A walk in the park? No, more like a dance-off with squirrels over the last piece of pizza. (1)

As Sebastian studied the Nightshades' headquarters, frustration knotted his brow upon realizing all the entrances were locked. There was no window open, no door unchecked.

"Fuck. This means I have to change my approach."

The sudden realization compelled him to adjust his strategy. Although he anticipated something similar, he thought there would be at least a security guard he could take advantage of to enter the building.

"It looks like my recent attack made them hole themselves up in fear."

To Sebastian, it was clear those guys weren't adept to fights, not like the Cobalt Serpents or the Rust Reapers were.

While he observed the area, an idea sparked in his mind, albeit one that would alert the Nightshades to his presence.

"Ezuro."

He funneled a significant portion of his mana into the spell, crafting an illusion of himself, masked to conceal his identity, yet realistic.

With a flick of his wrist, he sent the illusion striding boldly towards the building's entrance, its gaze fixed on the structure as if challenging those within.

"Let's see if they get baited."

The ruse worked. No longer than 30 seconds after, the guard stationed at a higher floor noticed the figure standing with a provocative stance at the entrance.

The guard approached the window to get a better look. There was a gun in his hand, and he was pointing it at Sebastian's illusion.

It was the perfect opportunity for Sebastian. As the guard prepared to shoot, Sebastian aimed the gun he had got from the Nightshades' outpost he had raided and pulled the trigger.

The sound of the gun echoed through the area. A surge of adrenaline coursed through Sebastian's veins.

"WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

With a single shot, he pierced the man's head and killed him on the spot.

The window was now open; the guard taken care of, but the sound of the gunshot alerted the rest of the Nightshades, as an alarm started blaring inside the building.

Wasting no time, Sebastian began scaling the walls. That was a skill he learned a long time ago before regressing. Somnium required it.

He reached the open window and slipped inside. The moment he entered, five guards, drawn by the noise, rushed out from the main door with automatic rifles to confront the threat.

They were met with Sebastian's illusion, which took off in a convincing escape.

"GET HIM!" a guard said. If they had been more keen on learning how to fight, instead of only dabbling with technology, they would have known that was a dangerous idea with so few people comprising their gang.

The illusion drew them away from the real intruder, who was already on the third floor of the building, watching the scene in amusement.

This diversion thinned the ranks of the guards, reducing their number to around 21. Sebastian couldn't help but feel a stroke of fortune at how events unfolded, and a huge grin spread across his face.

"Let's get to work."

Inside the headquarters, Sebastian moved with caution, aware that his entrance was going to meet resistance now that the gang had been alerted of his presence.

He relied on the shadows and his keen senses to avoid detection.

The building was huge and full of corridors and rooms, each potentially hiding more members of the Nightshades or deadly traps waiting to be sprung.

Sebastian couldn't recall yet the illusion, he needed to make the guards get a little bit farther, albeit he didn't know what was happening to his illusion.

It was at that moment that Sebastian saw a group of five guards rushing down the stairs.

<Fuck, > the young man hid behind a wall, but judging by the building's layout, those guys were headed in his direction.

Sebastian was in an H shaped part of the building. The guards were coming down the left side, while there was a turret on the right one.

He was in the middle, and the guards had to pass through the corridor where he was hiding to get downstairs on the right side of the building.

<Ezuro, > Sebastian thought, a poor replica of himself appeared.

Now he had little time before the guards arrived. They were almost at his position. Sebastian then let the illusion rush out.

"INTRUDER!"

"KILL HIM!"

They started shooting at the illusion, but being incorporeal and light, it moved like a bouncing ball. Since it kept running, they started following it.

Then, as they went past the corridor, Sebastian sprang into action. All he needed was for them to turn their backs on him.

He emerged from his hiding spot, got behind the guards, oblivious to the real threat behind them.

The guards were absorbed, their focus unyielding, as they chased after the illusion, their guns locked onto the ever-elusive figure.

Sebastian closed the distance between him and the last guard in the line with practiced ease.

In one fluid motion, he aimed his gun at the unsuspecting guard's back and fired. There was nothing those guys could do.

With each guard he killed, Sebastian felt a rush of adrenaline and excitement.

At the same time, his mana kept increasing while the technique he devised absorbed the mana from the bodies.

By the time the last guard fell, the corridor was silent. Sebastian took a moment to catch his breath, surveying the scene with a grim satisfaction.

His plan was working, at least for now. When everything ended, the thrill of battle and the absorption of mana from the fallen guards overwhelmed him.

He laughed, a wild, manic sound echoing through the empty corridors.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!"

Sebastian's face twisted into a visage of exhilaration and madness, his eyes alight with a feverish gleam as his laughter filled the air.

However, his revelry was cut short by the distant sound of approaching footsteps.

The unmistakable echo of gunshots attracted the other gang members.

His position was far from safe. With a sudden clarity, he stifled his laughter, the smile fading as he scanned his surroundings for a hiding place.

Sebastian knew time was of the essence, and that he had to neutralize the new threat quickly.

The problem was that he still had around 60% of his mana remaining, and he didn't know if it was going to last him.

Then he galloped toward the higher floor, but he had to pay attention as the other guards were coming. The only problem was, from down stair or up stair?