(BANG!!)
The Boss fired with a bit of hesitation, the shot aimed squarely at Moonlight's back.
"Looks like I'll have to step in," I murmured to myself, watching through the eyes of my shadows as The Boss pulled the trigger.
I moved swiftly, dashing up to the twelfth floor and positioning myself squarely in the line of fire, just before the buckshot could tear through Moonlight's body. My own body was fine, but my t-shirt... well, it didn't fare so well.
"I really liked this t-shirt," I muttered, glancing at the woman in front of me.
Her face was frozen in shock, her mouth agape. To her, it must have looked like I appeared out of nowhere, took the bullet to the chest, and came out unscathed. Her reaction was perfectly understandable.
I quickly scanned her lifespan and saw she had a solid 45 years, 3 months, and 2 days left.
'Her death will be the result of Moonlight's choices. That means every life Moonlight and the 12 Liberators end will be on my shoulders from here on out. Just like this one, each victim's lifespan will feed my power,' I thought to myself.
"H-How?!" The Boss stammered, her legs buckling in shock as she dropped to her knees.
"Upendo Rotchfield. Upendo, huh? Parents should really think about their name choices," I said casually.
"I'm sorry you got dragged into this. I was careless. It won't happen again!" Moonlight quickly apologized, his voice filled with genuine regret.
"It's fine, you're only human. Finish up here. I'll be waiting downstairs," I told him, disappearing in an instant.
"How did he know my name? No one alive should know my name!" Upendo murmured in disbelief.
"That man can't be explained by human logic. His knowing your name? That's the least surprising thing about him," Moonlight replied, a somber edge to his voice.
Upendo smiled faintly, recalling the way I had brushed off her bullets. She glanced up at Moonlight, silently accepting what was to come.
"I have to finish the job..." Moonlight said, walking towards her.
"Goodbye, Boss," he said, voice heavy with emotion, before slashing his dagger clean through her neck. "Thank you for the years you allowed me to serve under you." He added as her body crumpled to the floor, blood pooling around her.
He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and gently placed it over Upendo's face. After a long, silent moment, he finally left to meet up with me.
"That might've been the easiest job we've ever pulled off—hahaha!" Archer laughed, a little too loudly, as he sat among the other Twelve. Laughter was his coping mechanism. Beneath it all, he felt bitter and disheartened.
"We just killed our comrades. This isn't something to laugh about," one of the others snapped.
Moments later, Moonlight emerged from the building, his presence shifting the atmosphere.
"It's the Boss," someone muttered.
"Ace," I called out.
"How do you know my—?" Ace sighed, rubbing his temple. "Never mind. I'm not even surprised anymore. What is it?"
"I've been getting a lot of heat since publishing that book. People are furious. Some want revenge, others are just trying to sue me—but most? They want me dead."
"Why does that matter?" Archer asked. "Didn't the Boss say no one can kill you?"
"It's not about whether they can—it's the attention. I can't afford to reveal myself just yet. Dealing with this problem head-on would trigger consequences I'm not ready for. The best solution… is to cut it out at the root."
"And why should we listen to you?" a sharp voice cut through the group.
The voice belonged to a proud-looking woman, slim but muscular, with a massive greatsword strapped to her back. As she stepped forward, the group instinctively gave her space. Ailith. The strongest, physically, among the Twelve.
"Moonlight might've accepted you," she said coldly, "but I haven't. All I see is a coward ordering others to slaughter unarmed men. I won't kill the defenseless. You fight without honor. You're a coward!"
"Then kill me," I said calmly. "Do that, and I'll never trouble you again."
She then threw me a knife, and I swiftly caught it.
"With pleasure," she said, already reaching for her sword.
To everyone's surprise, Moonlight didn't intervene. As she advanced, I let a dense wave of death aura burst from me, saturating the area. Most of it targeted Ailith.
The others struggled to breathe. Ailith staggered, her strength rapidly draining as fear surged through her. The death aura messed with her senses.
