Chief Roman Calico let out a heavy, ragged breath, his fingers drumming a dark, rhythmic pattern against the mahogany desk as he stared at the severed celestial ears. The weight of his administrative failures seemed to age his face by a decade right in front of us.
"Let look at the cold, hard numbers, During our recent operations, thirty-two elite Luminous Knights were completely liquidated at the Branch 2 southern outpost. In the frozen northern wastes, thirty more were systematically hunted down and butchered. Out of the exact one hundred and sixty high-tier Luminous Knights currently stationed across our entire country, only one hundred remain standing today. These entities are not a minor localized threat. They erased nearly half of our vanguard forces in a matter of seconds." Roman said, his voice dropping into a grave, hollow octave that echoed off the fortified walls.
He suddenly slammed his hand flat against the desk, his sharp eyes locking onto my 5'5" frame with a mixture of profound shock and intense, political dread.
"And you... a rogue archivist we classified as a baseline civilian, stepped into that blizzard and executed the Fallen Angel. Do you have any historical conception of what you have actually done, Eirene? You have shattered the entire power balance of the central sectors."
Before Chief Roman could escalate his bureaucratic panic, Captain Friedrich abruptly stepped forward. The heavy steel plates of his armor clanked loudly under the ether lamps as a sudden, desperate realization flashed across his features. He looked from the severed trophies on the desk directly into my mismatched jade-green and crimson eyes.
"Wait, Chief... think about the tactical leverage here, If you truly possess the raw combat efficiency to slaughter a celestial apex threat like the Fallen Angel, then you must have the power to hunt down and destroy that rogue vampire currently terrorizing the southern borders. The Blood-Sucking Winged Demon." Friedrich interrupted, his voice laced with a sudden, intense hunger. He leaned over the table, staring at me as if I were the ultimate military asset.
Friedrich slammed his gauntleted fist against his chest piece, issuing a direct, high-tier military challenge.
"If you march down south, track that monster to its lair, and bring its head back to this office, the High Command will officially authorize and distribute the full eighteen gold pieces from its active bounty. You will be heralded as a hero of the capital."
Behind my calm, deadpan expression, a sudden, blinding wave of bitter, dark irony washed over my mind.
The timing was absolutely, flawlessly perfect. The absolute fools were standing in their own central headquarters, aggressively begging the real Crimson Phantom to go down south and slaughter a purebred rogue vampire that was currently using my exact calling card. If I accepted this contract, traveled to the southern border, and brought back the head of the unhinged monster that was framing me, the Bureau would officially credit the kill to "Eirene the bounty hunter." The eighteen gold bounty currently placed on my own head would be completely canceled, my operational cover would be permanently secured, and the High Command would literally hand me my own reward money.
I didn't let a single microsecond of hesitation crack my cold, pale face. I simply leaned forward, my restored, smooth voice echoing through the silent office with absolute, chilling certainty.
"Sure, Consider the ledger balanced. I will head down south and bring you the head of your demon."
Beside me, Evelyn took one final, slow scrape of her silver spoon against the glass of her jam jar, her bioluminescent hair tips violently flashing a brilliant, knowing shade of yellow as she stifled a massive, S-rank giggle. Elicia gently leaned back into her leather chair, a subtle, deeply amused smirk playing across her lips as she adjusted her high-tier healing staff. The Bureau officials had just handed the Crimson Phantom the perfect administrative get-out-of-jail-free card, and they were completely thrilled about it.
Elicia immediately sat up straight, her majestic 5'8" frame tensing as she gripped her high-tier healing staff. Her piercing crimson eyes filled with an intense, maternal worry.
"Wait, Eirene, you can't just march into a high-tier hot zone alone, That southern vampire completely erased an entire branch of elite vards in seconds. Mind if I join your party? With my divine regeneration matrices keeping your vitals anchored, we can ensure… "
"Stay here, big sister," I interrupted, my smooth, restored voice carrying an unyielding, razor-sharp edge that instantly cut her off.
I turned my mismatched jade-green and crimson eyes toward her, my posture absolute.
"Join Evelyn. Your primary administrative goal is to safeguard the capital."
The memory of the northern blizzard flashed through my mind. I had barely managed to keep my Phase 5 demonic nature hidden from her back then; if she accompanied me to the south, protecting her while simultaneously unleashing my full, unhinged vampiric core would be a mechanical impossibility.
"Think logically, What happens if a high-tier demon infiltrates the capital lines while you are away? One singular, undetected entity in these densely populated sectors will cause multiple mass casualties within seconds. With the tactical use of your wide-range healing ability, you are the ultimate defensive anchor for this city. Stay where you are needed most." I continued deadpan, leaning forward.
Elicia's lips parted, but she slowly leaned back into her leather chair, letting out a heavy, defeated sigh. She knew my tactical assessment was flawless.
Beside her, Evelyn nodded eagerly, her bioluminescent hair tips shifting into a compliant, protective shade of deep blue-green as she hugged her empty jam jar.
