Allen was still going over the words that he read in disbelief.

"That can't be true, can it? I'll really turn into one...of those things?"

Nera looked at him uneasily trying to put on a brave face but her worry was plainly clear.

"Of course not...why should we trust what some old dusty book says? You don't think I'm connected to someone like the Grim Reaper, do you? That's way too hard to believe, isn't it?", she said this as if she was trying to convince herself as well. The knowledge that the Grim Reaper did give out portions of their power to certain people gave an uncomfortable amount of credence to the idea of the Grim Pieces and her having one.

"I don't know, but it's all we got to go off of, and what if it is true? Do you just want to wait and see what happens? Well, I'm not that patient. Can I see the book?"

Nera handed the book over readily, not having any sort of affection for it.

"Sure, it's yours, but I'm not sure why you want to look over that again, trying to see if we misread it?"

"No, I'm sure we both scanned over those words too many times for that to be the case, but there's something here we're missing. A way out."

He opened the tome and began flipping through it incessantly, his eyes bouncing back and forth treading quickly through the words of the pages. Nera was looking over his shoulder, and they both spotted a few details that piqued their interest such as an illustration of what was known as the mark of the Grim Reaper. Allen kept on skimming the book until he found what he was looking for.

"Hi-score! This is just the thing I need!"

"You mean "just the thing we need", right?", Nera asked worriedly. She had looked more at ease with a giant ax moments away from chopping her in half.

"Yeah, sure. I think this will be able to help you out too. It's called the Theurgist's Periapt, a powerful talisman that's said to be able to purify all sorts of dark magical influences such as possession, curses, and even miasmal degradation." Allen then showed her an image of it in the book, a black and gold amulet with an inscription of a crescent moon overlapping the sun.

Nera let out a sharp exhale in surprise.

"Miasmal degradation, that's exactly what it said caused "spectral manifestation". That really can fix your problem then." She looked pleased with this for a moment before becoming agitated once more.

"Hey! What about me? You said this was able to fix both our problems didn't you!?", she yelled loudly.

"Oh, you mean being the potential next in line to be some megalomaniac ghost criminal and involved in a ritualistic battle royale with people who want to tear off chunks of you?"

She nodded sternly with her arms folded. "Yeah, that."

"Well, that Grim Piece the woman with the funky eyes mentioned sounded like it was some kind of curse even though I couldn't find any details about it in the book. If you do have it on you somewhere then that means that this Periapt will be able to cure it and then I figure those Inheritors won't care anymore about you since you'll no longer be in the running."

She closed her eyes in thought as she ruminated over it.

"Hmm, that could definitely work. Hopefully, it'll return to whatever it came from and gives them the heads up.", she was looking a lot more relieved now.

"Sounds like a plan then, that was actually a lot simpler than I thought it would be. One more thing though, you sure you're alright with just leaving this Grim Reaper stuff alone?"

"There's a saying around here, "Chase the beast long enough and you eventually find yourself in its belly". I may want to help those around me, but I know my limits and I already have enough on my plate as is. It's better to just leave it to people whose job is actually to deal with that kind of stuff."

"Good, likewise, my limits are even lower than yours. It just isn't worth it at all.", Allen dismissed shaking his head.

"But, I can't help but wonder...if what that spirit said about the Grim Pieces is true then what about what they said about the Grim Reaper not being behind the Trial?"

A frown appeared on Nera's face and she folded her arms as she contemplated the scenario.

"Maybe it's some sort of internal dispute in the Grim Reaper's posse. I could see one of her lackeys starting up the idea of whoever winning this 'Grim Reaper Trial' becoming their leader to stir up infighting among everyone else then claim a bunch of power when the dust settled. As for how I would fit into all of that...I don't know. Maybe it's just a case of mistaken identity."

"...Or maybe a Grim Piece got misplaced somehow.", Allen mumbled. It had been a suspicion he wanted to keep to himself, but he revealed it since he also thought it could be a credible one.

