Devil hunting chronicles of the impossible city.

Interlude I Devil Phoenix case file 02

Cao was back in his office, the operation has been a failure but he had clung to his life and returned to the labyrinth once more, he looked at his open palm feeling it once more back to normal, once he had retreated enough the ghostly reminders of death that clings to his body all disappeared as if they were nothing but an illusion. Still, he could not help but let his tired mind play him tricks something he felts as if he still carried those abominations on his tired body. The operation had failed but all members of the team manage to come out of it alive, not unharmed of course most of them will be on hospital leave for at least a few months, even Cao had to spend a few hours in the hospital out of sheer exhaustion.

Even so, as soon as he forced Doctor Krieg to dispatch him, he immediately when to his office to start to file his report on the hunt, not only due to his perfectionist nature but also due to a desperate need to figure out what went wrong, a simple job like this should never have resulted in such a failure more than his body it was his pride that was bleeding with every stroke of his pen.

"I knew you had to be here when I failed to find you at the hospital, working hard as usual, is kind of pitiful honestly." Commander Amelia had stepped into his teeth, he looked at her as he annoyedly let go of his pen.

"I suppose I need to explain my failure commander."

"It sounds to me that our intel was lacking again, hopefully, the information office didn't skips the details again."

"She mention she had only used her demon once, if that is true I can't blame them for not knowing about, its a curse-type demon so at least it loses its effect when out of the ranges, I have to admit had she been well armed I could have died there."

"Haha, at least you are always honest, compile everything you learned about her devil we will only need to be smarter on our second time around haha." Cao nodded, but that was hardly his main concern at the moment.

"You already heard that the Triada appeared, they surrounded the entire market a bold move, the kind that will get the Nishiyama and the Ocassio family upset." Emilia sat down in front of his desk, the old woman let out a sigh.

"I got info from Louise and co, our little lady used to work as a bodyguard for a big shot on the Triada, she never really did anything to show off back in the day and they let her leave the Triada, which is unusual but not impossible especially if she wasn't much of an asset."

"Sounds like the information I would have liked to know before we left, but I suppose it makes sense they would investigate her more thoroughly after all that happened...what else did you hear."

"The two women left with the Triada to the Longwan district, the information agency haven't heard anything more there is no telling what happened to them, no way to know if they are alive or dead."

"I see, there is a strong chance that they know that Im back in the city, my apologies we likely are already on the crosshair of the Triada now." The woman laughed drily

"Yes a lot faster than expected, but nothing unusual unfortunately that means I will have to keep you here till things calm down, and well about our target little Ms.Heng we will take her off the list for the time being all things considered you are still pretty damn good at staying alive."

"I suppose so, but I only took one life tonight and it was the wrong one...I suppose that may have been my greatest mistake of all, as my father said to take a life for free is a shame upon our blade, my apologies commander Im sure you expected more out of me tonight."

"Hah...you did well enough, there is no point in whining, we are going to continue in schedule I think now that the families are already suspicious of our moments there is no reason to hold back any longer." Cao fixed his monocle as he looked into her eyes.

"Very well, a pity I will have to sit this one down. Are the new hunters ready?"

"Trust on them, at the very least they are just as strong as you are, for now, rest you will have to go out there again, and with the triada after your neck, you better be ready when it's time." Emilia tapped the floor with her walking cane.

"I do not regret it, I say I will come back to this city to achieve our goal, even if it means going to war with my family, if I want a peaceful existence I would have simply remained exiled."

"Good to hear, you know promise as long as you stick with me we will get an answer from this wretched city. I'll await your report the more we know of a devil the better prepared we will be the next time, have a good evening captain." Cao waited till the commander left, but he couldn't bring himself to continue writing, he had much in his mind and a desperate need to neatly make sense of it all. He walked through its office to a table where his swords were displayed but only one of them was there now, the other blade had been lost, better it than his life he told himself.

He grabbed the blade and looked at his reflection on it.

"I suppose you will be ashamed of this failure would you not?" He looked at the design on the handle with a bitter expression.

"My karma...she said that was the curse she summoned, sorry you will not be the one to judge me, no matter the cost this devil will keep me alive, till the moment my karma burns me down to ash, the only one that will judge me will be the devil on my shoulder." He put the blade back on the table.

"I will get the other blade back, if that woman intends to judge me then, let us meet again on that accursed Longwan district where it all began."