Western District Subjugation - 1
Regardless of its calling card as the 'strongest nation in the west,' countless incidents occurred in Central City every day. It wasn't so much poor public security as it was an inevitable outcome of the area's high population density. Still, for the Westania government, which was tasked with managing and bearing responsibility for the capital's safety, this wasn't an unavoidable issue but a problem that had to be solved by any means necessary.
They couldn't exactly station troops across the entire city on a permanent basis, so the government proposed a simpler, more rational solution to protect the capital. They dramatically increased the number of dogs in their kennels and handpicked only the finest among them. In the end, they assembled a pack of hunting hounds capable of neutralizing every internal threat. That was how they were born.
The Special Affairs Division of the National Security Bureau. An elite unit that boasted the highest mortality rate of any government agency, yet maintained only a small roster because the standards demanded of its members were equally unforgiving. Attached to the Metropolitan Police Department to ensure seamless cooperation between military and law enforcement, it served as the final line of defense for Central City's security until the army stepped in.
Their main duty was independent investigation of cases that threatened the nation itself—incidents involving massive civilian casualties or crimes tied to Mysteries that ordinary people could never resolve. Cases that combined both elements were to be resolved without fail. For example, Devils.
Every single one of them possessed their own Mystery, and their inherently vicious natures guaranteed they would become national threats. Therefore, the highest priority was to kill them before they could run rampant, with constant surveillance as the next best option.
…However, the species known as 'Devils' was exceptionally rare. Few survivors had ever encountered one, so even within the Special Affairs Division, trackers were scarce. These creatures were so cunning that visual identification was nearly impossible even when looking straight at them. They had to be hunted by scent, not by sight.
Yes. What they needed were seasoned hunting dogs.
“Mystery residue.”
Ellyna Bastard tapped the board covered in dozens of pinned photographs with the back of her hand. The images showed horrific crime scenes: bodies with crushed heads, torsos split apart, floors pooled with brain matter, flesh, and blood. Every victim had been a criminal. Despite the abundance of evidence left at each scene, the perpetrator could never be identified.
“I was curious what kind of pervert keeps turning every scene into a slaughterhouse. Wanted to see his face at least once.”
Though the killer only targeted criminals, it was impossible to tell whether he was a twisted vigilante who got off on moral superiority or simply a pleasure-seeking murderer. Even if he acted out of a sense of justice, the fact remained that he was a criminal. The Special Affairs Division had formed a dedicated task force to track him down.
“Nothing. We really got nothing at all.”
No matter what tricks he used, every trail went cold midway through, as if by magic. No matter how hard they tried, the same thing kept happening. The investigation team wasted an entire year chasing a ghost that seemed to vanish from the face of the earth. Eventually, it was decided that a single team was insufficient for the task. It also wasn’t deemed important enough to warrant mobilizing larger forces.
After all, so far only criminals had died.
The investigation was temporarily suspended and handed over to Ellyna Bastard personally. For a long while after that, there was no news. At least until a few days ago.
“Looks like all that legwork paid off. By pure luck, we detected a fresh Mystery residue at the Western District harbor right before it disappeared.”
Mystery residue. An anomalous phenomenon that always lingered for a certain period after a Devil used their power. The trace alone didn’t reveal what kind of Mystery had been used or in what way, but one thing was certain.
It was connected to a Devil.
When that certainty combined with the mountain of accumulated samples, the conclusion was obvious. Crystal clear.
Ellyna Bastard slowly scanned the conference room, a mocking smile on her lips. She winked at Ellyse, who was watching her with wide, attentive eyes, then delivered the verdict to the anxious lambs waiting for her words.
“Everyone, we’ve had our blood stolen.”
Just a tiny amount. Barely enough for a taste. So little that they couldn’t even tell how much had been taken from the blood-soaked slaughter scenes.
At her incomprehensible statement, someone in the room spoke up.
“Wait, why? Like you said, Chief Inspector, the scenes were covered in blood.”
When Ellyse looked to see who it was, she found it was an inspector—someone of lower rank than her superior. The ever-generous Chief Inspector Ellyna frowned as she answered.
“Are you brain-dead? There’s no way a Devil would kill criminals out of some sense of justice. He killed them for a purpose, and it’s obvious he took something from us in secret, isn’t it?”
