"Bastard. Who the hell is doing this to our guys?"

"What about the guy that met with the Chairwoman?"

"The team went dark. No reports from any of them." Whatever form of calm that was present, it wasn't there anymore. The men and women by the table were frantic because of the magnitude of this attack. Particularly the Spataro of Aloris, all of them wore sharply dressed red suits with white porcelain masks.

"I need a report. Not a group of hooligans." The woman in the middle demanded silence from the panicking voices. The voices went silent.

"The team that did not give their report. Assume that they were killed by the one who was tailing them. What's the identity of the one they tailed?"

"A newly made S-Rank Venerator named Joshua Gates." The answer brought silence to the ones in the room. They glanced at each other, perhaps they all were thinking the same thing. Was it possible to be related to that one incident?

"I recall that is the brother of that troublesome detective... One Rayland Gates. We will handle this with the assumption that Joshua Gates knew about us from Rayland Gates." The woman's words kept a domineering silence over the room.

"He's exposed some of our contacts. Make sure that our contacts stay silent. What about our pets?" The woman asked where one of the people in suits raised their hands.

"Yes, Meister?"

"We've managed to test them against a few S-Ranks. They manage to hold their own and the S-Rank said that they can be better with a bit more time." The woman tapped her fingers by the table.

"He's definitely not having issues with money.. Send some of the Horsemen to attack him. We need to nip this in the bud.. Make sure that they are ready. Tell them to go with the S-Rank Venerators. Where is he now?" The woman demanded answers as the others began to check their phones and tablets.

"He's at a house that he rented for a while. Rarely home. Might be his fallback plan?" Another figure gave a report, showing it to the large TV screen behind the leading woman.

Joshua was sitting in the house he rented, pulling out a pair of 1911s. The Grief Set Pistols dubbed Azure and Crimson. Heavily modified. Elongated slides, one red and one blue. Staying true to their namesakes. Custom trigger with sickle trigger. Angled grips, this entire gun was out of the ordinary in its construction. They had some weight, but they both carried 20 rounds of 45.ACP which Joshua still was unsure as to the construction. Magazine well to ease the magazines in, but it wasn't as big as Priest Alex's Blessing that he had previously. The parts of the gun was gold with the slide cuts at the front. Competition ready sights. When Joshua took a look at the slide.

'5th Bellwitch customs. For the Lord of Thorns. The one who bears the Grief.' Joshua needed to make sure he thank the 5th Bellwitch somehow, even the magazines that he had by his thighs were ready. Joshua's butterflies were giving him the details 70 people came to the house. Surrounding it as they began to cast magic. So Venerators have shown themselves. They had mythic sharpness, they came into the house. Creeping in through all entrances. Sealing the windows. 5 of them were left outside to keep their magic intact. Little did the 5 Venerators know, they were being watched by someone else.

"We're ready on your signal, Lord." The Venerators that went inside, began their assault on Joshua's body. Or what they thought was him, it just turned out to be the corpse of the assassins from yesterday.

"What the!?" Joshua raised his gun, pulling the trigger. The first pierced through the mythril armor like a bullet through flesh. The recoil that travelled from his wrist to his shoulder was near negligible, this gun was meant to be fired in quick succession. The pistol slide racking itself forward was smooth. Barely any hiccups, Joshua could not even find a single complaint with this gun. The shots tore through the armor, they used their magic to stop the shots.

"Cast your magic! We need to b-" The leading officer's blood splashed over their subordinates, seeing Fitz with the gunblade and the twisted smile. Joshua holstered his pistol as Fitz took over, butchering them all one by one. Tearing through their limbs, but leaving their bodies intact by the ice that he had generated.

"Would you look at this? They have a camera." Fitz picked it up, but his face to the ones watching from Spataro would only see a blue skeletal face.

"That's adorable, oh I'm sorry if I killed your little toys. But then again, I'm after something much more bigger. So this is Spataro's A Ranks and two S Ranks? I thought they'd be difficult... Say. What makes you think that we don't know where you are?" The camera feed cut off. Joshua could see them through his butterflies that he had spent scattering all over the world in that period of a month. To people, they would seem like the monarch butterflies migrating from place to place.

