Perhaps it was a battle destined to end one-sidedly.

  The tension that had dominated the space vanished almost absurdly fast. It was an outcome no one had anticipated—a betrayal to the onlookers who had been swallowing hard in anticipation of a grand spectacle.

  Yet, in a way, this was the most ideal conclusion. The situation had ended without a single innocent person getting hurt and without the man committing any further sins.

  Jihyeon’s wit had turned what could have been a thousand-day war into a mere happening. Once he knocked the man out and removed the Tool, this blood-soaked affair would be over. This would surely become another glorious page in the records of the city's hero. Though his identity remained hidden, Jihyeon—donning his hood, mask, and sunglasses—had already become an icon of the city.

  For those lucky enough to witness his performance, this battle would be remembered as a lighthearted event, punctuated by the sight of the flailing werewolf.

  That is, if it ended safely.

  However, to the uninvited guest watching from afar, this kind of ending was clearly unacceptable. The conclusion they desired was likely something entirely different.

  Bang!

  The barrier wavered. A bone-chilling sound echoed through the air.

  It was a noise akin to a firearm using gunpowder, but to Jihyeon, it was merely an annoying, ear-piercing sound intended to startle. The civilians, however, screamed at the noise. Faced with an unexpected threat, they finally tasted true terror. Those who had been joyfully filming the scene scattered in a chaotic panic.

  Watching them, Jihyeon frowned beneath his mask.

  It was an unpleasant knock.

  It was the same interference used previously to help the werewolf escape—a move to keep him in check and support their "ally." To those who wanted the werewolf to run wild, Jihyeon’s swift suppression was a development they could not welcome.

  The werewolf was still struggling. It made no effort to hide its murderous intent, projecting the promise that it would turn the surroundings into a bloodbath the moment it was freed. Though Jihyeon had neutralized it by suspending it in mid-air by its waist, the beast would undoubtedly tear into someone's throat the instant its feet touched the ground and the telekinetic chains loosened.

  That was likely the scene they wanted to see. And the one whose throat got torn was supposed to be Jihyeon.

  But that was their desired future, not Jihyeon’s.

  Reality was far more farcical, and things were supposed to end here. Yet, the enemy had unleashed their power to interfere and prevent such an ending.

  This, however, was within the realm of Jihyeon's expectations.

  The attack that had targeted Jihyeon previously was certainly threatening. But Jihyeon had absolutely no intention of falling for the same trick twice. Instead, paradoxically, he felt a surge of excitement.

  The current situation couldn't be called good by any stretch of the imagination. But the joy of potentially taking revenge on a "sniper"—an enemy usually difficult to handle—made his body tremble. It was the look of a hunter who had discovered the thrill of the chase. Leaving an enemy who had so clearly revealed themselves was not in Jihyeon's nature.

  "I'm not quite a nice enough guy to ignore a fight someone picked with me," Jihyeon muttered, turning his head slightly.

  From behind his sunglasses, his eyes quickly searched for his foe. Finding someone trying to hide their information using a Tool was incredibly easy for Jihyeon. If the opponent had prioritized escaping, Jihyeon might have struggled to find them. But unlike before, the sniper did not hide their position. Perhaps they intended to settle things head-on this time.

  They likely thought it was worth a shot given the considerable distance—an arrogant assumption. Jihyeon considered it a grave mistake.

  Had Jihyeon been forced to walk, run, or use a car, that choice might have been viable. But Jihyeon’s method of movement defied common sense.

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  Jihyeon jumped slightly and used his telekinesis like a grappling hook. Moving from building to building, releasing and recreating the telekinetic hooks, he closed the distance to his opponent in an instant.

  Of course, he wasn't foolish enough to leave the werewolf behind. Leaving it would surely result in a massacre, and Jihyeon had no intention of letting that happen. Instead of just bringing it along, Jihyeon utilized it; the werewolf's body, tougher than most armor, was useful in its own right.

  The sniper was likely bewildered. Could they have ever imagined the werewolf being used in such a way?

  Bang!

  The sound rang out again.

  It was the sound of the sniper's Tool accurately hitting the werewolf. It was also the sound of their failure to hit Jihyeon. The werewolf, held in place by telekinesis, performed its role as a meat shield faithfully. The power of the sniper's Tool could never kill the werewolf; it merely inflicted agonizing pain. While the attack was originally meant for Jihyeon, he had no intention of taking it.

