Faraday wasn’t caught by the electric net. The burly man dodged it the instant it fell, moving as if he had eyes in the back of his head.

The Demon Hunters under the falling net didn’t have time to react. The sound of urgent footsteps came from the surrounding rooftops, then stopped. Zod and Maguire leaped down from above, each carrying a Wizard.

The two Demon Hunters each patted their respective Wizard. The pale-faced Wizards raised their Magic Staffs and tapped them on Magic Cards.

Azure lightning coursed through the net. Behind the burly man, the Demon Hunters from the Iron Thorn Gang writhed in agony within the electrified mesh for a moment before passing out.

Maguire whistled. Several more Demon Hunters leaped from the rooftops on either side, each holding a pair of ready Forbidden Magic Handcuffs.

A square-faced, broad-nosed, middle-aged man in the lead declared, "By order of Viscount Yarilan, we are on patrol! We have discovered a malicious assault and are now intervening to make arrests!"

The Demon Hunters went over to the Iron Thorn Gang Hunters under the net. A few with darker complexions and apparently high resistance to electricity were still struggling. The Demon Hunters gave them a few hard kicks to subdue them, then cuffed them one by one.

Faraday glared at Baron. The man simply shrugged. "I did warn you, but you wouldn’t listen. Guess you’re all going to jail now."

’He clearly never imagined Baron had been aware of their pursuit all along, let alone set up an ambush in advance!’

Seeing more shadows of Demon Hunters descending from above, Faraday didn’t hesitate. He drew the Giant Axe from his back as Alchemy Circuits flared to life, covering his body before spreading across the axe.

Then, he violently hurled it toward Baron, Morey, and the others!

The Giant Axe blazed with a tidal wave of light, whistling through the air as it hurtled toward Baron. Zod, Maguire, Morey, and the others sensed its terrifying force and instinctively sidestepped.

So did Baron.

But just as they all dodged, in the split second the Giant Axe grazed past Baron, a towering figure suddenly appeared behind it. The figure grabbed the handle the very instant the axe cleared the mouth of the alley!

It was Faraday!

The group retreated hastily, thinking Faraday was about to counterattack. But Faraday merely stared straight at Baron, his lips moving faintly as if to say something.

Baron froze for a moment.

Then Faraday slung the axe onto his back and his figure vanished down the long street!

Faraday had used his Giant Axe to create an escape route!

Maguire drew his sword. "I’ll go get him!"

Zod placed a hand on his shoulder. "You’re a Bronze Demon Hunter. You can’t handle him."

"Then I’ll go," Baron said. "Let’s meet at the Blood Church afterward."

With that, he performed a wall jump up the side of the alley and onto the roof. His gaze swept the distant streets, quickly locking onto Faraday’s fleeing figure. He gave chase, running swiftly across the rooftops!

Soon, at the mouth of a deserted alley, Baron swooped down in front of Faraday like a falcon in the dark. He raised his undamaged revolver and aimed it at him.

"You said something earlier... about making a deal?"

Faraday stopped in his tracks. He glanced around, and seeing they were alone, he smiled calmly. "I want to cooperate with you."

"Cooperate?" Baron nudged the muzzle of his gun upward, signaling for Faraday to continue.

’He was curious what this was all about.’

Faraday took a deep breath, as if bracing himself. Then, looking as though he had made up his mind, he spoke.

"To assassinate Ferdinand."

Having said this, Faraday stared intently at Baron, waiting for a reaction.

’Assassinate Ferdinand together?’

Baron laughed. ’He must think I’m a child.’

’Being the spark that starts a world war could be interesting,’ Baron thought, ’but it all depends on who you’re working with.’

’This wasn’t like changing jobs. Loyalty in Demon Hunter gangs was generally quite high, thanks to benefits and contracts.’ 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

’His offer right now was like telling a ghost story in a graveyard—not even the ghosts would believe it.’

"You think I’ll just believe anything you say?" Baron said. "Show me some good faith. Otherwise, I have no reason to believe you’d betray Ferdinand."

Faraday unslung the Giant Axe from his back. Instead of brandishing it, he set it on the ground and kicked it over to Baron.

Without batting an eye, Baron used his foot to slide the Giant Axe behind him. His expression didn’t change. "Not enough."

Faraday produced a pair of Forbidden Magic Shackles—the same kind held by the Demon Hunters Zod and Maguire had led—and cuffed his own hands.

"How about it?" he asked. "Is this sincere enough for you?"

To his surprise, Baron simply shook his head. "Not enough."

Faraday frowned, thinking the Bounty Hunter was just messing with him.

But Baron said, "Sincerity isn’t about what you offer. It’s about what I demand."

Before Faraday could even process the meaning of those words, he saw the Demon Hunter pull the trigger.

He dodged instinctively, but a dark blur shot forward and slammed into his abdomen, forcing him to double over in pain.

Before he could look up, he felt cold metal press against his forehead, accompanied by the faintest scent of Gunpowder.

Baron pressed the muzzle of his gun to Faraday’s forehead and smiled. "There. Now it’s enough. Tell me your reasons and your plan."

"Oh, and I almost forgot."

Before Faraday could speak, the Bounty Hunter slapped his own forehead and relieved Faraday of his coin purse.

Meeting Faraday’s stunned gaze, the Bounty Hunter casually pocketed the purse and shrugged. "Consider this interest on your show of good faith."

Faraday opened his mouth, a thousand retorts on the tip of his tongue, but in the end, he obediently began to explain his reasons.

It turned out that the last time Baron encountered Faraday outside Mundra, Faraday’s mission had been twofold: to find some twenty-odd missing Gold Coins, and to protect Savi, who was leading a group to get revenge on Baron.