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TODAY'S FUN FIXER FACT!
"Anyone can become a Fixer by starting an Office and collaborating with a Coalition to receive assignments, or by independently accepting requests. While most Fixers charge Nanum for their services, some Offices, called "Miracle Workers," offer their services to clients for free." —Mitchell Merritt
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⠀
"This..."
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Qiang said, turning the gun in his hands to examine it from all angles before handing it to Mori.
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"…is a 9-round .500 magnum revolver, which I am entrusting to you."
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"Really? Wow, thanks, Qiang!"
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Mori still didn't know about Qiang's true identity as the Gun ARCH. In truth, Gun had created the revolver specifically for Mori using his ARCH energy.
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"Antollio told me you preferred guns, so I decided to get you something powerful. Now, show me what you've got by practicing on that target down the lane."
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"All right."
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Mori stepped up to the firing line and faced the black silhouette target. Though his arms trembled, he struggled to raise the .500 and managed to keep it trained on the target.
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"It's sorta... heavy..."
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"You'll get used to it. Now, fire when you're ready."
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"..."
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Mori focused on the target overlayed above the black silhouette, centering his sights on its head. The silence amplified his racing heart, but he inhaled deeply, then slowly exhaled. He tightened his finger around the trigger and fired.
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BANG
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The revolver bucked with immense force, slamming back into Mori's face before rising into the air. The gun's barrel was hot; Mori could feel the heat even though his hands were near the rear of the weapon. Staring down the lane, Qiang's mouth dropped open in shock.
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"Mori, look!"
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"—!"
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The silhouette's head was shot clean off, leaving no trace. The edges of the paper, where the shot passed through, were lightly burned, wisps of smoke rising. It resembled the edge of an eclipse.
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"Where did you learn to shoot?"
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"Uh... Fixer recruitment?"
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Qiang's gaze lingered on the scorched edges of the target a moment longer before he exhaled quietly.
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"…Right. Recruitment."
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He stepped beside Mori, folding his arms as his tone shifted, becoming less impressed and more deliberate.
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"Mori. There's something you need to understand before you fire that thing again."
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"Hm?"
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Qiang's eyes narrowed slightly, studying him.
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"I know what you did back there the other day. With Roby?"
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"…!"
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Mori stiffened.
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"...To be honest, I don't really remember what happened."
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"Don't bother lying."
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Qiang cut in, his voice calm but firm.
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"That was an ARCH manifestation. You got it from Gun, right?"
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The air between them grew heavier.
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"…You felt it, didn't you? That presence. That pressure sitting in your chest like it was waiting for something."
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Mori's grip on the revolver tightened.
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"I guess you could put it like that. I was just mad, that's all..."
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Qiang put his head down, shutting his eyes as he continued.
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"You can keep denying it, or you can just accept that you're now associated with Gun."
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"..."
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Mori stared down at the revolver in his hands, his face shadowed by his hair.
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"Everything's been so fast lately..."
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"What?"
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"Gun, Antollio, Fixer recruitment, training... Everything that's happened over the last few weeks has felt so surreal."
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Mori looked up at Qiang, his eyes brimming with tears.
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"I'm not even sure why I'm here. I just wanted to help, but I can't believe I forged a contract with that thing. It killed so many people... it would have killed me!"
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"..."
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Qiang's face was cold as stone.
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"If you want to change, you'll teach Mori how to control his power, and then you'll kill yourself, do you understand??"
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Qiang matched Mori's gaze, smiling.
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"I agree. My life has been moving quickly as well..."
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Qiang reached out his hand toward Mori.
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"...Come on, let's embrace it together!"
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Surprised, Mori wiped away his tears and shook Qiang's hand.
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"I think I get it now, Qiang. The reason I joined the Argus Directorates..."
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He holsters his revolver, grinning back at Qiang.
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"...Is so I can become strong enough to protect friends like you!"
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"...!"
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Surprised by Mori's exclamation, Qiang's expression softened, his heart swelling with an unexpected warmth. A genuine smile broke across his face as he looked at Mori, the weight of the moment sinking in. He could see the determination in his eyes, a fierce light that ignited a spark of hope within him. It was as if his words wrapped around him like a comforting embrace, soothing the doubts that had lingered in his mind.
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"Mori, I want to teach you something about your power with Gun."
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"Oh, okay!"
