Delores and Evil Eyes scanned their surroundings, relying on their various heightened senses to locate MindBug. But her innate curse tool interfered with their enhanced senses, making it impossible for them to detect her.
MindBug, however, had already pinpointed the sniper's position. She had priorities and didn't spare Delores and Evil Eyes a second thought. The sniper first, then them.
Moving like a phantom, she glided through the air using a strange curse art that allowed her to slip through unnoticed. Her presence left no trace, no ripple in the air, no shift in energy. It was as if she didn't exist at all. With an eerie grace, she maneuvered through the shadows, unseen and undetectable.
This way, she ensured Delores and Evil Eyes wouldn't catch onto her presence, no matter how finely tuned their curse senses were.
As MindBug made her way toward the electrical pylon, she suddenly slammed into an invisible wall with a dull thud. Staggering back, she scowled, lifting an eyebrow in irritation. She ran a hand over the empty space before her, then, with a flick of her fingers, sent a seed composed entirely of curse energy toward the unseen barrier.
The curse energy seed struck the invisible wall and detonated with the force of a dozen grenades. A deafening explosion ripped through the air as both the barrier and the entire pylon were reduced to nothing but dust and rubble.
Hearing the blast, Delores and Evil Eyes snapped their heads toward the electrical pylon, dread flashing across their faces. Without wasting a second, Delores used her earpiece and called out, "Ace, are you okay?"
"Yes, but get me the hell out of here—now," Ace's urgent voice crackled through the speaker as he sprinted into the densest part of the woods, pushing his speed to the limit.
He had been prepared for this. The moment he heard Mindbug crash into the barrier, he knew it was her—not an insect, not a bird, not the wind. Thanks to Evil Eyes' earlier warning to Delores, Ace had acted fast. Before climbing onto the pylon, he had subtly placed Emi's replacement talisman on a boulder about his weight. The second the explosion hit, the talisman activated, swapping him out just in time.
The blast was too concentrated—so powerful it obliterated the entire electrical pylon in an instant.
Still reeling from his near-death escape, Ace didn't waste a second. He ran like his life depended on it—because it did. Mindbug wouldn't stop coming for him. Not just because he was the sniper, but because she wanted revenge for her fallen comrade, Demon7.
The S.S.S. members were too self-serving to risk their lives avenging one another, but the organization did reward those who successfully took revenge for a fallen comrade with merits. That meant Mindbug had every reason to keep hunting him down, no matter what.
"Can you see her?" Delores asked, not waiting for an answer as she swooped in, scooping Ace onto her surfboard-like innate curse tool. She shot into the sky at an astonishing speed, the sudden acceleration making Ace's stomach lurch.
For a few seconds, he was too stunned to speak, gripping onto Delores for dear life. Finally adjusting to the breakneck speed—thanks to the innate curse tool's effect—he managed to answer, "No, I can't. That's why I asked you to take me away from here."
"Nope, not happening. I'm not leaving Evil Eyes and Matthews hanging," Delores shot back, her voice firm.
Ace clenched his jaw but didn't argue. He understood her reasoning. If she left, the odds against Evil Eyes and Matthews would skyrocket.
One of the only reasons MindBug hadn't attacked Delores and Evil Eyes when she had the chance was because they were covering each other's backs. If she targeted one, she'd expose herself to the other. And for an assassin like MindBug—who wasn't built for direct combat, either at close range or from a distance—that was a risk she wasn't willing to take. She was a master assassin, skilled at staying hidden, waiting for the perfect opening.
But if Delores left? That changed everything. MindBug would have a much easier time assassinating Evil Eyes before moving on to Matthews.
Despite knowing that Ace was the target, Delores wasn't about to prioritize his safety over the team's survival. Instead, she made a split-second decision. She would use him as bait.
"Hell no! I did not agree to this!" Ace shouted at the top of his lungs, realizing that Delores intended to use him as bait.
