"It is..."

"An entrance to a place we know nothing about."

The voice that completed the sentence belonged to Alice, head of Porcelux's Rift Technology Research and Development Department.

The dark circles beneath her eyes were more pronounced than ever.

They had been working nonstop for two full days.

Two days without sleep.

Two days analyzing a phenomenon that, in theory, should never have happened.

And yet, there it was.

Pulsing before them like an open wound in reality.

The metallic framework of the artificial forest remained illuminated by enormous industrial floodlights installed around the anomaly. The white beams carved impossible shadows between the steel trees, creating the sensation of standing inside a broken dream.

At the center of that bizarre landscape yawned a gigantic spiral-shaped black hole.

Darkness descended several meters into the depths.

And at the bottom...

Crystals.

Black crystals laced with crimson veins that resembled petrified blood.

To Alice's eyes, they were beautiful.

Unsettling, certainly.

But beautiful.

"This is getting rather interesting, don't you think?" Alice murmured.

Her smile resembled that of a child staring at a brand-new toy.

Because she had been right.

The theory was correct.

Two Rifts had merged.

Something that, until only a few days ago, belonged purely to the realm of speculation.

"Tell me, Emanuel... don't you think it's beautiful?"

The researcher swallowed nervously.

"Well... not exactly. It scares me."

"That's precisely why it's beautiful."

Alice rested a hand against her cheek.

"Danger has always been beautiful. Just like my adorable assistant."

The man wisely decided not to answer.

That woman had an extremely unhealthy relationship with scientific discoveries.

"Miss Alice."

A young researcher approached while holding a tablet.

"We've finished extracting additional crystal samples. Packaging has already begun."

"Excellent."

Alice took one of the fragments.

Even through her gloves, she could feel a strange vibration.

As though the stone possessed a heartbeat.

"Be careful with those things. We don't know what they are or how they work, but the energy inside them is overwhelming. As for this fissure... secure the area. It's a doorway."

She looked once more at the spiral.

"Two days of analysis, and the only thing we've managed to obtain are incomplete references to coordinates inside a Rank C Rift in Lerhoy. God... I'd love to cross to the other side and see what else happened in there."

Although Alice couldn't explain why, she knew that beyond that "door" there had to be something even more fascinating.

"Don't even think about it, Chief. The Director would fire you if you entered Lerhoy."

"True."

The scientist laughed softly.

"Well, I'm heading back to the lab. You all stay here. I want every possible piece of data extracted."

Her gaze drifted back toward the crystals.

Excitement surged through every fiber of her being.

"How much fun it'll be to experiment with those crystals! I can't wait to find out what they can do. Maybe we can integrate them into our weapons projects... or Assault Suit development."

The possibilities seemed endless.

"How wonderful."

Then the lights exploded.

BOOM.

BOOM.

BOOM.

One after another.

Industrial bulbs burst apart like crystal grenades.

Darkness swallowed the camp.

Absolute silence followed the explosions.

Alice sighed.

"Well... shit."

"Huh?"

No one understood why she sounded so resigned.

Then it happened.

BANG!

Emanuel's head disappeared.

Simply exploded.

One instant it was there.

The next, a shower of bone fragments, blood, and brain matter splattered across the research equipment.

His body remained standing for a fraction of a second before collapsing.

The scream came afterward.

"CONTACT!"

"TAKE COVER!"

The guards raised their rifles.

Too late.

A shadow emerged behind the researcher.

Without warning, a gloved hand pierced straight through her throat.

Its fingers emerged from the other side.

Her trachea was ripped free in a single violent motion.

The woman collapsed while clutching her neck. She seemed to want to release a horrifying scream, but only blood poured from her mouth.

"SHIT!"

The twelve guards opened fire.

Muzzle flashes illuminated the darkness.

And revealed the attacker.

A male figure wrapped in matte-blue gear.

Hooded.

Wearing a grotesque white fox mask twisted into a malicious smile.

The crimson grin seemed to watch them with amusement.

"Twelve. Do not eliminate the Rank S."

Bullets struck him and ricocheted harmlessly off the bluish armor plates covering his body as though they were hitting a concrete wall.

