Stranger: Back Home

After finishing off the four agents, Areum's sharp ears picked up faint rustling sounds from both her right and left. Her breathing steadied as she strained to listen, her glowing red eyes scanning the dense shadows around her. The forest seemed to hold its breath, the eerie silence broken only by the soft crunch of leaves under approaching feet.

"Group 5 and Group 3 are closing in fast on your position," Renhuang informed her, her voice calm yet urgent.

Areum gave a quick nod, determination hardening her features. Without a word, she turned and sprinted toward the wolf region. The ground beneath her feet shifted, leaves scattering in her wake as she dashed through the undergrowth. The low-hanging branches snagged at her clothing, but she pressed on, her focus unyielding.

Thirty seconds later, Areum leaped, her body twisting gracefully as she grabbed a sturdy branch overhead. She hauled herself up in a fluid motion and began to move backward across the tree canopy, using the branches as a stealthy pathway. Her feet barely made a sound as she retraced her steps to the spot where she had taken down the Group 4 agents.

The air here still carried the metallic tang of blood, and the faint Sunlight filtering through the trees illuminated the aftermath of her earlier fight. Broken branches, fallen leaves, and the crumpled forms of her enemies littered the forest floor.

She crouched low on a thick branch, her red eyes narrowing as she surveyed the area. The approaching footsteps grew louder now—groups moving in calculated sync, the agents communicating in hushed tones. Areum tightened her grip on the Angel and Devil guns, their familiar weight a source of comfort.

"They'll converge here any moment," Renhuang whispered in her mind.

"Let them come," Areum muttered, her lips curling into a smirk.

Aerum crouched silently among the thick branches of an ancient tree, her body melded into the shadows. She watched as two groups approached her location, their movements cautious but deliberate.

Tightening her grip on the twin weapons—Angel and Devil—she brought them together in a precise motion, forming a T-shaped alignment. The instant the weapons clicked into place, intricate formations engraved on their surfaces began to glow faintly.

The yin-yang concealment formation activated, enveloping Aerum in an invisible shield. The shield erased every trace of her existence—her heartbeat, shadow, body heat, breathing, and even the faintest sound. No detector, no matter how advanced, could find her now.

As the two groups converged on the blood-soaked clearing below, Aerum remained perfectly still. She observed them from her perch, high above the chaos.

The agents stopped short of the carnage, their expressions grim under the dim Sunlight. For a moment, they remained silent, their wariness evident.

Then, almost in unison, they pulled out detection devices from their pockets, scanning the area systematically.

First, they searched for life signs and thermal signatures, the faint green lights of their devices sweeping the ground and trees.

Unsatisfied when nothing registered, they moved on to more sophisticated scans—for illusions, anomalies, and energy signatures.

Only after confirming everything was normal did the groups visibly relax and gather to discuss the scene.

Aerum adjusted her position slightly, careful not to rustle a single leaf. She could hear their voices now, faint but clear in the stillness. Two leaders stood apart from the rest: one from Group 5, known as Agent ME, and the other from Group 3, Agent MC.

Renhuang's voice echoed in her mind, calm yet alert. "It seems they're under Agent M. Those two leaders—they're second-rankers."

Aerum nodded subtly. "The Shadow Organization ranks its agents by the alphabet. The first twelve letters, A to L, are council members—the highest rank. M to Z are first-rankers, each overseeing their own squads. The squads are named after their leaders: the first letter corresponds to the leader, and the second denotes the ranking within that squad."

Renhuang hummed in agreement. "Given the names ME and MC, they must be high-ranking agents. The formation they used earlier reflects their hierarchy—alternating high and low ranks for balance."

Aerum whispered back, "We're fortunate Group 4 was their weak link. Otherwise, it would've taken far longer to neutralize them."

Below, Agent MC suddenly stiffened and pulled out a sleek communication device. "Sir," he said, speaking to Agent M through the device. "Group 4 is down."

Agent M's voice came through, sharp and commanding. "What's the cause? Agent MI should've held her off until you arrived."

"Sir, our preliminary investigation suggests the darkness core of Agent MI detonated. The resulting energy surge obliterated her."

There was a pause. "Hmm," Agent M replied, his tone thoughtful. "Coincidence? Or did she foresee it?"

"We don't know, Sir," MC responded cautiously.

"I wasn't asking for an answer," Agent M shot back. "It was rhetorical. Have you determined her direction?"

"Yes, Sir. Based on the tracks and disrupted foliage, we believe she's heading toward the Wolf Region."

"The Wolf Region..." Agent M's voice trailed off, heavy with consideration. "That's complicated territory. The wolves there are highly evolved since the spatial gate incident. They lack human-level intelligence but make up for it in strength and aggression. They won't attack unprovoked, but trespassing their territory is asking for death."

