Meanwhile...
A narrow alley lay silent beneath the evening sky.
Warren leaned against a brick wall.
His shotgun rested along his forearm.
He let out a quiet sigh.
"...What should I do?"
He looked toward the distant streets.
"...Maybe I should head back to that bar."
"Hm."
A voice echoed from the darkness.
"You won't need to."
Warren's eyes narrowed.
"...Scrapper."
From the shadows, Scrapper slowly stepped into the light.
His mechanical tentacles twitched quietly behind him.
He stopped a few meters away.
"So..."
"Are you going to tell me where he is?"
Warren folded his arms.
"And why should I tell you?"
A faint smirk crossed Scrapper's face.
"Heh..."
"Arrogant."
He took another step forward.
"Don't you know who I am?"
Warren didn't flinch.
"Don't brag about it."
"You're the lowest-ranked member of the Calamity Table."
Scrapper nodded without the slightest sign of offense.
"I am."
"But..."
He pointed at himself.
"There's a reason I was chosen to become a Calamity Table member..."
"...and not you."
Warren's jaw tightened.
The grip on his shotgun slowly tightened as well.
The quiet alley suddenly felt much smaller as the two men stood facing each other, neither willing to back down.
The silence broke in an instant.
Warren raised his shotgun.
Bang!
The blast echoed through the alley.
Scrapper twisted his body aside.
The shot flew past him.
Without slowing down, he lunged forward.
His mechanical tentacles shot through the air.
Whoosh!
Warren dodged the first one.
The second slammed into the wall behind him.
Instead of retreating, Warren leaped onto one of the tentacles.
Using it as a platform, he sprang into the air.
Bang!
He fired again.
Scrapper's eyes narrowed.
Another tentacle whipped forward.
Clang!
The metal appendage caught the bullet before it could reach him.
The projectile dropped harmlessly onto the ground.
Warren landed several steps away.
He lowered his stance.
Scrapper smirked.
"You have..."
"...no idea."
Warren kept his shotgun trained on him.
"I work for the Table."
"You don't have the right to kill me."
Scrapper nodded.
"You're right."
A brief silence followed.
"But..."
His mechanical tentacles slowly spread behind him.
"You helped use me for your own agenda."
Warren frowned.
"It wasn't me."
"It was Void."
Scrapper's expression hardened.
"And you supported him."
He took another step forward.
"So..."
"You betrayed one of the Calamity Table's own..."
"...by helping him turn me into a puppet."
The alley fell silent once more.
Neither man lowered his weapon.
The confrontation had shifted from a fight over strength to one over loyalty, with both accusing the other of crossing a line within the dangerous world they shared.
Warren's grip tightened around his shotgun.
"...Damn you."
His eyes narrowed.
"I'll expose you."
"You helped an ally of the Balance Table."
Scrapper didn't deny it.
"Yeah."
A faint grin appeared on his face.
"Blue Scarf..."
"...is Shiro's ally."
Warren scoffed.
"Don't forget..."
"...who healed your wounds."
Scrapper's smile slowly disappeared.
"I won't."
His mechanical tentacles spread wide behind him.
"But that doesn't mean..."
"...I'll let you manipulate me."
Without another word—
he thrust both hands forward.
"Lunge!"
Whoosh!
The metal tentacles shot across the alley like spears, tearing through the air as Warren immediately raised his shotgun, preparing for the next exchange.
Warren rolled to the side.
The tentacles slammed into the brick wall.
Boom!
Dust scattered across the alley.
Without wasting a second—
Warren raised his shotgun.
Bang!
The blast struck one of Scrapper's tentacles.
Sparks burst from the metal.
Scrapper immediately pulled the damaged tentacle back.
The remaining tentacles also retracted behind him.
Warren frowned.
"...What are you doing?"
Scrapper stood still.
The tips of every mechanical tentacle began to glow with a faint green light.
Hmmm...
The light grew brighter.
Energy pulsed through the metal.
Scrapper smirked.
"Recharging."
Warren's eyes widened slightly.
"...Recharging?"
The glow intensified.
Then—
Fwoosh!
A brilliant green beam erupted from one tentacle.
Warren threw himself aside.
The beam carved across the alley wall, leaving a glowing trail.
