"If you are not up for the job, don't do it."
With those words, Kurian flicked several pins on his gun. In the next instant, he unleashed a volley of rounds that tore through the card prison.
The bullets punched clean holes through its surface while dismantling the resonance chains and the cards' concerto just moments before they could detonate.
Pas de deux: Elysium Sonata
Inferno surged forth as the card prison's integrity collapsed, leaving nothing but a scorched box. The prison disintegrated into ash, the night wind lifting and scattering the remnants like drifting gray snow.
Kurian raised his eyes just in time to see Scar towering above him, his Baphomet features contorted into a vicious snarl. "Got you!"
Kurian didn't even raise a hand. He merely took a few measured steps backward, a graceful retreat that felt more like a choreographed dance than a frantic dodge.
Before Scar's claws could find their mark, the air around the demon-beast curdled as his momentum didn't just stop; it collapsed.
He slammed into the earth, the ground shattering beneath him as he was forced into a kneeling position at Kurian's feet.
Scar snarled, his breath coming in ragged, heavy heaves as he looked up at the man standing over him. "Degeneracy... huh?"
The Mandate: Degeneracy
This was the Forte: Jade Emperor active Resonance Skill.
Unlike the passive phase shift, Degeneracy was a direct decree upon the physical world, allowing Kurian to artificially increase the density of his target to an impossible degree for nine seconds.
Right now, Scar's entire body had become tens of tons. Even in his Aberrant Nightmare form, Scar possessed only a finite amount of energy to counteract the physical laws being rewritten around him.
He had become a prisoner of his own mass, unable to muster the strength to stand.
"You lot really are quite the enigma to me…" Kurain spat, his voice edged with disdain. "If you're that afraid of dying, shouldn't you have simply lived a quiet life?"
"Zip it, you monster," Scar snarled back. "As if you're any different from us. You're just a pretender."
"Pretender, huh? Well, I can't exactly deny that," Kurian replied, a smile never leaving his face as he continued. "You lauts are sane people pretending to be insane, while I'm an insane individual pretending to be sane."
Crack —
The snap of the whip rang out as Kurain calmly addressed the other Overseer, "Let's see how refined your orchestration truly is… Maestra worthy of Nequitia."
In unison, Hecate and Kurain moved, their motions intertwining in a dance of two, a true "Pas de deux". Yet Kurian's interest waned quickly, the passing seconds draining his patience as the ninth second approached.
"I, of all people, have lost delight in dance, it seems," Kurian said, breaking the rhythm as he struck Hecate, forcing distance between them.
He exhaled slowly. "Though I consider myself something of an avid Philharmonic, I've grown bored of your performance. How hollow can a soul truly sound?"
"SHUT IT!" Phrolava shouted, her voice sharp with fury. "You call my soul hollow, but what of yours? Despite possessing such melody in your harmonics and Forte, you still rely on self-destructive techniques merely to amuse yourself."
"Didn't you once say you would destroy the Fractsidus?" Phrolava challenged. Kurain answered instead with a question of his own. "Is your left leg and right arm healed?"
"…."
Phrolava fell silent as Kurian continued, his voice steady as he reminded. "I once promised you that when I came to destroy the Fractsidus, I would do so in a grand, ritualistic fashion."
"A pity," Kurian shook his head. "I had also promised to sever your limbs and scatter them to the four directions. However, back then, I only managed to take your left leg and right arm."
"Oh well." Kurian scoffed softly, his eyes narrowing with quiet resolve. "I have plenty of time."
BANG —
He turned and fired at Scar, yet the bullets were incinerated effortlessly by Scar's roaring amethyst flames. Kurian stepped back, unhurried, yet their brief rendezvous had to end now.
In the next moment, the voices of Jinzhou's patrollers echoed through the area, and Scar ripped open an exit door, vanishing through it to make his escape.
"Wait," Kurian tried to stop the manifestation, his eyes tracking the fleeing Overseers, but… "—!!?"
His finger never pulled the trigger. In a humiliating lapse of basic coordination, he had pressed the finger guard instead of the trigger blade.
'What?!' Kurian blinked as the two overseers disappeared, leaving him alone, surrounded by Jinzhou's patrollers.
"Identify yourself," the guards called out, and Kurian answered, "Fe — Kurian of the Ghost Hound Mercenary."
"And the ones who escaped just before our arrival — who were they? Answer," a guard demanded. Kurian replied without hesitation, "Overseers of the Fractsidus."
"Fractsidus?" A ripple of unease passed through the gathered crowd as Rover, who was present, turned to Yangyang and asked, "Who are the Fractsidus?"
