Several things happened at once.
The explosion had come too suddenly for even Kannagi's Spirituality to trigger.
It was loud and bright enough to deafen the ears and momentarily blind the eyes.
The massive steel containers themselves had come out unscathed from the explosion, barely getting knocked away.
But destroying the containers didn't seem to be its purpose anyway.
On the other side, the massive tentacle had literally lifted a container, smashing it against other containers, creating a huge gap that led inside with loud booms.
Simultaneously, the Yakuza members, who had already received Chronostasis's order to be on alert, rained bullets on either side, the rattling of rifles adding to the chaos.
If that was the reaction of mere bodyguards, then less needed to be said about the Villains themselves.
Chronostasis, despite being shocked, buried his urge to panic and came to a standstill, ready to use his Quirk at a moment's notice.
Next to him, Shin took out a pair of guns as well, pointing their muzzles on either side.
The Monocle casually put down his head, letting out a chewing sound as he looked left and right, his shoulders shaking once again in blatant amusement.
Kannagi was a different case, though.
He… panicked.
This wasn't supposed to happen.
No one was supposed to know about this trade, right?
If someone had dared to come here, then it could only be two types of people, the Reporter reasoned.
One — Villains — competitors of Shie Hassaikai.
Second — Heroes!
And, with a plague mask on his face, if these were Heroes, they would see him as a Villain, too.
No.
Kannagi didn't want that.
He was a Hero… He would be a Hero… He would be a Hero for Eri — for himself!
No one. Absolutely no one must know that it was him under the mask. No one must know his true identity, preventing the grand fantasy in his mind from becoming reality.
NO ONE!
"TERRITORY CREATION!"
An unseen, formless spiritual wave pulsed out from the Totem at Kannagi's feet, becoming a spherical zone of a hundred and fifty meters in radius.
The zone was more than big enough to cover all the Yakuza members behind the Villains and all the robed figures that had come out of the ship. It was big enough to easily go beyond the boundaries of containers that had developed massive gaps on either side.
And the moment Kannagi's Territory fully materialized, which hadn't taken even an instant, he… became awesome.
Sadly, that awesomeness came at the expense of the people within the Territory.
Chronostasis and Shin Nemoto instantly felt like they had left their bodies, looking at the surroundings from above their heads. Their bodies came to a deathly halt, their minds losing control of their limbs.
The same happened to the bodyguards and robed figures, their Spirit Bodies getting suspended midair as they were pulled out by Kannagi's Territory forcefully.
Even the Monocle wasn't spared. However, before he could lose his Spirit Body, his entire body tightened, a demonic growl escaping his clothed mouth like a command.
Kannagi didn't notice that, though.
Still overwhelmed by the fear of losing his ideal fantasy, in a panic, all he knew was to continue, taking the next step.
A step that would need him only another instant.
An instant to steal the Spirituality from all and everything and become omnipotent within his Territory.
Before that instant could begin, though, a Bang rang — followed by another Bang!
With a bloody squelch, a bullet hit Kannagi's shoulder and went right through him, splattering blood on the concrete floor.
This should have been impossible normally.
After advancing to Sequence 8 Reporter, Kannagi had undergone physical enhancement, his raw strength rivaling that of a full-grown adult. However, it was his speed that had gained a massive boost, including movement and reaction, like pouring all Points earned in a game in Agility.
The moment the first Bang had entered Kannagi's ears, he had already reacted, the Territory letting him dodge toward the most optimal position.
Unfortunately, it had been a decoy to force him to react.
Whoever had fired the gun—Kannagi realized the truth as blackness drowned his vision—was much faster than him and could probably see the future!
With that, the Reporter lost consciousness.
With that, the Territory Creation lost its hold on the people, letting their Spirit Bodies merge back with their bodies.
With that, Chronostasis and Shin also regained control over their bodies, the Monocle near them clenching and unclenching his fingers.
For a moment, everything came to a shocked halt.
In a matter of a few instants, an unthinkable and imperceivable chain of events had occurred, leading to the first casualty of the night — Kannagi the Reporter — the only person who had stood the greatest chance of singlehandedly overpowering everyone!
And once that reality settled in, all hell broke loose… again!
"Shin!" Chronostasis shouted. "Get him…"
Before he could say more, though, a fist, as fast as a bullet, came for him and landed right into his stomach, making him gasp and sending him flying.
Bang!
Shin fired at the caped figure that had shot out of the ground. But the bullet went right through the figure and struck the concrete floor behind it, raising dust. Before he could fire the gun again, a thin tentacle slithered up to him and coiled around his ankle.
The tentacle jerked and dragged away Shin, both disappearing into the darkness.
Meanwhile, the caped figure — Comedy Hero: Lemillion — had already sunk back into the concrete floor, leaving behind only one figure standing in place of the earlier four Villains.
Aiming to finish the job in one go, before the panicking Yakuza members could injure someone with their reckless firing, Lemillion shot out of the ground like a missile, his punch aimed right at the lower back of the black-skinned, naked Villain.
To his utter surprise, the Villain sidestepped his punch with an insane display of speed, while simultaneously turning around.
Then, Lemillion heard the most erratic, wild, and demonic sound.
It was spoken by the Villain… like a curse.
It was the word — "Slow!"