When Himura falls into the room , he observes the layout of it. It is peculiar , with a few disoriented chairs. Everything , from the instruments and the lights are scattered. The restraining tables look as if they had just been used. When he touches them , they are still warm. Like Mitsuya , he can also smell the blood. The scent is leading away from the room , most likely to the another restraining room. If someone is getting tortured here , then they are probably almost dead. The methods of modern governments are heinous to say the least. Lethal injections that don't kill , starvation , electrical shock , no mage is safe if they get captured. Himura looks outside of the partly-opened door , only to see a row of jail cells. About 10 on each side. Most likely , they're crammed with multiple people. Himura takes out the map of the old laboratory that he kept in his pocket. If his measurements were correct , then they should be on the west end of the basement. He fully opens the door and observes the area. The dim lights create a feeling of suspense and disorientation around him. Almost as if he is being drugged. Mitsuya , meanwhile is still looking around the room. Bugs crawl all over the walls. When he looks into the cabinet , he finds an assortment of things. Needles that haven't been washed , liquid nitrogen , gasoline , fingernail removers , knives. He thinks to himself - What the hell is this ? Do they use these to torture the criminals and the mages that they capture. As he prepares to touch the needle , Himura interrupts him.
" Remember this. This laboratory was once a site where mages were held during WWII. Even after we went into hiding , those of us who were captured were still imprisoned and experimented on here. If you want to go back home , I won't blame you. I've called for backup in case anything goes wrong." Mitsuya stands on his feet and walks to the door. " I'm fine. Let's do this." Himura sighs and walks to the door with him. " Okay , so we're in the basement. That means we have at least four more levels before we reach the top. Mayomi probably isn't down here , and it doesn't look as if they have any security , so this floor should be fairly easy. I'll take the left side , and you take the right." Mitsuya and Himura each go to their respective sides , and check each cell in the hall. Mitsuya is horrified. He doesn't only see male prisoners down here , but female and even children. Their eyes look as if they have lost hope. They have been starved , and their frail ribs show through their battered clothing. The lacerations and bloodied bruises on their arms are clear evidence of abuse. Mitsuya tries to shield his eyes , but he cannot avert from his mission. The rooms are small , with a sink and as many as four people in a single one. Each cell has a small hole at the bottom , presumably for food. It is clear that many people here don't eat. They neither have the strength or hope to do so. Mitsuya wants to help them , but can't. As he looks into the eyes of these children , he is consumed by wrath at their situation. Pain , suffering , solitude , torture , crime. All of these words ring in his mind. For these people he created his goal of eliminating evil from this world. He cannot help but think about that. Mitsuya checks all of his cells , as well as Himura. Mayomi isn't anywhere down there. " Are you sure she's not here ?" , Mitsuya asks Himura. " Yeah , none of these people match her appearance. She has to be on one of the upper levels. Let's go." Himura begins walking , but Mitsuya stands there , staring at the people. " Himura , what are we going to do about these people ? We have to help them." Himura gives him a sorrowful glance , his eyes of the verge of tears. " We don't cower in sorrow or sympathy right now. We came here with a mission , and to complete that alone. If we manage to escape safely , then we might be able to save them. But for now , we have to hurry. Come on, Mitsuya." He waves his hand for him to come , but Mitsuya still stands. He makes eye contact with a woman , cradling a young child in her arms. Her eyes show no feelings of desire, nor do they show feelings of hope. He can't tell what she is thinking. Mitsuya turns to walk , but before he does , he whispers " I'm sorry." to the woman. Her eyes follow him as he leaves the room. Himura is waiting for him on the stairs.
" Don't worry , Mitsuya. All will be okay." Himura hands Mitsuya a copy of the map that he made. " I think it would be best if we split up from here. It would be easier to get around , and it would be quicker to find Mayomi." Mitsuya takes the map , and looks to the old elevator on the right of him. He takes the map and walks to the elevator , not saying a word. When he opens it , Himura says " I'll take the first floor , you can take the second one." Mitsuya calls out to him- " But what if there is another level ?" Himura smiles a solemn smile at him. " Then someone will have to double the work." The elevator goes up to the second floor , while Himura takes the stairs. Unknown to them , though the basement is old and seems to be forgotten , the surveillance is up to date. Right now , they are currently being watched. In a room , a young man sits at a table filled with surveillance cameras. Behind him stands about 8 strong built men , all look as if they are skilled weightlifters. The young man sits up in his chair and says enthusiastically - " Looks like we have some guests. A young kid , and a man that looks about 40 years of age. I should probably assume that they're members of those accursed people. In that case , they're probably here for that one," He smiles eagerly " This should be fun. Let's see who breaks first. However , I do enjoy an entertaining show. I'll let them have their fun for a few more minutes." Himura enters the first floor , while Mitsuya enters the second floor. The layout of these floors are completely different from the basement. The room that Mitsuya is in is sparkling white , with restraining tables with clean linen sheets.Chemicals and syringes are neatly laid onto separate counters. There doesn't seem to be a smidge of dirt in here.Lab files are neatly organized , chairs sit at desks with large file folders on them. Mitsuya describes the room to Himura. He's seeing the same thing. Mitsuya turns on the light , and the room instantly becomes brighter. He says to himself, " It looks like they put all of their budget into these rooms." Himura agrees with him.
