Over the rooftop of a looming tower, Damien watched the illustrious evening skylines of New York. Strands of his jet-black hair fluttered as his sable-tinted gaze narrowed.

Staten Island was pitch-black; there was no one and nothing. The SIGIL Headquarters was long gone, annihilated by the seventh Paragon.

The strongest of humanity.

"No repairs are currently taking place in Staten Island. It seems that no one wants to reconstruct the headquarters." He furrowed his eyebrows and added.

"Evidence, huh? Ensuring that the gravity of the matter remains consequential. It does a good job of distressing the public, making them fearful."

"I see... This isn't merely about the seventh Paragon. It targets Jaegers and Metahumans as a whole." Damien nodded to himself, realizing the abyssal depth of the conspiracy.

The Shadow Division he had defeated in the northern fringes might not have been the body of the organization. It could have been the only tendril it has revealed.

Since the infiltrators of SIGIL have been eliminated, only those from the Federation and CORE remain. They should be the following targets of the seventh Paragon.

"Targets..." Damien's eyes widened, understanding part of the plan that his boss had in mind. "Bait, hm?"

"I guess there's no way for them to emerge from the shadows until victory was nigh." He straightened his back and stretched his elbow. It was time to take that fedora.

He would need that if he wanted to infiltrate the tribunal court where his boss was being held. Utilizing the Empyrean Overwatch, his perception transformed.

It didn't take long for him to discover the penthouse of Doctor Krieger.

Without any hesitation or delay, he blinked and teleported into the living room of her penthouse. He lounged over the sofa and watched her stare at the evening skyline.

She didn't even notice him, resting behind her. It was intriguing, but the black-suited young man didn't have the time to play games with the doctor.

"Doctor Krieger, it has been a while." His words echoed as she immediately stood up and pointed a strange device at him.

Her eyes were filled with hostility until she saw his appearance. Lowering the device, she sighed in relief and mumbled. "So, it was just you. The young Aberrant."

She sat in front of him, crossing her legs, and observed the black-suited young man. "It took you so long to remember me. You don't make ladies wait, Damien."

"Apologies about that. The mission in the northern fringes distracted me." Damien rubbed the back of his head and wryly smiled.

It wasn't that he forgot about Doctor Krieger and the fedora he wanted her to make. Since his arrival in New Janus, he had been busy with SIGIL Block 7.

From the extermination of two cardinal families, the annihilation of the city's underworld, and the protection of New Janus from third parties. It was taking most of his time.

Staring at the apologetic black-suited young man, Krieger sighed to herself and stood up from the chair. She walked towards the glass case where the fedora was kept.

"Miss Alastair wanted me to keep it after the destruction of the SIGIL Headquarters. Amongst the many things I created, it was the only thing that managed to survive."

"Quite a waste of taxpayers' money, don't you think?" She opened the case and took out the fedora. "This is the most useless creation I have created."

"A creation that cannot be effectively used by humans. It doesn't advance the technological knowledge of humankind. But it is a favor from the strongest."

Krieger handed the fedora to the black-suited young man. "Take care of the fedora. It's one of a kind. I won't bother making another one, especially with the headquarters gone."

"Thank you, I appreciate the things you have done for me." Damien smiled as the doctor grunted. "You'd better be grateful."

"In any case, could you give me the reason why Alastair turned the headquarters into a giant hole? She's never the kind of person to make a move without a good reason."

"She might act like an arrogant asshole, but she's the bastard of humanity. That crazy lady wouldn't do anything that would be detrimental to us."

"So, tell me... Damien." Doctor Krieger narrowed her gaze towards the black-suited young man. He looked at her for a moment and uttered two words. "Shadow Division."

"I see... That rebellion hasn't ended, huh? It merely quieted down." She sighed, shaking her head while taking another sip of her wine.

"Those bastards must have infiltrated the SIGIL Headquarters. Since she hasn't repaired it yet, the purging of rebels hasn't ended. Which means that some of them might be in the Federation."

It wasn't difficult for Doctor Krieger to see the truth of their circumstance. A saddening sight to see. After all, no one would want their kin to fight with one another.

Unfortunately, the Shadow Division was too extreme.

In their crusade of wrathful vengeance and supremacy, humanity would be gone, and the world would be further defiled by endless war.

"Any name for the fedora?" Damien inquired while smiling at the doctor. He wore the fedora over his head as it steadily masked his aetheric background to that of an ordinary human.

"It isn't anything special. If you want a name for it, there was one during the time when I made it. The Helm of Darkness." Krieger smirked at the Aberrant, who chuckled at the name.

"The helmet of Hades, hm? Capable of concealing one's entire presence. That is a good name." Damien's lips curved as the two of them shook their hands.

"Take care of what's mine, Damien. Also, give those traitors a piece of my mind. They should lament for the things they had done." Doctor Krieger uttered to the black-suited young man.

"I will do as asked, thank you." Damien gestured a wave of goodbye before blinking out of her penthouse. Silence permeated from every corner as Krieger glanced at the illustrious skyline.

"I hope that things won't escalate."

Meanwhile...

Damien teleported into an unknown warehouse on the outskirts of Brooklyn. There, Gryphos hid while protecting the feverish Hecate.

"I'm back..." He muttered as the Griffin emerged from the darkness. Its head tilted with its feathered mane concealing the lying crimson-haired vampire.

"Good job for protecting, Hecate." He patted its feathered mane while Gryphos felt confused. Even though it could sense its master, the presence was much weaker than before.

Damien also realized the strange reaction of his summoned monster. He took off the fedora, prompting his aetheric background to return.

Gryphos widened its narrowed gaze and began caressing its master's head with its feathered mane. On the other hand, the black-suited young man realized the importance of his aetheric background.

"Is my aetheric background how my monsters recognize me?" He questioned himself, donning the fedora once again.

The Griffin continued to chirp at him, unbothered by the change in aetheric background. None of his summoned monsters were stupid.

They would understand that the aetheric background of their master was merely concealed. As long as they could see its signature, it wasn't difficult for them to recognize their lord.

In any case, Damien stepped forward and stood before Hecate. Her breath was warm as her cheeks were tinted in crimson. The fever was becoming worse.

It made him wonder if he needed to do something about it.

Even if it was merely the side effects of the so-called evolution, it was better to be safe than sorry. Through this thought process, Damien decided to delay their journey for a couple of hours.

"Damien?" Hecate opened her eyelids, her voice soft and weak. To think that there would be a time when she would be so feeble in front of her partner.

"I'm here... Are you okay?" Damien asked, touching her forehead. He felt the increasing heat, which was beyond dangerous. It felt like the surface of a furnace.

The thought alone made him worried.

"I-I'm oka-" Before she could complete her words, she started coughing and passed out. The black-suited young man didn't plan to hesitate anymore.

He carried her over his arms and blinked back to the penthouse of the doctor. Krieger was the only one he trusted to diagnose whatever was wrong with his partner.

The genius of the century kept sipping her wine and was alarmed by the unexpected return of Damien. Her heart almost leaped out of her chest as she gritted her teeth in annoyance.

"What is wrong with you? Can't you knock for a change?" Krieger remarked, barely containing her anger.

Damien looked at her and placed Hecate on the sofa. "I need your help, Doctor Krieger. The fever of my partner is becoming worse."

"I tried every remedy, but none seemed to be effective against it."

Krieger raised her eyebrows and gazed upon the crimson-haired girl. The partner of the Aberrant. There was only one person who was identified as his partner.

"You mean that this is the vampire?"

"I didn't expect that vampire could get sick."

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