The lift opened with a ding, and she stepped out onto the floor where the NU president and the neuronium were kept. The corridor stretched ahead, long and brightly lit by evenly spaced fluorescent panels. Shadows flickered against the walls, distorted by the guards' movements. Every step she took echoed softly, the sound almost lost beneath the shuffle of armored boots and the faint hum of the building's air circulation. Guards lined the walls and stood in groups, weapons held firmly, scanning her approach with alert precision. The glint of metal caught the light at every angle, reflecting sharply as they adjusted their stances and checked their targets.
At first, she had considered slipping past unnoticed, blending into the shadows, but instead, a faint smirk curved her lips. Subtlety had its place, but in this moment, she decided on a more direct approach. Her disguise dissolved seamlessly, revealing her true form. The guards stiffened immediately, raising their weapons and shouting orders. Their voices rang harshly, bouncing off the polished floors and sterile walls.
She stepped forward with deliberate precision, hands moving smoothly to extend the rings on her wrists. Surfaces of deep purple unfolded, etched with thick black strips that caught the light. The rings, known as Arc Basser, activated with a quiet hum, condensing and amplifying sound waves in preparation.
The guards barked commands for her to surrender, their voices sharp and insistent. A sudden purple glow blossomed across the devices, and twin circular sound waves shot forward at the speed of sound. The impact was immediate. Guards were flung backward, colliding violently with walls and each other, their guns clattering across the floor. The front wall fractured, panels splintering and falling in jagged shards. She fired a second wave to clear the remaining resistance, and the corridor fell silent except for the settling debris and the faint echo of shattered materials.
Arc Basser retracted smoothly into her wrists as she advanced. Each step was measured and deliberate, her boots scraping lightly against the polished floor. She rapped sharply on the president's door before forcing it open. Blood speckled her right shoulder and hand, which she dusted off without pause. Inside, guards immediately moved to block the path, raising their weapons in synchronized formation.
From her shoulder, a small rectangular device emerged, opening tiny barrels. A precise volley discharged, neutralizing every guard in an instant. The president froze, wide-eyed, struggling to comprehend what was happening. His voice trembled as he asked what she wanted. She punched the floor near the bed, and the motion revealed the safe behind it, its door sliding open as though awaiting her touch.
As the president tried to flee, she intercepted him, throwing him onto the sofa with controlled force. Her left hand opened, releasing a small disc encircled with a glowing blue ring. The disc flew through the air, wrapping the president in a thick, staircase-like strip from chest to back, the central blue glow tracing a clean, geometric line.
"This safe is very sturdy and made from the hardest metal on Earsl. There's no way it can be broken—" he began, but froze as she removed the door effortlessly.
"Wha… it can't be," he stammered.
"Don't get too shocked, Mr. President," she said, taking the glass box of neuronium with practiced precision.
---
Meanwhile, the Mag-51 streaked toward Hanrei's president's private jet. Inside the cabin, the pilots noticed a small, fast-moving dot on the radar. Before they could react, the Mag-51 hovered directly above the jet. Two small panels opened beneath it, releasing a strip of red, skin-covered nano-particles that adhered to the plane's midsection.
The Mag-51's thrusters adjusted, tilting roughly forty-five degrees downward to maintain a stable hover. The nano-particles gripped the jet, holding it in midair with a sudden jolt. Inside, passengers and guards collided with seats and walls as the plane shifted violently.
The president demanded an explanation, but the pilot's voice shook as he admitted the plane was immobilized. Attempts to increase speed were futile; the plane did not respond.
Guards escorted the president to the rear cabin, a reinforced section designed to withstand impact. Two guards remained inside, the rest stayed outside. Multiple attempts to move the jet failed. The outside guards knocked repeatedly, urging the president to step out, but received no response. When the doors were forced open, both inside guards lay unconscious. The president recounted the events, still visibly shaken.
A girl in a grey fanged mask had opened a rectangular panel on top of the plane, entered the cabin, and neutralized the guards in a single motion. She demanded the neuronium. When the president resisted, she pointed a black pistol with a deep purple stripe at his head.
To protect his life, he lifted the seat and opened a locker beneath it, handing over the glass box. She exited through the panel, replaced it, and sealed it with a small red laser from her right hand, leaving the plane intact.
As the guards escorted him outside, the plane began a slow descent. Gravity shifted, throwing guards into the air as pilots regained control. On radar, the red dot representing the Mag-51 vanished.
Eun-ji, piloting the Mag-51, placed the neuronium securely on a rectangular table in the plane's center. The nano-particles binding the jet retracted. She accelerated the craft back toward Noxora.
"They will be waiting for me."
Nano-particles retracted completely, and the Mag-51 shot forward with a burst of jet engine, disappearing into the distance.