"Ace, we agreed to improvise as the situation demanded—well, this is me improvising." Delores tightened her grip as Ace struggled with all his might to break free. Annoyed, she shot him a warning, "Settle down, or I will knock you out."
Ace immediately stopped thrashing—not just because of her threat, but mainly because of Dame Wasp's sudden report flashing in his eyes:
Dame Wasp: Master, I can see her. Her movement curse art is tricky, but she's visible to me.
Ace: Then why didn't you warn me earlier?!
Dame Wasp: I didn't know. I thought you were waiting to shoot her in the face at point-blank range.
Ace: Well, now you know. Keep an eye out.
Dame Wasp: Master, we have enough electricity stored in the power chamber for another shot. Do you want to take it?
Ace: Yes, if the opportunity presents itself.]
Lost in thought, Ace suddenly felt Delores shaking him. "Hey, kid, you scared to death or something? Answer me."
He blinked, his expression blank as if he had seen a ghost. Instead of speaking, he simply nodded—accidentally rubbing his head against Delores' full bosom in the process.
Delores narrowed her eyes, immediately catching on to what he was doing. But instead of making a fuss, she just sighed thinking, 'Typical hormonal teenage boy—don't have fear or sense of time and place.' Given the situation, she chose to ignore it.
However, Ace took her lack of reaction as permission. Growing bolder, he subtly pressed his face against her full bosom again, feeling it up with his face, pretending it was accidental. A shiver of excitement ran through him—part thrill, part fear.
At first, it was just an accidental move and not at all intentional, but when Delores didn't call him out he grew bolder having felt the taste of thrill—they were in each other's embrace escaping at a neck-breaking speed from an invisible assassin, things could not be hotter—adding the forbidden factor to it, something in him snapped. That craving for the thrill overtook his better judgment, and he lost himself in it.
He wouldn't have dared to be this relaxed if he didn't trust Dame Wasp to keep watch over MindBug for him.
"Kid, you need to find a girlfriend soon, or I swear I'll be attending your funeral next." Delores finally had enough of Ace's antics and threatened him with death if he kept it up.
But to her absolute dumbfoundedness, instead of backing off, Ace pressed his face harder against her chest and rubbed against it with slow and deliberate effort, letting out an exaggerated sigh, "Aww, so you are planning to attend my funeral? I knew you loved me."
Before Delores could respond, she felt his free hand slowly trailing down her back, his fingers gliding over her waist before settling on her hip. And then—he didn't stop. With a genuinely touched face, Ace's hand went lower, firmly grabbing a handful of soft flesh, and giving it a playful squeeze.
Delores exhaled sharply, narrowing her eyes. "Mandy was so wrong about you… You're a damn wolf in sheep's clothing." She sighed, raising her hand, fully prepared to break his wrist—
But before she could, Ace abruptly let go. His hand moved up, guiding his rifle into position while he rested his chin lightly on her shoulder. His voice dropped to a whisper, "Don't move. Hold me tight—the recoil on this thing is a bitch."
Instinct took over, and Delores obeyed without thinking. Then—BOOM!
The rifle fired. The force of the shot sent a shockwave through both of them, nearly knocking them off balance as Delores braced hard against the recoil, keeping Ace steady in her embrace. Soon she used the wind to stabilize the surfboard.
Ace: Rose, did I get her?
Dame Wasp: No, master. You only managed to blow off her left arm along with the shoulder. She's retreating with her detached arm. Sorry, I couldn't guide you to aim properly.
Ace: No, Rose. You did great. It was Delores—she held me too tight. Pretty sure she's into me.
Dame Wasp: Don't delude yourself, master. If you'd been a second late, it wouldn't be the assassin's arm but yours that would get detached.]
Ace let out a dry chuckle at Dame Wasp's brutal honesty but quickly shook it off. No point in dwelling on it. Pressing a finger to his earpiece, he reported, "I missed, but I managed to scare the assassin off. Let's move—head to Mrs. Martins and wrap this up. Evil Eyes, don't forget the curse tool."