The Legendary Ghost Hunter

"Pull you out?" Finn chuckled, and the corners of his lips turned up into a wry grin beneath the mask of his as a blue aura surrounded him. "You misunderstand, talking sword… my intention was never to pull you out to begin with."

"Wha-?!" The sword demon's next words were cut off by surprise as Finn's body suddenly began cackling with blue electricity—the product of the Stormbringer Angelica. "W-Wait, kid, what are you-?!"

"All I need is the blade… I don't care whether the demon inside it lives or not."

With those cold, empty words, Finn pumped all his mana into his hands, sending a crippling shockwave of arc energy that made lightning look like static electricity down the sword's blade.

"G-GAHHHHH!" The sword screamed in agony as it was electrocuted, and the stone trapping it was blasted to pieces by the lightning in an instant.

BOOM!

An enormous explosion of debris and electricity followed; Evelyn and the old man had to back away from the room to avoid getting caught up in the flying rubble. Once the dust settled, Finn emerged from the smoke and ruins of the destroyed chamber, sword in hand. The eye on its hilt was no more, and was instead now just a pale circular white light.

"… Sorry about the… mess," he said, using his shoulder to support the sword and glancing back at all the damage he caused.

"N-No, no, don't worry about it, heh…" The old man hurriedly said, shaking his head. "Congratulations on retrieving the sword no one else has been able to in all of history. Now, if you'll follow me to my office, I will administer the checkout process…"

"Alrigh-"

"Hold on," Evelyn suddenly cut in, smiling wryly at the old man. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but… since when were checkouts done in the owner's private office? The registers are all downstairs, no?"

"Normally, yes," the old man replied with a warm smile. "However, due to the… secretive nature of this sword, none of the other employees here know about its existence. As such, I must administer the transaction myself…"

"There is no need," Evelyn cut in. She had a smile on her face, but her words were as cold as steel. "However much the amount is, just put it on my tab. We're busy, so we'll be taking our leave now."

"W-What? Wait, you can't-"

"We'll be taking our leave now," Evelyn reiterated, in a slower voice this time. The old man, hearing this, gulped and backed off.

"Y-Yes… have a good day."

"Come, let's go," Evelyn said softly, turning to Finn, who nodded and followed her downstairs and out of the building. The old man, watching them go, clenched his wrinkled fists tightly, a hateful look in his eyes that directly contrasted with his warmth from earlier.

"Tch… you'll pay for this, Carmen."

Then, turning around, he headed for his office and picked up the phone, then rang a number.

Soon, the other side picked up.

"… So, you've made your decision?"

"Yes. I'll help you get your hands on Carmen, so long as you help me do one thing."

"Oh? What is it?" The other party asked, voice low and menacing.

"… Her boyfriend. Get rid of him, and bring me his weapon."

"Aha… so that is what your after." The man on the other end chuckled a little. "What a coincidence… I was planning on getting rid of him either way."

"May our partnership go smoothly, then," the old man said, a crooked smile plastered on his wrinkled face.

"The feeling is mutual," the other man said with a dark chuckle. "Now then, the dance party is scheduled for the 24th, which is the day after tomorrow. I will be there, but it will be difficult for me to approach her. But you can. And when you do, I want you to…"

After hearing the plan, the old man took a deep breath.

"I understand. Sounds easy enough. This will be successful, I'm sure. When will you send the money?"

"After the operation is complete, of course."

"No. I want it, now."

"… You are pushing the line, old man. What if you just take the money and run?"

"Hmph. In this underground city, no one can run from you," the old man snorted. "I just want to make sure I get my paycheck, lest you go back on your word. I don't trust you one bit."

"Haha!" The man on the other end laughed boldly. "At least you are aware. Very well. Send me your bank details later. I will send the money over. You better not let me down, yes? You know what will happen if you do…"

"Relax with the threats, Lorenzo. I will get you your woman, and you will get me my weapon. It is a perfect partnership."

"Hahaha… yes, indeed. I will be awaiting your good news on the day of, then," the man—Lorenzo—said. "For now, goodbye. And don't even think about running."

After hanging up, the old man gave an annoyed snort.

"Tsk… bastard. As soon as I get my hands on that Voidheart weapon, I'm out of this Underground City."

*****

- Outside -

Finn and Evelyn walked side by side, the former holding his new sword in his hand. Unfortunately, it didn't exactly have a scabbard, so passerby looked at him weirdly with eyes of fear and suspicion, but Finn didn't particularly care. Instead, he was more interested in Evelyn's interaction with the old man earlier.

"… What was that about?" He asked. "Why did you prevent me from checking out the normal way…?"

"That man… he's changed."

Finn frowned. "What…? I thought you trusted him…"

Evelyn fell silent for a brief moment, then spoke again.

"I… did. But now, he's different. I saw the look of greed in his eyes when he was watching you retrieve that sword. It is clear what his intentions were. It's a shame, truly/ He used to be such a kind, warm old man… but ever since his son died…"

She trailed off, clearly not wanting to discuss this matter further. Finn didn't really care about his past either way, and only wanted to know one thing.

"Just give me a straight answer. Is he a friend, or an enemy?"

"I would like to say friend, but it is best to think of him as an enemy," Evelyn replied, sighing dejectedly.

Finn faced forward again. "I see."

"But that aside…" Evelyn cupped her own face and adjusted her beautiful cat mask, then smiled alluringly at Finn like a professional seductress. "… What do you say we grab some lunch?"

Since knowing food preferences was an essential part of Shapeshifting into another human, Finn gave a brisk nod and signaled his agreement.