The safe house had become their temporary command center. Weapons lined the table. Tactical maps covered the walls. Every entrance and window had been reinforced despite the ordinary appearance of the building from the outside.
Rain hammered softly against the windows as the Seraphs gathered around the central display. A reactor core rotated slowly on the screen.
Philip stood at the front of the room.
"They're moving again," he said. "Satellite scans picked up activity near an industrial facility in the northern sector. We believe they're targeting another reactor."
Rafael crossed his arms. "Then we stop them."
Andrew looked up from his tablet. "That may not be wise. After the last encounter—"
"We can't keep retreating," Zahara interrupted sharply.
Aziel remained focused on the screen.
"If they obtain another core, who knows what could happen."
Silence followed.
Because they all understood what that meant.
Philip sighed quietly.
"We were supposed to remain hidden," he admitted. "But if we let them take it uncontested, we lose initiative completely."
Malak grabbed one of the rifles from the table, checking its magazine.
"So we go."
Seraphina looked toward Philip.
"What's the objective?"
"Prevent extraction if possible," Philip answered. "Engage only if necessary."
Aziel's expression hardened slightly.
"They'll expect us."
Philip nodded once.
"Yes."
The facility was already burning by the time the Seraphs arrived.
Smoke curled into the night sky as emergency lights flashed across the industrial complex. Deep within the structure, alarms screamed through metal corridors while the reactor chamber shook from distant impacts.
And waiting inside—
The Saints.
The moment both groups saw each other, the atmosphere changed instantly.
They collided instantly.
But this time was different. The Seraphs realized it within seconds. The Saints were faster, stronger, more aggressive.
Every movement carried overwhelming force now, stripped of the restraint they once showed during earlier encounters.
Aziel barely blocked a strike before being driven backward hard enough to crack steel beneath his boots.
Nearby, Rafael attempted to counter one of the Saints only to be slammed violently into a support pillar before he could recover.
Malak cursed under his breath as he fired repeatedly while retreating.
"They're not holding back anymore!"
Seraphina fought with brutal precision, managing to land several clean strikes before a Saint caught her arm mid-motion and drove a knee into her ribs hard enough to force the air from her lungs.
The gap between them had widened horribly.
Or perhaps—
It had always been there.
Within minutes the fight collapsed completely.
One by one, the Seraphs hit the ground.
Bruised, bleeding, unable to continue.
Aziel tried forcing himself back up before a boot slammed against his chest, pinning him back down.
Deborah stood at the center of the chamber, calm and untouched amid the destruction.
Her voice remained emotionless as she activated her comms.
"They are incapacitated," she said. "Should we proceed with termination?"
Static crackled briefly.
Then the Savior's voice answered calmly through the channel.
"No."
A short pause followed.
"Collect all body fluids listed in the extraction file."
Deborah nodded once.
"Understood."
She stepped back as one of the Heralds approached carrying a sealed black bag.
The Herald knelt and unzipped it carefully.
Inside were syringes, collection tubes, disinfectant. Materials for a biopsy.
Small reinforced medical containers.
The Seraphs watched weakly from the floor, confusion mixing with frustration as the Saints began their work with cold efficiency.
Blood samples.
Tissue extraction.
Bone marrow.
Spinal fluid.
Everything is carefully labeled and stored.
Deborah sealed the final container before standing again.
"All samples secured."
The Savior's voice returned through the comms. "Retrieve the reactor core and return to base."
The Saints obeyed immediately. Several moved toward the reactor while the others maintained overwatch over the fallen Seraphs.
Within minutes, the massive core was secured for transport.
Then they left.
Just like that.
No final words.
No execution.
No explanation.
Only silence remained behind them.
The Seraphs lay scattered across the ruined chamber, battered and barely conscious as the sound of departing aircraft faded into the night.
—
Pain was the first thing they felt. It was heavy, burning, deep enough to make movement difficult.
One by one, the Seraphs slowly regained consciousness across the ruined reactor chamber. Smoke still drifted through the air while damaged lights flickered weakly overhead, casting unstable shadows across the destruction left behind.
For several moments, nobody spoke.
Only strained breathing filled the silence.
Malak groaned first, forcing himself upright against a cracked support beam. He wiped blood from the corner of his mouth before looking around the chamber in disbelief.
"What the hell just happened…?"
Nearby, Rafael pushed himself onto one knee, still breathing heavily.
"We got our asses kicked," he muttered.
Zahara sat against the floor clutching her side, frustration clear in her eyes.
"They were stronger this time."
"No," Aziel said quietly.
The others looked toward him.
He stood slowly despite the bruising across his body, his expression darker than before.
"They were always this strong."
That realization settled heavily over the group.
Seraphina leaned back against shattered metal, trying to steady her breathing.
"So before now…" she said slowly, "…they were restraining themselves."
Because now they had felt the difference firsthand.
Malak let out a dry laugh despite the pain.
"That's comforting."
Elara looked toward the destroyed section where the reactor once stood.
"They could've killed us."
Again—
No one argued.
A sharp burst of static suddenly crackled through their comms.
Then Philip's voice came through immediately.
"Status report."
Aziel activated his comms weakly.
"We're alive." A pause. "They took the reactor."
Silence lingered briefly from the other end before Philip responded.
"Return to base immediately."
The transmission ended.
For a moment, the Seraphs remained where they were, exhausted and trying to process what had happened.
They had trained very hard, believing they were humanity's answer to the Sanctum.
Humanity's shield.
And tonight they learned something terrifying.
The Saints had been showing mercy all along.
Aziel finally turned toward the exit.
"Move."
Slowly, painfully, the Seraphs began leaving the ruined facility behind.