In the pitch-black night, the city slept peacefully while Dusk prepared for its first real mission. Riding in an extremely luxurious limousine, the members of the organization blended perfectly with the car’s flashy, bling-filled interior.

  “Alright, it’s time to start the debrief, since we’ll be arriving in two hours.”

  The Hermit sighed as he opened his glove, causing a life-sized hologram to appear, drawing everyone’s attention. The suits had a real purpose: they weren’t just for show. The Hermit’s suit, in particular, allowed him to do things like this—and much more besides. Top-tier equipment, indeed.

  “At the auxiliary base we’re heading to, there’s no real danger aside from the security systems. Still, be careful—some of the humans there may resort to extremes. By that, I mean injecting themselves with the product to transform into monsters.”

  Recalling the incident with the wolf, I took the Hermit’s words seriously.

  “Besides that, Rubis isn’t our only enemy. The police forces and special units are also after us. In ascending order of threat level, we have: Maria, another level-1 awakened. She’s an investigator; her gift allows her to distinguish truth from lies. Her flaw is that her gift prevents her from lying herself. Nitro, the IT specialist, is also a level-1 awakened; his gift lets him multiply his speed tenfold, but using it literally causes him to overheat. Next is Harry, the secretary; his gift allows him to manipulate flames, but he has very low resistance to them. And finally, Gon, the local patrolman; his gift is laser vision, the use of which temporarily blinds him. I’ve sent you more detailed information on each of them.”

  Manu finished as he displayed holograms of each individual.

  “Against them, retreat is recommended. If you can win, that would be great—but avoid confrontation unless you’re absolutely certain of victory.”

  He added this in a very serious tone, making it clear to everyone that this was no game.

  “Then we have the two real monsters—the ones you should flee from at all costs. First, Tom, a level-1 awakened. His gift allows him to temporarily transform his muscles and bones into steel. His flaw is unknown.”

  Everyone was shocked that we didn’t know Tom’s weakness. Fortunately, the Hermit quickly explained why.

  “For the others, I obtained their flaws through Céline’s key. She studied them long before arriving and identified their weaknesses. However, she hasn’t yet deduced Tom’s. Naturally, she didn’t record her own.”

  After Manu’s explanation, everything became much clearer. He took a breath and continued.

  “Finally, our main opponent—the one who has already caused us trouble, and currently the most dangerous: Céline. She is a level-2 awakened specializing in the arts of deduction. Her gift allows her to manipulate gravity on a local scale—nothing too serious. As for the flaw of her gift, it remains unknown for now. Her Ego (the materialization of her inner world) is a fan that allows her to create violent winds, whose flaws are also unknown.”

  Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

  Thus ended the Hermit’s debrief, as his holograms vanished into the air.

  “If that’s the case, then let the dance begin.”

  The Fool snickered, his crimson eyes glowing in the shadows.

  In the dark of night, the timid moonlight faintly illuminated the immense clock tower standing alone to the north of the city, revealing the time: 12:00 a.m., as five people stood atop it.

  “Let’s dance.”

  The Empress said this as she leapt, followed by the Chariot. As the two fell from a height of over forty meters, they appeared remarkably calm.

  Halfway through the fall, the Empress pulled out a ribbon and elegantly threw it, wrapping it around one of the streetlamps. Using it, she swung herself and landed on one of the rooftops.

  The Chariot took a more rudimentary route: using the building he had fallen from as leverage, he propelled himself onto a rooftop and landed gracefully, following the one to whom he had sworn loyalty.

  Moving far ahead, they approached an immense building bearing the name Damaria, an extremely luxurious clothing brand. This was where Rubis’s logistics branch operated. Exchanging signals, the Empress and the Chariot coordinated their movements. The White Knight moved forward, positioning himself to give a boost, while the Empress jumped and landed almost perfectly before he launched her high into the sky.

  Unsurprisingly, the Empress landed on Damaria’s rooftop without issue.

  “This is the Empress. I’m in position. Nothing to report—the security is as we expected: only normal humans or a few level-0 awakened. Nothing too dangerous.”

  “Roger that, Empress. You can enter from the rooftop. Chariot, we’re assigning you the warehouse at the back. Stay discreet.”

  The Hermit finished coordinating the team’s movements while the Fool and the Lovers waited behind him.

  “We’re entrusting surveillance to you, Lovers. If Céline shows up, don’t hesitate to transform and hold her off until we’re done.”

  The Fool added this as she nodded, understanding her orders.

  “Shall we begin?”

  The Hermit asked as the Fool stood up.

  “Of course!”

  His purple eyes gleamed in the darkness.

  The Hermit and the Fool jumped in turn, but this time the Hermit’s armor revealed wings on his back, carrying his friend as they glided toward the warehouse.

  “You’re confirming they’re all criminals?”

  Shin asked as they approached Damaria.

  “Yes.”

  “Then let go of me.”

  Complying, the little Buddha released his friend from about thirty meters up, into the black night.

  “I suppose it’s time.”

  The Fool sighed as he extended his cane, which revealed itself to be a steel staff. Closing his eyes, he focused.

  “Art of the King of the Underworld: Persephone.”

  Shining with pure white light, he landed on the ground with a deafening crash that drew the attention of all the guards, who gathered to see what it was. However, their curiosity went unsatisfied due to the smoke screen created by the cloud of dust raised by the impact.

  The Fool had already healed the injuries from the fall thanks to his new art. In truth, he was already standing within the smoke, observing the dozen people who had come to investigate.

  “Art of the King of the Underworld: Hades.”

  No sooner had he finished speaking than a head fell to the ground, blood beginning to flow freely. He continued without waiting any longer.

  In an instant, he swiftly killed the few witnesses who had come out of curiosity to see what had fallen from the sky. Before long, a dozen corpses littered the ground.

  “You know, curiosity is a nasty flaw—especially for criminals like you…”

  He snickered as he advanced confidently toward the building.