Chapter 261: The Eyes That Conceal Hypocrisy

Dust filled the air, and the lingering oppressive force from before still haunted the ruins, like the remnants of a storm refusing to dissipate. Braque, Zoey, and Rinro were relentlessly chasing after Watcher 10, whose sinister laughter echoed through the night like a mocking taunt.

"You want to catch me?! Maybe in your next life!!!"

With a sudden burst of bestial energy, his entire body blurred into a phantom-like shadow, weaving swiftly through the ruins like a wild predator deliberately taunting its prey.

Braque's eyes widened in shock as he exclaimed, "He's from the Beast Clan?!"

Zoey's expression darkened as she gritted her teeth. "A half-human, half-beast! We'll never outrun a Beast Clan member! That damned Nomm!"

Nomm—Watcher 10—carried the bloodline of the Beast Clan, making him naturally several times faster than any ability user.

Rinro narrowed his eyes slightly, a vein faintly twitching on his forehead as he locked onto the figure ahead. "If we don't catch him, then our lives end here!"

But at that moment, his brows furrowed, and his gaze suddenly shifted behind him. He sensed a familiar yet subtly hostile presence approaching at an alarming speed.

Rinro abruptly halted, stopping in his tracks.

Braque frowned at him. "Why are you stopping?!"

"Another problem just arrived." Rinro's voice was low, his eyes sharp as blades. "You two go ahead. I have something to deal with."

Braque glared at him impatiently. "At a time like this, what could be more important than that damn box?!"

Rinro shot him a cold glance, his tone calm yet resolute. "Something more important than that box."

Braque clenched his teeth in frustration but didn't argue further. He turned to Zoey and growled, "Move! We keep chasing!"

With that, the two of them gritted their teeth and sped off, pursuing the disappearing Nomm.

—Meanwhile, beneath the deep night sky, the distant rumbling of a train echoed across the vast plains. The flickering lights from its windows cut through the darkness, briefly illuminating the desolate landscape where Rinro stood motionless. His gaze was as deep as an abyss, locked onto a figure approaching from the distance.

The hurried sound of footsteps and labored breathing reached his ears as a familiar figure finally came into view—Usagi!

Her silhouette trembled slightly in the night wind, beads of sweat glistening on her forehead. The chill of the wind had flushed her cheeks, and her breath came in ragged gasps. She had clearly pushed herself to the limit, running all the way here. Yet even in exhaustion, she forced herself to endure, eyes locked fiercely onto the man standing on the slope of the plains.

"…Rinro." She took a deep breath, her voice hoarse but resolute. "Why… why are you with the Watchers and the Skull Army?!"

There was a trace of anger in her tone, but more than that, an undeniable confusion—and a sorrow she could not hide.

The wind stirred the grass, brushing gently against Usagi's pale face. She stood there, staring unwaveringly at the man before her—Rinro.

His figure stretched long under the train's flickering lights, his face devoid of any emotion, as cold as a carved statue, as if humanity had long since left him.

"And why do you think I am with them?" His voice was calm, devoid of any emotional fluctuation, as if he were merely stating a fact that held no importance.

Usagi's breath hitched, her chest rising and falling sharply. Her pupils trembled slightly under the firelight. Her fingers clenched, nails digging into her palms.

"You're not one of the Aka members. Who the hell are you?!" Her voice carried anger and despair. The last shred of hope in her heart shattered beneath Rinro's cold indifference.

"Heh…" Rinro let out a chuckle, shrugging nonchalantly. "You've been a fool all your life, and now you've finally had a moment of clarity. You're right—I was never one of the Aka."

Usagi's body jolted as if struck by lightning, freezing in place. Her world collapsed around her, thoughts spiraling into chaos.

It was all a lie…

From the beginning, she had stood among the Akai members, fighting against Akari, standing beside Rinro as an ally. But in reality, she had been on the wrong side all along—Akari had been hunting down traitors within the Akai, including Rinro. And she… she had been the traitor's accomplice.

She thought she was protecting her family, but in truth, she had been nothing more than a pawn, wielding her blade against those who were truly her allies.

Her shoulders trembled slightly, tears glistening in her eyes, her lips turning pale as bitterness welled up inside her.

Rinro shook his head, a mocking smile tugging at his lips. "Did you really think that just because someone has red hair and red eyes, they must be one of the Akai?"

Usagi's pupils shrank, staring at him in shock as a foreboding sense of dread crept over her.

Slowly, Rinro lifted his hand and pressed a finger against his own eye. Under Usagi's horrified gaze, he lightly pulled, revealing a transparent contact lens.

Beneath it—

A pair of golden dragon-like eyes, deep as the night, radiating an aura of cold-blooded dominance!

—Dragon Clan!

Usagi's entire body stiffened. Her mouth parted slightly, breath frozen in her throat, her mind going blank.

"…D-Dragon… Clan…?!!" She stumbled backward in sheer disbelief.

Rinro's smirk deepened, his golden eyes gleaming with icy amusement. "And your pink hair—was that ever a true trait of the Akai bloodline? Isn't it laughable? Why did you ever assume I was one of them?"

Usagi's heartbeat pounded wildly, her chest tightening as if a boulder had been placed upon it, suffocating her. Desperately, she recalled every moment from the past—the Rinro who fought tirelessly for his comrades, who silently bore all his pain…

But the truth was that the person she had trusted most had been a traitor.

Every promise, every ounce of trust, had now become a cruel joke, tearing her apart.

She refused to believe it, refused to accept it—but the truth stood before her, undeniable.

She had spent her days hunting down "that lunatic" Akari, believing him to be the enemy—when in reality, he was the true Akai member. And the one she had fought alongside, the one she had sworn to protect, was her real enemy.

Her knees buckled, and she collapsed onto the cold grass, her face ashen, tears slipping silently down her cheeks and soaking into the dirt.

The night wind howled, tossing her hair into disarray. The distant roar of the train faded into the horizon, while her anguished cry echoed through the barren plains—

"RINRO————!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"