But then, like instinct overriding reason, she gritted her teeth, gripped her greatsword tighter, and charged. In just two powerful strides, she closed the distance.
Her eyes were shut. She was already unconscious. Yet, with sheer will and muscle memory, she swung her blade in a wild, upward arc, splitting the air with terrifying force.
I tilted my head back, dodging the strike by a hair. However, she didn't stop there. Her sword came down in a clean follow-up slash. I sidestepped it easily, marveling at her body's refusal to quit. But the final blow had drained her. Her grip loosened. The greatsword slipped from her hands and thudded to the ground.
She stood in place, swaying slightly. I stepped toward her, reaching to place my hand on her head—but before I could touch her, her hand shot up, grabbing my wrist.
'Her reflexes are incredible,' I thought, smiling in admiration.
I gently pried her fingers off and hoisted her over my shoulder.
"I'll send a list of targets to Moonlight. There are quite a few, but don't worry—I'll provide their exact locations. Finding them won't be an issue. Any questions?" I asked.
"Expenses?" Archer chimed in. "The Fool's Gang always backed us financially for every job. Can you offer the same support?"
"I'll handle it," I replied without hesitation.
"Alright then," Moonlight said, nodding. "We're ready to move on your command."
"Good. We're heading back to New York. There's a dense cluster of targets there," I said, a faint smile tugging at my lips.
—
By the next day, we were back in New York. Without delay, the next phase of operations began.
Ailith had regained consciousness by then, but hadn't spoken a single word to me since. Still, her attitude had shifted. She was compliant—and for now, that was enough.
"Your first target is this woman," I said to Ace, handing him a file.
"Rebecca Myers," I began. "A politician running for mayor, a pain in my ass, and currently the biggest political threat to me."
"She recently came into possession of information that could put my freedom at risk. Restrictions are the last thing I need right now." I paused, giving him a moment to process the information.
"Her husband, Richard Myers, died two months ago. The cause of death was suicide. He died a day after finishing my book. Left his wife a note saying life wasn't worth living. At the bottom were the words: 'The Flaw in Humanity.'"
I scoffed lightly. "That little wanker painted a bullseye on me—his grieving widow being the trigger. If she were just another hitman or bystander, things would be simple. But she has powerful connections, and that makes her dangerous. If they agree to back her..."
"I understand," Ace nodded. "What's her current location? I can have it done by the end of the week."
"Haha, love the enthusiasm—but this one's tricky. She's cautious. She did her homework on me. And she's not alone... They know I'm watching… they just haven't figured out how yet," I began to say. "Fortunately, the investigation hasn't gone public. Only she and her inner circle know the details, and none of them have solid evidence to run me down...yet."
"This job won't just need your strength. It'll require finesse. Precision. We need to be sure no trail leads back to us. If anyone suspects, then it would have all been pointless," I concluded.
Ace gave a confident nod. "Understood. So what's the plan?"
"Rebecca and her people are heavily guarded. Due to the urgency of this mission, I'll be joining you—just this once," I said to Ace. "We'll stage their deaths as suicides. Assassinations will only trigger more investigations."
"And how exactly do we manage that?" Ace asked.
"I'll buy you the time you need to make it look perfect," I replied with quiet confidence.
"When do we begin?" he pressed.
"Tonight," I said. "One of her backers is hosting a wine tasting party, which is really just a cover for their meeting. Judging by how things have been escalating, I believe they're preparing to make a move against me by tomorrow."
I handed Ace a sheet of paper filled with neatly written paragraphs.
"This is Rebecca's handwriting. Mimic her style by tonight."
—
Night fell quickly. A black car rolled to a smooth stop in front of a lavish mansion—the venue of the so-called wine tasting event.
"Alright, I'll run back the plan. I have an invitation to the event. We can walk straight through the front door. You'll act as my bodyguard," I instructed. "At 9:00 p.m. sharp, Rebecca and her allies will slip away to hold their meeting. Once inside, you will blend in as a butler. Make sure you're the one who serves them. Drug their drinks. Stage the suicide. I'll keep the rest of the guests occupied."
