May 21st | 3:00 AM Mission Clock: 6 Hours Remaining
The weight of the silence was suffocating. For two days, the team had hunted shadows, and now, with the clock ticking toward zero, desperation had set in. Every member was running from one place to another, checking every corner of the sector, but the detectors remained stubbornly silent. Dark circles and heavy eyes marked every face; sleep was a luxury they couldn't afford.
"Anyone found it?" Ansh's voice crackled over the radio, thin with exhaustion.
"No," Lucky replied shortly.
"It's been two days! Why can't we find it?" Pragyanjali's voice rose in frustration.
"Reno, what about the detectors?" Kirito asked, his own voice tight.
"None," Reno replied.
"Fuck, we don't have enough time!" Lucious growled.
Asuna broke through the gloom. "Have you tried reversing the detector?".
"Yes, three to four times," Reno sighed, "but it didn't come".
Kirito adjusted his gear, his eyes hardening. "Someone come with me. I am going to check the temple again".
"I will go with you," Asuna said, stepping out of the shadows.
The walk toward the temple was eerie. The night air felt unnaturally warm and the streets were deathly silent. As they walked, Asuna closed the gap between them, her movements hesitant and shy.
"Are... Are you tired?" she asked softly.
"Hmm, not... not at all," Kirito replied, looking at her. "What makes you say that?".
"Pah... No, it's nothing," Asuna muttered, quickly turning her head away.
In the dim light, her cheeks were flushed a deep red. Upon reaching the temple, they checked their detectors one last time—nothing. Exhausted, they sat down on the temple's boundary wall. Kirito reached into his gear and offered Asuna a can of coffee.
"Oh, thank you," Asuna said, surprised. "I didn't know you had these".
"I kept them inside the slime to keep them warm," Kirito explained as she took the can.
They drank in silence, the warmth of the coffee a small comfort against the coming storm. After finishing, Kirito reported their status to Reno. They stood up, preparing to leave the site, when a sudden, violent "BOOM" shook the ground beneath them.
"What was that?" Asuna gasped, her hand flying to her weapon.
"Let's check it," Kirito commanded.
They sprinted toward the main hall of the temple. When they arrived, they found one of the massive pillars had been completely shattered.
"Come fast!" Asuna yelled, looking at the mana detector.
"We found him!" Kirito yelled into the radio. "Guys, the Devil is here!".
"Hooray!" Ansh cheered from the other end.
"Time to go home," Reno added, his voice finally regaining its edge.
Kirito scanned the wreckage, searching for a target. Suddenly, a massive blast erupted behind them. A portal tore open in the center of the hall, releasing a wave of mana so intense it fried every detector in the vicinity.
Kirito's breath hitched in his throat. The sheer pressure of the mana was suffocating.
"Asuna, get ready!" Kirito barked, drawing his pistol.
"What is that?" Asuna asked, her grip tightening on her sword.
"Don't tell me he is here... again," Kirito whispered.
A chilling, loud laugh echoed through the hall. Out of the portal stepped a humanoid devil. It was a gruesome sight—a gaping hole was centered in its chest, and through it, a green glowing core pulsed with a sickening light.
"His core is visible... but what is with this intense mana?" Asuna breathed, her face pale.
"Is he here for me?" Kirito wondered, his mind racing.
Central Region HQ | Sagar | 3:35 AM
The monitors at HQ went wild. "Report to the Grandmaster! 9.9 Fortitude! An S-Rank devil has arrived from nowhere!" a staffer screamed. "Send help immediately!".
"Where?" another asked frantically.
"At Orchha! The university students are there on a mission!".
"Oh fuck!".
Yuki burst into the room, running toward the consoles. "Give me the pinpoint location!". "We can't have an S-Rank on Earth!".
"He... Hello... Found you... Water Magician," the Devil laughed awkwardly.
"His mana pressure has totally changed... it's gotten even stronger," Kirito noted. "Asuna, on my count!".
Kirito slowly slid the safety lock off his gun.
"Now!".
"Lightning Flash!" Asuna screamed, lunging with her sword for a pinpoint strike. She attacked at a terrifying speed, but the Devil dodged her effortlessly. Unable to stop her momentum, her sword drove deep into a stone pillar and became stuck.
"Can he... move that fast?" she gasped.
The Devil ignored her, focusing solely on Kirito. Kirito opened fire, but the bullets melted in mid-air before they could reach the Devil's skin.
"What the hell?" Kirito muttered.
In a flash, the Devil appeared directly in front of him and drove a punch deep into Kirito's stomach.
Kirito was launched across the temple at high speed, slamming into the hard stone boundary wall. He slumped to the ground, blood leaking from his mouth and head.
"What a beautiful sight to see," the Devil sneered, looking down at the broken boy. "The power given by my Master is so magnificent".
"It's not... over yet," Kirito wheezed, looking up through the blood in his eyes. "Right, Reno?".
The Devil turned back as three massive electrical poles began to levitate into the air around Reno. They began to move toward the Devil at high speed.
"It is getting fun," the Devil laughed. "Come at me!".
Reno hurled the poles with everything he had, but as they reached the creature, they simply melted away. The very floor of the temple was now shining and shimmering from the sheer heat of the Devil's mana.
The Devil stood amidst the molten metal of Reno's attacks, unscathed. Asuna charged again, her eyes filled with desperation, but the Devil caught her by the arm mid-swing.
"Cough!" Asuna cried out as her hand was severely burned by the Devil's touch. It hurled her across the hall. Blood began to pour from her head and stomach as she hit the floor, struggling to even stand.
Kirito stood up, a creepy smile forming on his bloodied face.
"Where are others?" he asked.
"On the way," Reno said, landing beside him.
"You guys are interesting," the Devil remarked, watching them with amusement.
Kirito's eyes began to glow a brilliant, piercing blue.
"Atomic Rail!".
He moved like a lightning strike, aiming a kick at the Devil's back. But the Devil was faster—it caught Kirito's leg and threw him away like he was nothing.
"Flash Step!" Asuna roared, disappearing into a blur of speed.
She lunged at the Devil, but the creature didn't even flinch. It saw her coming and dodged her strike with casual ease. Before she could reset, it countered with a devastating kick. Asuna tried to block, but the sheer power of the blow sent her flying back. She managed to land perfectly, but her breath was gone.
Reno opened fire from a distance, but the Devil didn't bother dodging. It simply levitated the bullets in mid-air and redirected them back at Reno as weapons. Reno began using the environment, telekinetically launching objects to block and attack. He aimed directly for the core, but the Devil's mana defense was so intense that the bullets melted into slag before they could touch its skin.
Suddenly, a different bullet hissed through the air, narrowly missing the Devil's ear.
"Hoh," the Devil muttered.
"Shit... I missed!" Pragyanjali hissed, resetting her bolt from the fort window.
400 meters away, Pragyanjali adjusted her custom rifle. She watched through the scope, her finger on the trigger.
"Next time, I will not miss," she whispered with a cold smile.