The alarms howled like distant wolves, their shrill pitch bouncing off steel walls as Akiko tugged Skadi deeper into the winding halls. Her HUD flickered faintly, the wayfinder threading ghostly blue lines across her vision. Routes opened. Closed. Flickered again.

"Lockdown's spreading fast," Takuto whispered. "Most corridors sealed. Ventilation access remains available."

Akiko's lips twitched into a faint smirk. "Guess we're taking the scenic route," she muttered under her breath.

"What?" Skadi snapped, voice cracking with frustration.

Akiko didn't answer right away. The data streamed faster across her HUD, her focus narrowing to the one viable thread. She stopped at the junction, eyes locking onto a maintenance panel half-buried behind a storage crate.

"Here," she said, nodding toward it. "Help me with this."

Skadi hesitated. Suspicion sharpened in her posture. "This is your plan? A vent?"

Akiko crouched low, foxfire flaring just long enough to melt through the bolts. The hiss of burning metal curled through the stale air.

"Unless you've got a better idea," she shot back, voice tight.

The panel hit the floor with a hollow clang, revealing a narrow shaft barely wide enough for them to squeeze through.

Akiko glanced back, her grin widening. "After you."

Skadi scowled but crawled in without arguing. Akiko followed, pulling the panel closed behind them with a soft grunt. The shaft swallowed the hallway noise, boxing them in with nothing but breath and metal.

The crawl was slow. Cramped. Every inch a reminder that they had nowhere else to go.

Her HUD lit again, an updated overlay of the vent network.

"Ventilation isn't fully sealed," Takuto murmured. "This path bypasses the main corridors. It converges near the central cargo bay."

Akiko's jaw tightened. "Converges how?"

"Directly."

Akiko exhaled sharply through her nose. "Great."

"What's great?" Skadi called back, voice echoing faintly in the tight space.

Akiko didn't answer. She kept moving.

The crawl narrowed even more ahead, forcing Skadi to pause at a junction where the shaft split briefly. "Which way?" she asked, voice tight.

Akiko tapped her HUD. "Right fork," she murmured.

"Then go." Skadi shifted awkwardly, pressing herself to the side.

The space barely allowed the motion. Akiko slid past her with a muttered apology, shoulders brushing the narrow walls and Skadi's arm.

For a heartbeat, they were tangled together in that confined space, then Akiko pulled ahead, leading the way.

The shaft trembled beneath them, dust sifting from the seams. Skadi flinched ahead, breath catching sharp.

"What was that?"

Akiko pressed her palm against the wall, feeling the hum of distant power. Suppression fields. The pulse of mana being leeched from the air itself.

"Nothing you need to worry about," she lied.

They crawled deeper. The walls felt tighter with every meter, pressing in like clenched fists.

Akiko's HUD flared.

Hostiles detected.

Her heart kicked harder. She didn't stop.

They reached the vent's end, a grated cover overlooking the cargo bay. Akiko pressed her body flat, peering through the slats.

There they were. Haven guards. Seven of them. Rifles up. Overlapping fields of fire. Vehrin stood at the center like a man carved from glass. Sharp edges, no give.

Her HUD flashed again.

Suppression fields active. Mana bleed high.

Warning: Resonant stress on core if forced discharge attempted.

The sapphire at her throat was heavy. Cold. Her foxfire lay dormant. Her claws unresponsive. Just her and her wits now.

She didn't try to force it.

She could, maybe. Push back the field like before. But the ache in her bones still hadn't faded, and her aura still felt frayed at the edges. Too soon. Too thin. One more brute-force stunt and she might burn herself out before she ever saw daylight again.

No. Not here.

She exhaled slowly, pulse steadying by degrees.

"Options?" she whispered.

"Engage directly," Takuto replied, almost amused.

Akiko's lips curled faintly. "You don't say."

She felt Skadi shift behind her. Heard the breath Skadi didn't know she was holding.

Akiko turned, meeting her eyes. "Trust me."

Skadi hesitated. Long enough that Akiko felt the crack forming between them. But finally, a tight nod.

Akiko leaned back toward the grate, every muscle winding tight.

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

No mana. No safety net.

Her grin widened. She'd make it work anyway.

Akiko lashed out with her boot. The vent cover clattered to the floor below, drawing every eye in the cargo bay.