"Understood. This could actually be fun," Ace said, smirking.
Everything unfolded smoothly. The party was convincing—elegant music, light chatter, clinking glasses. Just another night for the elite.
At exactly 9:00, one by one, Rebecca and her backers excused themselves and disappeared into a private library deeper within the mansion.
'Now,' I thought.
I strode toward the stage and tapped a glass to gather attention, only for it to shatter in my hand. A bit dramatic, but it worked. All eyes were on me.
Moonlight, ever efficient, handed me another glass almost instantly. Somehow, he had worked his way into the role of head waiter and made sure each guest already had a full glass of wine.
With a glass in hand, he gave instructions to the other waiters and conversed with the guests as though he were one of them. He really did seem to be enjoying himself.
"Good evening, distinguished guests," I began. "While I'm not your host tonight, I'm honored to be surrounded by so many of society's finest."
I raised my glass high.
"Rebecca Myers, a woman of justice, has graciously opened her doors to us despite the tragic loss of her husband. Let us raise a toast to her inspiring determination. To Rebecca Myers."
I sipped.
Then, I unleashed my death aura, weaving it through every room in the mansion—except for the library.
One by one, everyone collapsed to the floor. I made sure to be one of the first to fall to avoid any suspicion on me.
—
Ace moved undisturbed through the silent halls, drinks in hand. In the isolated library, the meeting continued as if nothing had happened. One by one, he served each target, calm and composed.
The drug worked slowly but effectively. By the time the first person lost consciousness, the rest had already taken a sip or two.
Within minutes, they were all too drowsy to get up or do much of anything. Then, finally, they were gone!
Ace rearranged the scene, placing each body around the table in deliberate poses. Then, in Rebecca's mimicked handwriting, he scrawled on a slip of paper:
"Everything is meaningless."
Once all traces of anyone else in the room were wiped clean and every shred of evidence against me was collected, the death aura faded, and the rest of the mansion began to stir.
I came to with the others, feigning confusion. The job was clean. Flawless.
When the police arrived, they found nothing suspicious. Witnesses confirmed I had collapsed in front of everyone. There was no link tying me to the deaths of Rebecca Myers and her associates. It was ultimately ruled out as a mass suicide.
—
Afterward, I handed the remaining names on the list to Ace. I had offered to provide their exact locations, but he and the Liberators insisted on tracking each target themselves.
One by one, the names were crossed off. Over the next two years, the list steadily dwindled. And anyone who dug too deeply into these mysterious deaths… was silenced just the same.
"We've arrived," Ace said, opening the door for Elaine and me.
-Outside Madison Park-
"Thank you, Ace. You should go and enjoy your night. My husband and I can find our way back. It is New Year's Eve, after all," Elaine said kindly.
"Thank you, ma'am. I think I'll take you up on that offer," he said with a nod, then climbed back into the car and drove off.
"Haha, wow, he didn't waste a second," I said with a chuckle.
"Haha, considering how much you overwork him? I'm not surprised," Elaine teased.
We walked into the restaurant and were guided to our reserved table. We didn't need to browse the menu—we both already knew exactly what we wanted, as this wasn't our first time there. As we chatted and waited, the world seemed to slow down around us. Time only moved at our table.
In that moment, I forgot who I was. I wasn't a reaper. I was just a man, on a date with his wife.
When our food finally arrived, Elaine immediately went for the pork, devouring it with zero shame. Her mouth was glazed with grease, and she couldn't care less. I admired the sight.
After our meal, we talked until the clock struck midnight...
"Happy New Year, babe… babe? Babe, are you okay?" Elaine asked, concern in her voice.
But I didn't respond. I couldn't. A sharp wave of dread surged through me. Elaine had never seen me like this.
"You're scaring me," she said, her voice cracking.
"What the hell… did I just feel?" I muttered, rising to my feet and staring off into the distance.