Back To City

Alysia still looked puzzled. She glanced around and saw nothing but ruins and the silence of the night.

"You killed it?" Alysia asked Rama in disbelief. She still remembered the Ghost's appearance.

It was enormous and powerful, Alysia was certain that the Rank of those Ghosts was quite high. In her eyes, Rama didn't appear to be a high-ranking Hunter capable of killing such a Ghost, especially without suffering a scratch. She wasn't even sure if she could have done it herself. Yet, there was no sign of the Ghost.

"You don't believe me?" Rama asked and then stood up. "Well, whatever. Now that you seem fine, can you go home by yourself?"

Alysia attempted to stand but suddenly her vision blurred, and she sat back down. Rama, seeing this, immediately knew that Alysia wasn't as okay as he had thought.

"It seems like you've got a head injury," Rama said. "I'll take you to the hospital. We need to hurry; I'm worried your injury might be serious."

Alysia didn't protest when Rama offered his back to carry her. She had thought that she had used Mana earlier to protect her body, but apparently, the force of the blow from the giant Ghost had been too much to handle.

Rama carried Alysia to his bike. She mentioned that she could instruct someone to retrieve her bike later so he didn't need to worry. Rama had briefly wondered how she possessed such authority—ordering someone to fetch her bike in the midst of these ruins. But then, he recalled how Alysia had fought with magical attacks.

'Maybe she hails from one of the Hunter families.'

They returned to Twilight City when it was already dark. Rama knew the location of the Arcane Sentinels' headquarters because it was one of the tallest buildings in the city.

The building's headquarters dominated the skyline with its black and deep blue color scheme. At the top of the building, there was a large deep blue shield symbol. In front of the shield, there was a silver sword pointed upward. Surrounding the shield and sword, intricate runes and patterns symbolized magical protection.

Rama parked his bike in front of the building. Alysia insisted on going to this building rather than directly to the hospital.

"Thanks," Alysia said, holding her head with eyes that didn't seem entirely focused.

"I'm just returning the favor for what you did back there," Rama replied.

"Oh, right," Alysia nodded. "I'll go in now."

"Hey, can I meet you again later?" Rama asked.

Alysia immediately turned to him, staring for a moment with a frown on her face. "Why?"

"Well, we've fought together today, so maybe we can help each other out in the future," Rama said. "What do you think?"

Alysia had often seen other men approaching her because they were interested in her. So she couldn't help but think that Rama might be doing the same. In her eyes, Rama didn't appear particularly bad or good. She just didn't know him, but she knew how he fought against Supernatural beings. If he needed help on a mission, there was no harm in assisting.

"Sure," Alysia nodded weakly.

Rama smiled. "Great. I'll go now. Take care."

Rama rode his bike and left the area, heading to the Veil Guards' headquarters to claim his reward. Alysia watched Rama recede for a moment, then shrugged and didn't dwell on it any longer.

She staggered into her guild's headquarters, still holding her head.

~~~

Receiving help from a Hunter from one of the Hunter families would undoubtedly make it easier for her to carry out the Main Quest bestowed upon her by his power. Rama was sure that the Main Quest would continue because he still hadn't found the unknown figure manipulating those Ghosts.

Rama didn't know why his power gave him these Main Quests. It was as if the power commanded him to solve this problem.

Certainly, this issue could be dangerous for the Hunters. Those unprepared for the Specter Behemoth would be slaughtered. If Rama found the unknown figure, he could save the other Hunters from this peril.

"But why do I have to be the hero?" Rama grumbled irritably atop his bike. He had only wanted power to make himself stronger. Well, the Soul Fusion power did make him stronger, but it also compelled him to do things he didn't want to do.

'Argh! Whatever. I'll just consider it an effort to make myself stronger.'

He was no hero, and Rama had never imagined he would become one in his life. He just wanted to escape the pit of weakness and poverty he had been stuck in. Hell, he had even killed two people now, and Rama wasn't sure he would stop there.

Not wanting to dwell too deeply on it, Rama accelerated his bike towards the Veil Guards' headquarters to collect his reward. After that, he would have dinner with steaks again and sleep soundly.

Just thinking about it put a smile on his face.

~~~