“……”
Forensic analysis of every scene showed that, aside from completely destroyed sections, no organs or bones were missing from the corpses. If the dead criminal had been a smuggler, the cultural artifacts were left untouched beside him. If he had been a kidnapper, the crying child was still there. Other than the blood scattered across the scenes, nothing had been taken.
Therefore, the conclusion was clear. The Devil had either taken an extremely small amount of blood, or his purpose lay in the act of killing itself.
It might have seemed like a modest harvest, but considering the racial traits of creatures that wielded Mysteries, the implications were quite serious.
“The target we’re subjugating this time isn’t some brainless mutant who only knows how to use brute force, nor a simple serial killer who crushes criminals to death.”
There were currently two possibilities. Either a Mystery that used blood itself as a sorcerous catalyst, or one that gained some kind of benefit from the very act of murdering humans. Coincidentally, both were entities already recorded in the Special Affairs Division’s database.
Mysteries observed in only a single individual throughout human history. Devils who had lived from ancient times to the present.
The Lord of Vampires, Bathory Erzsébet.
The No-Life-King, Endel.
Traces of one of these two monsters—whose very names carried terrifying weight—had been discovered inside the city. Therefore, the conclusion was obvious.
Seeing the stiffened expressions of everyone in the room, who seemed to have sensed what was coming, Chief Inspector Ellyna Bastard smiled quietly and said,
“Everyone, we must hunt a Devil.”
Not some common mongrel, but a mythical monster that truly wielded magic.
Naturally, there was no fool greedy for glory who claimed he would catch it alone. Even an ordinary Devil was no easy prey. How could anyone hope to take down one of the two most infamous specimens single-handedly? These were creatures no one could confidently claim could be killed even with an entire army. Monsters that defied human common sense.
Since they had been discovered—albeit belatedly—they might not be able to kill it, but they had to harass it, drive it away, as far from the capital as possible.
For that reason, Ellyna Bastard mobilized every available and verified member of the Special Affairs Division into search-and-destroy teams. She formed ten squads of five members each. Since every agent in the Division was a pre-vetted combat operative, there was no concern about individual fighting ability.
Ellyse Bertman, the newly assigned junior inspector, had also been recognized for her combat potential and drafted into the Western District subjugation operation. She was placed in the squad led by her direct superior, Ellyna Bastard.
Everyone praised her courage for willingly participating in a subjugation mission despite being a rookie.
“……Huh?”
And Ellyse Bertman only realized the truth much later.
Still dazed from her first emergency situation since joining the division, it took her a long while to notice that she had been assigned to the same Team 1 as Ellyna.
“Like I always say, cute juniors need their seniors to look after them, right?”
“……”
Ellyse blinked blankly. Chief Inspector Ellyna, who had just winked at her, was geared up far more practically than usual. Only then did Ellyse realize she was outdoors and already moving toward the operation zone. She also hadn’t properly memorized the faces of her other squad members.
She tried to check them now, but everyone had already put on gas masks, so it was pointless.
BOOM!
Crash—!
Rookie inspector Ellyse Bertman only realized—after noisily ripping the sewer grate off with raw strength—that she hadn’t needed to do so. Only then did she understand just how severely tensed she was.
…Is this really okay?
Ellyse noticed her hands were trembling and stared down at them. The operation had been thrown together so suddenly, and although this was only a search mission for now, the surreal possibility of soon facing a Devil had briefly made her lose her grip on reality. Even her sense of smell, paralyzed by nerves, returned.
“……!”
Ellyse Bertman suddenly lifted her head at the stench that hit her nose. It was a different kind of foul odor from the sewer smell, gradually drawing closer. Soon after, a noise followed.
She instinctively understood.
Thud thud thud thud—!
Crunch crunch crunch crunch crunch—!
Something was coming.
*
“Demian, all preparations are complete.”
At the sudden voice of the Devil, I frowned and answered.
“I know, you damn stalker.”
I finished pulling on the pitch-black bodysuit I hadn’t worn in years. Since I might run into police officers, I had to keep the combat suit that had become my company’s signature product sealed away. I gave the tight material clinging to my thighs one firm tug, then finally began walking.
Toward the backstage of the stage.