Mantis and Volgin would find themselves traveling to Cyprus when XOF attempted to kill Venom Snake. Having recently awakened from a coma, Venom Snake was being escorted to safety by Ishmael when they briefly encountered Mantis in front of an elevator, shortly before it exploded. From the flames emerged the "Man on Fire", which advanced towards the duo until the emergency sprinklers activated, forcing Volgin to retreat. As XOF forces arrived in the premises, Mantis would find himself combating and killing most of them, while being interchangeably influenced by both Volgin and Venom Snake. Mantis would later follow alongside Volgin as the latter continued to chase Venom Snake until rainfall would prevent Volgin from continuing his pursuit.