"I'm sorry." His heart ached. A word wouldn’t be enough, nothing would be enough. But what else could he offer?

He stuffed her face with the soaked towel while his other hand held the back of her head so she couldn't run away. She struggled hard, kicking his crotch and ripping the skin off his cheek. But her effort was in vain. A pain that would send a man screaming felt like a light tap for him, if not less.

Soon, her arms fell to the side. "I'm sorry." He uttered again, more to convince himself than telling her.

All of a sudden, the back of his jacket was pulled by an inhumanely powerful force. Sending him flying and crashing to a van.

He slammed his hand on the ground, trying his hardest to get up. But his wobbly legs made it hard for him. He might not be able to feel pain, but if his body was damaged enough there would still be effect.

There should be no one else in the building beside him and the target. The Dollmaker had assured him of that as seen from the missing securities. Yet how …

Rein raised his face, only to be met with a cold unforgiving stare. Unbridled killing intent. He was facing a wild beast. Most people would have pissed in their pants, but he felt nothing neither fear nor terror. In fact, he felt almost nothing.

"What the-" What surprised Rein wasn't the overwhelming pressure the man before him exerted, but it was his equipment. Pure white armor pulled straight from fairy tales covered him from head to toe. And the blade he wielded in his right hand was glowing as if it was a prop instead of a real thing. But if there was one thing certain, everything was the real deal.

And there was something bothering Rein. The posture of the man before him seemed awfully familiar.

The man turned the sword and pointed it at him. The pressure coming from his body only got heavier and heavier, but it did nothing to Rein. "Come with me peacefully and there's no need for bloodshed." He offered Rein a deal of peace, yet his stance showed he was prepared to cut him the moment he made a wrong move.

Rein took a step back. He felt neither fear nor tension, yet he was still sane enough to realize the danger he was facing. If that man could throw him to the van from that distance, then his slash would be fatal. Even bones would offer no resistance to that level of strength.

It was dangerous. Far too dangerous. But he can't give up now. He can't stop. He had to save Iris and Friede. What he did was wrong, detestable and evil, but he had no choice but to follow whatever that old bastard told him. He had no bargaining power. For Iris and Friede, he couldn't back down. Not now. Not after he sent a girl to her doom. It was too late for that. Too late for him.

He kicked the floor with all his strength, propelling his body with what would have been a staggering speed for a normal human. Sadly, the man he was facing wasn't a normal human.

"Idiot!" The man effortlessly knocked Rein flat to the ground with the handle of his sword. Then the sword vanished into thin air. He then wrestled Rein to submission.

The pain should have been immense, enough to knock someone out, yet Rein didn't even bat an eye. But that gave him no relief for he was still unable to move. "Damn!” He struggled, but what can he do against a superhuman with the strength of a gorilla. No. With his unrestrained muscle strength, he might be able to do something, but the man didn't only possess a terrifying strength, but also excellent techniques.

"Stop struggling or I’ll break your arms!" The man shouted from behind his white mask. But Rein didn't stop struggling.

"Fine." The man moved Rein's left arm to an uncomfortable position. Then he forced it to make an impossible move and- Crack! Rein' left shoulder moved out of its socket and his left arms fell limp beside him. Even without the pain, he couldn't move it beyond his fingers and wrist.

"Why?" The man asked. His voice filled with fury and wrath. "Why didn't you scream?!" He grabbed Rein's right arm and started the slow arm-breaking procedure all over again. He probably had ties with one of the victims, maybe even the girl Rein caught the day before. He thought Rein was the culprit and tried to torture him for an answer. But it was a wasted effort. Even if Rein could feel pain, he had no answer to give.

"Why didn't you beg me to stop?!" Realizing the futility of his question, he stopped the torture mid-way. Desperation started to seep into his voice. Rein understood that feeling, yet there was nothing he could do to help. There was nothing he could give.

He then flipped Rein's body and pulled his face closer. His eyes suddenly went wide open as if he was struck by lightning. "N-no " His jaw trembled and opened in disbelief. "No ... No fucking way!" He yanked Rein's mask open and froze like a statue. "WHY?!"

The mask covering his face vanished into thin air, revealing the handsome face of a young man. Rein eyes didn't move. He was supposed to be shocked, he should have been shocked, but he didn't. "Albert." He called with an emotionless voice.