"So, you let yourself get captured on purpose?" Raven asked, a trace of confusion slipping into her usually sharp tone.

Chino shrugged, his expression unreadable. "On some level, yes. That shadow-wielding guy is strong, I can't deny that. I couldn't exactly overpower him."

Raven raised an eyebrow. "But you could have avoided being captured?"

A thin smile crept across Chino's face. "Of course. It wasn't as easy for him as he might've thought. But he had something… something that belongs to me. To figure it out, I let myself get caught. If I hadn't wanted to, with my army of hundreds of thousands of Fish-Men, I could've wiped out Kitsune myself."

The sound of approaching footsteps echoed through the corridor, cutting the conversation short.

From the far end of the hall, a blonde woman sauntered into view, her movements lazy and graceful. "Well, looks like everyone's here," she said, her voice light.

Raven narrowed her eyes. "Wait… were you captured on purpose too?"

Vex blinked, tilting her head innocently. "Captured? Oh no, that's not it."

"Then how did you escape?" Han asked, his curiosity piqued.

A slow, mischievous smile spread across Vex's lips. "Well, it's a little embarrassing, but all the ones observing and recording my info happened to be men."

"And?" Raven frowned, clearly not following.

Vex's smile turned charming. "Let's just say, after getting to know me a little better, they couldn't help but fall for me. When they heard there were orders to execute me, they… took matters into their own hands. They let me go and then fought among themselves."

Her eyes flickered over the blackened, charred body on the ground. "Is that… Spider?" she asked.

Han nodded, crossing his arms. "Yep. Impressive that you can still recognize him."

Vex sighed, a note of regret in her voice. "What a shame. I was hoping to turn him into my Guard Bee. Didn't expect him to burn out so fast."

Chino chuckled, glancing at her. "Seems we think alike. I had similar plans for these people. Turn them into Deep Ones. I'm certain they'd prove… quite useful."

Before anyone could reply, the soft hum of machinery caught their attention. The elevator at the end of the corridor whirred to life, and the four of them turned their gazes toward it, watching as the doors slid open.

From within the lift, a muscular man stepped out. He froze, eyes wide as he took in the sight before him — Raven, Chino, Han, and Vex,

The man blinked in confusion, his face paling. He opened his mouth to speak but no words came out.

"What… the hell…?"

...

Within the crack space, Mei gazed into the outside world, watching the muscular man stumble into view. With a flick of her finger, she nudged the invisible thread of his fateline. It was so fragile, it snapped with the slightest touch.

In the same instant, a whirling electric fan, already sent spiraling out of control, sliced through the air with lethal precision. Its blades caught the man's neck, sawing through with brutal efficiency. Blood sprayed in arcs, painting the scene in crimson as the man's head fell. From the gory display, a small stream of fire flew through the air, coiling into Mei's hand.

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The fan, as though alive with malevolent intent, continued its path forward, tearing through the space, only to meet a new group of Kitsune soldiers charging down the corridor.

"Target detected!" their voices echoed.

Mei's eyes flicked toward them, and with a lazy motion, she wrapped her fingers around their fatelines. She gave only the gentlest tug. The electric fan veered, spiraling dangerously close to the soldiers, but it missed them entirely. Mei smiled, amused by their resilience.

"Ah, they're a bit sturdier than I expected," she mused, her voice lilting.

Her fingers danced along their fate threads as if playing a delicate instrument. With each strum, the electric fan changed direction, sweeping back toward the group. The soldiers scrambled, barely dodging the murderous blades.

"Everyone, get down!" one of the privates shouted in desperation, but it was futile.

Mei's fingers continued their rhythm, coaxing the fan in unpredictable patterns. It slashed through the air like a deadly puppet, never quite striking, but close enough that the soldiers danced on the edge of death. It was a grotesque spectacle, almost comedic in its cruelty, as Mei toyed with their lives, dragging them back from the brink only to push them closer again.

But all games must end. With a final, decisive flick of her wrist, the soldiers' fatelines frayed and snapped one by one. The electric fan returned for the last time, its blades catching the soldiers mid-motion. Blood sprayed, limbs fell, and the corridor was silent once more.

Han, Chino, Raven, and Vex exchanged glances, their eyes briefly meeting before Han broke the silence.

"Split object of 009, huh?" Han muttered, eyeing the fan that had done the killing.

"Speaking of split objects..." He reached into his coat, pulling out a collection of small, rough stones. "When I arrived, I happened to see some people studying these. Thought I'd take them for myself."

He opened his hands, revealing stones gleaming in the dim light.

"What is this?" Chino asked, glancing down at the stones Han tossed toward him.

Han chuckled lightly. "Ever seen The Adventures of J...? Ah, I forget the title." He waved it off, pulling out three more stones and tossing them into Chino's open palm. "Ox, strength. Horse, healing. Rooster, gravity."

The moment Chino caught the stones, a surge of power coursed through him, his muscles tightening with newfound strength. He flexed his hands, feeling the terrifying force settle into his bones.

"Not bad," Chino muttered, clearly pleased.

Han then turned to Vex, flicking his wrist and sending three more stones flying her way. "Dog, immortal. Snake, stealth. Sheep, astral projection."

Vex blinked, catching the stones with a raised brow. "Are you really giving all your life-preserving tricks to me?" she teased. "Am I still that weak in your eyes, dear?"

Han shrugged, the faintest of smirks on his lips. "I just think they suit you better." Without another word, he shifted his attention to Raven.

Raven was already extending her hands, her eyes glinting with anticipation. "Alright, what have you got for me?"

Han dropped three stones into her waiting palms. "Rabbit, speed. Dragon, flame. Pig, eye."

Raven's grin widened as she inspected the stones, rolling them in her fingers.

"And what did you keep for yourself?" Raven asked, narrowing her eyes.

Han held up his own set of stones with a casual flick of his wrist. "The most useless ones," he replied, almost too calmly. "Mouse, animation. Monkey, transformed animal. Tiger, balance."

Raven tilted her head, a hint of disbelief crossing her features. "You sure about that?"

Some of them couldn't help but think Han had chosen poorly, that maybe he was the weakest among them now. But what they didn't realize was that Han had long since transcended normal means.

Han, after all, had already evolved.

The second potion he'd taken was none other than the Mirror Devil. Its power was precisely as it sounded: the ability to travel through any reflective surface, any object with even a hint of reflection. Glass, water, polished metal—all were gateways to his unique domain. Inside the mirror world, Han was untouchable. No explosion or attack from the outside world could reach him, no force could affect him.

But when someone else's image appeared in the mirror? That was when Han could strike, and strike he did—his blows reaching his enemies as though there were no barriers between them.

"You hit me, and it's like hitting nothing," he mused to himself. "But when I hit you... well, that's a different story."

Han could remain hidden within the reflection, unseen and deadly, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. And his enemies? They had no way of defending against something they couldn't perceive.

The only drawback was that Han's powers relied entirely on light. In darkness, his abilities were rendered useless. But in the world of mirrors, under the gleam of reflected light, Han was an unstoppable force.

He glanced at the stones clenched in his hand and nodded to himself.

"This should be enough."

With that, Han made his decision. "This mission is complete. I should go."

After all, he hadn't come to rescue them. Mei hadn't ordered that. His only task had been to kill 009, and with that done, there was no reason to linger.