The painter's scream pierced the cold night air, loud enough to draw the other two's attention.
But Hosen and Detective Watson were too far away to help, so it was up to her to grab Inase's hand and hold onto him for dear life. She wouldn't allow him to fall into the dark depths below of some one-dimensional, bloodthirsty monsters.
"Guh…"
Her whole body ached, every inch of her muscles felt sore, and yet, she didn't dare to let go.
"Roberta—"
Inase's teeth gritted, realizing he was the liability of the group while a fragile girl he was supposed to protect did her best to prevent his death.
"Dont… talk….!"
She knew exactly what he was about to say: "Let me go. You're too weak to hold on much longer," but she had no intention of doing that.
"Let me... focus!"
The desperation in her voice kept the blonde from saying more. Her hoarse groans were enough to show him that she was trying her best.
Discouraging her would be the worst thing he could do right now, so he'd rather choose to trust her. Even though the blood dripping down his leg proved it to be more challenging than he thought... Such an uncomfortable feeling.
***
Meanwhile, Hosen's mind turned blank.
His body moved on its own, ignoring all the warnings of his rational mind. Even when Detective Watson called out to him, his ears recognized it for an incoherent mumble instead.
He didn't stop.
His arms instinctively ripped a broken plank from a nearby fence. Ignoring the splinters digging into his fingertips, he swung it with full force at the man responsible for this situation.
The plank broke in half on impact with the seeker's head.
However,
Upon taking the hit, the bartender's body divided into two—his original, and the shadowy afterimage, each attacking from opposite sides while the scientist could focus only on one.
Being the adumbrali's creation, seekers could do anything, it seemed.
"Wh-what is this!? This man should already be dead!"
Detective Watson yelped after shooting the dark counterpart a few times, but with his poor aim, it seemed ineffective. And even if it did hit once in a blue moon, the silhouette partly faded like a mist, only to reassemble moments later.
Nothing will work unless you wound its core…
If only Inase had been available, he would've taken the gun into his own hands and fired accurate shots. But alas, the weapon still rested in the uncertain hands of the hardboiled—useless—detective.
Hosen knew he had to take on the bartender by himself, especially given the pressure of time at hand.
His serious eyes locked on his opponent.
"Argh-!"
Roberta cried when the blonde's hand started to slip out. Her well-trimmed nails were ruined, broken, deeply digging into his gloves as she tried desperately to hold on.
They couldn't last much longer, Hosen suspected. Thus, he lunged forward, ready to strike again.
Except this time, his enemy expected it. The seeker's shadow counterpart attacked with deadly accuracy in response, smashing Hosen's swinging plank into pieces.
The scientist knew he wasn't safe when his opponent took the chance to send him crashing into the rubble with a powerful kick, doubling on the attack.
The last bits of air left his lungs in a frantic coughing fit as he wiped the blood off a bruised lip. His body trembled in pain, barely able to move.
The seeker had time to find an abandoned axe stuck in the pile of wood and pull it with ease. In contrast, Hosen had nothing left to defend himself with.
"..."
A scientist should think strategically; calculate his success rate, rather than move his body on instinct. Fieldwork wasn't written on his list of hobbies, and his combat skills were nearly nonexistent—he'd rather think of a chance to run.
But,
Inase's life was on the line, running wasn't an option.
He needed to find a weapon, something he could defend himself with from the incoming blade—another plank wasn't an option anymore, it had been destroyed way too fast.
His eyes darted around.
An abandoned oar rested just a few meters away… To reach it, he had to move past his attacker.
Tension rose further when the axe closed in, the blade gleaming menacingly in the red sea of flames.
It swung, but Hosen rolled out of the way in the nick of time—the axe's blade pierced the hem of his coat.
Even though it was stuck in the ground, the bartender used all of his strength to pull it out and, ripping the soil apart, glide the blade in Hosen's direction in one flow.
