The man led Kaine through the facility while explaining the place they were walking through. Kaine listened carefully, staying a few steps behind him without interrupting.
"One of the reasons," the man said, "is to capture those who lose control."
He introduced himself as Jack.
"Before I passed this inheritance on to you," Jack continued, "I captured around three hundred Broken and sealed them here."
They stopped in front of a massive iron door, tightly locked with heavy chains.
At the center of the door was a narrow viewing slot, just wide enough for someone to peer inside a cell.
Jack slid the cover aside.
The moment it opened, a woman lunged forward, both arms thrust through the bars.
Kaine flinched. In his sonar vision, her presence was chaotic—unstable, distorted.
Half of her face had already transformed into something monstrous. Her eyes were pitch black, and the veins in both arms bulged and darkened unnaturally.
Jack was silent for a moment before speaking, "She's Patient CA239. A demon-type host from Nash City."
"She lost control?" Kaine asked.
"The demon's emotions overwhelmed her mind," Jack replied.
"She drowned herself in that power and forgot her limits."
"And then?"
"The demon took over her body. When we captured her, her mouth was soaked in blood, and her eyes had already turned black."
Jack lowered his head slightly, "She killed her own younger brother."
Jack extended his hand and clenched his fist.
From inside the cell, golden chains shot out at incredible speed, piercing the woman's back and yanking her violently inside.
A scream of agony echoed through the hall before the viewing slot slammed shut again.
Jack turned to Kaine, "You understand your role now, don't you?"
"I inherit this place and replace you," Kaine replied coldly, "because you handed your inheritance over to me ten years ago."
Jack looked pained, "I'm sorry about your eyes. But I couldn't let this power fall into LUX's hands."
He gently patted Kaine's shoulder.
Kaine's hand clenched into a fist. Only now did it fully sink in—his blindness wasn't caused by any medical reason.
It was the result of a forced angelic contract.
Without warning, Kaine threw a punch.
His fist slammed into Jack's face, sending the man flying backward. Jack wasn't injured—just stunned.
"You made me blind!" Kaine shouted.
"Do you have any idea what my life has been like because of that?!"
"I didn't have a choice," Jack said.
"If you hate me," he continued calmly, "then lock me up in a cell like the other ones."
Kaine took a deep breath and slowly let it out.
The anger was still there—but it was fading.
He hated Jack for the childhood filled with ridicule and suffering.
But deep down, Kaine knew it—if he were in Jack's position, he might have made the same choice.
"Get up," Kaine said at last.
Jack stood.
"You're not done explaining everything to me."
Jack nodded, "Of course. Follow me."
Elsewhere, the woman in the suit was still holding her ground at Kaine's house. The situation was getting worse.
There was still no backup from NOX, and Kaine hadn't completed his Ascension yet.
Even though she was stronger than the first wave of LUX operatives, the growing number of troops would overwhelm her soon.
LUX had confirmed NOX's presence at the house.
The earlier shockwave made it obvious—a host was inside.
"You're not going anywhere!"
"We've got you surrounded!" the LUX hunting team captain barked.
The woman—Lara—stood inside Kaine's room. From behind the balcony curtains, she observed more than thirty LUX operatives spreading out across the street.
[Encrypted Call]
Lara pressed the system watch on her wrist. A holographic panel appeared, showing a white-haired man with a stern expression.
[Status report, Lara.]
"Bad. LUX hunters are on site. Target is still in Ascension," she replied curtly.
[Prioritize extraction. Alpha-1 is en route. Summon authorization granted.]
"Understood, Captain."
The transmission cut off. The hologram vanished. Lara stepped away from the curtains, avoiding potential sniper fire.
"Damn it… no other choice."
She bit into her right thumb until blood flowed, then traced glowing runes in the air. The symbols floated and pulsed.
Crimson light wrapped around her body. Her eyes glowed red, and matching tattoos spread from her right hand up to her shoulder.
"Roe," Lara said firmly.
