Phobos was racing through the prison corridors, gripping the katana he had received from his partner.

  “The explosion wasn’t accidental. Most likely, it was staged to extract my target. If she’s taken away now, I’ll have to search the entire country,” he reasoned coldly, accelerating and teleporting in short bursts toward the epicenter.

  “That means I need to get ahead of them and neutralize her as quickly as possible.”

  From the other side of the prison, Namkhai was hurrying toward the same location.

  “The captain and that girl must be there,” he thought. “They owe me for the job and for saving them. And they’d better get me out of here as well.”

  At the site of the explosion, Samson’s group continued fighting the military, but now the chaos was joined by #1991, attacking indiscriminately and blowing up anyone who got in his way.

  Gendilheim and Darkblock covered their comrades, holding back the shockwaves of his attacks with their own abilities. Rul, taking cover behind Darkblock’s dark barrier, sharply turned to Samson.

  “You’re sure he’ll come to us? He’s killing everyone! Let me just blow his head off, he’s too dangerous.”

  Samson, staying behind cover, raised his hands and waved them.

  “No! Just look at him, he’s still a child. He might be the same age as our Delilah. Remember what she was like when we first met her. I almost died back then.”

  Rul hesitated for a moment, then answered shortly:

  “Fine. Just don’t stick your head out.”

  After that, she resumed firing at the military, staying behind cover.

  Samson replied with a brief smile.

  “Boss, what are those explosions? We hear them nonstop,” the device in his ear buzzed.

  “Arthur, where are you?” Samson responded. “We’ve got an unexpected guest here. Don’t touch him, and try not to interact with him at all.”

  “Understood. We’re almost there. We’ll come out through the same hall we entered.”

  “Got it,” Samson replied and turned to Gendilheim. “Hey, big guy! Arthur and Dalila will bring the target soon. I’m counting on you.”

  Gendilheim smiled and gave a short nod.

  At that moment, part of the wall in the huge hall where the slaughter was taking place collapsed with a crash. A stunned Namkhai stepped out of the breach, stopping in the middle of the chaos.

  “Finally… found the entrance,” he said, looking around. Military personnel and some kind of mercenaries were fiercely fighting each other. “Whoa… what the hell is going on here?”

  “And who’s that?” Rul frowned.

  “Looks like a prisoner,” Darkblock replied. “I wonder how he even managed to escape.”

  “Doesn’t matter. As long as he doesn’t interfere,” Samson waved it off.

  Meanwhile, Namkhai carefully scanned the hall, searching for the captain and the girl.

  “Where are you… Did I make a mistake? No, all this mess is definitely because of you, a thought flashed through his mind.”

  At that moment, several soldiers simultaneously aimed their weapons at him.

  “Hey, you! On the ground, now!”

  Namkhai turned around, took a fighting stance, and growled irritably:

  “I’m so sick of this!!!”

  He lunged forward, engaging them in combat.

  At the same time, high up near the ceiling, Phobos was observing what was happening below. He didn’t care in the slightest about Namkhai or anyone else. He was patiently waiting for a single moment - the appearance of his target to strike.

  Suddenly, Arthur and Delilah emerged from the hall, leading Captain Dinar and Dana with them. Phobos and Samson noticed them almost simultaneously.

  Arthur immediately released a powerful column of flame upward, covering their retreat and giving them a chance to regroup with the others.

  Namkhai, having taken down several more soldiers, noticed the rising fire and looked up.

  “That flame…”

  The next instant, he spotted a figure near the ceiling, preparing to attack.

  “What is that freak doing here? How did he even get out?”

  His gaze slid back to the pillar of fire.

  “Wait… if he’s here, then the people behind that fire are my debtors!”

  Phobos waited.

  “You can’t pass through the fire, and the target isn’t visible… I need to be patient. The moment a chance appears. I’ll finish everything with a single strike,” he decided coldly.

  Then his gaze caught Samson giving an order to Gendilheim.

  “Gendilheim, go! They’re here already!”

  The giant immediately removed the massive coffin from his back and threw it open, preparing to place the target inside. Seeing this, Phobos tensed.

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  “Damn… if they seal her in there, getting to her will be much harder. Then… I have to act now!”