  Boom! Awooooooo-agh!

  An explosion, followed by a scream.

  The werewolf played the part of a shield perfectly. Even with a Tool to neutralize CCTV, it might have been impossible to perfectly evade a sniper's fire. But if one physically blocked the attack, there was no problem. Trusting the werewolf's durability, Jihyeon continued his advance.

  The werewolf, of course, continued to scream. It might be able to endure the damage, but pain was a different story altogether. Jihyeon simply considered the werewolf unlucky. If the man ever returned to his human form, he might protest vehemently, but Jihyeon didn't care about that at all.

  Instead, Jihyeon was simply enjoying the thrill. Gliding through the city's skyscrapers like a high-speed grappling hook scene from a movie was exhilarating in itself. Moreover, this method of movement provided Jihyeon with several advantages.

  Three-dimensional maneuvers filled with uncertainty neutralized the opponent's sniping. Between the random trajectory and the meticulous defense provided by his "meat shield," there were no means left for the sniper to hinder Jihyeon’s pursuit.

  What could even the most accurate sniper do against someone who physically blocked their shots? Faced with Jihyeon, who ignored the laws of common sense, the sniper had no choice left but to regret their arrogant judgment.

  The distance between them closed.

  The sniper felt that time was running out. Unless they acted quickly, their defeat was certain. Escaping might have been the wisest decision at this stage, but the sniper could not let go of their greed until the very end. Knowing how much credit they would gain by taking down Jihyeon, they couldn't allow themselves to miss the opportunity.

  To Jihyeon, that was simply a fatal mistake.

  "I told you!"

  Jihyeon muttered, hurling the werewolf he had been using as a shield straight at the sniper. The aberrant being, neither human nor wolf, was released from the telekinetic bond. Like a massive stone, the werewolf flew toward the sniper's position.

  Jihyeon didn't bother counting how many shots were fired in that moment. Instead, he simply appreciated the werewolf's screams. The unfortunate creature fulfilled its role perfectly, absorbing every attack and writhing in unbearable pain. To Jihyeon, it was someone else's problem.

  Having closed the gap in a single breath, Jihyeon finally saw what his target looked like. Somewhat anti-climactically, the sniper was just a person in ordinary clothes. Dressed in a way that made it hard to tell their gender at a glance, the sniper stared at Jihyeon with an expression that mixed defeat and bewilderment.

  "Damn it!"

  The sniper cursed and turned their body to use the Tool's power once more. But it was already too late.

  "Wha—what?!"

  The sniper panicked again at the shadow that began to loom over them. It was none other than the werewolf.

  "Catch!"

  Jihyeon muttered, swinging his telekinetic chains with all his might. At the end of the chains was the werewolf, recovered just before it hit the ground. Having been exposed to sniper fire in mid-air and falling toward the earth, only to be hauled back up to the roof of a dozens-of-stories-tall building, the beast was screaming in pure terror.

  Resonating with that sound, the sniper screamed as well.

  It was a declaration of defeat—a natural reaction of someone unable to hide their raw fear. Had the sniper reacted even slightly more nimbly, they might have turned their body to increase their meager chances of survival. But they didn't. They couldn't. They were completely overwhelmed by the sight of the meat shield growing larger in their pupils.

  Crash!

  Though he had tried to control his strength, the impact was still powerful enough to ensure an ordinary person wouldn't emerge unscathed. The sniper collided with the werewolf and was sent flying. No one would expect a human to travel so far without using their legs, but the sniper managed it—landing with injuries severe enough to prevent them from standing up again.

  "Got you," Jihyeon muttered in a satisfied voice. No one else could hunt a sniper this way. That fact brought a sense of satisfaction to his heart.

  But this wasn't the end. The terrified werewolf was no longer moving, but it would surely run wild again if left alone. The same went for the sniper. The moment they regained consciousness, they would surely aim for Jihyeon’s head again.

  However, unlike before, Jihyeon could now begin a new task without further interference.

  The removal and recovery of the Tools.

  "Time to start..."

  Jihyeon muttered, moving the werewolf and the sniper to a place suitable for his work. He immediately began the recovery process—a miracle that only Jihyeon was capable of in this place.

  But it seemed today was not a day where everything would go as planned. Jihyeon clicked his tongue as he felt things going wrong. This time, Jihyeon was a little—just a little—too late.

  Soon, an explosion thundered. It was a completely unexpected blast.