Ambush

"Something's wrong. The spirits nearby are filled with unease..."

Daly frowned as she spoke.

"There's a powerful Beyonder nearby who harbors hostility toward us!"

She rose from the sofa, no longer looking as dejected as before. Instead, her face was grave as she looked around, then grasped the crystal pendant on her wrist and silently moved her lips, communicating with certain unseen beings.

This was a true Medium. She was communicating with invisible spirits!

Leonard reacted as well, springing up from the sofa. He walked to the window and glanced outside, but there was nothing unusual about the bustling North Zoteland Street.

"Could it be another Official Extraordinary team, like the Punishers or..." Angel proposed a possibility.

"Not likely. We all have clearly defined territories, and we normally don't casually come near another team's headquarters. Besides, judging by Ms. Daly's reaction, this Beyonder..."

"Is stronger than me," Daly answered briefly.

Leonard's expression changed drastically. He hurriedly pulled the Revolver from his shoulder holster and cocked the hammer.

"Then they're very likely Sequence 6. There are no Official Extraordinary of that level in Tingen City."

Stronger than Ms. Daly, so very likely Sequence 6... So Daly Simone was also a Sequence 7 Beyonder? Angel looked at Daly, who was silently communicating with an unknown being. She had never expected this unremarkable young woman with such a dispirited air to be a Beyonder on the same level as Dunn Smith, the Nighthawks' captain.

Wait, Sequence 6...

"Mrs. Sharon!"

Angel blurted it out. She saw a trace of terror in Leonard's emerald-green eyes after their momentary confusion abruptly gave way to shock.

"Go to Chanis Gate. We have no chance of winning here." Leonard made his decision swiftly, raising his gun as he left the window and headed for the partition in the reception room.

Although she had no idea where Chanis Gate was, following him couldn't be wrong...

Angel rose from the sofa as well. She first opened the ammunition box on the table, took out all the Storm Convergence bullets, slipped the rounds already loaded into the speedloader into her dress pocket, then picked up both Revolvers and followed behind Leonard.

Daly stopped her Spirit Medium as well, though her brows remained tightly furrowed as she looked around.

As Angel passed Daly, she held the smaller lady's Revolver loaded with Phantom Phosphor Eruption bullets out to her. "Ms. Daly, you know how to use a handgun, right?"

Having just ended her Spirit Medium, Daly's eyes were deep as an abyss as she looked at Angel in surprise. She gave a soft laugh and said:

"Though I may not look like it, I'm still a genuine Nighthawk."

She reached out to take the gun.

Angel's hand tightened around the weapon and froze in place. As if teasing Daly, she held the gun suspended before her.

Unfortunately, Daly could no longer blame Angel. It was as though she had been entangled by Invisible Silk Thread. Her Black Robe pressed tightly against her body, outlining her lovely curves, while her outstretched hand hung motionless in midair in a pose as if waiting for a handshake.

Angel knew that her own clothes were probably the same, because her limbs were stiff, her neck fixed in place, and she could not move. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Leonard, who had reached the reception room partition and was about to go around it. His Trench Coat clung to his slender body, his limbs posed as if he were moving forward, yet he stood frozen in place like a ridiculous Puppet.

This was undoubtedly Mrs. Sharon's work. As a Sequence 6, she had brazenly entered Blackthorn Security Company through her invisibility and used her Beyonder powers while standing beside them, controlling everyone present like marionettes. Although Daly had received a warning through her Spirit Medium ability, it was already too late.

Angel could feel the threads tightly winding around her entire body. Every major joint was locked in place, utterly unable to move, and the sensation was rapidly spreading toward her fingers and above her neck. Perhaps in just a few seconds, the only part of her body still able to move would be her eyeballs. Mrs. Sharon was waiting for that moment too. She only needed to remain invisible nearby until they were completely under her control, then reveal herself and finish her final slaughter.

Daly and Leonard might have been thinking of ways to break free from the restraints, but Angel could not wait any longer. She had to use these precious few seconds to create an opportunity for the others to fight back. First, she had to force Mrs. Sharon, hidden nearby, to reveal herself.

With great effort, she moved the index finger of her Left Hand, gradually curling the joint and pressing it against the trigger of the lady's pistol—the muzzle was aimed directly at Daly Simone, who was about to take the gun.

"Sorry..." Angel's lips moved as she uttered a single word.

The trigger clicked, and the hammer fell. The Phantom Phosphor Eruption, propelled from the barrel by burning gunpowder gases, was instantly ignited by the power embedded in its inscription. Trailing a spreading streak of phosphorescence, it struck Daly in the chest.

Of course, Angel was not an undercover agent sent by Mrs. Sharon, lying in wait until this moment just to shoot Daly herself. As an auxiliary bullet, Phantom Phosphor Eruption had no direct killing power. The instant it hit its target, the impacted bullet head burst apart, transforming into insubstantial Phantom Phosphor Powder that covered a ten-meter radius, marking all objects and creatures that reacted to spirituality—including invisible ones.

As for the bullet's own destructive power, it might cause mild burns if it struck exposed skin, but it would do almost no damage through clothing. More than that, the Invisible Silk Thread binding Daly seemed extremely afraid of high temperatures. Angel saw transparent threads like spider silk appear where Daly had been struck, rapidly dissipating under the effects of Phantom Phosphor Eruption.

