The warm light shone on the empty room. When Mayers heard Aozawa's words, his face showed surprise. "Can you also grant Superpowers to others?"

Aozawa didn't answer his question and said leisurely, "If I were you, I wouldn't attempt a sneak attack with a small knife."

"Oh, you really see through everything."

Mayers shrugged, showing no panic at having his trump card exposed.

Daring to work as a forensic pathologist in the underground world naturally meant that, besides his professional abilities, he also possessed other proficiencies.

In his hand, the thin scalpel was an instrument that could easily take a life.

Because he often performed autopsies, he knew very well which parts of the human body were most fragile. He also knew where to strike to incapacitate someone in the shortest amount of time.

Against ordinary people, Mayers possessed overwhelming skill.

He had also considered using his skills when Dio approached, to see if he could kill Dio before the internal attack took effect.

Although Armor Piercing Bullets were useless against Dio.

But Superpowers themselves were incredibly mysterious. If guns were ineffective, perhaps knives would work.

He harbored such thoughts, yet he didn't expect them to be ineffective too.

"How did you detect my movement? Is it related to Superpowers? Or is it just keen observation?"

"Guess."

Aozawa smiled. His Catalyst sensing ability had made him aware early on of the knife someone was hiding.

"You really do have the ability to gather intelligence. How exactly did you do it? I'm about to die; at least reveal a little something."

"I don't have a habit of explaining my Superpowers. If you want to know, you'll have to guess for yourself, but you don't have much time left for such things."

Aozawa walked up to Mayers and raised his right hand to his chest. Activating the Power of Enlightening, his palm grew warm, as if a stream of air were entering Mayers's chest.

THUMP.

Mayers felt his blood quicken and his heart pound wildly. It was then that he had a sudden epiphany.

Suzuki Kojiro from the Ohara Bar wasn't a Superpower User at all.

"Was Kojiro forcibly evolved by you?"

Aozawa didn't answer his question but just stared at Mayers, wanting to see the changes occurring in his body.

Unlike Kojiro from the Ohara Bar, Mayers didn't exhibit explosive muscle growth. Instead, veins bulged distinctly on his skin, running from his chest up to his eyes.

Those protruding veins resembled earthworms or perhaps varicose veins.

They made Mayers's handsome face instantly terrifying.

And Aozawa also noticed that Mayers saw the world differently than normal people. It seemed that sacrificing muscle growth had, in turn, removed the limitations on his eyes.

When Aozawa merely lifted his hand slightly, Mayers's eyes could perceive a series of afterimages.

These afterimages were caused by minor muscular changes. With such enhanced vision, Mayers could seemingly predict a person's movements several seconds into the future.

It appeared that using the Power of Enlightening on different individuals resulted in different outcomes.

Aozawa guessed that someone craving power would, like Kojiro, experience their muscles swelling wildly, achieving a kind of 'muscle liberation'.

Given Mayers's role as a forensic pathologist, he probably desired sharper eyes, which resulted in this remarkable ocular enhancement.

Drawing from his experiences with the grass, the van, and the phone, Aozawa was certain these eyes represented the limit of what Mayers could achieve, though they placed a heavy burden on his body.

Observing a single person was manageable, but if he were to walk out onto the street, he'd likely be overwhelmed by countless afterimages, unable to take even a single step.

As Aozawa pondered, he said, "Call the consortium that employs you."

"No problem, Lord Dio."

Mayers found his current state very odd. While part of him found it uncanny, another part felt a childlike dependence on and obedience towards the Dio standing before him.

Without hesitation, he dialed Sumitomo Taisei's number.

After two rings, someone answered. "Is there a situation?"

A composed voice asked.

Aozawa took the phone from Mayers and, using his Hypnosis Ability, said, "Don't hang up."

「…」

A voice different from Mayers's came from the other end of the line.

Sumitomo Taisei sat up. The sun on the Italian beach was bright, but it couldn't impart even a hint of warmth to his aging body. He felt as cold as the pool water.

"Dio."

He uttered the name, dread spreading through his heart. Then he suddenly realized there was no need to be afraid—this was just a phone conversation.

"We can talk."

"There's nothing to talk about. Kill yourself with a gun."

Upon hearing this, Sumitomo Taisei did not obey. Instead, he said, "Don't you want to achieve your ideals? We can help you become the Prime Minister of Japan and change this country!"

"Kill yourself with a gun! Kill yourself with a gun!"

The voice repeated like a broken record, making Sumitomo Taisei irritable, yet he didn't want to hang up.

After an unknown number of repetitions, a surge of self-destructive despair rose within Sumitomo Taisei.

Rather than continue listening to this voice, it would be better to just die.