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"We should try it outside. It's a bit destructive."
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"...?"
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They adjourned to the private training range behind the Argus Directorate Post. Wide and reinforced, the range was lined with concrete and steel at the far end. A single armored dummy stood at the center, riddled with damage from past training exercises.
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"Why didn't we just use the firing range inside?"
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"As I said before, this ability is going to be destructive."
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Qiang tossed Mori a box of rounds.
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"H-How did you get these? Aren't these super expensive??"
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"Don't worry about it. I want you to fire all of your rounds into that dummy there until you get to your last bullet."
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"Okay..."
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Mori repositioned himself, aimed the .500 at the dummy's head, and fired two bullets. The power, however, wasn't even enough to pierce straight through it.
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"What the—?! Why is the dummy so strong??"
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"Everyone uses this dummy, from 9th Division Fixers to Elegies. Did you expect it to just tumble over from the wind?"
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Mori continued, firing six more shots into it before turning back to Qiang.
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"All right, I'm on my last bullet. What now?"
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"What now? Fire it, see how it feels!"
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"—!"
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Mori looks back at the dummy, examining its resilience against the last eight rounds he fired. This one's gonna hurt!
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"You ready then, Qiang? I'm gonna blow that thing's head off with this last one, just you watch!"
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"..."
ARCH: Gun
Threat Level: KKA (까)
Associated Individual: Mori Ryunosuke (Argus Directorates – 9th Division)
Ability: Takes the form of an amalgamation of guns and metal. Can shoot infinite amounts of bullets. The 9th bullet fired will always result in the death of all nearby civilians. Elegies or people with intense ARCH resonance are immune to this attack.
Weight: 2,894~ tons
Height: 5882.71 cm
⠀
Mori lifted the revolver once more, his heart racing as he aimed at the battered dummy. Its head was already scarred by him with eight bullet holes. Sweat dripped down his brow as he steadied his trembling hands, inhaling deeply to banish the rising tide of doubt. With a single, deliberate breath, he wrapped his finger around the cold trigger, every ounce of his focus converging on the target. This time, he would not miss. Every nerve in his body buzzed with anticipation as he prepared to pull the trigger, ready to unleash the chaos of his inner turmoil onto the lifeless figure. The moment hung thick in the air, charged with tension.
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He pulled the trigger.
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"Bang!"
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A violent surge of dark, fiery tendrils erupted from the barrel, twisting and writhing as they guided the bullet forward with unstoppable force. The air shimmered around them, warped by the intense energy. As the bullet tore through the atmosphere, it unleashed a destructive wave, obliterating everything within a twenty-foot radius. Where solid forms once stood, only a void remained, consumed by the sheer power. No debris or fragments... just an expanse of absence, as if the matter itself had been erased. A deep, thunderous echo followed seconds later.
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"…!"
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Mori staggered back, nearly dropping the revolver.
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"…What… was that…?"
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Qiang said nothing for a moment, staring at the destruction.
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"…That is what happens when you touch its power."
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Mori's hands trembled.
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"…I didn't even feel recoil…"
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"Because it wasn't just you pulling the trigger."
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Silence hung between them. Mori slowly turned back.
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"…Qiang."
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"…Yeah?"
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"How do you know all this?"
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A brief pause. For a moment, Qiang thought his cover was blown... but then, he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.
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"…I've got a contract."
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"…A contract?"
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"With an ARCH."
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Mori's eyes widened slightly.
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"It, uh... lets me see things. Profiles, abilities, limits. You know??"
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Qiang met his gaze without hesitation.
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"...That's how I know what you're dealing with."
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Mori stared at him for a few seconds…
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...then nodded slowly.
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"…That's… pretty useful!"
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"…Yeah."
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Qiang looked away briefly.
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"I guess you could say that..."
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For a fleeting moment, something unreadable flickered in his eyes. Then it was gone. Qiang looked back at Mori.
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"All right. We're not done yet."
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Mori exhaled, steadying himself as he looked back at the smoking destruction where the dummy once stood.
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"…More?"
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"If you want to master your contract with Gun, you'll have to train for a while. Wouldn't want you to get out there and blow a hole through a Coalition, or worse..."
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"Oh, right... My contract..."
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"What was that?"
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"...Nothing."
