After agreeing on the plan, Owl had Alex and Mei escort Raven over to her vantage point as the boy had stated that setting up the trap would take a while.

The three would walk down the iced over streets as the number of beast encounters was surprisingly rather low.

Currently, Mei lead the group as Alex and Raven were behind walking next to one another.

Raven would shiver a bit as the cold was starting to get to her a little.

"Mei I'm freezing. Talk to me so I can tolerate the cold." She said.

"You should've dressed accordingly then." Was all Mei would say as she remained silent.

Raven would simply sigh before turning to look at Alex.

"What about you kid? Got anything to take my mind off of the cold?" She asked.

"Hm? Uh...............-" Alex pondered on this for a moment before responding. "-well, I do have a question in mind."

"Fire away."

"How'd you meet Owl? You two seem pretty familiar with one another." Asked Alex.

"Ah. Well, he once was a target to kill in a merc contract I took a while back. I was tasked with taking down a group called the Thousand Fists. Owl was their hired muscle so naturally we met in battle. We fought many times and every time I ended up the victor. Despite that, he never changed. Never once showed an ounce of care whenever a blade was pressed against his neck. I found it rather intriguing so after I took down the Thousand Fists, I had let Owl off on his own and recommended him to join the Serpent. By the time I saw him again, he was already an officer so I was rewarded for my recommendation." Explained Raven.

"I see. Well, that's pretty generous of you..............I guess?"

"Don't mention it. He may look lazy, sloppy, and like he's on the verge of collapsing, but he has the skills needed to solve problems efficiently. Despite all that, I've never been able to figure out what goes on inside his head. It's why I'm not too keen on him whenever he's on my side."

Mei would suddenly speak again with another rather blunt comment.

"That doesn't matter. All that matters is that we get the job done." She said.

Raven just had an unamused look while Alex stared daggers at her.

"No one asked you jackas-!" Before Alex could completely retort back, Raven covered his mouth, assuring him that it was alright as the boy nodded and calmed down.

Soon enough, the three would arrive at the city center as thankfully there was one tower there was that structurally sound and safe enough to climb.

Once they reached the top, Raven began to survey her surroundings.

"This is perfect. Got a clear view of everything." She said, getting into position and pulling out her unique firearm.

She looked through her scope for a brief moment before eventually finding her target.

"Bingo. Spotted the Herrscher. 7,400 Yards away. She's at the garden situated at the base of the city center's elevator. She isn't moving." She said.

"Good. Keep your eyes on her." Said Mei.

"No problem. Go link back up with Owl."

Mei would then grab Alex and before the boy could react, she jumped off the building with him and as fast as a lightning bolt, left the scene in a flash as Raven could only see a faint trail of her passage.

"Herrscher powers must make things so much easier for her." She said with a sigh.

Back with Owl, he was sitting and minding his own business with his eyes closed.

He then heard the sound of a thunder strike go off as he opened his eyes and looked up to see Mei standing before him, letting go of Alex as he initially was ready to call her out before seeing Owl and quickly regaining his composure.

"Raven's found the Herrscher. Are you ready?" Asked Mei.

Owl would put the scepters in his pockets as he nodded.

"Let's go." He said.

The three would then begin to make their way over to the city elevator where the Herrscher was spotted at.

This time, a lot of beasts were scattered along the path as one by one, they were taken down by Alex and Mei.

As they got closer, the freezing cold only got more worse and even more bitter as Owl's outfit became frozen stiff while Alex began to shiver and breathe a lot more shakily.

Not to mention his infected arm was once again reacting to the Ice Herrscher's energy as he kneeled down for sec and place a hand on his arm due to the stinging pain.

"A-Are you okay?" Asked Mei who for a brief moment snapped out of her blunt self and sounded very concerned.

"I-It's none of your business." Said Alex as he slowly got back up.

Mei sighed and then looked back to see Owl's movement had become painstakingly slow due to how frozen his attire had become.

"You two should head back if the cold's too much. It'll only get colder the closer we get. No normal human could withstand it." Said Mei before approaching Owl. "Hand me the Scepters. I'll handle the Herrscher on my own."

Owl kept quiet for a moment before responding.

"I appreciate your concern, but I'm not as frail as you think." He said.

That quote caught the attention of the two as they saw Owl unbuttoned his outfit a bit and what was underneath was immensely shocking.

Instead of a regular chest, it was metallic as it gave off a slight shine.

Owl saw the two's shocked expression as he quietly chuckled.

"Pretty bad huh? 74% of my organs are cybernetic so the cold won't bother me. The clothes are just for show." He said.

"W-What the hell happened to you? Were you horrifically attacked or something?" Asked Alex.

"Did the Serpent do this to you?" Asked Mei.

"Well, you're partially right Mei. This was the Serpent's doing but it wasn't unwilling. I asked them to do it." He said which shocked the two even more.

"Why would you want to become a cyborg?" Asked Alex.

"I'm not like you wo. I lack innate Honkai resistance and Stigmata like Mei, and my body didn't naturally get used to combat the Honkai on its own like Alex's body. This was the only way I could survive."

"What lead you to make that decision?" Asked Mei.

"I survived a Honkai event that happened two years ago, but I left with horrific injuries. I joined the Serpent to find a way to heal my wounds, but the search only added to my hopelessness. That was when there was only one solution left. Abandon my failing biological body and rely on machines instead. That's why I fight for the Serpent. Pretty lame huh?" He said.

"No. It isn't. You did what you had to do in order to ensure your survival and save your life." Said Alex.

"There's nothing wrong with what you did at all. You made the right choice." Said Mei.

"Thanks you two. That's also what I thought as well." Said Owl with a small smile.

After that the three would keep on walking towards the elevator, as fate was about to unexpectedly take a sudden turn.

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Chapter 6: Complete