They chose a mid-range hotel in Aelrothys.
Using forged identities, the group checked in without issue.
"Those small fry outside—are we just going to ignore them?"Reika Kiyomi sat on the edge of Kanzaki Rei's bed as she asked.
"Mm… there's no need to make the first move against them."
Blatant hostility like that was almost comforting compared to schemes hidden in the shadows.
"They'll come to us on their own."
"And if they don't… we can go find them tonight."
"Oh…" Reika responded simply.
Aelrothys truly was chaotic, but crime still mostly lurked in alleys and dark corners. There were no brazen killings in the streets.
Even in the alleyways, outright murder was rare. Breaking someone's arm, though—that was common enough.
But in this world…
Losing a limb wasn't particularly serious. With enough money, it could be reattached—or even regenerated entirely.
Missing an arm or a leg was, at worst, an inconvenience.
So yes, it was chaotic—but not lawless.
Aelrothys still maintained a degree of order. If anything, it was more accurate to call it a nation of low civility and unstable public security, rather than a place beyond all law.
If people were being slaughtered indiscriminately, no one would live here.
"I'm heading out."
Kanzaki stepped onto the windowsill and glanced back at Reika.
"You're coming with me."
"Oh."
In an instant, his figure vanished from the window.
Reika disappeared from the room just as quickly.
They reappeared in an alley.
Aelrothys wasn't particularly large—at a glance, perhaps only slightly bigger than Knorloia.
But Knorloia was just a single city.
Aelrothys, on the other hand, was an entire nation.
"Luluwi's perception has already identified several restricted zones," Kanzaki said.
"We'll check them out now."
Even as a Level 5 Observer, Luluwi couldn't penetrate areas protected by strong perception-blocking barriers.
Whoosh!
Their figures flickered through the darkness.
Reika Kiyomi possessed a God-tier talent:
God-Level: Infinite Phantom
It didn't exist in any known talent registry—God-tier talents were, by nature, unrecorded in this world.
But through God-Level: Hidden Origin, it had already been confirmed that her ability was indeed of the highest tier.
As for her parents…
They were truly dead.
Beyond that, she possessed an innate physique:
Void-Kill Body
According to physique compendiums, this constitution dramatically increased proficiency gains in assassination techniques when killing targets undetected.
It also made its bearer inherently difficult to perceive—and seemed to evolve as more kills were accumulated.
A top-tier physique for an assassin.
Reika landed lightly on a rooftop—then suddenly stopped.
"Hm?" Kanzaki halted as well.
She looked down.
In the alley below, a scruffy man with a face full of stubble was dragging a bound child into the shadows.
"Don't scream!" he snarled."You're just some orphaned trash—no one's going to avenge you if you die!"
"I've been watching you for days. Finally found someone to blow off some steam."
Reika's gaze turned ice-cold.
"Can I kill him?"
Kanzaki didn't even hesitate.
"Do you need to ask me?"
A faint stream of blood slid down the cold edge of a dagger.
The little girl's eyes widened as the blade tip burst out through the man's throat.
Slash—
The ropes binding her wrists and ankles were cut in an instant.
The petite, cloaked figure withdrew the dagger, spun it once in her hand, and slid it back into the thigh sheath.
She stepped forward.
Uncorked a vial.
Poured it over the girl's head.
A soft green liquid spread, releasing a gentle herbal fragrance.
The girl felt her wounds itch—healing rapidly.
A small pouch dropped onto the ground.
"Go."
The cold voice lingered for a moment—then the black-clad figure vanished.
All that remained was the corpse lying in a pool of blood.
The girl opened the pouch.
Inside were over a hundred copper coins, several dozen silver coins… and one gold coin.
Kanzaki glanced at Reika as she returned.
He smiled faintly.
"You're thoughtful."
"Let's go," she replied coldly.
The girl stood frozen for a few seconds, staring at the corpse—then clutched the pouch and ran off into the shadows.
Kanzaki cast a glance after her.
Then casually tossed out a fireball.
Boom—
Flames engulfed the corpse, burning both body and bloodstains to nothing.
"That settles it."
…
The two approached one of the restricted zones.
