"LUNAE POINT!"
Mirko exploded forward at the speed of sound, leaving a residual image of herself as she transformed into a white blur and vanished completely from Lot's sight.
"UNTERRATE!"
Lot roared, pushing his Quirk to its absolute maximum.
The marks on his body began to pulse like engorged veins, and in less than a second, everything within a 200-foot radius in front of him was utterly wiped off the map, as if it had never existed.
"Haa... Haa..."
Witnessing the devastation he had wrought, Lot quickly drew a deep breath, maintaining his guard. He cautiously surveyed his surroundings, anticipating an attack, a taunt, or any cliché a Hero might employ in such a situation.
...
Nothing.
...
Silence.
...
Lot let out an exhausted sigh, confirming that Mirko had indeed been eliminated.
"Haa... Haa..."
Gasping in pain, Lot collapsed to the ground as he felt the adrenaline slowly drain from his body. "...I'm too old for this... I need to retire..."
He lifted his head to glare at the sun in all its splendor before closing his eyes in delight at the warmth the distant star provided. "...Maybe a fisherman... yes, that sounds good. Just me, the sea, and the fish..."
"That sounds good..." Lot muttered, lying back on the hard asphalt, utterly disregarding the destruction around him. "That's just what an old man needs..."
Lot opened his eyes, reveling in the beautiful blue sky—
'What's that?' He thought, squinting. "A smudge?"
Suddenly, his eyes widened like saucers.
"Oh fuc—"
BOOOOOM!
Nighteye stood beside Kojo in a darkened room, two guards positioned at the door to ensure their protection. Both were seated, facing each other with their eyes closed.
Nighteye remained calm and serene, like an unmovable mountain.
Kojo, however, was far from relaxed; one glance revealed that something was deeply unsettling her. She was sweating profusely, and her knuckles were white from the force with which she clenched her fists.
This was likely due to the immense stress of having so many people connected by her Quirk.
'Sir, we have finished with the second floor of the hideout! We have a total of 34 Hashimoto captured! We await further orders!' a police officer reported to Nighteye through the Mental Passage.
'Regroup, then divide your group into two. I want the first group to extract the Hashimoto from the hideout and bring them to our position. The second group is to proceed to the second floor and support Burnin against Reaper and any potential remaining Hashimoto. Understood?'
'Sir! Yes, Sir!'
Nighteye swiftly issued orders to the group, continuously receiving information from the other teams. Personally, he desired to be in the midst of the raid to give orders more easily, but with over 60 people involved, it was exceedingly difficult to command everyone effectively in the heat of action.
'Mirko reporting!' Mirko's characteristically enthusiastic voice resonated in Nighteye's head. 'I've managed to knock Lot out!'
'Well done, Mirko! I will mobilize the Mt. Lady Team to your position and send someone to pick up Lot,' Nighteye thought, a small wave of relief washing over him for a moment. That was one less major threat.
'Got it!' Mirko exclaimed with a confident laugh. 'So, what are my new orders?'
'We need reinforcements against Reaper. When he appeared, he used some sort of gas against Lena and Lemillion that rendered them unconscious—'
Nighteye froze for a moment before gritting his teeth hard. 'Shit...'
'Sir?' Mirko's confused voice questioned. 'Something wrong?'
'... Impulse has been killed in combat, and it looks like Aegis won't be able to hold out for long against Reaper,' Nighteye reported with a cold tone. 'Mirko, I urgently request your presence on the second floor, otherwise more than five Heroes might fall in combat.'
'... I'm coming right away,' Mirko announced. Nighteye could feel Mirko's murderous intent surge through the mental passage.
'Be careful, there's still no sign of Yunma or the Hashimoto Leader—' Nighteye attempted to warn, but Mirko had already severed the mental passage. "Haa..."
Nighteye let out a tired sigh before sending further orders to the Mt. Lady Team.
'This was getting more complicated than expected...'
He didn't realize how Kojo had remained silent for quite some time now.
Or how there were no longer just two people in the room.
"Impulse!!" Aegis screamed, watching Reaper's bullets pierce through his partner's skull, leaving only a gruesome mush of blood and brains.
BANG!
"One down..." Reaper muttered with a hint of delight.
Aegis's gaze turned bloodshot as he lunged towards Reaper like a charging bull. "Bastard!!!"
Caught by surprise, Reaper received a heavy blow to the jaw that momentarily stunned him before he looked at Aegis with clear annoyance, only to be forced to dodge another flare from Burnin.
The fiery Heroine began to slowly advance towards both of them with an expressionless face. However, her hair flickered with intense flames, making her mood easily discernible.
"I think I'm going to reserve a seat for you deep in hell!" Burnin exclaimed, launching several green flares towards Reaper.
The latter attempted to retreat but was blocked by Aegis, who unleashed blow after blow upon the mercenary. Trapped between fire and a persistent assailant, Reaper was forced into a purely defensive stance.
Even then, every now and then, he would take a hit from Aegis or a burn from Burnin. He tried to use his shotgun, but Aegis would simply activate his Quirk, and Burnin maintained a safe distance.
The combat intensified further. These 'idiots' were not like Lena and her partner; these were trained Heroes who knew how to coordinate and fight with great efficiency.
Suddenly, a voice echoed down the hallway... to Reaper's misfortune, it was not Sombra's voice.
"Ma'am! I've managed to clear the gas!" exclaimed a man's voice, Tat. "I see Lena and Lemillion both convulsing on the floor!"
"Move them to safety!" Burnin exclaimed, launching another round of flames. "Mirko is on her way! Hang in there, Aegis!"
"No problem!" Aegis roared, landing a punch to Reaper's chest, only for Reaper to dodge it by transforming into mist.
'Lot lost to Mirko?' Reaper thought in disbelief as he watched the situation quickly shift against him. 'Damn useless Hashimoto bastards!'
"Reaper!!" Sombra's voice called from across the hallway. "It's ready!"
Sombra's voice made Aegis pause for a moment—a crucial moment for Reaper. Without a second thought, he completely transformed into mist and shot towards Sombra's voice, leaving a stunned Aegis behind.
"Stop him!" Burnin exclaimed, snapping Aegis out of his daze.
Aegis began to run as if his life depended on it... but Reaper was far faster.
Reaper reached Sombra's side in no time. The hacker stood next to what appeared to be a black portal with pulsing purple edges and strange particles. She was drenched in sweat and looked on the verge of collapsing at any moment.
Without a word, Reaper's mist enveloped Sombra, and they both entered the portal.
Aegis was about to follow... when the portal abruptly closed in front of his eyes.
"SHIT!"