Chapter 310: Beast Mode
There were various high-level A Rank and S Rank superhumans from the SMD Battle Division standing around and talking to each other in hushed voices. The SMD agents were carrying crystals and artifacts that they handed out to some of the A Ranks to help them in the battle. The artifacts were all between B to S Rank, and even though they were expensive, the SMD were willing to give them to the superhumans since they knew it would help with the raid.
But even though there were many famous superhumans gathered together there, most of their attention was focused on the woman sitting alone in one corner of the room with her hands and feet bound together with mana-suppressing cuffs! Katarina Ford looked as beautiful as ever, even with the black and white prisoner’s uniform that she was wearing. Her long white hair had been tied up into a rough bun above her head, and her dark skin was now significantly paler. Her eyes were closed, and her face was set into a completely impassive look as she sat silently with various SMD agents surrounding her.
After a lot of deliberation and consideration, the SMD decided that this mission was far too important for them not to bring Katarina out of commission. Even though Katarina was a criminal, they knew that her Gift was very useful, and there was no way they could ignore the boost it would give the superhumans if she were also a part of the team. The executives knew that this could be a dangerous decision to make, but they believed that Katarina would not cause any problems with Jason Marc present in the team. Jason Marc was able to neutralize her once already, so he would have no problem bringing her in again if she went rogue!
"Hey, that’s her right? Katarina Ford? Damn, I didn’t think she was actually arrested."
"I heard she tried to kill that Jason Marc. Can’t believe the government put her in chains because of him."
"She’s as beautiful as ever, man. How can anyone look that good in prison wear?"
"Yeah, she’s beautiful, but don’t let that fool you. I heard some of her guild members were mind-controlled by her, and they sacrificed themselves like animals. They must’ve been drawn in by her beauty as well. Do you think she’ll try to do the same thing to us?"
"Damn man, you’re always hearing the weirdest shit. There’s no way she can do that."
"She’s one of the five Rulers; we have no idea what she can really do. You’d better look away before she catches you staring."
The whispers and murmurs from the superhumans were mainly centered on Katarina, and many of them were reluctant to have her with them on the raid since they heard about the way she had controlled the minds of her guild members and forced them to lay down their lives for her. At another corner of the room, Liam was standing with some SMD agents as well as the Enforcers who had agreed to join in for the raid. Luthor, Agiel, and another Commander-rank Enforcer known as Rufus were getting themselves ready, and Liam watched as they put on their black combat outfit and combat boots. The combat outfit that they were wearing had been augmented using mana crystals to make it as strong as an S Rank shield while also being as light as a feather to allow them to move around freely, and each one of them would be worth at least a million dollars on the market!
"Damn, they really did a number on the city, huh?"
The new Commander, Rufus, spoke up with a frown on his face as he looked out one of the windows at the city. The Commander had flaming red hair and deep black eyes. He had a small stubble on his chin that gave him a rugged look, and whenever he sneered, you could see that his fangs were far longer than they should be. He had a very sturdy physique that had been built from years of kickboxing and exercise, and he was one of the few Commanders in the Enforcers who was a True Brawler.
Rufus had a unique ability called [Beast Mode] that allowed him to easily morph into any animal that he wished to! The skill wouldn’t look like it could do much damage if it were in the hands of someone weaker, but Rufus’ Gift allowed him to maintain his S Rank strength even when he transformed into another animal! Imagine a Rhinoceros with the power to tear through dragonhide with its horn, an Elephant that could cause an Earthquake with a single stomp, or even a small dog with enough strength to destroy a building with a kick! Rufus’ ability allowed him to perform perfectly in nearly every situation that he found himself in, and this meant that his Gift was one of the most versatile in the Enforcers organization!
Luthor stood up from beside Rufus and zipped his battlesuit properly while answering in a gruff voice.
"The dragons were too large for us to contain them at once. Each of us could only take one of them at the same time, so the others were allowed to roam about freely. That’s what caused the damage."
Luthor knew that they had failed to provide the proper protection for the city and all the houses and businesses that were in it, but he was sure that the city would eventually recover since they were covered by insurance. Rufus grunted in response, and he finally turned to glance at Agiel. Agiel looked like she had suffered the most injuries in the dragon fight. There was a massive bandage wrapped around her left bicep, and burn marks on her neck and face were still slowly healing. But Agiel’s face was set in the same look of absolute boredom that she always had outside of fights, and it didn’t seem like her injuries were bothering her at all.
"Are you sure you should be coming with us, Agiel? Those injuries seem serious, so maybe you should sit this one out."
Agiel only glanced at Rufus for a moment before she turned away in disinterest and continued to fix up her battlesuit. Rufus frowned when Agiel ignored him, and he turned away while clicking his tongue. Luthor wisely chose to stay silent as he ignored his two colleagues and he turned to speak to Liam. Things had always been tense between Rufus and Agiel, and from what Luthor heard from rumors in the organization, it was something that only started a few months ago after Rufus finally became a Commander. Rufus had once been a Lieutenant who worked closely with Agiel in her missions to take down rogue superhumans. People praised their teamwork and their ability to work well together, and there were even some people who claimed that Agiel was personally training Rufus so he could join the ranks of the Commanders.
But Luthor knew that that wasn’t the case at all. Agiel never trained any of her Lieutenants since she didn’t care about them at all, and the only reason why people thought Rufus and Agiel were so close was because Rufus always followed Agiel around like a lost puppy. Rufus idolized Agiel, and he always wanted to be around her and receive her input on nearly everything he did. She was the only reason why he worked so hard, and he thought that in time she would recognize his hard work and pay more attention to him. But after Rufus became one of the Commanders, Luthor noticed that Rufus no longer went close to Agiel like he used to, and he did his best not to talk to her as much as possible. Luthor didn’t know what caused the sudden change in his actions, but he knew that something big must’ve happened to break their relationship like that.