She launched herself after it, body twisting midair. Rifles snapped up to track her descent, but she was already moving faster than their nerves could settle.

She landed sharp on the edge of a cargo container, crouched low as gunfire split the air. Bullets sparked off the metal below her, punctuating the chaos with sharp, metallic cracks.

Akiko's eyes locked onto the nearest guard.

She dove.

The guard swung the butt of his rifle toward her, clumsy and slow. Akiko ducked beneath it, closing the gap in a breath. Her hands darted up, grabbing the weapon tight, trying to twist it free… but his grip held. Too strong.

She cursed inwardly and shifted tactics. A sharp kick to his gut, fast and mean. He staggered back, just enough.

The rifle slipped from his hands.

She snatched it and drove the stock into his chest with a crack. He dropped, wheezing, eyes wide with pain.

The rifle felt wrong in her grip. Too heavy. Too cold. A crude tool in the hands of someone who'd spent a lifetime wielding elegance.

Her fingers brushed the trigger anyway.

"Point and shoot, Akiko," she muttered to herself. "How hard can it be?"

She swung the barrel up, breath steadying. The kick hit her shoulder like a punch when she squeezed the trigger, the mechanical roar jarring after the clean pulse of foxfire she was used to.

But it worked. The squad scattered, formation breaking as panic cracked through their lines.

"Hold your ground!" Vehrin barked, his voice cutting clean through the chaos.

Akiko's grin curled sharp.

No thanks.

She leapt down from the container, boots slamming into the floor. Her shots weren't clean. Her aim was far from perfect. But the way the guards flinched, scrambling for cover, that was enough.

They regrouped fast, rifles trained on her again.

Akiko dove behind another container, breath coming in sharp bursts. Her HUD flickered, marking enemy positions in ghost-light outlines through the thin walls.

She pressed her back against the container, adjusting her grip on the rifle. "Alright," she whispered to herself. "Let's dance."

Vehrin's voice rang out again. "You're outnumbered, Tsukihara. Stand down now, and I'll consider leniency."

Akiko barked a quiet laugh, shaking her head. "Oh, Vehrin. You should know by now, I don't do 'stand down.'"

Gunfire cracked again, bullets sparking off the container's edge. She flinched back, breath hissing between her teeth.

Her armor could take it. Mostly. But her head? Exposed.

She leaned out again, just a fraction, and pain lanced across her cheek. Sharp. Stinging.

Akiko ducked back, fingers brushing the blood slicking her skin. Not deep. But enough to remind her these weren't just scare tactics.

"Lucky shot," she muttered through gritted teeth, wiping the blood away.

Her HUD flickered again. Takuto's voice sliced through the noise.

"Recommend alternative approach."

Akiko let out a sharp breath, half a laugh. "Yeah," she muttered. "No kidding."

Her gaze locked on the suppressors again, those faint blue nodes glowing like bruises on the far wall.

Disable those, and she'd own this room. But getting there while pinned down? Another matter entirely.

Akiko's jaw tightened. Her fingers flexed around the rifle's grip. Breath in. Breath out.

"Bold play it is," she whispered.

She surged to her feet, throwing her armored forearm up to shield her face. Bullets slammed into her plating like hammer blows, each impact ringing through her bones. Her HUD flared red with impact warnings, but she grit her teeth and pushed through.

The guards hesitated, just for a heartbeat, caught off guard by the sheer audacity of her charge.

Akiko didn't waste it.

She squeezed the trigger and let the rifle bark, spraying bullets in a wide, reckless arc. It wasn't pretty. It wasn't smart. But it worked. The squad broke formation, scattering for cover.

"Kaede would definitely disown me for this," Akiko muttered under her breath, a crooked grin tugging at her lips. "Spray and pray. Real tactical."

The rifle clicked dry. Empty.

She didn't slow.

Diving low, she rolled toward the guard she'd dropped earlier. Her shoulder slammed into the ground, momentum carrying her into a crouch beside him. She scanned his gear.

There. A grenade. Clipped to his vest.

"Bingo," she whispered.

Fingers curled around the cold metal. She yanked it free, teeth sinking into the pin. The metallic ring snapped free with a sharp flick of her head. She spat it aside.

