[AUTHOR NOTE: Hey guys, if you are not on my discord server and has been not updated with the news about my patreon. My patreon is dead. They rejected my appeal. I searched for other platforms that are friendly towards my country creators and created account on them. One got rejected(my bad luck) and other has the AI bot screwing with me. It kept asking for my documents again and again. I reached our to their support and they resolved my issue in under an hour. AN HOUR( YOU SEE THIS PATREON WHEN WILL YOU GIVE ME MY CHAPTERS DATA) I have to re edit them again. Some fics are still not done but I will be posting the ones that are done for now and we will be back to normal updates for all in few days. Just this platform that I will be working on Gumroad has high fees for me(I will earn less) but I have kept the tiers price same as patreon one. If you like these fics and want to support me. You can give me a tip on Gumroad(I will only use Gumroad for receiving payments and will post advance chapters on discord). Have a nice day!]
Two Kilometers Away. Rendezvous Point.
Kinuhata Saiai, Takitsubo Rikou, and Frenda Seivelun reunited in a side alley, breathing a sigh of relief upon finding everyone unharmed.
"That's great. You're all alright."
Frenda leaned against a wall, catching her breath. "I've already signaled the RV to pick us up. I just don't know how Mugino is doing now... but we don't need to worry too much." She waved her hand dismissively. "In the end, Mugino is a Level 5. Even if the opponent is a Spatial User, they can't do anything to her. We were just tricked by the client's bad intel."
Frenda spoke with a complaining tone, but her voice was full of blind confidence. To her, Mugino was invincible.
"This time is super uncertain."
Kinuhata Saiai frowned, her eyes warily scanning the rooftops. "The reason we escaped is because Mugino held him back. That guy... he was super dangerous."
"What's uncertain about it?" Frenda rolled her eyes. "That's Mugino! The Number Four! The other guy is just some nameless newbie Level 5 who hasn't even been announced yet. He's probably just one of those cowardly types. How could he compare to Mugino's combat experience? In the end, even the Number Three or Number Two wouldn't be a match for her!"
"No. This time is different."
A quiet, trembling voice cut through Frenda's bravado. "I saw... so many abilities in that guy."
Takitsubo Rikou leaned against Kinuhata, looking exhausted. Her eyes still reflected the fear of what she had seen through her AIM Stalker vision.
"That guy is a monster. His AIM Diffusion Field was too chaotic. It was like... a mass of different people mixed together. My tracking almost went out of control. Even with Body Crystal, I probably couldn't lock onto a field that complex."
"What's wrong, Takitsubo?" Kinuhata looked at her concernedly. "You've been super terrified ever since you saw him."
Takitsubo was the lifeline of ITEM. Her ability to analyze AIM fields allowed them to track targets anywhere—even if they fled to Mars. If she called him a monster, it was serious.
"I suspect..." Takitsubo swallowed hard. "That target is a Multi-Skill user. Or a Dual Skill user. Something that shouldn't exist."
"Multi-Skill?" Frenda blinked. "Impossible! That's an urban legend! The brain can't handle two Personal Realities!"
Honk.
A black, armored RV pulled up to the curb.
"Our ride is here," Kinuhata said. "I dropped a few micro-cameras along the escape route. Let's super quickly see how Mugino is doing."
"Kinuhata is the most reliable! Great! Let's watch Mugino coolly take down that target!" Frenda cheered up instantly, hopping into the van. "Let's see him beg for mercy!"
Takitsubo followed silently. Unlike the optimistic Frenda, she had a sinking feeling that this battle was already over.
...
Inside the RV.
The interior was a mobile command center filled with monitors. Kinuhata typed skillfully on the keyboard. "Connecting to the feed..."
Static cleared. An image appeared.
"Let me see! I want to see Mugino vaporize him!" Frenda pushed Kinuhata aside. "Wait... No way!"
On the screen, the smoke cleared. They saw Mugino Shizuri—the invincible Number Four—unleash a barrage of beams. And then, they saw the man casually walk through them.
WHAM!
With a single punch, Mugino was sent flying. She crashed into the debris, clutching her stomach, vomiting bile. She couldn't even stand up.
"How is this possible...?" Frenda's mouth fell open. "Mugino was... knocked down? With one punch?"
"What do we do? We have to go save her!" Kinuhata panicked.
"We can't go. It's useless," Takitsubo stopped her, biting her lip. "If she lost that fast... we'll just be hostages."
"Yeah! Even Mugino can't beat him! Kinuhata, let's run!" Frenda shouted, her loyalty evaporating instantly in the face of death.
"Wait... Mugino is gone!"
On the screen, Yuuya grabbed Mugino's ankle.
Snap.
They vanished.
"Where did he take her?!" Kinuhata gritted her teeth.
"Killed?" Frenda gasped, clutching her head. "Did he vaporize her? Oh my god! We're doomed!"
"Calm down! Don't talk nonsense!" Kinuhata snapped.
"Mugino is gone! If that guy catches up to us, we're dead! We need to leave the city! Maybe go to Russia!" Frenda was hyperventilating.
"We can't retreat yet. We need to confirm her status," Takitsubo said seriously, taking command.
The three of them stared at the empty screen. One minute. Two minutes. Three minutes. Every second was torture.
"She's definitely dead," Frenda whispered, her face contorted with despair. "Without Mugino, ITEM is finished. The General Board will purge us. We're going to be turned into fertilizer..."
"Shut up, Frenda..."
"Wait! Look!"
Kinuhata pointed at the screen. "They're back!"
Snap.
Two figures appeared in the center of the factory ruins. Mugino was on her hands and knees, shivering violently. Her clothes were soaked and frozen stiff. Her hair was covered in ice crystals. She looked like a drowned rat.
"Mugino...?"
"What did that guy do to her?" Frenda muttered, dumbfounded. "She looks like she was frozen..."
Then, the man raised his hand.
Click.
A silver metal collar snapped around Mugino's neck. The surveillance feed showed Mugino touching the collar, her head bowed in total submission.
The interior of the RV went dead silent.
"He..." Frenda covered her mouth, her eyes wide with a mix of horror and confusion. "He put a dog collar on Mugino? Is he... a pervert?"
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