*Yawn*

“What a long day…” The often tired employee of Averardo Bank had the misfortune of going through one hundred and seventy five safe boxes today after she had caught a member of the Montelli family red-handed, the accountant by the name of Giulia thought it was a good idea to empty all of those safe boxes for a one way trip to the New Federation. Her destination would change from the New Federation to Carlotta’s bowels upon getting busted in a gondola full of these untold riches. Family ties meant nothing in this line of work, unfortunately for the horned Spectro resonator, she was tasked with returning ALL of the stolen valuables to their right boxes which meant long hours of cross referencing with the archived records of each safe box. Any reasonable person would have slept in their comfort of their bed but not Zani, she just needed a quick pick-me-up before attending to her other nightly duties…

*Psssk!*

*Glug-glug*

“Much better.” Reinvigorated once again, Zani had crushed the can of energy drink with her prehensile tail. Yes, she was fully aware of the side effects associated with the Devil’s Tax and yet she couldn’t operate properly without it. The potential for a future heart attack was a small price to pay for saving lives as a vigilante roaming the streets at night. Besides, tomorrow was her day off meaning that she could sleep to her heart’s content later on.

Time to dispense some justice on crooks and thieves…

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Meanwhile, on top of a hill over viewing Ragunna City …

“My Lady, All Pingu terminals had been hacked as per your request.” A Fractsidus Executioner had reported the latest development to the Conductor enjoying a cup of tea under the starless skies.

“And our proxy terminals , what are their status?”

“They have been secretly planted in all non-resonators on the list.” Said her underling with confidence “Master Cristoforo had hacked the terminal of our… esteemed guest , my lady.”

“Excellent.” Phrolova knew it was the right decision to entrust him with such a crucial task, with her arms extended, she would address the city down below “Oh Ragunna, tonight, you shall drown in chaos… ”

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A few minutes later ..

*POW!*

*CRASH*

“Another one bites the dust.” Zani couldn’t believe that she had just knocked the lights out of Ro ver . Well, that would have been the case if the unconscious person on the ground wasn’t an imposter . Usually, the Spectro resonator would deal with a crook or two throughout the night but not a horde of fake Rovers running amok across the city. It wasn’t just her external appearance only, these thugs could somehow use the same Spectro, Havoc and Aero powers she possessed to varying degrees of success in their ongoing crime spree. However, the Vigilante wasn’t alone in her good fight, the Order had pulled their weight surprisingly enough along with civilians who were ready to risk their lives to protect others. Due to the lack of policing force in the area, Zani would tie up the wrongdoer and leave her to be arrested later on.

*SLASH*

* TINK!!*

“When I am done with you, I will use your decapitated head over and over again! Heeheee~” Another fake and depraved Rover went for a sneak attack from behind only to blocked by her sword-shield thanks to her heightened senses.

“Tell me who is behind this mess and I won’t break your legs.” said Zani while was in a sword lock with this imposter. She was done playing nice, the lawlessness in the streets might escalate to actual murder the more this epidemic of Rovers would remain unchecked.

“Don’t know and don’t care. Don’t you get it? I am FREE! I can do whatever I want!!” This ‘Rover’ was acting on impulse with their newfound power swinging their sword full of Aero energy so recklessly which would translate to so many opening to take advantage of.

*CCCCRACCKK!!!!*

“AAAAAAAAAAAGHHH!!!!” Squealed the small time criminal like a pig when Zani had stomped on their left Tibia with enough force to shatter it into a limp, Jello-like mess. The same brutal take-down was done on the right one followed by a knock-out punch. Zani had run out of tying ropes at this point so it was the only way to keep the impostor in their place. As for why Zani had become so aggressive out of the sudden, she had this gut feeling about a tragedy in the making. Never did her sixth sense failed her in situations like this one, should she shrug off this dreadful feeling stirring within her ?

The answer to her question was a resounding no.

