The two fighters still stood face to face in that street until Held decided to break the silence.
— Then I'll defeat you before you even get the chance to hurt me!
As soon as he said that, a loud beeping began. It sounded like an alarm going off to remind someone of something. Lume moved slowly, pulling back a part of his clothing that covered his wrist, revealing a watch that was blaring so loudly it even irritated the serial killer himself. He simply turned off the alarm and quickly turned his back on his enemy, sprinting away at full speed through alleys and side streets.
Held found that strange, his expression confused, but he immediately began chasing after the serial killer, following the same route through the twisting streets and narrow passageways.
— Bastard, don't think you're going to escape!
The redhead shouted this while running, entering the last alley Lume had turned into and darting left at full speed. When he did, he saw Lume sitting calmly on a chair, sipping what looked like a cup of coffee. The psychopath turned to Held, his face calm and utterly unconcerned.
— Oh, sorry for running off like that! It's six-thirty in the evening — my coffee time.
Lume said this and took a sip of the black, unsweetened coffee. Afterward, he lifted the pot and offered it to Held.
— Would you like a cup, dear soldier?
His tone was dripping with irony, even ending with a light chuckle. This only enraged Held further, who began walking quickly toward the man — until something shiny in front of him caught his attention. The soldier stopped and stared at the object.
"What is that?"
After a few seconds of inspection, he realized it was a very thin wire, seemingly fragile and "easy" to cut. Without hesitation, Held reached out with his right hand to snap the thread — but the moment he did, the line triggered a trap, launching a barrage of knives directly at him.
Lume's expression filled with confidence, believing his plan had succeeded and the fight would end right there. But the serial killer was quickly proven wrong: the knives bounced off Held's skin as if they had struck a wall of reinforced steel.
— Ordinary knives can't hurt me without at least a bit of determination!
Held said this without concern, casually revealing a small part of his special ability. His enemy didn't seem remotely capable of harming him anyway — the only exception being that giant bolt cutter.
Held had already closed the distance between them and now stood directly in front of the serial killer, towering over him as he raised his right arm, gripping a massive steel mace.
— I just want to erase you from this world, you filthy scum!
The criminal took another sip of his coffee, letting out a calm — almost melancholy — sigh in response.
— No doubt about it. I should disappear.
Then, with his free hand, the serial killer slipped it beneath his cloak and quickly drew what looked like a pistol, startling Held and forcing him to dodge the barrel by pure instinct. But the weapon fired not a bullet — instead, it launched a grappling hook attached to a rope, allowing Lume to swing between buildings like a spider weaving its web through the forest.
Held had no trouble following Lume's movements. To him, the swings seemed too slow, and the oversized bolt cutter made it easy to track the killer's location. The soldier bent his knees into a crouch, then launched himself with monstrous force, destroying the ground beneath him and soaring into the air — reaching Lume in less than a second, now just inches away.
— I told you, I wouldn't let you escape that easily!
Held shouted as he attempted another strike with his steel mace — a hammer blow aimed straight at the serial killer's head. But Lume dodged once again, using his grappling gear while blending into the darkness with his black cloak, confusing his enemy.
— If you're capable, it still won't be easy!
Lume spoke mockingly while making his strategic moves, trying to provoke Held even more with his arrogant tone.
But Held didn't grow any angrier — he simply focused, trying to locate Lume by sound. He heard the killer's voice coming from the left and leapt toward it with another massive jump, landing where the voice had originated.
— Where are you, you shitty murderer?!
Held said as he searched the shadows. He caught glimpses of flickers in the dark, like in a horror movie, and then suddenly heard Lume rushing from behind. The killer tried to stab Held in the back with a giant machete, aiming for his heart — but just like before, the blade shattered against the soldier's impenetrable skin.
Held spun around with full force, trying to strike the killer's ribs — but Lume dodged with a gymnastic move, evading the attack and disappearing into the shadows again. That left the soldier with a question he couldn't ignore.
— Why didn't you just use that bolt cutter and end this already?
The question made the killer burst out laughing, as if he were simply playing with a toy. His voice echoed eerily through the alley, making it even harder to tell where he was.
— Isn't it obvious? I just wanted to test if you were telling the truth. And of course — I'm having fun! Fooling you, confusing you… like when a dog owner throws an imaginary ball. This is all incredibly entertaining to me!
Lume's voice reverberated creepily, and any normal person would've fainted right then. Held barely had time to process it before he saw another grappling line shoot toward a building, and Lume resumed swinging between rooftops. But Held had noticed something: from the beginning, Lume always stretched the line to its limit before letting go of the grappling guns — and he repeated that pattern consistently.
— Bastard!
Held finished analyzing the movement and once again launched himself with that powerful leap. This time he got even closer and swung his mace at Lume's body. Lume, however, tried to surprise him by using the bolt cutter to clamp and destroy the mace — but something unexpected happened.
The bolt cutter shattered completely.
Lume fell to the ground, as did Held. The killer's face was filled with shock — he genuinely believed his plan would work.
— Too bad for you… well, say goodbye to this world!
The soldier prepared another crushing strike with his mace. The quick movement startled Lume, forcing him to retreat, his face still contorted in fear. Held relaxed a bit, believing the killer had no tricks left.
But just as he was about to swing, Lume pulled several knives from beneath his cloak and hurled them at Held. The soldier wasn't worried — after all, "blades without determination can't hurt me."
Except… they did.
Knives pierced his right arm and chest.
— What… how?!
Held gasped in confusion. Lume's face curled into a confident, arrogant smile, before returning to a serious expression as he pulled more knives attached to thin wires from his cloak.
— You know… unlike you little government lapdogs… we murderers, we trash of society…
As Lume spoke, he slipped the handles of the knives between his fingers and crossed his arms in front of his chest, keeping that same serious glare.
— We're great at lying!