The leader of this gang was Kacey Debra. The men she had gathered were all former members of gangs active over a decade ago. They hadn't gone straight; they had simply been hiding from the Special Task Force and the Maison Gardiennage.
But men die for wealth, just as birds die for food.
How could they not be tempted by the news of the Blood Money Gang's treasure hidden here?
Of course, most were simply following their boss's orders.
To survive in the underworld, you had to be ready to risk your life. Fight, and you might live. Don't fight, and the gang's brutal rules would claim your life anyway.
But... doesn't the Phantom Thief kill people?
The gang members exchanged uneasy glances, hesitating.
Kacey's voice was hoarse. "What are you standing around for? Have you forgotten your boss's orders?"
"Why don't you go yourself, you old hag?" one of them retorted.
Kacey drew her pistol. "Move it!"
"Tch! Brothers, charge!"
Chevreuse snapped back to reality, raising her musket. Just as she was about to pull the trigger, a hand pressed down on the barrel.
It was Luna.
She smiled. "Captain Chevreuse, you should stay seated in the audience. This time, I'm the only star. Don't even think about interfering."
Chevreuse fell silent.
After a moment, she raised her hand and gestured for the Special Task Force to fall back, retreating to the rear but remaining on high alert, ready to fire at a moment's notice.
Arlecchino, too, made no move.
The White Cat has obtained a Vision... Chevreuse thought. She wasn't surprised; in fact, it felt almost inevitable.
But it's Pyro, too?
Chevreuse remembered the day she received her own Vision. She had made a life-defining choice—she hadn't pulled the trigger on the criminal who had killed someone close to her. Instead, she had arrested them as a member of the Special Task Force.
At that time, she had no overwhelming desire.
What about the White Cat? Chevreuse wondered. Did she develop a powerful wish, or did she, too, make a critical choice?
Looking toward Luna, Chevreuse saw her press a hand against her mask.
The mask erupted into flames once more, and the phantom figure materialized behind her.
"Go, Arsène!"
The phantom transformed into a streak of fierce light, striking the center of the gang members and exploding into a rain of fire that filled the air.
"Aaaaaaaah!"
Several gang members collapsed, clutching their burns and wailing in agony.
Luna drew her one-handed sword. One blade rippled with water, the other blazed with fire. She advanced slowly through the curtain of rain toward the remaining gang members.
A flash of blue, a flash of red—the flickering light alone was enough to fill them with terror.
Kacey's face drained of color. "Why didn't that old bastard bury this damn cat?!" she cursed. "What's the point of taking his life?! Use your ultimate moves!"
The burly brawlers charged forward, throwing punches in unison!
Their outstretched fists stopped just inches from Luna, frozen in place.
"Threads?"
"When did—"
Ice Threads had wrapped around their arms and waists, freezing solid in the rain.
In their moment of stunned confusion, a red sword light flashed across their vision
They immediately collapsed to their knees, realizing their arms and legs had lost all strength—as if the "threads" connecting them had snapped.
"Aaaah! It burns! It hurts so much!"
The wounds seared with unbearable pain.
"The potions are ready! Throw them at her!"
The gang members who had prepared the chemical potions frantically hurled their vials, hoping the elemental power within could harm her.
But it was useless.
The flying vials slowed to a crawl in mid-air, becoming almost completely still.
Luna chuckled softly. "Do you know why I didn't dismantle those explosives?"
"It wasn't because I couldn't. It was because I didn't need to."
Raindrops fell upon the nearly motionless vials.
With a flash of her water-blue sword, the vials shattered. The scattering glass and bursting elements also moved in extreme slow motion, creating a chaotic, frozen tableau.
And Luna emerged from this tableau, completely unscathed.
"Eek!"
"I... I can't do this!"
"Run!"
The gang members loved to overwhelm their opponents with numbers and prey on the weak.
But faced with true power, they finally realized their petty tricks, clever schemes, and all their preparations were utterly useless.
And just as they turned to flee...
A flash of blood-red light!
"Aaaargh!"
Intense pain erupted in their backs, sending them collapsing to the ground, wailing in agony.
Luna chuckled softly. "Cats are predators, you know. Turning your back on one... you're all quite bold."
"But it's hardly surprising. You must treat others the same way."
"Trampling, insulting, destroying others' lives and hopes—all for your own selfish gain. Such sins are so... dull. Utterly devoid of any aesthetic."
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The remaining gang members, knowing escape was impossible, opened fire in a desperate panic.
The bullets passed straight through Luna's body.
Nothing happened.
"Why aren't the guns working?!"
"I'm sure I hit her..."
"Help... help me! Special Task Force, I surrender! I'll turn myself in, just save me—"
The Luna before them vanished like a mirage.
