"To think things would escalate like this..."
At the Copernicus Command Centre, Ania massaged her temples while watching the spatial fluctuation warnings flashing across the main screen.
"Even Luo Shu's intervention has devolved into a chase... Is that Mukuro really so troublesome?"
Beside her, Lacus wore an uncharacteristically solemn expression:
"From the looks of it, their mutual wariness about each other's abilities has created a stalemate in satellite orbit."
Ania's headache intensified:
"This is high-risk. That's the orbital zone crowded with military satellites from multiple nations."
"If they're spotted, the Union will undoubtedly notice our activities."
"Can we block those satellites?" Lacus immediately turned to Tabane Shinonono. "Doctor, this is your sanctioned chaos window."
Tabane's eyes sparkled with excitement:
"Ooh!! Does that mean I can hack all military satellites to spell out a love confession to Luo Shu in space?"
Lacus responded with a serene smile:
"You may repurpose them to locate your missing sister."
"Tch. How stingy."
Pouting, Tabane fiddled with the rabbit ears atop her head, switching them to intrusion mode as she began infiltrating global military satellites.
Watching this, Lacus instructed:
"In thirty minutes, have our Truth Astronomy operatives claim responsibility for the satellite breach. Ensure extraction protocols are ready."
"Roger."
Ania patted her cheeks briskly while coordinating with intelligence via internal systems, then queried:
"But even then, twenty minutes is our maximum delay. Any longer would raise suspicions across governments."
"Twenty minutes doesn't seem enough to deal with Mukuro. At her current pace, this chase might exceed thirty minutes."
"That's certainly a major problem." Lacus sighed, rubbing her temples with evident frustration.
Through live surveillance and Luo Shu's intermittent updates, Lacus had a clear understanding of the situation.
Luo Shu's Calamity manifested instantaneous pinpoint strikes—just one glance was enough to inflict damage directly upon Mukuro Hoshimiya. At close range, the power of Concept Entanglement could critically wound her in an instant. Combined, these abilities weren't without means to subdue Mukuro quickly.
Yet Mukuro was neither foolish nor powerless. Whether it was her rapid spatial displacement, her staff's molecular annihilation capability, or the sealing power that could freeze even Luo Shu's Calamity upon contact, all proved her formidable nature. More critically, any non-lethal force could be instantly sealed by Mukuro, rendering it harmless. Since Luo Shu's goal was to subdue rather than kill, fatal abilities were off the table.
Conversely, Mukuro's molecular destruction and sealing couldn't outpace Luo Shu's reflexes, while her other attacks might wound but couldn't bypass his Calamity Absorption. Tactically, Mukuro lacked any move to decisively defeat him.
Recognising this, Mukuro had immediately opted for evasion, using spatial jumps to flee—only to be persistently tracked by Natsuki Minamiya, trapping both sides in a stalemate.
"What now?" Ania asked calmly.
Lacus pondered briefly before replying, "Tabane, immediately compile all coordinates of Mukuro's spatial jumps, simulate her movement patterns, and predict every possible next location."
"Ania, stand ready to use your ability to strip Mukuro of her luck. For someone who manipulates fortune, that shouldn't be difficult, correct?"
"Always prepared." Ania nodded, taking a wired helmet from a nearby technician.
This device—co-developed by Ania and Tabane Shinonono—enabled remote activation of her ability, allowing her to curse or bless targets with misfortune or luck briefly. Originally designed to bestow fortune upon the Copernicus Research Base, repurposing it for sabotage was a trivial task.
As Ania made preparations, Lacus turned towards the shadows. "Miss Tokisaki, we may need your assistance. Your Seventh Bullet can freeze time—just create an opening where Mukuro is immobilised, and Luo Shu should succeed. Shall I arrange a high-speed vessel?"
From the darkened corner emerged a girl with heterochromatic eyes and uneven clock-hand-like hair, her laughter melodious.
"My, my... I hadn't expected things to prove so troublesome..."
Kurumi Tokisaki observed the fluctuating waveforms on the main screen before smiling faintly.
"However, it's a shame that even with Zafkiel's speed, it's likely too slow to hit that agile Miss Hoshimiya."
"Without elevating Zafkiel to an Authority, the Seventh Bullet's speed can't surpass spatial jumps."
"As for other methods, if I use those, I can't guarantee Miss Hoshimiya would survive my attacks."
As Kurumi finished speaking, Luo Shu's voice came through the communicator:
[In that case, why not go with my idea?]
Hearing this, Lacus turned towards the communicator and, after a brief silence of one or two seconds, asked:
"Are you confident?"
Luo Shu's response was straightforward:
[At worst, we'll chase Mukuro all day long.]
Upon hearing this, Kurumi Tokisaki's eyes flickered before she smiled charmingly and said:
"Since Luo Shu has spoken, I naturally must comply."
"So, where should I make my move?"
Two or three seconds after her question, Luo Shu's calm voice responded:
[The decisive location will be the otherworld!]
Understanding immediately, Kurumi smiled faintly and leaped backwards, disappearing into the otherworld.
The encirclement against Mukuro Hoshimiya had begun!