Shuren squinted as the distant sound of gunfire reached their car short bursts followed by a long, echoing roar. She let out a sigh, rubbing her temple. "Great. They've started early."
Assad leaned in between the seats. "That's Sévon's squad, right? Sounds like they've really ticked someone off."
Tasia cracked her knuckles against the steering wheel. "Then hold on tight."
The engine growled as she slammed her foot down. The car shot forward, weaving through traffic like a bullet wrapped in steel.
Gun smoke still lingered in the air when Esme pulled her bike alongside Sévon's, the barrel-like shape of her Infinite Shot dissolving into pink sparks.
Sévon gave her a thumbs-up. "Nice one, Esme. That assist was smooth."
Esme tossed her hair back with a grin. "Come on. You know me if they shoot at me, I'm gonna shoot back ten times harder."
Taura whistled. "That wasn't ten times. That was a hundred."
Lokei chimed in with a straight face, "And she loved every second of it."
Esme winked. "Obviously."
But Sévon's expression shifted, becoming sharp and focused again. He pointed ahead—the truck carrying the other mermaids and mermen was still speeding up, clouds of dust swirling behind it.
"Don't celebrate just yet," he warned. "They're up to something. I can feel it."
The others straightened up. Behind them, the road was eerily quiet. Ahead, danger was brewing. And just seconds away, Shuren's car was on a collision course with them.
Kinzau felt a twitch in his eye as the two escort cars behind them fell silent—no gunfire, no engines revving, no sign of life.
"Gone…? Both of them?" he muttered to himself.
"Young Master, both protection units have been taken out," came the reply.
Zheng Yan let out a slow breath, as if this was just another minor inconvenience to deal with. "Mischa. It's your turn."
Without hesitation, Mischa responded, "Yes, Young Master."
She smoothly slid the car window up and emerged with the elegance of silk cascading down. In one fluid motion, Mischa stepped onto the rooftop, her heels clicking softly as if she were gliding across a ballroom floor rather than a speeding vehicle.
Then she leaped. Her body arched gracefully like a crescent moon, landing soundlessly on the cargo roof of the truck. Sévon's pupils constricted the moment he spotted the blur touch down. Lokei slowed his bike, and Esme squinted in disbelief.
"Who the hell… is that?" Esme whispered.
But before Sévon could respond, Taura's voice erupted:
"YOU AGAIN?! I'M GONNA F***ING KILL YOU!"
Mischa tilted her head down, locking eyes with Taura from her perch on the truck.
"Oh? You survived. I thought you'd cried yourself to death after that little incident at the restaurant. But honestly, I didn't do much… you just fell apart."
Taura's teeth clicked together in frustration.
Esme muttered, "She's about to blow."
But Mischa wasn't done yet. She bowed elegantly, as if welcoming royalty to a grand performance. Then she took a deep breath.
Lokei's voice cracked in alarm. "Wait she's—she's not about."
Sévon's eyes widened in horror. "OH SHIT! RUN! GET AWAY FROM HER!"
"Why? What's she—" Esme started to ask.
But Taura already knew. Her face went pale. Lokei swerved his bike sharply. But it was too late.
Mischa's Voice Echoed
"Shin'en Kan." (Abyssal Reign), "Kanōsei no Kansei" (Perfection of Possibility)
The world didn't just darken; it crumbled. A massive sphere of shimmering black expanded outward, smooth and perfect, swallowing everything in its path.
Sévon's squad barely managed to swerve away. Still, the sphere grazed the edges of their bikes, sending shockwaves rippling through the asphalt.
Tasia and Shuren watched as the abyssal sphere erupted like a flower blooming from the void.
"Tasia. STOP THE car. NOW," Shuren ordered.
She slammed on the brakes, but Assad didn't. The momentum hurled him forward through the windshield and right into the expanding black dome.
"ASSAD!!!" Mya screamed.
Inside the Abyssal Reign
Assad plunged into a realm that looked nothing like the world outside. He landed on a velvet floor.
The domain was… stunning.
A mansion-like hall stretched endlessly before him, with floors polished to a mirror-like shine and chandeliers dripping with starlight. But armed maids lined the walls, silver rifles raised. Mechanical turrets emerged from marble pillars. Porcelain dolls gazed down soullessly from the balconies.
A perfect world… designed to kill.
Assad stood there, dumbfounded. "What… the actual hell is this place?"
Behind him, the doors sealed shut, and Mischa's heels clicked as she stepped into her own domain.
The world snapped back into focus, but it wasn't the world they remembered.
Sévon hit the sleek marble floor of Mischa's domain, sliding several meters before managing to catch himself. His bike had vanished, swallowed up by the Abyssal Reign. Taura, Lokei, and Esme appeared beside him, each landing with a thud.
Sévon slammed his fist against the floor in frustration.
"DAMMIT! We were too cocky," he growled, pushing himself up as a green aura flickered around his arms.
Taura winced at his outburst.
Sévon's gaze shot toward her. "TAURA! Why didn't you tell us she was a Sionel?!"
Taura flinched, her ears drooping. "I— I forgot, okay?! It just slipped my mind!"
"Forgot?!" Esme exclaimed. "HOW do you forget something like this?!"
Lokei rubbed his forehead, shaking his head. "Unbelievable… absolutely unbelievable."
Taura shot back, "HEY! You try surviving that restaurant incident and see if YOU remember everything!"
Sévon clenched his jaw, but before he could retort, Taura's expression shifted.
"...Wait. What's that?"
All four turned toward the far end of the mansion-like hall. A figure stood there, dazed and covered in tiny shards of glass from the car window.
Assad.
Sévon's expression froze in disbelief.
"Why… is HE here?" he muttered. "He's not even an official Sweeper yet. What the hell is going on?"
"Both he and I went on a mission before. Then we came back… reported the incident from the mission Shuren and Pixia assigned us… and after that, he just vanished."
Sévon narrowed his eyes. "Vanished?"
"Yeah," Taura replied, still staring at Assad. "It was strange. Maybe he came here with Shuren."
Lokei crossed his arms, looking annoyed. "So he's dragged into this mess too. Fantastic."
"Doesn't matter how he got here. We're all stuck in that maid's Abyssal Reign now."
He lifted his head, determination in his eyes.
"And that means only one thing: we either survive, or we die."