"Go on then. If you're so tough—pull the trigger."
Both Sera and Candy's eyes widened in shock—especially Candy's.
"...You… why are you still…"
Mickey Mannix was clearly in bad shape. Possibly even worse than Sera. His orange suit was coated in dust and concrete fragments. Blood ran down his bruised face.
But somehow, his glasses were still intact. And that face—calm. No pain. No fear.
Behind him, the wreckage of a destroyed vehicle lay twisted and still smoking.
"What's wrong? I said shoot me."
Gulp…
Sweat beaded on Candy's forehead.
"...Armored car? That hit wasn't strong enough... That was just a regular car... A Tesla, wasn't it?"
Then—he glanced at the gun in his hand.
And spotted a green wire running from the pistol.
"?!"
Suddenly, Candy's entire body jolted as a bright blue arc of electricity surged through him. His arms tensed, fingers clenched. Smoke hissed from his sleeves.
The gun slipped from his hands.
"Aaargh!! This was a three-hundred-thousand-dollar suit! You bastard!"
The sleeve of his once-pristine white jacket was now charred black and reeking of burnt fabric.
"...That car you rammed me with—it was electric, wasn't it? Hauled up with the freight lift, disguised with illusion."
"Y-you bastard—!"
But Candy didn't get the chance to finish.
Mickey slammed a punch straight into his jaw.
The man crumpled to the floor.
But Mickey wasn't done. He grabbed Candy by the collar, yanked him upright, and drove a brutal knee into his gut.
"Ghhhk!"
Candy coughed out a thick spray of saliva.
Still not letting go, Mickey summoned his signature green wires—snapping them from his forearm and plunging them directly into Candy's torso.
And right there—Sera witnessed it.
A grown man screaming while being electrocuted alive.
"AaaaaaAAAAAAAAAARGHHHHH!!"
Candy's body writhed before collapsing in a twitching heap.
Sera, still dazed and bloodied from the earlier blow to her temple, scrambled toward the fallen gun, intent on ending him right there.
"Don't touch it!"
Mickey's voice rang out.
She halted, landing right beside the pistol.
"Let the charge stabilize first."
"..."
She understood now.
Mickey had diverted the Tesla's electric charge into her gun. The energy had flowed through the metal, shocking Candy. But it hadn't dissipated yet. If she touched it, she'd get fried too.
Mickey had his own gun anyway. He kept it trained.
"...You think pointing a gun at me is the end of this?" Candy wheezed from the floor.
"...Yeah."
Mickey replied coolly.
"Then you're dead wrong… heh…"
And just like that—Candy's body began to fade from view.
An illusion.
The hallway melted away into dense green jungle all around them.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Mickey fired three rounds into the spot where Candy had just been—but nothing hit.
"...Mickey! That bastard—!"
"No. He's not invisible," Mickey muttered, hurrying over to help Sera up.
He took her hand and pulled her to her feet.
"Candy's ability is neurosensory manipulation. He can overlay realistic illusions directly over himself. Our brains got tricked. There's no way to tell."
"...You mean the real him escaped the moment we shocked him?"
"Probably. And we need to find him fast."
Sera was barely steady, her knees wobbling. Her temple throbbed, blood streaked down her face.
"Your head?"
"...A bit better now."
"Good. Hurry up and patch me—my ribs—"
"Two fractured ribs and contusions. I already fixed them… when you grabbed my hand."
"..."
He checked—and sure enough, she had healed him.
"...Huh. Not bad. Thought I'd have to spell it out."
The two quickly set off again, trying to track Candy down. But with the dense jungle around them, they could only keep close to the wall for guidance.
"...What the hell's taking the others so long?"
"..."
Mickey didn't have an answer either.
"Be careful. He's still recovering from the shock. He can't have gone far. His muscles are probably still spasming."
And Mickey was right.
Elsewhere, Candy Candido lay in hiding—lurking just outside Sera and Mickey's reach.
His power had a drawback: any illusions he created affected his own perception too. If Mickey and Sera moved out of range, they'd see normally again. So Candy had to follow them, staying within that illusion zone.
It was risky. He'd stuffed his burned arm into his jacket to avoid Mickey picking up on the scent of singed flesh.
Damn brats. They're fast. That explains why I couldn't contact Betty. Those freaks must've taken her out already…
I need to finish them—fast.
He carefully drew his own pistol with his good arm.
Mickey continued leading Sera forward, hand trailing the wall for navigation.
Then—
Bang!
Drip… drip… drip…
Mickey spun around just in time to see Sera clutching her left ear in horror.
And blood was pouring through her fingers.
He glanced down—
Her ear was on the floor.
"SERA!"
He pulled her into his arms and shielded her. Then fired a burst of return shots toward Candy's position.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Candy ducked behind cover, cursing.
