Taizen and Mionara sprinted through the dimly lit corridors of the Winko base, the air thick with the smell of burning machinery and blood. The echoes of distant gunfire and explosions reverberated through the walls, but the path ahead seemed eerily quiet. Every now and then, the two encountered Winko soldiers attempting to stop them, but their resolve was unshakable.
As they turned a corner, a group of four soldiers opened fire from behind overturned desks. Mionara reacted instantly, his flame-imbued katanas igniting with a brilliant blaze. Using his fireburst technique, he propelled himself forward at blinding speed, zigzagging through the hail of bullets. With a swift double slash, the soldiers fell, their weapons clattering to the floor.
"Let's keep moving," Taizen urged, his katana already dripping with the blood of another fallen enemy.
They sprinted through the labyrinthine corridors, their boots pounding against the metal floor. Each time they encountered resistance, they dispatched it with precision and fury. Taizen's speed made him a blur as he weaved through enemies, slicing with his katana in devastating arcs. Mionara, with his fiery speed and twin blades, left a trail of scorched bodies in their wake.
Finally, they approached a large reinforced door. The Winko general's command room.
Standing before the door were two formidable Winko soldiers, their armor thicker and more ornate than the grunts they had faced before. One wielded a long, gleaming spear, its tip crackling with electricity. The other spun a pair of nunchaku with deadly precision, the weapons whistling through the air as they moved.
"You won't take another step," the spear-wielder growled, his voice cold and mechanical through his helmet.
Mionara raised his flaming katanas, their heat shimmering in the air. "We've got no time for this!"
The spear-wielder lunged first, his weapon darting forward like a lightning strike. Taizen sidestepped just in time, the electrified tip grazing his shoulder and leaving a shallow burn. Before he could counter, the nunchaku-wielder leapt forward, swinging his weapons with blinding speed.
Taizen parried the first strike with his katana, but the second nunchaku came around from the opposite side, smashing into his ribs. He staggered back, coughing as the pain shot through him.
Mionara leapt into the fray, his twin flame katanas slashing downward at the nunchaku-wielder. The soldier spun away, the flames missing by inches, and retaliated with a kick to Mionara's chest. The impact sent Mionara sliding back, but he regained his footing quickly, the fire in his blades roaring to life again.
The spear-wielder advanced on Taizen, his strikes fast and precise. Each thrust of the electrified spear forced Taizen to dodge or deflect, sparks flying as his katana clashed with the weapon.
"You're quick," the soldier admitted, his tone almost admiring.
Taizen didn't respond, focusing entirely on the fight. He waited for an opening, his sharp eyes tracking the soldier's movements. When the spear came at him in a wide arc, Taizen ducked under it and closed the distance, slashing upward with his katana.
The soldier blocked with the shaft of the spear, but the force of the strike pushed him back. Taizen pressed the advantage, launching a flurry of attacks that forced the soldier onto the defensive. But just when Taizen thought he had the upper hand, the spear-wielder twisted his weapon and unleashed a surge of electricity along its length.
The current hit Taizen's sword, jolting him with a shock that made his muscles spasm. He gritted his teeth and jumped back, narrowly avoiding another strike aimed at his chest.
Meanwhile, Mionara faced off against the nunchaku-wielder, whose speed was almost as fast as his own. The soldier's weapons moved like blurs, each strike aimed to cripple or kill.
Mionara deflected one of the nunchaku with his left blade, but the other came around to strike his leg. With a burst of fire from his feet, he propelled himself into the air, flipping over the soldier's head and slashing downward.
The soldier twisted to avoid the flames, countering with a spinning kick that Mionara barely dodged. He retaliated with a fiery slash that singed the soldier's armor but didn't penetrate it.
"You're skilled," the soldier said, his tone devoid of emotion.
"And you're annoying," Mionara shot back, igniting his fireburst technique again.
With blinding speed, Mionara dashed forward, his twin katanas cutting through the air. The soldier managed to block one blade with his nunchaku, but the second struck his shoulder, the heat of the blade searing through his armor. The soldier cried out in pain but quickly recovered, spinning his nunchaku in a defensive arc.
