Aex and Rena lunged forward, not giving him a second to breathe.
But Vincent was already behind them.
His hands shot out like steel traps. He grabbed them by the necks and slammed their heads together with bone-crushing force. The impact rang through the room.
Before Rena could recover, Vincent spun — a vicious roundhouse kick smashing into her ribs and sending her crashing across rows of metal tables.
Aex tried to calculate.
Too late.
A fist filled her vision.
The blow hurled her backward into the main computer console, screens shattering as her body smashed through them.
Sparks rained down.
Aex forced herself up, blood sliding from the corner of her lip. She pulled a compact device from her belt and threw it to the floor.
It clicked open.
The capturing capsule.
It expanded instantly — metallic plates unfolding as a reinforced energy string launched toward Vincent.
The capsule grew larger mid-air, ready to imprison him.
Vincent caught it.
With one hand.
The wires sliced into his palm, drawing blood — but he didn't flinch. He pulled the entire device toward himself and crushed it with a single punch.
The capsule exploded into scrap.
Aex's eyes widened.
Before she could blink—
Vincent was in front of her.
His right fist moved toward her face.
A Little Earlier
"Father? What are you thinking about?" Seraphina Zayden asked softly.
Kruex Zayden stood near the balcony, eyes distant.
"Nothing," he said slowly. "But I feel something… strange."
"Tell me."
"I think someone will infiltrate."
Seraphina smiled faintly. "Father, the guards will handle it."
Kruex smirked.
"My child… you don't know what I know."
She hesitated. "Father… I wanted to ask about Vincent."
"Yes?"
"Why is he commander? There are many stronger than him."
Kruex's smile deepened.
"He is special. Especially his right fist. One strike can kill almost anyone."
He turned slightly.
"I trained him myself. Raised him."
Back to the Present
Aex closed her eyes.
She knew about the right fist.
She waited for the impact.
Seconds passed.
Nothing.
She slowly opened her eyes.
Vincent's punch had stopped — inches from her face.
Strings wrapped around his arm.
Rena.
Aex allowed herself the faintest smile.
Vincent chuckled.
He grabbed the strings with his bleeding hand and pulled.
Rena flew toward him.
He raised his right fist again, confident.
But Rena twisted mid-air, using her strings to redirect herself. The deadly punch missed by a breath.
Even Vincent's eyes widened slightly.
Rena landed on her palm, flipped, and delivered three rapid kicks to his face.
Vincent moved to retaliate—
—and froze.
His body locked in place.
He couldn't move.
"What did you do?" he growled.
Aex stood behind him.
"I set up a Shringtoid."
[Shringtoid: A mega magnetic field device that traps anyone who passes through it. It weakens the target by disrupting muscular control. The magnitude can be increased — but it can also harm the user if miscalculated.]
Vincent's jaw tightened.
"How did you get that?"
Suddenly—
The alarm blared.
Red lights flooded the room.
"What now?" Aex asked.
"We got what we came for. Let's leave," Rena replied.
Vincent's voice came out cold.
"You think you can leave that easily?"
Rena flicked her fingers.
Her string sliced through his left calf muscle.
Blood spilled.
Vincent did not scream.
"Go," Aex said.
They ran toward the staircase leading to the rooftop.
And stopped.
A man sat on the steps. Calm and Still.
On the top right of his shirt, one word was stitched:
Shadow
Rena's pulse quickened. She had heard the name.
Then heels echoed from behind him.
Seraphina appeared, descending down the stairs.
"Well played, Ava… Liora," she said smoothly.
"Ma'am?" Aex and Rena said in unison.
Seraphina's eyes hardened.
"No. Don't call me that. Today… we are enemies."
"Ma'am, don't say—"
Seraphina raised a hand.
Silence fell in the corridor.
"You've turned my entire mansion upside down."
She gestured toward the man seated on the stairs.
"Allow me to introduce him."
The device covering his right eye glowed red light faintly.
"This is Shadow," Seraphina said. "The strongest member of Eclipse. Nearly at the level of the previous commander."
"The previous commander…" Rena murmured.
Seraphina kept her smile .
"You know about him? I'm not surprised. You were always the best, Liora."
She looked at Shadow. Seraphina's smile vanished.
"Capture them. Alive."
Aex and Rena shifted into stance.
Shadow disappeared.
He was suddenly in front of them.
The world flipped.
Ceiling became floor.
Air vanished from their lungs.
Then—
Darkness.
"Amazing," Seraphina whispered.
"You were trained well. Raised by my beloved…"
Her expression turned distant.
"I wonder if he remembers me."
Guards entered.
"Take them to holding."
She walked away. Shadow followed without a word.
The guards lifted the unconscious women—
And white fog seeped into the corridor.
"Where is that coming from?!" one guard shouted.
A silhouette walked through the mist.
Before anyone could react—
Their consciousness faded.
The Next Morning
Ava and Liora woke up in their room.
"Was that a dream?" Liora asked.
"No. It can't be."
Ava checked her pocket.
The USB was still there.
She inserted it into her laptop.
Data appeared.
Both exhaled.
"We did it," Ava whispered.
"But how are we here? Shadow defeated us."
"Doesn't matter. We have what we came for."
Liora walked to the window.
She froze.
"Ava… come here."
Ava joined her.
Her blood ran cold.
Eclipse guards filled the colony streets.
"They've locked everything down," Liora said quietly.
"Curfew."
"No one goes in."
"No one comes out."