Before he could regain his footing—
A second beam fired.
Fwoosh!
Then a third.
And a fourth.
Green streaks flashed through the narrow alley from every direction.
Warren ducked, rolled, and leaped between the attacks, barely avoiding each blast.
"Tch..."
His breathing grew heavier.
For the first time since the fight began—
he was being forced entirely onto the defensive.
Warren steadied his aim.
Bang!
Another shot rang through the alley.
Scrapper shifted aside as the bullet grazed one of his tentacles.
Warren turned sharply.
He was already preparing to retreat.
Before he could take another step—
Clank!
One of Scrapper's tentacles wrapped around his leg.
"...What?!"
Scrapper pulled with tremendous force.
"There is nowhere to go."
Boom!
Warren was slammed sideways into a large metal trash bin.
The container crumpled under the impact.
Pieces of metal scattered across the alley.
Warren groaned but forced himself back to his feet.
"Tch..."
"This isn't what I signed up for."
Scrapper slowly approached.
His mechanical tentacles spread behind him like the limbs of a giant spider.
A faint smile crossed his face.
"So..."
"Tell me where he is."
Warren exhaled.
"...I won't."
He raised his shotgun once more.
"Because..."
"I'm going to defeat you here."
Bang!
Bang!
Several shots echoed through the alley.
Scrapper crossed his tentacles in front of himself.
Clang!
Clang!
The bullets ricocheted harmlessly off the reinforced metal.
By the time the last shot struck—
Warren was already moving.
He sprinted toward the nearest wall.
Leaped.
Pushed off the bricks.
Then vaulted onto the rooftop.
Scrapper looked up just as Warren began running across the rooftops.
"...Running away?"
Warren glanced back without slowing down.
"You'll have to catch me first."
Within moments, he disappeared over the next building, leaving Scrapper standing alone in the alley, staring after the fleeing bounty hunter.
Warren sprinted across the rooftops.
He leaped from one roof to the next with practiced speed.
Thud.
Thud.
Whoosh!
A mechanical tentacle shot toward him from behind.
Warren twisted his body in midair.
The tentacle narrowly missed his shoulder.
It crashed into the roof tiles instead.
Crash!
Fragments of tile scattered into the street below.
Warren landed and immediately looked back.
Scrapper was already closing the distance.
Instead of running with his legs alone, he propelled himself forward using his mechanical tentacles, each one driving him across the rooftops with explosive speed.
"...He's fast."
Warren raised his shotgun.
Bang!
The shot echoed across the buildings.
Scrapper didn't stop.
He lunged straight through the attack.
Warren jumped to the side.
A heartbeat later—
Boom!
Scrapper's tentacles slammed into the rooftop where Warren had been standing.
The entire roof shook.
Dust burst into the air.
Warren clicked his tongue.
"...Crap."
Without wasting another second, he turned and ran in the opposite direction.
Scrapper watched him flee.
He rolled his shoulders once.
Crack.
Then the mechanical tentacles shifted.
Their segments unfolded one after another.
The metal limbs grew longer...
...and longer.
Their reach nearly doubled.
Scrapper smiled.
"You're not getting away."
The extended tentacles shot across the rooftops like metallic spears, racing after the fleeing Warren as the chase continued high above the streets below.
Warren glanced over his shoulder.
The extended tentacles were gaining on him.
"...Tch."
He quickly turned and fired.
Bang!
One bullet struck the leading tentacle.
Clang!
Sparks flew from the impact.
Another shot followed.
Bang!
Then another.
The barrage didn't destroy the tentacles, but it forced them to recoil for a brief moment, slowing their advance.
"...That'll buy me a second."
Without hesitation, Warren reached the edge of the rooftop.
He jumped.
Whoosh!
His body dropped toward the street below.
He landed in a narrow, dark alley and immediately rolled to absorb the impact.
Before he could catch his breath—
Whoosh!
The metallic tentacles plunged over the edge of the rooftop after him.
They twisted through the darkness like hunting serpents, refusing to give up the chase.
Warren gritted his teeth.
"...He's still on me."
He pushed off the ground and disappeared deeper into the shadowed alley, while behind him the tentacles tore through crates, barrels, and wooden fences in relentless pursuit.