**The preparations done**
By the time Bishop had finished assembling the drones and attaching the bomb, several hours had passed since noon. The long, tense silence was finally broken when Kris and Biscuit carefully affixed several talismans to both the drones and the bomb—precautionary measures to prevent Kayako from tampering with their plan. The simple ritual felt like the calm before a storm, a final barrier of protection. Though Kris was a betting man, he understood the importance of not leaving anything to chance, especially when dealing with something as unpredictable as Kayako.
Just as Kris was preparing to give the final green light for the mission, a sharp beep from the communicator interrupted his thoughts. It was Xuan.
Kris picked up the device, his eyes narrowing as Xuan's voice crackled through. Urgent. Strained.
"I've been targeted by Kayako," Xuan said, his breath hitching. "I'm heading toward an empty high-rise parking garage. Whatever you're planning, now's the time to do it."
For a moment, Kris's heart stalled. They were out of time. The mission had always been a race against Kayako's curse, but now Kayako had come for Xuan earlier than they had anticipated. Kris could feel the pressure of his decisions closing in.
He turned swiftly to Bishop, his tone commanding but controlled. "Track Xuan's location. Use the communicator's signal. We don't have long."
Bishop didn't need to be told twice. His synthetic fingers moved across the console with precision, triangulating Xuan's position in seconds. As the coordinates flashed onto the screen, Kris's mind raced through the possibilities. Xuan's mention of the parking garage made his stomach drop—it was the perfect place for Kayako to strike. Isolated. Claustrophobic. The dark shadows and twisting corners would only feed her strength.
He glanced back at Biscuit, his voice now firm, a blend of urgency and resolve. "We proceed with the plan, but I'm going after Xuan. I'll stop him from unlocking his Genetic Constraint if I can."
Biscuit's eyes flickered with uncertainty, but she nodded, her face hardening as she accepted Kris's choice. "We've got it here. Don't worry about us."
For a moment, Kris lingered, knowing he was leaving them with a dangerous task. But there was no time to hesitate. He grabbed his communicator and activated *Geppo*. In an instant, his body launched into the air, the force of his leap sending a gust of wind scattering dust across the ground. His movements were fluid, his feet skimming the ground before propelling him upward again, higher and faster, defying gravity. The streets below blurred as he shot through the air, the skyline lit in hues of twilight, casting long shadows that made the world beneath seem unnervingly still.
The city felt strangely disconnected from the chaos unfolding. Above him, the clouds thickened, an ominous sign that things were about to reach a breaking point. Kris's thoughts turned to Xuan—his stoic, calculating teammate who always seemed to make logical decisions. He was the last person someone would expect to unlock the Genetic Constraint. In the novel, he had used his unlocked mode before he died, being the third person on the team to do so. He gave them a hint to defeat Kayako, but it also opened the team battle feature they were not ready for.
*Not today,* Kris thought fiercely. His jaw clenched as he scanned the distant skyline for the parking garage. Every muscle was tense, his instincts sharp. There was no room for doubt. He had to get there in time.
---
**The confrontation**
Through the blur of rooftops and city streets, Kris spotted the parking garage—an imposing structure of concrete and steel, silent and looming against the skyline. His eyes narrowed, honing in on Xuan's signal, tracking it to one of the upper levels.
The building seemed almost deserted, eerily still, but Kris could feel the presence there—Kayako. She thrived in these spaces, feeding off the isolation, the fear that clung to every shadowed corner. He needed to move fast.
Landing with a silent thud on the garage's rooftop, Kris wasted no time. He sprinted toward the nearest stairwell, his footfalls echoing off the cold concrete as he descended to the level where Xuan was holed up. His heart hammered against his ribs, every sense on high alert. The air was thick with tension, the temperature unnaturally cold, a sure sign that Kayako was near.
As he turned the corner, he saw him. Xuan stood near the far edge of the floor, his back to Kris, staring out into the distance as if bracing himself for something inevitable. His posture was tense, his fists clenched at his sides, and the glow from the streetlights outside cast long shadows across his face.
"Xuan!" Kris called out, his voice cutting through the silence like a knife.
Xuan didn't turn around immediately, but Kris could see his shoulders tense even more at the sound of his voice. Slowly, Xuan turned, his expression weary, but resolute.
