Herald of death

Kyle lies with conviction, "I was as mad as you when I learned on my way here." He places his glass of liquor down, his imitation of Cyrius' voice uncanny. "Believe me, if I had known earlier, I would have told you."

"Five, do you have a shot at her?" Kate asks.

"If absolutely necessary, yes," Ethan replies, readying himself to jump onto the balcony below. "But I won't intervene unless Nine can't manage. We need to locate our other targets."

Valeria remains silent for a moment before asking, "Where is he now?"

"I don't know," Kyle responds without hesitation.

Ethan's phone vibrates as Tombstone calls. The screen shows she’s calling both him and Kate. He picks up, hearing Six do the same.

"I have bad news," Tombstone begins without introduction. "The exploitation crew cracked the phone you left. The Chinese are on their way to your location. They have someone who can locate objects, and they pointed to the Ritz-Carlton."

Ethan slides his hand over his face as he lets out a deep sigh. "How much time do we have?" he asks.

"A few minutes. Their orders are to do whatever it takes to obtain the bomb, no matter how loud or ugly it gets," Tombstone says. "I'm altering traffic to delay them as much as I can, but you don't have long."

"How can they do that?" Kate asks. "Surely Dubai's police and military won't let this slide."

"They seem to have authorization," Tombstone replies. "Police forces were ordered to avoid the area."

"We can't abandon now," Kate whispers.

"We won't. This just hastens our plans," Ethan says. "Find the Merchant and Hakeem. We’ll trap them inside and let the Chinese do the work. If they escape, we'll ambush and kill them."

"And Valeria?" Kate asks. "They won't come upstairs if they find their prize. We'll already be spread between two dangerous targets."

"I'll handle her when they arrive. No one below will hear me in the middle of an assault," Ethan assures. "You’ll leave the building in advance and blend with the other convention's attendees."

Kate hums in agreement.

"I needed him," Valeria's voice rises. "I have buyers harassing me for products that should have been ready a month ago. And now my best fixer dodges my calls, scared he'll be burned alive like his men."

Ethan's memory flashes at Valeria's words. "She's talking about Ayden Verity. I eliminated four men hired to kidnap him from my flight," he says. "I gave his name to Tombstone. But by just googling him, I found out he's the son of a big robotics company's founder."

"If he's linked to Cyrius, could he be his boss?" Kate asks. "I have eyes on Hakeem; he's examining a crystal … heart."

Ethan looks down at Kate and follows her gaze. "Got him in my sight. I'll follow him through the building once it begins," he says.

"We'll have another shot once the auction is over," Kyle says, unfazed by Kate's words.

Both Valeria and her guard twitch and stare at him. "It took you months to bait him into the area. He must have realized his lover is a lure. He'll be on high alert for months, and so will his father if he learns about it," she retorts. "Yet, you don't seem scared. How long before his father traces her back to you?"

"I've anticipated and planned for that," Kyle lies confidently.

Valeria narrows her eyes. "Planned accordingly? How so?"

"When he investigates the accounts I used, he'll find one I hacked from an influencer who attracted many people here to trap them. He's already suspected to have captured several women, but I found out that he's also fond of young men," Kyle lies. He readjusts his position and feints to take a sip of the drink. "I know the stakes all too well."

"Good," Valeria says. "What's that next shot at him you mentioned?"

"He hasn't given up; he pestered her with messages. I can set up another meeting for you to capture him," Kyle lies. "It wouldn't be as clean. I'll let you decide if you want to go forward with it."

Valeria sighs. "Can I still reach you on the same number?"

"Yes," Kyle replies. "I may need time to respond."

"As always," Valeria says. "You can go downstairs. I have many people to interview; it will give me time to think."

'Tombstone would have noticed this conversation if it happened on his phone,' Ethan thinks. 'He must have had a hidden one. Well played, Kyle.'