It wasn't far from their lodgings.
At Akagi's speed, he could reach them in an instant if needed.
"This is the place."
Before them stood a towering black structure.
A clock tower rose high on the southwestern edge of the city.
No one would suspect what lay hidden inside.
Kanzaki had already scanned the interior with his perception during their approach.
There was no doubt—it was deeply connected to the Skin-Shedding Rose.
He pulled out a book from his storage.
A light touch.
"Skinning Secret Codex (Volume I)"Creator: Aylan
His perception sank deep underground.
At the lowest level—
There was a "person" in the process of shedding skin and replacing flesh.
That was the target.
Time of death: 2 days.
The underground palace was filled with gruesome scrolls—written on human skin.
Typical of Skin-Stealers.
Their doctrine revolved around flaying living beings and stealing their flesh.
Capture alive.
But not yet.
This was only one of the locations Luluwi had identified.
They needed to inspect the others first—
To avoid alerting the rest.
"Luluwi."
"Mm?"
"Keep an eye on the entire city. If anyone tries to leave, pay special attention."
"Look for seam-like scars on their skin—especially on the back."
"Oh…"
Across a nation this size, people were constantly coming and going.
Luluwi's perception swept across every individual exiting the city.
Only a Level 5 Observer could handle such a task.
A normal person could barely monitor one area.
Even a strong one could track two or three.
But thousands at once?
That was absurd.
"If you find anyone like that, ask Akagi to intercept and probe them."
"Got it!" Akagi's voice echoed in Kanzaki's mind.
Luluwi could attack from that distance—but scars alone weren't definitive proof.
What if the target was just injured?
A wrongful kill would be unacceptable.
After issuing instructions—
Kanzaki left behind a Source Seed.
Then he took control of the barrier.
Now, the one inside no longer had permission to leave.
The very barrier meant to keep others out… had become his prison.
At the same time, Kanzaki altered the perception-blocking array—
Soon, the target wouldn't even be able to sense the outside world.
"You stay here. I'll check the other locations alone."
Flash—
A streak of white lightning vanished into the distance.
Reika puffed her cheek slightly, shifting the air from one side to the other.
Stay here?
So I'm too slow?
…
Without her, Kanzaki moved like a beam of light, weaving through districts at extreme speed.
Whoosh—
Moments later, he landed at another tower.
Another underground palace.
No Skin-Stealer here—but plenty of human-skin documents.
Flash—
He moved again.
One location after another.
Out of four sites—
Two contained Skin-Stealers.
If each one controlled a palace…
Then the remaining towers likely housed two more.
Next—
Kanzaki appeared within the royal palace of Aelrothys.
Even Luluwi couldn't penetrate its defenses.
But that was expected.
Knorloia's royal palace had similar protections—far stronger, in fact.
Kanzaki bypassed the barrier effortlessly and entered.
Through a wall—
He saw the king.
And beyond—
A hidden passage leading to a secret chamber.
A room drenched in blood.
Inside a cage—
A man was imprisoned.
Human skins hung from the walls.
Kanzaki didn't observe the king too closely.
Perception could be sensed.
Too much focus would alert strong individuals.
He only skimmed—
Enough to know someone was there.
Not enough to draw attention.
Flash—
With Skyflow Style — Fourth Form: Oblivion Void, he slipped silently into the king's chamber.
He bypassed traps.
Entered the hidden passage.
And stepped into the secret room.
The man in the cage jerked his head up.
What he saw—
Was a masked figure.
"Why are you imprisoned here?" Kanzaki asked, his voice deep—disguised as that of a middle-aged man.
The prisoner sneered weakly.
"Playing dumb?""Didn't you put me here?"
Kanzaki paused.
Then removed his mask.
Revealing a middle-aged face.
"I'm an investigator from the Life Church. I came to Aelrothys following leads on the Skin-Shedding Rose."
"I discovered this place during my investigation."
He displayed his insignia—
A badge glowing with verdant light.
It proved it had been infused with Life energy within the last three days.
Impossible to forge.
The man's pupils shrank.
Relief flooded his face.
Tears streamed down.