" These rooms must be where they keep all of the important prisoners. I'm guessing that the low level ones stay in the basement." Himura says on the phone. Mitsuya searches through the files on the table. Photos of torture and decomposed victims , diagrams of the human body , plans for new genetic development. Then he comes across one surprising file. He reads it carefully , before talking to Himura. " Himura , what kind of magic does Mayomi use ?" Himura answers - " I don't know, actually. In the academy, we were unable to identify her magical affinity. Why ?" Mitsuya looks over the file again , then talks to Himura. A look of concern crosses his face. " I have a file here. It says that Mayomi is a subject of genetic experimentation." Himura stops in his tracks. " Read it to me." Mitsuya turns the page of the file , only to be met with clippings of photographs of a strange. It looks as if the creature , with its giant horns and ferocious fangs , has some sort of connection to Mayomi. He reads the paper over the phone.
"Report : May 16th , 2020
Mayomi Irisuki , subject of genetic experimentation , captured in the Tokyo settlement in October , 2018. 25 years of age , dark brown hair , light brown eyes. Stands 5 feet , 5 inches. Average build. Skilled in martial arts , has magical lineage. Awakened new ability after experiment # 0006. Currently held in cell number 665."
Along with this , Mitsuya reads numerous other documents that were on the table. " Subject demonstrates fierce aggression during experimentation , in need of daily sedation. Kept in isolation , mental state did not break. Starved for three weeks , continued to be in peak condition after physical examination. Eye color changed after experiment , demonstrated inability to walk for several days. Possessed enough power to survive the weekly prisoner battles. Brought to the water chamber for observation."
The water chamber ? What could that be ? Mitsuya had not yet noticed the large water tank in the room. The tank was a cylindrical shape , with a module to change the temperature of the water at will. A chair with straps sat in the center of the tank , and small tendril holes were located on the side of the take , presumably to let in water. Mitsuya looked in horror at the tank. He wondered what they could have done to her. There were electrical wires connected to the tank at the bottom. " Himura , I think they put her in this water tank and electrified her to test her endurance." He touches the tank , and suddenly feels lightheaded. He can barely read the sign placed up on the interior of the tank. From what he could make out , he sees " GMR". What could that mean ? Mitsuya contacts Himura over the line. " Himura , I think they drugged Mayomi. And the chemical residue is still in this area. We need to find her quickly." On his floor , Himura has already checked the cells of all of the prisoners. Mayomi is still nowhere to be found. He rushes to the next floor through the automatic door. " Mitsuya , I need you to listen to me very carefully. Take all of the files that you can find on Mayomi and get out of there quickly." Mitsuya does what he was instructed to , and tries to run for the door. But just before both he and Himura can escape , the doors lock on them. They try their best to budge them open , but it is no use. They've been caught. A voice echoes throughout the laboratory over an intercom.
" WELCOME , ESTEEMED GUESTS. I SEE THAT YOU'VE MADE YOURSELVES AT HOME TONIGHT. FROM WHAT I CAN OBSERVE , YOU TWO ARE MAGES. YOU MUST BE HERE TO LOOK FOR THAT GIRL.'' The voice chuckles charismatically. Mitsuya slams his fists against the wall and yells at the man. " STOP TOYING WITH ME. YOU'RE GONNA TELL ME EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS PLACE , AND WHERE MAYOMI IS , RIGHT NOW !!!". The voice laughed boisterously and continues in a calm voice. " Well , well , well , you sure are rowdy kid. I assume that you know about the experiments that we conduct at this place. Mages are imperfect people , who disrupt the balance of this perfect society. Those people , if they can even be called that , and any others who support their existence are the vermin of the Earth. The purpose of this place is to develop measures to counteract all of your sins." Himura intercepts the conversation. " So you saw it fit to imprison dozens of women and children along with the mages that you captured ? That's not bringing balance , that's essentially just tyranny."
