Kuro and Hajime, still unaware, of their friends and companions' capture, were still slithering through the ducts of the [Black Corps] base, in the South district.
The first, after scouring most of the building using his shadow-fusion power, managed to find a suitable target to use for rescuing their master.
"One floor above us, there's an employee working in an office. He seems to be very high-ranking. I checked around there, and there are no other colleagues nearby. We can make enough noise without anyone noticing." (Kuro)
"Then that's perfect. How do you want to proceed?" (Hajime)
"The duct narrows ahead, I'll go alone... Actually, I have an idea. Is the computer still looping the cameras?" (Kuro)
"I think so, I haven't been able to check since I'm in this tight spot." (Hajime)
The space in the ducts above their enemies' heads was too small for adults, especially for two teenage boys.
"So, here's what we'll do..." (Kuro)
The plan was rough but practical. Given the situation, Hajime, Goto's stepson, agreed to Kuro's idea.
The boy crawled up to the exit of the duct, near their target's office.
Using his immense physical strength, the 17-year-old easily broke the grate, trying to stay as silent as possible, even though the building was almost empty: most agents had gone out on missions, due to Cloe and Kimiko's actions.
The [mage] advanced silently to the door, waiting for the signal.
Meanwhile, Kuro had entered the [Black Corps] office in his shadow form.
The man at the desk seemed too busy with his computer to notice the intruder.
Like a ghost, Cloe's stepbrother pulled out a knife and pressed it to his target's throat.
"Move, and you're dead."
Before he could do anything else, Kuro felt a strong grip on his wrist.
The [Black Corps] had grabbed his wrist to stop the knife, then used the back of his head to strike the 17-year-old's mask, staggering him slightly, even with his [armor] active.
That brief moment gave the man enough time to stand up.
"Who do you think you are!?"
With a lightning-fast move, the enemy of the boy threw him directly onto his desk, using a martial arts move to smash him into it.
The desk shattered, and the floor cracked slightly under the impact. Kuro didn't have time to rest; he barely dodged a kick aimed at his face, risking a broken skull.
Drawing two more knives, the boy with black hair prepared for combat. The small office wasn't the ideal place to use his sickle.
"Little shit, you'll never get out of here alive!"
Without giving him time to breathe, the [Black Corps] launched himself at him, even though disarmed.
The first attack, a knife aimed at the [Black Corps]'s chest, was completely avoided.
Grabbing the attacking arm, he twisted it enough to make him hiss in pain, causing him to loosen his grip on his weapon.
The sharp blade was recovered by the [Black Corps], who tried to throw Kuro to the ground.
"Damn, he's almost as good at martial arts as Fumio-sensei!?"
Using [shadow step], the young boy managed to escape the hold.
"You won't escape!"
Anticipating where Kuro would reform, his enemy attacked without hesitation.
Their weapons clashed, Kuro managed to make his opponent bleed, immediately noticing that he had no [mana], not activating any Mana Armor or magic.
"Is he not a [mage]!?" Then the superhuman strength from before!? Could he be an [esper]! Or maybe—"
The boy's thoughts were interrupted by a kick to the chest. The force was so strong it sent him crashing against a wall, breaking through it and ending up on the other side.
"Weak! Did you really think you'd win! Alone?"
"Do you think...? NOW!" (Kuro)
Hajime broke through the floor beneath the [Black Corps], who didn't have time to dodge and took the full impact, smashing into the ceiling, creating small cracks before falling back to his feet, trying to recover from the blow. The boy with silvery hair charged at his opponent with his drawn sword, electric sparks covering his body, while Kuro did the same.
"You're kidding... you were two?!"
The man, recovering quickly with a swift dodge, avoided Kuro's first attack, and with a dagger in hand, deflected his second opponent's katana, groaning in pain.
"Ughh... what the—?"
Two daggers, thrown by Cloe's stepsister, hit the back of his knee and inside his thigh.
Hajime didn't waste the opportunity, smashing the man's temple with the hilt of his katana, knocking him to the ground.
"Damn! Stay down!" (Hajime)
It took about a dozen attacks from both boys to put the [Black Corps] into the world of dreams.
"His [armor] was really strong." (Hajime)
"He wasn't a [mage]..." (Kuro)
"Seriously? I held back, but if he had been a normal human, he'd be minced meat by now." (Hajime)
"I could've handled him alone if he was just an ordinary man... maybe he was an [esper]... Ugh, that bastard almost broke my arm." (Kuro)
Without wasting more time, the two boys took the body of the [Black Corps] and his security passes, trying to reach the elevator without being seen.
(Strange... even though the field agents are out, why is there so little staff... with all the chaos, there should be at least someone managing the [Black Corps]?) (Kuro)
Unbeknownst to him, Hajime had similar thoughts on the current situation.
(Where's the boss, Kugutsu? Or the vice? Are they so unprofessional? Or is there something else going on?) (Hajime)
Their instincts, honed through months of training and missions, were warning them.
When they reached the elevator, both knew something was wrong when the door opened, using the enemy's pass they had taken.
"Too easy... I honestly thought we'd have to wake him up for a code." (Kuro)
"Do you also have this strange feeling?" (Hajime)
"Yes, and I don't like it." (Kuro)
Finally, they entered the elevator, bringing their prisoner with them.
They couldn't leave after all the effort they'd made; despite that, they felt it was the right choice.
