The Fallen Death Dog

Cain's face stiffened, hearing a familiar voice; he turned to the source and found the boss man standing on the side highway, chilling out while exhaling white smoke. The big Wolf emerged and stood beside him, its face knitted in wary. 

However, no matter how long the two stood on each side, none of them barely made any moves. Cain pondered for a bit, seeing the boss man's obvious gesture toward him, telling Cain that he had something to say. 

Cain crouched down and looked toward the boy's frightened eyes. 

"Bi-big, brother, what should I…".

With his teary eyes and trembling body, it sure is that the boy was afraid and also had a bit of a guilty conscience to keep involving Cain in the matter. The boy doesn't want to see Cain suffer anymore because of his act.

That is why he is confused: What should he do? Will Cain be spared if he gives his life? 

A gentle pat from his head and the warmth it carried cleared the boy's vision. He lifted his gaze and watched Cain with a calm smile. His big and rough hand somehow soothed the boy's heart.

"It's okay, what's your name, kid?".

"...Eh? Um, Allen. My name is Allen from…!".

Allan bit his lips, unsure if he would be sufficient to continue using the name of the family who abandoned him. 

"So, Allen, do you still remember the thing about going straight from this place and you will be safe there?".

"...Yes, I am, but what about it? …Don't tell me!".

Realizing what Cain had in mind, Allen's face paled, and his whole body shook in fright. He clutched Cain's clothes close, not wanting to let him go. Tears began to accumulate in Allen's eyes. 

"Heh, you sure like to cry a lot. You are a boy; at least cry when you are lost in a fight or something. Don't be a wimp, Allen."

Cain wiped away the accumulating tears from the boy's eyes and whispered those words that struck a chord within Allen's heart. The string strummed his consciousness, making him look Cain in the eyes. 

His eyes are gentle, filled with kindness that he rarely received from his family. Besides Cain, there is only one other person who will look to him in that way, and she seems in the running to get to this place. 

"I will catch up with you later. So, go ahead and wait for me there!".

"Bu…".

"Allen".

Before Allen could open his mouth, Cain gripped the boy's shoulder tight, forcing his body to tense. 

"Go!".

The solemn mood radiating from Cain forces Allen to say no to his order. Allen nods while looking down. With one last pat, Cain whispers, 'Good', before abruptly standing up and turning to the boss man, who was kindly enough to wait the conversation until it was over. 

Cain walked past the boy's side and stood facing the man. Noir, who caught its master thinking, briskly walked toward Allen and gave the boy a slight nudge of its head. 

"Ah, you are!?".

Allen was surprised to see a black dog suddenly enter his sight. He tensed at first, but upon seeing the spoiling side of the dog telling him, it came to see him off. His heart filled with warmth, making him chuckle. 

"You are the same as your master. I am sorry for what I did, and thank you!".

*Woff!

Hearing the spirited bark from Noir, Allen's fear dimmed a bit; he mustered his courage and patted the black dog before him. The soft and silky fur brings his lips loosened in joy. 'A resonator, huh? I think I have to get a grip on myself.

"Thank you. Let's meet again later".

Allen gives his last caress to the dog before turning to the way where the patrol headquarters are built. He didn't turn around and keep his feet running to reach his destination. 'Big brother and Black Dog, please, be safe'.

The place turns quiet after the disappearance of the pitter-patter steps of the boy who vanished into the distant darkness. Cain and Noir stood side by side, still on their guard. 

In front of him, taking his last breath before throwing the cigar from his hand, he stepped into the excess, letting the spark die down, and then exhaled. 

"You seemed attached to that boy?".

"...Thanks for letting us have our farewell, at least".

"Well, it's not worth it for me to raise a hand to a kid like that. It would only leave a bad aftertaste".

"!?".

Come to think of it, the boss man before him had the most authority above those four. However, besides the scary look he had and the things he spouted to threaten Allen earlier, none of them had been realized. 

However, Cain shifted his thoughts and began to sharpen his senses. 'No matter what it is, if the man is hostile. I have no choice but to fight him'.

The Guardian Beast Wolf attached to the man keeps its vigilance to the max in exchange for its master's lax attitude. Then, to his surprise, the boss man takes out the crystal ball from earlier and plays with it. 

"Do you want to know what this is?".

Feeling the gaze from Cain, who kept following the crystal in his hand, the man spoke, which startled Cain. Never did he think the man had so much leeway in this situation. The man's composure, is this because of the difference in strength they have? 

Even though he felt irked by the opponent's attitude, Cain was also curious as to what kind of crystal brought him into this event. 

"Hmm, I don't know much about the details, but it seemed whoever swallowed this would have their power raised significantly and even gain another power…".

'No wonder they are persistently chasing that kid, but wait a minute, that is not all, right?'. Cain muttered in his heart, and the man seemed to notice it. 

"Yeah, you are right. There is no such thing as a free meal in this world. The person who swallowed it if the vessel is not strong enough it would cause a tremendous explosion that could wipe out a district".

"!? ...I see. Your group sure loves to talk, huh?".

"Well, sure I am, but I am not sure about the four. Are they dead?".

"...Yeah!".

"Is that so…".

An eerie silence hung between the two; the boss man looked toward the crystal, and then, after a moment of pondering, he pushed it back toward his chest pocket and began to stretch. 

Feeling the man's demeanor had changed, Cain tensed all the muscles around his body. However, a slight pain stung his side, and the effect of the earlier beating still had not fully recovered. 

Thanks to Noir awoke a part of his seal, it recovered a bit, but it is not fully healed as Cain still felt a stab every time he inhaled deeply. 

{Noir!}

{*Woff!}

Shadows beneath them, wriggling before something crawled out, the cloths around his arms also began to tighten on itself. 

The man seemed to realize that Cain had already prepared to engage with him. His lips loosened before they broke into a fearless grin. It's been a while since I saw a person brave enough to stand before him. 

Before fighting, the man closed his eyes, recalling those smiling kids under his care. Smiles disappear from his face and a tremendous aura from a ranker descent into the place. 

Cain's breath suffocated, his feet trembling, holding onto the fleeting tenacious side of him never willing to submit to the pressure from the man. 

In a blink, the man disappears and appears before Cain bringing his fist forward with a huge force that could pulverize the boulder in an instant. A chill crept up his spine, but Cain relied on his instinct and crossed his hands to block the punch. 

"Kuh!".

The moment the man's fist reached him, it created a shockwave that blasted away the dust around them, and Cain could feel his body tremble. He received the impact before being flung toward the wall of the building. 

*Woff!

Noir, who caught its master flying, began to bare its fangs, but a looming shadow approached, opening its maw wide to rip apart Noir's throat. Using the shadows as a medium, Noir's body submerged within it before appearing behind the Wolf's shadow, trying to bite its leg. 

However, the Wolf noticed it and jumped back to gain some distance. Noir, who had no shadows around, had to be forced out from its territory and face the Wolf, who held a lot of composure in the fight. 

*Grrr!

[Karma raised 23%]

Cain's consciousness returned as he saw a fleeting blue panel blocking his vision. He shook his head to remove the panel and then tried to tense his muscles. 

"Ukh!".

All the muscles around his body were screaming, telling him to stop moving. After a brief calmness hung, Cain's face broke out in cold sweat; the figure of the man who caused him to be like this in just a punch walked over the breached walls and approached his side. 

'You have got to be kidding me, right?'. Cain cursed the man and glared at him. 

"What, over already?".

From this moment on, Cain finally understood the disparity between strengths.