Chapter 81: Fah-jin's Attack
The battlefield had descended into complete disorder.
Floating cubes continued to drift through the smoke-filled sky like silent predators, each one concealing another nightmare within its flawless surface.
Every time Shogun casually flicked one with his finger—
POP!!
Another Freaker erupted from within.
Some shot through the streets like cannonballs, smashing through abandoned buildings before recovering almost instantly.
Others twisted through the air, changing direction in impossible ways before diving toward the nearest target.
They weren't simply being released, they were being fired, each one was a living projectile.
A weapon.
Daito's team struggled to gain even a moment to breathe as the relentless barrage forced them farther and farther onto the defensive.
Brandon crushed one Freaker beneath his fist—
CRAAASH!
Only for two more to descend from above.
Wei-Wan disappeared into a blur of movement, weaving effortlessly between airborne monsters before severing them with clean, almost invisible strikes.
Wasabi continued firing from behind the group, every shot perfectly placed, but for every Freaker that fell...
Another cube burst open. Another monster emerged. Shogun hadn't moved an inch. He simply watched.
Silent and patient.
Like a hunter observing prey slowly exhaust itself.
Then...A sharp burst of static crackled through Daito's communicator.
KSSSHHHH...
"Daito!"
Fah-jin's voice.
Urgent and almost breathless.
He immediately raised a hand, signaling the others to hold their formation.
"Report."
For a brief moment, only static answered him.
Then her voice returned.
"...We found Champagne."
Daito's heart skipped.
Only for an instant.
"...Status?"
Silence.
A heavy silence.
Then—
"...It's bad."
Her voice had changed.
It became lower and more serious.
"The civilian Champagne rescued..."
She hesitated.
"...He transformed."
Daito's grip tightened around the hilt of his sword.
His knuckles turned white.
"...Champagne's keeping him occupied..."
Another burst of interference interrupted her.
KSSSHHHH...
"...But..."
More static.
"...He's refusing to kill him."
The words hit harder than expected. Daito closed his eyes for a brief second. He didn't need any further explanation. Champagne wasn't fighting an enemy. He was trying to save a victim.
That hesitation...Could cost him his life.
When Daito opened his eyes again...They had become cold, focused amd determined.
"...Fah-jin."
His voice remained calm despite everything unfolding around them.
"We've got a bigger problem."
His gaze shifted toward Shogun, who remained perfectly still amidst the floating cubes.
"...This one isn't alone."
"There are others."
Before Fah-jin could respond—
SSHK...
Another communication burst onto the channel.
This time...It was Zachia.
"Daito!"
His voice echoed through heavy static.
"We've made contact near Central Hospital!"
Almost simultaneously, another voice overlapped his.
Avenor.
"Purple hair..."
Her breathing was uneven.
"...Same appearance."
Silence.
Everything suddenly fit together.
The kidnappings. The hospital attacks. The synchronized outbreaks. The multiple purple-haired enemies.
Daito's expression hardened.
"...It's them."
His voice carried absolute certainty.
"...The Silver Moon."
The name settled over everyone like a dark cloud. Every piece of the puzzle clicked into place. The missing patients. The Freaker epidemic. The carefully coordinated attacks across Kingsville. None of it had been coincidence. This was a military operation. Executed with terrifying precision.
"They're coordinating everything..."
Daito slowly raised his sword.
The blade reflected the fires burning across the city.
"...Engage."
No hesitation and no uncertainty.
The command echoed through every communicator.
Miles away...Fah-jin immediately took position atop the roof of a collapsed government building.
The entire burning city stretched before her. Smoke rolled across the skyline. Emergency sirens echoed endlessly below.
She slowly exhaled.
Fwooo...
Her breathing steadied. Her pulse slowed. She rested her massive sniper rifle against the edge of the rooftop.
Whooom.....
Energy quietly gathered around the weapon. Blue light flowed along its frame before traveling into her hands. Thin streams of glowing energy spread beneath her skin like rivers of light.
Her Savage Power awakened.
The wind itself seemed to pause.
"...Let's even the field."
She whispered the words to herself.
Through the scope, two battlefields came into view.
One...The Central Hospital.
Where Zachia and Avenor fought desperately against another member of Silver Moon.
The second...The heart of Kingsville.
Where Daito stood facing Shogun.
Most snipers would have chosen one target.
Fah-jin...
Chose both.
She slowly squeezed the trigger.
"...Fire."
BOOOOOOOOOOOM!!
The rifle roared.
A beam of brilliant energy erupted from the barrel with enough force to shake the entire rooftop.
Halfway across the city...The beam divided.
Like a river splitting into two branches.
Twin streams of compressed energy tore across Kingsville's skyline like blazing comets.
* * *
At Central Hospital...
The purple-haired figure barely turned his head before the incoming blast crashed through the corridor.
BOOOOOOM!!
Walls exploded outward.
Glass shattered in every direction.
The shockwave tore apart the hallway, forcing him several steps backward as debris engulfed the entire floor.
Zachia glanced toward the destruction before allowing himself the faintest smile.
"...Perfect timing."
Meanwhile...
At the city center...Shogun's eyes shifted upward.
Just slightly.
He saw the incoming light too late.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!
The explosion consumed everything around him. Floating cubes shattered into countless fragments. Airborne Freakers were vaporized before they even understood what had struck them.
The ground erupted beneath the overwhelming force. Smoke engulfed the battlefield.
For the first time...Shogun staggered.
"...Tch."
A single step backward, nothing more.
But it was enough because Daito had already moved.
He vanished making no sound, and no warning.
One moment he stood before the smoke.
The next...he was gone.
Shogun's eyes narrowed.
Searching, calculating and listening.
Nothing.
Only drifting smoke.
Then—
SLAAAAASH!!
A silver arc flashed through the darkness.
The strike came from behind.
It was fast, clean, and perfectly timed.
The blade sliced across Shogun's side before disappearing back into the smoke.
PSSSH!
Blood splashed across the cracked pavement.
Shogun remained standing, motionless for one long second.
Then a crimson line slowly appeared across his side.
Daito stepped out of the smoke several meters behind him. His sword dripped quietly onto the broken street.
He never looked away.
"...It's over."
Silence answered him.
Then...Shogun laughed.
Not loudly nor maniacally.
Just a quiet...Almost disappointed chuckle.
"...You think..."
His voice remained calm.
"...That was enough?"
Around them...The few floating cubes that had survived Fah-jin's blast began trembling violently.
Their surfaces cracked not outward, but inward.
The sound echoed through the smoke.
CRRRR... CRACK...
Daito's instincts immediately reacted.
Something had changed. This wasn't another wave of Freakers. The energy was different.
Heavier and more unstable.
The cubes collapsed into themselves before slowly dissolving into dark, pulsating masses of flesh.
They no longer resembled perfect geometric shapes.
They had become...Something alive, something growing, and Something far larger than anything Shogun had summoned before.
Even Shogun himself seemed almost...Satisfied.
"...Good."
His voice was barely audible.
"...Everything is proceeding as planned."
Daito's expression darkened.
This transformation...was never meant to happen during their battle.
It had always been part of the operation.
Part of the larger design.
Far beyond the city center...
Other members of Silver Moon continued carrying out their own assignments.
Each battlefield. Each distraction. Each outbreak. Everything was unfolding simultaneously.
Then, through the smoke...Shogun spoke one final sentence.
"...Plan B..."
A slow smile spread across his face.
"...Has begun."
The darkness around the shattered cubes pulsed once.
Then something inside them...Moved.
To be continued...