When the moon began to emerge in the eastern sky, lights from thousands of homes were already illuminating various parts of Ragunna City.
In the golden and resplendent banquet hall of a luxurious hotel, the aroma of food mingled with beautiful piano music drifting in the air. Capollo glanced at his watch and muttered to himself:
"The agreed time is almost here. The people from the Order of the Deep could arrive at any moment."
Originally, he was supposed to meet with the Order of the Deep yesterday, formally exchanging the core component in an official setting, but the "Order" suddenly claimed there was a change in circumstances and postponed it by one day.
This inexplicable change gave Capollo an inexplicable sense of foreboding. He straightened his tie at his chest once more and ordered the people beside him:
"Conduct another patrol and check the personnel present. Ensure no suspicious individuals have entered."
"Yes."
Three subordinates in uniform dispersed, heading to check different directions in the hall.
"Hey, who are you!"
Noah, who was installing bombs according to Carlotta's plan, was spotted by a sharp-eyed subordinate.
"This is troublesome. I've been discovered several times in such a short while. I really don't know how the Rover in the original plot managed to disguise himself."
Noah shook his head helplessly, activated the power of Time, rewinding time to ten seconds earlier, and skillfully took out a scroll to hide inside.
The scroll automatically flew up and hung on the wall, blending seamlessly into the extravagant banquet hall.
"Strange, was there a painting here before?"
The subordinate scratched his head, didn't think much of it, and returned to report to Capollo:
"Report: no issues found in the main hall."
"Very good."
Capollo always felt something was off, but couldn't pinpoint it. In his blind spot, Noah emerged from the scroll, pressed his earpiece, and whispered softly:
"Calling Little Potato. On-site setup is ready. How's progress on your end?"
"Little Potato received. I've infiltrated the hall through the repaired stained-glass mirror. We just need to wait for the core component to appear, then act immediately."
As if remembering something, Carlotta reminded:
"By the way, Tall Chestnut, avoid fighting if not necessary. We'll leave directly. I've arranged for Red Velvet people to meet us."
"Got it."
After the brief exchange, the two began waiting patiently until the clock struck the hour.
Capollo glanced at his watch again, unconsciously straightening his tie once more, the unease in his heart lingering.
He waved his hand and ordered sternly:
"Check the item. Ensure everything is secure."
"Yes."
A subordinate solemnly carried a tray padded with red cloth. At the center of the tray lay the small and exquisite core component.
Seeing the core component approaching with the subordinate's steps, Capollo finally felt a sense of relief.
As long as he used the core component as a bargaining chip to surrender to the Order of the Deep, the Montelli family could replace the Fisalia Family's position and gain the Order's protection.
The abrupt sound of high heels echoed from the upper level of the banquet hall. Everyone looked up to see a stunning figure leaping down from above.
After a brief whoosh, Carlotta landed precisely, chopping the subordinate carrying the tray with a hand strike.
The sudden action caused the tray to fly out of control. Carlotta elegantly reached out, steadily catching the spinning core component mid-air, and smoothly flicked her hair behind her.
"The people you're waiting for won't come, Capollo."
"Carlotta—how is it you! What do you mean the people I'm waiting for won't come?"
Capollo looked over in shock, his mind racing, his expression suddenly turning vicious.
The entire banquet hall fell into extreme tension. All subordinates eyed warily, shifting their feet lightly to quietly block all of Carlotta's escape routes. Some had already placed hands on their waist holsters.
"It seems you've fully uncovered the truth. So yesterday, it was you pretending to be from the Order claiming a change in circumstances, and it was you who changed the meeting location and time."
Capollo forced composure, analyzing the sequence:
"You must have sent the same information to the Order's side, diverting us... No, no! You alone wouldn't be enough..."
"One more person makes it enough. Come out, Tall Chestnut."
Carlotta smiled slightly, clapping her hands twice. Noah responded by stepping out from a corner of the banquet hall, standing beside Carlotta.
"Now, you've lost the item for the transaction and the party to transact with."
Carlotta put away the core component in her hand and spoke gravely to Capollo:
"Mr. Capollo, I'll give you one last chance. If you're willing to stop here, at least we can end this with some dignity."
"Heh? Dignity? At this point, you still think I care about that?"
Capollo completely tore off his facade, hurling vicious words at Carlotta:
"I should have been ruthless from the start and erased you as part of the cost, just like Bennett!"