CLANG.

CLANG.

CLANG.

The sparks revealed tactical harnesses loaded with weapons: sidearms, knives, grenades.

After several seconds of relentless gunfire, silence returned.

But only briefly.

As the guards reloaded, another shot shattered the fragile quiet.

BANG.

Another guard lost his head.

His body collapsed while his finger was still on the trigger.

Panic spread like wildfire.

"SNIPER!"

"WHERE?!"

Taking advantage of the chaos, the masked figure charged.

From his back, he drew a sawed-off shotgun that shimmered in pink, white, and violet hues as though it were a hologram.

But it wasn't.

It was very real.

In an instant, he reached one of the guards, pressed the weapon against the reinforced abdomen of the man's armored suit, and—

The guard's eyes widened.

"What...?"

The trigger was pulled.

Instead of a projectile, sound erupted from the weapon.

A white flash burst from the barrel.

Then a thunderous detonation tore through the area.

The explosion transformed the man into a red cloud.

Fragments of rib pierced two nearby guards.

Entrails hung from the metallic branches overhead.

"AAAAARGH!"

"A-ANTI-HUNTER WEAPONRY?!"

"BASTARD!"

The guards abandoned any thought of reloading.

Instead, they drew pistols matching the fox's shotgun.

Anti-Hunter Weaponry, Vibrato model.

The fox did not flinch. Even knowing his armor could not withstand concentrated fire from those weapons.

He wasn't afraid.

Before they could pull the trigger, a female figure burst from the darkness, moving at terrifying speed.

She brushed each guard's helmet with a single touch.

A second later, waves of electrical sparks erupted.

Their bodies could not endure the current surging through their muscles.

They stiffened.

Then collapsed, convulsing violently.

The execution began.

The slaughter was executed with absolute precision.

Ten seconds.

Twenty.

Thirty.

When silence finally returned, the ground was covered with corpses.

Blood.

Entrails.

Fragments of armor.

Unrecognizable human remains.

And amidst all of it...

Alice sat calmly in her chair beside the monitor. Her legs crossed, one foot gently swinging in front of her, the masked figures stood motionless.

A pack of demonic foxes surrounding a single prey animal.

Alice removed a small cloth from her pocket and cleaned the blood from her glasses.

"Well, you certainly made a bloody mess, didn't you? Damn. I should've asked Mr. Ronald to send Hunters. Well... c'est la vie."

The masked woman raised a sonic revolver.

The verdict was obvious.

---

At the top of Porcelux Tower, the tallest building in all of Megar, the man who led the most powerful corporation on the continent wore a grim expression.

The wrinkles on his aged face seemed deeper than usual. He still retained some of the vitality that had made him a feared figure in the business world, but at that moment, only irritation remained.

The panoramic windows displayed the ocean of lights that made up the nighttime city, yet Ronald Poltrad wasn't even looking at them.

His attention remained fixed on the woman seated across from him.

"Report."

His voice echoed through the vast office.

"What happened there? How is it possible that an entire team of fourteen people was massacred like that, Alice?"

Alice smiled awkwardly.

"I'm terribly sorry, Mr. Ronald. Everything happened so fast that I barely survived myself. Thankfully, my adorable Dimitri was with me."

She tried to accompany her words with an exaggeratedly dramatic gesture.

No one laughed.

Ronald's gaze alone was enough to erase any trace of humor.

Alice cleared her throat.

"The truth is... we were attacked by an Ethereal."

"An Ethereal?"

"A rather strange one."

"Strange?"

"Very strange."

Alice rested her elbows on the desk.

Excitement began to shine in her eyes.

"Well, despite the tragedy and all that, this was actually a good thing!"

Ronald raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, really?"

"Don't look at me like that, Boss. Think about it for a moment. Thanks to that massacre, we gained something far more valuable than a group of researchers."

Silence settled heavily across the room.

"The Nightingale Family's theories, along with my own, were confirmed."

Ronald's expression didn't change.

"Enlighten me."

Alice smiled.

"When one Rift merges with another of a higher rank, the lower-ranked Rift undergoes a complete transmutation. In other words..."