Damn it! My shot went wide! Still too shaky from the shock!
Sera's left ear was gone. Her hearing in that side replaced by a constant ringing. She saw Mickey's mouth moving, shouting at her—
She couldn't hear him.
But she understood.
They had to end this. Now.
"It's behind us!"
Sera forced herself to speak. Gritting her teeth, she tried to stay conscious—her hand glowing faintly as she began regenerating her ear.
They moved forward slowly, deeper into the jungle-like maze. The illusion warped their sense of direction completely.
Wait a second… if he can't see us clearly either…
Mickey thought. That gave him an idea.
Then—Sera suddenly pressed her hand to a nearby wall.
Thrum!!
"What are you doing, Sera?!"
"I can't hear a word you're saying!" she shouted. "But I just created twin walls enclosing us in a 20-meter radius! I've fought ability users before—I'm guessing you've figured it out too! His power has a range! I've locked this space down! If you're gonna act—do it now!"
Crap… that crazy girl! Candy realized. Her range is 20 meters?! Mine's only 15! I can't escape now! Unless—
Unless I kill them first.
Candy's luck finally turned.
His muscles had almost fully recovered. The trembling in his hands faded. The pistol now steady.
He took aim at Mickey—waiting for the perfect shot.
Closer… Just a little closer…
But then—
"You're right there, aren't you?"
?!
Candy froze.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
One bullet tore into his shoulder—he never saw it coming.
"AAAAAARGHHH!!"
He screamed as blood burst from the wound, sending him crashing to the ground.
And the moment his concentration slipped—the illusion broke.
The jungle vanished.
Mickey and Sera were back in the corridor.
How?! How the hell did he know where I was?!
Candy stared in disbelief—
And then he saw it.
The answer lay right in front of him, on the floor.
"...Wires?!"
Right in front of Candy was one of Mickey's green wires—laid flat and waiting.
And when he looked up, he realized: Mickey had spread his wires all around the floor like a deadly net.
"Those wires... he laid them out like traps—waiting for me to step on them?!"
Shit! They were green—same color as the floor. That's why he hadn't noticed!
Candy dove sideways, barely avoiding the writhing serpents of electricity that now slithered toward him with lethal intent. He hurled himself through a nearby door—
CRASH!
His body vanished into the room, just barely managing to get to cover.
Sera and Mickey weren't far behind. They ran up to the door, guns raised.
The two sides opened fire on each other.
Candy used long tables and heavy chairs in the VIP lounge to shield himself.
Sera noted the room was clearly for receiving high-profile guests—maybe politicians or visiting dignitaries. There were framed portraits on the walls, awards and trophies, even guest-of-honor plaques.
It was dim—no lights on—but not completely dark either.
Then, all at once, Candy sprinted from behind his cover, switching position.
Sera fired at him without hesitation.
Bang!
But to her shock, the bullet passed right through him.
"An illusion!"
And that wasn't all.
Suddenly, a dozen more Candys burst out from behind cover—running in every direction, splitting off like ants swarming from a nest.
"...Mickey! He duplicated himself! They're all illusions!"
It was chaos. Some ran left, others right, zig-zagging unpredictably. It was impossible to tell which one was real.
"His illusions can't hurt us!"
"Yeah, but they can still fool our senses!"
Sera fired again, but she knew it wouldn't matter.
"If we keep wasting bullets like this—we'll run dry before we land a hit!"
Worse still—Sera noticed the faint red aura of Sid Barrett evaporating from their skin.
That meant the buff—the concrete-like skin Sid had granted them before the mission—was wearing off.
They'd be vulnerable again. And soon.
"I'm going in. Cover me!"
"...R-right!"
Mickey dashed inside the room, zigzagging between shots. Sera laid down suppressing fire to keep Candy pinned.
Bang! Bang!
Candy fired back from behind his cover.
"...Shit, almost out..."
He swallowed hard, then reached into his pocket—pulling out his phone.
Beep.
VROOOOOOMMM!!
Suddenly, from behind her, Sera heard the roar of an engine.
She turned—and saw it.
The same Tesla Candy had rammed into Mickey earlier.
The crumpled, half-wrecked electric car now barreled through the wall behind her—aimed straight at her back!
Her reflexes kicked in. Sera dove to the side—but not fast enough.
THUD!!
The car clipped her, sending her tumbling across the floor and into the room where Mickey and Candy were already fighting.
"Sera?!"
Mickey spun around—eyes wide—as Sera came crashing in, rolling across the floor.
Luckily, Sid's buff hadn't worn off completely. She still had just enough resistance to keep from blacking out.
She groaned, crawled, and dragged herself behind the nearest cover she could find—a large velvet couch.
Bruised, dazed, but still breathing.
The fight was far from over.