A few days have passed since the widespread cyberattack across the West Coast of the Federation. The local government has declared a curfew while the federal military roamed the skies.

The declaration sparked dissent throughout the Los Angeles population, as it was an extreme measure that barred them from their ordinary lives.

Protestors marched the streets as riot squads blocked vital streets from the people. The federal military augmented the search, starting with a house-to-house investigation.

Soldiers would arrest suspicious individuals and take the same action against those who failed to comply with the authorities' instructions.

The protest was reaching its tipping point, boiling over, and becoming a full-scale riot. Vehicles burned as stores were looted by those who wished to take advantage of the chaos.

However, the riots were contained in the downtown of Los Angeles, barely affecting the suburbs, which lay in silence amidst the unraveling city.

Watching the television, Hecate lounged on the sofa with a subtle smile curving her crimson lips. "The authorities are trying their best to find us."

"It wouldn't take long until the investigating soldiers reach this part of the neighborhood." She continued while Damien wrote information into the surface of a notebook behind her.

"That is to be expected... The secrets I stole from them are dangerous and highly confidential. I doubt many people know of them."

Damien remarked as he kept writing in the notebook. "But the secret projects the military is handling... They are problematic."

"Problematic?" Hecate raised her eyebrows and glanced at her partner. "Mind giving me an explanation as to how they could be troublesome?"

"Human experimentation..." Damien answered, earning a sigh from the crimson-haired girl. "Experimentation is as basic as it could get when it comes to the military."

"Most of the subjects are metahuman children." Hearing his words, Hecate froze as unwanted memories surfaced from her mind.

"They are trying to find a way to implant Brands into normal humans. I don't know how such a thing could be possible, but they probably don't care about its feasibility."

"What they want is the ability to wield Brands without being metahumans," Damien added and closed his notebook.

"No wonder the military is cooperating with CORE and Block 4 wholeheartedly." Hecate clenched her fist, her crimson gaze narrowing.

"But regardless of my thoughts, I'll just let you take the final decision. After all, I am your partner." She closed her eyes after taking a deep breath.

In all honesty, she wanted to save those innocent children from the horrendous experimentation they were going through. Especially when she experienced the same things herself.

She understood their suffering the most, which made her feel sick when she heard that the experimentation targeted metahuman children.

However, the infiltrators of the Federation remain a priority ordered by her master. She couldn't halt the mission to become the savior she wished to be.

As a member of Block 7, she has responsibilities.

Damien looked at her for a moment, his sable-tinted eyes softening. Standing from his chair, he held the notebook and remarked.

"During the operation in the north, I heard some of the motives that the Shadow Division held. It was the supremacy of humanity over the New World."

"The reason why they wanted to create an Aberrant God was to construct their own form of progenitor. It ensured that, at least, humankind could rival the Clan without the Paragons."

"I have a feeling that the human experimentation of metahumans might not be as disjointed as it appears. After all, for those who seek to become stronger, only one path surfaced for them."

"That was to become metahuman themselves."

"What do you think? An interesting idea, am I correct?" He grinned at the crimson-haired girl whose gaze widened. It wasn't difficult to understand.

Damien wanted to start with the human experimentations as the first lead they would investigate regarding the infiltrators of the Federation.

After all, the executives of such experimentations might have connections to the directive of the Shadow Division. If Brands could be transferred in any way, it would be revolutionary for humanity.

"As expected of my partner," Hecate smirked and stood up from the sofa, stretching her limbs upward. She gazed at him while tilting her head. "When should we start?"

"I already have the location of the facilities hidden deep within the mountains. There are five of these facilities, each of which contains a hundred child subjects."

"To rescue the children and uncover those behind the scenes, we would have to infiltrate these underground laboratories."

"But we must do so in a way that doesn't correlate us to the SIGIL Block 7. It would be troublesome if the Federation arrests us for treason."

A plan already formed within the mind of the black-suited young man. It was basic, but enough to build details from.

Hecate cracked her fingers and neck, asking him a question. "How do you suppose we hide our identities from the federal government?"

"Well... We do have an expert in the underworld." Damien turned his gaze towards the opposite end of the room while she followed his eyes. Two people stood, a gorgeous lady and a little girl.

"Got any idea how to change our appearances, Echidna?" Hecate inquired as the gorgeous lady smirked at the two of them.