"Shi-"
When the sharp edge closed in, he thought he was done for. That his skull was going to be split into two—until a stray bullet, originally aimed at the man's head, hit the axe's shoulder, breaking it in two.
Its blade landed dangerously close to Hosen's fingers.
It was the detective, his aim shaky and his hands unsteady.
"Hope you haven't tossed me out of your mind just yet, you son of a gun!"
At least, their enemy was disarmed.
A fury of bullets followed, whizzing past the enemy until one painfully grazed Hosen's shoulder in the process.
"Ugh-! If your shooting is that bad, aim at me instead!"
That way, at least, Hosen wouldn't get hit directly by the detective's trajectory.
Frustration crept up in his voice, but he took this opening to get out of the range, grabbing the oar as he jumped out of the way.
"So rude, aren't you, lad."
It was the detective's bullets that allowed the white-hair to get close and take a swing at the bartender with confidence.
The oar's hard edge slammed into the back of the seeker's head, sending him onto the ground with a sickening crunch. His shadow wavered and dissolved, hardly able to maintain its original shape as well.
"Is it over…?"
Watson lowered his gun, but the other was pretty sure it wasn't the case—seekers don't have internal organs besides the core, so a blunt impact like this wouldn't cause a lot of damage.
"You never say that thought out loud, detective." It raised a death flag.
And just as Hosen warned, the monstrosity opened its eyes wide before it rose from the ground in the most unnatural manner: hips first as if defying gravity, until its body rolled back to its joints with disturbing noises following.
Crack. CrAcK. CRaCk.
His shadow rose afterward.
"You thought I would go down this easily?"
***
"Roberta—!"
Inase shouted, noticing that her hand was slipping from the edge.
Truthfully, he knew he wouldn't survive for long in the abyss realm in his current state, but he would feel even worse if an innocent girl risked her life for his—an outsider who never should have existed in this timeline.
"I'll be fine."
His grip loosened slightly, making her meet his icy blue eyes—eyes that knew no hesitation.
"So let go."
But the girl hastily shook her head, knowing if she did as told, he would never return.
"I can't let you-!"
"Roberta."
He felt his wound sting while the monsters below crept up through the dimensions, drawn to the taste of blood that had fallen, one drop at a time.
"I will be alright."
He truly seemed to believe it.
***
On the other hand, Hosen rolled out of the way once again when the oar was knocked from his hands with a round kick.
He cursed in a whisper.
Left with no defense, he found himself in a tight spot—pressed against a scorching wall, between the raging fire and the incoming seeker's heavy fist, wasting no time getting rid of the annoyance.
The scientist had read about the theory of fighting, but had never put it into practice. If the knowledge he had gathered throughout the years had the opportunity to save him, it would be now.
Think. What should he do in this kind of situation?
...ah, that's right. Duck.
His legs miraculously gave in at the perfect moment before he swiped at the bartender's instead, tipping him into the window behind in the process.
Broken shards relentlessly crawled under the man's bloodless skin as he fell over the scorching wood. The glass ripped it further, and the heat sizzled dark patches against it when the seeker slid across the ground.
Unfortunately, such injuries didn't earn them much time for the man stood up again like nothing ever happened. The uncomfortable bone-cracking accompanied him as he did.
To hell with it!
The white-hair cursed again.
Nothing seemed to work on a monster who didn't feel pain, nor did he bleed.
Out of the corner of Hosen's eye, the detective was in no better situation as he faced the shadow counterpart himself.
"I'll be damned! This cursed monstrosity won't go down without a fight-"
Watson's hands trembled before every shot, each one missing its mark, as he jumped around like a man dancing on the edge himself.
Both were busy, and none could help...
Inase heard his glove rip under the amount of stretch it was exposed to. He saw Roberta's hands turn purple from that tight grip of hers.
Truth be told, if they fell together into the living shadows' domain, she'd be more trouble than she was worth—he had enough to worry about with his own survival already.
"..."
What did a girl like her know anyway?
