Michael stood motionless on the Ladas stage, his rabbit mask gleaming as he observed the frenzied clash between Thanatos and the mercenaries.
The Ethereal's bow-shaped arm slashed erratically, teleporting in bursts, while the mercenaries parried desperately, their blades sparking against its hide.
Michael's lips curved faintly, a quiet triumph within.
The watch artifact works flawlessly, he noted, its gears humming against his wrist, channelling Ether with precision.
He had previously discovered a flaw in his Sequence ability: while Ether-based luck could not directly sway humans or Tyrens, by crafting the watch to continuously absorb and release Ether, he could create a unique loop of fate that could affect them.
Yet, his technique, [The Eternal Outcome], bore a perilous constraint: he could only invoke it while rooted in place, moving his body but not his feet.
It wove a predetermined fate, rendering all harmful intents against him impotent—swords missing, bullets veering, Ethereals flailing.
One step, and it reverses, he recalled, the technique's backlash promising every missed strike would land.
An eye for an eye, luck for misfortune.
A fitting power for the Lord of the Mysteries' cruel world.
Michael's gaze swept the abandoned seats, littered with the wealthy's trinkets—jewelled watches and shiny techs.
Let's Steal them to cement our thief persona, he decided, masking their true aim: the Ether particle accelerator.
The mercenaries, locked in combat with Thanatos, shot him furious glances but were powerless to act, their focus split.
The snipers, dazed from Kaori's coin deflection, were useless.
They're stretched thin, Michael observed, sauntering to the seats.
He gathered items leisurely, stuffing them into a pilfered velvet bag, but a prickle of unease stirred.
Something's wrong.
A sudden gust whipped through the hall, and a blue streak blazed from a shattered window, piercing the air with lethal force.
An arrow, radiant and unyielding, slammed into Thanatos' arm, pinning it to the stage floor.
The Ethereal howled, its teleportation faltering.
The mercenaries staggered back, their faces pale with shock. Not their doing, Michael realized.
A chill gripped the air, Michael's breath visible as frost.
Danger!
He activated his watch artifact, standing statue-still, its gears whirring to amplify The Eternal Outcome.
A blue slash tore through the building, a blade of light that carved a frozen scar across walls and seats, grazing Michael's suit but leaving him unscathed.
Too close, he acknowledged, the mark of its passage etched around him.
The truth dawned with icy clarity. Hollow Special Squad Operations 6 has arrived.
New Eridu's elite enforcers, tasked with quelling Etheric threats, had descended on Ladas, their presence a harbinger of relentless pursuit.
***
The Ladas auction hall crackled with tension as Michael, rooted in place, sensed the escalating peril.
"This is about to get messy," he noted, his rabbit mask gleaming under flickering chandeliers.
Hollow Special Squad Operations 6—Section 6—converged through the jagged hole blasted by Miyabi's blue slash.
Yanagi strode in, her pink hair catching the light, followed by Soukaku, her twin horns bobbing, and Harumasa, yawning with his bow slung lazily.
Miyabi, her sword glinting like frost, stood before them, her presence commanding.
"Miyabi, what's the plan?" Yanagi asked, her voice steady, katana drawn.
"This person is no amateur."
Miyabi's eyes locked on Michael, unflinching.
"You three handle Thanatos," she ordered, her tone sharp.
"I'll deal with the White Rabbit."
"Thanatos? That creepy bow-arm thing?" Soukaku chirped, bouncing on her heels.
"I'm on it! But, like, did you see that guy dodge your slashes? He's weird!"
"Less chatter, Soukaku," Yanagi cut in, her gaze narrowing.
"Focus. That Ethereal's unstable."
Harumasa yawned again, scratching his hair.
"Sure, sure. Let's smack it and call it a day. Miyabi's got the bunny, right?"
Miyabi didn't respond, vanishing in a blur, reappearing before Michael, her stance primed for her technique.
"She's fast," he acknowledged, his watch artifact humming.
A barrage of icy slashes erupted, her blade carving through air and debris, but [The Eternal Outcome] held—every cut veered, leaving him unscathed.
Miyabi paused, her eyes narrowing as she realized her sword hadn't touched him.
Michael, with a theatrical bow, bag of trinkets in hand, spoke. "I am the White Rabbit," he declared, his voice smooth.
"A pleasure to meet you, but my time's running out."
A groan echoed above—the roof buckled, chunks of plaster and steel plummeting.
Miyabi's gaze flicked to her squad, still grappling with Thanatos' relentless teleportation.
She darted upward, her blade flashing, slicing the debris into harmless fragments.
Now, Michael seized the moment, sprinting off the stage, his suit a dark streak against the chaos.
Miyabi landed, dust swirling, as Yanagi approached.