He ordered harshly:
"Act—deal with them and retrieve the core component!"
As his words fell, the Montelli members who had been ready sprang into action, drawing their equipped guns, muzzles aimed directly at the two in the center of the banquet hall.
"Go!"
The powerful physique of Resonators allowed Carlotta to easily dodge bullets. She spun around, without explanation grabbing Noah's hand and dashing toward the outside of the banquet hall.
As for the non-Resonator family members, even with guns, they couldn't keep up with their pace and were left far behind.
Amid the elegant automatic piano music, the two moved agilely, leaping over the high platform of the banquet hall and landing steadily on the fiery red carpet in the lobby.
The chandelier overhead swayed from the impact of scattered bullets, like flickering ambient lighting, adding a touch of haziness to the tense atmosphere.
Carlotta's expression was relaxed and comfortable, not like fleeing in panic amid a hail of bullets, but rather immersing in a thrilling and enjoyable adventure. She playfully winked at Noah:
"Do you think this place looks like a ballroom set themed around death?"
"In that case, are you inviting me for a dance?" Noah raised an eyebrow in response.
"Exactly!" Carlotta smiled brightly.
The humanoid blade-wielding noble Echoes and condensing water noble Echoes that had been waiting in the lobby for a long time drew their long swords simultaneously. Their sword swings were as elegant as dance moves, yet hid lethal intent.
A waltz performance thus began. Noah and Carlotta's hands clasped together. In an instant, the girl's center of gravity and rhythm were fully entrusted to Noah's control.
They tacitly stepped forward and back, calmly evading the cold sword blades thrusting toward them, then rotated ninety degrees in an extremely graceful posture.
Carlotta's skirt flared, her heels raised high, carrying a fierce momentum as she kicked away an advancing blade-wielding noble.
The waltz rhythm changed freely at will. Clever zigzag steps nimbly dodged the attacking condensing water nobles and blade-wielding nobles, kicking them away. Their hands remained clasped as they returned to the center of this special dance.
The chandelier perfectly cast a dazzling highlight, as if fate had specially arranged a spotlight for them.
A brief eye contact, Noah released his left hand, instead gently encircling Carlotta's soft waist, guiding her into a light spin.
Carlotta leaned back in posture, her pure white hair flying, the Death and Dance quickly condensing in her hand firing shining opal bullets accompanied by bell-like laughter.
Precise marksmanship hit one humanoid noble Echo after another amid the tacit spinning dance steps. With the echoes of gunshots, the originally arrogant "backup dancers" faded one by one.
All this seemed complex and lengthy, but in reality, it lasted only a few short seconds.
After six gunshots ceased, everything returned to calm. Noah gently lifted the hand holding Carlotta's, guiding the girl into a light and elegant spin in place. The heart-pounding dance performance thus concluded.
Their clasped hands separated, and the two stepped forward, running side by side toward the distant stained-glass window.
Two blade-wielding nobles blocked the path ahead, drawing chilling blades and thrusting simultaneously.
Noah and Carlotta once again displayed unparalleled tacit understanding. They reached out and clasped hands. Carlotta leaped toward Noah, who slid low toward Carlotta's position.
With their clasped hands as the center, they rotated half a circle in mid-air—one high, one low—exquisitely passing between the two blade-wielding nobles, striking both simultaneously in a flash.
Upon landing, they had switched left and right positions.
Finally, before the massive stained-glass window, several blade-wielding nobles caught up from behind.
"No way out. What do we do next?" Noah raised an eyebrow at Carlotta.
Carlotta glanced sideways at the stained-glass window mere inches away. A full moon shone through the window, casting pure white light.
How romantic. Carlotta thought so.
She hadn't fully recovered from the previous heart-pounding dance steps and proactively took Noah's hand again, issuing an invitation:
"Will you... stay with me through life and death?"
"Not about children. (In unison)"
Receiving the satisfactory answer, Carlotta smiled and pulled Noah, stepping backward toward the stained-glass window. With her right hand, she lightly snapped her fingers.
The gem bombs Noah had previously installed throughout the hall exploded one after another. Amid the massive upheaval, the two figures hand in hand shattered through the stained-glass window, leaping out into the moonlight.
[Companion Story: "If on a Rainy Night, a Family" completed]