BANG!

It happened in an instant.

Every spatial tear collapsed inward, crushed under an overwhelming force. Gravity folded in on itself, dragging everything down.

Vixen watched with wide eyes, ’How? Isn’t that Nectron’s ability...?’

She had thought she’d seen everything Phantom was capable of.

Yet every time, he always had something new to show.

’I can’t give up!’ Her failed attack didn’t shake her resolve.

She raised both hands, preparing another assault.

But before she could move, an overwhelming pressure crashed down upon her.

It felt as though two mountains had been placed on her shoulders.

Her knees buckled instantly.

BAM!

They slammed into the ground.

She felt her insides twist.

Her bones grew heavier.

Her heart constricted.

Blood trickled from her nose as the pressure continued to build.

’It’s stronger... It’s stronger than Nectron’s...’ Gritting her teeth, she desperately resisted the crushing force.

Her bloodshot eyes lifted upward, Nicholas was staring down at her, his cold blue eyes showed no emotion.

"I’ll only leave you alive because you have a mother."

Vixen’s eyes widened.

Surprise flashed across her face.

But before she could ask what he meant, darkness swallowed her vision.

It felt as though someone had turned off the lights.

The last thought that echoed through her fading consciousness was:

’How does he know?’

Nicholas continued forward.

Turning into the hallway, he resumed his march toward Ronald’s office.

The moment he stepped onto the floor, several employees immediately retreated toward the walls.

The guards didn’t even dare raise their weapons after seeing how effortlessly he had defeated Vixen.

The man walking toward Ronald’s office looked less like a hero and more like a disaster wearing human skin.

Some fled outright.

Others simply froze where they stood.

Nicholas ignored all of them.

A few moments later, he arrived at Ronald’s office, and without slowing down, he kicked the door open.

BANG!

The office door slammed against the wall.

Sitting calmly behind a polished desk was Ronald, his hands were clasped together. His expression remained composed.

Standing beside him was Gina.

She visibly flinched when she saw Nicholas, though she quickly attempted to regain her composure.

Nicholas’s blue gaze settled on Ronald.

"That’s no way to enter your boss’s office, is it?" Ronald asked with a grin.

Nicholas swept his gaze across the room.

There was no sight of Katie nor Marina, his eyes slowly returned to Ronald.

"Where are they?" he asked coldly.

Ronald chuckled.

"After all the damage you’ve caused, you think you can just barge into my office and start making demands?" He leaned back in his chair. "It doesn’t work like that."

Nicholas remained silent.

His eyes never left Ronald.

He simply watched him.

Like a judge weighing the worth of a criminal’s final words.

Completely unbothered.

Ronald continued speaking casually.

"I might not be one of you superheroes, but you should be mindful of your position." He smiled. "If a single hair on my head is harmed, you’ll pay heavily for it. And your sisters won’t be safe either."

His grin widened.

"That said, if you sign my contract, I’ll overlook this little display of madness and forgive your atrocious behavior."

Privately, another thought crossed his mind.

’And if you don’t sign it... then I’ll simply clean up the loose ends.’

His gaze briefly flickered toward the corner of the room where a concealed dart launcher remained aimed and ready.

"Hand me the contract," Ronald said, extending his hand toward Gina.

Gina glanced at Nicholas.

He hadn’t spoken.

Hadn’t moved.

Yet the tension in the room continued growing with every passing second.

Ronald didn’t seem to notice.

His arrogance blinded him to it.

But Gina noticed.

She felt every second dragging by like an invisible countdown.

Like Death itself was silently evaluating the room.

Sweat rolled down her face as she carefully moved the contract toward Ronald.

Ronald reached out to take it.

But instead of paper touching his hand—

Warm blood splashed across his fingers.

"AHHHHH!"

Gina screamed.

Her severed arm hit the floor with a wet thud as she stumbled backward, clutching the stump.

Ronald froze.

For a brief moment, he couldn’t understand what he was seeing. Then his eyes slowly shifted toward Gina.

Toward the blood, toward the arm lying on the floor.

His face turned pale.

"What...?"

His gaze snapped back toward Nicholas.

Those cold blue eyes were staring directly into his.

Somehow—

Nicholas was standing right beside him.

’When exactly did he move?’ Ronald thought in horror.

Nicholas’s voice sounded beside his ear.

Cold. Calm. Merciless.

"You’re not in any position to negotiate, Ronald."

He raised two fingers.

"Two seconds."

His eyes never blinked.

"That’s how long you have to tell me where they are."

The room seemed to grow colder.

"Maybe then I’ll make your death quick."

A chill ran through Ronald’s body.

For the first time since Nicholas entered the office—

Fear appeared.

Real fear.

When Nicholas first walked into the room, Ronald had assumed the hero would be cautious.

Careful.

Worried about his sisters. He believed that leverage protected him.

That the girls were a shield. A bargaining chip, something he could hide behind.

But now he realized something horrifying.

The monster standing before him didn’t seem to care.

Ronald swallowed hard.

Nicholas was so close that he could feel the faint warmth of his breath against his skin.

And for the first time in a very long while—

Ronald felt genuinely powerless, but his arrogance quickly returned.

"Do you have any idea who I am?" Ronald’s voice rose slightly.

"You can’t just—"

His words were cut short by the tremendous pain that shot through his body as a dagger dug into the palm of his hand, pinning it to the table.

He screamed as agony surged through his body.

"I’ll ask again, where are they?" Nicholas asked with a cold look in his eyes as he stared at Ronald.

Ronald stared at Nicholas for a moment, fear still lingering in his chest. Then his eyes drifted past him and landed on the concealed dart launcher mounted in the corner of the room. The panic on his face slowly faded as a smile returned.

"You remind me a lot of Dr. Bane." Ronald chuckled despite the dagger pinning his hand to the desk. "He was stubborn too."

The dart shot forward.