Merin and Senzuko's Investigation
Merin narrowed his eyes as he stared at the figure in front of him. The dimly lit room cast long shadows over his face, but there was no mistaking who stood before him.
"Where have you been all these years?" Merin asked, his voice laced with both curiosity and frustration.
Senzuko, unfazed by the question, replied flatly, "That's not important right now. We need to focus on finding clues."
Merin hesitated before sighing. "Uh… okay."
Without wasting more time, the two made their way to Merin's office, a space now littered with old documents and traces of past betrayals. The air carried a faint scent of dust and ink, remnants of the many hours Merin had spent working there before his world turned upside down.
Scanning the room, Merin muttered, "As far as I know, they wouldn't have been foolish enough to leave behind any evidence."
Senzuko, however, crouched down, his sharp eyes focused on something near the entrance. "And yet, here they are—footprints. Akin's footprints, to be exact."
Merin frowned. He squinted at the ground, but to him, it was just the same dusty floor as before. "How did you see them? I can't make out any footprints. And how can you tell they belong to Akin?"
Senzuko stood up and dusted off his hands. "It's one of my abilities."
Merin raised an eyebrow. "Where did you learn that?"
Senzuko sighed impatiently. "This isn't the time for explanations. Don't waste time asking questions. We need to keep looking for more clues."
Merin knew better than to press further. Instead, he turned his attention back to the room. His mind raced, piecing together the bits of information they had gathered so far. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a group of agents chatting in the next room.
Without hesitation, he stepped forward and pushed open the door, striding in confidently.
Leo's eyes widened in shock. "Merin! Why are you here?"
Merin smirked, crossing his arms. "I'm here to find clues and bring an end to your miserable lives. In fact…" He took a slow step forward, his voice dropping to a sinister tone. "Maybe I should just kill you all now. You're not strong enough to fight me anyway. Heh."
The agents froze. Their faces turned pale as sweat dripped down their foreheads. None of them dared to move, their fear palpable in the silence that followed.
Before Merin could make another move, Senzuko entered the room, his expression unreadable. "Don't waste our time, Merin. If you kill them now, you'll only create unnecessary problems for yourself."
Merin clicked his tongue in annoyance but relented. "Fine. But agents—count your days. Soon, you'll find yourselves in hell."
The agents let out shaky breaths of relief, though their fear remained. No one in that room doubted that Merin would keep his word.
Brushing past them, Merin and Senzuko resumed their search. It wasn't long before Merin stumbled upon a familiar document. His lips curled into a smile as he held up the paper. "Well, well. What do we have here? One of the fake proofs you created to frame me as Kevin's murderer."
He turned the paper over in his hands, shaking his head with amusement. "The police really are incompetent, aren't they? They didn't even check this properly. This is a fake agreement. Formal ones have a completely different structure."
Meanwhile, Senzuko examined a cup sitting on a nearby desk. His keen eyes recognized it immediately—the very cup from which David had secretly collected Merin's fingerprints.
Senzuko smirked, holding it up. "You had a clever plan… but you made plenty of mistakes."
He turned to Merin. "We've found enough evidence here. Let's move on to the next location."
Merin nodded, gripping the fake document tightly. "Let's go. It's time to unravel the truth."
Panic in the Agent's Office
Fear gripped the room like an iron vice. The agents stood frozen, their faces pale, their breaths shallow. The sheer ease with which Merin and his mysterious ally had uncovered their deception left them paralyzed.
David, trembling violently, lost control—humiliation washing over him as he felt warmth spread down his leg. The reality of their situation was unbearable.
Leo, shaking off his fear, fumbled for his phone and immediately dialed Akin. His hands were slick with sweat as he pressed the device against his ear.
"Akin! They found our fake proofs and left!" Leo's voice cracked with panic. "They uncovered every single one of them with ease!"
A moment of silence passed before Akin's furious voice erupted through the speaker. "What?! What the hell were you all doing when they waltzed in and found our forged evidence?!"
Leo gulped. "We… we couldn't do anything."
"What do you mean you couldn't do anything?!" Akin barked. "How many were there?"
Leo hesitated before answering. "It wasn't just Merin. Someone else was with him—someone powerful. We aren't strong enough to fight them. The other guy's aura alone… it suppressed us completely."
Akin exhaled sharply, his frustration boiling over. "Damn it! Who was it?!"
"I don't know," Leo admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. "But whoever he was, he wasn't normal."
Akin cursed under his breath, pacing as he processed the news. "Where did they go next?"
Leo swallowed hard. "I think… I think they went to Kevin's house."
A deafening silence hung between them for a split second before Akin's voice returned, sharper and more urgent than before. "Oh, shit. Get there as fast as possible. I'll be on my way with reinforcements."
"Understood," Leo replied hastily before cutting the call.
Turning to the others, his expression grim, he barked out orders. "Get in the cars. We're heading to Kevin's house now. Move!"
The agents, still shaken but driven by desperation, scrambled into their vehicles. Engines roared to life as they sped off into the night, racing against time. The weight of their failure loomed over them, but they knew one thing—if they didn't stop Merin and his ally now, there would be no escape from the consequences that awaited them.
Investigation at Kevin's House
By the time Senzuko and Merin arrived at Kevin's house, the night had grown darker, the air thick with an eerie silence. The once-familiar home now felt abandoned, stripped of the warmth it once held.
