MERCURY’S HIDEOUT

  Rain strides toward the Alligator,

  his knuckles white around his sword’s hilt.

  His eyes fix on the target.

  He closes the distance,

  but the Alligator does not move.

  The man simply looks at him.

  Paloma’s hand shoots out.

  Her fingers clamp onto the flat of his blade.

  "Paloma..." Rain growls, his throat tight.

  "You don't insult my Master," she snarls.

  Her grip tightens.

  With a sharp crack,

  the steel snaps.

  Pieces of the sword clatter to the floor.

  Rain’s jaw drops.

  A knee drives into his solar plexus,

  sucking the air from his lungs.

  He staggers,

  clutching his stomach.

  "Rain, you don't come in here and act like that," Paloma says, her voice cold. "I'll be glad to end you."

  At her signal,

  her guard Naco steps forward and hands her a rifle.

  Nearby,

  a Ruby Phantom blurs toward Paloma.

  His fist whistles through the air.

  Naco moves faster,

  catching the attacker’s hand in a crushing grip.

  Naco pulls the man in, slams his forehead against the Phantom’s skull, and drags him away from the fray.

  Two other Phantoms raise their guns and march toward Paloma.

  Rain tries to reach the Alligator again.

  He is inches away when a fist slams into his ribs.

  The force hurls him sideways.

  He hits the wall with a dull thud, the plaster cracking behind him.

  Shion stands in his path, her fist still raised. Her gaze is like ice. "Who do you think you are?"

  Rain gasps, his eyes wide. When did she get that close? I never even saw her.

  ICTUS STREET

  The crowd surges. Prinky leads the charge, her smile wide as she points at a flickering shape. "This is one!"

  K.B. solidifies in the center of the chaos.

  A burly fighter lunges,

  throwing a heavy punch.

  The fist stops inches from K.B.’s nose as if hitting an invisible wall.

  K.B. strikes back with a palm to the man’s neck. The fighter’s eyes roll back, and he hits the dirt.

  Gunshots ring out.

  Bullets streak toward K.B.

  but veer away at the last second,

  thudding into the ground nearby.

  More attackers rush in with blades raised.

  They fall one by one,

  their bodies going limp before they can even swing.

  The Adviser watches from the sidelines with five Northern men. "Formidable," he says.

  "Should we move?" one Northman asks.

  "We wait," the Adviser replies. "Let's see how far he gets."

  A swordsman charges K.B.

  He collapses into the dust before his blade reaches its mark.

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  K.B. hasn't even lifted a finger.

  Seven more fighters leap into the air,

  axes gleaming.

  They hit the ground unconscious before their boots touch the pavement.

  The Adviser’s face pales. "He is untouchable..."

  Two women rush K.B.

  next.

  The first vanishes in a blur of speed,

  only to tumble to K.B.'s feet,

  out cold.

  The second fires her pistol.

  The bullet whizzes past K.B. harmlessly.

  In a flash,

  K.B. appears in front of her.

  His hand clamps around her throat.

  She kicks and claws at his arm,

  her face turning red.

  Another attacker tries to stab him from behind,

  but the man drops like a stone before the strike lands.

  K.B. slams the girl down.

  She lies there,

  gasping for air. "How... I didn't see you move..." she whispers before her eyes close.

  "Shadow movement is a thing of the mind," K.B. says, his voice steady. "Reality swapping is the master version. It takes years to learn."

  Venus turns to King Pin. "Did you see him?"

  King Pin narrows his eyes. "He has the skill of a ghost. I can track the others, but my eyes can't read him. And where is his gun?"

  Two Northern men appear in front of K.B.

  A punch grazes K.B.’s cheek as he weaves.

  A third Northman lands behind him, pressing a cold pistol barrel against K.B.’s spine.

  "You're the Alligator?" the man asks.

  "I'm the Kingdom Base," K.B. smiles. "I'm not on the boss's level yet."

  A bullet approaches from a distance, closing in on the Phantom behind K.B.

  The Phantom fades,

  bullet curves, chasing him. He cuts through the air four times,

  dodging the persistent round until it finally loses momentum and falls.

  In that heartbeat,

  K.B. strikes.

  His fists are a blur,

  hitting both men in front of him at the same time.

  They fly backward and crash into a building, the wall shatters.

  Two other Northern men approaching, they—open fire.

  K.B. weaves through the lead rain.

  High above,

  Nina’s sniper shots tear through the street.

  Her bullets punch through walls and find their marks in heads and limbs.

  Fighters drop like flies.