The man laughs again. " Justice is inevitable. A police officer today might be sentenced to execution tomorrow for a petty crime. If it were up to me , all of your race would have been found and slaughtered years ago. The only way to combat wretched creatures such as you is through violence. Violence is built upon hate , which you have produced for years. And we use that hate to create a utopia of humans built on the principles of equality." Mitsuya is heated after hearing this. - " YOU BASTARD !!! WHEN I FIND YOU , I'M GONNA KILL YOU. TELL ME WHERE MAYOMI IS , NOW !!!" His fists slammed against the door so hard that the echo is heard even over the intercom. The man replies to him. " Oh , you're still there. I'll have you know that you have infiltrated private government property. Therefore , as the leader of this facility, I have the right to punish you in anyway I see fit. But I won't do it just yet. I'm gonna have some fun first." The man pushes a button on the table that he's sitting at. He then projects his voice over the speaker again. " GET READY FOR THE SHOW !" Suddenly the entire building lights up in a blue flash. A circle appears in the rooms that Mitsuya and Himura are standing in. Mitsuya shouts " HIMURA , GET BACK. IT'S A TRANSMUTATION CIRCLE." But it's too late. They feel something changing within themselves. Himura and Mitsuya both fall to the ground , in a tired state. Himura talks to the man over the intercom : " What the hell did you just do to us ?" In his lab , the man sits at his table with his hands clamped , his thumbs sticking out. " This is the product of close to 100 years of research. You really thought that in all this time of experimentation , we wouldn't figure out a way to nullify mage abilities ? You must be stupid. Now that you're powerless against us , I guess I should invite some of my friends into the room to entertain you too." Suddenly the doors open. Mitsuya and Himura are too tired to run out of them. Eight strongly built men enter Himura's room. Ten enter Mitsuya's room. They all hold knives , guns and daggers. There's no way to escape. Himura touches a scalpel and tries to make it levitate , to no avail. His powers are gone. He calls out to Mitsuya : " Well kid , it looks like we got ourselves into quite the problem. You know what to do." They both stand up , and assume their normal fighting stances.
Mitsuya lunges at the men , quickly subduing one of them. He grabs his knife and throws it at another man who was about to attack him. He misses , and the man fires a bullet at him. Mitsuya is fast enough to dodge it , and punches the man in his face. Another man attacks him from behind , and grabs him by his arms. The man pulls Mitsuya's arms back , trying to break them , but he narrowly manages to slip through. He flips the man onto his face and snaps his neck. When another man tries to pierce him with a dagger , he catches it and turns the dagger on the man , slashing his throat. He catches his breath before saying to himself - " 4 down , 6 to go." Each remaining man fires all of their rounds of bullets at him at the same time , but Mitsuya evades all of them. He's too fast for them. He tries one of the men and takes his rifle. He shoots him in his back , trying his best to leave him paralyzed. Mitsuya fires the gun at two of the other men , aiming directly for their heads. Finally he throws a dagger at the eye of the final man. Mitsuya stands there , struggling to catch his breath. In addition to not having any magic , he is severely weakened.He looks at his pocket watch out of habit : " Three minutes. Those guys weren't bad." He fires a bullet at the keypad of the door , and it unlocks. Just as he prepares to leave the room; however , the guy who he had pushed in the face rises. He throws the dagger at Mitsuya aiming for his head. Mitsuya narrowly dodges the dagger , and sends it back to the man , who dodges it. He sends a knife towards Mitsuya this time , who is too slow to react. Mitsuya gets stabbed in the arm. He grunts , and runs to the man. He claws his nails into his throat. Mitsuya falls to the ground , and painfully pulls the knife out of his arm. " Dang , that's the first time I've gotten hurt this bad since Kaoru hit me that one time…". He stands up and runs out of the door. The man has been observing Mitsuya's battle this entire time in excitement. " That boy , he's something special." He turns around and looks at the men behind him. He points out 3 of them. " You three , follow me. We're going to retrieve the prize." He then looks to two people , who we haven't met yet. They sit at the table behind him , silently playing chess. A woman with blonde hair and golden eyes , and a man with dark hair and fixed glasses. " You two know what to do."
