The house in which Auren, Laura, and the three Troupe members are hiding is eerily silent, almost suffocating.
Even though Auren uses En, carefully hidden by In so as not to draw attention to himself, he feels strangely uneasy. Something is off. His En brushes over every corner of the house: Nilo, the newbie Hunter, and his girlfriend are in the bedroom, seemingly asleep. Nicolas does nothing but sit lifelessly on the couch, like a shell with no soul. The entire building feels dead, as if drained of any life.
Shalnark is leaning a little to the side, casually 'playing' with his phone as though he doesn't have a care in the world.
Pakunoda, Machi, and Laura stand pressed close to the window, each one using Zetsu, their presence suppressed into nothingness.
Auren can't help but keep some of his attention on Laura. His fingers rest firmly on the handle of Ben's Knife, his favorite weapon, ready to draw it in an instant. He's prepared to strike at her the very second he feels something out of place.
Laura's Zetsu is too clean. It's extremely advanced. Almost too perfect. That is way too suspicious! It's at the same level as the troupe, how is that possible?!
"I can smell it…" Machi whispers suddenly, her voice tense. "It's about to happen now."
Rather than believing your idiotic sense of smell, I believe in my En. And I'm not sensing a thing…
Then, without warning, Auren stiffens. His En still senses nothing, but his ears catch a sound. At first faint, then louder. He listens intently, focusing until the source becomes clear.
"You hear it too?" he asks, keeping his eyes closed to focus.
"It's a damn helicopter!" Machi hisses, her voice sharp with certainty.
"They aren't even allowed to be used by civilians in this country!" Laura says in disbelief. "How dare they?"
If they are brazen enough to steal licenses, I don't think they care. If they can get their hands on helicopters, which only the military and some extremely rich corporations have access to, they must be relatively well-connected individuals.
"Before you move, wait for my command," Auren warns. "I should be able to tell how many are inside."
He forces his En towards the sky, reshaping the bubble into a thinner, stretched veil. It grows thinner but spreads higher, reaching further and further into the sky until it extends nearly one hundred and fifty meters above them. The pressure of warping it like this is something Auren can tolerate, but it drains too much Aura for continued use.
I can't maintain this for too long, but for a situation like this, it's perfect.
The helicopter finally descends, low enough to fall into the grasp of his En. In that moment, every presence inside becomes clear.
"Three people inside! A pilot and two others!" Auren shouts. "They are relatively tall, so probably three men… they look well-built, probably military background. They have guns."
"Then we're taking it down," Machi declares with confidence, her eyes flashing. "No point acting stealthy anymore. We need to get them all. Paku, leave it to me and Shal! Shal, you handle whoever comes out. I'll board the helicopter and make sure they don't take off!"
Without hesitation, she bursts from the house, her speed fierce and immediate.
"Don't crash the damn thing, or the entire plan is ruined!" Auren yells after her.
I really hope she knows how to operate a helicopter… these things aren't common.
Shalnark follows close behind, still glancing at his phone as if the fight were just another routine errand.
Auren stops his En back, switches to Zetsu, and unsheathes Eternity. Before leaving, he turns sharply to the others and commands: "You two stay together. Do not interfere."
I can't trust her. This is too important!
Outside, the helicopter hovers directly above the house. It doesn't land, but instead a rope ladder unrolls and dangles down into the air, almost touching the ground.
A figure dressed entirely in black descends the rope swiftly before leaping down to the ground. At the same time, Nicolas steps out of the door and starts walking toward him, moving like a half-asleep puppet.
"Stop!" the man in black shouts. "Stay where you are—I'm coming over. Hand over the license!"
Auren narrows his focus and spots Machi already climbing the rope ladder dangling down the helicopter.
Good… she needs to stop them from leaving.
"Hey! Show me the license!" the man barks at Nicolas, who barely responds, his sluggish movements almost unnatural.
The man's expression shifts as he finally realizes something is wrong, and he starts to turn around.
I need to create an opening for Shalnark.
Auren dashes forward, activating his hatsu, Limitless Waters. A surge of watery Aura explodes around him, flowing around him.
Limitless Waters.
It spreads wide, swirling violently, then stretches forward as though shaped into a massive hand, charging towards his enemy, while still being connected to him.
Drown!
