Dusk. District 3.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, signaling the end of the day, Takahashi Yuuya yawned, clasping his hands behind his head.
"What should I do now? I should check the map. There might be some uncollected chests in the Research Institutes."
He opened the System Map.
"Huh!"
Something was off.
Less than two hundred meters away, Two Gold Treasure Chests and One Silver Treasure Chest were clustered together, moving fast.
"Gold? Two of them?"
With a thought, Yuuya expanded his electromagnetic field. The radar image formed instantly in his mind.
[Radar Active]
In the image, a vehicle was approaching. It wasn't an ordinary RV; it was a modified mobile command center loaded with heavy weaponry.
Inside were four figures. All female. The electromagnetic waves distorted slightly when they brushed past one of them—likely an AIM diffusion field jammer or a high-level Esper.
Beep beep beep...
Yuuya's phone suddenly rang.
He took it out. The caller ID was a string of zeros.
[Unknown Caller]
The phone answered automatically before he could even press the button. A mechanical, emotionless voice echoed from the speaker.
"I am sending you a gift. Consider this my way of offering you... more. I hope you like it."
"Aleister."
Yuuya's lips curled into a teasing smile.
"I knew it was you, Crowley. The 'bargaining chip' you're talking about... it wouldn't happen to be ITEM, would it?"
Those four moving chests were ITEM—the elite mercenary unit of the Dark Side.
"This is just a small bonus. I am giving them to you, Takahashi."
The mechanical voice carried a tone of absolute arrogance, as if human lives were just currency.
"You're giving me a Level 5, and a Level 4... who has the potential to become the Eighth Level 5?" Yuuya asked, his eyes half-closed. "Aren't they under the direct jurisdiction of the General Board?"
"Heh. Just a mere Meltdowner. And a potential Number Eight."
Aleister's voice showed no regard for their status.
"They are insignificant. If they can serve as a bridge to the 'One True God,' then their value is maximized."
To Aleister, even a Level 5 was just a tool. As long as Yuuya had human desires, Aleister could control him—or at least, steer him—by offering him what he wanted.
"Tsk tsk. Alright, I'll accept your kindness."
Yuuya hung up.
"Sending me four beautiful girls to keep me in check? It's a trap, but a sweet one."
He felt a twinge of pity. The girls were being sold off by the Chairman without even knowing it. To Aleister, they were just pawns to be sacrificed.
"In that case... we need a quiet place for the handover."
Yuuya turned and walked toward the abandoned factory district.
...
Inside the Black RV.
"The target is moving. Keep up! It's a 10 million yen mission!"
Frenda Seivelun stared at the tracker in her hand. Her long legs, clad in black lace stockings, bounced nervously beneath her skirt.
"In the end, with this money, we won't have to work for a long time!"
"The client was super annoying," Kinuhata Saiai complained, stretching her slender legs. She wore a knitted dress that highlighted her figure.
"They only gave us the detailed info this morning. It was super time-consuming. And the target stayed in school all day. Super boring."
"Hehe! After we finish, how about we go to the amusement park pool?" Frenda suggested. "I've already picked out a swimsuit!"
"Okay. I'm going to book a private pool now," Kinuhata said, pulling out her phone.
"Private pool? No, no! Swimming is about wearing a swimsuit for others to see!" Frenda retorted. "If there's no one there, what's the point?"
"But the public pool is super crowded and the water is super dirty," Kinuhata sneered. "I super don't want to swallow someone else's bathwater."
"The result... is indeed like this..." Frenda muttered.
"How about you, Takitsubo?"
"I'm fine with anything..." Takitsubo Rikou murmured listlessly, rubbing her eyes. "As long as there's space for me to float... anywhere is fine."
"Oh... I see."
"Hmph! Silence."
Mugino Shizuri spoke from the front seat, her eyes fixed on the monitor.
"The target is heading towards the Abandoned Factory District. This is a good opportunity."
"Wow! It really is!" Frenda blinked, delighted. "If we fought in a crowd, even we would face suppression from the General Board."
"It seems even God is helping us get our ten million yen," Mugino smiled cruelly. "Sorry, buddy. You're the sacrifice for our vacation."
"Get out. Begin the operation."
...
Abandoned Factory District.
The black RV screeched to a halt on the deserted road.
Frenda jumped out, carrying a sniper rifle. While explosives were her specialty, against a Spatial Esper, speed was key.
"The best way to deal with a Teleporter is to kill them before they can think. So what if he can move instantly? Can his brain react faster than a bullet? Hehe, leave it to me!"
Inside the factory grounds, Yuuya stood by the gate, hands in his pockets.
"How will they attack? Sniping?"
BANG!
The sound of air cracking echoed. A high-caliber bullet tore through the twilight.
Clang.
The bullet hit the ground two inches from Yuuya's shoe, stopped dead by an invisible barrier before clattering to the concrete.
"As expected. A sniper rifle."
Yuuya smiled. He looked toward the horizon.
"But you're within my range."
He snapped his fingers.
Snap.
[Move Point: Mass Displacement]
Two hundred meters away, Frenda blinked, looking through her scope.
"Huh? He didn't die?"
Suddenly, a massive shadow engulfed her.
She looked up.
"No way..."
The sky was gone.
Hovering directly above the ITEM team were tons of industrial waste—steel beams, concrete pipes, sheet metal, and shipping containers. It was like a city block had been cut and pasted into the sky.
"Oh no!"
Mugino's face twisted in horror.
"We've been tricked! SCATTER!"
CRASH!
....
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