The commercial district is usually quiet after dark, yet tonight, something unusual has happened at one of the warehouses. A battle broke out between the hunter and its prey. Well, instead of battle, it's more like a one-sided massacre.

At the entrance, a huge man slashed down three of his enemies with a single swing of his battle-ax.

Behind him, a wizard raised both hands, casting spells that created dozens of electric arrows. His attack killed more than a dozen people.

Another man is running over the wall like a spider, heading for the back row and wreaking havoc there.

"Damn you, government dog! Die!"

Their enemy also doesn't just lay around waiting to die. One of them throws a pair of discs at the huge man and successfully cuts off his arm.

"Guh!"

"Ahaha! Next up is you, Cody!"

He tries to throw his disc at the wizard near the warehouse entrance. However,

"Don't get ahead of yourself, kid."

"Eh...?"

Before he knew it, the blue fireflies had already surrounded his body. Cody snaps his fingers and the fireflies start to zap him to death.

"Aaargh!"

The smell of roasted meat spreads throughout the warehouse and extinguishes the remaining enemy morale.

After that, it wasn't long before the warehouse became quiet again. The battle was over with minimal damage as per orders from their superiors.

“2-star criminal, Arte, has been defeated,” Cody muttered. "Unfortunately there are still ten more of them."

"Trust other members. They might be over soon."

"I hope so."

In summary, the Imperial Special Division that was already at Denia launched a surprise attack on the criminals gathered there. They are divided into ten groups and attack seven different locations. 

After some time, the communication device sent reports. 

"Sir, group 5 had managed to kill the 3-star criminal, the Cockroach."

“Group 3 had success ….”

"... The Tari-ari Brothers managed to escape."

"The place we're headed for has no signs of the target."

"Group 2 here. We are asking for support. We can't handle 5-star Kira King ourselves."

They were exhausted after a long journey plus their number and equipment were sober. Still, somehow they managed to do their job well. Among ten groups, most of them managed to subdue the enemy.

After some thought, Cody finally gives an order. "Gentlemen, we're going to help out group 2. Ted, get treatment right away."

"Understood."

****

A tall, gray-cloaked man walked into a four-story building. People might find his sharp eye frightening but also charming. A flat hat and pipe in his mouth complete his perfect image as a detective.

He is none other than Delta Greyhorn, a famous detective and novelist. In his prime, he was the most hated and feared person by criminals. Asking him how many criminals he had caught is like asking him how much bread he had eaten in his life.

This famous detective is now on his way to once again arrest the most wanted criminal.

He ascended to the rooftop where the mayor and his staff welcomed him. 

Mayor Darton is a short, muscular man.  Rumor said that children who meet him will immediately cry hysterically.

While he had high status as a mayor and had outstanding accomplishments as a military commander, he still chose his words carefully when speaking to Detective Greyhorn. It just shows how great the detective is.

"Mr. Greyhorn. It is an honor to meet you. I have heard of your fame for a long time."

"Let's cut the formality and get to business."

"As you please." The Mayor begins to explain the current situation. "As per your instructions, I have been able to invite a circus troupe called 'The Wicked One' to this city."

From the rooftop, they can see the big red tent in the middle of the city square. That tent belongs to a rising circus troupe named The Wicked One. They gained popularity around this year and have already performed in many places. 

However, the circus was just merely a disguise. Behind the scenes, a gang of dangerous criminals hid and controlled the operation. Fortunately, Detective Greyhorn discovered their disguise and set up a trap for them.

The criminals may think they have successfully snuck into the city through disguise but turn out all of this was just a part of the detective's plan to capture them that had terrorized the empire for years.

"The city guards have evacuated the surrounding area and encircled the circus tent. Of the 14 star criminals pursued in this city, seven have been defeated by the Special Force. But the problem is-" 

"Blackjack, isn't it?"

"That's right. Six-star fugitive, Hymne Blackjack. He is a wild card of this operation."

Most wanted criminals are rated from one to five stars depending on how dangerous they are. One star criminal has killed at least dozens of people, while a five-star criminal has terrorized the entire Empire for years.

 

How about six stars, you say?

 

That means they pissed off the high-ranking officials so much that there is an entire regiment dedicated to arresting them as soon as possible. Let's just say they are people who know the government's secrets.

 

Blackjack was a suspect of the Byzantine Incident where a whole city burned to ashes around half a year ago with at least five-digit casualties. 

Well, at least that was what the public knew. But a person like Darton knew that if it were just like that, Blackjack would only have five stars instead of six. He believes there is more secret to that incident.

 

"May you explain to me what actually happened in Byzantine?" Darton asked.

The detective looks contemplating for a second before beginning to explain, "... Do you happen to know about the Byzantine Project? I'll assume you don't know. In summary, it was a dangerous experiment intended to control nightmares."

A shiver ran through Darton's body at the mention of the word nightmare. Dreamworld is one of three calamities that appeared 300 years ago. It is home to nightmares that are notorious for being savage. Those who have met one will know, taming nightmare is impossible.

Darton was so shocked that he forgot his manner.

"So the rumors are true! what kind of madlad would come up with something like that."

"In fact, they succeeded. Though they couldn't control the nightmare completely… People always ask how an ancient civilization that was so advanced can be destroyed. For me the answer is obvious, humans always seeking their own destruction."

"… If that is the case, this city must be abandoned immediately!"

"Rest assured, the device shouldn't be able to summon enough nightmares to destroy an entire city."

Darton feels relieved a moment before he realizes something odd. "Hold on, it can't destroy an entire city, but will it destroy half of it?"

"If it is another city, that would be the case. But You, as the Mayor of this city,  should know the most about what this city is renowned for."

"Do you mean those adventurers? They are like wild beasts, we can't rely on them," Darton sighed. "This city is a home for many experienced monster hunters, yet none of them will listen to my order."

"When money is available, they will do almost anything. I already sent them a request letter before coming here and got a positive answer."

"I hope so."

Tonight, a big storm once again ran into the City of Heroes, Denia. The festival night full of joy might turn into a tragic night of sorrow.

Will they be able to stop the evil that is spreading in Denia City? Look forward to the continuation only in Dragon bal-

****

At the same time, our clueless protagonist is sulking because she was forced into her room due to government orders.