"Kris," Xuan said, his voice low, almost resigned. "She's here. I can feel her."
Kris approached cautiously, stopping a few feet away, his eyes scanning the darkened corners of the garage, searching for any sign of Kayako's presence.
---
Kris quickly took out a can of sea salt, his hands steady despite the growing chill in the air. He drew a large, precise circle on the cold concrete floor, his movements methodical, sharp. "Stay inside, it can't crossover the salt." he said, his voice low but firm, as he motioned for Xuan and Arnold to step into the circle. The salt felt like the only real barrier between them and the horror closing in.
For a moment, the three of them stood in heavy silence, the tension thick enough to suffocate. Each breath felt more labored, each second dragged out as they waited for what they knew was coming. Then, without warning, a deep chill swept through the garage, sharp and unnatural. The unmistakable sound of Kayako's death rattle pierced the still air, an eerie, guttural croak that sent a cold shiver crawling up Kris's spine. She was close—much closer than he'd anticipated.
Kris clenched his jaw as he instinctively stepped forward, positioning himself between Xuan and the encroaching darkness. His voice dropped to a low growl. "No matter what, stay in the circle. Do not break it."
Xuan hesitated, the conflict playing across his face—uncertainty, maybe fear. But after a beat, he nodded, the decision settling into his eyes. He was resolved, but Kris could tell how thin that thread of control was. They were all on edge.
---
**Raising a Death Flag**
Xuan turned to Arnold and gestured for him to take out his communicator. As Arnold complied, Xuan connected the device to the team's frequency. His voice, calm but firm, came through the line. "Hello everyone. I'm here with Kris, and we're about to engage Kayako. If we don't make it… use this footage to learn everything you can about fighting her."
A crackle of static was followed by Zheng's voice, sharp and panicked. "What the hell are you doing, Xuan?! Stop acting like a hero and get out of there! What are you trying to prove this time? Kris, you should know better than to go along with this! We just lost another three newbies from our team. If you don't have a solid plan, stop it. We still have three days to figure this out. Damn it!"
"Zheng," Xuan interrupted, his tone level but resolute. "This isn't on Kris. It was my plan to make the most of this situation. Kayako's targeted me, and I don't know if I'll survive. Consider this my way of paying you back… for my earlier mistakes."
"Don't you dare raise a death flag, you idiot!" Kris snapped, glaring at Xuan.
And then, from the shadows, Kayako emerged. Her grotesque, contorted form crawled toward them with a slow, unnatural movement that was wrong in every way. Her broken limbs jerked and twisted, her presence a living nightmare that bent the space around her. The air dropped another few degrees, the dim lights flickering and sputtering as if they were trying to escape her reach.
Kris took a deep breath, the cold air stinging his lungs, and braced himself. His mind raced, replaying every tactic and contingency they'd planned. They had prepared for this, but seeing her up close, here and now, made everything feel far more precarious. Xuan was teetering on the edge, and Kayako's presence was pushing him closer to breaking.
"Stick to the plan," Kris muttered under his breath, more to ground himself than to Xuan. There was no turning back now. This was it. They had to face the storm head-on.
---
**The Demolition Team**
Meanwhile, back with Biscuit, Tengyi, Bishop, and Karen, Tengyi gripped the steering wheel of the van, his knuckles white. Beside him, Bishop quietly reviewed their checklist one last time, his usual air of calm unshaken despite the growing tension. Karen sat in the backseat, her eyes closed as if trying to steady her nerves, her breathing deliberate.
Tengyi shot a glance at the rearview mirror, his gaze briefly lingering on the drones, their sleek forms humming softly in the van's cargo area. Biscuit sat quietly in the front, her eyes focused on the path ahead.
"We're almost there," Biscuit murmured, as the van rolled to a slow stop half a mile from Kayako's house. The streets around them were eerily silent. No traffic. No pedestrians. It was as if the entire world knew to avoid this place.
Tengyi exhaled sharply. "Alright, guys, this is it. Kris will handle Xuan. We stick to the plan." But even as he spoke, he could feel the weight of Kris's absence. The plan was solid, but they were short their best fighter.
Though Biscuit was here, Kris's presence always gave them a sort of assurance. The thought that they might fail without him gnawed at the back of Tengyi's mind, even as he pushed it down. They didn't have the luxury of second-guessing.
