Darkness covered the world of Hagi at nightfall, with merely 50 minutes till the next day.
"How's your luck been?" a man asked, his features vague beneath the eerie darkness.
"Pretty Awful, I haven't seen anyone remotely close to their description," another replied, pointing a torch in his hand, the glistening yellow light clinging to his figure.
The forest trees and city streets, along with the boundary that separated Hora from the outskirts, were lit up by torches, the hot flames dancing on the wooden sticks, illuminated through the night's darkness.
Every bounty hunter, cultivator, and even ordinary citizen raced against the clock, trying to gain the bounty as quickly as possible before the reward money was either reduced or the fugitives were caught by the MCB.
In those moments, one couldn't distinguish between day and night. The streets buzzing with life, the majority of the people scrambling through the streets with a goal set in their hearts, overly bright lights from torches or bulbs spanning from every edge and corner, making it almost impossible to get some shut-eye. Yet none of this compared to the ear-wrenching noise that echoed from every angle.
Even food vendors, who mainly had business during the day, opened up shop that night, their food piping hot with soups fairly warm to ease the night's occasional chilling breeze. Employees plastered fake smiles on their faces, forced to work at the ungodly hour.
"Thank you for your service, have a good night!" Their optimistic remarks masked their frustration believably well.
A rare sight in the city's history, all because of 2 people.
"Damn it!" Phonzo's strained eyes remained wide open where he lay. "Why's everywhere so noisy at this time? Have the people gone crazy?"
The smell of smoke and burning wood surrounded him, choking his nostrils like he were submerged in water, ash visible in the air surrounding the forest side.
He staggered a bit, raising his body from the ground, sweeping through the broad space only occupied by pillars with his gaze. "Where's the grey fox?" He wondered, a smudge of worry etched on his face.
Though as usual, he wasn't the only one anxious about its whereabouts - the two fugitives prepping for their departure also hid anticipation within their stern expressions.
"It's finally time.....Are you sure you know what you're doing?" the one with the ponytail asked.
"You shouldn't doubt my intellect," his colleague responded, a cocky grin stretched across his face. "According to my calculations, the grey fox should be waiting for us upon arrival to Hora."
The spiky redhead's boastful attitude may have been flamboyant, but there hadn't been a single time his actions weren't solid.
Despite his confidence, there was still a single problem they had to get through - that being the endless fliers pasted at every doorstep with their depictions embedded on them. The security around the borders was tight, the only ones with actual knowledge of their identities were the hotel and its staff, though they weren't a cause of worry; once all bills are paid, their lips are zipped.
The initial plan was to distract the MCB with a bigger case, only to be outplayed in their own game, leaving them with little to no options. At this point, they were just going to wing it.
Both disguised their features as best as possible with clothes:
The redhead wore a ushanka on his head, tilted black goggles on his eyes with a large dark robe to hide his figure,
While the one with the ponytail wore a dark cap and glasses, unbinding his hair, each strand surprisingly luxurious as they danced to the wind, barely hung up by the cap's edge.
"Won't you wear a robe?" the redhead asked, his expression hidden due to the goggles.
"Only our faces were depicted, the rest is just doing too much," he replied, his expression also masked by his disguise.
There wasn't a single doubt in their minds - it was a full-proof, flawless plan!
"Please remove all facial accessories before passing," an MCB guard spoke, his dark blue uniform smooth from head to toe, carrying a strict expression on his hardened face.
Maybe the plan wasn't completely full-proof. All the INs and OUTs of Belto were kept under tight lock, a move the redhead wasn't ready for. He didn't give the higher-ups enough credit; now he was only five people away from being caught in a queue of many, with his partner right behind.
Bright bulbs of light placed throughout the sealed border, stretching from the outskirts to the main city, their inescapable gleams revealing the presence of every being which stood.
They couldn't just escape either - all those who left the queue were pounced on immediately and charged for breaking several laws, not even applicable to the situation. The MCB were taking their case much too seriously than predicted.
