Backstage, the tension was as tight as a stretched rubber band about to snap.
The sudden appearance of Don the Phantom stunned everyone—Roxxy, Jody, even Priya herself. None of them could make sense of how this man, dressed in a two-tone suit with eerie green eyes, had appeared without the slightest sound—as if he'd been snapped into existence.
It was impossible. No one could sneak up like that. So how had he done it?
Mickey was cornered, guns pointed at him from both sides. He had Priya as a hostage—otherwise Fred might've shot by now. Don had Sera. If things continued like this, Mickey was done for.
That was when someone burst in—someone who changed everything.
Toshi.
The Japanese operative arrived from behind Don. The moment he spotted Sera in Don's grip, he didn't hesitate.
Kalveki activated.
As Toshi stepped into the scene, time bent. Don and Fred noticed him—but too late. From their view, the world slowed to a crawl. The ticking of an unseen clock began.
Tick... tick... tick... tick...
Everyone else moved in slow motion. But to Toshi, everything was in real-time.
He raised his gun—
Bang!
Fired at Don.
Swiveled—
Bang!
Shot at Fred.
Tick... tick... tick... stop.
Time resumed.
Both bullets soared through the air, headed for their targets.
But what happened next was beyond belief.
A transparent white aura radiated from Don, and a symbol—a human figure dissolving—flared in the air.
Don's body faded—no, evaporated, becoming mist.
The bullets passed straight through.
They weren't aimed at a man, but a form. A cloud. Don's true body had transformed into an intangible fog.
And one of the bullets hit Sera.
Instead of helping, Toshi had accidentally shot her.
Fred's bullet grazed his arm—blood seeped out, but he was still up.
Luckily, Sera had been buffed by Syd's power—just like the others. The bullet didn't pierce any organs, but blood bloomed through her clothes nonetheless.
"AAAGH!!!"
She gritted her teeth against the pain.
Toshi ran forward.
Chaos exploded all around them.
Bang!
Mickey fired at Fred—but Priya, being the closest to him, grabbed his arm just in time, ruining his aim.
And just before Mickey could send a deadly surge of green current into her—
Don's mist coalesced into a hand.
Holding a gun.
Bang!
He shot Mickey in the back.
"MICKEY!!!" Sera screamed.
Blood seeped beneath his jacket. Mickey collapsed to the ground, hands bracing on the floor.
Don reformed, ready to finish him off—but Toshi fired again, forcing him to retreat.
Don turned and shielded Priya like a bodyguard, escorting her and Fred toward the room's cut-out exit. He shot at the area's circuitry—
FWOOM.
The lights backstage died.
"They've got a protector..." Toshi muttered bitterly. "No wonder they walked around so confidently..."
He hadn't expected this. No one had. A bodyguard who could turn into mist?
That was Don's power.
He could become fog—move freely, untouched, intangible.
"Go after them," Mickey growled.
"You sure you're okay?" Toshi asked.
"Just don't let them get away. Sera's here. You know she'll cover me."
"...Got it."
With a professional nod to Sera that said I'm counting on you, Toshi sprinted into the darkness, chasing after the enemy trio.
"..."
A pink aura radiated from Sera's body. Within moments, Mickey's wound began to close. The bullet pushed itself out of his skin with a faint ping.
Mickey grabbed his earpiece—trying to contact their surveillance team.
But silence.
"...Roxxy? Hello?"
No response.
His face darkened.
"There's more than one enemy. They're under attack too."
"Whatever! Can you stand?"
"I'm good. Let's move."
They were just about to resume the chase when Mickey froze.
He sensed something—someone—approaching from the main entrance.
"...!"
Without a word, Mickey yanked Sera close, dragging her under the nearest table.
"MICKEY—?!"
"Someone's coming," he whispered.
Just those few words—and Sera understood.
But their position now? Way too close. His hand clamped over her mouth. Their faces were inches apart—his breath brushed her forehead. Their bodies were pressed together like a scene from a trashy romance novel… except this wasn't about sneaking around lovers.
This was about survival.
They were hiding from someone who could very well kill them.
Footsteps echoed.
Click. Click. Click.
One pair of high heels. One pair of dress shoes.
Male and female voices.
"…Smells like smoke…"
"…It's the gunpowder, Euclid. Targets are gone. Looks like there was a fight here…"
Exactly as Mickey predicted. Two voices. One woman. One man.
"The smell's coming from here... backup power cutout."
"They probably went this way. Come on!"
Their footsteps faded.
Mickey waited a moment—then whispered to Sera:
"Another faction. CIA, no doubt."
