Nightshade approached Valkris in the darkened chamber, his steps silent as he came to a halt a few paces away. In his hands, Kurokage glinted in the faint light, its edge gleaming with a dark, almost living energy.
"It's ready," Nightshade said, his voice a quiet murmur that held a hint of satisfaction. "Kurokage is fully attuned. It can pinpoint Rex's location."
Valkris's eyes narrowed, his interest piqued. He rose from his seat, the sound of leather shifting against armor echoing faintly in the silent room. "Show me," he commanded, his tone cold, unyielding.
Nightshade turned to face him, lifting Kurokage and holding it horizontally. The blade's dark surface rippled, and then, as if it had a will of its own, it pulsed with a sinister glow. "Kurokage can open a portal to anywhere its prey resides," he explained, his voice barely above a whisper. The energy around the blade grew stronger, coalescing into a spiraling, dark vortex.
With a twist of his wrist, Nightshade drove the tip of Kurokage into the air. The blade sliced open the space before them, and with a low, thunderous rumble, a portal began to form, expanding until it hovered as a gaping maw of darkness.
Nightshade turned to Valkris, a thin smile on his face. "On your command."
Valkris's lips curled into a faint, cruel smile as he waved a gloved hand forward. "Agents. Move."
A low, synchronized rustle of clothing filled the chamber as a thousand agents stepped forward in perfect formation, black suits gleaming under the dim lights. One by one, they marched into the portal, each figure disappearing into the darkness, their footsteps fading into silence as they passed through.
Cut to Jin's location
The evening was calm, the remnants of dinner spread across the table as the group settled into an easy silence. Jin, Jon, Rex, Amy, and Aria exchanged quiet looks, each of them holding onto the peace for a moment longer.
Suddenly, Jon's gaze snapped toward the window, his body tensing as a faint, unnatural hum filled the air. The soft, eerie sound grew, resonating like a low vibration against the walls and floor.
"Do you hear that?" Jon's voice was sharp, filled with a cautious urgency.
Jin turned his head toward the sound, his eyes narrowing. Outside, the sky above the building had darkened, and at its center, a twisting, spiraling vortex appeared—a portal ripping through reality itself, expanding outward. Through it, shadowy figures began to fall, descending in waves, their dark silhouettes blocking out the sky.
One by one, they landed around the building, hundreds of agents in flawless, synchronized movements, surrounding the safe house in a dense, unbroken circle. The sound of their landing echoed like the drumbeat of an impending storm, growing louder and louder as more figures dropped from the portal above, their numbers swelling until the safe house was encircled completely.
Aria's eyes widened, her voice barely a whisper. "There must be a thousand of them…"
Rex's fists clenched as he watched, his face set with determination. "They found us."
Jon's voice was low, steady, but laced with a grim understanding. "They're here for Jin. And they're not holding back."
The air around them grew thick with tension, the faint hum of the portal above mixing with the rustle of fabric and the steady, synchronized movements of the agents as they took their positions. The safe house, once a place of refuge, now felt like a cage, with every escape route blocked by the Council's relentless army.
Jin took a breath, his gaze hardening as he met Jon's eyes.
"Then we fight."
A tense silence settled over the group as they prepared, each of them fully aware that the battle was about to begin.
Inside the safe house, the gravity of the situation settled over them as Jin glanced at Aria, concern flickering in his eyes. "Aria, you're still new to all of this. You don't have the fighting abilities yet, and until you've mastered your skills, it's safer if you're somewhere else for now."
Aria's expression was a mix of protest and fear, but she nodded, understanding the weight of his words. Jon stepped forward, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder, his gaze meeting Jin's.
"You can hold them off for a few moments, can't you?" Jon asked, his voice calm but urgent.
Jin gave a determined nod, gripping the hilt of his sword as he turned toward the door. "I'll manage."
Jon reached into his cloak and materialized a glowing compass in his hand, its needle spinning wildly before pointing toward a new destination. He tightened his hold on Aria's arm, the air around them shimmering as he activated the spell. In a flash, they vanished, leaving Jin alone.
Cut to the second safe house
Jon and Aria appeared in a dimly lit room, the air thick with the musty scent of an old, unused space. Aria stumbled slightly, catching her breath as she took in her new surroundings. Jon steadied her, his gaze serious.