She was raised in a big, pretty mansion, bathing in money. It must've been so nice to have rich parents. Be doted on. Be praised for every little thing she had done, so much that now she thought that whatever she'd do would turn out alright.
This time, it wasn't the case.
Nothing would get magically solved if she kept on holding on. They'd be both in more trouble.
"You're a nuisance."
He hissed through his clenched teeth, taking a different approach.
"Eh?"
Roberta blinked, confused.
"What are you saying now of all times...?"
"You "doing your best" is only making it harder for me. This isn't some fairytale where trying hard makes everything okay."
Roberta was speechless.
Harsh words were always his strong suit. It put him into a lot of trouble and antagonized a lot of people against him, but at least it helped during times like these.
"Do us both a favor and get out of here before you make things worse. You think you're saving me? You're just a spoiled brat playing at being useful."
He scoffed.
"Go back to your pretty little paintings after everything is over, since that's the only thing you're good for."
Yes. He should have been fighting alone from the beginning.
"..."
"You're only getting in the way. Let go."
He couldn't allow her to fall with him. Maybe if he forced her to hate him, he'd get what he wanted.
"...I won't."
…but she didn't listen. Her eyes seemed to be looking past his hateful front, as if she had read his intentions like a book.
"Even if you ask me that out of goodwill, I'll keep on holding." She continued. "You won't be able to survive there with that wound of yours...!"
She noticed.
Sigh
So annoying.
Having no other choice, he was the one to let go.
"Bye-bye, princess."
"WILL—!"
The painter cried out as she desperately leaned to catch him, but it was too late. Will fell into the pit of darkness, and she could do nothing but watch.
Was she going to be called useless again? A weakling who couldn't protect one person? When Will comes back, he will definitely call her a—
But, he won't come back, will he?
"No…"
She couldn't let it happen. Bill was counting on her, too…!
She readied herself to jump after him, her legs pushing forward, her hands stretching out—
"Catch it!"
—though before she could act, a rope whipped past her ear, uncoiling until it reached Inase.
Hosen was grateful they were at the docks, where sail ropes were in abundance. Before Roberta made the worst decision of her life, he grabbed one and threw it.
His choice came with a cost, however. To save his partner, he had to let the seeker escape.
"Wh-!"
Disoriented, the painter caught one end of the rope while Inase grabbed the other.
The pull of gravity yanked her forward, but she held on even when the rough rope burned her fragile fingers.
Yet, there was only so much strength a frail woman could muster when holding onto a man heavier than herself. Gradually, her knees and the rope slid toward the edge. Her grip faltered…
She would've fallen down if not for Bill, who caught her waist, steadying her and anchoring her footing.
"Pull!"
Hosen shouted, counting to three as Inase dangled below, swinging on the rope and dodging the tentacles poised to spear him at any moment.
"One… two…"
***
The spur-of-the-moment decision opened a window for the seeker to retreat. If he couldn't kill them all, at least he could survive.
As the last of his kind, he planned to blend in with the crowd, live a normal life, and establish himself in the plans for the future.
He'd lay low for a while, then pick up where the adumbrali's mission left off…
As if.
A real detective doesn't let the culprit escape, does he?
Watson's gun muzzle was already directed towards the fugitive.
"Not on my watch…!"
His reflexes kicked in.
He moved quickly, silently praying for a miracle to avoid missing under the pressure. A bead of sweat slid from his trembling hands, another cooled his temple before he steadied his aim and focused and narrowed his eye on the target.
It was now or never.
"What kind of washed-up detective would I be if I can't close the case?"
A gunshot echoed, and for once, luck was on his side—the bullet pierced through the seeker's chest, grazing the core within.
The shadow dissipated the second its heart was damaged.
***
"Three…!"
On cue, both pulled on the rope, putting every strength they had into it until the blonde escaped from the crevasse to the other dimension.