In its place, a voice spoke from behind them.
"But don't think you're safe just because you're not showing your back to the predator. How can you ever be sure which one is real?"
Luna smiled faintly.
Swordlight crisscrossed.
The last of the gang members fell.
"My sincerest apologies. Perhaps I should have made this a bit more elegant, but I'm finding it incredibly difficult to calm down right now. This is the first time in my life I've ever been this angry... So this is what it feels like."
Luna exhaled a plume of white breath. The biting cold rain striking her skin did nothing to extinguish the fury blazing within her.
She turned to face Kacey Debra, who had repeatedly pulled the trigger on her, only for the gun to emit empty click, click sounds.
"Good evening, Ms. Kacey."
Luna took a step forward, and Kacey scrambled back, losing her footing and collapsing to the ground with a thud.
"Ph-Phantom Thief White Cat... Y-you've already gotten the treasure you wanted, haven't you? Take the sword! If you want it, just take it!"
Luna smiled faintly. "My dear Ms. Kacey, why so frightened? Have you ever been this scared before?"
Arlecchino walked to Luna's side and tossed Malo onto the ground next to Kacey.
"He tried to escape in the chaos," Arlecchino said coolly. "But it was useless."
"Thank you very much."
Luna sheathed her one-handed sword and casually adjusted her gloves.
"And what about you, Mr. Malo? Have you ever been this scared before?"
"...What's your relationship with that couple?" Malo muttered, his head bowed.
"My relationship? Hmm... Let me think."
If I can learn the Phantom Thief's true identity, Malo thought desperately, and if I survive this, I can report her to the Court of Justice... That would surely get my sentence reduced!
Luna smiled. "They were people I respected."
"What?"
"They ventured into enemy territory for their friends and were willing to die for justice. They are undoubtedly heroes. Even in defeat at your hands, their brilliant radiance will never dim."
"They are treasures... treasures I could never possess."
Chevreuse ordered the Special Task Force to quickly clear the battlefield and carry away the injured gang members. She then walked over to Luna.
"White Cat..."
"Captain of the Special Task Force, why aren't you arresting her?!" Kacey's voice cracked.
"Because she can't."
Luna snapped her fingers. The Golden Stage instantly materialized around them—a stage beneath their feet, spotlights overhead. Blinding light shone down on the couple, forcing them to shut their eyes.
Arlecchino placed a hand on Chevreuse's shoulder.
"!?!"
I can't move.
A force radiated from Arlecchino, paralyzing Chevreuse. Her limbs refused to obey her commands. It wasn't manipulation—it was more like primal fear.
Luna drew the pistol from Chevreuse's holster.
Chevreuse's heart lurched. "White Cat..."
Don't.
"A custom-made pistol that holds six rounds. Quite nice. Let me borrow it for a moment, Miss Captain. I'll give it back soon."
Stop.
Chevreuse clenched her fists, beginning to resist Arlecchino's oppressive force.
Arlecchino whispered in her ear, "Captain Chevreuse, revenge is a natural right. You can't demand that others abide by your standards. Just because you didn't pull the trigger doesn't mean she can't."
She's right. My actions don't dictate what others must do.
But Luna isn't just 'others'.
"I have the right to stop her," Chevreuse said in a low voice.
"What right? Are you her family? Her righteous parents were murdered by these two villains. How do you propose to resolve that rage?"
Click.
Luna cocked the hammer, aiming at her enemies.
"I... I surrender!" Kacey screamed.
"Phantom Thief, please forgive us..."
Chevreuse narrowed her eyes.
They were begging not out of remorse, but because they knew their lives were now in Luna's hands. Their pathetic display filled her with disgust.
Arlecchino murmured, "See? They will never repent."
"Because they have tasted the fruit of sin. Once they've had a taste, they'll never stop craving it. They've fallen so far, they're beyond redemption. Imprison them for ten years, even decades, and they will never truly repent. The only thing they deserve is death."
"...You're right," Chevreuse admitted.
They won't repent.
"But I still don't want her to do this. The reason is simple—I... don't want the deal between us to be broken."
"I told her I would capture her enemies and bring them to justice. I want her to remain just a little thief cat."
One who teases me and steals treasures, but nothing more.
Arlecchino fell silent.
"Then watch," she said.
Watch?
Chevreuse looked at Luna. From the side, she couldn't discern any emotion or expression behind the mask. The pure white facade separated them.
No, I can feel it. Luna's rage.
"..."
Reflected in Luna's red eyes were the terrified, fearful, yet desperately fawning expressions of the couple.
Thump—
The sound of a heartbeat drowned out all other senses.