"Bishop, are the drones ready for deployment?" Biscuit asked.
"Affirmative," Bishop replied without hesitation. "The talismans will provide a 98% probability of neutralizing any interference from Kayako."
"Good," Biscuit muttered, her eyes scanning the area. "Let's hope that other 2% doesn't come back to bite us."
Tengyi shot her a quick nod, appreciating her sarcasm-clad confidence, even if he wasn't sure he fully shared it. But there was no time to dwell on that. They had a mission to execute, and if Kris trusted them to handle it, they'd make sure not to let him down.
---
**The Boss battle**
The parking garage was bathed in an eerie half-light, the dim glow of flickering fluorescents casting long, twisted shadows. Kayako's presence was suffocating, the air thick with a supernatural chill that gnawed at their nerves. Kris, Xuan, and Arnold stood tense in the broken circle of sea salt, their guns drawn, senses on high alert.
"Arnold, ready your weapon," Kris ordered, his voice low but firm, eyes scanning the dark corners where Kayako could appear at any moment.
Arnold nodded, adrenaline sharpening his focus as he pulled out his modified assault rifle, loaded with spiritual rounds they had prepared. Next to him, Xuan drew his handgun, hands steady but his face tense with the pressure of the moment.
"We stick to the plan. Guns first, talismans if she breaks through," Kris reminded them, glancing briefly at the salt circle, hoping it would hold.
The garage seemed to grow colder, the temperature dropping with each second. Then, a sickening, guttural sound slithered through the air—the unmistakable death rattle of Kayako. The sound was an assault on their senses, a noise so unnatural it made the hairs on their necks stand on end.
"She's close," Xuan whispered, his voice tight.
Without warning, Kayako materialized from the shadows, her long black hair and grotesque, twisted form lurching forward with unnerving speed. Her jerky, broken movements were nightmarish, as if her body was a puppet controlled by something dark and sinister.
"Open fire!" Kris barked.
The garage was suddenly filled with the deafening sound of gunfire. Arnold's rifle unleashed a barrage of spiritual bullets, each one glowing faintly as it shot toward Kayako. Xuan followed suit, firing with precision. The bullets made contact, hitting Kayako's twisted form and causing her to shriek, her body jerking violently with each impact.
For a moment, it seemed like they were holding her back. Each hit forced her to retreat slightly, her form flickering like a distorted image. But Kayako was relentless. The gunfire slowed her, but she kept coming, her rage and malice undiminished.
"She's not stopping," Arnold muttered, fear creeping into his voice as he emptied his clip. He fumbled for another magazine, his hands shaking slightly.
Kris fired a few more rounds, his jaw clenched in frustration. "Keep firing! We need to buy time!"
"Biscuit and the others will bomb the cursed house any moment now!" Kris added.
Kayako let out another blood-curdling screech, her form vanishing into the shadows for a split second before reappearing directly in front of them, her hair whipping out like a swarm of black tendrils.
Arnold stepped back instinctively, his communicator still in his hand, recording everything. In the chaos, his foot slipped across the edge of the salt circle. The line of salt shifted, breaking part of the protective barrier.
"Arnold, the salt! Fix it!" Kris shouted, panic creeping into his voice. But Arnold was too distracted, still holding his rifle in one hand and the communicator in the other.
Before they could react, Kayako seized the opportunity. The break in the circle allowed her to surge forward with terrifying speed, her hair lashing out like a living weapon. One of the tendrils wrapped around Arnold's arm, yanking him forward.
"No!" Xuan shouted, but it was too late.
Kayako's face twisted into a grotesque smile, her eyes wide and lifeless as she pulled Arnold into her grasp. He screamed, dropping the communicator as Kayako's jagged nails dug into his chest. Her death rattle grew louder, the sound like a thousand nails scraping against bone.
Kris fired at her, his gun nearly point-blank, but the bullets passed through her as if she were made of smoke. Arnold's scream turned into a strangled gasp as Kayako's hair coiled tighter around him, his body convulsing in pain.
"Arnold!" Kris yelled, but there was nothing he could do.
Kayako's mouth opened slowly, impossibly wide, as if to devour his very soul. Arnold's body went limp, his eyes wide and glassy. In a matter of seconds, the life was drained from him. His body collapsed to the floor with a dull thud, his face frozen in terror.
For a moment, everything was still.
