In the mall, all the hostages crouched on the floor with their hands raised. Only the leader of the robbers remained, sitting to the side and keeping watch. His companions had already escaped earlier on the helicopters, leaving him behind. The words about negotiating with the police were nothing more than a bluff.
Outside, officers stood waiting, unaware of the truth. From five hundred meters away, there was no way to know what was happening inside, so they could only wait for the robber's next move.
"Boss, we've gotten far enough. No cops are following us," a voice came through the phone.
"Good. Go to the meeting point and wait for me," the man replied with a stretch, his tone showing impatience.
He stood up and raised his weapon. "Stay put. Whoever moves gets shot!"
The gun swung in front of the frightened hostages before he leaped, landing on the second floor in a single bound.
"This guy… he's a monster!"
The sight shocked everyone. His words held even more weight now. Nobody dared to resist, even though their legs trembled from crouching too long.
The heavy stench of blood from the corpses lying nearby filled their noses, a constant reminder of what awaited anyone who disobeyed.
On the second floor, the leader found a spot with a clear view of the hostages. He then pulled a small, nail-shaped piece of wood from his pocket.
"Emerge from the darkness, blacker than darkness. Purify that which is impure."
He drove the wooden nail into the floor, then raised his right hand, crossing his index and middle fingers, and began chanting an incantation.
No one noticed that above the mall, the sky had started to twist. It looked like the tip of an umbrella spreading open. A layer of shadow expanded outward, falling like a curtain. It kept spreading until it reached the ground, forming a massive dome that covered the entire mall and stretched far enough to trap all the police outside.
"Done."
Satisfied with his work, he leapt back down, drawing everyone's eyes to him.
"Don't say I didn't give you a chance. Next, all of you will stand up, face the entrance, and shut your eyes. I'll count to three. After that, I'll fire my gun. I won't shoot at you, but you'll only open your eyes after hearing it. Then you'll run as fast as you can toward the police. No stopping, no turning back. Even when you reach them, you keep running. If anyone stops, I'll kill them. Understood?!"
His fierce gaze swept across the terrified crowd as he spoke slowly, emphasizing every word.
"Understood!" The reply rose from the hostages.
"Three…"
Once he confirmed that everyone followed his orders, the leader pulled off his hood and mask, revealing a harmless face, then covered it again with a different mask.
"Two…"
He tore away the black clothes covering him, stripping them off in one smooth motion.
"One."
Bang!
A shot rang out.
The hostages bolted toward the exit like a herd of animals chased by predators.
"What the hell is going on?!"
The police outside, who had been watching the mall with taut nerves, were stunned when they saw a flood of hostages rushing straight toward them.
"Stop!" The chief shouted, realizing the robber's plan. He raised his gun and fired several shots into the air, trying to scare the crowd into halting.
But the people didn't stop.
They weren't afraid of the police because officers wouldn't shoot civilians. They feared the robber who might be watching them from behind.
Hiss!
Suddenly, smoke grenades flew out from the panicked crowd. The police were caught off guard, instantly swallowed by thick smoke.
"Damn it… Don't fire! Block them!" The chief grabbed a shield from a nearby officer, grit his teeth, and gave the order.
The fleeing hostages grew more frantic. Driven by fear, they only remembered the robber's warning: stop and you die. They rammed forward with all their strength.
The police tried to retreat while holding their lines, struggling to stop the crowd from breaking through.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Unexpectedly, loud crashes echoed through the smoke.
When the haze cleared, the scene was a mess. Police and civilians had collided, many were sprawled on the ground. Ahead of them stood a transparent barrier.
"What is this…"
Officers pressed their hands against it, pounding hard, but nothing happened.
"Let us through! He'll kill us!" A hostage wailed in desperation.
The chief's ears caught onto the words. "He? You mean only one robber stayed behind?"
"It looked like… just one." The hostage, grimacing in pain as the chief gripped his shoulder, revealed what had happened in the mall.
"Dammit!" The chief cursed, fumbling for his phone, but there was no signal.
He looked toward the street. Everything appeared normal, yet not a single pedestrian could be seen.
* * *
By then, the leader had already slipped through the dome he created and walked out.
"Wait for me."
Blending easily into the crowd outside wwho were bewildered by the barrier, he headed toward the agreed meeting place.
* * *
Elsewhere, aboard the helicopters.
"See? I told you the boss would be fine! He's not just anybody, he's one of those legendary figures!"
Cheers broke out at the words echoing over the phone.
"We're almost at the drop-off. Come on, let's play some music and celebrate!" The man in the co-pilot seat was visibly excited and started fiddling with the radio.
"Legendary figures…" Suguru was startled. He leaned slightly toward Mukuro, whispering near his ear. "Could it that man actually be a sorcerer?"
Mukuro, however, didn't think much of it. Under Suguru's shocked gaze, he raised his voice, and asked bluntly, "Hey, uncles. Your boss, is he a sorcerer?"
The men froze. One of them turned with a sharp glare. "Brat, don't stick your nose where it doesn't belong!"
"Fine, don't tell me," Mukuro shrugged. "I'll find out soon enough."
The loud music filled the cabin. Outside, the city passed beneath them. For a moment, Mukuro thought about crashing the three helicopters, but one glance at Suguru stopped him.
Not long after, the helicopters touched down in a deserted corner of Tokyo. Now they just had to wait for their leader to arrive so they could take the loot and disappear.
"Hey, you two, what family are you from?"
Having nothing else to do, a robber began inquiring about the backgrounds of the boys that made their boss wary.
"Do it!" Suguru didn't answer. Instead, he waved his hands. The space beside him twisted open, and a swarm of Fly Heads and several humanoid cursed spirits stepped out.
He wanted to deal with these men before their supposed sorcerer boss arrived. His plan was to knock them down, tie them up, and drag them away. As for the leader, he had originally thought that they could take everyone in one sweep, but now that there was uncertainty, he wouldn't risk it.
"What the hell! What did you do?!"
The robbers panicked. Being ordinary humans, they couldn't even see the curses. They just felt invisible swarms stabbing and biting them, their bodies growing weaker and weaker. Combined with several curses that barely reached grade 3, the caught-off-guard robbers were almost instantly defeated.
"Damned brats!"
The last man standing raised his gun. He didn't care about the boss's orders anymore. He pulled the trigger and sprayed bullets wildly.
'It's over… I can't dodge this! I'm sorry, Mukuro…' Suguru's heart sank, he hadn't expected to fail to take them all down at once. All he could do was watch helplessly as sparks flew from the gun barrel, closing his eyes in despair.
Until now, his only regret was dragging Mukuro into this.
"Third Path: Wild Tiger!"
"Rooar!"
Surprised, when Suguru opened his eyes again, he saw the gunman pinned down by a tiger over five meters tall. The bullets that had been fired at them were all blocked by its steel-like body.
"Different numbers... is this also a type of curse manipulation technique…" He muttered, staring at the glowing number "3" in Mukuro's right eye.
Mukuro smirked. "Well? Still not calling me big brother?" He jabbed his thumb at himself, pulling a playful face.
Suguru was about to reply when a new voice rang out.
"As I suspected, you two brats are quite capable; both are sorcerers!"
The leader had arrived.
**
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