Meanwhile Himura finished off his men with little effort. The faster he got done , the more strength he could preserve. All it took were a few movements of the modern art of aikido, coupled with his original judo movements to finish them off. He left all of them alive , but unconscious. Coincidentally , a man tried to pull the same thing as with Mitsuya. To make it short , a dagger got thrown at him , only to miss. He caught the dagger and stabbed the man in the eye. But before he left , he made sure to get some information out of him. After several minutes of peaceful torture , he found out where Mayomi was being held. Just then , the door of the room unlocked. He ran out and up the stairs. Himura and Mitsuya met in the long hallway of the second floor. They checked their data. It was about 8 o'clock P.M. , but it was as dark as a balck hole outside. It had been about 2 hours since they departed from Tsubasa Manor. Himura ran to Mitsuya , who had managed to regain his energy. " Are you okay ? Do you need some of the medication that we brought ?"
Mitsuya sticks a thumbs up to Himura with a wide grin , all while saying - " I've never felt better. Those guys weren't a problem at all." Himura notices the blood coming from the hole in Mitsuya. He begins to panic hysterically - " OH MY GOD MITSUYA ??? ARE YOU ALRIGHT?? !!!" Mitsuya remains expressionless for a few moments before commenting : " You really are hysterical , you know ? I hope your daughter doesn't get that from you." He stands up and ties his shoe laces- " This is nothing. The magic nullification didn't work on me anyways." Himura stands up as well. " Give me the files that they have on Mayomi. I need to check something." Mitsuya goes into his bag and retrieves the papers. He hands them toHimura, who glances over them. " Yeah , this is Mayomi. But what did they do to her ? If they somehow caused her to awaken a new magical affinity , then-" He is interrupted by the blasting of the intercom. The young man speaks.
" WELL , LOOK WHO SURVIVED. YOU TWO SURE ARE TALENTED , AREN'T YOU ? I DIDN'T WANT THE FUN TO END , SO I WENT TO GET A GIFT FOR YOU." Suddenly , on the intercom Mitsuya and Himura hear the muffled screams of a young woman. " IS THIS THE GIRL THAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR." Himura instantly recognizes the voice. It's Mayomi. He quickly gets up to his feet and yells " DON'T HURT HER !!!" Suddenly the screams become louder. " I WONDER HOW MANY FINGERNAILS SHE'LL HAVE LEFT BY THE TIME YOU FIND HER. AND EVEN THAT ISN'T CERTAIN." He laughs , only to be met by Himura's yelling. " IF YOU ASK ME , YOU HAVE BIGGER PROBLEMS TO WORRY ABOUT , MISFITS." Suddenly a tile opens up in the ground. Mitsuya has been sitting on a trap this entire time. He scrambles to get away , but ultimately falls down. Himura grabs him and struggles to lift him up. Ultimately , he drops him. Mitsuya falls back into the basement. But he hasn't seen this part before. It's a long hallway , but it's clean like the one upstairs. Suddenly bright lights turn on. The woman stands before him. Upstairs , the man stands before Himura. " I WILL BE YOUR OPPONENT." The woman calls out to Mitsuya. The man does the same to Himura. " Oh, brother. This is gonna take a while," Mitsuya says to Himura on the phone. " I think it's time to confirm that back-up." Himura says. They each stand before their opponents. Suddenly , Mitsuya notices something surrounding the woman. A strange , black form of matter. A shadow. On command it morphs into a spear. " The name's Sphinx , crafter of shadows." Mitsuya trembles to the point that he almost wets himself- " CRAP HIMURA , THEY'RE MAGES."
" YEAH , I CAN SEE THAT." Himura is witnessing the man suddenly become twice his build. " Yep , this is gonna be fun." The young man is observing this entire battle with Mayomi at his side. " ON MY MARK , BEGIN !!!" Himura makes the first move. Mitsuya does not.
Meanwhile , about two streets away from the laboratory , a young boy about Mitsuya's age sits on the roof of a three story apartment building. He has peculiar features. His hair , both white and black with an unusual ahoge, blowing in the wind. His pitch black eyes are filled with enthusiasm. His blue and black buttoned cloak which seems too large dangles , fixated by a silver belt. In his hand , he holds a novel- The Great Gatsby. But he's not reading it- he's been watching the laboratory this entire time. He leans back and looks at the sky. " Man , I wish Himura would give me the signal , already. I'm getting tired." Just then , his phone rings. " Well , speak of the devil." He stands up confidently , the collar of his blue cloak covering his mouth. He's trying to look as mysterious as possible. But he can't control his excitement : " I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS , MITSUYA." He grins and jumps off of the roof.