Where was he?
"B-behind you—ARGGH!"
How did he disappear?
"Eh?! He was right here a second ago, I swear!"
How did he move so fast?
"I see you, bastard—where'd he—GAH!"
Why did the darkness embrace him so?
"Fuck this, I'm out. Mind ain't paying us enough for this shi—AHHH! I SAID I GIVE UP! MERCY!"
And most importantly…
How was he so cunning?
"Having some trouble, Mindy~?"
"Quiet."
The Mind huffed, his gaze fixed on the phone in his hands. Behind him, several monitors flickered with live footage of the chaos. His men were being systematically taken down, one by one, but curiously—none of them were dead. Their guest refused to kill.
At least, for now.
"How peculiar," he mused.
"If you're gonna talk to yourself, you might as well talk to me," a voice interrupted.
The Mind exhaled sharply. Annoying.
"You bore me, Demon," he said flatly. "I've already figured out what makes you tick."
Gin, shackled and bound, tensed ever so slightly. "...Oh yeah?" His tone was casual, but there was a sharp edge to it. "Mind sharing what you think you've figured out?"
The Mind simply looked at him. His mask revealed nothing, and his expression was void, making it impossible to tell what lurked beneath.
Then, he spoke.
"Poor mommy must be worried sick about where her little boy is."
Gin's body stiffened.
"Poor mommy, who fell ill, while her sweet child took it upon himself to provide for them both. A touching story, really." The Mind tilted his head slightly. "If only she knew she had birthed a Demon."
The sound of chains rattling filled the room.
Gin's fists clenched, his head lowering just slightly, his breathing deep and controlled—but the venom in his voice was unmistakable.
"You fucker... how do you know that?" His words dripped with malice. "Not even the Big Man knows about that."
The Mind chuckled. It was a soft, unsettling sound.
"Because secrets are just whispers waiting to be heard," he murmured. "And I? I do not listen. I consume."
Gin's teeth gritted, and for the first time since his capture, something flickered in his eyes.
"You know…" he started, his bangs shadowing his face. "The Big Man told me under no circumstances am I allowed to kill you." He let out a dark chuckle. "But I'm really reconsidering that order."
The Mind didn't even glance at him as he replied. "You may try. But should you succeed… you will be the catalyst for an all-out war—not just in the Fusionight Villain Zone, but across the entire city."
Gin snorted. "Bit too full of yourself, aren't you? Mr. third-rate villain."
The Mind remained unbothered. "My personal worth is irrelevant. It's my position that makes all the difference."
Gin remained silent, allowing him to continue.
"As you know, I oversee the West VilZone. A title that, on its own, might not mean much—not when compared to the North and South leaders. But for years now, Fusionight City has stood under an unwritten law: four leaders, four pillars, four hands gripping the underworld and keeping the balance in check.
"Villains, inside and outside this district, keep their ambitions in line, knowing that a stable structure means survival. And more importantly, we keep the heroes in check. By standing together, by showing them our unity, we do not just protect our own—we remind the heroes that should a war break out, the city itself will burn. They do not fear us alone. They fear what will happen to the innocent should our war spill into their streets."
Gin grunted in acknowledgment. He understood what the Mind was getting at.
"But if one of us falls, especially to another villain? Of another faction?" The Mind leaned forward slightly, his voice taking on a weight that made even Gin's amusement wane. "The effect would be immediate. A crack in the foundation. A rift of distrust. The other three leaders will turn on each other, each scrambling to seize power. And those outside the district?" He let out a quiet chuckle. "They'll see an opportunity. The floodgates will open. Everyone will want a piece of the throne. A civil war among villains would be inevitable."
Gin exhaled sharply. He already knew what came next.
"And the ones who would benefit most…" The Mind deliberately paused, waiting.
Gin groaned. "The heroes." The words tasted bitter.
"Indeed."
The Mind turned away, his masked face illuminated by the glow of the monitors. "The heroes will see that we are no longer unified. And the world governments will not hesitate. They will assemble their 'Avengers' to wipe us completely off the face of the world."
"Yeah, yeah. Spare me the doomsday speech."
"But that's not all," the Mind continued, his voice smooth, unwavering. "While they pour every elite hero into this city, the other power struggles across the world will be left unattended. You don't think villain factions in other cities will take notice? You don't think they'll see an opportunity? This isn't just about us, Demon. If Fusionight falls, it sets a precedent. The villains elsewhere will either be wiped out or they will unite, taking advantage of the heroes' distraction. And once that happens…"
Gin hesitated. "A world war," he muttered. "Good versus evil. Order versus chaos." He rolled his eyes. "Yada, yada. I get it. So stop lecturing me already."
The Mind chuckled, but there was something sharp beneath it. "Then again, what do I know? I'm just a third-rate villain." His voice dipped, turning into something quieter, something heavier. "Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe the Big Man will find a successor fast enough to stop the fallout. Maybe the pieces will fall back into place before the city tears itself apart." He let the words hang for a second longer before delivering the final blow.
