"This is really out of control!"

  A burst of colorful lights—each one glowing in its own vivid shade—shot out from the hole in the wall. The dark room was suddenly flooded with swirling, rainbow-like beams that lit everything up in a chaotic, dazzling display.

  Azura quickly hid behind his large shield to avoid being blinded by the intense light. Even though he managed to protect himself, Kazuha and Aeko weren't so lucky. The bright, multicolored flashes temporarily blinded them.

  A few moments earlier...

  Aeko raised up in Kazuha's arms, feeling relieved that she had escaped the man's grip.

  "Kazuha! There's something really important we need to handle Miracle's magic! We have to find the equipment room—they should keep headsets there."

  "Follow me!" Aeko said.

  Kazuha followed right behind her. As they ran, he noticed the area was a complete mess—like someone had thrown things around on purpose. But for now, Kazuha stayed focused and followed Aeko's lead.

  "There it is!" Aeko spotted the open black door and rushed inside, with Kazuha close behind.

  They were shocked to see Azura cornered, sitting against a cracked and broken wall. Without hesitation, Kazuha summoned a bunch of daggers and threw them at the man, then leaped forward and wrapped his strong arms around the man's neck from behind in a chokehold.

  When the colorful lights finally faded, Kazuha and Aeko regained their vision—just in time to see Azura suddenly get thrown backward. Luckily, Azura landed safely, using his big shield to stop himself from flying any farther.

  A hand slowly emerged from the hole in the wall—slow but steady. Something was clearly wrong with the man's body.

  Bit by bit, his skin seemed to fade away, leaving only a faint blue galaxy-like outline of his figure.

  Inside that outline, rectangular colorful blocks flickered in and out like disco lights pulsing inside his body.

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  When his head finally came out of the broken wall, it had transformed. He now wore a modern mechanical bull helmet made of metal, flat black sunglasses, and small wisps of smoke puffed out from the bull's nostrils.

  And of course, the bull head was wearing a headset—an iron one that looked fused directly to him.

  Kazuha stared at the creature, a bad memory flashing through his mind. "So... you're the one behind the mysterious music maker! The robot bull! Electro Buffa, JefVin."

  "You... You're the one who killed her right in front of me!" Kazuha shouted, his face full of hatred.

  Even though Azura and Aeko were wearing headsets, they could still hear Kazuha's loud, furious scream. They both looked at him in complete shock.

  "I won't let you get away again. This time, I have the power to fight back!" Kazuha yelled as he jumped forward, summoning a dagger and aiming it straight at the iron bull man.

  Unfortunately, the dagger passed right through the bull's almost-transparent body and crashed into the wall behind him.

  "Kazuha!?" Azura and Aeko shouted in confusion and surprise at his sudden move.

  Kazuha didn't give up. Half-standing, he spun around and tried to kick the side of the bull's head with his heel.

  The heel connected, but the bull didn't even flinch. He just stood there silently, smoke still coming out of his nostrils like he was breathing calmly.

  The kick would have hurt a normal person badly, but to the bull, it felt like nothing more than a light breeze on his cheek.

  Finally, the bull moved. Colorful little blocks rapidly gathered in his right hand. In a flash, he countered by punching Kazuha hard in the stomach, sending him flying upward.

  Kazuha felt a strange energy swirling inside his stomach, twisting and shaking everything. He coughed up a bit of yellow liquid before the powerful impact sent him crashing through the ceiling.

  Azura and Aeko were stunned, but they refused to let their guard down. Azura quickly transformed both his arms back into long swords.

  Even though Aeko was shaking with fear, she refused to give up without a fight.

  In the middle of Miracle's ongoing concert, with her music still blasting, they couldn't afford to take any more reckless risks. One mistake could destroy them all in an instant.

  The bull man stood still after landing that devastating punch. While he remained motionless, Azura slowly walked over to Aeko to protect her and whispered a suggestion.

  When he was close enough, Azura leaned in and said quietly, "Aeko, security is probably heading here because of the attack. While they're all focused on this mess, you go kidnap Miracle for me. Can you do it?"

  Aeko was shocked. "What!? But what about you?" she asked hesitantly.

  Azura sighed, then gave her a gentle smile. "I'll be fine. Trust me."

  Aeko was still unsure, but only for a moment. Seeing Azura's calm smile, she decided to put her trust in him. With a firm nod, she turned and ran out of the room.

  Right after Aeko left through the door, the iron bull man tried to chase after her—but Azura was faster. He blocked the way, crossing both swords in an X shape right in front of the bull's head.

  Outside the room, Aeko ran with all her strength. Her heart pounded wildly, and her body was still trembling. "This wasn't part of the plan!"

  Tears streamed down her face without her realizing it. She had never been in a situation where her life was truly in danger before.

  As she ran, she looked down, too scared to look ahead.

  But then she remembered something—how happy she had felt recently, after so long without joy. The last time she was truly happy was when her mother encouraged her during her darkest days, when Miracle had ruined her career.

  The smiles, laughter, and silly antics of Azura and Kazuha had brought color back into her gray, depressing days working as a cashier. Those two new friends had changed everything, and Aeko didn't want to waste that.

  "Come on, Aeko! Don't cry! I'll save my career... and my friends!" she shouted to herself, wiping her tears and forcing her eyes forward again.

  Just as she looked up, dozens of security guards came running in the opposite direction toward the chaos she had left behind. Aeko quickly dodged and zigzagged to avoid them—the guards were probably already under Miracle's control.

  In her last dodge, she almost slipped, but her hand hit the floor fast enough to push herself back up and keep running.

  "Miracle... I'm coming for you."