"Unfortunately, that could be it too. Even if I don't think I have anything to do with Grim Reaper, the Periapt will give me insurance either way so let's hurry up and get it."

Allen firmly slammed the large book with a slam and looked forward hopefully.

"Alright, let's go get this over with and get on with the rest of our lives!"

"Yeah! We'll be in the clear in no time!", Nera followed.

***

"We don't have that here, and even if we did have it, you probably wouldn't be able to afford it."

The cashier, a twenty-something looking man with a scraggly beard, replied to Allen and Nera in a shop that was filled with all sorts of mystical items and potions. In the Underside, it seemed that places like these were as common as convenience stores.

"Are you sure about that? Someone just recently got a bonus at their job, so I have a lot of extra cash lying around.", Nera questioned smugly waving a fan of dollar bills in the air.

"Last time I checked, the current market price for a Periapt if you can find where to buy one from was $10,474.26. Do you think your bonus covers that?"

Nera's closed fist crashed onto the store counter with a loud thud.

"You gotta be fucking kidding me! Why does some shitty magic charm cost so much!? Is it made with gold, platinum, and fairy dust?", she shouted vehemently. She looked like she was about to leap over the counter and assault the bewildered shopkeep.

Meanwhile, beads of sweat appeared on Allen's face thinking about how expensive the price was. He frantically started counting something on his fingers.

"This is why I hate the Underside! Everything looks nice and flashy, but your prices are all overly inflated. Well, you know what? You can shove your greedy pompous stuffed rancid pockets up your-"

"Let's go, Nera. Complaining about it won't change the price.", Allen stated defeatedly as he tugged her by the back of her jacket and she allowed him to pull her out of the store but not before threatening the frightened cashier with a loathing glare.

'If only that Periapt was as cheap as this weird charm thing I have on me.', Allen wistfully thought as he fiddled with the small circular metal object in his hand.

Once they had exited the store, Nera sighed dejectedly.

"There goes my attempt at bargaining."

"Bargaining!?", Allen let out with a startled yell. If he had been drinking something, it would have been sprayed all over the pavement at that moment.

"It was more like you were threatening the poor guy. Actually, you were!"

"Well, it's not as if we're going to get better results from being nice. We need that Periapt."

"Yeah, but with it being that expensive, I don't think shouting at random cashiers is going to help much. Geez, I could save up a thousand paychecks from Coffee & Chronicles and it still wouldn't be enough to afford that Periapt."

"Likewise, let's check some more stores and see what they have to say.", Nera suggested.

***

"Ugh.....", they both groaned in unison as they walked with their heads held low down the spacious walkways of the Underside beside the city streets which were filled with large crowds of people.

"Not a single one had it or mentioned a price that was under ten grand.", Allen recounted somberly.

"I can't believe it. I think my wallet's goin' to cry out of horror.", Nera responded.

"What are we going to do now?"

"No idea, but I think we should regroup later since it's getting kind of late and I'm dead tired. At least, I think it's getting late?"

Although they had been walking from store to store for several hours, it was hard for Allen to tell what time of day it was exactly since the Underside was kept in perpetual night lit up by a shining Aurora Borealis. He checked his phone and was able to confirm it was 7:23 pm.

"I'm thrilled with that idea. I want to get out of this crummy place."

They began walking back to where they had entered this section of Atelier City.

However, only a few moments after they began walking in that direction. They noticed a huge commotion just up ahead of them. All of the people in front of the two had stopped and were seemingly fixated on something up above them. The two followed the path of their gazes and quickly spotted what had caught everyone's attention.

Perched atop a tall monument that was at least thirty meters tall and made out of stone with an ornate spear and lightning bolts engraved onto the monolith, there stood a man wearing what looked to be a tattered red and blue cloak. There was a thin brown rope holding it together tied at a gray medieval cloak clasp with a tree engraved on it.

"What is that? Some sort of street performer?", Allen asked Nera who simply shrugged in answer.

Allen continued to observe the man as they flailed their arms around frantically and appeared to be yelling at the crowd but he was much too far for him to make out what he was saying even after they walked a bit closer.

