The truth is, I’m nothing special. This power that I have… It isn’t something that someone like me deserves. Anyone else in the world would have earned it, while all I’ve done is squander it. Even despite all the people I’ve killed, I’m certain of that fact.

  He spent his time thinking things of that sort. Even though he commanded a whole legion of soldiers, he sincerely believed that he had no right to the power and status he possessed. It had always been this way. Against his will, he had failed upwards all his life. A friendless child who, through no effort of his own, was not picked on. A student who, through no effort of his own, passed every exam he needed to and found himself admitted to the most prestigious school, and then the most prestigious university. A soldier who, through no effort of his own, rose through the ranks and came to be the leader of a hundred men. He would have been content to drift through life, but instead he was chosen for greatness again and again.

  He felt slighted by it. It was if the world itself was punishing him by giving him things he didn’t deserve. And now, with the advent of this War, he had gained yet another thing he had no right to possess. An impenetrable shield, a garb that protected him from everything that would cause him harm. Surely, he should be punished for the attitude with which he went through life. But instead, the world had given him something tailor-made to suit that attitude. Like a hedgehog, he could curl up into a ball, and not a single person in the world could hurt him.

  He liked it, and that irritated him more than anything. The world inside this coat was comfortable, unobservable. It allowed him to disengage and ensured he didn’t have to know about anything going on outside. If he saw a disaster occurring before him, he could look away. If he heard the screams of someone being hurt, he could block it out. Not a single attack, nor a single sensation, penetrated and reached him.

  And yet.

  And yet, he wondered.

  What if this coat could be used to protect someone else?

  The modernist reception area of the Black Barghest building was crowded. Soldiers in the same uniform as Felhart locked doors, pointed swords and guns at staff, and began to flood up staircases in search of their targets. After Felhart confirmed that the building was fully sealed off, he nodded to the other members of the DBCT.

  “Alright. Time to go on the hunt.”

  As they made their way up to the next floor, the sound of gunfire had already begun to echo down the halls. The scent of gunpowder mixed with the scent of smoke in the air. Before long, the stench of blood was added to the miasma.

  “Incoming report. No Branded on this floor. On to the next.” Without missing a beat, Felhart leapt up the next set of stairs. Exon, with her enhanced body, had no trouble keeping up, and Orlan and Yuun were managing. However, Riina and Haritte lagged behind, gasping for air.

  “This is brutal…”

  “You’re telling me…”

  They pressed on. Now on the third floor, Felhart spoke via the earpieces they had been given.

  “We’ve got company. Karmen Ceidar, Second Horde, and Haeldr Von Tahmer, Third Horde. Get here now, and prepare yourselves.”

  Before them, in a large and lavishly furnished room, stood a woman and a man. The woman wore her long, black hair in an elegant high ponytail, while the man’s blonde hair was shoulder-length and untidy. Both wore suits that were the very image of formal dress: white shirts, black ties, black jackets, trousers, and shoes, all impeccably creased and devoid of even a single speck of dirt. Black leather gloves on their hands, concealing their Quotas.

  “So, Felhart. It’s come to this. After all the years you’ve known each other, you’ve come to hate Marinus enough to kill him?” The woman, Karmen, spoke pointedly. “It won’t be that simple. But you know that. Haeldr and I are more than enough to take you on, even if you do have some hired help.”

  The man, Haeldr, said nothing. As Karmen pulled off the glove of her right hand with a flourish, he awkwardly followed suit with none of the same flair. Both Quotas were at “0”.

  “Now, come to my side. Water Spirit: Aguarion!”

  In an instant, a flowing, writhing geyser coiled around her right leg. The clear blue water bubbled and frothed, eager to be given a target.

  “... Nemean Mantle.”

  A great gown of golden fur appeared and surrounded Haeldr, draping itself over his shoulders. He simply hugged it to himself, as if trying to make himself as small as possible. As Karmen slowly shifted into a combat stance, right leg forward and fists raised, Haeldr remained motionless.