"I'm sorry, Luna."
"I really wanted to see you grow up."
Thump thump—
The heartbeat quickened.
"Your dad was a righteous man!"
"Miss Gwendolyn Hydrell was a beautiful and outstanding person."
Why did people as righteous as them have to die, while such utterly vile sinners get to live? A dangerous light flared in Luna's eyes.
Thump thump thump—
The heartbeat grew even more frantic.
"I'm sorry, Luna. I can't write any more. There's still so much I wanted to tell you..."
Her fingertip pressed lightly on the trigger.
The heartbeat was deafening, but in the next instant, a familiar face appeared in her mind.
-
"...You took away my very existence. Then see it through to the end."
"If that's truly the truth, then let me take away your right to complete revenge and send them where they belong."
"And what right do you have, Miss Captain, to take away a choice that is mine to make?" Luna asked.
Chevreuse looked directly into Luna's eyes.
"Because we're 'married.' Even without handcuffs now, I'll still handcuff you. Our lives are intertwined—don't think you can just tear them apart."
"You took me in, but that didn't come without a price."
"You can choose to break our vow, or you can let me lend you my embrace and shoulders—forever."
-
Luna: "..."
Thump-thump-thump-thump—
Her heart pounded so fast it hurt.
"Luna, when you grow up, you'll realize this world is filled with evil, and it may not seem beautiful. But you'll also find many shining souls, like the stars in the night sky."
"You'll be one of them, too. Perhaps even the brightest of all."
And also—
"Thank you. You're the greatest Phantom Thief in the world!"
Then Luna pulled the trigger.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
Six shots in total. Chevreuse closed her eyes and took a sharp breath, feeling a hot sting behind them.
In the end, she still...
"Aaaahhh..."
"My leg! My hand..."
What?
Chevreuse's eyes snapped open. Smoke curled from the pistol in Luna's hand, its barrel aimed at the couple, who were clutching their wounds, wailing and sobbing in agony.
"White Cat..." Chevreuse whispered, stunned.
Luna didn't respond. She simply lowered the pistol.
"Captain Chevreuse."
"...Yes."
"Anger is a terrifying emotion," Luna said. "It almost made me stray from my original goal."
Her original goal?
Throughout this whole ordeal, Luna hadn't killed a single enemy. She'd only crippled them, likely for life. Did that mean... this was her plan all along? But after reading the last will, she'd been driven by rage, on the verge of pulling the trigger to kill them.
Chevreuse didn't know what to say.
"Someone once told me I'm the greatest Phantom Thief in the world," Luna continued.
"And someone else bound me with a lifelong contract."
"...So I won't do anything unbecoming of a Phantom Thief anymore."
Arlecchino released her grip and nodded slightly. "If that is your decision."
"Yes, it is," Luna affirmed. "But Miss Captain, do you know the loophole in the contract that sweet girl made with me?"
A loophole?
Chevreuse murmured, "Don't tell me..."
"Exactly."
Luna tossed six bullets into the air, flipped her revolver, caught them neatly in the cylinder, and snapped it shut.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
"AAAAAAAHHHH!"
"DAMN YOU, PHANTOM THIEF! AAAAAAHHHH!"
Shattered fingers, ruined feet—Luna knew exactly how to inflict maximum torment without killing someone. As long as the bleeding was stopped, their lives would be spared.
"I only put them half to death," Luna said lightly. "That doesn't cross the line, does it?"
Leaving them clinging to life isn't exactly 'the line,' Chevreuse thought. So this is what she meant. She remained silent for a moment, then turned away.
"I'll just assume the bullets found their own way into their bodies."
"A wise choice."
Luna drew her sword, a faint smile on her lips. "Now then, my dear Mr. Malo, Ms. Kacey... the performance isn't over yet. Don't blink."
"Blink once, and I'll run you through."
"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!"
Piercing screams erupted behind her, but Chevreuse didn't turn back. Though the noise was grating, she felt a sense of satisfaction. This was something her Special Task Force could never do.
After a moment of silence, Chevreuse couldn't help but glance at Luna.
Luna appeared as composed as ever.
But Chevreuse couldn't discern the truth. The white mask blocked all sight, concealing the expression beneath.
Soon, the couple's agony blurred their consciousness.
Their state was too gruesome to describe.
"...Alright, that's enough. Time to end this. Miss Captain, I'll leave the rest to you."
"Mm, don't worry."
Chevreuse stepped forward.
"White Cat."
"What is it—"
The next second, Luna was pulled into a warm embrace.
Chevreuse held her tightly, whispering, "Thank you for honoring our deal. And... I'm sorry."
Luna hugged Chevreuse back.
She said nothing, simply holding on tight.