"But can you risk it?" His voice was almost a whisper now, yet it cut deeper than anything else. "Knowing even your mother might be caught in the crossfire?"
Gin's entire body tensed.
The Mind's chuckle returned, light and mocking. "Are you truly ready to bear all that blood on your hands? I know you enjoy a mess, but even this would be too much for you, no?" He tilted his head slightly. "Besides, weren't you the one who wanted me to talk to you?"
Gin clicked his tongue. "Tsk."
The Mind sighed, almost disappointed. "Ah, and this is why I no longer find you amusing, Demon." He moved toward the center of the room, stepping into the pool of light, his movements deliberate as he scanned the entrances and the shifting shadows. "You act like a borderline psychopathic killer. But when the time comes to prove it, you hesitate. You pick and choose your battles. You pretend you don't care, but really?" He tilted his head. "You're just soft."
Gin's eyes darkened. "Oi, bastard. I might not be able to kill you, but I don't think anyone would mind if I cut that sleazy tongue of yours out."
"Perhaps." The Mind smirked beneath his mask. He reached for a small device in his pocket, and a sleek handgun in the other. "Now then… shall we see how my guest plans to save you?"
Gin snickered. "As if. That guy has no reason to save me. You do know I told him I'd kill him if I ever got the chance, right? He's probably just looking for the other hostages you've got."
The Mind chuckled, but this time, it was a sound that made Gin's stomach churn.
"Oh, that?" His voice was almost playful. "That was a lie."
Gin froze.
"I just wanted him to cooperate. Right now, you're the only hostage."
Swish—
Both men turned sharply toward the sound.
Gin's expression twisted.
"...Oh, you gotta be shittin' me."
There, in the suffocating darkness, two glowing orbs burned like distant embers. Floating, shifting—watching. At first glance, they could have been fire, but they weren't. They were eyes.
Unknown had arrived.
The Mind exhaled through his nose, recovering his composure. "Oh my. My dear guest, do you not know it is impolite to eavesdrop on a private and very personal conversation?"
No response.
The orbs moved—silent, calculated—circling him like a predator sizing up its prey. And yet, not once did they waver from him. Unknown never let the Mind out of his sight.
The Mind fidgeted slightly, just enough for someone as observant as Unknown to notice. "Would I be correct in assuming you heard my entire lecture?"
Silence.
"No… reaction?" The Mind whispered, his fingers tightening ever so slightly. "I would suggest standing down if you do not wish for your friend here to be dropped into a vat of acid." His tone held an air of authority, but there was an edge to it now.
Now that got a reaction out of Unknown. He laughed. A low, amused chuckle, as if the Mind had just told the best joke in the world.
"Heh… friend? That guy?" Unknown tilted his head slightly, the glow of his eyes flickering like candlelight. "That's a good one."
The Mind's expression remained unreadable, but for a brief second, he hesitated. He had expected fear, anger, maybe even desperation. But this?
Gin, while not as slack-jawed as the Mind, still found himself a little thrown off by Unknown's words. Something's different about him. His tone, his presence. The way he moved—it felt off. Gin couldn't quite put his finger on why, but an unsettling thought crept into his mind.
He's planning something.
Unknown took a slow, deliberate step closer. "What? Thought you had me all figured out?" His voice was almost teasing. "Too bad. I'm not like those heroes." He tilted his head slightly, a smirk barely visible beneath the glow of his eyes. "Really, I'm closer to a villain than a hero. Wouldn't you agree?"
The Mind remained still, tracking him, but he seemed… distracted. Unfocused, as Unknown continued spouting bullshit Gin couldn't understand.
Gin furrowed his brows. No seriously… what the hell is that guy doing? Just watching him move and talking was starting to make him dizzy—
Dizzy?
He shot a glance at the Mind, whose posture had changed subtly. Not defensive, not aggressive—just… locked in place. His focus entirely consumed by Unknown's movements, his body moving on autopilot. He was still tracking the vigilante, but there was something almost mechanical about it, as if his instincts were fighting against an invisible force.
Unknown's voice was almost a whisper now. "What's wrong? You look a little out of it."
The Mind's fingers twitched. "Tch…"
Unknown chuckled. His steps, his presence, the way he circled—it hadn't been random. It had been deliberate.
Like a snake hypnotizing its prey.
The Mind exhaled slowly, as if resetting himself. "I'll admit… I had pegged you for the altruistic type—if a little rough around the edges." He paused, tilting his head slightly. "But I was not expecting something like… that."
Gin simply stared, dumbfounded. He knew something was happening—he just didn't know what.
Unknown knocked lightly against his mask. "Quite a mess, isn't it?"
"…Repulsive would be a better word."
Unknown let out a short, amused hum. "So now that you've figured us both out, would you be willing to let us go?" Without breaking stride, he suddenly reversed direction, circling the Mind the other way.
A low chuckle escaped the Mind's lips. "On the contrary. I have merely scratched the surface of 'Unknown.' It would be a shame to let you go so soon… especially when I have so many more puzzles for you to solve."
"May I propose a game, then?"