[Demon Summon Activated]
The blood dripping from her hand formed into a massive cat-like demon with curved horns and crimson fur. Its fangs gleamed sharply, radiating crushing pressure.
"Do you want me to kill them?" Roe asked.
"I'll move him away. Keep them busy."
Without another word, Roe charged forward and smashed through the balcony of Kaine's house.
Debris rained down, shocking the LUX operatives on the street.
"A demon cat?!" someone shouted.
"T-That's Officer Lara!" the hunting captain yelled in disbelief.
Using the chaos, Lara leaped off the balcony, empowered by demonic strength.
She grabbed Kaine, who was still undergoing Ascension. The pillar of golden light surrounding him dimmed—then vanished.
"Spread out!" the captain ordered.
"Arrest her and stop that demon!"
Some LUX units chased Lara in military vehicles, while the rest stayed behind, aiming plasma weapons at Roe.
Plasma fire erupted nonstop. At the same time, the pursuing units raised their rifles and fired upward.
Lara lifted her tattooed right hand and swung it sideways. A massive shadowy claw appeared and swept across the road.
Two vehicles managed to evade—but one SUV was crushed, injuring several LUX soldiers.
"My stamina's dropping fast…" Lara muttered.
She landed in a narrow alley and sprinted forward. The LUX vehicles screeched to a halt as troops disembarked and launched tracking drones.
Lara ran until she hit a dead end.
Normally, she could jump onto nearby buildings—but her body was too exhausted to force it.
"There she is!" someone shouted.
LUX operatives closed in from every direction.
Moments later, the hunting captain stepped forward, clapping slowly with a mocking smile.
"Impressive escape," he said.
"You even wrecked one of our vehicles."
"Sorry for that," Lara replied flatly.
The man's gaze shifted to Kaine, who was leaning against the wall. The golden light around his body had stabilized.
With a NOX officer personally escorting him, the boy was clearly no ordinary target.
"Surrender," the captain said, "Maybe the Chairman of LUX will be merciful."
"Death is still death," Lara replied, "What's the difference?"
At that moment, Roe's summon duration reached its limit. The demon cat vanished instantly, its remaining power flowing back into Lara's body.
She coughed up blood, her strength fading.
"Haha!" the captain laughed, "Relying on demonic power is useless."
He raised his hand, "Now then—surrender, or die?"
Lara stayed silent. No backup. No escape.
She knew the worst-case scenario had arrived.
"Then—die," the captain said.
"Fire!"
All LUX operatives loaded plasma rounds and pulled the trigger. Blue blasts slammed into Lara's position.
BLAST!
Blue smoke filled the alley. The captain laughed in satisfaction.
"Clean it up. Bring back the bodies as proof."
"C-Captain!"
His laughter stopped. He looked forward. The smoke thinned, revealing a shattered alley wall.
No sign of Lara.
No sign of Kaine.
"What happened?!"
"Up—up there!"
Lara opened her eyes. She froze when she realized Kaine was carrying her.
The golden light around his body was stable now.
He was awake.
His Ascension was complete.
"Sorry for doubting you," Kaine said.
"You almost got me killed," Lara muttered weakly, "You owe me full recovery care."
Kaine smiled faintly beneath the black cloth covering his eyes. He took off running, leaving the LUX forces unable to keep up.
After a while, Kaine slowed down, making sure they weren't being followed.
From a distance, Lara spotted Alpha-1 approaching from the south. Kaine landed on the road and gently set her down.
"Lara, are you okay?" asked a navy-blue-haired woman.
"I'm fine. Just summon fatigue," Lara replied.
Three Alpha-1 members turned their attention to Kaine.
The young man with his eyes covered radiated something unfamiliar—something hard to read.
"Is he the target?" a man in a black suit asked, gripping a longsword.
"Yes," Lara answered.
"His Ascension is complete."
The man stepped closer to Kaine.
To him, the boy in front of him looked immature—unfinished.
"I don't care what kind of demon you contracted with," he said coldly, "In my eyes, you're just a kid."
He leaned in, staring straight at Kaine.
"If you disobey… I'll kill you myself."