"Everything inside evolves. Which means that a simple Rank E insect could potentially rise to Rank C. The same applies to resources... correct?"

"As sharp as ever. I wouldn't expect anything less from a genius of your caliber. That's exactly right, Mr. Ronald."

The old man ignored the compliment.

His instincts were still screaming that something was wrong.

Very wrong.

"...So you were attacked, weren't you? And you couldn't do anything?"

"Of course I did! We were scanning the area before leaving when that deformed thing appeared. I think it was Mortefi. The strange part was that its entire body had undergone transformations, and its behavior didn't match that of a Floor Boss of its rank. I fought! I fought harder than you can imagine! But you know how weak I am. Honestly, if not for my Dimitri, I would've died!"

Ronald didn't answer.

He simply kept staring at her.

The silence stretched longer and longer.

Alice felt a faint chill.

It was a strange sensation.

As if she were being dissected.

Finally, Ronald spoke.

"...Send Dimitri in."

"Of course, sir. Oh, dear, would you come in?"

The door opened softly.

A female figure crossed the threshold.

At first glance, she appeared to be a young woman in her early twenties.

Slender.

Elegant.

Possessing an almost unreal beauty.

Her pink hair descended into a long segmented ponytail that reached her shoulders. Her bangs completely concealed the left side of her face, hiding one eye like a stage curtain before the main performance.

Her steps were slow.

Her heels echoed across the polished marble floor.

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

Each sound seemed calculated to produce exactly the same interval.

Around her ankles shone several interwoven golden rings resembling the ornamental chains of a circus escape artist. As she walked, they produced a delicate metallic chime that contrasted sharply with the solemn silence of the room.

She wore an outfit as extravagant as it was refined.

Long black stockings embraced her legs up to mid-thigh. Resting upon them were multiple decorative golden straps reminiscent of the restraints worn by a professional escapologist.

A long black cloak draped from her shoulders, enveloping her completely and concealing the rest of her body.

The fabric was divided into several irregular sections that trailed behind her like the torn remnants of a theatrical curtain.

Her entire appearance projected a strange duality.

She was beautiful.

But also unsettling.

Like a doll crafted with too much skill.

Or a puppet that had learned to move without strings.

Her pink lips remained motionless.

Her cheeks showed no emotion.

And her eyes...

Her eyes were what finally revealed the truth.

Golden horizontal lines stretched across them completely.

"At your service."

Her voice sounded soft.

Warm.

Almost human.

"Dimitri Unit of Circus Division reporting."

Ronald didn't even raise an eyebrow.

"Protocol: Record."

The android's eyes glowed.

For an instant, delicate blue lines of light flowed through the artificial pupils hidden beneath her flawless appearance.

"Administrator access granted."

She inclined her head slightly.

"Welcome, Mr. Ronald."

A moment later, a hologram emerged from her pupils.

The recording began.

The expedition.

The anomaly.

The attack.

The massacre.

The escape.

The exact version Alice had just described.

When it ended, Ronald remained motionless.

"...You may leave. I expect a proper report on my desk first thing tomorrow morning."

"Understood. Come along, dear."

Dimitri lowered her head.

"Yes, Alice."

The two women left the office.

The door closed behind them.

And silence returned.

For several seconds, Ronald stared at the darkness reflected in the window glass.

Something was wrong.

He could feel it.

That itch at the back of his neck told him his instincts were on alert.

And his instincts were rarely wrong.

"Keep those two under surveillance."

The shadows in the office shifted.

As though they were alive.

"Report any suspicious behavior."

A voice answered from the darkness.

"Understood."

---

Dimitri walked alongside Alice through one of the tower's private corridors.

"Are you certain your course of action was logical?"

"My dear, don't worry. Besides, it was either that or both of us getting killed. I'd rather play the risky hand."

Alice smiled.

"Besides, this was the fun option, wasn't it?"

As they continued walking, the memories resurfaced in her mind.

---

The fox duo aimed their Anti-Hunter weapons at the scientist.