"Can you at least tell me what he's saying with those bionic ears of yours?"

"No way, there's too much noise from these people to hear that guy clearly."

"Well, I hope he gets over with whatever he's doing quickly so all these people can get out of our way."

After a while, seemingly fed up with no one being able to hear him, the man in the cloak pulled out something from his garb and tapped it. He then reeled back and shouted.

"DAMN VERMIN!!! ALL OF YOU, SHUT THE HELL UP!!!", his booming voice resounded across the entire city block. He might as well have been screaming through a megaphone. Accordingly, a hush swept over the crowd as their boisterous talking turned into stifled and confused whispers.

The red-tinted black-haired man looked pleased as he gazed over the quiet masses with a jerkish grin on his face.

"Now, that's a lot better. I'll cut to the chase. The name's Erno Rautiainen and I'm looking for someone with a tattoo just like this one.", he uncovered a piece of his cloak on his torso to reveal his bare chest, showing a black inscription of runes on his right ab.

"Nera, that's..."

"I know, I caught a glimpse of it before. It's a Grim Piece."

"What should we do?"

"I don't know that."

The Grim Inheritor continued with what he was saying.

"I was told I could probably find someone like that here and I've been waiting around all day for them to show up but ended up empty-handed. That's why I racked my noggin' and figured I should take a more hands-on approach. Honestly, I should've done this a lot sooner.", the man commented.

He reached to his side and pulled out a sword with a golden dragon's maw for a hilt and a large red blade jutting out from it as if it was the dragon's tongue. He then flagrantly held it over the crowd's heads.

"If another person with a similar mark to this one does not appear by the count of three. You all will pay for it.", he proclaimed ambivalently

One.

The red blade began to glow ominously while the majority of the masses looked on in uncertainty and doubt. No one was quite sure what would happen next. Some of them even brought out exotic weapons of their own in preparation to fight.

Two.

Allen got an extremely dangerous feeling from that blade. He knew that man was not bluffing. His voice and gestures all screamed out that his threats held weight.

"We need to get out...", he was stopped mid-sentence when Nera grabbed his shoulder forcefully.

"Get down!"

With that, she threw both of them onto the ground just as the Grim Inheritor finished his countdown.

Three!

"Tyrfing Replica - Auxiliary Access!"

As he had warned, the man swung his sword at the crowd, and it instantly split apart into segments and expanded outwards to cover the entire city block, destroying everything in its path including poles, vehicles, and people. Not only was the physical blade devastating, but a massive surge of energy was also released from it as well causing even more damage.

In only a moment, the cheery bustling city street was turned into a war zone with debris and smoke everywhere. The street had been ripped apart and the windows of all the surrounding buildings shattered. Numerous cars, buses, and other types of vehicles had been upended, flung away just as easily as pebbles.

However, there were a few people who used their powers to avoid the destruction such as one person who created an asphalt wall to shield a whole group of people including himself while another levitated above the chaos, and yet another person who blocked the sword with her own.

Meanwhile, in large red text, the words "emergency", "evacuation", and "category-E threat" slid across the road, buildings, and other structures similar to the serpent and the advertisements before. Accordingly, the droves of hysteric people fleeing the area were all too eager to comply with these guidelines.

Allen and Nera slowly got up, being able to avoid the devastation of the attack due to Nera's quick thinking. After a brief glance at all the commotion and chaos around them, they focused their gazes on its source, Erno Rautiainen.

He was reeling back in his segmented blade atop the monument as they watched on. After a few seconds, it was set back in place with a loud clack. It looked as though the blade had never come apart to begin with. However, very noticeably, instead of a deep crimson, it was now pure white.

"You bastard! With such a short countdown, you were planning on obliterating the city block whether someone had shown themselves or not!", Nera yelled vehemently at Rautiainen.

The man scoffed as he took note of her, "No, I just figured that if one of the people I'm after really did care they'd try to stop me immediately, so of course, I would have to defend myself. Not out of fear, but so I could kill them as quickly as possible that way."

