As the helicopter reached just above the grassy field, its engine gradually slowed down, the roar of the blades becoming heavier and more controlled as it hovered in place.
Jester stood up from his seat.
A twisted grin stretched across his face as his overcoat fluttered violently in the wind rushing inside the cabin through the open doors. The air whipped through the helicopter with brutal force, pulling at his clothes and red hair.
Deva and Mike prepared themselves silently behind him.
"Heh~"
With an excited chuckle, Jester stepped out of the airborne helicopter.
The wind struck his body instantly, his hair quivering violently as gravity seized him and dragged him downward. The closer he fell to the ground, the more his body seemed to burn with adrenaline, as if the cold air itself was fueling his excitement.
Behind him, Deva and Mike followed the descent without hesitation.
Mid-fall, Jester shifted his body mid-air, turning toward the two men falling beside him.
"Don't hold back!"
He clapped his hands.
For a brief moment, nothing happened.
Then—
Thick white smoke erupted from his skin, spiraling outward and swallowing the trio in a swirling mass as they descended.
From the ground below, a guard raised binoculars.
The moment his eyes caught sight of the descending smoke-like sphere, panic surged through him.
"THEY'RE COMING! SHOOT THEM OUT OF THE SKY!" he shouted in terror.
Instantly, the guards obeyed.
Gunfire erupted across the field.
BAAM! BAAM! BAAM!
Bullets rained upward, striking the swirling smoke mass repeatedly as it continued its descent. The shots continued for several seconds before abruptly stopping.
The smoke sphere landed on the ground with a dull, heavy thud.
Silence followed.
It remained still, slowly swirling in place.
Guards surrounded it cautiously, weapons raised and fingers tense on triggers. The entire field felt frozen, as if time itself had slowed.
Then—
A strong wind swept across the field.
Foooosh!
The smoke dispersed violently.
Revealing the trio.
Jester stood at the center, smiling.
"Hello there, friends," he said in a theatrical tone as thin smoke still trailed from his mouth.
Before the guards could even react or aim properly—
TRAAANG!
A vicious, explosive sound erupted across the field.
Deva stood calmly, his guitar resonating with a devastating vibration that spread outward in a wide radius. The sound waves tore through the air, and the bodies of multiple guards burst apart as the force collided with them.
At the top of the mansion-like structure, four snipers had already taken position.
Their scopes locked onto the intruders.
They were about to pull the triggers—
When suddenly, their vision was blocked.
Something stood directly in front of them.
Mike.
Calm.
Still.
His face unchanged beneath the dim light.
Before any of them could react—
BURST!
A single horizontal swing of his tetsubo tore through the air.
The impact was instantaneous.
The snipers' heads were ripped away like objects struck by a bat, flying through the air before landing lifelessly.
Mike glanced at the bodies.
"Should have found a better spot," he said calmly.
Below, the guards were already losing control of the situation as chaos spread across the field.
Meanwhile, Jester moved forward without hesitation.
He walked straight toward the entrance of the mansion-like structure, a wide grin still fixed on his face.
A strange, suffocating pressure filled the air around him.
And ahead—
The door to the facility stood waiting.
Inside the doorway, a long hallway stretched deep into the structure, lined with multiple staircases branching out from the side walls. The air inside felt tight, controlled, almost suffocating under the harsh interior lighting that barely reached the corners.
At the far end, guards stood in formation, weapons raised and aimed directly at the entrance.
Their fingers hovered over triggers.
Their eyes were locked forward.
The door slowly creaked open with a rough, cracking sound.
Jester stood at the threshold.
The moment the guards saw him, their grip tightened instantly, every muscle tensing as their fingers prepared to pull the triggers.
Silence stretched for a fraction of a second—
Then—
PUFF—
VOOOOSHHH!
A thick gush of white smoke erupted from Jester's mouth, surging forward like a wave and rapidly filling the entire hallway.
Within seconds, visibility vanished completely.
The corridor was swallowed whole.
No gunfire followed.
No orders.
No footsteps.
No voices.
Nothing.
Only suffocating silence remained inside the smoke-filled hallway.
And within that darkness—
Jester walked forward.
Slow.
Unhurried.
Like a predator moving through fog.
His silhouette appeared and disappeared within the swirling white smoke, only faint glints from his eyes visible as he advanced.
He stepped onto the first stair.
Then another.
Each step echoed faintly through the hollow structure as he climbed upward through the smoke-covered interior, heading deeper into the building.
Above him waited the hall.
The round table conference room.
Where politicians and influential figures continued their discussions, completely unaware of what was rising toward them through the darkness.
As the smoke slowly settled across the hallway, the scene beneath it was revealed.
Dead guards lay scattered across the floor in still silence, their bodies unmoving, skin drained into a pale blue shade. From their ears, noses, and eyes, strange small flower-like formations had begun to bloom—delicate and unnatural, spreading across them like a twisted garden.
The corridor was quiet again.
Only the aftermath remained.