Joey didn't care what Orlando was thinking.
The moment their car rolled in like it owned the desert, Joey had gifted them a bomb.
As the blast erupted, bees and vipers, pre-positioned constructs, lunged into action.
The vipers targeted anyone exiting the vehicle.
The hummingbirds—they were bait.
Meant to draw out long-range fire, to confirm which one of them was the sniper.
They'd already swatted down two waves of birds. Joey knew they'd react again.
What he didn't expect was for their sharpshooter to be carrying a massive rifle—and firing it from up close.
Comical.
Sure, if paired with some absurd long-range ability, it might have value.
But when you're face-to-face with someone using Killer Queen's Mirage Mode, your range advantage means jack.
In fact, there wasn't even a fight.
The swallow, carrying a First Bomb, tore through one of their team in a flash.
The sniper panicked, fired at a now-powerless bird, and sealed his fate.
Killer Queen touched him once—limbs gone.
Joey turned him into a meatstick, then followed it with a clean karate chop to ensure unconsciousness.
A trophy for questioning.
The two others, now visible, had already cut down his vipers.
But Joey's fan-shaped En had closed in, pulling them into the storm's domain.
In the desert, nothing beat a sandstorm.
Winds howled, sand spiraled, fire ignited from air friction—a burning tornado of death.
Then Joey's eyes narrowed.
One was missing.
Gone, sunk into the sand.
Burrowing type? Mole-type like the Shadow Beast's Worm?
Maybe a tunneler?
Whatever it was, he was gone from En.
But Joey responded fast—coins fell, turned to scorpions, and burrowed into the sand beneath him.
The moment one was disturbed, he'd know.
What shocked him was the living "Ring" he saw on the guy's shoulder.
A real one. Alive.
Saherta's exploration of the Labyrinth City had gone deeper than he'd imagined.
That made Joey all the more determined to capture them.
But he had to be careful.
A Ring's final scream could invite a rogue soul into a host.
Joey had no intention of hosting another ghost—or Weapon.
He'd rather not wake up three years later wondering who he was again.
The man inside the firestorm hadn't broken.
Joey sensed a tight defensive curl.
Still enduring.
Which was weird—why not break out?
His aura was thick enough to resist the storm's cutting wind and searing heat.
He'd invested entirely in defense, a rarity among Enhancers.
But Joey wasn't worried.
Killer Queen appeared.
Left hand clenched—Heart Attack Mode armed.
The miniature tank exploded with pink light and hurtled straight into the tornado.
It pierced the fire, locked onto the target's heat signature, and detonated.
Once. Twice. Three blasts.
Joey retracted his En, letting the desert return to normal.
Killer Queen's Heart Attack returned, glowing softly on his left hand.
The man in the sand… still alive. Barely.
Shredded beyond recognition, but his aura was still active, knitting flesh back together.
Wolverine-style regeneration, Joey mused.
The guy had likely invested his ability into extreme healing.
If trained further, limb regrowth might be possible.
Could've made a killer melee build—like Deadpool or Akaza from Demon Slayer.
Too bad he ran into Joey—hard counter to healing types.
A coin flipped, turned into a hummingbird midair, and rammed toward the wreck.
Joey had no intention of getting close.
He'd First Bomb him from a distance, then move on to the last one.
The silent stalker hadn't reappeared, which made Joey suspect he'd fled.
But he dismissed the idea quickly.
Didn't matter.
He had two prisoners. That was enough.
Still, he flicked out more coins—swifts this time.
Smaller, faster than hummingbirds.
Perfect recon.
He also kept the scorpions deployed, now patrolling outward.
And meanwhile, Joey touched a discarded car door—imbuing it with Gold Experience.
He'd turn it into a chimp, have it carry the two meatsticks.
That way he wouldn't risk getting ambushed up close.
But then…
A scream echoed from behind the dunes—where Joey had buried his SUV.
A trap frog.
One of his special creatures from the Spinn Mine.
Joey had left it there precisely to bait the hidden enemy.
Hook, line, sinker.
He released the car door, dashed full speed toward the sound.
Swifts were already ahead.
He saw him—the youth with the Ring still perched on his shoulder.
He'd just slain the trap frog.
Coin shards scattered as it died.
Too late. He was now marked—two vipers and a swift were zeroing in.
The swift dove.
But the man—Dick—was ready.
He sliced the bird in two with a sand blade, then decapitated the vipers.
But that delay was enough.
Joey was within En range—4.5 meters and closing.
Dick smiled mockingly, sinking into the sand before En could reach him.
Just a car? That was bait. He had what he needed.
He'd baited Joey himself.
He never cared about his teammates—just tools.
Now he'd use the confusion to assassinate the meatsticks, before Joey could interrogate them.
He reemerged. Made his move.
But Joey saw it too late.
Another Ring-user had appeared—at the crash site.
"Two?!" Joey's eyes narrowed.
He'd been outmaneuvered.
But maybe—just maybe—he still had a shot.
That car door he'd enchanted… it was still there.
But instead of targeting the sniper, the clone went for the tanky guy.
Priority confirmed.
But what shocked Joey was what happened next—
Instead of retrieving the man, the clone cut his head off with a sand blade.
No witnesses.
Cold as ice.
Joey picked up speed. Thoughts racing.
Two Dick clones?
A split soul?
Ring duplication?
Could it be the Rings were all Conjured?
If both Dicks were real… then all he had to do was kill them both.
Killer Queen deployed.
Heart Attack launched.
The clone saw it—went to intercept.
Grabbed the car door. Bad move.
It turned into a leopard, snarling and biting.
The clone tried to toss it—just in time for Heart Attack to slam into his gut.
Boom.
Meanwhile, the real Dick felt it.
A swift whistled overhead.
Joey was looking right at him.
He smiled.
Then the explosion went off beneath him.
Buried scorpions, one had triggered.
As he flew into the air, blown clear of the sand, one final thought clawed his brain:
How the hell did he find me outside his En?