Senzuko scanned the perimeter before speaking. "Most of the clues won't be inside the house. If there was any real evidence, it would have been erased by now. Our best bet is to talk to the neighbors—see if anyone saw anything suspicious."
Merin nodded in agreement. Without wasting time, the two split up, each heading to different houses to question the residents.
Knocking on doors and pressing for answers proved difficult at first—some neighbors were hesitant, unwilling to get involved. Others simply knew nothing. Time was slipping away, and frustration began to build.
Then, suddenly, a triumphant shout broke through the night. "Yes!" Merin's voice rang out, urgent and exhilarated.
Senzuko turned on his heels and hurried toward Merin, who stood with an elderly man at his doorstep. The man, frail but sharp-eyed, looked uneasy as he spoke.
"I remember something," the neighbor admitted. "The night before Kevin was killed, I saw someone. A stranger lurking near his house—watching, waiting. It didn't sit right with me."
Merin's heart pounded. This was it—a lead. He exchanged a glance with Senzuko, both knowing this could change everything.
The Clash at Kevin's House
Merin barely had time to process the crucial clue he had uncovered when the distant roar of engines shattered the night's silence. His heart pounded as several cars screeched to a halt nearby. Doors flung open, and armed soldiers poured out, their weapons glinting under the dim streetlights. The air grew tense as the council members emerged from the vehicles, Akin leading the charge with an unreadable expression.
One of the council members stepped forward, locking eyes with Merin. "Merin, if you value your life, stop searching for these clues. You're wasting your time. Surrender now, and we will cancel your execution. You can live a peaceful life."
Merin felt his breath hitch. Fear flashed across his face. Could this be his way out? Was it worth risking everything for answers that may never lead to justice?
Before he could respond, Senzuko's calm yet firm voice cut through the air. "If you want him to surrender, you'll have to kill me first."
Every pair of eyes turned toward Senzuko, and an eerie silence followed. His presence alone radiated an overwhelming aura—one that sent a shiver down the spines of even the most seasoned warriors. The council members exchanged wary glances. One of them, unable to suppress his impulse, stepped forward, fists clenched, ready to strike.
But Akin raised a hand, stopping him in his tracks. "No. We shouldn't take any risks. We kill him—silently, before he even realizes."
Without hesitation, Akin commanded the soldiers, "Open fire."
Gunshots erupted in the air, bullets tearing through the space where Senzuko stood. But in an instant, he was gone—vanished into thin air. Merin's eyes widened in disbelief. What just happened? Where had he gone?
The soldiers ceased fire, their faces lined with confusion. And then, just as suddenly as he had disappeared, Senzuko reappeared—standing in the exact same spot as before, completely unharmed. A collective gasp rippled through the council members and agents.
Akin wasted no time. He lunged at Senzuko, his blade flashing in the dim light. But Senzuko dodged effortlessly, sidestepping the attack. "Why the rush?" he taunted before delivering a powerful kick that sent Akin skidding back.
Council Member 1 darted forward, attempting a swift punch, but Senzuko weaved past it with ease. Merin watched in awe. He had known Senzuko was strong—but this? This was beyond anything he had imagined.
The battle erupted in full force. Council members and agents alike rushed at Senzuko, attacking from all sides. At first, Senzuko dominated the fight, dodging every strike and countering with brutal precision. His movements were fluid, calculated—every kick, every punch landing with devastating force.
But as the battle dragged on, fatigue began to set in. His movements became slower, his attacks less effective. He started taking hits—each one chipping away at his endurance. Seeing the opportunity, Akin capitalized on Senzuko's moment of vulnerability. With a swift motion, he unsheathed his blade and drove it deep into Senzuko's side.
Senzuko staggered, but instead of collapsing, he grinned. Blood trickled from his wound, but his aura flared even stronger. "You've made the wrong move, Akin."
With a surge of power, he delivered a bone-crushing punch to Akin's chest, sending him crashing to the ground. The impact left him motionless. The remaining council members hesitated, their confidence wavering as they watched Senzuko's power grow despite his injuries.
Just as he prepared to finish them off, a deep, commanding voice echoed through the night.
"Enough."
Everyone froze. A presence unlike any other filled the air—a force so suffocating it made even Senzuko's aura feel insignificant. The council members turned pale. The agents stood rooted in place. Even Akin, barely conscious, trembled.
It was Council Member 0.
He stepped forward, his gaze locked onto Senzuko. His aura alone was a weight that crushed the atmosphere. But unlike the others, Senzuko remained unshaken.
"Senzuko," Council Member 0 said, his voice calm but laced with undeniable authority. "Running won't change anything. You know that. You can never surpass me. Your defeat is inevitable."
Senzuko's expression darkened.
Council Member 0 took a step forward. "What's wrong? You were so eager to fight just moments ago. Fight me, if you dare. Or do you still remember the torment I put you through? The past that haunts you? The pain I inflicted?"
For the first time, Senzuko hesitated. A shadow of something unreadable flickered in his eyes. He clenched his fists, but his feet remained planted.
Council Member 0 smirked. "That's what I thought. You're still the same weakling, after all."
The tension between them crackled like lightning, as if the very air held its breath. Everyone else had been reduced to mere spectators. It was now a battle of wills between two forces far beyond their comprehension.
And the outcome was far from certain.