"Wooo—!"
The shrill wail of sirens sliced through the air. Three black-and-white police cars screeched to a halt at the mouth of the alley, several officers stepping out with grim expressions.
The leading officer, boots splashing through puddles, narrowed his eyes.
Wearing a knee-length brown trench coat, he stared fixedly at the alley sealed off with yellow police tape, a stern glint in his gaze.
"Boom—"
Another dull explosion came from deep within the alley. The gravel at his feet bounced slightly, then pat—fell back into place.
It was hard not to imagine just how intense the fighting inside must be.
Subconsciously, he brushed his hand against the cold pistol at his waist, his brow furrowing tightly.
Arrogant—far too arrogant. This was practically a slap in the face to the police.
Carrying out a firefight with heavy weapons here of all places…
What was this, a terror attack?
A young officer jogged over.
Slightly out of breath, he leaned forward and gave a hurried bow, barely straightening up before urgently reporting:
"Reporting to Inspector Yamamura. Based on our current assessment, the disturbance here likely began about ten minutes ago."
"At present, the cause is unknown. The identities of both sides are unknown. Nearby surveillance cameras have all been confirmed destroyed."
"Although some people heard cries for help coming from inside, those sounds stopped three minutes ago. All drones we sent in were shot down."
"We also attempted verbal warnings from outside, but received no response. It's suspected that—"
Before he could finish, Inspector Yamamura raised his right hand slightly, cutting him off.
"Suspected to be some kind of transnational criminal organization—that's what you want to say, right."
He pulled a cigarette from his pocket and placed it at the corner of his mouth, flicking his lighter with a click as sparks flared.
Then he remembered—this was a crime scene.
Catching sight of reporters in the nearby crowd holding cameras, he coughed lightly and shoved both the cigarette and lighter back into his pocket.
"Has SAT arrived yet? What's happening here has already exceeded what our Criminal Division can handle."
"As for the damage to buildings and any casualties… I sincerely regret it, but this needs to be handed over to them."
SAT was the island nation's counter-terror special unit. Their equipment and personnel quality far surpassed that of ordinary police.
He knew his limits. Based on the reports, the suspects were believed to be using rocket launchers or similar weapons.
Even without seeing muzzle flashes, the shockwaves didn't lie.
And what did they have?
A few handguns.
How were they supposed to fight that?
The subordinate hesitated for two seconds. It was the first time he'd seen his superior compromise so quickly.
But recalling the footage he'd just seen via livestream, he nodded hard, his voice tight.
"Yes, sir!"
After snapping to attention and saluting, he turned and hurried toward the investigative unit, bringing back an evidence bag.
Inside were videos and photos taken by bystanders. The livestreams had already been forcibly cut to prevent wider panic.
…
Just as Inspector Yamamura took out his phone and frowned while reviewing the evidence, inside the alley, the battle between Yuhran and Shaton was nearing its end.
Amid the rumbling crashes, the surrounding five-story buildings had been reduced to broken walls and rubble, only two-story frames left swaying precariously amid the tremors.
Yuhran stood atop the ruins, breathing slightly heavily, his chest rising and falling.
Hearing the police sirens growing clearer outside, his gaze shifted. He knew—it was time to retreat.
Shaton's eyes were cold as ice, the curve of his mouth filled with disdain. He was deeply displeased that a mere human had managed to tangle with him for this long.
He casually flicked his shadow. A utility pole that had already been broken into four pieces snapped again, now reduced to six chunks scattered across the ground.
Blue electric currents crackled in the pooled water, giving off a dangerous glow.
"Kid, is running around like a monkey all you can do?"
"Tell me—what place is this? You can actually use spatial magic…"
"Hmph. My clone—you're the one who killed it, aren't you?"
"What a clever trick, hiding your strength."
To hide it so thoroughly that even his magic power vanished completely—enough to be mistaken for trash that could be crushed at will—this was the first human he'd ever seen like this.
If Yuhran hadn't actively defended against his attacks, Shaton would've dismissed him like a pebble on the roadside.
"So what if I killed it? Hiding my strength—hah… if that's what you think, then so be it."
Yuhran slowly shook his head, too lazy to waste words explaining.
The only reason he'd managed to fight Shaton to a standstill was because the holy tome had blocked the shadow attacks he couldn't dodge.
If Shaton realized that the tome was the key to his sustained combat ability, things would get troublesome—very troublesome.
His gaze grew solemn as he stared at Shaton. At that moment, another round of shouting rang out from outside.
The island nation's police, unwilling to give up, stood fifty meters away with loudspeakers, shouting:
"Please immediately—"
Bang!
Shaton's tentacle lashed outward.
With far fewer obstacles now, the strike easily sent a police car flying into the air.
"Annoying."
He couldn't understand talk of surrender. Nor could he understand the language itself.
He'd thought that once he displayed his power, these weak humans would flee in panic—just like the creatures he'd encountered before.
Instead, they stayed outside, making noise, surrounding him like spectators watching a monkey…
Did they really think he had no temper?
He simply wanted to kill the annoying human in front of him first and couldn't spare the attention.
After venting his fury with violence, the police car exploded midair with a thunderous boom, flames bursting like fireworks and lighting up the surroundings.
Seeing this, a cold glint flashed through Shaton's eyes. His mood immediately improved.
Outside, the police officers—hit by the onrushing heat wave—collectively sucked in sharp breaths, staring blankly at the sky.
Some even went weak at the knees, nearly collapsing.
No—wait… the police car flew? No… it just exploded?!
That wasn't right.
Just now—what was that long, black thing that flashed by?
Some kind of new experimental weapon?
It couldn't possibly be… an octopus tentacle, right?
That was absurd.
Their thoughts tangled into a mess under the sudden turn of events.
"Bastard!"
Inspector Yamamura clenched the evidence bag in his hand and spat out a furious curse.
Veins bulged on his forehead as he grabbed his chest communicator, his voice barely containing his anger:
"Reporting to Superintendent Mizutani! The enemy is suspected to be wielding some kind of new heavy weapon—request immediate reinforcements!"
Too damn arrogant!
This was happening right in front of reporters—slapping the island nation's police across the face!
He could already imagine tomorrow's newspaper headlines:
—Police Car Explodes Instantly! 'Defense Impossible' Against Mysterious Weapon!
An indescribable sense of humiliation crawled up his spine.
This was disgrace on a national level!
They had to capture them alive!
Only by slamming them into the ground and crushing them utterly could today's shame be washed away.
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