"Next!" The harsh voice of an officer echoed through the dark atmosphere.
It was the redhead's turn; the people before him had undergone verification with passes handed to them, but his mind was too buried in thoughts to notice until the sharp call snapped him out.
His colleague behind him stiffened his fist, a faint blue light gleamed, blue patterns flickering across his fist, focusing his eyes on the 20 guards posted at the rear end. His partner knew what to do when things went astray.
"Remove all facial accessories, please," the guard's tone sharp, laced with suspicion, unable to crack a smile once.
Maintaining his composure, the redhead pulled up his goggles without a stutter, steady movements as he leaned closer, taking off his ushanka, revealing strands of ocean blue hair slicked back and his iris a deep blue color.
The guard skimmed the flier thoroughly, brushing his eyes viciously across the redhead's face, making sure to study every little feature.
"Pass!"
The emotionless remark sparked joy within him, nearly enough to make him cry as he walked past the guard's iron build.
"Next!" His cold voice called once more.
The colleague wasted no time taking off his cap and glasses, revealing his long strands of free hair, grey eyes almost hypnotic, but not like the depicted image. He resembled a different person completely, unmistakably.
But even then....
"What were you going to do earlier?" the guard asked, his hardened face stiff with a scowl.
"Pardon?" he replied.
"I noticed you controlled the mana within your body and focused it on your fist," the guard whispered gently. "You wouldn't happen to be a Cultivator in the Body Enhancement stage, would you?"
"I am, so?" His response held no fear, with a blank and calm expression playing on his face.
"Then may I see your cultivation license?" He stretched his hand out in wait.
The guard's action signaling all the other guards, including the redhead, to be ready to pounce and possibly put down.
Letting out a brief sigh, "All this is way too inconvenient." He reached into his jean pocket, bringing out a small object which glittered momentarily beneath the bright lights. "Here you go..."
He placed a small plastic card in his palm, its contents being his picture with his untied hair and:
NAME: BYSONG RIM
CURRENT REALM: BODY ENHANCEMENT
RANK: MANA GRINDER ★★★
AGE AT REGISTRATION: 22
DATE: 22/6/2010
CITY: VALON CENTRAL 2. TORA.
"I see, so you're a cultivator from Tora?" the guard queried, his sneered suspicion dying out. "This card is from 5 years ago, right?"
"I am, though I've been here for 3 years, so I'm planning on going back next month," he replied, his composure unwavered.
"So where are you going now, since you've stayed here for so long?" Ease filled the guard's once tense voice.
"Isn't it obvious?" A warm smile stretched on his face. "I'm going to find those 2 fugitives and get the reward money. Things have been tight lately, and I'm registered, so why not try my luck?"
A slight smirk grew on the guard's face. Bysong's answers were reasonable and legally backed as well; the tension he held at that moment was pointless.
"Pass!" A small sense of ease hid within his call.
Of course, it was a mutual feeling for them both. If things had dragged any longer, Bysong would have blown his cover by breaking a sweat.
"So Bysong's your real name, boss?" the redhead became piqued with curiosity.
"That's none of your business," he replied in a harsh tone, with rageful eyes fixed in his head. "We still have a long road till we reach Hagi."
"We'll make it there by dawn. After all, our disguises are flawless, and even if by some completely random BS method we get caught, the best of the fighters here are all Foundation Realm nitwits with decent at best skills. A walk in the park for us both."
"I've said this to you multiple times," Bysong redirected his glares to the sky, viewing the bright and beautiful arrangements of stars in the dark blue horizon. "I don't like unnecessary violence."
'He says this, but in reality, he might actually be more gruesome than I am,' the redhead thought.
"Let's go!" Bysong ordered with a commanding voice.
He may not have known his colleague's name, but a strong communication existed between them as he followed blissfully in Bysong's footsteps.