Under the Veil of Night

SLASH!

"They are truly weak," a member of the Lore Group, the current strongest group, remarked.

The leader, Dean, nodded. "Let's probe deeper. Leave these small fries to the others."

"Yes Sir."

For these people, the level of monsters around here were not worth their attention at all. Right now, their target was the vial. If they could get the vial, it would make coming here worth it.

While those from small and unremarkable groups came here for the money, those from the higher-ranked groups came because they wanted the vial. They knew the content of the vial, which was the drug that could fully awaken one's talent!

They knew that the addition of this vial to their training would make their names soar further. It would no longer be a dream to reach the stage that was not normally possible for them because of their bodies' limitations. It was the goal they pursued.

They were not the only ones thinking that. Randy from Hunter Group, the current second strongest group, was also thinking the same.

"Follow me inside. Those who can't keep up can stay behind. There's no need for useless people to come," Randy ordered.

"Yes, Boss."

"Let's move!"

While the three strongest groups easily made their ways out of the massacre, the others were struggling to keep up in the free-for-all. Seeing the deaths of their comrades caused them to hate the monsters even more. Trying their best to fight, they could only hope that they would manage to survive.

SLASH! GRAB!

"Rei!" Jason managed to secure a grip on Kanae's arm. Upon sensing the power that coursed through her arm, his heart nearly dropped to the bottom of the abyss. It was far greater than what he remembered from when he faced Kanae before. Did she make a breakthrough again?

He felt that her jumps in power have become more frequent ever since she started participating in Black Street activities.

Kanae staggered for a moment. Her eyes looked back towards Jason. "Oro?"

"Calm down a bit. We have to get out of this encirclement."

"I'm calm," Kanae replied softly. Her eyes stared at the monsters that came towards her. Even though they looked like that, she knew that they were human inside. Or at least, they were previously human.

Jason frowned. During usual fights, Kanae would always be very energetic. Seeing the solemn Kanae already told him that she was not perfectly alright.

"Can you fight?" Tommy also made his way towards them. His hands were already drenched in blood from killing several of the monsters. Thankfully, the monsters were not too strong, so he was still able to fight them.

Kanae nodded. "Let's go."

Tugging her arm from Jason's grip, she moved forward once again. At a speed that Jason was unable to follow, she appeared between three monsters. Her hands slashed horizontally towards their necks, killing them in that instant.

The sight of Kanae killing them sent shivers down Jason's spine. For some reason, he felt afraid when he saw this Kanae. Whenever they fought before, he was always stronger than her, so he paid extra caution to not hurt her. However, right now, he had the feeling that if her attack was directed towards him, he might not be able to escape unscathed.

Or worse, he might find himself at death's door.

Pushing down his anxiety, he dashed to help Kanae. It took them several more minutes to break free from the monsters' encirclement.

"There's a storage room nearby," Jason pointed to one side.

"Let's go there," Kanae answered simply.

They quickly made their way towards the free-standing building. Upon entering the building, they barricaded the door and sat down on the ground, not caring about anything else. The storage room was rather dark, but no one paid any attention.

Jason turned his head towards the sitting lady huddling her knees near the mattress. "Rei, are you alright?"

Kanae raised her head slowly. Her dark irises were unfocused as they stared back towards Jason, showing him how she really felt. A storm was brewing inside the usually calm pupils, ready to break out anytime. The lady was not calm at all. She was afraid; she felt nauseous. It was terribly scary, and this heavy feeling that was weighing down on her felt completely foreign.

It was different. The feeling of fighting and the feeling of killing were completely different. It never crossed her mind that the feeling would be this bad. Taking someone's life was not easy.

Closing her eyes, she could see the monster's eyes when she took its life. They no longer had control of their bodies after they turned into monsters, but their eyes were still filled with life. It was scary to think that she had taken so many people's lives just now.

"The first time is not easy," Jason tried to calm the girl down. "It'll never be easy, but you have to do it."

"I know," Kanae whispered in reply.

"You don't have any choice, Rei. If you don't kill them, they'll kill you," Tommy leaned back on the wall. "It's the only real law of the street if you go deeper into Black Street. There's no regard for a person's life there. In the outer layer, they don't really go that far because they don't really care, but in the middle area, they will kill anyone they regard as an enemy."

The outer layer was made up of weak people, so no one really cared about them. However, stronger fighters populated the middle to the inner areas. If they didn't kill, they would be killed the next day. There was no one to stop either side from killing the other.

Kanae sunk her head into her knees. "I know."

"Don't think too much about it," Tommy stretched his body. "When you calm down, let's go out again. This place won't be safe for long."

Closing her eyes for a moment, Kanae gathered up her resolve. Up until now, she had never thought about killing people. There might have been a few that she killed out of accident, but this was the very first time she truly aimed to kill.

It was not easy---it would never be easy.

However, it was inevitable. If she wanted to delve deeper into the underworld, there was no way she could avoid it.

And time waits for no one.

Here, right now, she had to make the decision. Even the slightest hesitation would spell her death.

"Rei," Jason called. He placed his large hand on top of the girl's head. "You're not alone, and you have your own reasons for getting involved in Black Street. When you're ready, we'll still by your side, accompanying you."

"Don't forget about me," Shiro's voice came from the earpiece. "I'm still watching you three."

Kanae nodded her head. At least, she was not alone this time. Besides, she should have known that stepping into Black Street meant staining her hands red with the blood of other people. There was no way she could keep them clean with her activities.

She was unable to escape from this inevitable rule of Black Street.

"Let's go out. We came here to get stronger and not to hide."

"Aye, Captain!"