The Mind's head perked up ever so slightly, intrigued. "As entertaining as that would be, I must decline. After all, there are no stakes. I hold all the cards." He lifted a remote in one hand, a handgun in the other. "Is there anything else you'd like to add before we—"
His words were cut off as a swirling mass of black and blue fire hurtled toward him.
There was no time to dodge. Instead, the Mind turned, bracing for impact—expecting heat, force, pain.
Instead, there was only… warmth. Barely even that.
His eyes flicked back to Unknown just in time to see the vigilante closing the distance, daggers gleaming in his hands.
The Mind swiftly raised his gun, but—
Schlink.
A single, fluid motion. One of Unknown's daggers cleaved clean through the firearm, slicing it in half. The useless remains clattered to the floor.
"Oh dear."
With a single push, the Mind shoved Unknown away and simultaneously swept his leg forward, tripping him. The moment Unknown began to fall, the Mind took the opportunity to create distance.
But even as he fell, Unknown hurled one of his daggers—
It sailed right past the Mind's head.
He missed?
Gin's eyes widened as he followed the dagger's trajectory. No… he didn't.
The Mind dusted himself off, his confidence returning. "How rude of you. I didn't even see it coming."
"You weren't supposed to," Unknown replied, voice as cold as steel. "Everything went to plan."
The Mind's expression darkened. "Plan? Your attack missed."
"He wasn't aiming for you, dumbass."
The third voice snapped his attention to Gin.
The dagger Unknown had thrown was embedded in the pole—right where the chains held Gin up.
The Mind's fingers instantly pressed the button on his remote. The mechanism whirred to life, lowering Gin toward the bubbling vat of acid below.
But then—
"Burn."
Unknown's voice cut through the air like a blade.
Flames erupted from the dagger. Controlled. Precise. Not wild destruction, but targeted annihilation. The metal binding Gin's chains melted away, and with a single, well-timed motion, he freed himself—pushing off and landing safely.
Gin rolled his shoulders, cracking his neck as he shot the Mind a cocky look.
"Told ya. Yer a third-rate villain."
That was it. The Mind had no cards left in play. The unlikely duo had won.
Yet, despite his situation, the Mind showed no outward frustration—only curiosity. "I can't help but wonder… when did you figure out my ability?"
Unknown tilted his head slightly. Though most of his face was hidden by his mask, his eyes bore into the Mind with an expression that practically screamed: Are you serious?
"Like… since the moment we met?" He shrugged. "You just kinda read my mind like an open book. Hard not to figure it out. That's without even mentioning you're literally called… The Mind." Gin chuckled at that.
The Mind let out a small sigh, as if disappointed in himself. "I suppose that one is on me, yes." His fingers tapped against his forearm in idle thought. "Even so… the way your mind shifts from a chaotic mess to complete silence, only to spiral back into disorder is simply…" He paused, as if searching for the right words.
"Incredible," he finally settled on. "Your mind is so incomprehensible that I couldn't make sense of it, no matter how hard I tried."
Gin snorted. "So you're tellin' me his head's so scrambled, even a psychic doesn't wanna deal with it?"
Unknown shot him a glare. "That is so not what he said!"
Ignoring the banter, the Mind adjusted his sleeves and glanced at Unknown. "Just what was that fireball?"
Unknown, without thinking, answered. "Surely you're smart enough to figure that out on your own?"
The Mind sighed. "Fine. Be that way. I will uncover your secrets sooner or later." His eyes narrowed slightly. "That leads me to another oddity—never once have you referred to yourself by name in your own thoughts."
Unknown shrugged. "Duh. Call it intuition, but I had a feeling you could only read the minds of those you're looking at."
The Mind raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
Unknown smirked. "And that hunch? Confirmed when you didn't realize where I threw the dagger. If you could read Gin's mind, you would've known."
Gin gave him a skeptical look. "And how do you know I was thinking about your dagger?"
"You weren't?"
"Well, I was, but still."
"Then shut up."
Gin scoffed, but before he could retort, the Mind chuckled.
"I must thank you both for stalling." He clasped his hands together. "It seems my backup has finally arrived."
Almost immediately, armed men emerged from the shadows, weapons trained on them. Unknown and Gin instinctively raised their hands.
"Nice going, idiot," Gin muttered.
"Oh, you are not blaming me after I just saved your sorry ass," Unknown whispered back.
"Yeah? My hero~." Gin rolled his eyes. "Too bad we're about to be filled with bullet holes. Guess we're going out with the double suicide route after all, huh?"
Unknown opened his mouth to snap back, but a sudden sound made them both freeze.
Glass shattering.
The windows exploded inward as new figures stormed the room, opening fire. Chaos erupted instantly—bullets flying, men shouting.
Gin grinned. "Finally, they're here. Took 'em long enough." He grabbed Unknown by the collar, yanking him along. "C'mon, leader. Time to get outta this shit hole."
Unknown stumbled slightly, momentarily thrown off. "Your guys?!" Gin nodded.
"Demons have arrived!" Gin laughed cockily as he made faces toward the Mind as they made their escape.