"Nine, rejoin with Six and leave the building," Ethan orders as he spots a convoy of black, tinted vans in the distance.

"I haven’t found the Plague Merchant yet. Too many rooms and people," Kate says.

"It doesn't matter," Ethan replies. "If he's planning an attack, he may have stayed behind. I'll capture Tatiana if possible."

Kyle exits the elevator and is let go by the guard escorting him. He whispers, "Meet me at the northeastern stairwell. Why do we need to get out?"

"There’s a Chinese assault incoming. They really want their bomb," Ethan says, following them with predatory sight as they move through the hotel's corridors.

They head to the second floor, where Kyle breaches a door, opens a window, and looks down at the isolated corner of the inner yard. He vaults over the window and lands silently.

Kate follows, and he catches her. "I didn't need your help, big guy," she mocks.

"I didn't want you to break your heels," he retorts. "Can you spot their entry point?"

"They seem to be parking in front of the main door," Ethan says. The vans screech to a stop, and heavily armored assault troops disembark.

The tech convention's attendees closest to the front door pull out their phones to record the situation. Two of the squads split from the main ground to invest the yard. "Get down!" they order.

Valeria's guard glances at his vibrating phone. "We need to go," he yells, grabbing her arm.

An explosion echoes, blasting open the doors. Splinters of wood and metal fly, and the sound of countless boots thunders as soldiers storm the first floor.

Sundering gunfire erupts as the soldiers open fire on guests and guards. Valeria's guards respond with small arms fire and spells. The Chinese front line's ballistic shields melt under the fire spells, while her guards are cut down by machine guns. The fight turns the entrance hallways into a death trap.

The guests swarm to the back door, where Tatiana's underling still is. He opens the door, and ten members of the outside crowd enter, pulling out compact rifles. The first fleeing guests freeze in shock and are trampled, creating a human collapse that blocks the corridor.

Ethan summons his shotgun and jumps down to Valeria's balcony. 'Piercing shot,' he thinks as he unleashes a tempest of lead on her and her guard. The pellets tear them apart, spreading organs and clothes on the walls and floor before they can react.

The two remaining guards open the door, ready to shoot. Ethan spins and inflicts the same fate, emptying his drum. The room falls silent, save for the muffled echoes from below.

"You leveled up, Range Weapon (Shotgun) leveled up, Range Weapon (Shotgun) leveled up, Range Weapon (Shotgun) leveled up."

'That talent really is something,' Ethan thinks as he checks the room. "Clear. Valeria Vex is dead."

A ragged breath catches Ethan's attention. He spins around to see Valeria's pieces levitate, rejoining her body with sickening sounds. Dark green scars form at the seams of her reconstructed flesh, glowing in the dark.

Ethan summons another drum of buckshot and reloads his shotgun. He shoots again, pressing the trigger as fast as the gun can bear. Valeria waves her hand, and a shield deflects the pellets that then pierce the walls behind her.

Ethan forms the symbols of the Silence spell and moves forward. He snaps his fingers a moment after Valeria; a wave of Ether pierces him, dispelling the visualization of his own spell.

She moves her right hand, and a stone in her jewelry shines with a blinding red light. 'Prescience,' Ethan thinks. She unleashes a beam that Ethan barely dodges. The attack cuts through walls, slicing the building to the roof.

The separated walls shatter, tumbling onto fleeing convention attendees. Ethan summons Phantom Reaver and, with Strengthening, swings at Valeria.

She cuts the air with two fingers; a gleaming blue sword appears in the air, slashing at Ethan. He blocks the blow, but its force pushes him back. She slashes again, and the etheric sword pursues him through the room.

The last of her scattered chunks melt into her jaw, reforming it like a jigsaw. She contorts and screams, scratching her skin in tremendous pain. Her voice comes with an eerie resonance. "Bastard! I'll make sure you stay alive as I tear you apart! You'll suffer as I do, and then I'll inflict the same fate on everyone you know as you watch!"