Outside the base, the battle was still raging.
Scientists continued pouring onto the battlefield, refusing to back down.
Fanny charged straight into the crowd.
She spun and drove a powerful kick into a scientist's stomach.
Boom!
The scientist was launched high into the air before crashing into several others.
Fanny landed lightly and looked around.
Her eyes found Bomb, who was busy exchanging blows with another group of scientists.
Thud!
Bomb knocked one scientist to the ground with a heavy punch.
Fanny called out,
"Where's Kaito?"
Bomb ducked beneath a swinging blade before elbowing the attacker in the face.
"Maybe..."
He punched another scientist across the jaw.
"...he already went inside."
Fanny nodded.
"I see."
Another scientist rushed toward her.
She caught him by the arm and punched him aside, sending him rolling across the ground.
"Should we follow him?"
Bomb kicked a scientist square in the face before answering.
"No."
He looked toward the entrance of the base.
"We still need to stop these scientists from retreating back inside."
Before either of them could continue—
A sharp gust of wind swept across the battlefield.
Whoosh!
The nearby scientists suddenly froze.
Thin cuts appeared across their uniforms before they collapsed one after another.
Shiro stepped out from the drifting mist, his sword already back in its sheath.
He looked at Bomb and Fanny.
"Go."
"We've got this."
Bomb grinned.
"About time."
He looked at Fanny.
"Come on."
"Let's go."
Fanny nodded.
"Right."
The two immediately sprinted toward the entrance of the base.
Behind them, Shiro slowly raised his hand.
The surrounding mist began to gather.
Within seconds, it formed a massive wall of dense white fog between the battlefield and the base entrance.
Scientists who tried to push through were forced back.
Shiro looked at the wall with a calm expression.
"No one's getting back into the base."
With the entrance sealed by the mist, Bomb and Fanny disappeared inside the facility.
Meanwhile, inside the base, Saito and Lily continued searching through the endless corridors.
They checked room after room, but there was still no sign of Noxus.
As they turned another corner, they stopped in front of a large metal door.
Unlike the others, this one was protected by a thick reinforced lock.
Saito folded his arms.
"...I think Noxus is hiding in here."
Lily looked at the heavy door.
"You sure?"
Saito smirked.
"Watch and learn."
He stepped forward and drew his sword.
With one swift motion—
Slash!
The blade sliced cleanly through the reinforced door.
The heavy metal split in half and crashed onto the floor with a loud bang.
Boom!
Saito confidently looked inside.
...
The room was empty.
His smile slowly disappeared.
"...Crap."
Lily couldn't help but chuckle.
She walked past him and stepped into the room.
"This is just a storage room."
She looked around at the shelves lined with equipment.
"It's full of their equipment."
Saito scratched the back of his head.
"...Well."
"I was just trying my luck."
Lily laughed quietly.
"Next time, try using your brain first."
Saito sighed dramatically.
"Yeah, yeah."
The two left the storage room and continued searching deeper inside the base.
Rin rushed forward once again, his scythe cutting through the air.
"Die!"
Brody raised his arm.
Clang!
The scythe slammed against the purple aura protecting him.
Before Rin could pull back, Brody grabbed his wrist.
"Got you."
With a powerful twist, Brody slammed Rin into the ground.
Boom!
The floor cracked beneath the impact.
Rin coughed, a mouthful of blood escaping his lips.
"Cough..."
Brody smirked.
"Not so confident now?"
Rin ignored him.
Still lying on the ground, he swung his scythe upward.
Slash!
The blade cut deep across Brody's arm.
Blood splattered onto the floor.
Brody's eyes widened.
"Shit—"
Rin didn't waste the opportunity.
He pushed himself to his feet and drove a punch straight into Brody's face.
Bang!
Brody was launched backward, crashing through the doorway into the next room.
Crash!
Rin wiped the blood from his mouth and pointed his scythe forward.
"Take that, you mad—"
Whoosh!
Before he could finish, Brody burst out of the dust at incredible speed.
The purple aura flowed from his arm down into his leg.
Rin's eyes widened.
"So that's your trick—"
Boom!
Brody's kick landed squarely on Rin's chest.
The impact hurled Rin backward into a metal railing.
Clang!
The railing bent from the force.
Rin grabbed it to stop himself from falling and slowly pulled himself back to his feet.
Across the room, Brody calmly wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.
He looked at the red stain on his fingers for a moment.
Then he laughed.
"Haha..."
"Wow..."
"This is the first time I've seen my own blood."
His grin widened as he looked back at Rin.
"Now this..."
"...is getting interesting."
Rin charged at Brody once more, refusing to slow down.
His scythe swept toward Brody's chest.
Brody didn't move.
Instead, he stepped forward.
Whoosh!
His hand shot out and wrapped around Rin's throat.
"Ghk...!"
Rin's eyes widened.
Brody lifted him off the ground with one hand.
Rin grabbed Brody's wrist, trying to pry it away.
"L-Let me... go..."
Brody smiled coldly.
"Oh, no... no."
"It's time for nighty night."
Still holding Rin by the throat, Brody walked toward the nearby corridor.
He stopped at the edge and looked over the railing.
Far below, the lower level of the base stretched into darkness.
Brody glanced back at Rin.
"What a long fall."
Rin gritted his teeth.
He suddenly drove his foot into Brody's stomach.
Boom!
Brody was forced backward, releasing his grip.
Rin dropped toward the floor.
He barely caught the edge with one hand.
Clang!
His body dangled over the side of the corridor.
Rin looked down.
"...Oh."
"That's a long way down."
Brody slowly stood back up and dusted off his clothes.
He walked calmly toward Rin.
"So..."
He looked down at the dangling gangster.
"Enjoy your journey."
Brody lifted his foot.
Crunch!
He stepped directly onto Rin's hand.
Rin's fingers trembled from the pressure.
"Tch..."
He winced but refused to let go.
"This..."
"...is nothing."
Brody looked down at him with an amused smile.
"Are you sure?"
He slowly pressed down even harder.
Crunch.
Pain shot through Rin's arm as his grip on the edge began to weaken.
Just as Rin's grip began to slip—
Boom!
A powerful kick slammed into Brody's side.
Brody was sent sliding several meters across the corridor before finally stopping.
Rin looked up in surprise.
"...Kaito?"
A figure landed between them.
Kaito.
He glanced at Rin for a brief moment.
"You look terrible."
Without another word, he drew his knife and pointed it at Brody.
"Hi there again."
Brody slowly stood up, rubbing the side where he had been kicked.
A smirk spread across his face.
"So..."
"You're that assassin."
He narrowed his eyes.
"...A Noctarion."
A mocking laugh escaped him.
"Heh..."
"But you're nothing more than a disgrace to them."
The moment the words left his mouth—
Kaito vanished.
Whoosh!
Brody's eyes widened.
"So fast—"
Thud!
Kaito slammed into him, tackling him across the floor.
Before Brody could recover—
Bang!
Kaito drove a kick upward, launching him into the air.
Brody's body lifted off the ground.
Kaito didn't hesitate.
He leaped after him.
His knife flashed.
Shing!
The blade plunged into Brody.
Brody's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Cough...!"
Blood spilled from his mouth as he stared at Kaito.
Kaito leaned in slightly, his expression cold.
"So..."
He twisted the knife slightly before pulling it back.
"...say that again."
"Who's the disgrace?"
Brody coughed up more blood, too shocked to answer as he dropped back toward the floor.