"Can we at least talk for a moment? I'm sure you're here because you know about the strange things happening inside the Rifts. And who better to shed some light on them than me? Besides... you can't intimidate me. I heard you loud and clear when you said: don't eliminate the Rank S."

"Hold."

The male voice echoed through the darkness.

The woman with the revolver lowered her weapon slightly.

Not much.

Just enough.

That brought Alice a measure of relief. Truthfully, she wasn't entirely sure they wouldn't execute her on the spot.

Even so... judging by the rising levels of cortisol and adrenaline coursing through both of them, it was obvious they wouldn't hesitate to kill her if she played her cards poorly.

"Talk. And don't even think about doing anything stupid."

Alice raised both hands.

"I know, I know."

She sighed.

"You've got a sniper aiming at me. And as adorable as my dear Dimitri is, she couldn't defeat a Rank S."

Alice's eyes glimmered faintly.

Not enough to pose any threat to the masked figures.

"And... well, I might be able to kill you, little fox. But that blonde? Damn. I don't know what kind of drugs are in her bloodstream, but giving steroids to a Rank S is completely insane. Would you let me study—"

The revolver appeared directly in front of Alice's forehead.

So quickly that even the air hadn't had time to react.

Alice smiled nervously.

"Yep. You're definitely upset."

Even though the mask concealed her face, Alice could tell.

"Besides, as fascinating as fights between Rank S individuals are as a source of data, I don't feel like killing myself against you. Much less having Dimitri get hurt... speaking of the devil. Dimitri, don't do anything stupid!"

The android slowly emerged from the brush.

Anti-Hunter weaponry deployed across her arms.

Her pink eyes now glowed with a crimson-red light.

"Alice, are you certain?"

"Of course."

Alice raised her hands even higher.

"I don't want to see you torn to pieces. It would be awful if that became my last sight in this world."

The android remained motionless.

Ready to kill.

Ready to die.

"Back to business."

Alice held up the black-and-red crystal.

"You want to know more about these strange things, don't you?"

"..."

"So do I. I'm a genius, modesty aside. You can trust me when I say I'll figure out what this is and how to use it. As for our deal, it's simple. My talent in exchange for your information. My results in exchange for our lives."

Alice waved the crystal.

"The breakthroughs are yours. What do you think?"

Alice's confident smile faltered for a fraction of a second, but only her faithful companion Dimitri noticed.

Finally, the man spoke.

"...How did you discover these phenomena?"

Alice sighed.

"The government gave us that information."

"Who?"

"The Nightingale Family. So if you're looking to execute someone, they're the proper target."

The scientist smiled.

"I'm just a researcher who enjoys solving problems and getting paid for it."

The man remained silent.

Then he nodded.

"Deal. We'll give you information."

Without allowing any questions, he proceeded to explain everything about the Bizarros.

After that, they left.

Just like that.

That simple.

That terrifying.

The killers disappeared into the shadows.

As though they had never been there.

Alice stood still for several seconds.

Then she released all the air from her lungs at once.

"Whew..."

Her legs began to tremble.

"This time I really did see death up close."

Dimitri caught her before she could fall.

But then she noticed it.

A huge smile.

"You performed excellently, Miss Alice. Would you like Dimitri to pursue the enemies?"

"Nope. I just want you to pamper me and take me home... God, I need to alter your recordings or Ronald will kill me."

Alice rested her head against the android's shoulder.

"Would you do me the favor of modifying them, Dimitri?"

The android froze.

"That would constitute illegal alteration of corporate records."

"Yes."

Dimitri fell silent.

She appeared to hesitate for several moments.

But when she saw her partner's smile, she ultimately gave in.

"Administrator permissions granted."

Her eyes glowed.

"Awaiting orders, Alice Reybround."

"You're the best."

Alice cupped her face with both hands and kissed her.

For a fraction of a second.

Dimitri's circuits registered an anomalous increase in temperature.

A faint blush appeared across her cheeks.

An impossible phenomenon for a machine.

"A-Alice..."

The scientist couldn't stop smiling.

Despite the terrible situation, she couldn't suppress her excitement over what she was about to obtain.

"Bizarre, huh?"

 

---

 

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