  In an instant, it began. Karmen sprang forward and whipped her leg towards Felhart, who quickly raised his arms to block. The spirit, Aguarion, hissed and lashed out as it approached him, slashing through his sleeves and cutting into his arms. Orlan’s Point Liner was already on the offensive, soaring through the air towards Karmen, but Aguarion smashed into it before it could reach her. Veering off course, Point Liner buried itself in a nearby cabinet. Meanwhile, Luun’s Magic Energy Bullets pelted Haeldr, but to no effect. They simply bounced off his cloak and dissipated into the air like water droplets hitting a hot surface.

  “... I can’t get through. Maybe it needs physical attacks? What have you got, Haritte?”

  “Nothing yet! I need more time to get a reading!”

  Haeldr was still as the energy projectiles repeatedly struck him. He simply curled up even more tightly and began to cry. Meanwhile, Karmen defended herself from Felhart, Orlan, Riina and Exon, deftly and swiftly sidestepping punches and kicks while Aguarion fended off Point Liner. But she couldn’t keep it up forever. Orlan got lucky, and Point Liner glanced off Aguarion’s edge and tore through Karmen’s left forearm. She screamed as the bone was sheared away by the force of the attack. As she faltered, paralysed by the pain, Riina sensed an opportunity. She jumped in and smashed into Karmen’s face from above with her right fist, sending her to the floor.

  “Sorry…” She whispered.

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  Karmen scrambled away, Aguarion rearing up to defend her as she retreated. Haeldr, looking up in shock at the commotion, met her eyes.

  “What… ghhh… what are you doing?!” Karmen screamed, desperately trying to get back to her feet. Haeldr just looked away.

  “Ah…! I’ve got it! It’s impervious to all attacks, but if you take it off, he’ll be defenceless! Get the cloak off him!!” Haritte shouted. Exon charged at Haeldr, poised to rip off the Nemean Mantle and expose him.

  What if this coat could be used to protect someone else?

  He cast it off, flinging the cloak towards Karmen. It intercepted Point Liner as it flew towards her chest. The arrow continued on its path, pinning the cloak to Karmen’s body, but she was unharmed. Finally struggling to her feet, she stared in shock at her ally.

  “... Haeldr…”

  “This is… the only way I can be of use. I’m sorry, Karmen. I should’ve realised sooner.” As soon as he spoke those words, Exon collided with him, knocking him down.

  “You idiot! No one wants to see you dead!” Taking the cloak in her hand, Karmen ran towards him and aimed a kick at Exon. Riina’s eyes widened, and she threw herself forward, arms outstretched. As her hands caught Karmen’s foot, Aguarion continued through, piercing her palms and stopping just short of her face.

  “Hey. I have something to return to him. It’s something he alone has the right to wield. Both of you back off, or Aguarion will skewer you all the way through.” She spoke calmly, but each word had an endless amount of malice behind it.

  “Tch…” Riina gritted her teeth with pain and frustration. At Exon’s touch on her shoulder, she relented, and the two of them stepped away.

  “What… are you doing, Karmen…?” Haeldr asked weakly.

  “I told you. I’m returning what’s yours. I never asked for you to sacrifice yourself for my sake, so don’t go assuming that’s what I want!” She threw the cloak at him, but he just stared down at it. “Well? Are you my saviour, or aren’t you? If you are, then you should wear that cloak like a champion would.”

  “... Alright. Then…” He stood up and, with a flourish, swept the Nemean Mantle over his shoulders, before fastening it at his collar. “Then I’ll become a champion worthy of being your saviour.”

  Something had shifted. His demeanor had become that of a proud warrior. Everything about him seemed at once peaceful and full of fire, the equilibrium that allowed legendary figures of yore to be at once great leaders and great heroes. Riina could tell. From this moment on, he would not fall again.

  The fighting resumed, and Karmen and Haeldr began to work in tandem. As she struck with martial arts, accompanied by the destructive piercing power of Aguarion, he shielded her when their foes retaliated. Fighting back to back, covering every angle, they became an unstoppable spear and an impenetrable shield. As Riina fell back, narrowly escaping Aguarion, she found herself next to Haritte.

  “Hey, how are you holding up? Avoiding their attacks can’t be easy with a power like yours. Uh, no offence.”

  “It’s alright. My Devil Brand actually helps quite a lot, since I can analyse and predict attack patterns more effectively the longer a battle continues. Anyway, there’s something I need to tell you.” Haritte beckoned her closer, and Riina leaned in. He whispered in her ear, and she nodded.

