[Breaking News – Broadcast Across the Globe]
"Bounty Alert!"Subject: Skull MaskStatus: World's First S-Class ThreatReward: 1 Billion Credits + Eternal Clearance Pass + Heaven's Eye ImmunityLast Seen: Pritampur City Outskirts
The news spread like wildfire.
Assassins sharpened their blades.
Mercenaries prepared their ammo.
Heroes hesitated.
Villains smiled.
The world had just been given a green light.
[Scene: Rudra's Temporary Safehouse – Abandoned Metro Tunnel]
Eva's voice echoed in the dark:
"There are 2,419 bounty hunters already en route. Top 100 S-Class Hunters have been activated. Estimated survival chance: 0.03%."
Rudra didn't blink.
He tightened the last strap on his Shadow Cloak.
"So, I'm finally worth a billion," he whispered. "Guess I made it big."
Eva continued, "The bounty isn't just about the money. It's a message. A trap. They want everyone to come for you… so you don't have time to think."
Rudra smiled faintly.
"They should've raised it higher. I'm worth a hell of a lot more than just one billion."
[Scene: Heaven's Eye HQ – Internal Strategy Room]
A massive hologram displayed Rudra's face—half masked, half in shadows.
The Architect stood in front of hundreds of agents.
"Operation Phantom Fall begins now. Skull Mask has knowledge that can shatter the core of our organization. He must be eliminated—at any cost."
An agent raised his hand. "Sir, what if he reveals the truth to the public before we can catch him?"
The Architect turned slowly, his eyes deadly calm.
"Then we burn the truth… and everyone who believes it."
[Scene: The Underworld City of "Noor Bazaar" – Night]
In the neon-lit backstreets, whispers moved faster than light.
Every info broker, assassin guild, black market dealer, and mercenary gang had only one word on their lips:
"Skull Mask."
At a smoky poker table sat a legendary bounty hunter—Shadow Reaper.
He looked at the hologram of Rudra.
"Skull Mask, huh? Heard he took down a Ghost-Level Monster with bare hands. Heard he made an elite squad disappear. Heard he even turned Seraphina against Heaven's Eye."
His apprentice asked, "So what are we doing?"
Shadow Reaper grinned.
"We're going hunting."
[Scene: College Campus – Next Morning]
The atmosphere had completely changed.
Classes were still running, but eyes were on phones.
Everyone was following the Skull Mask updates like a reality show.
"Yo, he escaped another ambush in Sector 14!"
"I heard he turned an entire SWAT unit into vegetables using shadows!"
"No man, he teleported. Straight magic!"
Priya walked through the crowd, holding her notebook tightly. Her expression serious.
Her fingers tapped furiously on her phone as she accessed a hidden forum: "The Loyal Masked".
Inside were hundreds of users posting real-time analysis, theories, and support for Skull Mask.
She posted:
"If Skull Mask was evil, why did he save the slum kids last year when no one else dared? Why protect the Prime Minister's daughter in secret? Think. Don't believe the headlines."
Some upvoted. Others cursed her.
But she didn't stop.
She would find him.
[Scene: Rooftops of Pritampur – Rudra's POV]
He stared at the new bounty posters.
1 Billion.
His picture—everywhere.
Even kids were drawing his face on walls now.
Eva spoke softly: "Want to go underground?"
Rudra shook his head.
"I'm done hiding."
He threw a flash crystal into the sky.
It exploded into a black phoenix symbol.
Everyone saw it.
From the rooftops, streets, news drones, and cameras—his message was clear.
"I'm still here."
[Scene: Back-Alley Hacker Den – Midnight]
A mysterious girl wearing tech goggles—code name: Binary Witch—watched the broadcast.
She sipped her tea and grinned.
"That guy's got style."
She activated her AI spiders to search every corner of the Deep Net for Rudra's real identity.
She didn't want the bounty.
She wanted answers.
[Scene: Forests Outside Pritampur – Dusk]
Three elite bounty squads surrounded an abandoned temple.
The leader spoke into the comms: "We've tracked the target's heat signature. Ready to breach."
They kicked down the door.
Smoke filled their lungs.
Shadows moved.
And then—
Nothing.
Seconds later, all comms went silent.
When backup arrived, they found only one thing: a wall message in blood.
"You want the devil? Bring more than guns."
[Final Scene – Seraphina's Apartment – Night]
She stared at the same bounty poster everyone else did.
Her hands shook.
She opened a locked drawer and pulled out an old photograph—one where she stood beside a younger Rudra… before the experiments.
Before the masks.
Before the lies.
"I'm sorry," she whispered.
She turned on her encrypted comm link.
A soft chime.
"Ready to betray Heaven's Eye?" a voice asked.
She closed her eyes.
"Yes."