The Devil’s Cage

The obvious aroma of the meat spread throughout the street as the fire burnt.

The hunger and greed fueled the fiends’ bodies.

They ran faster and faster. Sharp teeth and claws extended out like ferocious beasts going out of control.

”Careful!” Ditko called out to Kieran instinctively but a dozen figures enveloped Kieran in an instant.

BANG!

An indistinguishable bang later, a dozen figures stopped in mid-air as if they were frozen.

No! It was not a metaphor, they were indeed frozen.

The ice shield on Kieran’s right hand formed up right before the fiends threw themselves at him and were broken upon contact.

The cracks on the shield spread like lightning, the frozen air burst out from the seam like a raging tide.

Within a 3-meter radius area, everything was frozen, including the flames.

The mortal fire was suppressed before by [Seattle Right Hand, Ice Hand Shield] and this time around, the fire couldn’t even resist the frozen air.

The fiends shared the same fate. The one in front of the bunch was turned into an ice statue without the slightest resistance. Those behind the first one had their claws and heads stuck out in ice as well, only the fiends behind the frontline escaped death.

Though it wasn’t any good news for the fiends. When the heavy air-breaking whistle sounded from [Arrogant Word], the surviving fiends were sliced in half at the waist together with the frozen one in front of them.

[Arrogant Word]’s sharpness and length would not spare a single one of them.

Kieran wouldn’t let them escape either after waiting for this exact moment.

Relying on [Secondary Elemental Damage Resistance] and [Body of Evil] Kieran wouldn’t have suffered any real damage in the flames but the explosion blastwave was different. If he hasn’t put up [Primus Scale] as a defense, he would not be unharmed right now.

Kieran had to admit the trap that calculated his own abilities was quite effective against him, however, the enemies’ levels were too low, or in a more precise term, they couldn’t meet his standards.

Aside from a real High Fiend, not even one from the bunch of fiends that shared the powers of Flurry Blade Ghost, which was only a mid-tier fiend.

In the end, his loot from this event was only two scattered green equipment plus the machine guns further away, which also would not have any real value.

As his dungeon entry number increase, so did his rewards of Points and Skill Points. He had long passed the stage of a newbie, he couldn’t be excited with two machine guns.

Though, regardless of how small a mosquito was, it could still be treated as a meal by lizards.

Kieran would never give up on his spoils of war, let alone it was in a convenient way.

He picked up the two Magic equipment which were no doubt low tier items and the machine guns together with its magazine; he stuffed everything inside the [Crimson Ghost Stomach].

Chang Chang!

Kieran swung [Arrogant Word] around and broke all the chains on the crowd. As the others were freed, he went over to the inspector.

”How are you?” Kieran took out a High Bandage Gauze from his pack.

”Almost dead!” Oaker was stating in a ridiculing way.

Then he turned his eyes at the Funeral Society member who was turned into a dried corpse.

Oaker’s bloody face had an extra layer of thought and sunk into his own speculations.

”He… Nevermind, as age grows, I’ve become more sensational. Sigh.”

Oaker shook his head and eventually didn’t utter his mind, allowing Kieran to bandage him.

Kieran, on the other hand, didn’t even lay eyes on Lee from the start to end.

Perhaps Lee’s words and actions were correct from a certain point of view but Kieran couldn’t share the same view with him, because he didn’t allow his ambitions to get the better of him.

Kieran knew what he wanted and he always reminded himself to be calm when facing the things that he longed for the most, similar to the current situation.

The inspector should have gone back to the station yet he returned and plunged his head into Lee’s trap, surely he must have gotten some new leads. Though Kieran wouldn’t press the issue at the moment, prying information out of a wounded old man. All he cared about now was helping the inspector with his wounds.

Any native that wasn’t hostile had earned Kieran’s kind treatment, let alone the inspector reminded him of a certain chief officer that he called a friend.

”This… This is magical!”

The inspector felt the cool sensation from [High Bandage Gauze] and after a mere ten seconds, he could already stand up by himself.

”It’s only skin wounds so it’s easier to heal. Broken bones, however, are a different story!”

Kieran wanted the inspector to be careful.

”You should be fortunate that these copies of videotape were unharmed!”

The inspector than handed a cowhide bag which fell beside him to Kieran.

”Have a look! You might get something out of it. Though, I suggest you be quick. Many weird individuals started to emerge at the millionaire’s mansion.” Oaker reminded Kieran.

”Thanks!”

Kieran took over the bag and turned around to a silent Ditko.

”I’ll report to HQ exactly what happened here… As for the theft of Artitelgar’s portrait, you shouldn’t worry about those who come for the bounty but Artitelgar himself should worth more of your attention.” Ditko said.

Then he left in a hurry before Kieran could ask more.

Kana who was holding Jen with her hands also wanted to leave.

”You still have the scent of [Merman’s Meat] on you. If you want fewer troubles, best you find something to hide that scent.”

Kana than took Jen who was still absent-minded as ever and dragged Tanya away who was crying to stay behind. The girls quickly disappeared at the end of the street.

Kieran saw them off. He was quite interested in Rassho Temple as well but he knew what was his current priority.

”Any place to watch these videos?”

Kieran shook the bag in front of Oaker.

”Follow me.”

...

Kieran followed the inspector, leaving the already sealed off commercial street.

After passing through firetrucks and police cruisers one after another, they reached the station.

Kieran was shocked when he saw the inspector walked into the station gate.

”Are you telling me to watch these at the station?” Kieran asked.

”What? You think I will bring you back to my home? A troublesome fellow as you? I’m not deaf you know. What Kana said before, I’ve heard everything!” Oaker said in an upset tone.

However, even though Oaker said as such, he didn’t bring Kieran into the station’s main building but made a detour to the back, an independent two storey building.

”This is where the forensics used to work before the new building was built. Now it’s nothing but an empty storeroom. Hmmm… Let’s hope the video player still works.”

Oaker said as he pushed open the door and walked inside. He quickly went over and set up an old video player and TV for Kieran.

After wiping the dust away, connecting cables and checking whether it worked, Oaker took over the bag of tapes and inserted it into the video player.

SaaaaaSaaaaa!

The blurry fuzzy image appeared on the TV screen.

Two seconds later, the surveillance feed was played. The video was taken from a high angle.

A giant iron door with the height of one and a half grown man has taken up most of the screen. Then, a figure slowly appeared on the screen and because of the angle positioning, the camera clearly captured the figure’s face.

Kieran frowned.

He clearly saw ”himself” in the video, taking out the key naturally and opened the iron door. ”He” walked in casually and after a few seconds, carrying out a portrait painting taller than himself out of the place.

Eventually disappeared outside the screen.

”Notice anything?” Oaker asked with a probing tone.