It was a tense evening and the smell of blood lingered in the air around the Matsumoto Corporation headquarters.
People were being carried out of the building in stretchers while some were being dragged by their coworkers – it was a truly chaotic sight.
The report states that the entire building came under siege – and fell – from a single target. A target that was beyond the Grandmaster-class.
Its strength alone was enough to dismember and cut its way through Matsumoto's strongest single-digit elites.
Pride wiped her jikdo and she inspected every nook and cranny so that it would be perfect.
It was a truly perfectly suited blade to her physique and she enjoyed playing with it by slightly pulling it out of its sheathe, and then pushing it back in.
The blade's hnng comforted her as she longed for her mistress's embrace.
"Yoonah, are you ready?"
A raspy but attractive voice pulled Pride back to reality. It was the voice of her master, Arthur Almasy.
Pride equipped the jikdo and slid it comfortably near her waist while she double-checked the rest of her gear. She was dressed in her usual overcoat, white shirt, and a necktie.
It was a masculine getup that did not match her refined and feminine allure but it still looked remarkably gorgeous on her, especially with her symmetrical face.
Pride nodded at Arthur. "Ready, master."
Arthur nodded back at her and continued to give directions to the police officers and the guild members loitering around in the area.
His raspy voice was low but it was still powerful – it made everyone listening want to listen carefully. It was a hypnotic curse that would often send people to their deaths.
"My disciple and I are going to breach the Matsumoto Headquarters through this shaft here."
Arthur pointed at the holographic map that the guild members prepared for the operation.
"We will infiltrate through the main lobby and ride the elevator to the 14th floor." He pointed at a small crevice in the map and tapped on it. "Remember this shaft well. This is our way in – and our way out."
Arthur cleared his throat and continued his briefing. "We only have two objectives: ascertain the threat" Arthur fingered the controls and changed the displayed image. "And neutralize it."
The scene was too horrible to look at and even Pride who was used to blood and gore felt uncomfortable looking at it.
It was, simply put, a massacre, and important people who bullied the weak were now spread all over the floors and walls like Sunday morning jam.
Arthur nodded to himself and pointed at Pride "This is my disciple and she will be accompanying me inside this little excursion."
Pride nodded to the official-looking people around her but paid them no interest. They were weaker than her by several dozen times. Weaker than Arthur by several hundred times and weaker than her true master by an unknown magnitude.
Arthur continued his briefing while Pride looked at the top-most floor of the Matsumoto Headquarters.
Pride had been away from her mistress's side for a long time now – has she been well?
Lim Yoonah hurriedly shook her head as if to wake to convince herself of something. 'It's mistress. She doesn't need my concern.'
She hurriedly resumed her identity as Pride – the only apprentice of the great hero Arthur Almasy and the head of Alagarassi's security forces.
It was a fun make-believe for Yoonah but it was her own world and she would not let anyone mess it up for her – not even these so-called important people from the Matsumoto Corporation.
The chilly air assaulted Pride and made her uncomfortable so she pulled up her collar to shield herself from the air.
She could feel her heartbeat accelerating. This was quite possibly the biggest battle she would face in her life. She didn't know what was waiting for them in the topmost part of the building but it was strong enough to be felt all the way here.
However, the most telling indicator was the presence of Arthur who was publicly acknowledged as the strongest member of the Guild Association.
This case was so urgent in fact that Pride and Arthur were pulled out of their twentieth dungeon exploration and hurriedly brought here because of the weight of the words "global threat" – this was how delicate and scary this incident is.
Arthur looked the same as usual: broody, handsome but reliable. He was a kind-hearted man who was quite naïve deep down but he was also cold and heartless when necessary.
Pride lacked any of Arthur's more human emotions – at least outwardly and this unlikely duo stood shoulder to shoulder in front of the entrance to the Matsumoto Headquarters.
It was an otherwise normal building but right now it seemed like the most dangerous structure in the face of the world. It was unbelievably quiet and there were no signs of life on the building – except on the topmost floor where an unbelievable amount of prana is leaking.
Arthur gripped his sword while Pride followed behind him – the two-person counterattack has just begun.
Pride shook her head at the pseudo-narration she was trying to do as she cringed from her own disgusting action.
'Cute' – Arthur thought to himself.
Pride and Arthur slowly began their climb into the now desolate Matsumoto Corporation and just like the reports stated, the people here clearly left in a panic. Signs of everyday life were still evident everywhere while the abnormal was still overpoweringly disgusting.
The Penthouse Suite – or the aforementioned topmost floor – was a heavily secure anti-nuclear bunker built from the excess and lavish lifestyle of the old order. It was a true display of grandeur and disgusting wealth but now something terrible has made it it's own.
It was an overbearing sensation of death and suffocation and it was heavily impeding Arthur and Pride's progress to a crawl.
