"Death" Responded

In Gura In City, East Balam, a dilapidated building stood near a cemetery on the outskirts.

Several men and women in black trench coats and bright red gloves hurried in and out, carrying away bodies, escorting surviving captives, and securing important evidence. Above the cemetery floated a woman in the robes of a Church of Evernight cleric. The sea breeze stirred her beautiful black hair across her delicate face.

Every so often, a Red Glove looked up at her, then carefully averted their gaze to avoid meeting those deep eyes filled with countless stars.

She was Iliya, the senior deacon in charge of the Church of the Evernight Goddess's affairs on the Southern Continent, known as the Goddess Eye.

This time, Gura In City's Nighthawks had deployed their best. They had even called on the Goddess Eye herself. Following clues from their last operation, they meant to capture Palenke Tasib, a leading extremist of the Numinous Episcopate's Artificial Death Faction. He was a Sequence 4 Undying known as the Pale Hand.

"You're saying Tasib isn't in this hideout?"

Inside the rundown building, Red Gloves captain Soest frowned as he asked the question.

Before him stood Daly Simone, the only one not wearing a trench coat. She wore a robe over a simple black dress. Her eyes had just shifted from fathomless black back to green, and her voice still sounded distant and ethereal.

"There are unusually few wandering spirits here, but none of them saw Palenke Tasib."

She turned to a member of the Numinous Episcopate who had been brought in and asked,

"Where did your Pale Hand, Tasib, go?"

The captive was hunched over, his face deathly pale. The two Red Gloves on either side were practically carrying him as he slowly answered,

"He left the city early this