'What is she doing here?' Kyle thought as he stared at the woman.
Back then, he had known there was something very off about Gypsy, but never would he have guessed that she was part of a criminal syndicate…
'She is also the same person that was in the building when that villain was killed.' He thought.
It was obvious because their clothing was exactly the same.
That meant the woman on the bus, the one he had met on the night Tsumi was attacked, and the very woman in front of him were one and the same.
Only this time, she had chosen to ditch the mask.
The woman smiled as she watched him, then hugged herself. "That angular jaw, that intense stare, and that defined frame…"
She sighed, her breaths shaky.
"You must be a hottie behind that mask, right? Why not take it off and let me have a proper look. Actually, no."
She licked her lips.
"I like the mystery…"
If Kyle had any doubts, now they were fully cleared.
'Yup, it's her...'
Himiko stepped in front of Kyle. He was sure she was giving the woman the nastiest glare she could muster, but everything was hidden behind her mask.
Still, the mask could not mask her distaste for the woman.
"Stop looking at him with those lecherous eyes, you old lady!"
"Old lady?!" The woman frowned, looking genuinely offended. "I'm just twenty-four!"
She slowly shook her head. "Oh, I see what is going on…." She smiled.
"Don't worry, darling," she glanced at Kyle. "There's enough of him to go around. Don't be stingy with your boyfriend."
Himiko blushed right up to her dainty ears, stuttering as she yelled at her.
"S-shut up!" She huffed, her fists tightening at her sides.
"We can handle things here, you can go ahead and complete our mission," Solvane said, her voice calm.
"The building has a lot of guards." She continued as she listened to the shadows. "They seem to have set some sort of trap for you, be careful."
Kyle nodded. "Alright then, I'll leave this to you guys."
He darted forward and Gypsy lunged, trying to reach him, when a wall of shadows suddenly barred her path.
Solvane stared at her, her pitch black eyes calm and nearly emotionless as she spoke. "You should focus on those in front of you."
The woman smirked as she watched Kyle go. "Well, I did my best… so, feisty one, are we going to fight, or are you just all talk?"
Himiko mirrored her smile, cracking her fist as she was about to lunge.
But just before she could take the first step, Solvane grabbed her shoulder.
"Don't… she is not alone."
Although to any normal person, Gypsy was the only one standing, Solvane could easily sense it with her quirk.
Her shadow in particular… There was something wrong with it.
Solvane pointed at her feet. "There is something hiding in the shadows at her feet."
Himiko peered into the darkness, her advanced vampire senses easily allowing her to see it in detail.
But she could not find a single thing odd about it.
"Huh? Are you sure it isn't just her quirk?"
Solvane shook her head. "No, it's different."
"Aww, why did you have to ruin the fun, girl!" Gypsy playfully complained.
"Alright, come out, Voidy, it seems they are on to us."
For a few moments there was silence, and then her shadow stirred.
A large black mass that resembled a shapeless blob rose from her feet and stood right next to her.
"Damn it, I wanted to eat the blonde one quickly, she looks like the type of girl that would taste good," he complained.
"Now you are telling me I have to fight, give me a break already—"
Bang!
A rush of shadow spikes shot forward, about to impale the blob, when it lashed out as well, destroying the shadow spikes in the nick of time.
The blob had no face, and yet, Solvane could tell it was now staring directly at her.
And it was angry.
Very angry.
"Handle Gypsy, I'll take care of the blob," Solvane said just as she spun into action.
Swooosh!
A long black mass stretched forward, elongating like it was elastic as it flew towards her.
Solvane sent her shadows as well, the ghostly force racing across the floor to meet the mass.
Boom!
Both entities met with the sound of a thunder clap, sending wind billowing past them.
The ground where they had collided was twisted beyond recognition, patches appearing where the black mass had been.
'He seems to be able to devour anything he touches except my shadows. Can he only devour solid objects?' Solvane thought as she raced toward the blob.
"How foolish, kid, you see what I can do and yet you are charging to your death??"
The blob compressed on itself and then exploded outwards, multiple extensions of itself racing toward her.
But just before they could swallow her whole, Solvane sank into the shadows, appearing right behind the blob.
"Gotcha!" She said, her satisfied smile hidden behind her mask.
Slash!
Multiple shadow spikes dug right into the blob, coiling around it and tearing it apart from the inside.
The blob screamed, his voice sounding strained.
"Ahhhhhhhhhh, god damn it I'm going to—hahahahaha!"
His voice twisted into a deranged laughter as he suddenly stopped his fake reaction.
"Did you really think that would work on me?" He scoffed. "I'm basically a moving slime ball, you fool!"
He sighed as though he was annoyed.
"Your attacks may hurt, and I give you accolades for that, but you are far from making any impact."
Solvane intensified her attack, tearing into the blob, the villain letting out an annoyed grunt just before it slashed at her face.
She ducked above the first hit and raced back, dodging multiple other attacks that came her way, when her back suddenly slammed into something hard.
Then her eyes went wide when she realised just what she had crashed into.
The blob had a limb stuck into the earth, and during the entire time she attacked, he was positioning it at the perfect angle.
"Ahhh!" Solvane screamed as the blob ate into her skin. It felt like each individual cell was being sawed out, only to be dissolved in corrosive acid.
Bang!
Using the force of her shadows, Solvane blasted away from the blob, but the damage had already been done.
It was barely two seconds, and yet, the clothes of her back, and her flesh had been eaten in like a festering corruption.
She let out a breath as her wounds began to heal. "You're really annoying for a pile of shit."
The blob made a sound like clicking its tongue.
"Tsk tsk, a kid shouldn't curse, you know?"