The dust hadn't settled yet.
Chunks of concrete still slid down the shattered remains of the parking structure, groaning as gravity finished what Isaac Vale had calculated. The air was thick, abrasive, burning the lungs with every breath.
Kaito coughed hard, dropping to one knee.
The world lagged again—sound arriving before image, movement before meaning. His left side felt heavy, foreign, like it belonged to a different version of him that hadn't fully caught up.
— Stay with me, Jun said, gripping his arm.— Don't black out now.
Ryuji stood ahead, blade drawn, scanning the rubble-strewn darkness.
— We're not safe yet.
A sharp metallic click echoed through the debris.
Precise.
Intentional.
— Relax, a voice said calmly.— If I wanted you dead, I wouldn't be this close.
A figure emerged from the dust.
Lean.Masked.Dark tactical coat reinforced at the shoulders and forearms.
In their hands was the weapon Kaito had glimpsed earlier—not a rifle like Isaac's, but a modular launcher fused with a long-barreled firearm. Cables retracted smoothly into its housing, glowing faintly where they connected to the barrel.
The figure lowered it slightly.
— Name's Mirei Kurose.
Haneul's chain rattled softly.
— You're not Association, Haneul said.
Mirei shook their head once.
— No.— I hunt their mistakes.
Kaito forced himself upright.
— You tracked Isaac.
— For three years, Mirei replied.— Or rather… I tracked the aftermath.
They glanced upward, toward the collapsed ceiling.
— This was clean.— Which means he's getting serious again.
Ryuji studied them.
— That weapon…, he said.— It's not just grappling gear.
Mirei smiled faintly.
— Good eye.
They lifted it slightly.
— It's called Deadlock.
Jun blinked.
— …That sounds reassuring.
They moved deeper into the ruins, following Mirei through paths carved by precise cable shots. Each anchor landed exactly where it needed to, ripping debris away without triggering further collapse.
Kaito watched closely.
No wasted motion.No panic.Every shot had purpose.
— Your power…, Kaito said quietly.— It's distance-based.
Mirei nodded.
— Vector Control.
They stopped, turning slightly.
— I don't shoot people.— I shoot paths.
Ryuji frowned.
— Explain.
Mirei pointed the weapon upward and fired.
The cable embedded itself into a steel beam. Mirei pulled once—
The beam shifted, debris sliding aside to reveal a clear passage.
— I manipulate direction, velocity, and transfer, Mirei said.— Momentum obeys me once I claim the vector.
Jun's eyes widened.
— So bullets—
— Miss, Mirei finished.— Or hit something else.
Haneul inhaled sharply.
— That's why you survived Last Argument.
Mirei's expression hardened slightly.
— Barely.
They looked at Kaito.
— Isaac locks outcomes.— I break trajectories.
Silence followed.
Then Kaito spoke.
— Why help us?
Mirei didn't answer immediately.
They resumed walking.
— Because you didn't stop the collapse, they said finally.— You could have.
Kaito's jaw tightened.
— And died doing it.
Mirei nodded.
— Exactly.— You chose restraint.
They stopped again, turning fully now.
— That's why you're still alive.— And why Isaac had to adjust.
Ryuji crossed his arms.
— So what do you want?
Mirei met his gaze calmly.
— An alliance.— Temporary.
Jun snorted.
— Of course it is.
Mirei ignored him.
— Isaac's next move won't be environmental, they said.— He'll target timing, perception… or separation.
Haneul stiffened.
— He'll isolate one of us.
— Yes, Mirei confirmed.— And I can't stop that alone.
Kaito felt the dull ache behind his eye pulse.
— You think I can.
— No, Mirei corrected.— I think you will.
They stepped closer.
— But not without learning when not to act.
That landed harder than any shot.
Far away, in a silent observation room, Isaac Vale reviewed new data.
The collapse.
The survival.
The interference.
— A third vector…, he murmured.
A name appeared on the screen.
MIREI KUROSE
Isaac's eyes narrowed slightly.
— So you're still alive.
He leaned back.
— That complicates things.
Back in the ruins, they finally reached an exit—twisted metal peeled back just enough to escape into the night air.
Kaito paused at the threshold.
— If we work together…, he said,— I don't erase people.
Mirei looked at him.
— Good.
They stepped past him.
— Because Isaac doesn't either.
Jun frowned.
— That's not comforting.
Mirei glanced back once.
— It should be.
They disappeared into the shadows.
Ryuji exhaled.
— That makes three enemies with sniper tendencies.
Haneul managed a weak smile.
— And one more ally.
Kaito looked at the city skyline.
The pain was still there.
The recoil hadn't faded.
But for the first time since the mark appeared, something else had joined it.
Perspective.
— He's forcing me to choose when to stop…, Kaito said quietly.
Ryuji nodded.
— And that's how real limits are made.
High above, unseen, Isaac Vale adjusted his calculations.
The future no longer ended cleanly.
And that bothered him.