The Aftermath

Booster didn't like the idea of leaving his master alone with that maniac, but she nodded approvingly.

"Booster and Magma just left the room," said Iroko.

"Who?" Kuroki asked, confused.

"Who?" Kuroki asked, confused.

"Booster is the guy who makes potions; Magma is one of Episan's henchmen. There are only women in the room now, besides the clown, of course."

"So he plans to do something with them. Shoot before it's too late."

"Episan first, then Sparky, right?"

"Yes." As soon as Kuroki approved, Iroko shot at Episan. Before the bullet hit the target, he aimed at Sparky and fired again, taking as little time as possible between shots, even with the violent recoil.

Episan was hit in the head. Thanks to the potion and her high compatibility, Sparky was able to process the sound of the projectile more quickly. She tilted her head to the side with agility, and the bullet only grazed her ear. Blood trickled down her cheek, but she quickly hid behind a wall, knowing where the shot had come from. She drank the rest of the potion to sharpen her senses.

Blazy, on the other hand, was still suffering the effects of the potion she had taken hours before. Her senses were fluctuating, so the sound of the gunshots only worsened her headache. She held her head, unable to see properly. She couldn't even process what had just happened.

"Master!" Maika cried out, worried. Episan's death hadn't affected any of them.

"Maika, hide behind a wall..." Blazy replied, coughing up blood.

This can't be my limit... It's still not nearly enough...

"But, Master, what about you?" Maika asked, crying.

"You can detect threats against me, but not against you... If they target you, I'll lose my main defense. Now go... I can't protect you here..."

The photographer nodded, somewhat reluctantly, and ran to safety.

This is my chance, thought Sparky, I can stay by her side, alone.

"Blazy, I'll protect you," she said determinedly.

"I don't need your protection..." she replied, struggling to speak. "Go away and save yourself."

"Do you think the rest of the building is safe? It's probably a group attack. I will stay here and protect us both."

Who does she think she is...? Well, if she tries anything funny, I'll have to use my power only once...

Tsurugi nudged Episan's corpse, waiting for a reaction. "Wake up, boss," she said, no longer smiling. She scratched the back of her neck, disappointed. "Well, it's not my fault." She walked away. 

"She dodged?!" Kuroki exclaimed, incredulous.

"Yeah, she reacted to the sound in time..." said Iroko, equally incredulous. "I think it was the potion."

"Then we should have killed the potion guy! Oh, wait, the photographer..."

"Her name is Maika. I'm listening to their conversation right now. Blazy said her power only detects threats to her master."

"Then we should have targeted him instead of Sparky..."

"Booster had mentioned something about compatibility. We had no way of knowing that Sparky had that talent."

"Yeah..." Kuroki didn't seem satisfied.

"Should I kill Tsurugi? I mean, one of Episan's henchmen."

"They know there's a sniper now; if you shoot again, Blazy or Sparky will see the muzzle flash and get a clearer idea of ​​where we are. Now they're more cautious, and if she reacts in time, you'll miss. Let Kasugo and Minako handle them."

Booster paced back and forth, distressed. With nothing to do, he decided to stop by the pleasure room. The neon lights repulsed him, reminding him of everything wrong on that island. Someone besides the slaves was there.

Kasugo was trying to free them when Booster suddenly appeared. They exchanged glances for a moment, waiting for the other to move. Booster moved first, materializing a potion. Kasugo jumped and floated until he reached his target, destroying the potion and hitting him in the face with his metal bat, knocking him out.

This must be the potion guy Minako mentioned...

"Ara? What do we have here?" A female voice sounded in front of Kasugo. He jumped back. She held her giant scissors with a grim smile. "Have you been trying to free the slaves? I can't let that happen, you know?"

"There is no way you approve of this," Kasugo said, angrily. "Do you think they're tools?!"

"I don't," Tsurugi replied, entering the room and circling her prey, "my boss did."

"You don't need to keep following that maniac around!"

"I know, handsome, especially since he's not my boss anymore. One of you killed him, right?"

So Iroko succeeded... which means I don't need to hold back.

"Then why are you still doing this?!" he replied, trying to understand her reasoning.

"Ara, why not? I'm my own boss, so I do what I want. And I always do what's most fun."

Kasugo ran towards her and sprayed her. He swung his metal bat, which she blocked with her scissors. Then he jumped and hit her with his hoverboard, causing her to lose her balance. He struck her in the stomach with his bat, making her cough up blood. Even so, she continued smiling, unfazed.

She quickly grazed the blade of the scissors against his cheek, causing it to bleed slightly. He jumped back, trying to compose himself, but then felt his body become heavy.

"How does it feel, hm, dear?" She licked her own blood seductively. "I'm sure it tastes better than that potion."

"Poison...?" Kasugo asked, struggling to remain on his feet.

"Shh, shh, my baby." She approached him and laid him on the floor. "Now sleep. We'll have many dreams together."

Minako walked down a dark corridor, perfect for her power. However, someone was already using his power there, as a trap. Magma waited in the middle of the corridor, transforming the walls, floor, and ceiling into molten lava. He didn't necessarily know anyone was there; he just used it as a precaution to protect his boss's "important meeting." And also because he was bored.

Minako's power was affected, as the lava emitted light. If she stayed there much longer, her shoes would melt, so she quickly rounded the corner and leaped onto the short boy, twisting his neck. Then she jumped off him and landed on the ground again, but his power did not cease.

Since he was wearing heat-resistant clothing, he could stay in that magma for much longer, and having his neck twisted didn't immediately interrupt his power, so Minako jumped back and kicked him to use him as a plank, standing on his body. His head was in contact with the lava, burning slowly.

To avoid having to wait for his power to dissipate, and because lava was dripping from the ceiling, she leaped with all her might, reaching the end of the corridor and escaping the rising heat.

She arrived in the living room where Blazy and Sparky were. Blazy could vaguely make out her silhouette and recognized her.

That girl from the rooftop...?

She pointed her finger at Minako, ready to shoot a fireball. Sparky stepped in front of her.

"Worry not, Blazy, as I will protect you," she said confidently.

"Get out of the way..." Blazy muttered under her breath. "She won't die that easily..."

"Should I help them?" Iroko asked Kuroki.

"Sparky drank the potion, didn't she? You won't be of much help."

"I can still disrupt their rhythm."

"Did you forget about Blazy? She'll be able to see us."

"She seems to be hella dizzy. I don't think she can see properly."

"She still drank the potion earlier. The withdrawal probably includes heightened senses."

"You're right... But where is Kasugo?"

"Isn't he there?"

"No, only Minako."

"I'll call him."

Minako waited cautiously for Sparky to use her power, circling her. Sparky then launched a huge fireball, much faster and stronger than Minako had anticipated, exploding and disintegrating her instantly.

Her body was repaired. Sparky didn't seem tired at all, so she would be able to use her power several more times, which she did before Minako could react, destroying her body repeatedly. Due to the brightness of the explosions, she was unable to use shadows.

Kuroki was having a hard time using his power because of the scar on his neck.

"Should I help them, boss?!" Iroko asked, worried.

"Not yet..." he replied, trying to stay focused. "Sparky will run out of fuel sooner or later..."

"So will you! Your body is at its limit!"

Sparky kept exploding Minako without breaking a sweat. A bullet came flying towards her, but thanks to the potion, she managed to distinguish the sound of the shot from the explosions, dodging in time. Blazy was distracted, so she didn't see the muzzle flash. But now she was searching for Iroko, forcing him to simply watch.

Sparky danced rhythmically, creating a fireworks display and relishing the power dynamic. I could get used to this, she thought. Minako couldn't even move without being obliterated.