Chapter 1 Shadows in the Twilight The Eight Phantoms Strike!

The clock had just struck six o'clock. The fading light of the city gradually gave way to night. Amidst the spreading darkness, eight figures moved stealthily. The apparent leader turned back to the seven others and quietly said, "Let's proceed as planned."

Everyone nodded silently in response. Pulling their masks deeper over their faces, they darted through the alleyways, like shadows gliding from rooftop to rooftop with seamless precision.

(These suits really are something else,) he thought, a smile tugging at his lips beneath the mask as he glanced down at his plain boots. Their graceful movements were a testament to their training, but the superhuman speed was thanks to the power of their leather shoes.

(With this much gear paid upfront, the success bonus should be good too.) He chuckled to himself under the mask and vanished into the air.

---

At the same time, in the northern district of the capital, Ambulsia, in front of the Abram Theater...

"Hey, senior, what's your name again?"

"Huh? Mine? It's Matheus."

A young man asked an older man, who appeared to be middle-aged. Matheus, caught off guard, turned around, but not because he was surprised by the younger man's casual tone. He was shocked to find that there was another lazy guard who couldn't even remember his partner's name while standing side by side on duty.

"Hey. So that's how it is... Say, senior. Do you know if there's a spot where you can peek into this theater from the outside?"

"Hmm, no, I don't know. You do?"

Matheus, who was urging him to continue, wasn't particularly interested in the young man's story. Plus, he didn't even have the energy to chide him for not using the name he'd been given and for his overly casual tone.

"Actually, this area is my hometown. I know this neighborhood pretty well, including this theater."

"Oh, is that so? And...?"

"I'll show you the spot, come on. It's boring just standing around here anyway, right?"

The young man was right; once the performance started, guarding the entrance would be incredibly dull. There was no one around to reprimand his tempting words, which sounded like the whisper of a devil, and there wasn't even a single person in sight.

"But, if no one is here..."

"What's up, senior? Are you feeling left out? The guards inside are having fun, but it's just us..."

"Guard duty comes with a bit of experience and a lot of connections with your superiors. If you don't want to end up like me, you should behave yourself."

With a face far from charming, cold and stern features, and stroking his scruffy beard, Matheus tried to soften his expression intentionally to end the conversation. However, the young man wasn't ready to give up. Reaching into his navy blue uniform pocket, he pulled out a coin, flicked it up, caught it in front of Matheus, and opened his palm to show it.

"Let's decide with this coin. Heads means a fun tour for the winner."

"Dude, I have no interest in being on stage. Plus, if one of us leaves our post, the rest of us will be held responsible..."

"Don't be such a buzzkill. If anyone finds out, we can just say you went to the bathroom or something."

The young man's words and actions made Matthew's imposing figure, which usually intimidated others just by his presence, seem to shrink a bit. He quietly puffed out his thick chest beneath his uniform and let out a deep sigh.

The young man flicked the coin into the air again with his thumb. As it traced a high arc and fell, he caught it on the back of his right hand and covered it with his left. The silver gauntlet, similar to the one given to Matthew for security duty, gleamed dully under his left hand. Both their eyes focused on the hidden coin beneath it.

(There's no point arguing further. Might as well let him have his way.)

With that thought, Matthew seemed to resign himself and said without hesitation,

"Tails."

"Tails, huh... Heads it is! Come on, come on... Aw, man. Tails? You're not lucky today, senior. Oh well, an hour then, an hour. We'll switch after that."

The young man took out a memo pad and started drawing what was clearly a map indicating the key observation points, but the one-hour proposal still felt off to Matthew.

"That way, I won't be able to see the crucial part, right?"

"Look, this should make it clear. Just check from the alley on the left after you leave there. I'm giving you the lead, so please be punctual."

While Matheus was being led by the young man from start to finish, he wasn't passionate enough about this job to lecture him on its importance. Deciding to go along with it, he took the note, gave it a quick glance, and slipped it into his pocket.

"Yeah, in an hour. I'll be off."

Stepping outside, the sun was setting, and streetlights were starting to glow. The light powered by mana seemed like a waste of precious resources, but given the presence of entertainment venues like theaters in this area, which often attract the wealthy, it made sense for the infrastructure to be well-maintained.

Under the glow of the lights, Matheus unfolded the note to double-check the destination before heading into the target alleyway. Once he entered, the light from the mana lamps didn't reach, making the area dim. That's why, when he first saw it, he couldn't understand what was happening. Two dark figures were carrying something white... Was that thing actually a person? It seemed to be moving as if trying to wriggle free...

"No way, is this a kidnapping? Well... looks like I'm the one who's really out of luck."

