Claps of thunder roared across the entire city, bathing it in brief flashes of purple light, each followed by the cacophony of destruction. Victor's cold eyes flicked to the nearby window, observing as more of the ground was torn asunder, defiantly ascending toward the darkened heavens.
His lips pressed into a thin line, his mind a void as he continued his ascent up the stairs. The building trembled with each step, the corrupted emerging from the lower levels. Occasionally, one would reach them, only to be met by Kiana's swift strike, sending it crashing into the wall with enough force to render it unconscious.
"This is creepy..." Kiana grimaced, uncertainty clear in her voice as she dispatched another corrupted, its body tumbling down the stairs to impede the advancing horde.
"...They are. Don't dwell on it," Victor advised, his gaze unwavering as he continued upward, unperturbed by the tremors shaking the walls around them.
Suddenly, a resonant clang echoed from above, followed by the synchronized march of armored footsteps. Descending from the higher floor were the Templars and the Chariot.
The Templars were imposing figures, clad in gleaming white armor adorned with crimson crosses. Their visors concealed their faces, and each bore a massive tower shield and a lance etched with ancient runes. Their movements were precise, a testament to their unwavering discipline.
The Chariot was a behemoth, a fusion of insect and machine. Its metallic frame was adorned with sacred symbols, and it wielded arms and legs that are thin yet powerful. Its eyes glowed with an eerie light, scanning for threats with mechanical precision.
Victor remained unfazed, his expression stoic as their new enemies approached.
Without warning, Yuzuki surged past Victor, his katana a blur of motion. In a seamless dance of steel, he sliced through the Templars with uncanny ease, their armored forms collapsing in his wake. The Chariot raised its legs to strike, but Yuzuki was already upon it, his blade severing its shoulders before delivering a decisive blow to its core.
The remnants of the foes clattered to the ground, silence reclaiming the stairwell. Victor's gaze met Yuzuki's, a silent acknowledgement passing between them.
"Efficient." Victor remarked, a rare flicker of approval lacing his otherwise flat tone.
Yuzuki gave a curt nod, the rising heat in his lungs masked behind steady breathwork. "We have a mission to complete."
"Woahhh, that was so cool!" Kiana laughed, bouncing on her heels as she spun in place, swinging her bat in wide arcs to mimic Yuzuki's form. "You were all—shing! shang! pwanggg!" She twirled once more, nearly knocking over a stair railing.
"H-Hey now, focus," Yuzuki muttered, flustered, glancing away with a red face. The blush quickly faded into something dimmer—guilt creeping back in like a shadow he couldn't quite dodge.
That hesitation cost him.
A high-pitched whine echoed above, and a Chariot dropped from the upper stairs with a crash, glowing eyes locked on Victor as its segmented legs drove down like a guillotine.
"Look out!"
"Vicky!"
Kiana and Yuzuki shouted in unison, but Victor didn't flinch. He raised his arm slowly, catching the metallic leg mid-strike. The stair beneath his feet cracked like glass—but Victor remained grounded. Then with one fluid motion, he pivoted and launched a kick that obliterated the mech's core, its body bursting into shards that rained down in glimmering arcs.
"We're in an operation," Victor said calmly, brushing fragments off his blazer. "Focus up."
He turned and resumed the climb without another word.
Kiana's eyes sparkled as she darted up behind him, flailing her arms in mock awe. "How'd you do that?! You didn't even look at it! Was it muscle memory? Combat instinct? Inner chi??"
Victor didn't answer. But the corner of his mouth twitched. Maybe.
Yuzuki lingered at the rear, unmoving. His gaze fell to the crater Victor had left behind, then to the dust swirling in the air like shattered stars. He clutched his chest again—tight, breathless—as another image flashed in his mind.
Victor. Towering. Cold. Unreachable.
Yuzuki shook his head violently and charged forward.
They climbed.
More corrupted poured in now—shrieking, twitching remnants of once-human lives. Some dragged themselves across the floors like insects, others burst from doors and vents, their bodies spiderwebbed with flickering purple veins and silicon-like skin.
Yuzuki didn't hesitate anymore.
He moved like lightning. Cutting down Chariots that lunged from above.
Slicing through Templars that emerged from the walls with energy shields sparking to life. His sword blurred, leaving streaks of silver through violet haze.
But with every kill, his strikes grew faster—less careful.
"Yuzu!" Kiana called, panting behind him. "Slow down! You're gonna hurt yourself!"
"I'm fine," he snapped, eyes locked on a towering Templar as it charged. He met it head-on, slicing a gap into its shield and driving his blade through the heart of its core before it could counter.
Kiana bit her lip. "You're not fine…"
Victor remained silent, but he'd noticed too. He could feel it—the way Yuzuki's movements started slipping from discipline into desperation.
Still, they climbed.
The building trembled now from both above and below. More Chariots dropped in erratic waves. Templars dragged their shields in arcs that shattered walls. And through it all, Yuzuki carved the path—one strike at a time, pushing forward like a man trying to outpace a ghost.
Kiana followed, batting back corrupted that slipped through his wake, her brows furrowed in quiet worry. "Come on, Yuzu… stop being dumb."
Finally—they reached it.
The final stair opened up into a wide rooftop, cracked and stained from the lightning storms above. Jagged debris formed makeshift monuments across the space, and the city loomed below, a sea of destruction lit only by the trembling purple glow in the sky.
At the far end, hovering just above the ledge, was her.
Raiden Mei.
Suspended in the storm like a fallen deity.
Her wings of plasma etched the air with arcs of radiant lightning. The wind howled around her like the wail of a thousand souls.
And she didn't look at them.
Not yet.
Victor stopped at the threshold, the others beside him—battered, winded, but still standing.
"...This is it," he said, his voice a low rumble, devoid of emotion. He didn't even glance at the white-haired child armed with twin silver daggers or the towering mech that stood between them and their friend. With a bored sigh, he turned toward Yuzuki, giving a slight nod before stepping forward.
"Stop right there," Etoile called out, raising his blade against Victor. The tip hovered mere inches from Victor's throat. "We'll be taking Miss Raiden with us, so leav—"
"Move aside, kid," Victor whispered, his tone steady and emotionless, yet carrying an undercurrent of something primal. It was as if a monster were mimicking human speech, a predator cloaked in the guise of a man. "Your battle isn't with me."
Etoile froze, his hands slowly falling to his sides, his instincts screaming at him to retreat. Victor continued his walk toward Mei, each step echoing ominously.
The rooftop was vast, the storm above casting erratic shadows. Mei hovered at the edge, her form illuminated by arcs of lightning that danced around her. Her eyes met Victor's, and for a moment, the world seemed to hold its breath.
Kiana, Yuzuki, and Etoile stood behind Victor, their eyes wide, bodies tense. The air was thick with anticipation and dread.
"Scary…" Kiana whispered, her voice barely audible over the storm.