"A war is never over until the last piece falls into place. The pieces, however, are no longer in your control."
The room trembled with each passing second. Rentarō's eyes locked onto the cracking pod. The girl inside—Subject 075—was beginning to stir, her once-lifeless form coming to life with a terrifyingly precise motion.
"I knew it," Shōma muttered under his breath, eyes hardening. "They were waiting for us."
The glass shattered with a deafening sound, and the girl—no, the weapon—stepped out of the pod, her bare feet hitting the cold metal floor with a soft thud. Her pale skin seemed almost translucent, veins faintly visible beneath the surface. Her eyes flickered open, revealing cold, lifeless orbs, void of any humanity.
Enju's breath hitched. "It's… the same as Chrysalis."
"Worse," Rentarō muttered, his voice hardening. "This one's been designed with more precision. No emotion. No weakness."
The girl's body moved in a fluid, unnerving motion, her head tilting slightly as she scanned the group before her. Rentarō felt her gaze pierce into him—an unnatural, hollow stare.
Her voice was mechanized, devoid of any warmth.
"Unit 075 activated. Mission: terminate intruders."
In an instant, she lunged forward, moving faster than anyone could react. Her speed was beyond anything Rentarō had ever seen—almost a blur.
Enju was the first to react, drawing her blade and slashing through the air in an arc, aiming for the girl's midsection. But before the sword could make contact, the girl moved like lightning, twisting her body with unnatural agility. She grabbed Enju by the wrist, twisted, and threw her into the wall with terrifying force.
"Enju!" Rentarō shouted, his heart skipping a beat. He moved forward to close the distance, but before he could, the girl's eyes shifted to him.
Her hand shot out like a strike of lightning, slamming into Rentarō's chest and sending him crashing into the nearest support beam. The impact rattled his bones, and his vision blurred for a second.
Shōma didn't hesitate. His experience in the Tendo style kicked in as he lunged at the girl, his movements sharp and fluid. He aimed a swift strike at her face, but she caught his arm mid-swing with one hand, her grip like iron.
"You think you can fight me?" the girl's voice echoed as she twisted Shōma's arm, causing him to grimace in pain. "You're all just inferior models."
Karasuma fired from the corner of the room, his shots aimed at the girl's head, but they ricocheted harmlessly off her skin—no visible effect.
Hotaru was next, closing the gap with her signature precision. She darted forward, knives in hand, but the girl reacted with terrifying speed. One of her hands shot forward, and before Hotaru could make contact, she slammed her palm into Hotaru's chest, sending her skidding backward with a scream.
"She's too strong," Karasuma gritted, his teeth clenched. "We need to retreat!"
"No," Rentarō growled, pushing himself back to his feet. He wiped the blood from his lips and glared at the girl. "We're not backing down."
He reached for his gun but hesitated, his mind running through every strategy he could think of. None of them would be enough. Not against an enemy like this.
And yet, there was something about her—something familiar. Rentarō's thoughts briefly flickered to the childlike innocence he had seen in Chrysalis, the flicker of humanity that had haunted him ever since. Could there be a trace of that within this new creation? Was there still a chance?
Rentarō's gaze hardened, a plan forming in his mind. "Enju, Hotaru, Shōma—get back! Karasuma, cover me."
The team hesitated, exchanging confused glances, but then quickly followed orders. Rentarō sprinted forward, moving directly in the path of the girl.
"Subject 075: Rentarō Satomi. Biological anomaly. Immediate termination requested."
The girl's voice rang out coldly, but Rentarō didn't falter. He had to reach her before the situation spiraled further out of control.
He ducked under a blow from her extended arm, his mechanical fingers gripping his handgun. The moment was fleeting, but it was enough for Rentarō to take aim at the girl's midsection, squeezing the trigger.
A burst of fire echoed through the chamber.
The girl's expression didn't change. She moved faster than the bullets could travel, catching the shots with an ease that almost made Rentarō doubt his senses. But she didn't stop. Instead, she twisted her body and lunged toward him once again.
Rentarō acted on instinct.
He dove to the side, narrowly avoiding her grasp, and rolled into a crouch. His gun still in hand, he aimed again and fired—but this time, he was aiming for the facility's control panel behind her, hoping to overload the system.
The shot hit true.
The control panel exploded, showering sparks across the room. The lights flickered wildly, and the hum of the facility's power systems sputtered. For a brief moment, the girl hesitated, her attention momentarily distracted by the sudden chaos.
That was the opening Rentarō needed.
He sprinted forward again, closing the gap faster than before, and just as the girl turned back to face him, he leapt—firing a final round directly at the girl's core.
This time, the bullet made contact.
A sharp screech filled the room as the girl's body staggered, her movements slowing, almost sluggish. Her eyes flickered, confusion crossing her features for the first time.
Rentarō's breath was ragged, but he wasn't finished. Not yet.
He rushed forward, taking her by the arms, his mechanical fingers locking around her shoulders. He forced her to look him in the eye.
"Stop," Rentarō growled. "You don't have to do this. You're not a weapon. You're more than this."
The girl's gaze softened, just for a moment. Rentarō's heart raced as he saw that flicker of humanity—the trace of a child who had been lost, caught in the web of something far darker than herself.
But the moment was fleeting.
Her eyes glowed with an unnatural light, and her voice—now slightly distorted—spoke again.
"System malfunction. Recalibrating."
And then, just like that, the girl's eyes went blank once more. Her body went rigid.
The room fell silent.
Rentarō backed away, his eyes fixed on the girl's lifeless form.
"We've stopped her for now," he said, his voice low. "But this is far from over."