The vault sealed behind them with a soft clunk—five feet of reinforced metal cutting off the chaos outside like a tombstone. Inside, the panic vault of Ascension was clean, glowing with a dim light and quiet tech. No windows, no noise. Just the steady hum of data servers and the heartbeat of a private war room.
Kaito paced by the edge of the table, his EXO suit powered down but streaked with battle grime. Lio rubbed a bruised shoulder. Suzuka whistled low at the setup.
"This place feels like the inside of a damn starship," Yuisaka muttered, eyeing a wall lined with encrypted screens.
"This is where Vance runs Ascension if the world falls apart," Luna said softly, brushing dust off her shoulder.
"And lately," Vance said, stepping into the center of the room, "I've been spending way too much time here."
He slid a glowing prism onto the table. A holo-map unfolded—Neo Tokyo's whole sprawl shimmering in gold. A second file popped up, labeled: BLACK SUN – UNCONFIRMED INTEL.
Vance faced them all. "My source inside Prometheon—codename Whisper—sent this three days ago. It's scrambled and fragmented, but what I've pieced together paints a grim picture."
He tapped the file.
A blurry image appeared—satellite footage of a massive facility, hidden in a mountainous dead zone far outside the city. Black transports, thermal shields, heavy movement.
"Prometheon's cooking up something huge. They call it the Black Sun Protocol. It's not just a weapon. It's a game changer."
"Define 'game changer,'" Rin said flatly.
"If they succeed, every conflict we've seen so far will feel like a trailer," Vance replied. "I don't have full data. Whisper's last transmission was garbled. But there's one name that came up again and again."
He tapped again.
L3G10N.
The word hung in the air, cold and sharp.
Vance folded his arms. "Rumor says it's an EXO suit. But nothing like we've seen before. Not powered by quantum cores. Something… new. Something unstable. No specs, no visuals. Just whispers. Half of Prometheon doesn't even know it exists."
Kaito stepped forward, jaw tight. "So we know enough. We move now, before they finish it. I'll burn their labs to the ground if I have to."
"You won't get past the first checkpoint," Vance snapped, his voice sharp. "You're strong—I've seen you survive things that should've broken you. But listen, Kaito—impulse won't stop empires. It feeds them."
Kaito's fists shook, but he stayed silent.
Vance's voice softened. "You want to stop them? Then don't be the fire they expect. Be the storm they don't see coming."
Kaito's expression hardened—anger, yes, but something deeper. Understanding.
The vault was quiet. Tension hung like smoke.
Luna broke the silence. "Thanks, Vance. This intel gives us a chance. We'll follow up from Tenmangu's side."
Vance nodded. "If Whisper contacts me again, I'll send it straight to you."
The group turned to leave. Suzuka sighed dramatically. "Guess that means back to work."
"Yep," Yuisaka muttered. "No rest for the almost-dead."
As the vault hissed open, Kaito glanced back at the hovering word.
L3G10N.
Like it was watching them, waiting.
He whispered, "We're coming for you, Sakoji"
◇
Back at Tenmangu, the quiet was unsettling.
The storm had passed, but the kind of storm that sticks in your chest hadn't. The kind that creeps in after blood is spilled, when the adrenaline fades and all that's left is silence… and questions.
Kaito sat on the edge of his bed, a towel over his shoulders, hair still damp from a quick shower. His EXO suit sat on a nearby table, scorched but intact. Lights from the city outside flickered like restless thoughts.
"System diagnostics complete," AICE's voice chimed softly in his ear. "Neural latency reduced by 4.3%. Damage to prime core: minimal. You fought well, Kaito."
He gave a half-smile. "I nearly got torn in half by a guy in devil armor."
"That's true. But your heart rate spiked for another reason… right before impact. Emotional interference. Interesting."
Kaito frowned. "You mean I hesitated?"
"Not hesitation. Attachment. Your mind processed more than the fight. You thought of your team. Your father. Me."
He leaned back with a sigh. "You make it sound like I'm turning into some kind of battle poet."
"Want me to switch to haiku mode?"
"No, AICE."
For the first time, she chuckled—a small synthetic laugh, but warm somehow.
"Want to hear what we might unlock next?"
"Hit me."
"If our synch rate keeps improving, I can enable advanced protocols. Enhanced senses. Reflex boosts. And…"
She paused.
"A shared cognition state. Where your instincts and my logic become one."
Kaito sat up straighter. "That sounds… crazy."
"It would make us unstoppable."
Before he could say more, there was a knock at the door.
"Hey. You in there?" Lio's soft, familiar voice.
Kaito stood, stretching. "Yeah, come in."
The door slid open, and Lio stepped in—hair down, loose shirt over shorts, expression caught somewhere between worry and mischief.
"Figured I'd check on you," she said. "You know, after fighting an elite assassin and almost getting shredded."
"Yeah. A little sore, a little shaken. Classic post-fight vibes."
She smirked and plopped beside him on the bed. "You scared the hell outta me back there. I thought he had you."
"Same. But AICE pulled me through."
Lio nudged his arm. "You, not just her. You didn't freeze. You moved like… I dunno. Like someone with something to lose."
He looked down. "Maybe I've finally got people I don't want to let down."
They sat quietly for a moment.
Then Lio tilted her head, a playful smile on her lips. "You know, when I thought you were gonna die, I realized something."
"Oh no," he muttered.
She leaned in, faces just inches apart. "You still owe me dinner."
"That's what you realized?"
"Also, that you look really good when you're pissed off and glowing."
Kaito blinked. "...Wait, slow down a bit."
She brushed a finger under his chin. "Why? It's not like you don't like it."
His heart skipped. AICE pinged softly in the background, the air thick with a different kind of tension.
"I mean," Kaito whispered, "maybe just a little."
Lio smiled, eyes half-closed. "Then maybe I should stop."
She didn't.
Just as their lips were about to meet—
"Kaito?"
The door slid open.
Luna stood there, datapad in hand, freezing like she'd walked into a crime scene. Her eyes scanned them: Lio practically on Kaito's lap, Kaito looking like he forgot how to breathe.
A long silence.
"...My mistake," Luna said, unfazed. "Didn't realize I was interrupting a hormonal side quest."
She turned to leave.
"No, wait—!" Kaito jumped up so fast he almost tripped. "Nothing happened! We were just talking about—uh—protocols!"
"Uh-huh," Luna said, not even looking back as she walked off.
The door closed.
Lio collapsed backward on the bed, covering her face with both hands. "Why me?"
Kaito exhaled, hands on hips. "I'm never hearing the end of that one."
"Log updated," AICE said. "Event: Unscheduled Seduction Attempt. Result: Interrupted. Status: Embarrassing."
"You're not helping."