Motionless bodies, pools of blood, and battle cries.
For the past nine years, this is all I have ever seen and heard.
Originally, when my father introduced me to the concept of becoming a detective, I assumed I'd be working languidly, organizing paperwork, and giving orders from the comfort of an office.
I couldn't have been more naive.
In this world, power is held in the highest regard. You could be the most intelligent detective in the entirety of the agency, yet someone with complete mastery over Shiri, would annihilate you.
Shiri could be compared to "sorcery," a divine power that was birthed through science and human evolution. Originally, Shiri was comparable to a plague, a bacterium pathogen that killed millions.
However, a scientist known as "Doctor Cathoway," also recognized as the smartest man in the world, saw potential in this plague that no other scientist ever could or… should have.
Considering it was so deadly it wasn't something that should have been experimented on.
Upon his experiments however, he used helpless animals to test the plague-like bacterium, once he did he noticed an odd chain reaction accumulating within their bodies. Unlike regular bacterium pathogens, which usually thrive inside of things like the respiratory system , this one multiplied throughout the entirety of their bodies.
From the immune system, to the heart, the nervous system, and even the brain, the deadly bacterium multiplied. This, of course, made it far more deadly than an ordinary bacterium pathogen, yet Doctor Cathoway still saw benefits from the plague that sank below surface level.
However, the agency came to discover the heinous acts he was performing on the poor creatures. Beyond research, he was intentionally injecting them with small amounts of the bacterium pathogen, then sending them back into the real world. Because of this, he was captured by the agency, and when details of his experiments surfaced, he was sentenced to death by beheading.
His final words still resonate with the world to this day.
"The new age is upon us."
The crazy bastard wasn't lying, because two hundred years later and the world was filled with supernatural humans who are now in possession of all sorts of insane powers.
And of course, not everybody chose to do good with that power. In fact, I'm currently standing in front of a maniacal beast who has been on the run from the agency for around five years now.
It's been causing quite the ruckus in the city of Katagawania, engaging in things like murder, rape, terrorism, and even sex trafficking. Who knew monsters could even think like that…
'Why me…'
The average person would probably be more concerned with the appearing of the unseen creature. But me? I just wanted to go home.
The agency has always been stubborn. They're filled with egotistical weaklings who see my power as a threat, and because of that, they refuse to call on me unless it's a last resort, even now. Ah, yes, let the bad guy run amok killing thousands, then call me to clean up the mess, how nice.
Although I wasn't fully against the idea. I hate being a detective with every living organism in my pathetic body. So not having to drag my ass every day, like I used to, was quite the paradise, but it seemed at this point it did more damage than good since the agency was full of non-talented losers.
But, at last, my final days as a detective were near. For the first eight years of my career, I was worked to the bone, solving cases throughout the weekday and fighting bad guys on the weekend.
It was hell.
However, due to the sheer amount of work I put in with the agency, solving over three hundred million cases world wide, arrests included, with around two hundred twenty-five million successful convictions, my work was finally almost done.
That's because the country was nearing peace, so this last year has been quite the vacation for me. Obviously, with the occasional thugs needing a good beating, and the criminals that the agency can't handle. Other than that, I've been preparing for a proper retirement.
'Freedom at last!'
On that thought, though, I wasn't going anywhere until I dealt with the monstrosity in front of me. Yeah, 'monstrosity' was the right word for it. I had been wondering why the agency couldn't handle some lowly thug, but now, being face-to-face with the thing, I could see why.
Sure, I talk down on the agency, but that's out of pure bias. They still have some capable detectives, so one thug and his crew shouldn't have been a problem at all. However, this was no thug.
It was a monster.
I'd never seen anything like it. The thing was almost five feet taller than me, and I'm six feet! The beast's pigmentation was a lot paler than a regular person's—it was almost vampire-like. Its body was extremely toned, and I don't mean like a gym rat, not even one on steroids, like… concerningly toned.
What concerned me most about the beast was the fact that it stood, spoke, and even had the consciousness of a human. Not only that, but the soldiers I had just laid waste to earlier were also humanoids, which told me a lot.
'Enough standing around. Let's finish this and head home.'
Placing my left foot directly in front of me and planting my right foot into the soil, I reached my hand behind me, unsheathing my long, fifteen-inch katana.
I placed my left hand near the handle, and my right hand at the bottom, positioning the grip directly at the tip of my nose, while the tip of the blade was directed at the mammoth beast in the distance.
"Alright, come on ya big bastard… I don't have all day."
This definitely put the nail in the coffin. The behemoth was already enraged the moment I arrived on the scene and slew its pathetic comrades. The once beautiful green grass was now stained in blood. And it was determined to add mine to the mix.
So, without a second thought, the monster disappeared, moving faster than the human eye could see. However, I wasn't normal.
Although the beast was one hundred percent way too fast for me to perceive, it didn't move faster than I could think—that was my biggest strength as a detective.
Before the thing even moved a toe, I'd accumulated thousands of possibilities. From the chance in weather changes, coincidental inconveniences of external interference. And even micro possibilities, such as how an ice cream truck driving through the battlefield would impact the outcome.
This allowed me to find the perfect counter.
Based on what I've concluded… this beast was moving at least one billion, seventy-nine million kilometers per hour.
What a beast.
He was completely transcending human limitations.
Either way, it didn't matter, because I'd already predicted its every move.
And unfortunately for the ugly bastard I was already standing behind its colossal body, holding its head in my hand like a reward for wasting my time.
Kind of pathetic. I didn't even use my Shiri.
Its body stumbled a few times, almost as if clinging to life, then fell, sending a shockwave through the air as its gigantic frame collapsed.
And just like that, I'd completed my final mission.
'Oh retirement… sweet… sweet retirement, here I come!'
As a parting gift, I spent the next ten minutes writing a full report for the agency. As it would most certainly take a few years of work off their shoulders, and since I was done with the detective life, I figured, why not!
So, I leaned down, placing the envelope full of spicy details about the mutated man-eater, and walked away with my precious sword, still stained with beast blood.
For the first time, I walked away from a mission smiling, knowing I'd never work again.