There was no way out without a fight, so the four members of Team Silver Wind had no choice but to defeat the blue demons before going after their target.
When White Arrow gave his suggestion, the others nodded in agreement and braced themselves. Just as they prepared to launch their attack, the sound of heavy steps drew their attention to the door.
Right in front of their eyes, another blue demon stepped out of the darkness. At first glance, he seemed identical to the others, but it didn’t take long to notice the differences. For one, the mechanized suit was much bulkier and contained far more components, looking like a proper power suit. The obsidian plating seemed much more polished, its surface reflecting the gentle room’s gentle light, and the gaps between the parts glowed with a faint neon blue, accentuating the suit’s sublime form.
The crimson gleam in the depths of the demon-like headgear pierced the four heroes, drenching their backs in cold sweat. There was a moment of eerie silence as the two sides stared at each other, but then the last demon spoke, and his voice immediately revealed his identity.
[Ah, Team Silver Wind, how unexpected.] As if to confirm their guess, the demon-like headgear unfurled to reveal the face behind it. "May I ask what brought you to this room? Were you after my precious collection?"
His voice was calm and unbothered, showing how little he cared about the prospect of facing a team of heroes. Rather than arrogance, each word he spoke carried a spark of confidence; a level of trust that couldn’t easily be shaken.
Klaus Stahlwölfe appeared like an entirely different person inside the mechanized suit, especially with how comfortable he looked wearing it. The scholarly vibes he gave in photos and recordings felt like a false image, adding to the shock of seeing him in such a position.
"No need to feign ignorance." Said Night Gale. "The NVPD has issued a warrant for your arrest, as I’m sure you already know. Turn yourself in and save what little face you still have."
"The NVPD is trying to arrest me?" Klaus raised an eyebrow, looking genuinely confused. "And may I ask for the reason?"
"You can ask that in court." She replied. "Our job is to bring you in and nothing more."
Nodding with a smile, the Stahlwölfe scion commanded his headgear to close, returning to the shape of the ominous blue demon.
[May I ask you a question?] No one offered a reply, but he seemed to take that as a yes. [Did the BEO inform you of the reason behind this whole... charade?]
"We are well aware of the weapon Steel Wolf Holdings is developing." Said Night Gale. "Not that the reason would change anything. Our job is to arrest you, not to make a judgment."
Sighing, the blue demon shook his head.
[Truelly ignorant. But I expected no less from the products of Eidolon.]
No sooner had he said the last word than the air in the room suddenly changed. A powerful cyclone had been blasting winds through it for some time, but those faint gusts suddenly gained a subtle sharpness.
[Uh-oh? Did I strike a nerve?] Taking a step forward, the armored Klaus Stahlwölfe chuckled began to fade. [I’m sure you understand I only spoke the truth.]
Night Gale spread out her arms, expanding the cyclone at an explosive speed as her white clad teammate produced an energy arrow.
The five demons vanished, but it wasn’t as if they had turned incorporeal. Night Gales turned her defensive barrier into a wide area attack, confident it would strike even if she couldn’t see it herself.
Nothing in the world was perfect, and the Shirogane’s so-called perfect camouflage was no exception. Even if they mask their presence from all kinds of senses and sensors, they were still susceptible to attacks. So long as one is aware of their proximity, it is possible to devise plans to counter them, even if it seems impossible at first.
One of the simplest ways to deal with an invisible enemy would be to strike everything at once, and a powerful enough strike was bound to create a trace of some kind.
The violent, sharp wind from Night Gale’s cyclone rampaged through the collection room, shattering glass and knocking the displays, scattering the priceless relics without a care, but that wasn’t the only thing it struck. All over the room, several locations were distorted for a second, as if something invisible had collided with the wall. White Arrow wasted no time and aimed at one of them, releasing his energy arrow, but the explosion that followed happened much closer than expected.
[I will not forgive any damage dealt to my precious relics.] A hand shot out of the white flames, grasping the cloaked archer by the color. [You are not welcome here.]
Before he could react, White Arrow found himself flying toward the exit, thrown at a speed that didn’t allow him to change his posture, and by the time he smashed through the window on the other side of the corridor, it was too late to do anything.
Werewolf knew this would never be enough to harm his teammate, so instead of worrying, he chose to attack the enemy right away. His dagger-like claws flashed through the air, intending to carve through the rich scion’s armored body like it was made out of paper, but his arm halted mid-swing as if striking an immovable object.
[Would you mind if we took this outside?] The blue demon spoke, holding the werewolf’s massive arm by the wrist. [You have already caused more than enough damage to my collection.]
Just as the furry hero attempted to retract his arm, the blue demon grasped him with both hands and spun around, throwing him over his shoulder. Werewolf’s giant body went flying then smashed through what remained of the glass window.
Light erupted from the floor a moment later, washing over the collection room in an instant and revealing the location of the remaining four demons. Night Gale and Sunray didn’t stop to check, however. They used the sudden flash as a distraction and bolted after their teammate, knowing that remaining separated lowered their chances of victory drastically.
Klaus watched them go from behind the visor of his helmet then looked down, his eyes narrowing as if he was trying to pierce through the floor beneath his feet. A couple of seconds later, he turned around and walked toward the exit, the other four demons following after him in silence.
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