He removed his hand from her mouth, wiping her saliva onto the floor without a second thought.
"They're after the same target?"
"Looks like it," he replied grimly.
Meanwhile, Don was doing his job flawlessly.
He'd gotten Priya and Fred out of that death trap. But Priya… she wasn't convinced.
She had the distinct feeling Don had let Mickey get the jump on her—on purpose. Maybe because she'd insulted him earlier?
She had no proof. Just a suspicion.
"There's more than one group after you," Don told them. "They've got the whole building surrounded. It's not safe here."
He led them through a VIP-only exit that connected directly to the roof.
Yes. If you remembered—up on that rooftop was where the full moon party was supposed to be held tonight. And more importantly…
Their helicopter was waiting.
Fred and Priya had anticipated something like this. Their people had already warmed up the engine.
If they could just reach that chopper… they'd win.
Toshi bulldozed through the chaos. He didn't care who he hit. Guests, influencers, security—didn't matter.
From the window, you could already see flashing lights outside—firetrucks, police.
Some news reporters and influencers had even started livestreaming.
"They're heading to the roof! There's gotta be a chopper!"
From here, it was five more floors to the top.
He'd reached the VIP guest floor.
And if he remembered correctly, this area shared the same power circuit as the server room—it wasn't affected by the blackout.
Roxxy and Jody would run into them for sure—assuming they weren't already fighting someone else.
"There!"
He rounded a corner—and ran into Fred and Priya's guards.
No choice.
Tick… tick… tick… tick…
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The guards dropped.
But just then—he heard footsteps behind him.
"!?"
"Who—!?"
Could it be... CIA?
"Dammit. Targets and CIA?"
Toshi dove into a VIP room, slamming the door behind him to hide.
BAM!
Inside—he stumbled upon two half-naked women in an intimate position beneath soft purple lights and velvet decor.
"...Uh."
But the spark in Toshi's mind lit instantly.
He grabbed his earpiece.
"Mickey. Sera. VIP room—far right of the elevator. Smash the window!"
Back downstairs…
Mickey and Sera sprinted up the emergency stairs—avoiding the main route Toshi had taken. That path was likely being watched by Euclid and Blanchet.
Toshi's voice came through:
[VIP room, far right of the elevator. Smash the window! Hurry!]
"Wait, what?? Why—?"
But Mickey didn't question it.
He dashed out of the stairwell into the VIP corridor. Found the right room. Plugged his green cable into the door's keypad.
Beep. Click.
"Hey! Who the hell are you!?"
WHAM.
The drunk man inside was dropped instantly.
Mickey sprinted to the window and shattered it.
CRASH!
[Rope incoming! Grab it, Mickey! Hurry!!]
A rope unfurled down from above.
Toshi was right above him.
"They're one step ahead!" Blanchet shouted, rounding the corner where Toshi had passed.
She and Euclid came across the three dead guards—Fred and Priya's men.
No doubt the enemy was that group.
Suddenly, a half-naked woman in a towel burst from a VIP room, shrieking.
"AAAHHHHHH!!!"
She collapsed in terror.
Euclid ran to her.
"What happened!?"
"...H-he... they... Someone broke in!"
"Who?!"
"I—I don't know!! But they jumped out the window!!"
Blanchet and Euclid exchanged glances.
They.
They ran into the room.
Inside was another woman, still shaking.
The window was smashed.
Euclid peeked outside—sure enough, a rope still dangled, connecting to the window below.
They'd jumped out and climbed down a floor.
"Why'd they go down?!"
"Did they know we were behind them?"
Euclid turned back to the woman.
"What did they look like?! Speak!"
"...Two men… One darker-skinned woman..."
"…Priya? Fred?"
Blanchet's eyes widened.
"They went down," Euclid growled.
"...What!?"
"One was Fred. The woman was Priya!"
"…They know how to rappel!?"
"No clue—but we're out of time!"
He ran. Blanchet followed.
Before leaving, she looked at the two women and said:
"Get out of here. Now."
The woman in the towel returned to the room.
Paused.
Peeked out the door.
They were gone.
She turned back—and dropped the towel.
The second woman on the bed stared in confusion.
"…You can come out now."
From beneath the bed crawled… herself—fully clothed.
Both of them stared at each other, stunned.
The transformation had been perfect.
Voice, appearance, everything.
"Thanks for cooperating," said Toshi, now shifting back into his real form.
He grabbed a gray suit coat—but paused.
No time to change.
He turned to the woman whose form he'd copied.
"Hey. Gimme your top. And you two better get out of here."
He still got a question.
"…You seriously didn't hear the explosions girl? damn"