"This is another safe house," he explained, his voice low. "The other one… it's no longer secure. We couldn't take the risk of keeping you there."
Aria nodded, trying to process everything as Jon gave her a steady, reassuring look. "Stay here. You'll be safe."
Back at the original safe house
Jin tightened his grip on his sword, the metal cool and familiar in his hand. He stepped forward, opening the door with a measured calm, his eyes narrowing as he took in the sight before him. A thousand agents, each one clad in black suits and dark glasses, stood in perfect formation, surrounding the building in an unbroken wall of disciplined ranks.
The air was thick with anticipation, every agent's gaze fixed on him, unmoving, waiting for a signal to strike. Jin took a breath, steadying himself as he stepped out, his silhouette framed by the doorway, a lone figure facing an army.
He raised his sword, his stance firm, his expression hardened. "If you want me," he called out, his voice clear and unwavering, "Come get me."
The silence that followed was almost deafening, broken only by the faint rustle of agents shifting in response, readying themselves for the battle ahead.
Jin held his ground as the door opened further, and through the widening gap, Rex stepped forward, his face set in a fierce grin despite his still-bandaged arm. Jon's voice called out, a note of caution in his tone.
"Rex, your arm-you're still not fully healed."
Rex glanced down at his arm, a quick, dismissive smile crossing his face.
"Try having a higher head count than me Jin "
Jin sighed, catching the unmistakable stubbornness in Rex's eyes. He nodded, though his expression hardened.
"Then don't slow me down."
Rex's palm extended, his fingers spread, and in a moment, a four-cornered cube materialized, floating and spinning before him. It fragmented with a soft, metallic shing into thirty smaller cubes that hovered and shimmered around him, glinting like sharp-edged stars. Rex raised his hand, and the cubes spiraled into motion beneath his feet, lifting him slightly as he levitated, his body floating just above the ground.
Without another word, Jin shot forward, his speed explosive and blinding. His foot hit the ground with such force that cracks split outward, the ground fracturing beneath him,as his form blurred. His coat billowed behind him, rippling from his velocity as he moved in a flash, blitzing past Rex and leaving a trail of fragmented stone in his wake.
The agents surged forward in response, a thousand dark figures racing toward them, the sound of synchronized footsteps thunderous, like the rumbling of a storm.
Rex's cubes moved in a calculated orbit around him, swift and precise, darting forward to attach themselves one by one to the approaching agents, clinging to their bodies like lethal shadows. His eyes narrowed as he whispered,
"Explode."
A violent series of blasts erupted among the advancing agents, each explosion bursting like a series of gunshots. Limbs flew, smoke and debris filling the air as the concussive force sent bodies sprawling. Searing shrapnel and shockwaves filled the field, the ground shaking under the pressure.
Meanwhile, Jin dodged Rex's explosive assault, his body moving in a swift, weaving motion, zig-zagging like a shadowy serpent through the chaos. His sword gleamed as he unsheathed it, the blade singing with a metallic hum as he swung it left, right, and center each strike deadly precise. He cleaved through agent after agent, his sword cutting through bone and muscle with clean efficiency.
He locked eyes with several agents, his intense gaze piercing as he tapped into his mental abilities, bending their wills to his own. Their bodies seized, bones twisting and cracking, limbs bending in unnatural directions under the force of his control.Jin's eyes narrowed, and he swung his sword again, severing the controlled agents before they even hit the ground.
Above, several agents launched themselves into the air, dropping down like a rain of dark shadows aimed at Jin. But he moved with lightning reflexes, dodging their descent in a blur, his sword arcing up in a sharp, slicing motion that met each of them mid-air, his blade a blur as it cut through their falling forms.
One particularly agile agent dropped down from above, his shadow falling over Jin as he aimed for a direct strike. Jin's eyes caught the agent's, his gaz locking with an icy intensity. He muttered,
"Illusion Art:Flower of Infinity"
and the agent's eyes widened in terror as Jin's mental technique took hold. The agent froze mid-air, suspended as his body contorted, his mind overwhelmed by a distortion of reality so profound it fractured his consciousness. The agent screamed, clutching his head as Jin twisted his mental hold tighter, bending his mind far beyond its limits.
In the midst of the chaos, a powerful gust of wind blasted from behind as another agent unleashed a wind-based attack. The blast hit Jin squarely, sending him hurtling backward, his feet skidding across the cracked ground.