"They're a group of extremists obsessed with fusing humans with Tacet Discords," Yangyang whispered hurriedly, her eyes wide with the shocking realization that Fractsidus had appeared in Jinzhou. "They've carried out terror attacks of varying scales across the world."
"Fusing humans and Tacet Discords…" Rover could already tell it was a recipe for disaster, which Yangyang quickly confirmed. "We've seen signs of their presence in Jinzhou, left behind by lower-ranked members called Artificers. They possess Tacet Discord features alongside human ones."
"What about the Overseers he just mentioned?" Rover asked. Yangyang spoke of them in quiet horror, her face visibly paling as she explained, "Above the Artificers are the Overseers — leaders with eerie abilities and unknown intentions. They're a far greater threat…"
"No one truly knows what they want. Some members talk of destroying the world, while others claim they seek eternal power." That was all the information Yangyang had, but it was enough for Rover to grasp the scale of devastation such a group of extremists could unleash.
"Are you an accomplice?" one of the guards demanded. Kurian replied calmly, "No. And if there's nothing else, I'll be taking my leave."
"Not so fast." The guards raised their weapons as another shouted, "Don't think you can escape."
Kurian merely smirked. "Oh, please. Trust me, my escape technique is so potent that none of you could stop me if I decided to leave."
"Oh?" a guard scoffed. "And what exactly is this escape technique of yours?"
Kurian's smirk widened. "You want to see it?"
"Fine then…" He nodded to himself before declaring, "Now, I shall demonstrate my never-failing escape technique. The dramatic exit. Who's that?" Kurian suddenly pointed off into the distance.
No one turned. One of the guards mocked him, saying, "Yeah, nice try, buddy." But then, Chixia's voice rang out. "Is that Lady Sanhua?"
The guard's eyes widened as Chixia turned her head and spotted Sanhua, who stood some distance away, calmly observing the entire farce.
Sanhua's appearance instantly distracted the guards, drawing nearly every gaze. Everyone, that is, except Rover, whose eyes remained fixed on Kurian.
Unbothered, Kurian casually tapped his terminal, and in the next instant, he transformed into a tortoise.
Echo Transformation: Hoartoise
Rover blinked. "Huh?"
Then, Kurian skedaddled away, sliding past unnoticed before leaping into the nearby body of water.
SPLASH!
Only after the splash echoed did the guards regain their focus, shouting in alarm, "Oh no, he escaped."
"Leave it be!" Sanhua intervened at once, saying, "He was fighting the Overseers and drove them away. There's no need to be hostile toward a benefactor."
"Lady Sanhua." The guards bowed respectfully as Sanhua gave a small nod and said, "Return to your posts. There's also no need to file a report."
"Yes." With that, the guards and patrollers withdrew from the area. A moment later, a message appeared on Sanhua's terminal. Its contents read: "Little Sanhua, could you arrange Room number X3 for me for the night?"
'Strange, why would Sir Kurian ask for accommodation?' Sanhua thought. Then again, he must have had a valid reason. He was not the type to casually request a room in City Hall at this hour.
"Hah…" Sanhua let out a quiet sigh before replying, "Alright. Though I can't guarantee it will suit your tastes."
Kurian: "Fine by me."
Half an hour later...
Rover had arrived at City Hall, on her way to her room, when a voice suddenly called out to her. "Hey, miss, mind telling me how much for an hour?"
Rover would have thrashed anyone who dared make such a remark, even as a tasteless joke. But recognizing the voice's owner, she merely turned to the rude mercenary and asked flatly, "What do you want?"
"A bit of your time?" Kurian replied with a slight tilt of his head and an easy smile. "Care to join me for the night?"
"Women don't like riddles. If there's nothing serious, I'll be taking my leave. Good night." Rover flicked her hair aside as she moved toward her assigned room.
Just as she was about to go, Kurian asked, "So, was my mark accurate?"
Rover halted. "Yes," she answered.
"Mind telling me how you confirmed it?" Kurian asked, adding, "I'll give you another single shell credit."
Rover didn't truly need the credit. Sanhua had already provided her with some. Still, she chose to accept the offer, explaining her findings and the reasoning behind the conclusions she reached.
True to his word, Kurian handed over the single shell credit. "You really are full of surprises, Rover. Hmm…"
"Is there something?" Rover asked.
"Now that I'm looking at you properly," Kurian replied, "you're quite a beauty, aren't you?" He leaned closer, pressing his hands against the wall beside her.
"Spare me the flattery," Rover said coolly, unfazed by the remark. "I'll be heading to my room now if you're not going to say anything useful."
"You keep saying you'll leave, but you haven't," Kurian pointed out. Then, sensing he was pressing his luck, he changed course. "Is there something you want from me?"
"Actually…" Rover replied, "There is indeed something I want from you."
To be continued...