I opened my eyes.
Heh… looks like they opened the letter.
Well…
A promise is a promise.
I got out of bed.
—It's time to eliminate an organization.
I won't do it all at once.
That would be too easy.
Besides…
I need to test my two new powers in combat.
Blood magic.
And black eyes with a red iris.
I'll have to think this through carefully.
At that moment, the phone rang.
I picked it up and answered.
"Hello, champion. How are you?"
I sighed.
"So it's that clown…"
"What the hell do you want?"
"Hey, hey… calm down, champion."
His voice sounded amused.
"Right now you should get ready for a show."
"Some first-class fireworks."
There was a brief pause.
"Oh… and remember."
"I'll be watching you."
"Hahahaha."
The call ended.
I exhaled slowly.
I had already gotten used to that clown.
But he still irritated me.
"Now the important thing is preparation."
I teleported.
---
I appeared in Trenton.
I looked at the city.
"Beautiful city…"
"Too bad tonight the first show will give people a lot to talk about."
I smiled.
Then I teleported again.
---
I appeared inside a warehouse.
Several men were opening boxes.
Inside were toys.
One of them grabbed one.
He broke it open.
Inside there was a small bag.
He opened it.
White powder.
"Coke."
The man burst out laughing.
"Hahahaha!"
"Did we hit the jackpot or what?"
Another one answered quickly.
"Hurry. Move all of this somewhere else before the police or the DEA show up."
"Sure, boss."
There were ten men.
All of them armed.
Suddenly—
A scream.
"What the hell was that?"
Something fell from the ceiling.
Everyone looked up.
It was the body of one of their companions.
There was a smile on his face.
No one approached him.
Then…
Circus music.
The music echoed through the entire warehouse.
Everyone drew their weapons.
They were on high alert.
"Gentlemen…"
A voice spoke.
"It's a pleasure to have you at tonight's performance."
"Allow me to introduce myself."
"I am a clown."
"And it's a pleasure to have you as my audience."
Balloons appeared out of nowhere.
They slowly gathered together.
They formed one giant balloon.
The balloon exploded.
And from the explosion appeared a clown.
"Hello everyone!"
He greeted them dramatically.
"So… what did you think of the entrance?"
"How would you rate it?"
Everyone stared at him.
"Tonight we will have a magic show."
"I have everything prepared for this trick."
"Hahahaha."
A balloon floated to his hand.
The balloon popped.
Inside it appeared a magician's hat.
The clown proudly showed it.
"Well then…"
"Who wants to be the first to receive a magic trick?"
"Isn't it exciting?"
Silence.
"No one wants to step forward?"
One of the men spoke.
"You're the clown that boss Loren is looking for."
"Your head is worth a lot of money."
The others smiled.
"Guys, we're lucky."
"Let's kill that clown and claim the reward."
Greed appeared in their eyes.
One of them shouted.
"Hey, clown!"
"Come here."
"Let us kill you."
They all burst out laughing.
The clown shook his head.
"No. No. No."
"I have to perform a show."
"It's a magic show."
He pointed at them.
"How could I abandon magic for such a cheap reward?"
One of the men got angry.
He aimed his gun at the clown.
Bang.
The clown remained standing.
He looked at the man.
He put his hand inside the hat.
He pulled something out.
A pistol.
He aimed.
He fired.
A small flag popped out.
BANG.
The men froze.
Not because someone had died.
But because of the ridiculous gun.
One of them shouted.
"Are you messing with us, you bastard?"
The clown aimed again.
He fired once more.
The flag shot forward.
It pierced the head of the man who had fired first.
The man collapsed.
The clown spread his arms.
"Tada!"
"So, what did you think of the trick?"
"That was real magic, wasn't it?"
He looked around.
"Why aren't you applauding?"
"Didn't you like it?"
He touched the chin of his mask.
"Ah…"
"I have an idea."
He snapped his fingers.
"Since you didn't like that one…"
"I'll show you more magic."
He put the hat on.
He clapped.
When he separated his hands…
Balls of fire appeared, forming an arc.
"Tada!"
"See?"
"I have plenty of magic."
"This show won't be ruined just because two of you died."
The men were trembling.
One of them ran toward the exit.
Snap.
His head separated from his body.
The clown tilted his head.
"Why are you running?"
"The show has only just begun."
"It's very rude to leave a clown who is showing you magic."
He looked at the survivors.
"Eight left."
One of them fell to his knees.
The clown smiled.
"Perfect."
"You will show the rest how this magic works."
"It's called…"
"Confetti Explosion."
He pointed at him.
The man's body swelled.
Then he exploded.
Blood.
Confetti.
Pieces of flesh.
The clown sighed.
"Well…"
"I made a mistake."
"I promised confetti."
"But there was a small error."
The men were terrified.
One of them began crying.
Another started running.
The rest followed.
The clown watched them.
"This trick is called…"
He pulled out balloons.
He began inflating them.
Shaping them.
A Thompson submachine gun.
He aimed.
"Ta ta ta ta ta ta ta ta ta."
Six men fell dead.
Only one escaped.
He ran desperately.
Firing randomly.
The clown lifted his hat.
"This magic is called…"
"The Suction-Catching Hat."
He threw the hat like a frisbee.
The hat landed on the man's head.
The suction began.
The man screamed.
But the force was too strong.
The hat completely absorbed him.
Silence.
The clown clapped.
"Hahahaha."
"Now that was pure magic."
Then sirens could be heard.
Police.
The clown looked toward the entrance.
"Hehehe…"
"Too late."
On the wall appeared a mark.
A smiling clown giving a thumbs-up.
And I disappeared.