Retreat

"That was annoying." Takeo remarked. "Though the blast only tickles, that light was actually blinding."

He, together with Tao and Raizel were standing on a roof of a ten-storey building a few blocks away from the church. They weren't hurt, they weren't even grazed. In fact, the most they got were dusty clothes.

"What the hell was that about?" Tao asked.

"I don't know. Whatever happened, one thing is for sure. It made this entire search a lot harder." Said Takeo.

"Let's head back for now. We have nothing more to do here." Tao suggested. "We're in enemy territory and we don't exactly know who we're up against."

The three immediately returned to their airplane, and ready to head back to South Korea. Tao and Takeo changed clothes, but Raizel just conjured a new set.

In less than half an hour, Tao managed to pilot the plane; took off, and returned it into the skies. He exited the cabin and gathered with everyone. They sat at a single table, with Raizel in the middle, and the two on either sides.

"Forgive me, Raizel-nim." Said Tao. "That turned out to be a disaster."

Raizel didn't respond, however, he did paused a bit before he returned to sipping his tea.

"Anyway, what now?" Takeo asked.

"Let's gather what we know." Tao suggested. "It seems things are deeper than we initially thought."

"What do we know? First, Frankenstein left five months ago saying that he's tracing everything there is to do with the Union. Even though he shut down everything immediately Six years ago, he noticed an activity." Takeo narrated.

"Fast forward," Tao continued. "We lost contact with him, and have since been unable to see any of his trace till last night. That signal that bears his identification was traced back to Paris, France, in a church no less.

"There, we were confronted with a destroyed laboratory; dried yes, but nonetheless a bloody scene; and the faint aura of Frankenstein. That—"

"Yes, that only means one thing. It was Frankenstein who killed them all. But why? Not even Frankenstein would indiscriminately kill Union agents, especially small fries. What did that laboratory have to hide that Frankenstein did such a thing? I wonder.

"Another, There's no body anywhere though, You think Frankenstein may have let his Dark Spear devour them?"

"I mean, Frankenstein's not exactly a saint, right? This is certainly plausible for him. Smart as he is, the boss is also insane. Somewhat."

"That story is more easy and not complex. However, who's this "Core" guy? The moment he comes in, this changes everything. What role did he play in all this? Does he know what happened to Frankenstein? Or maybe he's the one Frankenstein's after? There's also the possibility that the core guy may even be the one who killed all those guys in the lab. Like Crombell, he somehow managed to get his hands on that energy. It would explain why we thought it's Frankenstein"

"No" At last, Raizel spoke and joined them in their conversation. "That was not merely a copy of Dark Spear, it was not only a similar aura, It was Frankenstein's. That I'm sure of."

"But then, where is he now?" Asked Takeo.