The Aura engulfs the man completely, his body thrashing as his hands clutch desperately at his throat. He stumbles, choking, unable to breathe, as though submerged in an invisible source of water.
Seizing the moment, Shalnark sprints forward. His antenna glows, wrapped in Shu and reinforced by Ko. With one clean motion, he drives the antenna into the man's back.
Not wasting a second, Shalnark whirls toward Nicolas. His hand stabs forward like a blade, plunging deep into Nicolas's throat. Blood spills as his fingers dig through, and with a precise pull, using his other hand, he rips out the antenna still lodged in the twitching body.
Cold…
Nicolas jerks violently, gurgling blood, before collapsing on the ground, lifeless and still, blood oozing out of his body.
Shalnark, calm and efficient, lifts his antenna hand and nods once at Auren. Without hesitation, the two of them grab hold of the rope ladder and begin climbing quickly toward the helicopter, which remains calmly suspended in place above them, hovering without moving away.
As Auren climbs into the cockpit, the scene becomes clear. One man lies slumped against the controls, his head cleanly severed, while the pilot is restrained by Machi's threads, a faint line of blood already visible across his throat. His entire body is trembling in fear.
"Good job, Machi," Shalnark says. With one swift, practiced movement, he jabs his still-bloody antenna straight into the pilot's back.
"That is not sanitary," Auren comments dryly.
"You're right, I'll apologize to them later," Shalnark replies with a grin. His expression hardens a moment later. "I'm afraid we don't have much time. I need to focus now and use both of our captured targets to keep up appearances. Their boss might call, or they might be forced to answer messages."
"Shalnark," Auren says, frowning, "I didn't realize this before… can Pakunoda still read their thoughts, even while you're controlling them?"
"We tested it on a mission years ago," Shalnark explains. "It works just fine. What she reads are the memories themselves. My ability only controls their actions, letting them behave naturally. They can still think on their own, despite my control and draw on their memories without restriction."
"Then we need to hurry and move," Machi says sharply. "If they're being monitored, they'll grow suspicious fast."
"Machi, you go back down and bring the one we captured to Pakunoda. She can interrogate him while you keep Laura under control. Once she's done, she can call us with the results," Shalnark orders.
"Call my phone," Auren suggests. "Shalnark will be busy with his."
"Fine. Three men inside this helicopter are the perfect disguise," Shalnark notes.
Machi gives a dissatisfied look but doesn't argue.
"Machi…" Auren says, before she can leave, "be careful! The more important reason for you to leave is that I need you to watch Laura. Don't get stabbed in the back. Her Zetsu was flawless! Unthinkable for someone who doesn't even have a Hatsu yet!"
Looking tense, she nods at him and slips out of the cockpit and jumps back down toward the others.
"I didn't notice… you are right." Shlanark admits. "However, even if she is skilled, she can't win against both Machi and Paku. Don't underestimate Machi—she is incredibly deadly. She is amongst the strongest fighters of our group, especially in 1-on-1 situations."
I am not underestimating her….
Auren pulls the ladder up quickly, and the helicopter rises again, disappearing into the dark night sky.
He sits next to Shalnark, watching him type so fast his fingers are almost a blur.
"I've ordered the one below to follow Machi and Pakunoda's lead. They'll take care of things for now," Shalnark says, his eyes not leaving his phone. "This pilot is now on Auto Mode as well. He'll act as though nothing unusual happened and answer every question we ask."
"Good," Auren says, narrowing his eyes. "Tell me everything about your organization. Where are all the stolen licenses?"
The pilot responds dully, "I don't know. I'm just a pilot."
"Is this your first job for your current employers?" Auren presses him.
"No. I've worked for them as a pilot and a driver many times. I never asked questions. I was only told the essentials," the man replies flatly.
"They're careful," Shalnark mutters. "Even with people they rely on repeatedly, they only share what's absolutely necessary. That is how real pros operate."
He glances at Auren. "Will you be fine handling the rest? I only have one antenna with me, and I am not a strong fighter."
"Yes. Leave the fighting to me," Auren replies. "We only need one antenna. I just hope we finally capture the real culprits this time."
Shalnark turns back to the pilot. "Where are we heading?"
"A small warehouse on the outskirts of Swardani City. I've been there a few times," the pilot says.
Time to finish this.
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