Kanzaki spoke calmly:
"You can cry later. Tell me everything."
Clang—
With a flick of his hand, the cage and shackles shattered.
He tossed the man a set of clothes.
The prisoner hurriedly dressed, glancing around in fear.
"We need to leave. He could come back any moment."
Kanzaki glanced outside.
The man wasn't returning anytime soon.
But—
No one wanted to linger in an enemy's lair.
They exited.
The man introduced himself:
Vidar—Prince of Aelrothys.
He had witnessed his father being killed—skinned—and replaced.
He gasped at the memory.
That was when he was captured.
Kanzaki remained silent.
Did you have to make it this obvious?
Then again… with his strength—
Level 2 Warrior, Level 2 Scholar—
He probably would've been discovered anyway.
Likely toyed with.
"So the current king is a Skin-Stealer."
"Yes…"
"How long have you been imprisoned?"
"About a year."
A year…
Aelrothys had likely been thoroughly infiltrated.
Identifying Skin-Stealers wasn't easy.
Unless you caught them shedding—
Or performed an extremely deep scan.
Even sensing someone's class required careful probing.
Assassins and archers looked like ordinary people.
And Skin-Stealers were masters of disguise.
"That monster…" Vidar clenched his teeth."He never killed me."
"He just brought people in… slaughtered them in front of me… peeled their skin…"
"My uncles… my relatives… I watched them all die."
"My condolences," Kanzaki replied evenly.
"Do you remember their appearances?"
If they were still in the palace—
That meant they were impostors.
Vidar nodded.
Kanzaki handed him a stack of Thought-Imprint Paper.
Soon—
Faces appeared.
Pain-filled expressions etched in memory.
Some were blurred—
Likely due to the effects of the Forgetting Moon.
Kanzaki scanned the palace.
And quickly—
Found matches.
They were still here.
If he had acted prematurely—
He would've missed many.
"Anything else important?"
"Yes!"
Vidar suddenly remembered.
"Six months ago, someone visited here. They mentioned Rygia."
"They said they wanted to replace its king… and control the entire kingdom."
…What?
Kanzaki clicked his tongue.
That was big.
Very big.
He placed a hand on Vidar's shoulder—
Confirming his identity.
Legitimate.
No deception.
"Anything else?"
Vidar shook his head.
"I understand."
"I'll take you somewhere safe."
Kanzaki grabbed him—
And in the next instant—
They soared into the night sky.
…
He brought Vidar back to the hotel.
Gave him a private room.
Warned him not to leave.
Then—
Returned to the palace.
Back to the secret chamber.
His fingers brushed across hanging skins.
The tools.
The blades.
The bloodstained table.
This was where they killed.
Where they dissected.
Kanzaki's mind flickered—
To what they had planned for him.
A cramped, blood-soaked underground room.
Bound to a table.
Dissected alive.
Flayed.
…
His perception expanded.
Threads spread outward.
Each object—
Each trace—
Revealed fragments of information.
They linked.
Formed chains.
Reconstructed history.
Footsteps echoed down the stairs.
Quick.
Urgent.
Kanzaki looked up.
A gaunt man in black stood at the entrance.
Killing intent radiated from him.
"Oh? Not wearing your fat king disguise today?"
Kanzaki's tone was calm.
As if looking at a corpse.
"Who are you?" the man hissed."Why are you in my chamber?"
Kanzaki replied indifferently:
"Your chamber?"
"This is my chamber."
The man moved—
Then—
His vision flipped.
Boom!
The ground slammed into him.
His entire body pinned.
"Level 5 Assassin skin…" Kanzaki murmured.
The man struggled—
But couldn't move.
Crushing force held him down.
His perception flared—
Trying to activate the barrier.
Nothing responded.
"Like I said," Kanzaki crouched—
Pressing his head into the floor.
"This is my chamber."
Information flooded in.
"Oh?"
"Your parents were Skin-Stealers too?"
"So this class… is hereditary."
"Rygia…?"
So it really was there.
If everything was true—
Rygia had already become an empty shell.
Kanzaki spoke:
"Answer me."
"Has your group already taken control of Rygia's king?"