The instant Inase's foot touched solid ground, Hosen let go of the girl like she was the fire itself—his body's odd condition sent a jolt of panic during the chaos that spiraled around them.
"Will, I'm so glad you are-"
Roberta didn't get the chance to finish her sentence.
Inase had no time for heartwarming reunions. He was already off like he was participating in the Olympics, racing to catch up to the bartender.
"Don't you think you can escape after what you did to me—!"
In a blink, he tackled the man ruthlessly, slamming his face into the ground, pinning him for long enough to drive the knife into his chest four quick times—straight into the core.
The bartender, or rather whatever was posing as him, exhaled his final breath, paralyzed.
Silence followed, leaving the men and the woman in quiet stillness, their breaths slow and heavy.
"...I did it." Watson proved his worth. "I did it!"
His hands shot upwards. Forgetting he still had a gun in his hand, he pulled the trigger to the sky two more times.
"Easy, detective." Hosen shook his head, his expression unamused by the deafening noise. "The lackey's gone, but we are still not finished with the main issue."
"T-the lackey?" The man stared at them, confusion etched on his face.
"Yeah." Inase stood over the seeker's body, rolling his shoulders and cracking his neck to release the tension that had built up. "We still have to destroy the source of this mess."
The one with an eyepatch glanced at his partner, who was already straightening his posture and preparing for the next phase, and did the same, even though his sore muscles refused to move anymore.
They had survived the ordeal, but the fight wasn't over yet.
The two exchanged a brief look, a silent understanding. They were ready to make their way to the mansion—whatever awaited them there, they would face it head-on.
The old man's boat still stood undamaged. All that was left was to step onboard, to cast off from the shore... One final push and their mission would be completed.
"Let me go with you."
Roberta's voice stopped them in their tracks. She stood firm, her presence unwavering as she spoke.
"What?" The blonde raised an eyebrow, his expression tinged with irritation. "You're useless there. You'll only be in-"
"In the way, I know." She interrupted his words before he could finish. "But I know every corner of my home, don't I?" Her knowledge might be useful, no? "It's my mansion, so I want to see through to the end."
"Ha… I can't with you."
Inase rubbed the bridge of his nose, as if trying to stave off a headache.
Moreover, Hosen stayed silent at her request.
He hesitated, taking in the ruined state of the town and the lingering sense of danger in the air; the flames continued to spread across the rooftops, finally reaching the port. The heat and smoke thickened the air.
It was clear—danger loomed closer with each passing second.
Still, her persistence made it impossible to simply turn her away. With the possibility of her venturing into the heart of the hive, where those creatures lurked, the risk was-
"Let her come with you."
Suddenly, the detective broke the silence, offering his two cents in a tone that was less a suggestion and more an inevitability.
"Leave the flames to us."
Helping old man Jenkens stand (who up until now hid behind a barrel), he noticed a group of people gathering to put out the fire in the distance. The more forces together, the more they could achieve while fighing the flames.
Watson's tone was firm, signaling they should step back and let him and the locals handle it.
"We'll take care of it." With newfound confidence in his shooting skills, he fired off another shot that sent the shadow scattering. "You do what you gotta do, boys!"
And he would stay behind, helping the locals clean up the mess.
"Hah, so, he is dependable when he wants to be."
Inase muttered under his breath as he watched Watson take charge, barking orders and quickly gaining control of the situation.
"I'm putting my trust in you, detective!"
Then, he turned to his buddy, who, as if reading his mind, gave a subtle nod of agreement to whatever crazy idea he already had in mind—both unanimously shifted their eyes at the painter.
"?"
It didn't take long for Roberta to realize she was being picked up by her waist and thrown over Inase's shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
"What are you-? How dare you do that to a lady—!"
Her offended, yet ignored screams echoed as the blonde jumped from the dock to the closest boat with the agility of a rabbit, leaving her terrified that he'd unintentionally send her tumbling into the water.
"Come on, doc. We gotta move," Inase ushered Hosen, already warming up the wooden seat.