He staggered slightly but never lost his footing, his stance steady as he regained his balance.
Jin exhaled, his expression calm but fierce as he lifted his sword, its blade stained with dark crimson. He wiped the blood off in one swift motion, looking up at the surrounding agents with an unwavering gaze.
"You lot," he said, his voice low and commanding, "need to go to sleep."
The agents faltered, a flicker of hesitation running through them as they faced the two warriors who had already cut through dozens of their ranks. But they didn't retreat, driven by orders that left them no choice but to advance.
Jin tightened his grip on his sword, preparing for the next wave. Rex hovered beside him, cubes spinning in anticipation, the two of them a force ready to meet whatever the Council's agents threw their way.
Jin's gaze darkened, his eyes filled with a mix of anger and disdain as he faced the remaining agents, his voice low and seething with contempt.
"You lot need to sleep,"
he repeated, the words dripping with disgust. The remaining agents froze, a hint of hesitation flickering in their ranks as Jin's right hand lifted from his waist, extending forward with a pointed, unyielding gesture.
"Obey,"
he commanded, his voice resonating with an eerie, overpowering force.
A ripple spread through the air, subtle yet undeniable, like a gravitational pull extending from his words to the agents' very senses. One by one, the agents began to drop, their bodies crumpling to the ground as if their strength had been ripped away, their forms collapsing like dead flies.
Rex, hovering nearby, watched in stunned silence as the agents fell, his eyes wide with disbelief. He hadn't known Jin could wield this kind of ability yet, this sheer power to impose his will upon others with just a word.
"You… you can use that now?"
he muttered, barely able to mask his awe.
Jin's gaze remained fixed on the fallen agents, his expression unflinching.
"It's called The Order,"
he said, his tone cold and matter-of-fact.
"An ability that lets me command others—forcing them to obey, as if every sense, every nerve, bends to my will. It's like a gravitational force… one that travels through my voice, binding their senses to my command."
Rex stared at Jin, the realization sinking in. This wasn't just a new ability—it was a deadly, precise weapon, and Jin wielded it with chilling control.
As the last of the agents lay motionless on the ground, an unsettling silence fell over the area. Just then, a slow, deliberate clap echoed from above, cutting through the quiet like a blade. Jin and Rex looked up, their expressions hardening as they saw Valkris and Nightshade descending from the sky, their figures shrouded in shadows as they hovered above.
Valkris's lips curled into a cold smile as he observed Jin, his eyes gleaming with a mix of admiration and malice.
"Even you can wield The Order,"
he remarked, his tone dripping with mock respect.
"Now I understand why the Council is so desperate to have you."
Jin's gaze locked onto Valkris, his expression filled with defiance, while Rex floated nearby, his eyes fixed on Nightshade, ready for any sudden move. But before either of them could act, a figure suddenly rushed into view.
"Jin! Rex!"
It was Ryker, running toward them, his face a mix of relief and urgency as he closed the distance.
But from above, Valkris's eyes narrowed, and he brought his hands together, a sinister smile spreading across his face. With a dark, twisting energy, the ground beneath Ryker exploded, and from the earth, a monstrous sand worm burst forth, its massive jaws snapping shut around Ryker's form in an instant.
"No!"
Jin shouted, his voice hoarse with panic, but he staggered slightly, his body momentarily weakened from the toll of using The Order. The strain kept him rooted in place, his reaction painfully slow as he watched the sand worm devour Ryker.
Rex, seeing Ryker's danger, moved to intercept, but Nightshade was already upon him. Kurokage, gleaming with dark energy, swept forward as Nightshade hurled a powerful wave of energy from the blade, the blast tearing through the air toward Rex.
Rex acted quickly, summoning his cube fragments to intercept the blast mid-flight. The collision ignited in a violent explosion, flames and debris spiraling through the sky as Rex braced himself against the force.
But while they battled, the sand worm vanished into the ground, taking Ryker with it. The earth settled, leaving no trace of the creature or its prey.
Valkris chuckled, a low, sinister sound that resonated through the silence.
"What a pity,"
he sneered, his laughter dark and mocking.
"You were so close."
Jin's fists clenched, rage boiling behind his eyes as he fixed Valkris with a deadly stare.