  Venus trembles. "That deadly warrior has joined the game."

  A guard with a massive hammer rushes K.B. from behind.

  Nina fires.

  The bullet streaks toward the guard’s head.

  He ducks,

  the bullet hits a wall, and then it ricochets back toward him.

  He twists away,

  but the metal finds his arm.

  He groans,

  dropping his hammer with a heavy

  metallic clang.

  King Pin moves closer to the Adviser. "The man is strong."

  "Perhaps," the Adviser says.

  A bullet streaks toward the Adviser’s head.

  King Pin grabs him,

  pulling him aside in a blur.

  The bullet loops back,

  aiming for King Pin’s forehead.

  Prinky leaps into the air and, with a single flick of her finger,

  swats the bullet into the dirt.

  "That's my girl," the Adviser smiles.

  Prinky scans the rooftops. "I'll catch her."

  She vanishes into a nearby alley, her shadow dissolving into the darkness.

  MERCURY’S HIDEOUT

  Rain lunges at Shion.

  A palm intercepting Rain’s fist.

  Maxwell throws a counter-punch,

  Rain leaps back just in time.

  Across the room, Paloma trades shots with the Phantoms.

  Sparks fly as bullets hit stone.

  She dodges the barrage,

  her form flickering as she closes the distance.

  Naco and a Phantom move in a violent dance.

  Naco lands a heavy punch on the man’s jaw,

  sending him stumbling.

  Naco presses the advantage,

  but the Phantom’s form shifts.

  Suddenly,

  the Phantom is behind him,

  a knife aimed at Naco’s spine.

  A gunshot cracks.

  A hole appears in the Phantom’s head.

  He falls dead.

  Spike lowers his smoking gun. "Be more careful."

  Naco grins. "Thanks."

  ICTUS STREET

  K.B. holds his ground against the three Northmen. The two he knocked down earlier scramble back to their feet. All five surround him.

  The air is filled with snapping punches and cracking gunshots. One Northman finds an opening and drives a fist into K.B.’s face. The impact sends K.B. flying through a brick wall.

  Dust clouds the air.

  K.B. bursts from the debris, a rifle named Angel in his hands.

  A shadow of dread crosses his face.

  A Northman lunges.

  K.B. sidesteps,

  grabs the man’s arm,

  and pulls him into a point-blank burst from the rifle.

  The body hits the ground.

  The Adviser’s eyes widen. "He killed one."

  The remaining four press forward.

  K.B. fires again.

  The bullets freeze in mid-air,

  hovering in four separate lines.

  The Northmen try to weave through the floating lead.

  One miscalculate.

  A bullet punches through his skull.

  Only three are left. K.B. chuckles. "I killed the fighters. Only the Mercs are left. You’re strong, but you forced me to draw Angel. Let’s see who shoots better."

  On a distant ridge, Nina watches through her scope, tracking the Northern fighters."I can't hit them. They move too fast."

  Suddenly, prinky’s shadow appears behind Nina.

  A knife hovers inches from Nina’s neck.

  Nina’s body dissolves and reappears a few steps away.

  A thin red line appears on her cheek.

  "You gave me a chill," Nina says. "How did you find me, little girl?"

  "Enemies must die," Prinky says, her gaze flat.

  Prinky blurs again.

  The knife grazes Nina’s neck,

  drawing blood.

  Nina touches the wound and smiles. "Fast kid."

  Prinky leaps into the air,

  aiming for Nina’s forehead.

  Nina snaps aside,

  her eyes wide.

  If I weren't good at shadow movement, she’d have me.

  Prinky lunges.

  Nina leaps backward and fires her gun.

  Prinky twists mid-air,

  dodging the bullet.

  The round boomerangs back.

  Prinky tears through space,

  outrunning the bullet until it falls.

  Nina fires again,

  precise and controlled.

  Prinky becomes a desperate blur,

  dodging the curving bullets.

  She closes the gap,

  her eyes locked on Nina.

  Nina tries to create distance for another shot.

  Prinky surges upward.

  Before Nina can react,

  the knife sinks into her arm.

  Nina staggers.

  Prinky crashes down on top of her, slamming her into the ground.

  The air leaves Nina’s lungs.

  Her gun slides away.

  Prinky pins her down, her strength far greater than she looks. She laughs—a high, sharp sound.

  Nina tries to swing, but her arms feel heavy. Her vision swims.

  Prinky presses the cold blade against Nina’s chest, right over her heart.

  "Still breathing," Prinky whispers. "Good. That means I can choose how it ends..."