*SCREEECH!!*

“That voice…I must hurry!” Zani was almost running on all fours towards the source of this blood-curdling scream. Said scream was unrecognizable at first but her caffeinated brain would narrow it down to either Miss Irene or Miss Alice, her twin sister neighbours living next door. Alas, she was too late…

“IRENE, SAY SOMETHING PLEASE!” Cried the functionally naked Alice who refused to let go of her twin sister’s bloody and lifeless body by their doorstep. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what happened here: A fake Rover had invaded their home either to steal their precious belongings or to have their way with the young twins. Irene had defended her sister at the cost of her own life, judging by the bloodstained sword on the floor and the absence of the murderer, this was an accidental kill.

“…” Zani had neither the words nor the courage to say anything to her grieving neighbour. Was it her fault for taking her sweet time with previous Rovers? Her blood would boil from this miserable sight. Not all hope was lost though, the murderer had left bloody footsteps leading to Bank street. The Spectro Resonator knew that some jail time would never be enough for what that bastard had done.

Perhaps it was high tim e for Zani to take a page from Carlotta’s punishment book .

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A few minutes earlier…

It had been a while since Rover was in Rinascita, for the last few weeks, she had been dealing with a small crisis in the Black Shores that might have been spiraled out of control without the combined efforts of the Shorekeeper and. Needless to say, the two had some quality time together once the Crisis was over. Her journey to discover more of her past was leading her eastwards, even though the Leviathan was defeated, She still had some business in Rinascita to deal with first before seeking the audience of yet another sentinel.

“What… is going on?” The short haired woman had squinted her eyes on her small boat, it was already midnight by the time her boat was approaching Ragunna city and yet it felt lively somehow with so much lights on for some reason. Was it another Carnevale or a similar festival? She had no idea. Good thing she had arrived at this time for Cristoforo’s boat had sunken from a giant spiky fish he was trying to catch. He didn’t stay long in her boat though, a passing merchant ship had belonged to a friend of his was sailing close by. It was much more comfortable and less awkward than her little boat. Rover was glad her friend was doing alright.

“Well, that is strange.” After she had moored her boat, the cheerful band of echoes she would usually find at this spot were nowhere to be foun-

*CRASH*

“I-it was an accident, I swear! She twisted my hands!” The woman who had crashed into her was hysterical as she hopped onto the closest Gondola she could find sailing as far from the city as possible. Rover didn’t get a good look at the frantic woman who had become one with the horizon by now. The unforeseen collision with her had left Rover dazed and confused afterwards, it took her a few seconds to get her bearings. That was when she had noticed something on her black dress:

Blood, lots of it.

The runaway woman must have smeared fresh blood on Rover upon crashing into her. Come to think of it, the mysterious woman did look awfully familiar to… no, that wouldn’t make a lick of sense, it must have been a trick of the light, nothing more. Rover had instinctively reached out for her sword upon sensing a terrifying presence nearby. Ah, It seemed like she was mistaken; she got all tensed up over a friendly face.

“Hey, Zani. Someone just bumped into me, she was all-“

“You…” Her friend had loosened her red tie discarding her jacket on the ground as her hair had morphed into shimmering waves of light with her colossal weapon at the ready “… you will pay for what you have done with your life. ”

*CLANK!*

“Z-zani, it is me, Rover!” Rinascita’s new Laureate could barely hold her ground against the raging beast giving it her all to cleave her in two. All it took was a single opening for Zani to brutally slam her against the ground. The shockwave from said impact had left a small crater with Rover in its center.

“You took Irene’s life, you run away like a coward.” Zani finished her sentence with a powerful kick to the stomach leaving Rover reeling on the ground in pain.

“It *Cough-cough * wasn’t me. The real killer took off in a gondola. She-“

* PUNCH *

The duo were interrupted when someone was foolish enough to try and stab Zani in the back, of course, the attacker was promptly disarmed with an arm twist followed by a knockout punch. When Rover took a good look at the unconscious person, she had just seen the impossible:

She was staring at an identical version of herself.

“As you can see, I have been dealing with a lot of Rovers tonight. They all possess her powers too.” It made sense why Zani thought ill of her especially with her not announcing her visit to Carlotta as part of a surprise for her birthday in a week or so.

“Zani, this crook…they are surrounded by a special reverberation mimicking me!” Without a Pingu terminal, this was a seemingly impossible task. In her current state, Rover was unable to think about it more clearly.