At the same time, with the impact point as its center, the entire reception room was instantly filled with sparkling Phantom Phosphor Powder. Ignoring gravity and the breeze blowing in through the window, it floated silently through every corner of the space.

In Angel's eyes, Daly before her and Leonard farther away both emitted faint phosphorescence, as though their bodies under Spirit Vision had been covered by a layer of white halo. Less than two meters from Leonard, a similar humanoid halo emerged in a spot where there was supposedly nothing at all.

Without needing Angel's reminder, Leonard locked his gaze onto the halo beside him. The only parts of his body that could move were his facial features. Without the slightest hesitation, he opened his mouth, and his deep, magnetic voice rang out:

"Farewell, free-spirited sea.

This is the Last Time before my eyes that you will roll your azure waves and shine with your delicate beauty..."

The ethereal, tranquil chant was like a Lullaby, echoing beneath the high ceiling of the reception room. Even the breeze drifting in from outside seemed to vanish, and the Phantom Phosphor Powder filling the room drifted away from Angel.

It was as if she had arrived beside a lake in a forest, or lay on a bed of velvet. The calm, peaceful atmosphere left her mind dazed, and she could fall asleep at any moment.

"Don't sleep!"

Suddenly remembering that she was still in battle, Angel forcibly called back her consciousness, which had nearly floated out of her body. To stay awake, she even bit her tongue.

Sharp pain surged through her, dispersing the powerful drowsiness. The lake before her and the velvet beneath her vanished, and she returned to the reception room of Blackthorn Security Company, where Phantom Phosphor Powder drifted through the air.

This should have been an ability similar to how a Nightmare pulled people into dreams, only weaker than Dunn's direct Dream Invasion...

Angel refocused her gaze on Leonard. He was still chanting in his low voice. The halo directly before him—Mrs. Sharon—should have fallen into the same state, and because she was closer to Leonard the Poet, the effect was even more pronounced.

Then, I should... She tried moving her limbs. Unfortunately, the Invisible Silk Thread still tugged at her body, but compared to her previous state of complete immobility, the threads had clearly loosened after losing Mrs. Sharon's control. Angel felt that she could now move her limbs slightly.

She looked toward Ms. Daly before her. Daly also sensed that her range of movement had increased, and immediately used the crystal pendant on her wrist to quickly enter a Spirit Medium state. Her emerald-like eyes deepened once again.

"Use fire."

Angel reminded her.

As an Assassin, she had no way to deal with the Invisible Silk Thread wrapped around her body. She could only place her hopes on Daly the Medium, and on the unseen spirits around them.

Daly nodded almost imperceptibly. Then wisps of pale-blue fireflies drifted through the space around them, driving away the nearby Phantom Phosphor Powder. This was the light emitted as the threads binding them were set aflame.

These invisible threads only rapidly curled up and vanished like spider silk meeting fire when they came into contact with high temperatures. Blue fireflies spread swiftly along the threads throughout the surrounding space, creating a dreamlike scene.

But Angel had no mind to admire it. The instant the threads caught fire, she felt the force restraining her rapidly dissipate. Before she could praise Daly's performance, she raised the large-caliber Revolver in her right hand and, without even taking aim, fired a Storm Convergence at the halo representing Mrs. Sharon, relying solely on her feel for the gun.

The hastily fired bullet did not strike Mrs. Sharon's vital points, hitting only her waist. Yet instead of the dull sound of a bullet piercing flesh, there came a crisp crack. The halo marked by Phantom Phosphor Powder shattered like an illusion in a mirror and vanished from Angel's sight. At the same time, the Full-length Mirror hanging behind the door for guests to straighten their clothes also shattered.

Mirror Substitute!

The mirror marked by phosphorescence lay shattered across the floor, while Mrs. Sharon, who should have been there, had vanished without a trace. Angel raised her gun and scanned the surroundings, but she found no New Goal within the gradually dissipating Phantom Phosphor Powder.

Had she run away...

That made sense. If one strike failed, choosing another day to return was an Assassin's survival rule. But Mrs. Sharon had boldly stormed the Nighthawks' stronghold—would she truly give up so easily?

Daly stood where she was, continuing to guide Blue Flame toward Leonard and helping him escape the threads' Imprisonment. Angel swept her gaze across every corner of the room, trying to find where Mrs. Sharon was hiding. Even teleportation should not have escaped the marking of Phantom Phosphor Powder; that was common knowledge she had learned in another world. But here, the ill-suited mark had been easily destroyed by a Mirror Substitute, becoming a one-use effect.

The sense of danger in her heart gradually intensified. The Assassin's instincts made Angel stop hesitating. She pointed the gun in her Left Hand at the floor, pulled the trigger, and fired another Phantom Phosphor Eruption. The fragile bullet shattered against the floorboards, and dreamlike Phantom Phosphor Powder once again filled the entire room.

Within the spreading powder, a figure swiftly approached. Angel bent slightly, preparing to dodge, only to realize in alarm that the target was not her, but Daly the Medium, whose back was turned toward the figure!