"You should take your own advice," Navia spat, struggling to her feet and leaning heavily on her claymore. "Never underestimate your enemy!"
She had poured every last ounce of her remaining strength into that attack. Seeing Lofan still alive, a flicker of regret crossed her eyes, but the thought of having severely wounded him buoyed her spirits.
"Miss Navia!"
Melus and Silver rushed to her side, their gazes fixed warily on Lofan, who stood wiping blood from the corner of his mouth in the distance.
"That was quite an impressive strike," Lofan conceded.
Navia felt like she was hallucinating. She could have sworn she saw a hint of relief in Lofan's eyes.
"It's getting late, Miss Navia," Lofan said. "I'll claim your life next time."
His words stunned Navia for a moment before she blurted out urgently, "No! He's trying to escape!"
Just as she had predicted, Lofan rose to his feet, steadying himself with his Hydro spear. "But don't get too cocky, Miss Navia," he said. "I only used about half my strength this time."
"When we meet again, I'll show you my full power."
With that, Lofan turned and fled.
"No! We can't let him get away!" Navia cried out. "If he escapes, there will be more innocent victims!"
Her eyes blazing crimson, Navia forced herself to chase after him. But after only two steps, her body gave out. Fortunately, Melus and Silver were quick to steady her, preventing her from collapsing to the ground.
"Miss Navia, you're too weak right now," Melus said with concern. "You need to rest. Leave the pursuit to me."
"No, Melus," Navia insisted. "Even wounded, he's still beyond your reach."
Navia struggled weakly a few more times, but realizing she had no strength left to fight, she clenched her fist and said, "Let's all go together. Catching him is more important than cleaning up a dozen corrupt nobles."
Hearing Navia's words, Melus nodded. He knew he was no match for Lofan.
Quickly, Melus took charge, gathering everyone nearby and leading them in pursuit of Lofan's escape route.
Lofan had no intention of returning to Fleuve Cendre like this. He had already planned his retreat.
He crept into a pile of corpses strewn haphazardly across the ground, completely crushing his clown mask beneath his heel to reveal his strikingly youthful face.
Then, with a swift motion, Lofan plunged his dagger deep into his own chest. As he fell backward, he discreetly instructed the System to retrieve his Vision from his waist.
When Navia and her group arrived breathlessly at the scene, they froze at the gruesome sight before them.
Dozens of corpses lay scattered across the ground, all faces vaguely familiar to Navia from their time in Fleuve Cendre. Now, they lay motionless, their bodies cold and lifeless.
The wounds on their bodies left no doubt: this was the work of the man they had been pursuing.
The suffocating feeling returned, and anger and overwhelming grief washed over everyone's faces.
Though they rarely spoke, they knew these fallen comrades were all members of the Fleuve Cendre, just like themselves.
Before setting out, they had sworn to teach those detestable nobles a lesson, but they unexpectedly encountered that formidable young man...
"Cough... cough... cough..."
Suddenly, a fit of coughing snapped them back to reality. When they realized there was a survivor, immense joy lit up their faces.
But as they followed the sound, their hopes crumbled. They found a young man pinned to the ground by a Hydro spear piercing his chest—beyond saving.
"M-Miss Navia..."
"W-we're sorry... We were useless. We couldn't even defeat a single one..."
"We've made fools of ourselves..."
Seeing them arrive, a faint spark flickered in the dying man's eyes.
But his words ignited a wave of sorrow and fury within the group.
"Ah... what a pity. It seems I won't live to see the day we all stand in the sunlight together..."
"But it's alright. As long as Monsieur Grett and Miss Navia are still here, I believe... I believe that day will come."
"Miss Navia... I... I miss home..."
Finally, the light faded from his eyes, and his arm fell heavily to his side. The only sound left was the torrential rain, but a storm raged just as fiercely in the hearts of everyone present.
Unable to delay any longer, Clorinde finally arrived at the scene with members of the Court of Justice.
Though rumors had spread among the common folk, they dared not venture out to witness the spectacle, preferring to remain safely at home.
By the time Clorinde arrived, the Fleuve Cendre Faction's operation had already ceased some time ago.
Clorinde's pupils constricted slightly as she surveyed the dozens of fresh corpses piled on the cart. She hadn't anticipated such heavy losses for the faction. In her view, the nobles had already deployed the bulk of their household forces, and the remaining guards, with whom she had fought alongside before, should have been more than capable of handling the situation.
Approaching Navia, who stood with a desolate expression, Clorinde asked, "What happened here?"
Navia didn't respond immediately. After a long pause, as if only just noticing Clorinde's presence, she murmured softly.
"I've had all the evidence of the nobles' crimes collected. I'll give it to you shortly to make your job easier."
Clorinde's expression barely shifted upon hearing Navia's words. She was still waiting for Navia to answer her question.
After speaking, Navia took a deep breath before continuing, her voice heavy.
"Those nobles... they were collaborating with the perpetrator of the serial suicide case."
Navia's statement struck Clorinde's heart like a massive boulder shattering the calm surface of a tranquil lake, sending shockwaves through her very being.
"How... how dare they?!" Clorinde exclaimed, her voice trembling with fury.
Previously, Clorinde had harbored some reservations about Navia's actions. Now, she only wondered why she hadn't personally brought these traitors to justice.
"Every one of those victims died by his hand."
"We fought, but he was too strong. In the end, he managed to escape."
Clorinde took a few deep breaths to calm herself before turning to Navia. "Did you see his face?"
"No, he was wearing a mask. We couldn't make out his features," Navia replied. She paused, then added, "But I can describe his abilities..."