A severed arm.
Kanzaki Rei could vaguely sense it—it belonged to Chum.
He accelerated instantly.
Without waiting for Luluwy, Rei surged forward at maximum speed toward Kumironi!
Even with a perception range of 30,000 kilometers, spotting Kumironi didn't mean reaching her quickly. At full throttle, it still took him nearly a minute and a half of sustained flight.
At peak burst, he could reach 1,000 kilometers per second.
But maintaining that level of speed continuously? Impossible.
Rei descended and landed.
"Kumironi!"
Kumironi turned. "Rei?"
She wasted no time explaining.
"They took Chum's body."
"Akagi is already in pursuit."
"Help me preserve that arm… it will increase her chances of revival."
Rei nodded. "Understood."
He reached out and touched the arm.
Instantly, information flooded in.
Chum had been dead for over four hours.
This arm… had been severed from a complete corpse.
Shhk!
[Death Magic — Perfect Seal: Cryo Preservation (Tier 3)]
Rei completely froze the arm and stored it inside a storage ring from the Frost Church.
He handed the ring to Kumironi.
"Can she still be revived?"
"If we recover the full body… yes. She's a follower of Sophia, so the revival conditions are somewhat more lenient. And her accumulated contributions to the Life Church can offset part of the cost."
"Her optimal revival window… is within six hours."
Rei remembered—revival was an exchangeable reward within the Life Church.
But the cost was astronomically high.
Still… as a high-ranking member, Chum might actually qualify.
Rei looked into the distance.
From touching the arm, he had already obtained the corpse's location.
[Lost Owner: Chum][Location — Duskfall Forest]
You dropped your arm here, huh…
Rei turned toward the indicated direction.
Luluwy hadn't arrived yet, but their senses were linked.
"Luluwy, check that direction. What do you see?"
Then he asked Kumironi:
"Kumironi, which way did Akagi go?"
Kumironi pointed… in the opposite direction.
Completely wrong.
Rei scanned the battlefield.
It wasn't really Akagi's fault.
The scene had clearly been staged—to mislead pursuers.
Akagi might be brilliant in combat, but in terms of subtle analysis…
That wasn't exactly his strength.
And even Luluwy couldn't detect his presence anymore.
No telling how far he'd gone.
As for the enemy's strength…
Rei didn't rush off immediately.
Chum had already been dead for four hours. Waiting a few more seconds wouldn't matter.
First—he needed to assess the enemy.
He touched the blood scattered across the ground.
Different identities surfaced in his mind.
Level 5 Assassin.Level 5 Skin-Stealer.Level 5 Killer.Level 5 Hunter.Level 4 Observer.Level 4 Formation Mage…
A large group.
Humans… and even beastmen.
A brutal battle had taken place here.
No Level 6s.
But Hunters, when prepared, were terrifying.
This had been a carefully orchestrated ambush.
Chum—and her two Level 5 companions—had been targeted and overwhelmed.
Rei stood up, flicking the blood from his fingers.
"Kumironi, if you need to return to prepare for revival, go ahead."
"I'll leave a message for Akagi to regroup."
"I've roughly pinpointed their trail. I'll pursue them."
He looked toward the horizon.
Then—
Rumble!
The ground split open.
Deep grooves carved themselves into the earth, forming massive letters:
↑↑↑Akagi, wrong way! Enemy's over there!!
With that, Rei shot forward.
"Rei, I see them!"
"In the forest—several figures! Level 5s and Level 4s!"
With Luluwy's assistance, Rei locked onto their exact position.
"I'm in range. Should I attack?"
She was now within 11,000 kilometers—her absolute maximum range.
Optimal range: 3,000 kilometers.
At max range, only certain long-distance techniques could be used.
"No need."
Rei continued his pursuit at full speed.
In Luluwy's perception, he looked like a comet streaking across the sky.
Rei had only met Chum a few times.
Without Kumironi's connection… he wouldn't have bothered.
But—
She was Kumironi's friend.
Following the trail…
They were roughly 20,000 kilometers ahead.
Fast.
They must have fled immediately after the kill.
A scar-faced warrior with twin blades laughed as he ran.
"Hahaha! Finally got rid of that Life Church nuisance!"
"With her gone, nothing will interfere with our plans anymore!"
He glanced at a wolf-headed hunter.
"Didn't expect you to help us."
The hunter replied coldly:
"I take thirty percent of the relic."
The others' expressions darkened.
Thirty percent… was steep.
"How long are we running?"
"Just a bit longer."
"I've arranged for a diviner to mask our trail. Anyone below Level 6 won't find us."
"I've prepared a fallback location."
"Kronolia has too many strong figures. I fabricated our tracks, but we still need to be cautious."
The hunter spoke carefully.
But the assassin beside him grinned wildly.
"Hahaha! They're probably still chasing the fake trail!"
"When we get back, we'll give that woman's skin to Lady Suzaku Crane—our relic success rate will skyrocket!"
"What's with the Death Church lately, though?"
"They let Loren's Chief Mage become their leader? Ridiculous."
"Did they submit to Loren or something?"
"But that kid—Rei—he's… interesting."
"If Lady Suzaku Crane could obtain his skin…"
The assassin looked toward a seductive woman beside him—
A Level 5 Skin-Stealer.
She could strip skin, craft it into outer layers, and wear it—gaining most of the original owner's abilities.