As they descended to the lower floors, both clenched their fists tightly, their concern growing stronger.
The corridor was empty. Or at least, they thought it was.
As soon as they stepped out of the elevator, they heard footsteps approaching.
"Take him and let's go!" (Kuro)
Hajime and Kuro moved swiftly, trying to avoid capture, but it seemed the footsteps came from everywhere, as if the underground level was full of guards.
(What the hell is going on?! Something's wrong! This place looks like a damned maze!) (Hajime)
Eventually, they found themselves surrounded by approaching footsteps. The only escape route was a door that the prisoner's pass managed to open.
"Where the hell are we now!?" (Kuro)
"It looks like a training ground, like the one we have at—" (Hajime)
Something moved near them. The two didn't notice the stranger's presence, so they weren't prepared for the blow that hit one of them.
The stepson of Goto felt very clearly the fist that struck his face, shattering his Oni mask.
The kinetic force was such that it threw him into Kuro. Both [mages] ended up crashing into one of the training room walls.
If they hadn't had their [armor] active, they probably wouldn't have made it, suffering multiple fractures.
"Ghhhaaa" (Hajime / Kuro)
The invisible figure approached them. The two [New Dawn] quickly got to their feet, drawing their weapons and activating their [magic].
"Where the hell is he?!" (Kuro)
"I don't hear his footsteps anymore—" (Hajime)
Another punch by Hajime, this time to the side, broke some ribs, sending the boy flying across the room.
Kuro moved his weapon to try to cut his enemy, but it was useless—the individual avoided his sickle easily before counterattacking.
Even Cloe's stepsister received a powerful blow to the ribs, which sent him flying away.
(How strong is this guy?! He's faster and stronger than both of us combined...) (Hajime)
In some way, Hajime tried to get back on his feet, using his weapon as a crutch.
The pain in his ribs was unavoidable, and he couldn't dodge the punch to his solar plexus.
The boy lost his grip on his sword, falling painfully to the ground.
Unfortunately, it wasn't over—the invisible being grabbed him by the throat with one hand, lifting him into the air.
"Damn! He's too strong!"
Even with [physical boost] active and focusing his strength into his hands, Goto's stepson couldn't free himself from the hold that was slowly suffocating him.
(I- I can't... f-finally end like this...)
Using his feet, the boy tried to kick his enemy with all his might.
There was no result; it was as if his opponent didn't feel pain or fatigue. With another punch to the solar plexus, Hajime's futile attempt to free himself was stopped.
His mouth filled with saliva and blood from the strong blow.
(Shit... I can't... f-finish...)
The [New Dawn]'s field of vision began to blur, but not before seeing a pained Kuro get back on his feet and activate [shadow step].
"FUCK! TAKE THIS!" (Hajime)
With his last energies, Hajime spat a mixture of saliva and blood onto his enemy's face.
The invisible being responded by throwing him against the wall with all his strength.
Despite being at his limit, the adolescent managed to lift his gaze while groaning on the floor, observing Kuro returning to human form behind their opponent.
Like before, the sickle failed to hit the target, but it didn't matter—the blood spat out by Hajime allowed his teammate to know where the invisible man had moved and to act accordingly.
"Take this!!!!!!"
The [New Dawn]'s assault was relentless. Not giving him time or space to approach, Cloe's stepsister managed to keep the [Black Corps] occupied for a few minutes.
That brief moment gave Hajime a chance to breathe and gather some strength.
"AAHHHHH!" (Hajime)
Kuro's teammate threw his katana at the invisible man, stabbing his abdomen and opening a gap for the teenage boy with black hair, who didn't miss his chance.
"DIE!!!!!!!"
Finally, [Carmilla II] reached the target, decapitating the invisible man with a single strike.
The head rolled away, and the body collapsed lifelessly; the boys let out a sigh of relief, thinking it was over.
"Are you okay?" (Kuro)
"I've been better... this guy was—...But what the hell is that!?"
The two boys stared in horror as the dead body became visible again.
"Is this a joke!?"
They had fought a doll-size humanoid puppet all this time, not a human.
And yet, their surprises weren't over, they were just beginning.
"Well, you guys were better than I expected."
A voice came from behind them. Hajime and Kuro spun around, and at that moment, their bodies were paralyzed. They realized they had found the serpent.
Despite wearing a gas mask, they knew exactly who they were dealing with. They had seen her in Fumio's reports long ago.
"Nice to meet you, I am Kugutsu, the leader of the [Black Corps] in this district... and you, are my new guests."
Before they could say or do anything, a green gas started to fill the room.
"Damn! It was a trap... *cough cough*" (Kuro)
Within seconds, Kuro collapsed unconscious. His body felt as if it weighed hundreds of tons.
Kuro fainted shortly after, while Hajime, with his resistance to poisons, remained conscious. What should he do!? Run? Or face Kugutsu? Both options were terrible. The boy with silvery hair had taken both his own weapons and his partner's sickle.
"Damn it!" (Hajime)
"Oh, oh! I see the gas doesn't affect you... I'm impressed every second. I didn't want to go overboard, but I'll have to use force to put you to sleep." (Kugutsu)
With two claps, ten doll soldiers emerged from the green smoke, all armed to the teeth with [Magical Weapons].
They all had the appearance of young boys and girls. Behind the smoke, something larger was visible, the woman's tail, a huge feline tail, which she stroked.
( I'm in deep shit!!) (Hajime)