Once he realized what was happening, even in the darkness, Matthias could clearly see the entire scene. Two men dressed in all black were carrying a woman in a white dress. It seemed something was stuffed in her mouth to prevent her from making any noise. At that moment, by chance, their gazes met. The woman's eyes lit up with hope, and she lifted her head, struggling even more. She desperately wriggled free of the gag and let out a loud cry.

"Ugh! Mmm—! Mmmm... Phew! Help! Mmph... Aaaah!"

But the gag was quickly shoved back in. She fought fiercely, but held down by the two men, there was little she could do.

(...This is bad.)

Witnessing this emergency situation, Matthias's only thought was how dire it was. He had just one riot control baton-like device at his waist, a simple protective gauntlet on his left hand, and boots that offered minimal mobility assistance. 

In contrast, the men were armed with two small swords that looked highly lethal, even if he couldn't identify the manufacturer from this distance. They also had bulletproof gauntlets and a rifle-type weapon strapped to their backs with suspenders, along with its power reservoir. 

To top it all off, they wore military-grade boot attachments that allowed them to move at incredible speeds, literally flying through the air. These were far beyond the basic mobility aids Matthias had.

---

From what Matheus could see from a distance, there was already a significant difference in their equipment. And there were two of them. That number, too, was just what he could confirm at a glance. He wasn't naive enough to assume that the kidnappers were only two.

(Sorry, but it looks like I need to call for backup here.)

It took Matheus just a few seconds to make this judgment. The moment he decided to turn on his heel and leave, he felt a dark murderous intent and instantly moved his body.

***

Let's rewind a bit. The location: the rooftop of Abram Theater.

(Why is there a security guard here?)

The leader had been keeping watch from above when he noticed a guard wandering away from his post and approaching. To hurry up his team, the leader decided not to warn the guard right away. He didn't know the guard's intentions, and if the guard didn't enter the alley, they could finish their job unnoticed. So, he chose to observe.

It would have been fine if everything went smoothly, but the leader's choice led to the worst possible outcome—not for the leader, but for the guard... Matheus. Once Matheus realized the kidnapping scene, the leader acted swiftly. He quietly signaled his companion who was standing by.

---

The companion nodded and, wielding his short sword, leaped down at Matheus. The companion's short sword was supposed to impale Matheus without giving him a chance to cry out. However, sensing the lethal intent, Matheus moved before he could even think. He quickly crouched and stepped back. Adding to this movement, he used the power release from his leather boots to backstep and circle around behind the leader's companion.

The one who panicked was the man who had launched the supposedly fatal attack. Trying to turn around while pulling his sword out of the ground, Matheus kicked the back of his right knee with the sole of his foot, knocking him down. As the man fell to one knee, face still turned away, Matheus lowered his kicking leg and simultaneously drew his truncheon, swinging it with all his might at the back of the man's neck. A crunching sound came from the man's neck as his movements ceased. Without hesitation, Matheus delivered a ruthless follow-up blow by releasing power through the truncheon pressed against the back of the man's neck. Instantly, a high current surged through the man's body, causing his muscles to convulse. When the current stopped, the man collapsed face forward.

The leader watched in disbelief as the sequence unfolded. The fallen man was one of their best kidnappers. Despite launching a surprise attack first, he was defeated in the blink of an eye. Not only did Matheus stop him before he could make any noise, but he didn't even give him a chance to utter a sound before taking him down.

Matheus crouched down to pick up the small sword that the fallen man had dropped. Giving a weapon to that target, whether by chance or not, would be bad news. The leader, without wasting any time to give orders, leaped down himself, pulling out his dagger and activating the power release on his leather boots.

Kicking off the air for extra acceleration, the leader flew into Matheus's field of vision from an unexpected angle, but Matheus sensed him coming. In response to the leader's strike, Matheus turned and countered with his own slash. Though he hadn't confirmed the leader's sword technique, his slash managed to knock the leader's dagger away perfectly.

However, the leader remained calm. Upon landing, he dodged Matheus's follow-up attack, using the superior mobility of his boot-type gear to leap back while throwing two knives at Matheus in quick succession.

Even a minor scratch from those knives could paralyze the whole body, but Matheus deflected one with his small sword and dodged the other by bending his body. Despite the slight distance they had put between them, the leader was internally astonished by Matheus's precise slashes and lightning-fast reactions, as if everything was going according to plan.

*(He can't even use that gauntlet-type gear!)*

Landing on all fours after leaping back, the leader found Matheus closing the distance. Even though the boot-type gear he wore on his feet only provided basic movement assistance, at such close range, the performance difference between it and the leader's gear was negligible.