"Don't worry, Eirene! I'll stay back and keep Elicia safe. If any mean demons try to sneak into the city, I'll smash them into paste before they can even touch the gates!"
Captain Friedrich let out a low, deeply satisfied chuckle, his polished silver plate armor clinking loudly as he clapped his gauntleted hands together.
"An excellent, standard-grade tactical distribution, Well, good, Eirene. Since you're taking the vanguard role for this deployment, I think you will be working perfectly side-by-side with your older brother, Elias. As the leader of the investigative division, the Shadow Walker has been completely obsessed with hunting down the Crimson Phantom for months. However, he will be officially off-duty for the next three days… taking some mandatory administrative time to visit his family in the countryside." Friedrich praised, a smug, confident grin returning to his face.
A cold, heavy knot tied itself deep inside my chest.
Working side-by-side with Elias was an absolute, catastrophic worst-case scenario. My older brother was a brilliant tracker; if he accompanied me to the southern borders, he would inevitably catch a glimpse of my massive crimson wings, my predatory fangs, or my energy signature. If Elias ever discovered that the terrifying, blood-sucking monster he had sworn to execute was actually his frail, beloved little sister "Little Ren," his heart would be completely, utterly crushed.
But the timing Friedrich just handed me was a godsend. Elias was going to be completely out of the sector for exactly three days.
"Three days, That is my exact operational window. I will travel down south, locate the purebred vampire, slaughter it, and bring its head back to this desk before Elias even sets foot back in the capital. I'll clear the bounty on my identity and scrub my slate clean, all without Elias ever finding out what his little sister has truly become." I thought, my analytical brain rapidly mapping out the logistics.
I knew I couldn't openly refuse the captain's proposal. Rejecting a joint deployment with my own biological brother would instantly arouse intense political suspicion from Chief Roman's calculating gaze.
Forcing a calm, completely compliant expression onto my face, I looked directly at Captain Friedrich and offered a single, professional nod.
"Sure, Captain Friedrich, I will gladly be working with my older brother upon his return. Let him enjoy his countryside leave; I will begin drawing up the preliminary tracking vectors in the meantime."
Chief Roman nodded slowly, satisfied by my compliance, and stamped the official administrative dossier with a resonant thump.
"The southern deployment is officially logged into the Bureau's register, The high-tier tracking matrices for the southern border are yours to access, Eirene. Do not fail us. The capital cannot afford to lose another thirty vards to that blood-sucking anomaly." Roman declared, his authoritative voice echoing off the fortified mahogany walls.
"I don't plan on leaving the ledger open," I replied deadpan, standing up from my leather chair.
Beside me, Elicia stood as well, lifting her heavy silver healing staff with a seamless, regal grace. Evelyn quickly tucked her spoon away, sliding her empty glass jar of strawberry jam into her armor pouch before bouncing up with an eager, S-rank salute toward Chief Roman and Captain Friedrich.
"We will take our leave now, Come along, sisters. We need to finalize Eirene's supply requisition before the sun sets on the 8th District."
We turned around and walked out of the High Command office, the heavy obsidian double doors clicking shut behind us and cutting off the suffocating military tension of the room. The moment we stepped back onto the quiet, velvet-carpeted hallways of the association, Evelyn leaned over aggressively, her bioluminescent hair tips violently flashing a rapid, teasing shade of bright yellow.
"Wow, Eirene, you really are a smooth talker! You lied straight to Captain Friedrich's face without even blinking! If Elias finds out you're sneaking down south to steal his favorite bounty hunt right out from under him, he's going to throw a total temper tantrum!" Evelyn giggled loudly, totally abandoning her serious soldier persona the second the doors closed.
"It isn't a lie, Evelyn. It's a tactical timeline adjustment, Elias is safely tucked away in the countryside for seventy-two hours. That gives me exactly three days to systematically erase that purebred parasite from existence and cash in on my own head." I muttered coldly, keeping my mismatched jade-green and crimson eyes fixed straight ahead as we navigated the grand corridors.
Elicia let out a soft, thoroughly amused sigh, the butt of her staff clicking softly against the floorboards as she walked beside me.
"Just ensure you return in one piece, little Ren. I didn't spend my entire morning casting continuous-nullification loops on your skin just for you to get reckless on a solo vanguard mission. If that vampire truly managed to hollow out thirty-two elite Luminous Knights, it possesses a highly volatile evolutionary strain."
"I am well aware of what a purebred vampire can do, but they have never faced a Dhampir with a master's understanding of syntax and an empty registry to fill. They are nothing more than a mechanical objective."
We finally exited the massive Bureau headquarters, stepping back out onto the immaculate, sunlit porcelain tiles of the 8th District plaza. The afternoon breeze caught my silver-streaked hair as I pulled my dark canvas hood back over my head, retreating once more into the quiet, lethal shadow of the Crimson Phantom. My three-day countdown had officially begun.