Kris and Xuan stood frozen, the shock of Arnold's death hitting them like a hammer. They had lost their only real defense. The salt circle was broken, the talismans barely holding, and Kayako was stronger than they had anticipated.
"She's inside the circle," Xuan said, his voice a hoarse whisper, his eyes wide with disbelief.
Kayako's gaze turned to them, her body twitching and contorting as she crawled toward them with unnatural speed. Her hair lashed out again, aiming for Kris, but he was faster, dodging to the side and grabbing Xuan by the arm.
"We need to move. Now!" Kris barked, dragging Xuan toward the edge of the garage.
Xuan stumbled, grimacing in pain. Kris looked down and saw the blood—Kayako's claws had grazed him during the chaos, leaving a deep, jagged wound along his side.
"Damn it," Kris muttered. "We're not going to make it like this."
Kayako was getting closer, her figure looming larger as she approached, her body writhing unnaturally. The talismans they had placed were flickering, their glow fading as Kayako's malevolent energy overwhelmed them.
"We're running out of time!" Xuan gasped, clutching his side, his breaths labored. "She's too fast… too strong."
Kris's mind raced. They were out of options. They couldn't outrun her, and their remaining talismans wouldn't hold her off much longer. But he wasn't ready to give up.
"We don't need to outrun her, we just need to outlast her. The others must have reached her house by now!" said Kris.
"We'll make it. I'll carry you if I have to," Kris said, his voice hard, determination fueling his every step.
Kris enveloped his body with Nen and picked Xuan up in a fireman's carry. He then sprinted towards the top floor of the high-rise parking garage.
But Xuan suddenly convulsed, almost pulling out of Kris's grip. His face pale, his body shaking—not from fear, but from the hand emerging from his wound.
"Kris… go."
Kris's eyes widened. "What the hell are you talking about? We're getting out of here!"
Xuan's eyes became glassy, a blank stare painted upon them, as if his gaze was cast at distant scenery—his Genetic Constraint. Kris's heart sank as he realized what was happening to Xuan.
"No… don't. Not now. We can still—"
A pale white arm had sprouted from Xuan's wound, slowly creeping toward his neck.
"We can't. Not both of us," Xuan interrupted, his voice steady but filled with a weight that Kris knew too well. "Kayako has taken hold of me. She's trying to burst out of my body. If you don't let me go, we will both die accomplishing nothing."
Kris's jaw clenched, his mind racing, but Xuan's expression was resolute. Even as Kris tried to hold off Kayako by restraining her with his Nen, the relentless ghost persisted.
"Damn it, f**king illogical supernatural bull crap!" Kris growled, fumbling through his pockets looking for a talisman.
"I'm not going to make it, Kris. But you will," Xuan said, his voice softer now, almost peaceful. "I can hold her off. Get out of here."
Kayako's shriek echoed, her twisted arm contorting as she tried to force her way out of Xuan's body. Kris could feel the icy grip of death in the air, but he couldn't just leave Xuan.
Xuan's body shimmered as the energy of the unlocked mode surged through him.
Kris could feel an energy similar to his Nen but with a different flavor—it was Chi.
"Shit, Xuan, when did you exchange for Chi?!" Kris said in an incredulous tone.
He really couldn't fathom Xuan. The man was brilliant and flawed at the same time, but he was always full of surprises.
Without waiting for Kris to protest again, Xuan launched himself away from Kris, his fists glowing with power, and without delay, brought them down on the invading appendage.
Kayako recoiled as Xuan struck her, the force of the blow breaking the hand. But before Xuan could continue, Kayako pulled her arm back from the wound.
She then appeared a few meters away.
The sheer energy of the attack momentarily disrupted her form, causing her to flicker like a distorted image. But she wasn't gone—she never truly was.
"Xuan!" Kris shouted, his heart torn between staying and running.
Xuan looked back over his shoulder, his eyes blazing with intensity. "GO!"
Kris gritted his teeth, turning and running toward the exit. Every instinct screamed at him to stay, to help, but he knew this was Xuan's choice, and he had ultimately failed to prevent Xuan from going into the unlocked mode.
The sounds of their battle echoed behind him—Xuan's powerful strikes against Kayako's shrieks of rage.
As Kris reached the top floor, an orange plume of fire illuminated the sky in the distance.