Watching the red and yellow substances continuously merge into the blood-colored sewage flowing through 23rd Alley, gradually disappearing into the sewage system.
But Arthur knew—
No one could be absolutely certain whether this Bloodfiend was truly dead or not…
Even in the original plot, Angelica and Roland—two Color Fixers—had risked their lives to intercept her, yet she still managed to escape….
But it didn't matter.
Arthur put away his gun.
At this moment, he felt a faint sense of relief, and the deep-yellow hazmat suit on his body began to dissipate.
No matter how many times Elena revived, he would kill her that many times.
Whether it was Blue Reverberation or someone else—
As long as he saw them again, he would take them down….
For now, however, all of this had temporarily come to an end.
"It's you again?"
As the Anomaly Resonance ended and the protective suit fully faded, Arthur's face was finally revealed before Angelica and Roland.
Only then did the two top Fixers truly recognize this mysterious ally.
"..."
Roland was also somewhat surprised by Arthur's appearance, but he said nothing.
He pulled down his collar, intending to report to Hana Association, Section 1, that Blood-Red Night had been subjugated—
Only to discover that there was no signal deep underground….
"..."
For a moment, the atmosphere fell into an eerie silence.
Neither Arthur nor the two Fixers knew how to dispel the awkwardness.
But Arthur had no interest in small talk.
Standing there, he seemed to suddenly recall something.
He packed all his equipment back into his backpack, then stepped through the blood pool and retraced his path… until he returned to Blood-Red Night's sleeping quarters.
A few minutes later, Roland and Angelica followed.
Angelica saw Arthur digging with his bare hands through the ruins piled with flesh and blood.
This was no small task.
The earlier explosion had already caused part of the sewage system to collapse; steel bars and chunks of concrete were scattered everywhere….
Yet the man before her continued tirelessly, digging again and again—
Until he uncovered a deep-yellow target.
Only then did his movements slow.
The first one…
Arthur brushed away the filthy flesh covering the corpse, retrieved the identification tags hidden within the chest, and carefully arranged the mutilated body as flat as possible on the ground.
These were the remains of the 'Mole' squad.
After watching silently for several minutes, Angelica finally asked,
"What are you doing?"
"Bidding them farewell…" Arthur replied without expression.
"At the very least, their bodies shouldn't be desecrated by others in this City…"
These warriors—
They should have been resting in a quiet cemetery….
But this was the City.
All Arthur could do now was give them a proper cremation, ensuring they wouldn't be discovered by other Wings or organizations who might take their bodies and do who-knew-what….
"...."
Angelica and Roland hadn't expected that answer.
After all, this was the City.
Even among Fixers who followed rules, trust was rare…
Someone who merely collected your belongings and sent a portion to your family was already considered a saint.
As for retrieving bodies with no benefit at all?
That was unheard of.
Still, Angelica didn't question Arthur's intentions.
She simply asked calmly,
"Are they your colleagues?"
"Something like that…" Arthur nodded.
"Comrades-in-arms…."
At the moment of resonance, he had already seen all the emotions and memories of the 'Moles.'
"Comrades-in-arms… Comrades-in-arms…."
Angelica murmured the unfamiliar phrase.
For a brief moment, she wondered—
If she were to die one day, would anyone collect her body?
Would anyone grieve for her?
With complicated emotions, she glanced at Roland, who still stood beside her, his face hidden beneath the black cognitive-filter mask.
She said nothing.
This Color Fixer remained silent for a moment longer, watching Arthur continue the work alone—
Then she sighed softly.
She knelt down and unexpectedly joined him.
"These people in yellow hazmat suits…" she asked quietly.
"They're your companions, right?"
Angelica didn't use any weapons.
As a Color Fixer, her physical ability alone allowed her to easily clear away debris and recover another 'Mole'.
"Mm."
"Then…" Angelica smiled faintly,
"Consider this repayment for your help earlier."
She then turned her head sharply, looking coldly at the Fixer still standing like a pillar.
"Hey… Roland. Are you really just going to stand there and watch?"
Roland's expression was impossible to read beneath the mask.
But by not leaving immediately, he had already violated the cold pragmatism expected of a Fixer.
After a brief silence, he nodded, loosened his grip on his weapon, and joined them.
Ten minutes later—
All eight 'Moles' were finally recovered.
They lay peacefully upon a pyre assembled from debris in the upper ruins.
Though their bodies were incomplete, this was the limit of what Arthur could do.
"Do you have fire?" Arthur asked.
"Yes…"
Angelica nodded, pulling out a finely crafted gear lighter and handing it to him casually.
"You don't need to return it.
If any of them smoked… consider it a gift."
"…..Thank you."
Arthur recognized at a glance that it was valuable, but he accepted it without hesitation.
The flame touched the pyre.
Slowly, minute by minute, the fire grew—
Until warmth enveloped their bodies, until flesh warped like waves within the fire….
"Who are you?" Roland finally spoke, staring into the flames.
"L Company's armed forces?"
"No…."
Bathed in firelight, Arthur shook his head calmly.
"Just ordinary people who wanted to protect others…."
Ordinary people who wanted to protect others…
Roland remained skeptical whether such people truly existed in the City—
But at this moment, he chose to believe Arthur.
He had seen countless bodies burned before.
Those fires were filled with screams, coercion, and despair.
Not like this one.
This flame was quiet.
Solemn.