  He was just about to move when Namkhai suddenly burst out of the wall of fire and slammed his fist straight into Gendilheim’s face.

  For a moment, everything froze.

  Samson’s group, Delilah, and even Phobos, who had halted his attack, stared at what was happening in complete shock.

  Gendilheim was sent flying to the side, while Namkhai sharply turned toward Delilah, Arthur, the captain, and Dana.

  “Get away from them!” he roared. “Do you want to kill them too, you bastards?!”

  They froze. Delilah was about to rush at him, but Arthur reacted instantly, yanking her back by her clothes. Without hesitation, the captain grabbed Dana and pulled her close.

  At that very moment, an explosion thundered.

  The shockwave hurled Namkhai aside, and the wall of fire created by Arthur dissipated without a trace.

  It was #1991.

  “I hate fire,” he said coldly. “A pathetic, pale copy of my explosion.”

  He cracked his lower back, and another explosion erupted nearby, clearing the path between the captain and the lady and the mercenaries of “Trash.”

  Namkhai got back on his feet and took a step toward the captain, deciding that he had to save them. But in the same instant, a blow slammed into his face.

  It was Gendilheim. The impact smashed Namkhai into the floor.

  “How dare you ruin our plan, you bald freak,” the giant growled.

  The response came instantly Namkhai’s fist drove into his stomach. Gendilheim faltered for a moment, then straightened.

  Namkhai rose as well. They stood facing each other.

  A three-meter-tall purple giant and the two-meter-tall Namkhai - two titans standing face to face.

  The next second, they charged at each other with fury, beginning a brutal clash.

  Delilah came to her senses after the explosion, quickly pulled on her gloves, and helped Arthur to his feet. Then she gave him a brief gesture of thanks.

  Arthur smiled and said quietly:

  “Let’s regroup quickly and wait for the boss’s orders.”

  Phobos was about to attack the target, but Samson reacted first and sharply ordered Darkblock to throw cover toward Dana and the captain. Darkblock didn’t hesitate. In the next moment, an unbreakable dark block rose beside them, completely shielding them from danger.

  Phobos shifted his gaze to Samson.

  “Hm.. this guy has already ruined things more than once. Looks like he’s their leader,” he smirked. “That means, to make everything go right, I need to cut off the head first - the rest will crumble on its own.”

  He finally moved into action. He stepped into a portal, and a dark, viscous sludge began to spread beside Samson. Samson frowned, not immediately understanding what it was. From the rift, Phobos slowly emerged, already drawing his katana and preparing to strike.

  Inside the killer, anticipation boiled.

  But in that moment, he noticed Samson’s smile. Phobos froze for an instant. The expression surprised him, never before had a victim smiled at their own death.

  He swung his blade, aiming to split Samson’s head.

  The blade was stopped.

  In an instant, in a fraction of a second, Samson’s entire group stepped between him and the strike.

  Rul grabbed the killer’s blade with her bare hands.

  Pilgrim struck with his axe, knocking the blow aside and stopping its momentum.

  Arthur was already aiming, fire gathering, ready to incinerate Phobos.

  Delilah stepped close to the leader.

  And Darkblock was ready at any moment to throw cover between them, fully protecting the boss.

  Phobos couldn’t break free his blade was held too tightly. Rul’s palm had already begun to bleed, but she didn’t let go. At that moment, Darkblock struck the killer in the face. He was thrown aside, slamming into the wall.

  Arthur immediately unleashed a stream of fire at him. The killer tried to dodge, but ran straight into a dark block that Darkblock had put up in advance.

  There was nowhere to retreat. The fire advanced, scorching the space around it. At the last moment, Phobos teleported, appearing directly above Arthur’s head. He was about to strike and kill him, but immediately took a powerful kick to the face from Pilgrim.

  Phobos crashed to the ground and struggled to rise. He was breathing heavily: the effects of the torture and the recent fight with Namkhai were catching up with him.

  Arthur aimed his fingers at him, ready to release fire at any moment.

  “You’re a killer from the clan, right? Let’s not get in each other’s way. We were only ordered to save your target. Once we get out of here, you can find her and kill her - we don’t care.”

  “Hmph....'' Phobos merely smirked.

  Without waiting for a reply, Rul opened fire on him. Phobos managed to deflect the bullets and immediately vanished into a portal.

