"What do you think?" Arata asked, his voice carrying a hint of anticipation as he stood beside Melissa, both of them staring at the hologram projected in front of them.
The display showed two fully designed suits, rotating slowly in midair. Every detail—from the layered armor plating to the intricate lines running across the surface—reflected countless hours of thought and refinement.
Even at a glance, the suits looked far beyond anything currently available in the hero world.
"These suits are equipped with shock absorption, self-repair, kinetic energy storage, controlled release, flight capability, underwater breathing, and several other quirk chip integrations," Arata explained, his tone steady but confident. "And the best part is that they're modular. We can keep adding more quirk chips and upgrades as needed."
Melissa studied the designs carefully, her eyes moving from one feature to another as she tried to fully grasp the scale of what he had just created.
After a moment, she nodded, clearly impressed, but another thought crossed her mind.
"How long will it take to actually build them?" she asked.
Arata didn't hesitate. "Around five hours."
Melissa blinked, thinking she had misheard him. "What?! Five hours? That's impossible. These aren't simple gadgets, Arata. These are extremely complex systems!"
He gave a small, knowing smile. "Normally, yes. But with the combination of my existing support tech, quirk-based fabrication tools, and nanotechnology, the process becomes much faster. Not to mention…"
His gaze shifted slightly toward the center of the lab.
"…we now have an infinite energy source."
Melissa followed his line of sight. The Space Stone hovered within the large glass chamber, suspended perfectly between the metallic spikes as streams of blue energy pulsed outward, feeding power into every system across the base. The soft hum of energy filled the room, almost like the heartbeat of something alive.
Her eyes lingered on it for a moment before drifting toward the nearby table, where the cracked Infinity Gauntlet rested.
"What about your gauntlet?" she asked.
Arata picked it up carefully, his fingers brushing along the fractures that ran across its surface. "The material I used to build this is something I created myself. I call it Nova."
Melissa looked at him, clearly intrigued.
"It's an artificial element formed using multiple quirk chip integrations," he continued. "Its main property is that it can withstand and channel the energy of the Infinity Stones without immediately breaking down. On top of that, it has resistance to external quirk interference."
He tightened his grip slightly as he spoke.
"In simple terms, if someone tries to use their quirk to manipulate, steal, or affect the gauntlet… it won't work. Due to the elements nature, the quirks will also have no effect on the infinity stone. So they can't even take the infinity stone out of the gauntlet with their quirks."
Melissa's eyes widened. Creating a new element was already beyond extraordinary, but one that could resist quirks entirely was on another level.
Yet even as she processed that, her gaze instinctively shifted back to the Space Stone.
Compared to that… even the Nova element felt like a stepping stone.
Arata was about to continue explaining when a sharp notification sound echoed through the lab.
Both of them turned toward the main computer instantly.
The screen had already changed, displaying a live feed. A woman stood at the center of the frame, effortlessly taking down threats while guiding civilians to safety. Her movements were precise, efficient… but her expression told a completely different story.
Arata's eyes narrowed slightly as he focused on her face.
The emptiness in her eyes was unmistakable.
He had seen that look before.
"It's time," he muttered under his breath.
Melissa glanced between the screen and Arata, confusion evident on her face. "Why is the system showing her? Did she find something about us?"
There was a subtle edge to her voice now. Ever since learning about the truth behind the HPSC—and what Hawks had done—her view toward anything related to them had changed drastically.
Arata shook his head. "No. This isn't about us."
He folded his arms as he continued watching the screen. "She's about to break."
Melissa frowned. "Break? What do you mean?"
Arata's gaze remained fixed on the image.
"Among all the heroes the HPSC has turned into assassins, she's the only one who still shows signs of internal conflict. The others… they've either adapted or buried it completely."
He paused for a moment before continuing.
"But her? She's been suppressing everything for too long. And when someone keeps bottling up emotions like that… the release isn't controlled."
Melissa stayed silent, listening carefully.
"It explodes," Arata finished calmly. "And when it does, it won't just affect her. It'll affect everything around her."
Understanding slowly dawned on Melissa's face.
"You think she's going to betray them?"
Arata nodded once. "Not just think. I'm almost certain."
Without wasting another second, he turned away from the screen and walked back toward the worktable, already activating multiple systems.
"We don't have much time," he said as he began working. "If we want her on our side, we need to be ready before she makes her move. Once that happens, the situation will escalate fast."
Melissa followed him immediately, stepping into place beside him and picking up tools without hesitation.
Even though she still felt anger toward the HPSC, her thoughts regarding Lady Nagant were different.
She hadn't harmed her father.
That alone made a difference.
But Hawks…Her grip tightened slightly as that thought crossed her mind.
That was something she wouldn't forget.