The feeling of slowly inching toward the penthouse was akin to slowly submerging yourself deeper and deeper into water. Pressure slowly built up in your lungs, oxygen started to thin out and your eyes start to dart around in panic.
It was a slow and painful way to pass out and eventually die from but the mere fact that Pride and Arthur could feel all of that, hundreds of floors away from the penthouse, is scary in itself as it was a feat akin to that of a heartbeat that is audible from several miles away.
"Master, we've only advanced a few steps from the entrance and the pressure is already this powerful.."
Pride supported herself by applying prana to her feet and strengthening her lower body to hold herself in place.
Arthur was doing the same thing and their prana expenditure was no joke but it was barely passable.
"Just circulate your prana like I told you and cut the chatter. Save your strength for later."
His gruff voice served as a reminder for Pride and of all of the times she heard her master yell at her during their time together.
'If he's this serious then this really is a grave threat' – Pride thumbed her beloved jikdo and quickly pushed it back in its sheathe, a habit she's carried for most of her life.
Pride pursed her full lips, as though she was deep in thought. "Master, about my mistress…"
*Beep beep*
Arthur held his hand up and answered his communicator. "Sylvia. What do you want?" His gruff voice was off-putting but it clearly demonstrated how happy he was to hear from his ambiguous childhood friend.
Arthur scrunched up his face. "Put you on video? Fine." Arthur fingered his mobile device and beckoned Pride to come closer.
"There. It's just me and Pride here. What do you want?"
Pride stared at the woman on the other end of the call. She was a beautiful Asian woman with strawberry blonde hair tied in a high ponytail.
Her well-defined features were accentuated by how tired she looks but it somehow made her look even cuter.
Sylvia's amber eyes scanned Arthur from head to torso and once she was satisfied with his physical condition, she turned her eyes to Pride.
We were separated by distance and brought together by technology but the moment she turned her eyes towards mine I felt eternity. It was as if she could see everything about me – as if I was laid bare in front of her all-seeing eyes.
Pride kept her thoughts to herself but she gazed at Sylvia with a guarded look. Arthur gently pat her head and reassured her. "It may feel intrusive but you can think of it as a free mobile MRI."
"It's fine." The young woman shook her head and stood at attention as if telling Sylvia to say her piece.
Sylvia nodded and said, "The cause of this event is Alagarassi – your mistress, Pride."
The doctor explained the incidents leading up to this and to summarize, those Matsumoto bastards deserve every single bit of blood they shed today – but what about Alagarassi?
Pride turned her eyes toward Sylvia and asked with a hint of hesitation. "Alagarassi. That woman. Is she the one waiting for us up there?"
Sylvia seems to have understood what Pride was saying as she kindly nodded. "Yes. She is the cause of this phenomenon and she has likely lost control of herself."
Arthur narrowed his eyes at the idea of fighting Pride's mistress. "Isn't she supposed to be the most powerful prana user in the country? That's what you told me last time."
His gruff voice barely concealing his worry – and some other emotion that Pride couldn't figure out. It was as if Arthur knew who her mistress was.
Pride shook her head in denial – there's no way that's possible. They have never met before now.
Sylvia nodded. "Conflict must be avoided at all costs. Even if you are the strongest guild member, there's no way of telling how strong she truly is right now. I'm changing your mission directives right now."
Sylvia fiddled with her smart device and a few seconds later, Arthur and Pride received an updated list of objectives.
Mission 1 – Confirm the cause of the Prana Phenomenon
Mission 2 – Eliminate or secure the culprit -> Survive
The mission was pretty much the same but the only thing that changed was the second objective. It was now ominously displaying the words "Survive" instead of the original directive.
Pride nodded at Arthur and the hero nodded back. "Got it Sylvia. I'll see you soon."
Sylvia gazed into Arthur's eyes but said no more. "It's an in and out mission. There's no need to take your time. Hurry up and leave."
"Understood."
Arthur and his protégé entered the elevator nearest the reception area and they were greeted by the remains of the people who were killed while they were taking refuge in the elevator. They were likely trying to escape.
One of the corpses that was squished into the very back of the elevator was a man who was bisected. It was a horrible way to die and the man likely suffered for a while longer as his body showed signs of blunt-force trauma and repeated full-heals.
"Bradley, huh?" Pride scanned the man's body with her smart device. It displayed his date of birth, address, kin, and whatever relevant data the guild or the police may need in times like this.
The application they were using is directly managed by the Guild Association especially during times of crisis. To put it bluntly, it was to make identifying corpses easier.
The pressure in their bodies the more they climbed the tower. It wasn't a pleasurable experience.
The smell of blood and gore didn't make it easier either but they soldiered on.
Pride knew she had to bring her mistress back. Arthur seems to have a plan of his own but Pride trusted her mentor enough to believe that he wouldn't just try and kill her Alagarassi.
The gentle humming of the elevator betrayed their erratic heartbeats. They knew they were getting closer to either salvation or damnation.
The only question is – will they survive?