  “He disappeared?” Arthur said.

  “Doesn’t matter,” Rul replied. “Right now, the priority is saving the targets and getting out of here. More military units will be swarming this place soon. We’ve already stayed too long. If reinforced squads arrive, we’re finished.”

  “Damn it… right! Where’s Gendilheim? He was seen near the targets!” Arthur exclaimed.

  At that moment, a massive purple body crashed down in front of them with a thunderous thud.

  “Huh…?” Rul said in shock.

  “Gendilheim?!” Arthur shouted, rushing over to him. “Phew… he’s alive.”

  “I underestimated the bald one… watch out for his glowing fist,” Gendilheim muttered.

  “What are you rambling about? Where are our targets?” Rul asked sharply.

  “And here we are!” Dinar’s voice suddenly rang out. He was standing beside his lady and Delilah. “While you were busy here, your colleague already got us out.”

  Delilah merely smiled softly.

  Arthur gave a thumbs-up.

  “Awesome! Thanks, Delilah!”

  “Good job, babe. Alright, let’s get out of here,” Rul said.

  And as a group, they headed toward Samson.

  Gendilheim struggled to his feet and, walking with them, muttered that he had lost the coffin.

  “Don’t worry, we’ll grab it later,” Rul replied.

  Suddenly, Namkhai blocked their path, dragging Gendilheim’s coffin behind him on chains.

  Everyone tensed and took combat stances. Namkhai calmly said:

  “Hey, stop messing with those two. They owe me.”

  “Oh, really... and you think you can actually oppose us?” Rul asked coldly.

  Dinar stepped in.

  “Stop it!”

  “Oh, it’s you, Captain. Glad to see you’re alright. Don’t worry, I’m here,” Namkhai said.

  “No, you misunderstood, Namkhai. They came to rescue me and my lady,” Dinar explained.

  “Oh? Is that so?” Namkhai looked them over. “Heh..... then I apologize for beating up your friend.”

  “It’s fine,” Dinar replied calmly.

  “Actually, it’s not,” Gendilheim thought to himself.

  “We need you, Namkhai. Help us escape, and I assure you, the reward will be worthy,” Dinar offered.

  “Heh, I’ll take you at your word,” Namkhai said and tossed the coffin toward them.

  Everyone froze in surprise.

  “This is the first time I’ve seen someone who could lift Gendilheim’s coffin,” Arthur remarked.

  Dana was placed inside the coffin.

  “Is that safe?”

  “Much safer than being a target.”

  Now Namkhai moved together with the others toward Samson. When they approached, Samson was glad to see them, but upon noticing Namkhai, he said:

  “And who’s this?”

  “My ally,” Dinar replied.

  “Excellent. My name’s Samson.”

  “Namkhai.”

  “That’s an unusual name...” Samson began, but Rul cut him off.

  “You can get acquainted later. Let’s get out of here!”

  “Alright, everyone’s here. Too bad we won’t make it in time to grab that guy, maybe another time,” Samson said, pulling keys from his pocket and pressing a button.

  A massive black truck drove up to them. Everyone started getting in, while Darkblock, on the leader’s order, raised his blocks, cutting off the soldiers’ path and buying them some time.

  Everyone boarded the truck except Delilah and Namkhai.

  Namkhai gestured for her to go first, pointing toward the entrance. She silently headed for the vehicle, but suddenly felt something strange as if someone who shouldn’t be there had appeared instantly, without warning.

  She spun around and rushed in that direction.

  There, she saw Phobos. He had somehow gotten hold of a rocket launcher, most likely taken from a soldier, and was aiming straight at the truck.

  Delilah managed to stop him. The shot went into the ceiling, which collapsed, blocking the escape route.

  The group froze in place. They got out to help Delilah, but the exit was cut off.

  Dinar, standing at the front, ordered:

  “Everyone, stop! Let’s move while we still have a chance.”

  Samson replied firmly:

  “We’re not leaving Delilah behind.”

  Just as they were about to move to help her, the military appeared - elite units. Not ordinary soldiers, but fully equipped fighters with heavy weapons, drones, and massive mechanized combat suits.

  Samson’s group and Namkhai found themselves in the center, trapped like prey.