"That's the same thing, you coward!", Nera fired back while Allen looked at her like she was provoking a wild bull.

"I'm the furthest thing from a coward there is, I'm the bravest man in the world. I'm not afraid to prove that to anyone who questions that no matter how strong or weak they are."

"More like the most pathetic man in the world. You're just a cocky lunatic trying to pass off mindless destruction as a display of bravado."

Rautianen lowered his head as his eyes darkened and he gritted his teeth fiercely, Allen could not tell from the distance they were from, about half a block away, but he was fairly confident that numerous veins were pulsating atop of the man in the red and blue cloak's brow.

In a low, sinister voice, Rautianen asked, "You wouldn't happen to be one of the ones I'm looking for would you?"

"And what if I am!?", Nera inquired boldly.

In response, a smile immediately appeared on Rautianen's face. He proceeded to jump off the top of the monument he was perched on and descended to the ground with an audible impact, dispersing a large cloud of dust into the air.

"I'll take that as a yes. Great, I had already decided to kill you just now, but you being one of them kills two birds with one stone. Get ready, I'm about to slaughter you and your friend so valiantly that your funerals will be dedicated to my valor!"

He then leaned towards them like a jungle cat about to pounce.

"Shit Nera! What did you get us into? Let's get running so we can at least lead him away from the other people. That is your plan, isn't it?", Allen said as he already started sprinting in the opposite direction most people had run.

"You hit it right on the nail there. Glad you're on board."

'Like I have a choice.', Allen thought to himself.

Nera had started running after him and quickly overtook him. Behind both of them, Rautiainen bounded forward at an incredible pace in pursuit.

"There!"

Nera spotted a hi-tech motorcycle covered by a large rock and promptly kicked the debris off it and placed it back on its wheels in one fluid kick.

"Do you know how to ride?"

"Kind of-"

"Then do it! You'll drive, I'll make sure he won't get us from behind."

Allen quickly followed her orders and got onto the bike while Nera got on behind him, luckily the key was still in the motorcycle although it was probably unlucky for its owner. With a glance over, he could tell the bike was fairly high-end and noticed the name of the model on its side, "Valkyrie S-82". No matter how much he tried, he couldn't keep his hands from shaking a bit as he gripped the handlebars of the bike. However, at that same moment, he felt a rush of sensation from the bike that told him it was filled with mana, powered by it.

"This isn't an ordinary bike that's for sure, but I hope it still starts up like one. Alright, make sure the kill switch is in on position, hands on the clutch, turn the ignition key, press the ignition button, ease off the clutch, and...let's ride.", he immediately twisted the throttle as far as it would go.

The bike shot off down the street with Allen and Nera aboard it. In a single moment, they were easily going over 120 kilometers per hour, but Rautiainen was still hot on their trails moving at a similar speed inhumanly, it was even faster than Nera could move. With each step, he covered nearly a dozen meters.

Over the rushing wind, Allen asked, "How's that guy doing that!? He's like a race car on legs."

"It's his aura, like the ones we covered ourselves in to get through the Underside's barrier. He's using it right now to propel himself forward with each step by amplifying the force of each one with mana."

"Shoot, well at least he shouldn't be able to catch us while we're riding this thing. Maybe we can lead him on a wild goose chase and he'll exhaust his mana before he can reach us. It'll be just like how I handled those thugs from yesterday."

"Thugs? So, you were in trouble!", Nera declared smugly.

"Ugh, not the point. Let's focus on tiring out the super-powered lunatic who's chasing us down."

"Hmph, sorry to say, but I don't think that plan is going to pan out.", Nera sarcastically replied with a tinge of worry.

"What do you mean?", Allen asked Nera but from the rearview mirror of the bike could already tell what she meant without her having to answer, behind them, Rautianen slid his fingers down the length of the blade while mystical orange symbols appeared upon it.

"Marauder Craft, Assault 2 - Arc of Devastation!'

With this chant, he struck out with his sword and a slash of fire erupted from the swing of his blade being sent straight towards them.