find any suspicious figures. He knew that many Beyonder abilities required some form of perception of the target, with the most direct method being visual contact.
Finally, Edmond spotted a figure hiding behind a lamppost at the edge of the storage yard, peeking out and watching the "hostages" killing each other.
“Found you.”
Seeing this, Edmond immediately sent a wind blade toward the figure. The blade struck the lamppost, leaving a deep gash. The figure, startled, turned and fled.
As the figure ran away, the "hostages" who had been killing each other suddenly stopped. They looked around in confusion, then scattered in panic. Seeing this, Edmond felt a surge of relief.
“The Beyonder ability was interrupted! It’s him!”
Having confirmed the true mastermind, Edmond immediately chased after the fleeing figure, leaving Adèle behind.
Edmond’s primary mission was to capture the Beyonder who had been influencing the minds of the Coal Ash District residents, causing the spike in crime. Based on what he had just witnessed, the fleeing figure was a far more likely suspect than Adèle. Compared to Adèle, that figure was the more important target!
Meanwhile, taking advantage of Edmond’s shift in focus, Adèle immediately fled in the opposite direction, successfully escaping Edmond’s pursuit and disappearing into the urban sprawl of the Coal Ash District.