“Let’s give the younglings some space, shall we?” the old man in his PJs said casually, tearing open the space before him to create a passage into the void. With a slight tilt of his head, he gestured for his opponent—possessing his friend’s body—to follow.

The old woman let out a long, weary sigh before turning to the remaining cult members. “Count yourselves lucky,” she stated, her voice cold and unforgiving. “Finish what you started here… or kill yourselves.”

Without another glance at them, she shifted her focus back to the tear in space. She knew better than to fight him here—the massive curse array covering the entire C.I.B. headquarters would only work against her. Despite her attempts to destroy it, the old man had arrived just in time to keep it intact, but it had already sustained considerable damage.

And he knew it too.

She could tell he didn’t want to use the weakened array—further strain on it would drain the local C.I.B. branch’s budget dry, and that budget had to last them until the end of the fiscal year.

She didn’t want him to use it against her. He didn’t want to risk destroying it completely. Without a word, they reached a silent understanding. They would settle this fight without interference. May the best of them win.

But just as they were about to step into the void, both of them halted—senses sharpening as they noticed a tall, bulky humanoid figure barreling toward the rift.

“It’s a trap!” the old lady shouted without hesitation, her sharp eyes immediately recognizing the humanoid figure as a McSuile. She didn’t waste a second on anything else—no hostages, no empty threats of blowing herself up. None of that nonsense. She had one priority: getting the hell out of there.

With a sharp exhale, she blasted away the mud clogging the elevator and bolted, moving as if the devil himself were on her heels. One void-tier opponent was already bad enough—but two? That was suicide. Even with the body of a legend, she wasn’t one herself.

The old gentleman, however, paid her no mind. His gaze was locked on something beyond the man hurling toward him. His expression darkened as he caught a glimpse of the monstrous aspiration—an entity resembling a humongous leviathan, relentlessly pursuing its prey. His frown deepened, resolving to close the rift once the man passed through, he had no intention of letting that thing follow him into the mortal world.

Apex Ace, still in Matthews’s grip, abandoned any thought of escape. Despite Matthews’s stern warning, he twisted to get a clearer view of the void. He wouldn’t be able to see what the old lady and gentleman saw—but Dame Wasp’s cybernetics did, and that was enough to make his stomach turn.

Just then, a blur shot through the tear. The old gentleman wasted no time—he snapped the rift shut the instant the figure was through, sealing it up perfectly, leaving whatever had been chasing the man stranded on the other side.

“Kid, don’t waste time catching your breath,” the old gentleman said, already moving. His voice was calm, but there was urgency in his step. “We’ve got a worm to kill.” Experience more tales on NovelBin.Côm

The man didn’t argue. He simply fell in line and followed, but only after he bent down to kiss the floor. It was good to be back on land. He appeared to know and respect the old gentleman, seeing how he was willing to hunt down the legend on just one word from him.

With the void-tier out of the way, the cultists—already on the losing side—began to panic. Their leader seized the moment, barking out a desperate order, “Break the cells open! Even if it costs you your bodies—hurry!”

The reinforced glass walls of the cells had already begun to crack, thanks to their elder’s earlier attack. They intended to use that weakness to free the cursed criminals and escape under the cover of chaos.

Matthews’s eyes narrowed as she took in the scene—cultists hurling themselves at the glass, criminals clawing for freedom, the sheer madness of it all. Then, without missing a beat, she barked orders to her personnel, “Kill them all. Take no prisoners.”

Without hesitation, she grabbed Apex Ace and flung him into a nearby empty prison cell, slamming the door shut. It did not matter why the old gentleman had handed him to her; with him safely locked away in the cell, she could deal with him later, i.e., if she did not forget about him after all she had her hands full dealing with the cultists and the aftermath of their attack.

Apex Ace didn’t even bother resisting. Instead, he made himself comfortable in the cramped 4×5-foot cell, leaning back against the cold glass wall. His mind was still reeling from the monstrosity they had glimpsed in the void earlier.

What was that thing? And what tier did it belong to if it could drive a Void-tier curse master to such desperation—even terrifying the old gentleman? That fear had been plain to see in the way he had sealed the rift instantly and thoroughly after the other Void-tier had passed through.

Meanwhile, Dame Wasp was hard at work, using the status screen to force the cursed toybox to circulate curse energy in their master’s place. The cell’s array blocked his access to his curse core, but she wasn’t about to let that stop them.

[— Status Screen —

Doctor Druid: Master, I am here.]

The moment Apex Ace received Doctor Druid’s signal, he glanced at the chaos unfolding before him. Cultists were throwing themselves into battle without care for their bodies, the C.I.B. agents cutting them down with precise efficiency. He had no intention of joining the madness—he’d had enough adventure for a lifetime just today.

As he watched the fight, he couldn’t help but notice something: the cultists, despite the agents holding back, careful not to damage the surrounding cells, were crumbling. It was clear now—their initial overwhelming advantage was nothing more than the element of surprise. Out in the open, they were weak. Weaker than the original souls of the bodies they had possessed.

With the cursed toybox’s help, Apex Ace activated the Cursed Clout and slipped out of his holding cell, seamlessly entering the tunnel Doctor Druid had created for him. Without getting noticed by a single soul. Once they arrived at the surface, he wasted no time finding a secluded ally far from the city surveillance system and hopped onto his dirt bike, revved the engine, and sped out of the area, sending a quick signal to Emi.

[— Status Screen —

Ace: Emi, ditch those fools. It’s about damn time we went home.]

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep