The Devil’s Cage

The killing intent in Kieran’s words were explicit.

A traitor was someone that could never be forgiven, especially when the traitor even received heroic treatment after his “death”.

Everyone from St. Paolo thought that Reed accidentally bumped into the killer while he was on patrol alone and was killed after that. It was an extremely saddening incident to all including the elderly sister.

Initially, Kieran was tricked as well but as things unfolded before him, more and more clues pointed at Reed’s death, stating that it wasn’t as simple as it seemed.

Reed’s death was too coincidental.

When Herles led many of his men to launch an assault on St. Paolo School, the school security captain Reed died and it wasn’t at the hands of the Blood Hand Society.

Then, Gateli who appeared before Kieran acted like he had an utmost understanding of St. Paolo School. Despite the fact that he explained that he achieved it through mystical means, it would require enough blood and bodies to activate.

Based on how much understanding of the school Gateli showed, if he didn’t kill at least a hundred person, he wouldn’t have known that much.

If a huge massacre like that did were to happen, why would it be unheard off throughout the city?

Chief Officer John wasn’t there for display!

Of course, the biggest giveaway was the bodies that Kieran discovered in 11th Lion Street.

The bodies looked like they were being discarded randomly but viewing the situation as a whole, the bodies were intact.

Every human has their own habits, a killer was no exception either.

So how could a killer that has cruelly dismembered people’s body a few days ago, presenting himself as a frantic maniac, suddenly treat others with care?

Kieran did meticulously go through the book stating the surveillance spell, it only stated it required blood and bodies but none of the words mentioned it needed an intact one.

So given the circumstances, if the killer didn’t kill according to his M.O., there were only two possible explanation.

Firstly, he was stopped, like being stopped by Gateli, but even if he was, traces would have been left behind and it would be more obvious.

The killer who was stopped would certainly have some rage in his heart and he would definitely vent his anger on the house of innocents, even though he might not dismember them all again, there should be unbearable wounds on the bodies but the 8 bodies had none.

Even when the innocent family was killed, they were killed in a clean way, no terrifying wounds, no traces of being tortured, nothing.

As for the killer accepting Gateli’s orders without a murmur and daring not to even have the slightest resist?

If it really was the case, there would not be any traces left on the dining table.

Kieran was absolutely sure Gateli would never dine together at the same table with the person who obeyed his ordered, similar to a man of sacrifice.

After discarding this possibility, there was only one left.

The killer was someone else! A man that could order Gateli and the strong man who moved the woodpile around. Aside from that, why would the killer dismember Reed’s body in the first place?

It was definitely not to mimic the modus operandi of the killer who killed the female student found in the station because although the female student was dismembered, the magic circle formed by her body was much more meticulous and precise, it could even be considered to have had a strange sense of beauty.

It was the unique fetish of that the Revival Society’s sorcerer and it was two entirely different concepts compared with the crude arrangement of Reed’s scene.

So, with that point out of the equation, Kieran could only come up with boasting, pressuring and hiding other facts but it was really boasting and pressuring, killing off the entire security team would be a better choice. Judging from how strong the man was from the moviement of the woodpile, it was very easy for him to do it, yet he didn’t.

Which mean there was only a single point left for speculation: to hide something!

To hide the identity of the victim!

The killer used the dismembering method to keep the parts that shared a resemblance to Reed and removed the ones that didn’t. A simple example was, it might be hard to find another person that looked exactly like Reed but if finding a person that share similarities with him, like heights and body figure, the difficulty would plummet right away.

After all the clues were lined up together, the answer was already showing itself.

“It is because of my stubborn, stick-to-the-rules character that broke the rule of “other than the outpost position, all patrols have to be in pairs”, and died, so it caught your attention? At first, I really hoped you would ignore that point because of the sadness and respect for the dead but really, you and I are the same kind of people! The cold merciless kind!”

Exclamations came out of the leader’s mouth, then he removed his hood and showed that familiar face.

Right after that…

BANG!

Reed was sent flying backward following the bang caused by the collision of a boot and a face.

It was as if he had been hit by a truck, tumbling and bouncing off the ground a couple of times before he settled on the ground farther away.

“My mind right now is picturing the sad expressions of those who participated in your funeral and when you said all of that with your face shown, you were asking for it with an extra kick! So, I decided to help you “change” the hideous face of yours. No need to thank me now.”

Kieran waved at Reed whose teeth has all fallen off with a deformed face full of blood and a boot print on it.

“Aarh, aaaaargh…. Hahahahahahaha! So this is the spirit of a God’s Child? Even when you had the chance to kill me, you chose to insult me first? You know what? You’ve missed the only chance to do that! Kill him!”

Reed who was covering his face laughed softly before bursting in a loud, disdainful laugh.

He was used to giving out the orders from a high position.

God’s Child? So what?

Against the squad that he meticulously created, even if the legendary God’s Child were to come forth, he would get more than he bargained for, let alone a God’s Child of a fallen age!

He was using the plague! The very power of the plague that could truly snatch life away!

Even Dawn Force couldn’t cancel out the Plague Force!

Reed’s command sounded but he was replied to with silence.

With his face covered, Reed was stunned immediately but soon enough he continued laughing.

“You are much weaker than I thought…”

Reed wiped off the blood on his face and glared at Kieran.

When he laid eyes on Kieran, he was totally stunned, as if he was struck by lightning.

His men! All his subordinates were lying down on the ground!

Only Gateli who was the last one standing with his hands up, emanating a faint gray luster but he was also had a hard time holding on. The sweat on his forehead and dreaded expression explained it all.

Kieran?

He didn’t move an inch from his original spot as a faint white brilliance covered him entirely.

The brilliance was filled with tenderness, unyielding will and full of hope but to Reed, it was represented inconceivable despair.

“How is this possible? Dawn Force could never cancel out Plague Force!” Reed roared out loud.

At the same time, he fired out a gray luster from his hand that was a few times stronger than Gateli’s one, gushing towards Kieran as it materialized.

When the gray luster touched the white brilliance, it dissolved instantaneously like snow under a hot sun. Not only that, the white brilliance even launched a lethal counterattack.

“Aaaaaargh!”

An agonizing cry later, Reed was shot to the ground by the brilliance.

A box fell off his body and ended up beside Kieran’s feet.