The thought of dying arose in Sumitomo Taisei, and he immediately felt a refreshing sensation envelop his body, as if he had returned to his youth.

He got up, ignoring the swimsuit-clad women beside him, and approached his bodyguard. "Give me the gun, safety off."

The bodyguard, though slightly startled, complied and handed over the gun, unsure whom his employer intended to kill.

Sumitomo Taisei took the gun, aimed it at himself, and his index finger squeezed the trigger.

BANG.

"AH!"

Amidst the gunshot and screams, Aozawa hung up the phone and deactivated his Power of Enlightening.

"UGH!"

Mayers spat out a mouthful of blood. Staring at the man before him, he laughed loudly. "Haha, so it was just you all along! What's your real name?"

Aozawa's body gradually became transparent and vanished from Mayers's sight. Mayers fell backward onto the ground. I must be good dissection material, he thought.

So cold... Death... So this is what it feels like.

「…」

The helicopter's rotors spun with a deafening roar as it approached the building where Mayers was located.

The cabin door opened, and a strong wind whipped two ponytails about.

Emily looked down, but from this height, she couldn't clearly see the scene inside the building.

"Remember, the criminal is extremely violent! Open fire on sight! No warnings, shoot to kill!"

Okayama Buji, substituting for his hospitalized friend Shima Village, commanded the members of SAT Team One.

"Yes!"

They responded in unison.

The helicopter descended to the required altitude.

Okayama Buji and Katerina led the team, grabbing ropes and rappelling down. As they neared the windows, they opened fire with their submachine guns.

The tempered glass shattered instantly. They kicked the remaining shards away, sending fragments skittering across the floor.

They landed on the floor via the ropes and quickly surveyed the area, finding no one alive.

"No survivors. Dio is suspected to have fled the scene."

Okayama Buji reported through his radio and gestured. "Everyone, spread out! Search the surroundings!"

The SAT members began searching the areas outside the room.

Okayama Buji, however, remained, examining the scene.

One body showed no obvious external injuries; the man was clutching his chest in agony. He was likely killed by Dio from within.

Another man's head had exploded. A bullet hole was visible in the tempered glass behind him.

Since they had breached from above, their bullets couldn't have hit anything below them.

This indicated the fatal bullet had passed through that glass.

Finally, there was Mayers.

His cause of death was rather peculiar.

Bulging veins covered the surface of his body, concentrated around his eyes, creating a horrifying appearance.

The blood gushing from his mouth suggested an internal attack.

The body was still warm, indicating he hadn't been dead for long.

They had been monitoring Mayers's phone. As soon as he started making arrangements for his estate, they mobilized and rushed to the scene.

They hadn't delayed long, but even so, they were still a step too late to intercept Dio.

Humans are so fragile before Superpower Users, so easily killed.

Okayama Buji stared at the bodies on the ground, a sense of sorrow washing over him—like a fox grieving for a dead rabbit, keenly aware of a shared vulnerability.

Among humans, Mayers could be considered exceptional. Yet, even someone like him was powerless against a Superpower User.

"Don't just stand there gaping. Search the scene for anything."

Emily's tone was very confident, yet her actions were noticeably timid. She clung to the rope carefully, like a puppy nervously entering a new house for the first time.

Only when her feet were firmly on the ground did Emily's expression regain its composure. She said haughtily, "Mayers was a smart man. He must have installed some recording device in this room to capture his final words."

Emily's reminder sent Okayama Buji and Katerina into action.

The room was sparsely furnished.

Possible hiding spots included the cushions in front of the square window or the large sofa.

Okayama Buji slashed open the sofa and found a voice recorder nestled among the springs.

He quickly retrieved it. "Found it! Let's hear it."

He pressed a button. A green light on the side of the recorder illuminated, and a voice emanated from it.

"Little dwarf, I have something to tell you idiots: there's no recording! Why would I help you solve the case? Keep on guessing! Hahaha!"

Emily's eyebrow twitched, and she growled, "That damn bastard!"

Clearly, Mayers had anticipated her actions, planting this voice recorder purely to mock her.

How could such a malicious and tedious person exist in the world? Emily was once again astounded by the sheer diversity of humanity.

Okayama Buji couldn't help but remark, "He was an interesting fellow. But by killing him, did Dio break his claim of not harming the innocent?"

Hearing this, Emily looked up and retorted, "Are you a recent elementary school graduate? So naive. Living in the underworld, a guy as mentally unstable as him—how could he possibly control his murderous urges? He's definitely killed innocent people for his own selfish reasons."

Emily rubbed her temples and sighed. "Looks like we're in for a long night of overtime. Suzuki Kojiro, Dio... they've certainly killed a lot of people today."