Staring at One Another

Moonlight stretched the shadow of the garden wall far across the ground. The Circus squad finally arrived below the target building.

The Magician tugged at his white gloves, making his final preparations.

"Are you ready?" the Magician asked his subordinates beside him.

"No problem."

"Ready."

"We need to move fast. Finish this within five minutes."

"According to my divination, that Demoness should still be asleep, so we have to be quick..."

The Magician began assigning tasks.

The four of them split into two groups. The Magician and the Clown who had previously been badly injured by the Demoness would handle the frontal assault; the Diviner and the other Clown would stand by at the back door as support.

If the assault team met resistance or the Demoness managed to escape, the two supporting members had to move in immediately to intercept her.

"If that Demoness does get out, don't try to stop her blindly. Your lives come first." Still somewhat uneasy, the Magician offered his subordinates one last warning before leaving.

To the Clown beside him, however, those words had an entirely different flavor.

Boss, you can't say that! You make it sound like we're bound to screw this up.

The two members staying behind nodded to show they understood.

The Magician turned toward the visibly nervous Clown beside him and spoke.

"What are you so nervous about when I'm here?" He patted the Clown's shoulder and said in a low voice.

"Begin the operation."

He then led the Clown to a lower section of the wall that was easy to climb. Reaching out with both hands, he gripped the gaps and protrusions and scrambled to the top in two or three movements.

Thanks to the Clown's exceptional control over the body, both men vaulted over the wall with ease, making almost no sound.

They crossed the garden and approached the side of the house, feeling their way to the south wall. Rusty water dripped from a water pipe.

The Magician was clearly the better climber, every movement practiced and precise.

He gripped the pipe with both hands. The instant his toes caught in the gaps between the bricks, his spine arched like a cat's, and he climbed up with effortless ease.

Thanks to the characteristics of his Pathway, the Clown had little trouble doing this either. Compared with the Magician, however, his movements looked much clumsier.

"His legs are stiffer than a puppet's," the Magician muttered irritably as he watched the Clown.

The two reached the second-floor corridor, where the floor gleamed with an oily sheen in the moonlight.

The Magician activated Spirit Vision and surveyed their surroundings. After confirming there were no hidden dangers, he drew a joker card from his pocket and pressed it into a corner. Ghostly blue mist seeped from its edges, gradually condensing into a vague human form.

A tall, slender figure appeared there.

This was a decoy to confuse the Demoness. If she noticed the two of them, the illusion might at least distract her a little.

He then took a silver-gray charm from his pocket and placed it beside the card. If the illusion was attacked, the charm would activate immediately.

Being struck by the charm's power would be no less devastating than taking a demon-hunting bullet at close range.

Of course, he still hoped the operation would go smoothly and his little trap would never be needed.

He then gently patted the Clown's shoulder, signaling him to watch where it was and avoid stepping on it by accident.

He could never quite stop worrying about this overly obtuse subordinate.

A moment later, they arrived outside the second-floor bedroom. A cloyingly sweet incense scent seeped through the gap around the door.

The Clown took a black-and-red charm from his pocket. This explosive charm could quickly inflict widespread damage. He held it in his palm, ready to recite the incantation at any moment.

The Magician drew a silver-plated revolver. As his thumb pulled back the hammer, the sulfurous scent of six demon-hunting bullets pierced his nostrils.

Watching his boss hold up three fingers, the Clown swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing.

Through the Magician's Spirit Vision, there was indeed a figure lying inside the room.

After confirming the target was there, the Magician gave the Clown a meaningful look and mimed throwing something.

Once the door opens, activate the charm and throw it straight inside... The Clown understood and nodded.

"Three." The Magician gripped his gun with both hands, ready to fire.

"Two." The Clown pressed his tongue against the roof of his mouth, the explosive incantation poised between his teeth.

"One."

The door was kicked open.

Just as they had agreed beforehand, the instant the door opened, the Clown rapidly recited the charm's activation incantation. As soon as it grew slightly warm, he hurled it into the room.

At the same moment, the Magician aimed at the bed and rapidly pulled the trigger.

Bang... bang... bang!

He emptied the cylinder in less than two seconds.

Boom! An explosion followed, instantly filling the surrounding area with dust.

"She should be dead, right?" Looking at the wrecked room before them, the Clown turned to ask the Magician.

"Something's wrong!" The Magician sensed something amiss.

A moment later, the smoke cleared. There was no Demoness on the collapsed bed, only a shattered mirror.

Danger!

"That's an explosive charm going off." Hearing the distant explosion, the two members on standby immediately noticed something was happening.

"The boss and the others should have succeeded."

Yet even after they waited a little longer, their teammates were nowhere to be seen.

The Clown on standby realized something was wrong.

"Damn it, the boss and the others are in trouble."

Meanwhile, over with the Nighthawks squad.

After a carriage ride lasting over twenty minutes, they arrived at the target house's front gate.

"Don't be nervous. Everything will be fine. I've faced enemies far more dangerous than this before." Old Neil, the oldest Nighthawk present, spoke up to reassure everyone.

"Something seems off..." Klein, standing nearby, appeared to have noticed something.

"That's firelight, and what's that..." He pointed toward the building's second floor.

Hearing Klein's words, everyone turned to look.

They saw a figure fall from the second floor.

"Phew, that damned Demoness..."

"Hmph, she's not that tough!"

The Clown who had fallen from the second floor looked rather bedraggled. Despite his injuries, his expression was wildly excited.

That Demoness is on her last legs. She triggered the boss's trap, then took so many hits from him and me. She definitely can't last much longer. I need to hurry back and help the boss...

Gritting his teeth, he struggled to get

up. Before he could steady himself, he raised his head and spotted a fully armed Nighthawks squad nearby.

"This..."

The expression on the Clown's face instantly froze.

At that very moment, he felt his Clown Potion become fully digested.

"Boss, hold on! We're coming!" Hearing his teammates' voices behind him, the Clown felt cold sweat pouring down his forehead.

"Are you all right? We..." The two rushing over to help looked worried when they saw the injured Clown. But as they approached and spotted the squad of Nighthawks behind their teammate, both froze in place.

"This..."

The two groups simply stared at one another.

For a moment, the atmosphere turned awkward.