  Riina dashed forward as chaos erupted around her. Karmen’s eyes narrowed, and Aguarion made a beeline for her, stabbing Riina through the stomach. She didn’t even try to dodge it. There was no point. She moved forward unimpeded, straining every muscle in her body to push against the water spirit and towards her target.

  Finally, he was in range. She leapt forward and wrapped her arms around Haeldr, beneath the Nemean Mantle as it billowed up around them. As Aguarion shot towards Riina, Karmen realised her mistake and frantically pulled back. Aguarion dug into Riina’s back, but went no further.

  “NOW! LUUN!!!”

  It took Luun no time at all to realise what was going on. Silently praying for her friend’s safety, she readied a dozen Magic Energy Bullets. Karmen had no time to react. She could only watch. She recalled Aguarion, preparing to intercept the Bullets, but it was too late. One after another, they punched through Riina and penetrated Haeldr. Both were riddled with holes, and collapsed. Their blood mixed as it pooled on the floor, sinking into the lush carpet and sinking into the golden fur of the Nemean Mantle.

  “I’m… sorry…” Riina barely managed to get the words out. Haeldr had fallen on his back and stared silently upward, eyes glassy. His breaths were quick and shallow and brought more blood dribbling from his mouth every time. Slowly, painstakingly, he raised his hand towards the ceiling. He was reaching for something beyond it.

  For a moment, everything was silent and still.

  “Haeldr… Haeldr, no!!” Karmen rushed over, falling to her knees as she reached his fallen body. “You were supposed to go so much further… This was only the beginning, wasn’t it?! You had only just realised what you wanted to do!!!”

  Yeah. I realised I wanted to protect you. So I succeeded, didn’t I? Give me a break. Like I always said, I really am nothing special after all. But… I was able to be your saviour, in the end.

  His eyes closed. Despite all the blood that covered his face, it was clear. Haeldr Von Tahmer died smiling.

  Karmen wiped her eyes with her sleeve. With a slight movement of her hand, Aguarion smashed into a wall-mounted screen, which sparked and caught fire, and smoke began to fill the room. Before long, Karmen had disappeared.

  Riina had recovered, her many wounds healed, and picked herself up off the floor. Exon rushed over to her.

  “Are you alright?! That was dangerous…”

  “I’m fine, I’m fine! I do feel bad though. That was pretty underhanded.”

  Haritte stepped forward.

  “Sorry for using your Devil Brand like that, Riina. I don’t think there was any other way that wouldn’t have caused us quite a few more casualties, though.”

  “I’m the one who agreed to it, so don’t worry about that. What matters is that we took one of them down. Though, I hope we can, uh, maybe give him a proper burial after this? It… doesn’t feel right to just leave him like that.”

  “We’ll do that. Don’t worry. I’m sure we all feel the same way.” Orlan reassured her.

  Just then, a great tremor rocked the floor beneath them, sending everyone stumbling. The whole room began to vibrate as a deep rumbling emanated from below. All of a sudden, the floor itself began to tilt, rotating ninety degrees. The furniture didn’t move, but the people within the room began to fall towards the back wall. As the rumbling became even louder and the vibrations more intense, gravity returned to normal.

  Through the smoke, a silhouette appeared. A tall, thin man carrying a sheathed sword on his belt.

  “Black Barghest Security Ltd.? Black Barghest, the organised crime group? No. Both are incorrect. This is the Black Barghest, the sky pirate vessel. Having laid dormant for years, it has finally taken to the skies once more.”

  He stepped forward, and his features became distinguishable. He wore the same suit as the other two, but was pale and wrinkled with age. He had short, grey hair and a grey moustache, and wore a black eyepatch over his left eye. The blade at his side was, unmistakably, a katana.

  “Well then. What do you think?” He gestured broadly, offering a genuine smile. As the smoke began to clear, the DBCT members saw their whereabouts for the first time. Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, which were tinted only on the outside and offered a clear view from inside, they saw nothing but the tranquil blue sky. Looking down, they were already leaving even the tallest skyscrapers behind.

  The Black Barghest had truly taken flight.