“Nice observation.” Zani admitted before squatting down next to her “It won’t be enough to clear your name though.”

“My terminal…It has been tampered! A projection of me is covering my body!” It was only then when she had realized this confusing truth. Why would anyone hack with her terminal for this redundant trick? Turning the terminal off didn’t dispel this useless illusion. Rover was running out of time to prove her innocence…

“Tell me something only the real Rover would know, only then I might consider sparing your life.” A hint of mercy was glimmering in her eyes probably because she was this close to the point of no return.

“Back in Averardo Vault, we-AAARRRGHHH!!!!” Whenever Rover tried to recall any distant memory, an unending pain would ravage her mind causing her to writhe and twist on the ground.

“Time’s up.”

“Nono, wait-Hhhrgghhkk!” Zani’s toned arms would coil around her neck like a snake choking the life out of its prey. Soon, her vision would become blurry and her flailing limbs would grow cold…

Darkness would embrace her with open arms.

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A few moments later…

“I can’t believe I am doing this…” said Zani while staring at the unconscious ‘Rover’ with clear disdain overflowing from her eyes. Rinascita’s horned vigilante had seen Carlotta churn countless blood debtors and the like, her Boss always wanted her to become a predator but Zani would refuse out of her own principles for she was a firm believer of justice. She was merely an instrument meant to deliver bad apples to the authorities, however, Irene’s death had changed her perspective deeply for she wanted nothing but to avenge her with her own version of self-delivered justice.

“This is for you, Irene…”

*Glomp*

Securing the faker’s head was easier said than done, Zani was copying what her Boss would usually do with her prey. She started with unhinging her jaws first before ‘kissing’ the top of the imposter’s head. The kiss would quickly evolve into a deep kiss then a full on swallow. Needless to say, it was a very painful experience for the uninitiated especially with how one’s oral muscles, lips and throat would stretch unnaturally like a rubber band. On the other hand, her taste buds were blessed with the forbidden flavour of human flesh… it had this distinct saltiness that would send tantalizing signals to her salivary glands and stomach for a deluge of secretions in anticipation for this fake Rover’s arrival.

*Gulp*

Zani would adapt astoundingly with every non-toothy bite she took up to the murderer’s neck. In hindsight, she should have taken off her prey’s bloody clothes first then again even scumbags like her deserved a dignified death. The Vigilante on a mission wouldn’t stoop so low like her Boss who would often engage in steamy activities with a select few of her preys depending on how attractive they were, she was merely avenging Irene. This should be her sole focus.

*Mmmmph? MMMMPPPPGHHH!!!*

Suddenly, muffled screams would reverberate through her throat when the faker would regain her consciousness at the worst possible moment. This was Zani’s fault for she didn’t deprive her prey from air for an extended period of time. Now, she would face the repercussions of her unfinished work through these frantic thrashes. Her squirming prey had enough strength to latch onto her horns in ultimate desperation. Her fierce grip on her horns was surprisingly strong almost as good as the real deal, a few more seconds and the prey in question would have snapped her ram-like horns leaving the novice predator with no choice but to punish her late dinner accordingly.

*CRRRACKKKKK!!!!*

‘Hmph. Serves you right.’ For a moment, The Spectro Resonator had stopped holding back diverting all of her raw strength into her hands. The end result was two shattered wrists which had dozens of fragmented bones floating freely in their meaty confines. The screams within her had reached new heights from such an unbearable pain, this was sadly but fraction of what Irene’s killer would experience deeper into her unforgiving belly. From this point onwards, her once fierce struggle would come to a close be it from the agonizing pain radiating from her wrists or from the unlucky trickle of gastric acids that had bypassed the upper sphincter of her stomach onto her long gullet. While the acids running up and down her esophagus didn’t outright melt fake Rover’s face, they must have at least peeled off a notable chunk of her face. It was definitely worth the heartburns Zani was currently suffering from.

