"Mr. Tempest! Control yourself! You are only adding more to your crimes!" Officer Han's voice cracked through the roar of the violet-black flames. His constructs, usually so efficient and stoic, were trembling, unable to penetrate the chaotic aura of my 'Chaos' energy as it lashed out like a cornered beast.
"Crimes?" I asked, my voice dropping to a low, dangerous rumble. "Where were your laws when innocent lives were being sacrificed in the regional districts? Investigations, Laws, Justice... where were they then?"
I was thinking back to the 'Tutorial Phase', the blood-soaked days when thousands were offered up to the Tower's hunger. The RMB had investigated those "disappearances," but under Marcus Thorne's subtle manipulation, the deaths were ruled as simple 'Monster Attacks'. The bureaucracy hadn't pressed further; they had looked the other way while the 'Reaper' Guild built its throne on a foundation of corpses.
My [Hell Flame] surged, coiling like a serpent as it lunged toward Marcus. But just before the heat could sear his flesh, the space in front of him groaned and shattered like a sheet of ice.
"[Warning! The 'Status' of a Higher Floor Being has been detected!]"
"[Warning! The Tower's 'Restriction' and 'Probability' have been applied!]"
"[Warning! A huge amount of 'Life Force' has been sacrificed as the cost of 'Probability'!]"
"[Notice: Manifestation of the Higher Floor Being has been allowed for 10 seconds!]"
Through the jagged crack in reality, a figure stepped out. She was elegance and malice entwined, her presence so heavy it felt like the entire building was being submerged in deep water.
"{Moira}" I spat.
"{Well, if it isn't Arthur Tempest... our paths are fated to cross, it seems,}" the Demonness purred, her eyes sweeping over the carnage with boredom. "{...Though I'd love to have tea with you, my time is limited. We can't have you killing this human yet. You see, he still has a purpose to serve.}"
With a casual flick of her fingers, Officer Han, the country's 5th S-Rank, was flung across the room like a ragdoll. Before he could even manifest a shield, {Moira} grabbed Marcus by the collar. Han, who had never encountered a being from the Higher Floors, was pinned to the floor, not by physical weight, but by a primal, paralyzing fear that froze his very soul.
"I'm not letting you get away!" I roared.
"[Activating 'Glacial Dominion: Freezing Chains' Lvl 7!]"
I slammed my hands on the floor, manifesting chains made from ice that erupted from the floor to bind them. But I was too slow. With a mocking wink, {Moira} stepped back into the rift, dragging the terrified Marcus Thorne with her. The crack vanished, leaving only the scent of sulfur and the sound of my own heavy breathing.
I stared at the empty space, my fingers trembling with a cold, white-hot anger. Marcus had slipped through my fingers again. My gaze shifted to Officer Han, who was struggling to push himself up from the debris. If this man hadn't interfered, if his 'Justice' hadn't delayed me, Thorne would be a pile of ash right now.
Should I just kill him?
The thought flashed through my mind, dark and tempting. But killing the RMB's golden boy would bring the entire weight of the government down on me before the 5th Floor even opened. I forced my energy to subside, the [Hell Flame] flickering out.
Looking around, the room was a morgue. {Moira} hadn't just appeared; she had fueled her 'Probability' by draining the life force of every remaining 'Reaper' Guild member in the building. They lay slumped over their desks and on the floor, husks of skin and bone.
Officer Han finally managed to stand, his hands and legs shaking so violently he had to lean against a pillar. His 'Ranker Management Law' didn't have a chapter on how to handle the sudden manifestation of such a being.
"Was that... a 'demon'?" Han finally managed to rasp out. He was trying to maintain his dignity, but the terror was etched into every line of his face.
It was natural. I had seen these beings thousands of times in the VR days and not too long ago, but for someone like Han, witnessing a Higher Beings was like looking directly into the sun, it threatened to melt the mind.
"Yes," I answered, my voice hollow. "Officer Han, as I've said, there are threats as terrifying as a 'Level-Break' or worse lurking in the shadows. We are S-Ranks, but against beings like that 'demon'? We are barely infants. You've seen the truth now... you know what to do."
I didn't wait for his answer. Whether he chose to clear my name or designate me an even greater threat was now up to his interpretation of the horror he had just witnessed.
"[Activating The Exclusive Skill, 'Sanctuary of the Shadow: Umbrakiness: Shadow Gate'!]"
Using the 'Authority' of the shadows, I let the darkness at my feet rise up and swallow me whole. I vanished into the gloom of the ruined lobby, leaving the "Judge of Evil" alone in a room full of corpses to decide what 'Justice' looked like in a world where demons walked the earth.