"You're insane! I can't believe the Inquisitors actually went to your house!" Damon yelled at Jude, trying to process what he had just heard.
But before Jude could reply…
SMACK!
Someone snatched the phone out of Damon's hand.
"We saw the news," growled the loan shark from the Black Viper Guild.
"I don't know how the hell you tricked all those idiots, but we're not falling for it. We know you were in the blast zone, and we know you lived. So you're paying those fifty million today or we'll finish you off and deal with your little friend too. Goodbye."
CLICK.
Damon froze in terror. Not just because of the threat, but because they had Jude.
'Damn it… I have to do something now…'
But his arms were wrapped in bandages and his legs were still casted.
When one of the nurses walked in, Damon put on his best "Traumatized Hero" face.
"I… need to go to the bathroom."
Once they arrived, Damon was left alone in the wheelchair. He stared at the door, then at his useless hands.
He had no plan. He could barely move the wheels of the chair. But he couldn't stay still. He had to save Jude and get as far away from the Inquisitors as possible before they realized their mistake.
'Come on… now or never!'
Damon pushed the wheelchair awkwardly down the hallway. His hands barely had the strength to grip the metal.
But before he reached the exit, he ran straight into the captain.
Damon swallowed hard, expecting to get arrested on the spot.
But Iris simply let out a long, tired sigh.
"I knew you would try to escape at some point. Even if your memories are gone, your unshakable spirit is still the same. A true hero can't sit still, right?"
Damon didn't know what to say. He was about to make up an excuse when Iris leaned in and whispered in his ear.
"I know a very fast way to get you out of those casts… but technically, I'm not supposed to do this."
Damon froze.
'What is she planning to do to me…?'
But it wasn't anything dark. Turns out that besides being an S-Rank warrior, Iris was also an elite healer.
SHIING!
Damon had absolutely no idea.
Iris rolled him back to his room and started the process.
FWASH!
A warm golden light poured from her hands.
When the nurses walked in, they stopped in shock. Damon was completely healed.
With Iris standing there, they didn't dare question anything.
They removed the bandages and the casts. Damon raised his arms and flexed his legs with an ease he hadn't felt since before the explosion.
"Hey, if you could do that, why didn't you heal me from the start?"
"I am forbidden from using my powers on people outside the guild," Iris replied flatly.
'Wow… the Inquisitors really are selfish,' Damon thought.
He stood up, flexing his fingers. His body responded perfectly.
But reality hit him before he took a single step.
'Wait. If I walk out of here as Damon, I'm dead. I have no money, no weapons, and Viper will laugh in my face before breaking Jude's fingers.'
He looked at Iris, who stared at him with pure reverence.
To her, he was a god.
To the world, he was an untouchable legend.
'Jude is in danger. If I need the disguise to scare off the rats threatening him, then I'll wear it. Just for today. I save Jude using Zero's name, sell whatever I can, and disappear.'
Damon clenched his fists, resolved.
But things were not going to be that easy.
Seeing he was fully healed, Iris dropped the bomb.
"It is time for us to go home."
'Home?'
'What kind of home are we going to?'
Turns out the destination was not his tiny, grimy apartment… but Zero's penthouse.
The top floor of one of the most expensive skyscrapers in the entire city.
"Well, I think you can use your eye to open the door now."
Damon panicked instantly.
'Crap! It's obvious I'm not Zero. There's no way this door is going to open for me.'
If the scanner failed, Iris would realize everything and cut his head off right there.
He walked toward the door slowly, praying for a miracle.
'How do I force this…?'
He didn't even have time to think. He leaned in toward the scanner and…
BEEP!
The door opened.
'What?! That's impossible!'
'Is the system broken? Did someone rig it so I could get in?'
He forced himself to keep a poker face because Iris was standing right beside him, watching every move.
But the craziest part came right after.
When they stepped into the penthouse, they didn't find silence. They heard running water.
Someone was in the shower.
Damon had no idea Zero lived with anyone.
Was it an ally?
Or an enemy waiting for the moment to strike?
"Well, I should get going," Iris said casually as she headed for the door.
'What?! Why is she leaving now?!'
He couldn't believe she was abandoning him in this enormous penthouse after everything.
Iris gave him a professional bow and left, closing the door behind her. Damon was left alone, except for the sound of water running in the bathroom.
SHHHHHH.
Damon's survival instinct kicked in instantly.
He went straight to the kitchen and grabbed a knife. He knew a kitchen knife was useless against a powerful hunter, but fear made him cling to anything.
He couldn't leave through the front door. Iris was almost certainly still outside.
Heart pounding, knife trembling in hand, Damon crept toward the bathroom.
BANG!
The door swung open.
Damon stumbled back, ready to strike… but froze.
A towering woman stepped out, easily over six foot three.
Dark skin. Wild white hair with small, sharp horns curling from her head.
A towel barely covering anything.
And she wasn't just any girl
She was a demon! And she was inside Zero's home!