"I was just enjoying the show between the two of you, but since you asked... Well, I do have some experience."

"When authorities investigate the identities of those they consider suspects. They require a focal detail, whether it'd be a tattoo, height, body shape, hair color, etc."

"The only thing you need to do is get a fake tattoo, make yourself a bit taller, wear thick clothing, and change your hair color. Most importantly, make it as natural as possible."

"For example, punk fashion. You also have to ensure that your personality reflects it in the same way. Becoming what you pretend to be."

Echidna expounded, watching the two with intrigue. The little girl merely observed her seniors in the background, not uttering a single word.

Damien and Hecate glanced at one another, their thoughts coinciding before they nodded together. Looking back at their beautiful junior, they uttered simultaneously.

"We will be relying on you, Echidna."

Echidna merely smiled at them and began their transformation with a gesture. Along the way, Hawk assisted her mistress in transforming her seniors.

It took a couple of hours, from makeup to changing the color of their hair, and getting matching fake tattoos. They made themselves look like young vigilantes, foolish and naive.

When the transformation concluded, Damien observed his transformed appearance in the mirror. It was far different from his former self.

His eyes were sapphire in color, hair pale as white. Tattoos were etched across his body while his nails were painted black.

He was pretty handsome and might have had the potential to be an artist back in the day. Unfortunately, the Old World was gone, and the entertainment industries barely functioned.

On the other hand, Hecate stood beside him. Her hair lost its crimson tint, replaced by the color of obsidian. Her eyes became dyed in amethyst, resembling a beautiful gemstone.

Her supple lips were black, lashes thin and sharp. Her entire demeanour had practically changed, making her look younger.

"I doubt even Miss Alastair would recognize our current appearances. Of course, that is without relying on our aetheric background." Damien mumbled to himself, feeling confident in the upcoming operation.

With the fedora he wielded, it wouldn't be troublesome to enter facilities undetected. Even if they were discovered, their appearances would be too different to trace to their actual identities.

"The only problem we need to tackle is our alibi. Even with the disguise, the authorities would be suspicious if we were gone for a few days." Hecate remarked, looking at herself.

"We could use the excuse of both of you being on a mission." Echidna proposed, but Damien shook his head. "I doubt it would work."

"The authorities would still be suspicious, so we need a better way. An actual alibi where they wouldn't question us." Damien continued as an idea surfaced from his mind.

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| Monster Gacha System |

-| Boss Title : [ Oberon ] |

-| Monster(s) : Three-Star EX Monster: Eclipse(Idol), Two-Star EX Monster: Neurophages, One-Star TE Monster: Silhouette, Four-Star TE Monster: Mechanized Draconic God, One-Star TE Monster: Hellhound, Three-Star TE Monster: Griffin, Two-Star TE Monster: Tarasque, One-Star TE Monster: Anaconda, Two-Star TE Monster: Direwolf, Three-Star TE Monster: Behemoth, Three-Star TE Monster: Orochi, Two-Star TE Monster: Heavenly Bull, One-Star PA Monster: Banshee, Two-Star PA Monster: Oni, Two-Star PA Monster: Dullahan, One-Star PA Monster: Shadow Hound, One-Star PA Monster: Onryo |

-| Skill Index : Raptured Blink(Eclipse Passive), Intangible Fracture(Eclipse), Cryptic Eyes of Dominion(Eclipse Passive), Hive Assimilation(Neurophaes), Psychic Operation(Silhouette), Machine Awakening(Mechanized Draconic God), Machine Control(Mechanized Draconic God), Draconic Dominion(Mechanized Draconic God), Chains of Judgment(Hellhound), Empyrean Overwatch(Griffin), Majesty(Griffin), Carapace of Legends(Tarasque), Constriction(Anaconda), Pack Howl(Direwolf), Tectonic Steps(Behemoth), Venoms of Eightfold Death(Orochi), Celestial Charge(Heavenly Bull), Wailing Death(Banshee), Demonic Strength(Oni), Mark of Death(Dullahan), Hunting Darkness(Shadow Hound), Curse of Vengeance(Onryo) |

-| Command Seal(s): [ 208/210 ] |

<| Terror Point(s) : 3587 |>

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"I might have something good in mind." It was time to evolve Silhouette, one of his most versatile monsters that granted him Psychic Operation.

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