*CRRUNNCH *

*Glug- gluk !*

In her eagerness to swallow more of this tasty murderer, Zani might have broken the imposter’s clavicle and shoulder blades by accident during her second major chomp that had also included her twitching and useless arms as well. The Vigilante was a tad careful on her way to the surprisingly soft pair of breasts hidden under bloodied clothes, her mighty jaw had avoided snapping the rib cage and turning it against its owner. Then again, death by fractured ribs piercing through several organs might be slightly more merciful than melting alive in a pool of acids and bile. No, Zani had promised herself to stick to her original plan. No mercy for the vile.

*GULP*

* SNAP*

‘Not again.’ Zani had underestimated her unchecked strength yet again by hoisting much of her dinner in the air much like what Carlotta would do to smoothen her swallowing endeavours. However, this little hands-free maneuver would instantly break her prey’s spine. Everything below the waist had gone limb in a blink of an eye. To lose the feeling over one’s legs… it was debatable whether this was a blessing in disguise or not given the current situation the faker was in right now.

*SLURRRPPP*

*Slosh*

“Ah, much better. Who knew justice can taste this good..” As expected, the rest of the criminal didn’t give her much trouble. Hips, thigh, legs and feet… all went down under a few seconds leaving Zani with a torn shirt and a ballooned up belly. Her mind was experiencing internal bliss for the first time from having a human sized meal… at the expense of the imposter’s suffering of course. No wonder her Boss would cherish every chance she got to gobble up someon-

*Sizzle*

* Squuuellch *

*Spatter*

“I-I am *Wheeze* Ro-overr, I a-am *Cough-cough* R…ov..er..D-don’t..ki-ll me…” Through means unknown, her prey had mustered enough strength to pry her mouth open with her flopping hands thanks to her boneless wrists. The Spectro Resonator needed not to impede the escape attempt of her paralyzed prey crawling her way to freedom; the metallic taste of blood and bile was a telltale sign of an inevitable end for the imposter. Only a mangled arm would stick out of her mouth momentarily before sinking back to bubbling abyss below. It was over before it could ever begin.

* Churrrnnn *

“Rest well.” The only admirable two things about Irene’s killer were her tenacity and her will to live. These traits weren’t enough to save her from a gurgling end, it seemed. Sleeping off this bombshell of a meal was the most optimal thing to do at the moment…if the city wasn’t plagued for more Rover doppelgangers “No rest for the wicked…”

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Five hours later…

“And that is the last of them…” It was a long night even for a vigilante . It was both simultaneously easier and harder to fight crooks with a full belly. The cons were pretty obvious: lugging extra weight, obscured view (in the first two hours), more sluggish movement and below than average reaction time but the pros were pretty substantial as well namely the terrifying aura surrounding her that would cause the fake Rovers to outright surrender in fear of becoming her next meal. All of them should be sent to an undisclosed location for more information about the identity of whoever had given them to power of Rinascita’s saviour.

*Grrroann*

“Where are you, Rover? You of all people would have helped us gre - * bouurppp ! * ugh…” the last article of part ially digested clothes sloshing about in her stomach was a slimy undergarment. It was quickly thrown into the trash bin a s the first rays of sunlight were blessing Rinascita. The horned resonator took a good look at her belly with a curled up frown afterwards “Fat, fat and more fat. Great , So much calories to burn…”

*Blblblblb*

It wasn’t just a pudgy belly full of broken bones, her white shirt was practically see-through from her recent deposit of fat in her breasts while her slick black pants were one wrong move away from leaving her bottomless from her excessive weight gain below the waist.

“So tired…” With much of her blood circulating in her digestive system, Zani was longing for bed as if it was her secret lover. She was exhausted and bruised from literal hours of constant fighting and yet nature’s call had taken precedent over anything else. Go ing to bed with an empty stomach was for the best to avoid any uncomfortable bowel movement in her sleep.

*PLOP*

* Pfffrtttt *

“Get…OUT!!” The already worn out bank employee had grown impatient of the bones clogging up her stretched out anus behind some bush in the out skirts of the city since Zani had no intention of calling a plumber to her messy home in case these bony remains would cause a problem upon flushing them . At any rate, the white haired woman was using her prehensile tail to pluck one bone at a time until her back door would stop twitching. As Zani was lugging herself back to her home, a mysterious figure had approached the poor bush slathered in anal juice to pi ck up a jawless skull .

“To be digested by your own friend …how ironic .”