Her eyes flicked back to the suppressors. Close, but not close enough to guarantee a clean throw.

Whatever. Close enough.

She stood, rolled her shoulder, and let it fly.

The blast hit like a hammer. A ripple of sparks. The air cracked sharp as the suppression field collapsed in a shimmering wave.

Akiko staggered, breath catching… and felt it.

Foxfire flared at her fingertips, wild and alive. Her mana core hummed to life, warmth flooding her limbs like blood returning to numb fingers. The sapphire at her throat sparked bright.

She flexed her fingers. Claws formed in a flicker of blue-white light.

Her shield shimmered into place a heartbeat later, wrapping her in a thin veil of flickering energy.

The guards faltered. Panic rippled through their ranks.

Akiko straightened, rolling her shoulders, breath coming steady now.

"Alright," she called, voice cutting clean through the haze.

Her grin sharpened to something feral.

"Playtime's over."

She moved. The first guard fired on reflex.

She sidestepped cleanly, foxfire curling along her shield as the rounds bounced harmlessly off the shimmering edge. Her claws snapped forward, catching the rifle's barrel. One hard twist. Metal groaned. The weapon snapped in two.

The guard stumbled back, wide-eyed.

Akiko dropped him with a clean sweep of her leg, the man crumpling without a sound.

The next pair came in tandem, flanking, trying to force her back. Amateurs.

Akiko ducked low, sliding between them. Her claws snapped outward in two sharp arcs. She spun, planted a boot square in one guard's back, sending him sprawling into his partner.

Two more down.

Panic cracked through the remaining squad like brittle glass. They hesitated. Shifted. One even took a step back.

Akiko straightened, breath steady, foxfire dancing in lazy arcs across her fingertips.

"Any of you want to test me next?" she called, voice sharp as broken ice.

No one moved. Her eyes cut to the last man standing. Vehrin.

He hadn't run. Of course he hadn't. His fists were clenched at his sides, jaw locked tight. But the crack in his composure was impossible to miss.

Akiko took a slow step toward him.

His nostrils flared. "You won't make it out of this building alive."

Akiko tilted her head, smile curling wider.

"Yeah?" she whispered. "Doesn't look that way to me."

He lunged. It was sloppy. Desperate.

Akiko caught his wrist mid-swing, twisting it behind his back. He gasped, trying to wrench free. She leaned in close, her breath warm against his ear.

"Stand down, Vehrin."

He struggled harder.

Akiko sighed. "Didn't think so."

With a flick of her wrist, she hooked her foot behind his knee and swept him to the ground. He hit hard, breath exploding from his lungs.

She stood over him, claws flickering bright. Vehrin glared up at her, teeth bared.

Akiko leaned down, meeting his eyes.

"Tell Haven I said hi."

She slammed her palm into his temple with just enough force to drop him.

Vehrin's head hit the floor. Out cold. The room went still.

Then the tension snapped. One by one, the guards lowered their weapons, eyes wide. Two bolted for the door outright, stumbling over each other in their rush. The others hesitated only a heartbeat longer before retreating, boots echoing down the hall.

Akiko didn't chase. She just let them go.

Behind her, the faint scrape of boots on metal drew Akiko's attention. She glanced over her shoulder, spotting Skadi crawling out of the vent, moving like every breath might shatter her.

Skadi's eyes swept the carnage. Fallen guards, weapons scattered like broken promises, Vehrin's unconscious form slumped on the floor.

"You're insane," she whispered, voice tight and shaking.

Akiko let out a dry breath, flicking her gaze back to the wreckage. "You're welcome."

She lingered a heartbeat longer, drinking in the silence she'd carved through chaos. Her lips curled in a wry smile.

"Guess the bounty on my head just went up again," she muttered to herself.

Turning, she waved Skadi forward. "Come on. Let's get out of here before they wake up and make this my problem again."

Skadi hesitated, wide-eyed and pale, but she followed. One step. Then another.

The building's exit loomed ahead. Dark, unguarded, breathing cold night air through cracked seals.

They slipped outside.

The alarms dulled to a low, distant howl behind them, muffled by the thick walls. But it was enough to light the fire in Akiko's gut again.

"Keep moving," she whispered, tugging Skadi forward.

Skadi stumbled, breath hitching. Pale. Shaking. But silent.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.