"Red Fox, your orders!"
"Contact the others—we need backup!"
"That man… Could he be a demon?"
"I don't know. All we know for sure is that he's hostile!"
Her comrade relayed the situation through his radio:
"This is Howl-2. We have an emergency! Requesting immediate reinforcements!"
"Howl-2, what's your status?"
"We're facing a highly dangerous opponent… possibly affiliated with a criminal organization."
Stepping to the edge of the rooftop, the masked figure spoke with cold amusement:
"Calling your friends? All the better. I'll take out all the rabbits with one shot."
"Enough talking!" Reina snapped, tightening her grip on her rapiers.
The enemy leapt down, his katana slashing toward her. She met his blow with precise steel, parrying it cleanly before stepping back, her eyes scanning the narrow alley that restricted their movements. Fighting here could cause collateral damage.
Her comrade, known by his call sign Howl-2, activated his Body Reinforcement Technique—his limbs flushed crimson, veins bulging with explosive power. With a thunderous jump, he launched himself from behind at the masked swordsman.
The blade-wielder spun midair, parrying effortlessly, but Reina closed in without hesitation. She thrust her twin rapiers straight for his back—but at the last moment, the man blocked the deadly strike with his bare hand.
Reina's heart skipped. She couldn't tell which parts of his body were reinforced. The cloak and gloves he wore obscured all visible signs.
"Too slow," the enemy said with disinterest, deflecting both attacks coming from opposite sides.
Howl-2 roared and launched another flurry of punches, but the masked man dodged each one with inhuman ease, reading every movement before it came.
Then with a precise kick to the leg, the swordsman halted Howl-2's momentum. In a blink, he slashed straight down.
Howl-2 raised his arms in defense—but the katana sliced through his bones like paper. Blood exploded from the stumps like twin geysers.
The enemy dragged the tip of his sword along the ground as he approached the wounded soldier.
"You're unarmed now. Let death be my mercy to you."
The soldier writhed in agony, his screams echoing through the alley.
Reina lunged, trying to exploit the distraction. Her rapiers stabbed cleanly into the masked man's side—but again, the blade barely made a dent. Was his entire body armored with blood-forged defense?
The enemy was caught off guard by her speed and retreated a few steps.
"You're quick. I'll have to be more careful with you."
"Is your whole body reinforced under that cloak?!"
"Your needle-like blades won't help you."
Reina's mind raced:
'He's overwhelmingly strong... I need to figure out how to break through his reinforcement technique.'
"Call me the Crimson Reaper," he said, raising his katana with one hand. "That's the name of this blade—soon to be painted in your blood. I wonder… what lies beneath your mask, girl? Shall I peel it off along with your face?"
"Try me."
The Crimson Reaper's gaze narrowed into slits, a deadly smirk spreading beneath the mask.
"Red Fox…" came the rasping voice of the bleeding soldier. "Backup is… on the way…"
"Good. Just stay with me. You're not dying here."
With a roar, the Crimson Reaper lunged. His strike was vicious—so fast Reina barely twisted in time to deflect it. The katana rained down, blow after blow, each more relentless than the last.
Her rapiers weren't built for raw defense. The force drove her to the ground. She slid, caught herself, and flipped back into motion, jabbing toward his eyes. He parried. She spun to the side, slashing across his arm with one blade and stabbing again with the other.
He grunted as one strike left a long scratch on his shoulder, while the stab to the back left no mark.
So stabbing does nothing, but slashing works?
"So thrusting is pointless… I need to cut with broader strokes," she realized.
"Close guess," he smirked. "But your toothpicks still won't save you!"
He surged forward in a frenzy. Each slash had murderous intent. Reina's hands screamed in pain. Her arms trembled, legs faltered.
Five slashes. Then six. Seven. She couldn't block them all.
Barely dodging to the side, she managed a shallow cut—but it wasn't enough.
The Crimson Reaper was overpowering her.
"Red Fox!" a shout echoed. "Get back!"
A soldier appeared—armed with a rocket launcher.
The moment Reina leapt to safety, a volley of grenades soared straight at the masked figure.
"What the—?!" he exclaimed, turning his head as the explosions erupted.
Fire consumed the alley, flames licking the sky. The napalm cloud engulfed everything in a hellish haze.
Even demons of the Third Category died instantly to such a blast. Three rocket-launching soldiers had arrived for backup.
When the flames died down, all that remained was a blood-smeared crater.
"Looks like he's gone…" Reina gasped.
"Look! On the roof!"
There—on top of a nearby two-story building—stood the Crimson Reaper. One arm was gone. Blood streamed down his body.
"How is he still alive?"
"He dodged it… But how?"
He turned, disappeared into the shadows, and vanished.
"He's escaping! Find him!"
Soldiers and hunters vaulted onto rooftops, scanning the streets—but the Crimson Reaper was nowhere. He'd vanished like a ghost.
Reina's mind replayed the moment. He didn't dodge. He took the hit. That's why he lost his arm.
She turned toward Howl-2. He sat slumped against a wall, silent. His eyes radiated despair.
"Tell me, Red Fox… Was I worth the cost? I'm useless now. You should've let me die."
"Don't say that. You helped us survive. Thanks to you, we can fight another day."
"But without my arms, I'm just… a shell."
"Your sacrifice is my reason to keep going. I'll make them pay—for everything."
He wept silently as medics carried him away.
Reina looked to the burning horizon.
A report had to be filed. Twenty soldiers spread out, searching for traces of the Crimson Reaper. The entire Nightwatch was put on high alert.
Seongwan-gu was officially declared a Category Danger Zone.
Evacuations began. Civilians were relocated, and the second stage of the operation was launched.
Five days later, five hundred more hunters and military personnel were deployed to the district.
Among them—was me.