Combined with her class techniques…
She could wield multiple high-tier classes alone.
Suzaku Crane spoke softly:
"Don't worry~"
"Our 'Flayed Rose' has already set plans in motion."
"That boy's skin… is exceptional."
"But he's protected. Not easy to target."
"We may need the leader to personally plan it."
"Escaping from Iz Palut and the others afterward… will be another matter."
"Up ahead—that should be our safe zone."
They rushed toward a concealed cave.
"Wait… who's that?"
A figure stood at the entrance.
Holding a spear.
Expression dark.
"…Looks like I came to the right place."
Rei stood there.
He hadn't expected to overhear plans about himself.
People plotting to strip his skin?
That kind of threat…
Had to be erased completely.
"It's him!"
The assassin froze, instantly retreating to the back.
Suppressing his presence.
The killer at the front drew his blades.
"Rei!"
"The Chief Mage of Loren!"
He shouted excitedly.
"Run!" the hunter snapped—
—but too late.
BOOM!
The killer stomped the air and charged forward!
"Afraid of a kid?! Pathetic!"
"He's only Level 3, right?! Four Level 5s against one—we have the advantage!"
He lunged!
Blades gleaming—
[Killing Technique — Bloodline Dismemberment]
In his vision, countless red lines appeared across Rei's body—
Cut them, and Rei would be effortlessly dismembered.
Defense? Meaningless.
But—
BOOM!
Before he even reached Rei—
A massive force struck him.
His body flew backward uncontrollably.
No…
Not his body?
Why was the world spinning?
He saw—
A headless corpse… flying away in the distance.
His own.
Rei stood calmly midair.
The assassin, skin-stealer, and hunter froze.
One kick.
That's all it took.
"Was hoping to hear more secrets… but my friend doesn't have time."
FLASH!
A streak of white.
The assassin and hunter—
Suddenly had massive holes blown through their bodies.
Rei appeared before the Skin-Stealer.
"You—"
Shhk!
Countless sealing and binding spells activated instantly.
She was compressed into a massive sphere.
Far away, Luluwy halted mid-flight.
"…Guess I'm not needed."
"Luluwy, there are still a few Level 4 stragglers. Bring them back."
Her cheeks puffed slightly.
…No "big sister" this time?
Rei immediately returned to the Life Church.
No time to waste.
The optimal revival window was six hours.
Sooner was better.
Shhk!
He landed and rushed into the Chamber of Revival.
Kumironi was already there.
They exchanged a glance.
Rei placed Chum's recovered body onto the altar.
Nearly five hours since death.
Aside from the missing arm, the body was mostly intact.
Kumironi raised her hand.
A green radiance enveloped the corpse.
Black mist seeped out—
Purification.
Corruption, death energy, curses—cleansed.
The attackers had prepared thoroughly.
Next—
She prayed to Sophia.
A soft green glow emerged.
[Life Merit]
A measure of contribution to the church.
With enough merit—
One could even exchange it for resurrection.
Chum had died on a mission.
She had enough merit.
And Kumironi herself was a master of revival.
The severed arm reattached.
Flesh knit together.
Wounds vanished.
Color returned to her face.
Then—
A heartbeat.
Her eyes opened.
Chum… was alive again.
Chum explained everything.
A lead on a cult gathering.
An ambush before arrival.
Prepared enemies.
Information asymmetry.
Even strong individuals fall when caught off guard.
Rei murmured:
"Flayed Rose."
Chum nodded.
"A Skin-Stealer organization."
"They infiltrate society using stolen skins."
Rei: "I captured one of them. They were planning to target me too."
"I want to join the interrogation."
Chum laughed.
"Of course! You caught her—you have that right."
"Still… never thought I'd be saved by little Rei!"
She slung an arm around him.
Soft.
Warm.
…Very developed.
And not a trace of trauma.
Instead—
"Wow! I actually died!"—that kind of excitement.
They proceeded immediately to the Tribunal Hall.
Rei released the bound Skin-Stealer.
Golden shackles locked her in place.
Chains stretched to the ceiling.
"Speak everything you know."
Chum's gaze was cold.
Rei remained silent.
Watching.
Professional interrogation—
Torture.
Threats.
Promises.
Under pressure, the Skin-Stealer talked.
No strong faith.
No loyalty.
But limited knowledge.
Even her own organization's bases—she knew only one.
Communication was fragmented.
Meetings were rare.
At the latest gathering—
A list had been shared.
Targets.
High potential. High power.
Skin-Stealers hunted the strong.
Rei's name—
Was near the top.
Priority target.
Iz Palut was listed too—
But considered too dangerous.
Luluwy. Leng Qingying.
All notable figures were recorded.
But—
They preferred not to harvest too early.
A stolen body couldn't grow stronger.
Timing mattered.
"Nothing else," she said.
After leaving—
Rei looked into the distance.
It wasn't that there was no information.
He already had it.
From the moment he touched her.
But…
The source needed to be concealed.
This talent…
Was easy to disguise.
Just twist the origin of information slightly—
Add coincidence—
And it becomes believable.
Still…
If the enemy was too strong—
Letting them escape would be disastrous.
People targeting his skin?
Unacceptable.
Better to eliminate them completely.
First—
Advance to Level 4 Warrior and Level 4 Death Priest.
Then gather reliable allies—
And personally wipe them out.