"Sorry for the worry," Yanagi said, but Miyabi waved it off.
"No matter," she replied, inhaling deeply. Thanatos, undeterred, lunged toward them, its bow-arm gleaming.
In an instant, Miyabi's blade sang, cleaving the Ethereal in two, its halves collapsing with a sickly thud.
The mercenaries, frozen in awe, hadn't even registered her speed.
She's a monster, one thought, their weapons limp.
Miyabi's eyes scanned the hall, locking on Michael's fading silhouette.
"We can still catch him," she said, her voice resolute.
Section 6 rallied, their boots pounding as they surged after the White Rabbit, the chase igniting anew.
***
My lungs burn as I sprint down a New Eridu alleyway, shadows flickering under flickering neon signs.
I've never pushed my body this hard, my suit clinging to my sweat-soaked skin.
I really should've exercised more.
The bag of trinkets and the Ether particle accelerator thump against my back, a reminder of the stakes.
I fumble for my phone, dialling Kaori.
She picks up instantly, her voice sharp with worry.
"Michael, where are you? You didn't call!"
"Kaori, are you good?" I pant, dodging a dumpster.
"Found a place to hole up? Changed your clothes, ditched the kimono?"
"Of course I did!" she snaps, her cat ears probably twitching. She's safe. I exhale, tension easing.
"We'll meet later. Stay put."
I cut the call, shoving the phone into my pocket.
Footsteps echo—too many, from every direction. They've got me boxed in.
I skid to a halt, the alley's walls closing in, neon casting jagged shadows.
Section 6 emerges, their silhouettes lethal.
Miyabi perches atop a pillar, her black hair shimmering in the moonlight, her sword a glint of frost.
Yanagi, Soukaku, and Harumasa flank her, their weapons ready.
"You're under arrest," Miyabi declares, her voice cold.
"Refrain from suspicious actions."
I catch my breath, leaning into the White Rabbit persona, my voice deep and theatrical.
"I've got to admit, you're impressive," I say, scanning their formation.
"But you're out of luck tonight. Maybe next time you'll keep up."
Their eyes narrow, sensing a trick. Now or never.
I whip out a lucky coin, its sigils pulsing.
I crush it in my fist, releasing a surge of Ether, its glow swallowing the alley.
Section 6 lunges—Miyabi's blade flashing, Soukaku's horns bobbing—but a Hollow portal yawns beneath me, a swirling vortex of black and violet.
I bow, my rabbit mask catching the neon, and drop through.
I'm gone before they reach me, their shouts fading into the void. Another escape for the White Rabbit.
———
The New Eridu alleyway buzzed with Section 6's frustration, neon flickering overhead as Miyabi stood atop her pillar, her sword reflecting her stern visage.
The Hollow portal had swallowed the White Rabbit, leaving them empty-handed.
Yanagi, Soukaku, and Harumasa gathered below, their voices a mix of shock and irritation.
"How'd he slip us again?" Soukaku wailed, her horns bobbing as she stomped.
"That portal came out of nowhere! What's with this guy?"
Yanagi's katana glinted, her tone measured but edged.
"He's no ordinary person at all. That coin—Ether manipulation, I've never seen that anywhere. We underestimated him."
Harumasa leaned on the wall, yawning.
"Tch, the guy's got some trick up his sleeve. But, like, a Hollow portal? That's next-level shady."
"Are you sure he's human, Miyabi?"
Miyabi didn't answer, her blade flashing in a series of precise slashes, cutting the air with icy precision.
He didn't move, she reflected, replaying the fight.
Her barrage should've grazed him, yet not a single cut landed.
It's as if my mind refused to strike true.
A mental block, unnatural and unnerving, had thwarted her skill.
She sheathed her sword with a sharp click, her voice resolute.
"We're returning to the site. We'll uncover his secrets."
The squad nodded, their resolve hardening as they retreated, the alley falling silent.
———
A small Hollow Gate shimmered in a desolate New Eridu backstreet, spitting me out onto cracked pavement.
I pant, my chest heaving, the bag with the Ether particle accelerator heavy on my shoulder.
Ethereals had hounded me through the Hollow, their claws grazing my suit before I outran them.
Too close, I admit, wiping sweat from my brow. My rabbit mask is gone, ditched to blend in.
I pull out my phone, fingers trembling, and fire off a quick message to Kaori: Where are you? She better be safe.
I lean against a graffiti-scrawled wall, catching my breath.
Miyabi's icy slashes still haunt me—her speed, her precision.
I escaped her, but only by the skin of my teeth, thanks to the lucky coin's portal.
Never again, I vow, my heart still racing.
The White Rabbit's debut was bold, but I'm not eager for an encore.