The Ilê Apanyan agent felt his bone structure shake in his body. He took his distance from his opponents. The cigarette he had smoked had a short analgesic effect on the pain. But when it wore off, he would feel them as if they were being made right then and there.

Fadala looked at the pistols and quickly reloaded the ammunition. He stared at the weapons. He was an assassin for hire getting involved in Ilu Nla's political disputes. His mission was always summarized as going in, killing the target and leaving without a trace. Now he was fighting to defend a companion he had befriended.

For the order of assassins of Nigerian origin, the gunman could be considered an outcast. He had broken every commandment of their creed. But it had been Babu's order. The leader was never wrong. For many, he had the gift of clairvoyance, a perk granted to him by the heavens. For the more skeptical, he was a well-informed man, someone who had a vast spy network and who analyzed data quickly and efficiently.

What Fadala wanted to understand was why he had been chosen. He was the most effective of the order's undertakers, and therefore the most lethal of them all. There was something his leader hadn't told him, a piece of information, a small detail that made all the difference.

Fadala pointed his pistols at the faces of his enemies. They advanced against him. Jabir was slower than his battle companion. The Ofó of Durojaiye coated his body with an Axé overcoat, which was highly resistant to gunfire and allowed him to move with incredible speed.

Fadala was not inexperienced enough to despair of his opponents. She fired at Durojaiye's scales so that the shots would bounce off and hit Jabir. As fast as the sage was going, it wouldn't be possible for the other to fight back or protect himself. Tum-tum, the mortician didn't fire.

"Wait, you idiot! He's using his Ofó against me."

"Flexible Snake Scales."

The scales covering her opponent's body had changed their structure. Instead of the consistency of interlocking sheets of steel, they took on an upholstered appearance. The pistol bullets hit the scales as if they were hitting a waterbed. The bullets were swallowed by the scales and then fell to the ground.

"You're full of tricks."

"Now, that's no way to treat a lady, undertaker."

"Think fast, Fadala!"

Jabir punched the gunman in the temple. In order to dodge in time, he fired a few shots to propel his body backwards. Taking advantage of the fact that his upper body had been tilted, he fitted a snail clip to his pistol. He rested one hand on the terrace floor. With his other hand, he took aim at Jabir.

He spread his legs and spun around like a break-boy. There was no time for the sage to retreat. However, he wasn't hit by any of the shots. Durojaiye stepped in front of his companion. Like a human shield. When he had finished, Fadala got to his feet. Tired, he had both pistols in his fist pointed at the ground.

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"I'm sorry, dear assassin, your tactics didn't work."

"Are you sure, Durojaiye?"

The sage men looked at the ground. Fadala hadn't fired at them, but had made a circle in the floor. Part of the terrace collapsed. The assassin jumped back, but his opponents had no time to escape and fell into the hole. He unholstered the magazine. The barrel of the pistol smoked, it was overheated.

He checked the other pistol. He shook his head, they both needed maintenance. If he kept using them like that, they would break. Wielding the pistol with his left hand, he went through Nkechi's purplish plasma cloud. To his surprise, she undid the field in an instant.

⸎

Akachi was kneeling. His whole body was covered in bruises. He was breathing hard. One of his eyes was closed. It was swollen from the blows he had received. He was aware that all this was nothing more than an optical illusion, well-crafted by the sage woman.

The young medium, together with his Ori Guardian, understood how it all worked. She used the basic properties combined to shape her Axé into a plasma. A vast electromagnetized field was formed. It was used to confuse the opponent's senses.

The copies of Nkechi were made up of Axé particles. They behaved autonomously, as if they had a life of their own. When they were hit, in the form of a plasma, they could not break up into an agglomeration of energy, and then rebuild themselves. When they attacked their opponent, their wisdom increased

Hundreds of Nkechi surrounded Adsa's son. The sage couldn't hide her delight.

"Isn't it about time you gave up? Hand over your Spiritual Key!"

"I can't do that. My grandfather and father entrusted the Spiritual Key of Faith to me. I have to protect it, even from the Circle of Sages."

Bro, not for nothing, but we have to get out of here.

With great difficulty, Akachi got up from the floor. Her muscles trembled as if they were detached from her bones. He raised a staff and pointed it at the face of one of Nkechi's copies.

"Never! Even if I wanted to, she's connected to my heart. It won't be easy to get her out."

"Got it… then I'll have to rip out your key, heart and all."

Before Nkcehi could deliver the final blow, the sound of propellers cut through the air and became intense. The sage snapped her fingers. Opposite her, Fadala stood with his pistol pointed at her. Around the building, two military helicopters and several camera drones were flying over the terrace.

The pilots ordered the fighters on the terrace to be arrested. They ordered them to drop their weapons and not to move.

"Hunf… this movie already has too many actors. Look, Akachi, if you survive, we'll see you again."

Fadala fired a shot into the air. Nkechi turned to him with a raised eyebrow.

"Listen, they're from the cyber troop. You're the only one who can give us the smoke screen we need to escape."

"Why would I do that, assassin?"

"Your companions are one floor below, and they don't seem to be in any better condition. Besides, the chance of you recovering his Spirit Key from Ojwang's hands will be much lower than with us."

"As a good hitman, you're an excellent blackmailer."

Fadala kept his gun pointed at Nkechi. The helicopters continued their warlike flight issuing arrest warrants. The sage rolled her eyes, raised both hands and cast the purple plasma mist over the terrace. The cyber troops had no choice but to launch the attack.

Whole loads of missiles were fired at the building. The building caught fire. Its structure began to collapse and hit neighboring buildings. Many citizens were victimized by the military's disastrous action. When they stopped firing and the fog cleared, the bodies of Akachi and the sages were not identified in the ruin.

The incident was reported in the press and in cyberspace as a terrorist attack by the Circle of Sages. Images were manipulated, people were silenced and the interim president made a statement to the nation to reaffirm the crimes of the sages. Public opinion once again favored the government, unaware that it was the criminal.