I still don't trust you.

The stranger, still shooting, began to back up towards the vehicle. His car, a 1969 Dodge Charger Hellcat Black Piano, roared with the raw sound of the V8 engine, a mechanical thunder that echoed through the collapsing parking garage.

With one last shot, he emptied the clip.

The dry click of the empty gun was the only sound before he simply threw it on the ground and turned to the steering wheel.

"Ah, fuck it."

And then he floored the accelerator.

The wheels spun, throwing up smoke and tire marks on the ground, as the car shot forward like an enraged demon.

Direction?

Straight towards Ninth.

Ninth stopped throwing grenades at the last second, throwing herself to the side to avoid being run over.

Meanwhile, the parking garage was collapsing around them. Pillars cracked, debris rained down, and the man dodged between the cars and the newly opened holes from the destruction, controlling the car with absurd precision.

In the back seat, Yuno kept Yukiteru safe against her chest, her eyes sharp as blades.

"Are you also a participant in the game!?" She shouted, trying to make herself heard amidst the chaos.

The man pulled the handbrake, skidding around a tight corner before answering:

"I'm a frustrated salesman after a bitch who bought and didn't pay!"

Yukiteru, still trying to process what was happening, blinked, stunned. "W-what do you mean!?"

"Goddammit! I'll be short and sweet." He growled, turning the steering wheel with one hand while the other adjusted the rearview mirror. "My name is Ryan Gosting, and that lunatic bought an entire arsenal from me and disappeared without paying. Do you have any idea how much an anti-tank missile costs these days!?"

Yukiteru's eyes widened, his voice failing. "W-wait... RYAN GOSTING!? The trafficker who is being hunted in like twenty-seven countries!?"

Ryan let out a short, ironic laugh. "Shit… I guess I'll have to get a new identity."

Yuno, impatient, clenched her fists. "You sold military weapons to that woman!"

Ryan snorted, forcing the car to slow down because of the debris. "She showed up with some crazy talk about becoming a Goddess, saying she would pay me with anything I wanted. I thought she was just another addict with delusions of grandeur. What the hell, what an idiot I was thinking this was a good deal!?"

Yukiteru, even though he was injured, spoke urgently. "I-it's not a lie! We're in a deadly game where the winner becomes a God!"

"YUUKI!" Yuno immediately tried to cover his mouth, but Yukiteru pushed her hand away and held up his cell phone to Ryan.

"Look at this! Our cell phones predict the future!"

Ryan narrowed his eyes, glancing away for a second to read the message on the screen.

"The floor of the second-to-last floor will collapse due to the explosions and the commotion of people trying to flee the scene."

Ryan immediately threw the car into reverse, narrowly escaping before the concrete collapsed, taking with it several other cars and part of the structure.

"...Damn." He murmured, blinking, surprised. Then he looked at Yukiteru. "You convinced me quickly."

Yuno didn't seem at all comfortable with the idea of having revealed that, but Yukiteru insisted:

"Yuno, he can be an ally!"

She still hesitated, but before she could argue, Ryan let out a long, frustrated sigh.

"Shit… I've gotten myself into a real pickle."

He accelerated, leaving the parking garage and merging into the city traffic. Only when they reached an alley near the docks did he finally stop the car.

Pulling the handbrake, Ryan rested his hands on the steering wheel for a moment before speaking:

"Okay… I think it's time to make a bet."

Yuno remained silent, her eyes narrowed, suspicious. Yukiteru, however, leaned forward. "A bet?"

Ryan fastened his seatbelt back on as he explained:

"Nene didn't die there. That's obvious." He opened the car door, getting out and cracking his neck. "And if she wins this damn game, I'll be completely screwed."

He turned to the two of them.

"Come with me."

Yuno and Yuuki got out of the car, Yuno staying close to Yuuki, her eyes attentive to Ryan's every move. She still didn't trust him.

"Why are you helping us?" She asked, her voice serious and firm.

Ryan was standing next to the trunk, his arms crossed and his expression bored. "At first, I thought Nene wanted to kill two kids just for fun, so I didn't see any reason to let you die. Now? It's self-interest."

He opened the trunk with a metallic click, revealing an impressive arsenal. Rifles, pistols, snipers—enough to arm a small army.

Yuuki took a step back, swallowing hard. "Y-you have military equipment in your trunk?"

Ryan smiled, resting his hand on the car's bodywork. "You said it yourself, I'm a trafficker. It wouldn't make sense to drive around without merchandise, right?"

"B-but we can't buy that from you!" Yuuki exclaimed, waving his hands in desperation.

Ryan turned to Yuno with a smug smile. "I've always believed in abnormal things, and now I've seen with my own eyes that your cell phone predicts the future. If you're really competing for a God position... I want to be the guy who helped make it happen." He crossed his arms. "That way, you owe me a favor. And favors are a type of currency that I like to collect."

Yuno narrowed her eyes, suspicious. "I still don't trust you."

Ryan tilted his head, the ironic smile never leaving his lips. "I don't trust you either."

But then he looked at Yuuki and pointed to the weapons. "Even so, you can take some things. You'll need them to face Nene. But I'm warning you: she bought top-of-the-line equipment..."

Yuno hesitated for a moment, but in the end, she couldn't deny that having weapons at her disposal was an advantage. She took some, always keeping Ryan under surveillance. Yuuki, despite trembling with fear, grabbed a pistol with uncertain hands—the survival instinct overcoming hesitation.

And so, for a time, Ryan became the duo's equipment supplier, slowly gaining a tenuous trust.

Until their paths crossed again.

This time, in a fight for their lives.

The Ninth hadn't given up on hunting Yukiteru. This time, the attack happened in a crowded shopping mall. But, luckily, Yuno was well-armed thanks to Ryan Gosting, being able to fight back.

The confrontation plunged the mall into chaos. The sound of gunfire echoed between the stores, screams of desperate civilians mixed with the crack of bullets. In the midst of this confusion, Yuno managed to hit the Ninth squarely, seriously wounding her in the abdomen. The woman staggered, trying to escape through the corridors, but, to her surprise, as soon as she crossed the entrance to a store, she was met with a hail of bullets.

The Ninth's body fell heavily to the ground, lifeless.

Yuno was alert, protecting Yuuki behind her. Who had fired?

It was then that a sarcastic voice echoed through the environment:

"Nene... You were so cute... I didn't want it to end like this..."

From the shadows of the store, Ryan emerged, a machine gun resting on his back and a mocking smile on his lips. "Hello, friends!"

______

If we reach 100 power stones today, I'll post an extra chapter! And between us... The next chapter is pure cinema! 

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