Extra's Descent

Chapter 42  Moriarty [2]

"Sherlock."

After the masked man jumped from the window, Raven immediately ran and peered down the window to seek out any traces of the man.

Only to find…

Nothing.

The masked man disappeared, and he was left grasping for straws.

'Who…?'

'Sherlock?'

'How does he know that?'

These questions flooded his mind. But no matter how much he asked himself, he knew there was no answer to it.

There was no one else who knew the Sherlock moniker besides a task force member.

"This doesn't make any sense."

Raven grumbled.

He tried to [Shadow Step] to the masked man's shadow. Yet for some reason it was canceled out.

As if the mana he tried to conjure had dissipated.

And it seemed like he wasn't the only one confused by this, as he turned around to look at his comrades who wore looks of shock and disbelief.

Silence.

None of them could comprehend what had just happened. Not even Raven who had the skill [Envenomed Mind] and [Contract expertise]. Skills that directly boosted his mental facilities.

The moment he tried to step inside the masked man's shadow, to his surprise, his skill didn't work.

No, not his skill. But he couldn't feel any mana at all.

Despite having [Eye of Time], all he could do was watch the entire scene unfold as the masked man leapt out of the building.

"Tsk."

He clicked his tongue as he clenched his teeth in frustration.

The sheer fact that he did not have any ounce of an idea on the masked man's identity had left him frustrated.

For the first time, not Raven, but Sherlock had felt so defeated.

He then realized just how dire the entire situation was. It was out of his hands.

But just as he was about to despair, a hand reached out for him and touched his shoulder.

Turning around, it was Reina who wore looks of frustration as well.

"That man…"

"Yeah."

"It's him, isn't it?"

The descriptions that Amy gave fit exactly with the masked man's features.

A white mask with blue runic symbols etched onto it and pale white hair.

For some reason, the man's hair looked familiar. Yet at the same time, he couldn't put a finger on it.

As if an opposite force was keeping him from deducing the man's identity.

He clenched his teeth once again.

The fact that the man appeared in the building, on just the same day Amy was kidnapped was suspicious. As if he knew what had just happened to Amy.

Was he working for the Osborns?

'No.'

That wouldn't make sense as he was the perpetrator for Felix's death.

So who?

Who could that man be?

They had no lead on him. And it seemed like they would be overpowered by him as well.

That fact alone left Raven disheartened. After all, the Special Force was by no means a weak group.

He felt Reina remove her hand from his shoulder. She looked at her hand and she pursed her lips.

"My magic… It wouldn't work against him… I've never felt anything like that before."

"I know, I couldn't conjure up my mana either."

"As soon as I started to feel my mana, it felt like it dispersed just as I tried to shape it."

Reina breathed out a heavy sigh as she pursed her lips again, and continued,

"This is more complicated than we thought."

"It is…"

As Raven motioned to walk towards the group, he realized he stepped on something peculiar.

Glancing down, it seemed to be a document of some sort.

He leaned down to pick it up and read the contents of the document. Then, his eyes shot wide open in surprise.

"This…"

He then shifted his gaze from the document to the group who seemed to be engrossed by the papers strewn on the floor.

"Everyone!"

They all turned to look at him.

"I have a lead."

***

Ring… Ring… Ring…

"Tsk, what's going on with him?"

Once again, Alpha wasn't picking up his calls.

VROOM—!

Brandon continued to traverse the streets on his motorcycle.

The moonlight was drowned out by the light of the buildings and street lamps.

He continued to swiftly maneuver between cars. There was no time to waste as he ignored the red light signal from the traffic lights.

VROOM—!

From his findings, the location seemed to be a hotel. Though it was not constructed under the Osborn Company name.

In other words, it was a ghost company.

They seemed to have dodged all legality as the hotel was open for operations.

Of course there were other buildings that belonged to the company. But Evelyn was already headed there.

If she somehow finds Osborn, then the situation would easily be dealt with. Which is why he had asked her to go to all the other buildings, while he would only go to one.

It was a win-win situation. If Evelyn would eventually find them, then he didn't have to do anything.

But Brandon was quite uneasy.

He wasn't confident if he could actually beat a Wraithbound. And he was quite surprised that Raven and the Special Force suddenly appeared back in the Osborn Company building.

But at that moment, he was able to come up with a plan.

Truth be told, he didn't plan on using [Mana Disruption]. But it seemed like Reina was about to attack him. Though, he wouldn't mind it as he could just dodge her attack.

However, from what he remembered from the novel, Reina was a mage with the fire affinity.

If Brandon allowed her to conjure up her flames, there was a high possibility that the documents would burn in the process.

The moment he stepped back and seemingly stared at the group, was when he inconspicuously dropped the document.

The exact same document with the details of the hotel's construction and location.

He'd left it there on purpose.

In other words, he was counting on Raven to deduce where he–or–specifically Moriarty was planning on going next.

The plan was risky. If he somehow slips up, then there was no doubt that he would be arrested.

"I do hope Evelyn makes it in time before they arrive…"

It was a contingency plan. But if it all works out, then he wouldn't have to do anything.

To reap the rewards of the quest, and save Amy in the process.

"Huu…."

VROOM—!

But what he was in fact sure of was that Amy was still alive.

He had several theories on what the Osborn's were planning for Amy.

To either lure Moriarty out, or…

To turn Amy into a Wraithbound.

He was unsure, but it was a possibility. But what he was in fact sure of was that Amy was still alive.

"She has to be."

From this going forward, it would be all up to Amy if her will is strong enough to not accept the pact.

"Skill Tab."

—---------------------------

[Skill Tab]

[Accelerated Cognition]

∎ Timer: 10 Minutes.

∎ Cooldown Left: 43 Minutes.

—---------------------------

"I just hope Amy didn't tell him anything about me…"

Telling whichever Osborn is with her about Moriarty was fine. But if she said anything specific about seeing 'Brandon Locke' that night would be quite troublesome.

In other words, Brandon Locke would become a target for the Wraithbounds.

"Tsk."

He could definitely feel panic starting to rise within him, but he had to compose himself.

Now? He was in a race with time.

All the pieces were already set in place accordingly. All he had to do was play the next move correctly.

"Huu…"

VROOM—!