"Sir… it appears a barrier has been cast around the building…" A driver says nervously as a black car rolls to a stop outside the auction building.
In the backseat, a skinny man leans lazily against the window, his pale face unreadable. He has short, buzzed black hair, and his loose white long-sleeved shirt is slightly wrinkled from how casually he wears it. Black suit pants complete the basic look, clean, unassuming, yet somehow out of place.
"Hm? An ambush?" he asks with a bored tone, eyes half-lidded.
The driver glances back with a pale face.
"I'm sorry. If I knew this would happen, I wouldn't have brought you here."
The man sighs.
"Yeah-yeah… maybe this'll cure my boredom…" His voice remains calm, void of emotion.
He steps out of the car and walks casually toward the building. Reaching the black barrier, he knocks on it with lazy fingers.
"Meh. Never mind… This is so annoying. Weaklings bore me."
With a single flick of his finger, the barrier cracks apart.
He steps through without pause. The moment his shoe touches the floor inside, the air shifts, heavier and denser. Everyone inside freezes.
…
Saint's heart skips a beat,
'What just happened?! The air changed…'
Prince pauses, midway through subduing a guard.
'Someone just entered…'
Elsewhere, Mari and Jane suddenly stop.
"Mari, did you feel that?" Jane asks,
Mari's brows furrow,
"Yeah. This could mean trouble. Jovi, you there?" she asks through Mela's telepathy.
Jovi's voice comes through after a short pause.
"Nas has arrived. Team C, did you find what we were looking for?"
"Just found the merchandise room!" Jane replies.
"Gather everything quickly, then we delta," Jovi orders.
Every team member feels it… an unnerving presence crawling nearby,
"If anyone runs into him, find a way to escape. We CAN'T take him," Jovi warns.
…
Saint rushes forward, cutting through unconscious guards as he moves.
"Prince, where are you? I'm coming to find you."
But he gets no answer,
"Prince? Where are you? Hello?" His voice rises with urgency.
"Mela! Can you reach Prince?" he calls out, hoping she'll respond through the link.
Then, he hears slow, deliberate footsteps behind him. Turning cautiously, he calls out,
"Prince, is that you?"
From around the corner steps a tall, lanky man. His frame is slender, almost fragile, and he wears simple black suit pants and a loose white long sleeve shirt that flutters slightly as he moves.
"Prince… is that one of your colleagues?" he asks in a deep, disinterested voice, followed by a yawn.
Saint freezes. Every instinct inside him screams.
He can't move.
He can't speak.
Not only that, but he trembles in place, sweat running down his face as his eyes lock on the stranger.
Nas stares at him with his usual dull expression.
"Hm? You're one of those red guys… If I take you to Vino, maybe he'll pay me more…"
Saint's breathing turns shaky. He unconsciously steps back.
"Saint, you need to get out of there," Jovi says urgently through Mela's link.
"Now, Saint."
But his mouth won't move. His voice is trapped in his throat.
Nas starts stepping forward,
"A bigger paycheck doesn't sound too bad…"
Suddenly, a wall explodes, Prince crashes through it, launching straight at Nas.
"Brace yourself!"
But Nas effortlessly catches him by the throat, stopping the tackle cold.
"S-Saint… now's your chance! Run!" Prince chokes, trying to pry himself free.
Despite Prince's muscular frame, Nas's pale, skinny hand doesn't budge.
Saint takes a trembling step forward.
"N-no… I'm not leaving you…"
Prince grits his teeth.
"NOW, Saint! Always follow the plan!"
Saint's legs quake. His body shakes all over. Prince grabs Nas's face, trying to push him away.
"Oh? Your raw strength isn't bad…" Nas mutters.
Then he tightens his grip.
Prince's vision begins to darken.
"Get off him, NOW!" Saint shouts.
His eyes flare red, his red Mana explodes from him. In an instant, he blasts-off toward Nas, everything slowing as he revs his punch.
"SAINT! NO!" Prince yells.
But as Saint prepares to strike, he sees something terrifying.
Nas isn't moving in slow motion.
'What the fuck!?'Saint's eyes widen in shock,
With zero hesitation, Nas throws Prince aside and turns to meet Saint midair.
Saint launches the punch, but Nas catches it with one hand.
"You're so dull…"
"Dull!?" Saint gasps.
Without effort, Nas twists Saint's arm and slams him into the floor. He stomps on his head and pins him there with his foot.
"An arm wouldn't matter much…"
Then, coldly, he began to rip Saint's arm from its socket.
Saint screams in agony, pain surging through every nerve. He cries uncontrollably, panic and discomfort overwhelming him.
"There, there…" Nas says, still bored.
Prince lunges again from behind. Without even turning, Nas swings Saint's severed arm and swats him away.
Prince crashes into a nearby wall,
"It is all so… incredibly… boring…" Nas mutters.
"If any of you die… nothing changes for me. You're all like cockroaches… insects… crawling everywhere like you own the place despite being so weak…"
He tosses the arm aside and crouches beside Saint, who trembles, bloodied and whimpering.
"Look, kid, this is how weak you and your friends are."
Nas gets up and turns toward Prince.
Prince, barely standing, sees an opening and goes for it.
"KHAN STYLE: MONARCH KNOC-"
In a flash, Nas slices cleanly through half of Prince's body, his arm, and leg immediately falling from his body,
Saint's eyes go wide.
"PRINCE!!!"
"No… No… NO!!!" Despite losing an arm, Saint strugglingly gets up,
Crimson surges from Saint's entire being. His aura erupts, vaporizing debris and piercing the air.
Nas glances back,
A single bead of sweat rolls down his face.
"Sweat?"
For the first time, Nas's lack of interest slips,
'Maybe I'll spare him… he's not like the others…'
In a blink, Nas appears directly in front of him.
"Put these foolish ambitions to rest."
He slams a fist into his throat, knocking him out of his rage and sending him flying.
But before Saint hits a nearby wall, someone catches him midair.
Jovi.
Nas doesn't glance back at Saint,
Jovi looks down,
"Saint, are you alright?"
Saint, bruised and crying, looks up.
"Prince… save him…"
Jovi smiles faintly and lays him down gently.
"Mela, assemble with the others and get Saint and Prince to safety. I'll buy you some time."
"What?! But boss, you said to run if any of us ran into Nas!"
In the distance, Nas turns his head, eyes widening slightly.
'It's that guy!' He thinks in shock,
A faint, amused smile touches Nas's lips.
Without replying, Jovi cuts off Mela's telepathy.
He steps forward and removes his robe, revealing the calm frame beneath.
"Well, Nas. Let's dance once again."
…