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Mori reflected on his contract with the Gun ARCH. He remembered the day he approached it, his eyes filled with rage. The ARCH lowered its body toward him, its front side, an amalgamation of guns that formed a crude head, facing him directly. The world muted around them.
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"Mori Ryunosuke..."
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"—!!"
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"I will ask you a question, one that will determine whether I continue to end lives with these barrels or if I will leave these innocent men alone for the rest of eternity..."
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Its voice echoed within Mori's mind, a deep bellow that shook him to his core. Stunned, he couldn't speak, rage and fear filling him.
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"...If you were locked in a room with your worst enemy and you had a gun with a single loaded bullet... what would you do?"
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It leaned in, an unsettling calmness radiating from it, the air thickening with unspoken tension. Mori clenched his jaw, his muscles tight with fury. His heart raced, his eyes wide with disbelief. How could Gun approach him with such casualness after the bloodshed he'd caused? The audacity infuriated him. Memories flashed through Mori's mind, echoes of lives lost, anguished cries haunting the silence. Anger bubbled beneath his skin, a primal instinct urging him to retaliate against the creature that had wreaked such havoc without remorse. He stood on the brink of an abyss, teetering between reason and a primal urge for vengeance. The sheer lack of regard in Gun's demeanor stoked Mori's rage, igniting a fire that threatened to consume him. Finally, he spoke...
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"I'd use it to kill you!"
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Mori unleashed a vicious stream of saliva as he shouted furiously at the towering ARCH, his voice echoing with intensity.
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"ARCHs like you don't deserve to live! I'll kill you all! Even if I run out of bullets in that gun, I'll bash your brains in with my bare hands if I have to! You hear me?? You're all my worst enemies!!!"
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His voice cracked with emotion as he shouted, and tears cascaded down his cheeks, glistening like tiny diamonds. A trickle of snot from his nose left a damp trail, a testament to his raw anguish.
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"I don't care anymore! If you want to kill someone, kill me! Why would I want to live in a world where so many bad things happen to good people?"
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The ARCH towered above Mori, an imposing figure frozen in time. Despite Mori's restless inquiries, the structure remained silent, its immense presence unyielding. It seemed to absorb his unanswered questions, leaving Mori to grapple with the weight of his thoughts beneath its watchful gaze.
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"Tell me why!!"
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"...So you would fire..."
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"—?!"
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"...Even without reason, that is sufficient."
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A faint metallic shift echoed through its body.
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"We have become one."
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The words hung in the air like a verdict. Mori stood frozen, his breath uneven, chest heaving. His eyes locked onto the towering mass before him, waiting for something more that never came. Then, almost imperceptibly at first, the edges of the Gun ARCH began to blur as if reality itself could no longer sustain its form. The jagged amalgamation of barrels and metal frames softened as tiny fragments peeled away from its surface. Not falling, but drifting upward like weightless leaves caught in an unseen current. Each particle separated with quiet inevitability as the immense structure that once loomed over him unraveled layer by layer. The crude "head" dissolved first into a slow spiral of fading ash, followed by the rest of its towering body thinning into nothingness.
As it faded, light began to seep through the gaps it left behind, faint at first before growing brighter, spilling through the dissolving silhouette and catching on each drifting fragment. Every particle shimmered briefly before vanishing, like embers suspended in the air, turning what should have been a terrifying sight into something strangely beautiful, almost serene. Mori, still trembling, could only watch as the oppressive weight that once crushed the world around him lifted with its disappearance. The silence was no longer suffocating, but gentle.
His rage cooled into something distant and dull as his body slowly released its tension. His fingers loosened at his sides, his breathing beginning to steady despite the creeping exhaustion. His vision softened as the glowing fragments blurred together into streaks of light. As the last remnants of the Gun ARCH scattered into nothing, the light fully returned, washing over him in a quiet stillness that eased his mind just enough for his strength to finally give out. His knees buckled as the world tilted and his sight dimmed. In that final moment before darkness enveloped him, there was no anger, no fear; only a fleeting, fragile calm before everything faded away.
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Two sets of footsteps approached...
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The rustling of shrubbery...
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The jingling of handcuffs...
ARCH Elimination Team B has arrived on scene.
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"So, this is the boy who brought Gun down. Do you see that, Haddler? There's something beautiful in him, I'm sure of it."
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"You can never be too certain, Pallas. Radio it in quickly, I'm sure the Viscera are already on their way."