“You crazy villain bastards! Out of all the places to destroy, you pick the government building?!”“Oh please, that’s your problem, not ours! I’m the one who wants to wreck it, so what? Ugly to watch? Fuck it, then why don’t you do it instead! Heroes can all get lost, ptoo!”From villains and heroes locked in a power struggle, to already subdued villains and others charging inside the government complex—there wasn’t a single corner that wasn’t chaos.Uichan, tracking Podo’s location, froze for a moment. A massive swirl of mist was gathering on the left, whipping up fierce wind. On the right, a squad in black uniforms was executing villains and storming the building. Between them, a large beast sprinted through the site at terrifying speed.Noatis and Blacktan.Chirp—Uichan followed Rice Cake’s lead, his feet moving quickly. Heading toward the government complex, he found a section where the frame had collapsed. He slipped inside through a wall blasted open by a cannon, following the trail of footprints.Apparently, there had already been a clash with heroes; dead villains lay strewn across the corridor. As he walked for a while, he heard voices up ahead. Uichan pressed himself against the corner, holding his breath.“Did you find it? Fuck, of all times, why’d it have to snatch it now? What rotten luck!”“You sure it’s that Mother Ship brat? The one from In the Hell’s stockpile, right? They never cared about it before!”“They’ve been bombing every government office, so why are all of them here? This gotta be an inside leak!”“Shit, move to the roof! Signal says it’s up there!”The group of villains halted in the middle of the hall, then immediately bolted for the emergency stairs. When they turned the corner, Uichan stuck out his foot and tripped the lead villain.As the one in front fell, the whole formation collapsed in a domino effect. The villains scrambled up in confusion, then froze when they saw the man standing before them.His face was impossible to make out, like static interference—only one person was known to look like that.“Fuck—Under Doom!”“He’s alone?!”The moment someone pointed at him, Uichan kicked a man square in the jaw. The villain flipped backward and went limp. Uichan knocked the rest unconscious one by one, piling them against the wall.“Ah, sorry about this. I have to make a living too, you know. Let’s forget all that Mother Ship talk, alright? I’ll just leave you here for a bit.”With Regression, he erased their memories and brushed the dust off his hands. Voices echoed from the far end—someone had heard the commotion. Uichan yanked the emergency door open and dashed up the stairs, taking them three at a time until he burst onto the rooftop.Clang!The iron door flew off its hinges with a metallic crash. Uichan stepped onto the roof, scanning the blaze spreading across the night. Something sleek cut through the flames, fleeing the compound.“Podo!”Carrying a wooden box tied with a string clenched in its teeth, Podo was running on all fours like an animal. As Uichan chased after, a chill shot down his spine—someone was coming.Step. Step.“……”Someone approached, utterly unhurried, their steps full of confidence—so confident they didn’t even try to hide their presence. There were only three heroes who walked like that.Uichan grit his teeth and hurried on. If Noa and Blacktan were here, it could only mean… La Épée was likely present too.“Podo, no! Podo, stop!”If La Épée caught Podo, there would be no way to hide this from Hyde. Uichan ran until his lungs burned. Sensing his presence, the foxlike Podo stopped mid-run and turned its head.Kiiek—!The beast’s fierce sprint halted, its eyes going wide. Fortunately, tonight Podo had taken the shape of a thick-furred fox. Recognizing Uichan, it bolted toward him.“Podo, that’s right… good boy. Come here.”Kyek.Uichan spread his arms and caught Podo tightly in his embrace. Just then, an explosion roared behind him. He turned instinctively—crimson flames erupted into the sky. The hero pursuing him was, of course, La Épée.[Baby, over here!]On a nearby rooftop stood a man in black, arms wide open—one of Mother Ship’s wooden puppets. Uichan sent Podo toward him.“Go, Podo. Go!”Ki… kiiek.“I’ll follow right after you. Go to Mom first, okay? It’s fine.”Podo hesitated, ears drooping, then dropped what it was carrying. Perfect. If Podo kept the object, La Épée would keep tracking him. It was better for Uichan to hold onto it.Cradling the box tightly, Uichan let the fox go. Podo leapt over the rooftop and into the puppet’s arms, vanishing in a heartbeat like a wild beast. Uichan steadied himself and looked for an escape route.‘It’s getting worse…’Maybe from overexertion—pain was flaring in his abdomen again. He knew the pattern by now: it started heavy, then sharpened until it felt like tearing apart, after which he couldn’t move at all. He had to get out before it reached that point.He turned to leave, just as someone stepped into his path.Black hair swayed softly in the air. Even in the dim night, the man’s gray eyes gleamed.Uichan’s heart dropped. He quickly checked himself—his distortion item was still active. To La Épée, his face should look glitched or blurred. Yet the hero’s expression said otherwise—“So this is where you’ve been hiding.”He smiled like someone who had finally found what he’d long sought.La Épée. He twirled his fingers lazily before Uichan, small sparks whirling into a circular current.“It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”“……”“Third time, right? I didn’t realize In the Hell was so good at hiding things. I’ve been digging around and getting nowhere—thought my ability was getting dull. But here you are, showing up right in front of me with your eyes all red.”“……”“Should I say thanks?”His eyes curved in mocking amusement. He clearly knew who Uichan was—Under Doom. There was no use denying it. Uichan weighed his options. Could he throw the box and run? Or bargain with it?“…If you’re here for the artifact, I’ll give it back. Just pretend you never saw In the Hell here.”“Pretend, hmm… why would I?”Each time La Épée’s fingers twisted, the whirlpool grew larger, sparks bursting into flame. It was his signature “binding,” a full-body restraint that wrapped villains like fiery ropes, burning them as it held them.“I’m here to catch villains. I don’t care what’s in the box, or what happens to it. So tell me—”“……”“Will you come quietly, or shall I fetch you myself?”It was clear he was asking whether Uichan would surrender or resist. Uichan’s answer was neither.“I don’t like either. How about a third option? For example—you forget everything that happened tonight and erase Under Doom completely from your memory. Simple, right?”The world believed Under Doom’s ability was memory manipulation—that he erased anyone who saw his monstrous face.“Sorry, that option’s off the table. But I’ll make you a better one.” La Épée’s voice softened mockingly. “You can get captured quietly, and no one will ever know where you went. Straight to my place. Sound good? We’ve got things to discuss. Like…”His eyes unfocused briefly, as if recalling a memory. He hummed, lowering his brows.“That night—how many times we matched our breathing. I can be polite, sure, but when you bring home a kid, you take responsibility as an adult. So come to my house. Let’s talk. Did I go too rough that night?”So he was once with the gangs—no wonder his mouth was filthy. Uichan ignored the comment entirely, gripping the box under his arm. There was no other choice now.“Then negotiation’s over. If you’re gonna fight, do it fast. I’ll beat you up and wipe your memory clean.”As Uichan shifted into stance, La Épée laughed as if he’d expected it.“Mmm… then I’ll have to catch you, even if I hurt you. Wouldn’t want the other two to find out and make things awkward.”His tone was mild, but his aura turned vicious. The moment his fingers stilled mid-air, everything [N O V E L I G H T] went silent.“Think of it as punishment. Showing up here and causing trouble—you deserve at least a warning.”Sensing killing intent beneath the lazy words, Uichan dove sideways. A burning lariat shot toward him, missing by inches—but it twisted back like a living snake, chasing him relentlessly.Just before it could coil around his leg, Uichan unleashed Jekyll Jack’s borrowed ability—superhuman strength—and smashed it away.

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