Slap!
Usami Reiko's slap landed squarely on the burly man's face. Sakai Takashi, who was beside them, immediately lunged forward, trying to restrain the frantic woman.
Although an Origin Point-level Ritualist was in the early stages of the supernatural, their body, strengthened by mystery, already far surpassed a Mortal's. Once Sakai Takashi pinned Usami Reiko's hands, the woman was unable to move.
"Don't be impulsive!"
Sakai Takashi roared, oblivious to where the three of them were at the moment.
"Get off me!"
Usami Reiko roared, quickly drawing a pistol from her waist and pointing it at the man before her—the man who had issued the order that led to her fiancé's death.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three shots were fired at close range. Flames roared from the muzzle, and shell casings hit the ground and bounced.
Clink, clank.
The man opposite her wasn't far away; he simply tilted his body and head. In the next moment, he quickly closed in on Usami Reiko, reaching out to grab her gun's muzzle.
Bang!
This shot, fired while trying to shake off the struggling Sakai Takashi, veered off course and shattered a hanging lamp in the hallway, sending glass everywhere.
Crash, shatter.
Usami Reiko kicked Sakai Takashi, shoving the man away, and then pulled another gun from her left leg, dual-wielding them at the man in front of her.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Boom—
The sound of gunfire and the explosion of flames blended together!
Alarms blared as the man in front of her clutched his arm.
The gunfire ceased, leaving the hallway smelling of sulfur.
The man had dodged most of the bullets, but his arm was still grazed by one.
His face was taut, and several wisps of Fire floated behind him.
Large patches of incandescent white flames formed a ring, swirling excitedly around his body—
As if with a single command, they would consume the two people in front of him.
Seeing this, Sakai Takashi's palms were drenched in sweat. He scratched his buzz cut and opened his mouth to say something.
"Judgement."
Usami Reiko spoke first, calling out the man's identity—the only third-rank, Judgement-level Ritualist on the Japanese side.
He was also the highest-level Ritualist currently.
Codename: White Torch.
"I am already injured."
"If you continue to fire, I will choose to make you lose your ability to act. My actions may result in your death."
"Department Head Usami Reiko, please choose carefully."
White Torch narrowed his eyes, the veins on his neck bulging like those of an enraged Beast, his gaze becoming increasingly dangerous. Behind him, the rings of Fire were also eager to strike.
"What are you doing?!"
The sound of chaotic footsteps approached.
Squads of Soldiers carrying firearms and riot shields quickly surrounded them. Not far away, a man in a suit stood among the crowd, looking exasperated.
The muzzles of the guns were pointed at the three of them.
Usami Reiko looked around, having no intention of paying attention to anyone else.
Without looking back, she pulled Sakai Takashi away, casually pushing aside the dark muzzles of the guns.
"White Torch My Lord, should we—"
The subordinate beside him seemed to be a Ritualist as well, standing hunched behind White Torch.
White Torch shook his head, looking at the woman's retreating back with a complex expression. "No need. Tell them not to trouble Department Head Usami, understood?"
"Yes!"
..."So, stop pursuing this, Reiko."
On the terrace of the Logistics Department, Usami Reiko was rarely seen with a cigarette in her mouth and a glass in her hand. Beside her, Sakai Takashi advised her with concern.
"It's my fiancé who died, not yours. Look at that expression of yours." Usami Reiko grinned, but the smile was strangely off.
Sakai Takashi frowned. "Yoshino Kenichi wouldn't want you to become like this either. Reiko, this matter is already clear. White Torch only received the support signal after he had already dispatched the support squad. By then, it was too late to recall them."
"What about the other field teams? There must have been some in Tokyo, right?" Usami Reiko asked back with a smile.
"But if those field teams were moved rashly, if an accident occurred..."
"Isn't this an accident then?"
"Those are the regulations—"
Usami Reiko turned her head, ending the conversation, not wanting to discuss it further.
The shooting in the hallway and the sudden display of mystery by White Torch had startled all the Ritualists in the building, making them think that Ritualists from the Chaos Faction had invaded.
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