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The battle raged on for what felt like hours, bullets flying through the air like a twisted symphony. The sharp crack of gunfire echoed through the underground auction house, mingling with the sound of men shouting orders and scrambling for cover.
Yuzuki darted from pillar to pillar, her sleek movements barely visible in the chaos. Her eyes were sharp, scanning every corner for threats while she dispatched mercenaries with lethal precision. Her gunshots were a blur—each one finding its target in a clean, calculated strike. There was no hesitation, no second guessing. It was a dance she had perfected over the years, one that required her to be both predator and prey in a world where weakness meant death.
“Dante, get down!” she shouted as a mercenary took aim at him from behind a stack of crates.
The idiot didn’t even flinch. Instead, he was grinning like a maniac. “Oh, come on! I’m having fun!”
Before she could respond, he popped up, his gun aimed with far less precision than Yuzuki’s, but still deadly enough to send the assailant toppling backward.
“See? What did I tell you?” he said, looking completely unbothered. “I’ve got this.”
Yuzuki's jaw tightened. Unbelievable. He was making this worse—not even trying to keep a low profile or follow any kind of strategy. Yet, somehow, it was working. These mercenaries were either too confused by his antics or too arrogant to realize how dangerous he was. And it was costing them.
She barely had time to register what was happening next. A grenade flew through the air, landing at her feet. Her heart raced as she dove toward it, grabbing the device and hurling it back toward the enemy lines with lightning speed. The explosion sent a shockwave through the room, disorienting several more mercenaries and clearing their path.
“You know,” Dante said, peeking out from behind a column, “if I didn’t know any better, I’d think you’re enjoying this a little too much.”
Yuzuki glared at him, her breath steady but sharp. “Focus, Valente. We’re not done here.”
He gave her a lazy wave, grinning like an idiot. “Yeah, yeah. But this is fun! I don’t get to do this kind of thing often. You know, not being the one with the target on his back for once.”
Another wave of mercenaries rushed forward, and Yuzuki was already in motion before Dante could finish his sentence. Her gunshots rang out in quick succession, each one finding its mark.
“I’ll give you credit, Yuzuki,” Dante shouted over the sounds of battle, “you sure know how to handle yourself!”
She didn’t respond, too busy fending off two mercenaries who had somehow managed to flank her. She spun, landing a brutal kick to one of their chests before dispatching the other with a swift shot to the head. As the last body fell to the ground, she took a brief moment to reload, only then turning back to Dante, who was casually checking his nails.
“Are you always this insufferable?” she muttered, rolling her eyes.
“Pretty much,” Dante said with a wink. “But you’ve survived it so far, haven’t you? That must mean you secretly like it.”
“Not even close,” she retorted, narrowing her eyes as she surveyed the remaining enemies in the room. “You’re just... a distraction.”
“Ah, but I’m a fun distraction,” Dante quipped, slinging his gun over his shoulder and pulling out a flare gun from his jacket. “And you know what? I think it’s time to really turn things up.”
Before Yuzuki could protest, he fired the flare gun into the ceiling, and the flare shot upward, lighting up the entire room in a fiery red hue. It was blinding, and for a moment, it was like time itself had frozen.
The mercenaries around them hesitated, looking up at the flare in confusion. In that split second, Yuzuki took the opportunity to move. She whirled around, slamming one of the mercenaries into the wall with a quick, brutal strike. Then, she spun and took out another two with a series of expertly aimed shots.
Dante, meanwhile, was acting like the world’s most obnoxious distraction. He leaped onto a nearby table, knocking over several expensive bottles of alcohol, and waved his gun around like it was a toy.
“Boo! Is this how you guys throw parties in Monaco? Lame! Where’s the music? The dancing? The fun?” he taunted, laughing as more of the mercenaries scrambled to fire back at him.
Yuzuki clenched her teeth and stormed forward, taking down yet another enemy who was too focused on Dante’s antics. She couldn’t decide whether he was a blessing or a curse, but as long as he kept himself alive, she’d have to keep saving him.
Finally, after a few more mercenaries hit the ground, the room seemed to fall into an eerie silence. Dante hopped off the table, giving Yuzuki a thumbs up.
“You know, you’re starting to grow on me,” he said with a grin.
Yuzuki shot him a deadly look. “I don’t want to grow on you, Valente. We’re not friends.”
“Friends?” He laughed. “You think I’m trying to be your friend? I’m just here for the entertainment, Yuzuki. And believe me, you’re the entertainment tonight.”
Yuzuki gritted her teeth, but she didn’t have time to snap back. Instead, she immediately scanned the room, ensuring there were no more threats lurking. “We’re not done. Whoever’s behind this attack is still out there.”
As if on cue, the door at the far end of the room burst open, and a figure stepped through. He was tall, dressed in a sharply tailored suit, and his presence was almost suffocating. He had an air of authority—one that couldn’t be ignored.
“Well, well, well,” the figure said, his voice smooth as silk. “It seems we’ve got ourselves quite the spectacle, haven’t we?”
Yuzuki narrowed her eyes, immediately recognizing the man as Giovanni Vesper—the leader of the Vesper family, one of the most dangerous players in the mafia world.
“Giovanni Vesper,” Yuzuki said, her voice dripping with disdain. “I wasn’t expecting you to be involved in this.”
Giovanni flashed a charming grin. “Oh, Yuzuki. You should know by now, I’m always involved. And I must say, I’m impressed. You’re still standing after all this.”
Dante stepped forward, adjusting his suit and cracking his knuckles. “Oh, this is going to be fun. I didn’t think I’d get to meet the infamous Giovanni Vesper tonight.”
Giovanni’s smile turned colder. “Trust me, Valente, you don’t want to meet me. But it’s too late now. This whole mess... it’s just beginning.”
Yuzuki could feel the tension rise in the air, as if a storm was about to break. Giovanni didn’t speak in riddles; he spoke in threats. And tonight, he was making it clear that he had plans—plans that involved them.
“Let’s finish this, shall we?” Giovanni’s words were calm, but there was venom in them. “After all, we wouldn’t want this to be anticlimactic, would we?”
And with that, everything shifted.
Yuzuki’s hand instinctively went to her weapon as she steeled herself for what was about to come. This wasn’t just another fight. This was the beginning of something far worse than she could have imagined.
Dante, looking more amused than ever, whispered just loud enough for her to hear, “I hope you’ve got a plan, amore... because I’m not going down without a fight.”
Yuzuki only glanced at him for a moment, her face cold. “Just stay out of my way, Valente.”
Giovanni's smirk was the last thing she saw before the storm hit.
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The tension between Yuzuki, Dante, and Giovanni is now set to escalate into something much larger. Their personalities clash in chaotic ways, while a new, dangerous force begins to stir.
