Headhunter vs. Drake *Gulp*
Spica swallowed hard, forcing her tension down as she calmly checked her condition. Her legs were on the verge of giving out, and even her lightly clenched fist trembled uncontrollably. Even at full strength, her odds of beating this powerhouse were slim—let alone in her current state, where victory seemed impossible.
"I heard Joker broke in. Shouldn't you go check on that instead of me?"
"I will. After I deal with you first."
"What if your comrades all get taken out in the meantime?"
"Idiot."
Drake muttered quietly at Spica's question, then pulled something from his pocket and tossed it into the basement. The spheres scattered in all directions, crashing against the floor and erupting in blinding flashes that lit up the dark space. The spreading light cast long shadows across the basement interior.
"What are you—"
Spica winced as the sudden light hit her dark-adapted eyes, but she quickly remembered Drake's ability and started scanning her surroundings warily. Drake's power let him travel through shadows. Anywhere a shadow touched was within his attack range.
As she watched Drake slip into a shadow, Spica frantically glanced at her own—only for Drake's foot to burst from Marie's shadow beside her, kicking her squarely and sending her tumbling across the floor.
"You think I'd just let a small fry like you go after dealing with you?"
Already on the brink of collapse, Spica blacked out from the single kick and went limp.
"I never liked these roundabout methods from the start. Should've just decapitated you and hung your head up—much cleaner."
Drake drew the sword from his belt and approached the fallen Spica. One downward slash, and it would all be over.
But just then, Headhunter emerged from Spica's shadow.
Drake leaped back, regripping his sword at the sudden appearance of the black-furred werewolf.
"Joker? No, that black fur... could it be..."
Right before Spica entered the hideout, Diana had hidden in her shadow at Jeong Yuseong's request—as a last resort if Spica or Marie's lives were in danger. She'd emerge and slaughter everyone. Of course, revealing herself was a trump card for the final moment, but with both Marie and Spica unconscious now, there was no need to worry about loose ends.
Diana looked down at the battered, collapsed Spica. Having watched her fight from within the shadow, Diana was quietly impressed by her skill. Despite her innocent looks, Spica's style was tough and aggressive, seasoned beyond her years. From a physical techniques standpoint, even Diana could find no flaws.
Her power usage was still immature, though. No matter how masterful the body techniques, against ability users, raw power and application mattered more. Spica would dominate peers, but she'd struggle against superiors. Her movements showed long years of martial arts training—which ironically led her to over-rely on physical prowess, underutilizing her ability.
If only someone taught her how to fight with her power. She'd grow even stronger. What a shame, Diana thought, gazing at Spica.
Meanwhile, Drake addressed her tensely.
"Headhunter. Why are you here? Teaming up with the Association? Or Joker...?"
"Shh."
Diana pressed a finger to her lips and murmured softly. Drake bristled with anger at the gesture but quickly calmed, reminding himself not to get provoked.
"You arrogant bitch... I've wanted to fight you anyway. Another shadow manipulator like me. Let's see whose ability is superior—right here."
Drake melted into his shadow, closing in on Diana. He burst from Spica's shadow behind her, swinging at her unguarded back.
Diana spun like lightning, kicking his wrist. Drake dropped the sword, unable to withstand the impact. Seizing the opening, Diana slashed with her claws. He barely escaped into a shadow, retrieved his fallen blade, and exhaled sharply. His back was soaked in cold sweat.
Physical abilities are overwhelming, even if his power matches mine. Werewolf and Awakener to boot—head-on is suicide.
Concluding a direct clash was futile after one exchange, Drake vanished into shadows again. This time, he emerged far away, hurling his sword at her. Diana easily dodged the straight-line attack—only for Drake to appear opposite, catch it mid-flight, and throw again.
Diana didn't evade the second; she batted it away. Drake popped out from an empty direction, flinging a dagger. He avoided closing in recklessly, darting through shadows everywhere, probing for gaps with relentless throws.
Diana occasionally snatched incoming blades and hurled them back, but Drake was already gone.
The fight devolved into whack-a-mole, repeating several times. Diana's guard slipped amid attacks from all sides. Drake exploited the gap, stepping on her shadow.
Shadow Step. Pinning the foe's shadow immobilized them. Even a werewolf couldn't move or withstand undefended attacks.
That's why he'd targeted her shadow from the start.
But the instant his foot touched Diana's shadow, his ankle sank into it.
"Wha—!"
Before he could pull free, Diana's claws severed his arm.
—Slash.
"Gah!!!"
Drake flung himself away, clutching the spurting stump and gasping. A split-second slower, and his head would've been gone.
Finally realizing he couldn't win, Drake dove into a shadow to flee.
Abandon the hideout. With Joker and Headhunter inside, holding is impossible...
His thoughts cut short. Diana thrust her hand into the shadow, yanking him out by the throat.
Shadows hid separate realms for ability users. You could take others in willingly, but uninvited intrusion was impossible. Even another shadow user—Diana dragged him out effortlessly. Drake was horrified.
They were on different levels. Physical prowess aside, her mastery was leagues beyond.
"H-how...?"
Diana tightened her grip. With a crack, his neck snapped, ending him.
Normally she'd decapitate cleanly, but to hide her involvement, she broke his neck instead.
Diana tossed the limp corpse aside, stuffed the unconscious Marie and Spica into her shadow, and left the basement.
After Spica entered the hideout, I waited nearby, holding my breath. Charging in now would blow our cover as allies, endangering the hostage Marie. So we'd timed it: enter after a delay, but not too late, lest Spica get in trouble.
I'd sent Diana into Spica's shadow as backup, but ideally, she'd never need to act.
Getting in was easy. I just smashed through a wall.
The noise drew villains swarming out almost immediately. They hadn't expected Joker to assault their base outright—visibly panicked, they hesitated to engage.
Scanning them, I saw no Nam Hyunsu, Stormbringer, or even Bomberman-level threats. Disappointing. If all capable ones were villains, the Association would've collapsed long ago. Excluding a few executives, this was their best?
Numbers mattered in fights, but these scrubs couldn't pierce my hide or muscles. Scratches? Regeneration handled that.
To make it easier for Spica to rescue Marie, I went wild, flashy and loud, slaughtering every villain in sight.
They tried blocking at first, but overwhelmed even in groups, they soon screamed and fled.
This might go smoothly, I thought—then a clear executive appeared.
"...Joker's really here. What's your goal? Not here to save heroes, surely."
"Just passing by, realized this was your hideout. Couldn't ignore that."
"Werewolf motives are beyond me. Fine. I'll handle you."
Having thwarted two alliance attacks, he was tense facing me. Not Stormbringer-strong, but executive-worthy skill.
Still, I felt no threat. I'd been training too.