The Hands hoisted Krovanis's limp body effortlessly, carrying him over their shoulders like a sack of grain. His once-mighty presence now hung lifeless in their grasp.

From the shadowed mist ahead, the Collector emerged. His smile was wide, his eyes glimmering with quiet amusement.

"Ah," he said, his tone smooth as oil. "A powerful one indeed. Even more powerful than you, Ravuto."

He stepped closer, studying Krovanis's unconscious form with clear delight.

"Releasing this one will bring us a fine sum of remance… a very fine sum."

Renny crossed his arms, still breathing heavily, blood dried on his shoulder.

"Then I assume our efforts won't go unrewarded."

The Collector's grin deepened.

"Of course not."

He snapped his fingers, and two dark sigils appeared in his palms, each forming into a small artifact, glimmering with faint infernal light. He handed one to Renny, one to Ravuto.

"For your troubles," the Collector said. "And for the entertainment. Nice doing business with you both."

With a single gesture, he turned away. The Hands obeyed, carrying Krovanis's body into the dark, vanishing one by one until only silence remained.

Renny exhaled deeply, his body relaxing for the first time since the fight began.

"Finally…" he muttered.

Ravuto smirked, wiping a streak of blood from his chin.

"You did good, Ezraphor."

Renny gave a faint laugh.

"Yeah, right. I was barely holding my own. You did all the heavy lifting, and probably saved my ass more than once. Thanks."

Ravuto waved him off.

"No. You freed me from the collector and gave me a chance to take my revenge. So… I should be thanking you."

Renny smiled faintly.

"Guess that makes us even then."

Ravuto nodded once, turning toward the exit of the pit.

"Very much so."

Together, they walked out of the fractured battleground.

***

On the first of June, Renny's plan to erode Officer Daniel's faith level began to take full effect.

He sat in his dimly lit apartment, one leg crossed over the other, eyes fixed on the flickering news broadcast.

The anchor's voice filled the room:

"In today's headlines — Charles Whitmore, Founder and CEO of Whitmore Strategic Holdings, has announced a sponsorship program for a select group of orphans at St. Brigid's Haven Orphanage. Many have praised the act as a rare show of humanity from one of the city's wealthiest businessmen."

Renny smirked faintly, resting his chin on his fist.

The broadcast continued, tone shifting.

"However, controversy surrounds the announcement as Senior Detective Daniel James Carter of the Oroshika Police Department accused Mr. Whitmore of child trafficking. Whitmore has publicly denied these claims, demanding the officer produce proof. Failing that, he has vowed to pursue legal action for defamation."

Renny leaned back. Everything was unfolding exactly as he intended.

Daniel had taken the bait, and now, all Renny needed to do was wait.

***

On the 5th of June, Renny attended the month's lecture. Only one more remained before the cycle ended, after that, every demon was expected to carry out their contracts independently. For Renny, it meant that once his current mission was done, he'd be handed a new one.

After class, as he was leaving the hall, Myla approached him. Her usual calm, confident demeanor carried a warmth that caught his attention.

Renny smiled faintly. "Hey… didn't expect to see you here. I still haven't properly thanked you for what you did with Krovanis."

She shrugged lightly, folding her arms. "It's nothing. I owed you, besides, I'm glad I could help."

He shook his head. "Nothing? Myla, you almost lost your mark for my sake. That's not nothing. I don't think there's anything I could do to top that."

She smiled shyly, her fingers brushing through a strand of her hair, twisting it absently. "Well… I can think of something."

Renny blinked. "Really? Don't tell me you need help with another suicide mission."

Myla laughed softly, covering her mouth. "No… nothing like that."

They had stopped walking now, the corridor around them empty, faint echoes of other demons fading into the distance. Myla stepped a little closer, looking up at him with that same teasing glint in her eyes.

"I kept thinking about that moment," she said. "When I lied to Krovanis about being your girlfriend."

Renny's brow raised. "Yeah, what about it?"

Her smile deepened. "Why don't we make that part real?"

Renny stared at her, eyes widening slightly, as if unsure he'd heard right. "Wait… you're serious?"

Myla nodded slowly, her smile soft but sure. "Completely."

Renny could hardly believe what was happening, a girl was actually asking him out. He had never even dreamt of asking one out himself, let alone having one ask him. He hesitated, then said quietly, "With the little time you've spent around me, you must have realized how dangerous it is to be close to me. Krovanis nearly ended your demon journey just because you pretended to be my girlfriend, and that wasn't even real. Imagine how much worse it could get if it actually was."

She stepped closer, her voice low and certain, their breaths nearly touching. "I don't care about any of that," she said. "All I want is to be yours. And you, mine."

They had only known each other a short while, but after everything they'd gone through, the bond between them had already deepened. Renny whispered, "Okay."

"So… it's official?" she asked softly.

He nodded, "Mmm."

Their lips met briefly, and when she pulled away, she smiled brightly. "Wonderful," she said, clasping her hands. "So I have my first demon boyfriend."

She turned and began hopping her way out of the hall.

"Where are you going?" Renny called after her.

"To share the good news with my girlies!" she said without looking back.

"Girlies?" he muttered, raising a brow. "Didn't even know you had friends." But his words faded into the air, she was already gone.

Renny exhaled, shaking his head, half-smiling. "How did I end up with a girlfriend all of a sudden?"

As he walked slowly toward the exit, a sudden force slammed into him. It yanked him backward and pinned him against the wall with a heavy thud, the air bursting out of his lungs.

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