Even Janice tensed at the mere mention of the name.
Delores took a step back informing the gang, "We need to get out of here. Now. This whole area is about to be crawling with curselings soon. That's what the Immortal sect do when they do not get their way."
"The Immortal Sect? I thought Grandpa and his friends wiped them out half a century ago," Janice said, disbelief clear in her voice. She knew exactly who Delores was talking about—but she also knew, for a fact, that they were supposed to be gone.
Her grandfather had told them plenty of stories about how he and his comrades eradicated the worst of the worst—the kind of monsters that threatened their country's very existence. And the Immortal Sect? They were easily in the top five.
"He said this one was personal," she muttered, more to herself than anyone else. "They took a lot of good friends from him… from all of them." Recalling the sadness on her grandfather's face as he talked about the Immortal sect and their end.
"I don't know how they survived," Delores admitted, her jaw tight. "But not only have they recovered, they've infiltrated the C.I.B." She cast a wary glance at the chaos still unfolding around them. "That's beside the point, though. Right now, we need to move—before this place turns into a full-blown curseling nest."
She didn't wait for an argument—time was running out. But then, Man Hunter spoke up. "If it's really the Immortal Sect, then I might have an idea what—or who—they're after."
Delores shot her an impatient look as she continued, lost in thought.
"It was 22 years ago… Back then, I was just a rookie, fresh on Madam Matthews' team. She personally recruited me seeing potential in my abilities," Man Hunter reminisced.
"Damn it, woman!" Ace snapped. "Skip the prologue and get to the point!" He didn't have time for a damn sob story.
"I'm not a hundred percent sure," Man Hunter skipped to the main part and admitted, "but it might be the now-suspended Supervisory Agent in Charge, Sir Beyton."
She paused before explaining her reasoning: "Back when Madam EAD and Sir Beyton were competing for their mentor's sponsorship, their mentor assigned each of them a case to solve. Sir Beyton got a case involving an up-and-coming cult operating under a similar modus operandi to the infamous Immortal Sect. Many people suspected they were remnants of the sect trying to make a comeback.
"But despite months of investigation, Beyton and his team came up with nothing—the cult was too smart, too careful for him and his team. With his mentor pressuring him to wrap it up and move on to Operation 9Ks, he started taking some questionable risks—moves that put his team's lives in danger.
"Then, suddenly, everything just... fell into place. Within a week, he exposed them as nothing more than a group of wannabes trying to become the next Immortal Sect. The evidence was airtight, and he got praised for his meticulous investigative work and following the book to the dot."
Man Hunter frowned, shaking her head as she spoke of what was troubling her. "But now, thinking back... I don't think he or his team were being completely honest. Something about it doesn't add up. And it was right after that case that Beyton started openly going after Madam EAD. We all thought he was just bitter about losing to her, but..." She trailed off, the implication clear.
Evil Eyes narrowed his gaze. "And how do you know that?" he asked, skeptical. Because even if it's just speculation, throwing around accusations like that could destroy an honest agent's career.
"No comment," Man Hunter clamped up, realizing she had already let too much slip in the heat of the moment. Torn between keeping an eye on Ace and rushing to help her fellow agents—caught in that hesitation, she'd made a rookie mistake.
"Let me guess," Delores said, eyeing her knowingly. "Matthews had you check in on Beyton's team and case every now and then, didn't she? Back then, she was very competitive. Not above bending the rules to get a win. Motherhood mellowed her out a bit, but I remember how she used to be."
Delores sighed, shaking her head. She still regretted the day she introduced Matthews to her young master. If she hadn't, maybe he'd be filling the gap left by her missing master instead of running himself ragged for the C.I.B.
Ace, who had been silent up until now, finally spoke. "What was that cult called?" His voice was calm, but his fingers twitched at the side of the rifle. He was starting to realize he might be in deeper shit than he thought after pulling that stunt in the C.I.B.'s exclusive dining hall.
"Samsara," Man Hunter answered without hesitation. "They use a horizontal eight as their symbol. Basically an infinity sign, but don't call it that unless you wanna piss them off."
She was surprisingly forthcoming about Beyton's case—maybe she figured it was fair game since it was so long ago and didn't involve her direct superiors.
"Enough of this, let's go," Delores ordered, signaling Lola to swallow everyone into her Dinosaur Haven. But Ace shook his head saying, "You guys go ahead. I need to finish what I started."
"Not happening!" Janice and Delores snapped at the same time, their voices overlapping in perfect synchronization.
Ace exhaled sharply, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I wasn't asking." He glanced between the two of them, knowing they wouldn't let him leave without a fight, so he tried a different approach. "I'd go into detail, but with these two narcs here, I can't." He shot a pointed look at Man Hunter and Sonia. "Just trust me—I have to do this."
Ace had taunted Beyton by blowing up his men in close proximity, framed him for their deaths, and ruined his career by sending the actual reports of Operation 9Ks to the C.I.B. If Man Hunter's guess was correct, he needed to ensure Beyton couldn't escape or kill him for good. He wasn't afraid for himself but for his family.
"Ace, you're in way over your head if you think you can take part in something of this scale. If this incident is really related to the Immortal Sect, death is the best thing that can happen to you down there. Let's head home now," Janice insisted, completely ignoring everything he'd just said. She clearly saw him as a bratty little brother rather than an equal.
"She's right," Delores added right after Janice. "Your rifle's useless in close combat. Just , or I won't hesitate to haul your ass out of here," She reached for his wrist, fully prepared to drag him away if necessary. Having hunted alongside him, she knew that without his rifle, he was just an average curse user—maybe below average. She hadn't seen him in combat hence her low opinion of his fighting prowess.
But before either of them could react, Ace suddenly leaped through the shattered glass wall.