In the high-rise suite of the Empress Hotel, Magi confronted Welt II, blocking the indigo-haired youth's path and loudly warning the man with sinister intentions:
"Don't make a move! This young lady is my guest. If you harm her, my collaboration with Cocolia ends here!"
"Don't forget—to unlock the secrets of the Gem of Serenity, my expertise is essential!"
The old man glared at the youth, trying to intimidate him into backing down. But the man simply scoffed:
"Ha ha ha ha ha—"
"Right, right, we still need your expertise. I wouldn't want to offend such a VIP like you..."
"...As if!!"
A gravity-based beam slashed across Magi's calf, leaving the old man with an expression of disbelief.
"Old man, you're useless now!" The youth's face twisted with impatience as more purple orbs materialized around him, preparing to strike Magi.
"Grandpa, watch out!" The white-haired girl lunged toward the old man.
Dust and debris erupted as the beam tore through the room.
When the chaos subsided, both the old man and the girl had vanished without a trace.
-
"Heh, who would have thought that Valkyrie girl still had the strength to drag that old man away?"
"Perfect. There's still a bit of time before the plan begins. Let's play a little cat-and-mouse game."
"Let me have some fun. Don't get caught too easily, little mouse—what the—?!"
The man strolled leisurely down the corridor, his hands in his pockets, ready to put his cat-and-mouse game into action. Just as he relaxed completely, a sudden murderous intent erupted.
A pitch-black dagger, like a venomous serpent, lunged toward his heart. The man's muscles tensed, and he barely managed to dodge to the side, narrowly avoiding having his heart shredded.
But this was far from over. The young man had only barely evaded a fatal strike—the dagger buried itself deep into his shoulder.
Its wielder twisted the blade with brutal force, and the agonizing pain shattered Welt II's will. The purple sphere he had just conjured instantly dissipated.
Then, with a swift, merciless stroke, the razor-sharp blade slashed downward, severing his right arm. Crimson liquid gushed forth in an instant.
"Aaaaaaah—!!!"
The agony of losing his arm completely overwhelmed the Herrscher Clone's will. He howled as he fled down the corridor.
No one answered his desperate cries. All the guards in the building had been dispatched to the Empress Hotel's entrance to maintain security.
In the desolate corridor, only a one-armed man remained, desperately trying to escape. The so-called assassin... she was nowhere to be seen.
—The invisible Hunter now stalked through the building, joining the man's twisted game of cat and mouse.
No breath, no footsteps, no visible form—yet the man knew she was there, lurking beside him like a venomous serpent, waiting for the opportune moment to strike again.
I have to get out of the hotel! She can't kill me in public! That's right, she can't!!
With this thought, the man stood outside the elevator, frantically pounding the down button with his remaining left arm.
However, the elevator display remained oblivious to his terror and urgency, descending at its usual glacial pace.
"Damn it! Damn it!! Damn it!!!"
"Move! Why aren't you moving?!" He kicked wildly at the elevator's sealed doors as danger closed in once again.
-
The man, his face covered in blood and a large patch of his scalp missing, stumbled into the emergency exit stairwell, tumbling and crawling downward.
He had lost his right ear and a sizable chunk of his scalp, unsure whether this was a stroke of luck or a cruel twist of fate.
He had once again narrowly evaded the relentless, murderous pursuit, paying only the price of an ear and a piece of his scalp.
His misfortune, however, persisted. Because he was still alive, the endless hunt was destined to end with his demise.
"What was that thing? A Schicksal Valkyrie? No, impossible! How could such weaklings push me this far? How could they possibly?!"
His enraged roar echoed through the stairwell, like a Survivor who keeps failing the skill checks on repairs on a generator but still desperately tries again, practically begging the Killer to find him.
"Aaaah—!"
Fortunately, this time it was only his left eye. He was still alive. Ah... how unfortunate—he was still alive.
The cat-and-mouse game continued.
-
Just as the Herrscher Clone was frantically fleeing through the hotel, another group arrived at the hotel's entrance. While Fu Hua and "Wraith" Simon Lailey were pondering how to infiltrate the building, the golden-haired Valkyrie donned her Valkyrie Battlesuit and strode directly toward the main doors.
Her magnificent attire and striking beauty quickly drew the attention of the hotel's security guards, who extended their hands to block her path.
"I apologize, beautiful lady, but this area is currently closed to the public."
She raised her hand, clenched her fist, and snapped her fingers—the same gesture as the Herrscher Clone, but with a terrifyingly different power. The Titans behind and beside the guards were instantly torn to shreds.
The men in well-fitted suits and sunglasses stiffly twisted their heads backward.
The towering Titan Mecha had, at some unknown time, only its limbs left scattered across the ground, electric current and sparks flashing past from them.
The Core, which had served as both the body and head of the towering machine, had vanished without a trace, leaving behind a horrific gash in its back and a massive hole in the wall. Through the gaping opening, they could even see the street on the other side of the building.
Cold sweat instantly drenched their bodies.
"Do you think the wages you're paid... are worth the difficulties you're about to face?" the girl spat out her first words since their encounter.
The security guards instinctively shook their heads.
"Then do you think Anti-Entropy will pay your death benefits? Or will Schicksal send condolences? Or are you counting on the tiny Singapore Government, sandwiched between these two behemoths, to cover your burial expenses?"
The guards paused, then shook their heads again.
"Then get lost. Or would you rather... become the meat sauce for a spaghetti bolognese, evenly spread across every inch of this street? And your families won't receive a single cent." The girl flashed a cruel smile.
Without hesitation, the guards scrambled away on their hands and knees, dragging the hotel staff who had witnessed the entire scene with them.
-
On the other side, the discussion continued.
"How about we disguise ourselves as... Fu Hua, what you suggested earlier? Never mind..."
Simon Lailey, who had just offered a constructive idea, looked up to see her captain's even more "constructive" approach.
"Ho... Holy... shit..."
"So my new boss is this strong..."
"Snow actually possesses this kind of power... Perhaps I should report this to the Overseer..." Fu Hua murmured, frowning as she stared at the bullet-riddled building.
"Forget it. My new boss's surname is Apocalypse. Yesterday, she took me directly from the Overseer," Simon Lailey said, rolling her eyes.
"I... I understand. Should I keep this confidential?" Fu Hua paused, then nodded.
"You'll have to ask her yourself about that. But for now..."
The Valkyries watched as the guards and staff scattered in panic.
"She said, 'Go forth!'"