The city filled with skyscrapers remained silent.
Some of the buildings were crushed to the ground. Others leaned on nearby buildings for support.
Only a few skyscrapers truly stood on their own.
The ground wasn't covered in snow, nor did it burn with flames.
Just smoke slowly rising from some of the wreckage.
Through the destruction, a cloaked figure moved, looking behind a few times before moving toward a broken skyscraper.
It was an Iskari .
The figure entered the skyscraper through a crack, carefully avoiding the steel
Inside the building, a long, dark hallway stretched far into the darkness.
The Iskari moved through broken furniture and shattered pieces of glass
Steel from the broken roof stuck outward.
Even the ground had holes and cracks.
Farther down the hallway, hushed voices could be heard.
The Iskari slowly followed them, eventually reaching a door.
An unusual chill seeped through the crevices of the door
Mist also leaked from beneath it
Ice
The moment the Iskari stopped at the door, everything went silent
The figure knocked four times, waiting two seconds between each knock
"It's Daimo," the figure said
The door clicked, slowly the door opened by itself.
Icy mist spilled out into the hallway
The whole room was covered by its haze.
Multiple pairs of eyes glowed faintly blue, all staring sharply at him.
They didn't even blink
Daimo stepped inside, closing the door and freezing the latch shut
He turned to look at his comrades
Three men sat on the table in the middle of the room
Behind them, two men stood in opposite corners of the room
Another two leaned against the walls, their arms folded.
The men were barely visible through the haze, but soon it settled on the ground like a thick blanket of cloud.
The three men seated on the table were the very first men Leo encountered
Captain Nero, Ricky and the same guy with the buzz cut.
Everybody stared at the Iskari under the hood
"Well?" Captain Nero asked
The hooded Iskari pulled back his hood, revealing a long scar along his face
"Nothing," he answered, shaking his head
Captain Nero gripped the edges of the table.
"Well... We're fucked," said the guy leaning against the right wall
"How the hell do two people just... disappear?" the buzz cut guy asked
"We need to search further," he added
Everyone turned toward the buzz-cut guy.
"With what men?" the one seated in the right corner asked, his head low.
"I don't even know where my squad is," he added.
He slowly looked up at the buzz-cut guy.
A huge burn mark covered more than half of his face, even his mouth.
Part of his teeth was visible
No one reacted strongly to the sight of his face, though.
"We are scattered all over this damn place," the scarred man said "Hell, we might even be the last."
Silence overtook the square room
The thick icy mist moved slowly at their feet
"You know... there's only one thing that could do this," another man said
He was seated in another corner, his eyes were wide as he stared at the misty floor.
He couldn't stop shaking his legs.
Everyone exchanged glances, one of them shivered briefly.
"No," Captain Nero said. "They're extinct."
"Think about it, Sir Marquez disappeared along with the flame host-"
"Bullshit!" Captain Nero snapped
"The Octaryns died," he added
"Then explain what happened to the two hosts," the nervous man replied.
Captain Nero's gaze shifted toward him.
"What are you suggesting?" he asked
"All I saw was an explosion, then just silence."
The man continued shaking his legs.
"We searched the surrounding area, and neither of them was there," he added
"That doesn't mean the Octaryns are involved." Nero said
"Sir, the moon is literally glowing red," the nervous man said
Nobody replied
The man looked around the room, waiting for someone to speak.
They all stared at nothing, as if sorting through their thoughts
"We've lost contact with most of our squads," the burned man muttered.
"Half of us don't even know who's still alive."
He lowered his head.
"What the hell are we supposed to do?"
Ricky leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table.
"Suppose they killed each other?"
"They don't just die, you know that," Daimo said.
Ricky looked at him.
"I didn't."
Everyone looked at Ricky, eyebrows raised.
"All I knew was we were in power, and that's all that matters," Ricky said.
For a moment, silence settled over the room again. The blanket of mist moved endlessly at their feet.
Captain Nero released the edges of the table.
"We'll continue searching when we have enough men to do so. Until then, nobody goes anywhere alone."
"And if something finds us first?" the nervous man asked.
Nero's expression hardened.
"Then we'll deal with it."
A faint noise echoed somewhere beyond the door.
Everyone fell silent.
Daimo slowly turned his head toward it.
Another sound followed.
Something heavy struck the floor.
A knock
Four times, without the usual two-second interval
The mist around the room rose, concealing the men. Their faint blue eyes pierced through the haze
Suddenly it knocked again. Four times, with two seconds between each knock
"K-Koji... Its me," a woman's voice said.
Immediately, the shaking man stood up.
Captain Nero raised his left arm.
The man didn't stop. He flicked his wrist.
He manipulated the ice that froze the door shut.
The door swung open
Nero frowned, but it was already too late
A girl stepped into the room
She instantly hugged the trembling man
"Koji I-I thought you died," she muttered, her face buried in his chest
Koji held her tightly, his eyes trembling.
His lips quivered but he didn't cry
While they hugged, Daimo moved to close the door and freeze it's latch.
The moment it closed, the door creaked open slightly
Warm water leaked from the latch
"Huh?" Daimo muttered, freezing the door shut again
The door opened slightly again, warm water dripping from the latch
He could feel it
The mist in the room began to swirl subtly
Almost like tornadoes, the mist slowly shifted into a gas-like state
Nero, Ricky, and the buzz-cut man had already noticed
Daimo turned to freeze the door shut again
But
He could see them far down the hallway
Five shadows walking toward them
He blinked twice. They were still walking.
Except one suddenly ran toward him
Flames briefly ignited in their hand
"Get down!" Daimo shouted, slamming the door shut.
Nero and his crew had already reacted
Everyone else looked up at Daimo, who leaned against the closed door.
His eyes were wide and unfocused
"What?" the man leaning against the wall asked
Daimo didn't get to answer. Blood leaked from his lips, dripping into the evaporating mist.
He fell forward, revealing a hole burned right through the door. Ash rose from its edges
A similar hole had been burned through Daimo's back, but the attack hadn't gone through to his front.
The broken door creaked open
Revealing a silhouette standing in the doorway
Craig stood there, his right hand soaked with fresh blood.
Possibly Daimo's
Everyone in the room stood up
"So this is where the Icies crawled off to," he said
Everyone tensed, fists trembling as their eyes scanned the room
The girl who hugged Koji didn't react. She briefly lowered her eyes when she saw Craig
Craig stared at the men with a faint smirk.
The rest appeared
Len, Kado and Edd
They didn't say a word. They parted, making way for Sato
Sato entered the room with the crystalline object in his hands
Instantly, the whole crowd gasped
Most gasped at the sight of their trapped leader
Nero, however, was shocked by Sato's eyes
"I'm sorry, but I'll be needing this room," Sato said calmly
The octagon-shaped rune in his eyes spun
End