Agent M's tone hardened. "Wait for Agent MG and his squad to join you. With three groups totaling twelve members, conduct a basic reconnaissance. Do not enter the Wolf Region. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Sir," MC replied crisply.

After the call ended, MC relayed the orders to ME. Both leaders stood with their groups, waiting in tense silence. Within moments, the faint hum of approaching footsteps and rustling leaves signaled the arrival of Agent MG's squad.

Aerum observed the newcomers, their movements coordinated and efficient, as they exchanged brief words before following the path Aerum had left deliberately faint.

Aerum watched from her concealed position as the agents followed the false trail she had carefully laid out. She attached her twin guns, still in their T-shaped configuration, to a holder at her waist to maintain her camouflage. As they moved further from the site, she slipped small kunai knives from the straps around her arms, their blades glinting faintly under the sunlight.

She followed them silently, her movements fluid and precise, her eyes narrowing as she studied their formation. One agent took point at the front, two guarded the rear, and the remaining nine moved in three tight clusters in the middle. The leaders, as expected, were positioned at the heart of the central group, flanked on all sides by their subordinates.

Aerum's crimson eyes flared briefly, allowing her to see their subtle movements in slow motion. Their faces were calm, almost expressionless, but their bodies betrayed them. Tense shoulders, darting eyes, and fingers twitching near their weapons—all signs of readiness to strike at the faintest hint of danger.

She tightened her grip on the kunai knives, three in each hand, and crouched, waiting. At the end of the trail she had left, her trap would spring.

The agents slowed as they reached the trail's abrupt end, confusion flickering across their faces. "There's nothing here," one muttered, scanning the area.

Aerum saw her opportunity. With a burst of energy, she leaped from the tree, her body slicing through the air. Mid-jump, she hurled the six kunai knives, each blade finding its mark with deadly precision—six agents guarding the leaders on the flanks collapsed instantly, their throats pierced.

In the same fluid motion, Aerum drew her twin guns and fired two rapid shots, the sharp CRACK echoing in the forest. The two rear guards dropped lifeless to the ground, their cores of darkness shattered by the bullets.

Eight agents were dead within seconds.

The remaining four—Agents MC, ME, MG, and a single subordinate—froze, panic flashing in their eyes. Agent MC, the most composed, quickly tapped a bracelet on his wrist, sending out an emergency signal. His voice was steady despite the carnage.

"Form up!" he barked. "Surround her and hold position. Stall until reinforcements arrive!"

The three leaders moved swiftly, forming a triangular formation around Aerum, their movements sharp and precise. The lone surviving subordinate took up a position just outside the triangle, poised to assist when needed.

The three leaders attacked simultaneously, striking from three sides to overwhelm her. Their blades gleamed in the dim light, slashing toward her in coordinated arcs. Shadows flickered unnaturally around their movements, granting them an edge in speed and misdirection.

Aerum parried their attacks with her guns, but close combat with firearms proved limiting. She triggered a weapon transformation formation, and the guns shifted seamlessly into dual forearm-length blades.

The transformation drew sharp gasps from the agents. A faint blue aura began to shimmer around the blades, their edges glowing with lethal energy.

"She's not holding back now," MC muttered, gripping his weapon tightly.

Aerum feinted toward MC, her blade arcing toward him. He raised his weapon to block, but it was a ruse. At the last moment, she sidestepped with lightning speed and drove her blade into MG's core.

MG's eyes widened in shock as his energy core overloaded. His body trembled violently before detonating in a blinding explosion of dark energy. The shockwave sent MC and ME stumbling backward, momentarily stunned.

Aerum wasted no time. Using her free hand, she hurled her second blade at ME. The weapon spun through the air, embedding itself in his chest. Before MC could react, Aerum's remaining blade transformed back into her Devil Gun. She fired two precise shots at ME's darkness core, each bullet hitting with surgical accuracy. ME exploded in a burst of energy, his scream lost in the chaos.

Aerum pulled her embedded blade from ME's crumpled remains just as the lone subordinate made his move. He lunged at her from behind, his blade aimed for her back.

Without even turning, Aerum fired over her shoulder with the Devil Gun. The subordinate's momentum carried him forward, but he fell lifeless at her feet.

Shaking her head, Aerum murmured, "Idiot. He could've run and lived."

She bent down and retrieved her blade, her expression calm but cold. A faint red glow from the communicator on MC's fallen bracelet caught her attention. Picking it up, she tapped its surface, activating the line.

"Agent MC, what's the status?" Agent M's voice came through, sharp and demanding.

Aerum's lips curled into a sly smirk. "What do you think, Agent M?"

A tense silence followed before Agent M's voice returned, low and dangerous. "I'm coming."

Aerum chuckled, her tone mocking. "I'll be waiting."

She cut the connection and tossed the bracelet aside, her crimson eyes gleaming with anticipation. The hunt was far from over.