To the animals, the butterflies were not what they would want to eat or even bother and Joshua could see them, all that they needed to do? Was to go see what this base was like.

Back at Spataro's base, explosions occurred.

"What's going on!?" The leading woman shouted, as the base began to rumble.

"We're trying to confirm the situation!"

"Meister have the children ready for com-" Blood splashed over the woman's face, one of her subordinates was standing in front of her without a head. Seeing a cloaked skeleton floating while wielding a scythe of pale blue ice. Encasing the walls with it.

"Sorry, but you seem to be the leader. So your death is not going to be kind at all. Oh and you." Ice Reaper turned to the man called Meister freezing him in ice.

"Don't worry. Everyone else will die but you two, will not." Ice Reaper's voice was an ominous warning, as the TV showed the camera footage to what was going on. Donovan had ripped a man's head from his body, Using his spine and head like a whip. Followed by Commander 151 who was cutting the Spataro's henchmen one by one. Glaring into their eyes as he electrocuted them with his lightning bolts. Shocking them until their bodies exploded into nothing but flesh and blood.

"Not one of them is to leave this place alive! Ensure that the kids have been restrained!" Commander 151 roared as the Suicide Division made their way into the base. Where the leading woman and Meister watched as the entire base's occupants. Were turned to nothing but mince meat, there had been no mercy by them. As a member of the Spataro surrendered in front of Commander 151, ignoring it as he walked away. The man drew a pistol to shoot at Commander 151 who did not bother as hands grabbed the man. Pushing him down as the Suicide Division Troopers readied their bayonets.

"No.. No no ple-" The screams echoed throughout the hallways, Lugasa was yawning as he looked at the Bellesk members who opened a man's ribcage wide open, then attacking his heart directly.

"Was that something you do?"

"Yes, back when we faced humans. I was told that doing this is enough to scare people." Guren said as they continued walking, seeing a door fall in front of them. Where a man crawled out.

"Monsters... All of you. Monsters! Ple-" The man was dragged back on the inside, where the sounds of pounding of flesh was heard. Sounded like a meat being tenderized, only to see an Orion step out.

"Just finished cleaning them up. Now let's go." The Orion said, carrying his rifle as he joined Lugasa and Guren.

The sight of the decimation was one thing, but when Joshua made his appearance. It was an ominous feeling as the leading woman and the meister were left at his mercy.

"You think you can get away with this?" Joshua did not say a word as he lifted his mask. Then snapping his fingers as thorns began to cover them. Devouring them as they ended up blooming roses. Joshua took one of each, eating it in front of them. Absorbing their memories, their thoughts and their plans. Their bases. Too bad, all of the figures Joshua could see were wearing masks. At least Joshua had some answers, snapping his fingers where the thorns faded. Leaving behind the two people in a state far worse than anyone else. They were like mummified corpses that were alive, but their minds have been so broken because of what they were made to see. The deaths of every human being in Mulligan, and they experienced their pain as if it was their own. A fitting end for these two, they would be alive but no one except the Lord of Thorns can fix their pain. Not even the Gods could do it, it seemed as if Joshua was slowly shaping up to Kael but albeit a bit too slow for his taste.

The Hatter's Underbelly has been unlocked.

The Badlands has been unlocked.

You may bring Cold Cage with you to these worlds.

The Unattainable Three has been moved to their corresponding worlds.

"151, Iacus. Is it fine if I leave the continuing assault to both of you?"

"Of course Lord. We can handle it. Are you going to get a familiar?"

"A Sovereign so it might take a while. Make sure nothing in this base stands, bring the kids to our base and sort it out with the Venerator Association. Focus on rescuing the kids, but make sure we still do our jobs to help out the requests. I don't want anyone to be suspicious of us."

"Understood." Joshua turned to Fitz.

"Got a new world to explore. Want to go and see it?" Fitz gave a smile as they both vanished from sight.

Heading back to Mulligan where Joshua looked at the two doors. The Badland's door was a black gate that was primarily similar to those at a saloon in the times of the Wild Wild West, whereas the Hatter's Underbelly was a wooden door with a fancy lock.

"Let's go to Hatter's Underbelly."

"I'll leave my Familiars behind too. This'll be a fun experience." Fitz said as he let his familiars join the others while he stepped through the door with Joshua. What awaits them here?