Taizen, still reeling from the electric shock, saw an opportunity as the spear-wielder lunged at him again. This time, he sidestepped and grabbed the shaft of the spear, pulling the soldier off balance. With a swift kick to the knee, Taizen forced the soldier to stumble, then brought his katana down in a powerful slash.
The blade cut through the soldier's armor, leaving a deep gash across his chest. The soldier dropped to one knee, blood pooling beneath him.
"Stay down," Taizen growled, but the soldier refused, gripping his spear tightly and attempting one final strike. Taizen sidestepped and delivered a clean cut across the soldier's neck, ending the fight.
Mionara, seeing his partner's success, redoubled his efforts. He parried the nunchaku-wielder's strikes with precision, his twin flame katanas creating a dazzling display of sparks and fire. With a sudden burst of speed, he got inside the soldier's guard, crossing his blades in a fiery X.
The attack cleaved through the soldier's torso, flames consuming his body as he collapsed to the ground.
Breathing heavily, Taizen and Mionara stood over their defeated foes. The door to the Winko general's room loomed ahead.
"Ready?" Taizen asked, gripping his katana tightly.
Mionara nodded, his flame katanas still glowing. "Let's end this."
Together, they pushed the door open, stepping into the heart of the enemy stronghold.
Taizen and Mionara stepped into the command room, their weapons ready for another fight, but the sight that greeted them was far from what they expected.
The Winko general sat slumped in an ornate chair behind a massive metal desk, his gray hair disheveled and sweat glistening on his pale, weathered face. His uniform, once pristine, was now wrinkled and stained. The man looked nothing like a fearsome military leader—he resembled a helpless old man worn down by years of war.
In his trembling hand, he held a small pistol. As his sunken eyes met theirs, they widened with a mixture of fear and disdain.
"You… Sicarii devils," the general spat, his voice hoarse. "You're what nightmares are made of. I'd rather take my own life than let it be taken by the likes of you."
Before Taizen or Mionara could react, the general pressed the gun to his temple and pulled the trigger. The sound of the gunshot echoed in the room as his body slumped lifelessly onto the desk, blood pooling beneath him.
Taizen and Mionara exchanged a tense look. Mionara's voice was tight. "That was… unexpected."
"No time to think about it," Taizen replied, hearing footsteps and shouting in the distance. "We've got company!"
They turned to see a squad of Winko soldiers charging toward the room from the far end of the hallway. Behind them, the unmistakable glow of purple fire lit up the corridor—the mages had caught up.
"Out the window!" Taizen shouted, running to the far side of the room. He smashed the glass with his katana, shards raining down below.
Mionara didn't hesitate. He leapt after Taizen, his flame katanas extinguishing as he landed on the ground below. The two of them immediately broke into a sprint, weaving through the chaos of the battlefield as the Winko soldiers gave chase.
Explosions continued to rock the area as stray artillery shells pounded the surrounding terrain. The sounds of gunfire and screams filled the air, but Taizen and Mionara focused on one thing: getting back to Kirkia's base
After what felt like an eternity, the two Sicarii burst into General Maddox's tent, breathless and battered. The old general, still standing tall despite the long battle, turned to them with a questioning look.
"The Winko general is dead," Taizen said, his voice steady despite his exhaustion.
Mionara nodded. "It's over. He killed himself before we could but he's gone. Mission accomplished."
Before Maddox could respond, a loud trumpet sounded in the distance, its mournful tone cutting through the remnants of the battlefield's chaos.
Mionara froze, turning toward the sound. "What's that?"
A slow smile spread across Maddox's face as he stood straighter, his eyes glinting with satisfaction. "That, my boy, is the Winko signal for retreat. They're pulling back. The battle is over. We've won."
The announcement seemed to reverberate through the air as cheers erupted across the battlefield. The Kirkian soldiers, bloodied and battered, raised their weapons and shouted their victory to the heavens.
Maddox turned back to Taizen and Mionara, a rare softness in his voice. "You two have done more than you'll ever know. This is your victory as much as ours."
As the triumphant cheers echoed around them, Taizen and Mionara allowed themselves a moment to breathe. Though the war-torn field was far from silent, for the first time, they felt an overwhelming calm. They had survived, and they had won.