chapter 4 the rescue mission completed

The night was silent, but not peaceful.

In the center of the ruined city stood a towering structure—Koko Building. Half destroyed, half active. Its upper floors still glowed with artificial light, a sign that something inside was very wrong.

Akaiyo stood on a broken rooftop, looking at it.

“Floor five,” he said calmly. “That’s where she is.”

Kinako adjusted her laser gun, squinting. “And floors one to four?”

Rosolen cracked his neck. “Death.”

Kinako sighed. “Wow. Very detailed explanation. Thank you, genius.”

Rosolen smirked slightly. “You’re welcome.”

Akaiyo ignored them. “The intel says half-humans are guarding the building. They’re working for Kimorutsu Noritoshi.”

At that name, the air felt heavier.

Kinako lowered her voice. “The same guy trying to call aliens?”

Akaiyo nodded. “Yes. And the girl inside… she’s important. They’re using her as a target marker. Once the aliens arrive, they’ll lock onto her location and wipe out the elite survivors hiding in the staff room on floor five.”

Rosolen frowned. “So she’s bait.”

“…Yes.”

Kinako looked away for a moment. “We’re saving her.”

Akaiyo simply said, “We are.”

Floor 1 – The Welcome to Hell

The entrance doors were shattered, but the moment they stepped inside—

CLICK.

Red lights turned on.

“Ah,” Kinako muttered. “That’s never good.”

Suddenly, gun turrets dropped from the ceiling and fired.

“MOVE!” Akaiyo shouted.

They split instantly.

Kinako rolled behind a pillar, firing precise laser shots that disabled the turrets one by one.

Rosolen ran straight ahead.

“ROSOLEN, THAT’S NOT COVER—”

Too late.

He jumped, spinning his blades, slicing through incoming bullets and smashing into the turrets, destroying them with brute force.

Akaiyo dashed forward, cutting down two half-humans who rushed from the shadows.

“First floor clear,” he said.

Kinako stood up, brushing dust off. “That was NOT clear. That was chaos.”

Rosolen shrugged. “Worked.”

Floor 2 – The Trap Floor

The second floor was quiet.

Too quiet.

Kinako whispered, “I hate quiet.”

The moment she stepped forward—

WHOOSH!

Blades shot from the walls.

“BACK!” Akaiyo pulled her away just in time.

The entire floor activated—traps, lasers, moving walls.

Rosolen laughed. “Now this is fun.”

“YOU NEED HELP,” Kinako yelled.

They moved carefully now.

Akaiyo studied the pattern. “Three-second intervals. Follow me.”

They ran in sync—dodging blades, sliding under lasers.

Kinako tripped.

“Ah—!”

A blade shot toward her—

Rosolen blocked it instantly, his arm taking the hit.

Blood dripped.

Kinako froze. “You idiot… why would you—”

Rosolen smirked. “You talk too much. Focus.”

For a moment, her voice softened. “…Thanks.”

They reached the exit.

Floor two cleared.

Floor 3 – The Humans Who Lost Everything

This floor was different.

No traps.

Only people.

Half-humans stood there—eyes empty, bodies modified, weapons ready.

One of them stepped forward.

“You shouldn’t have come.”

Akaiyo raised his katana. “Move.”

The man laughed weakly. “Move? We chose this. The world is dead. Kimorutsu gave us purpose.”

Kinako stepped forward. “This isn’t purpose. This is slavery.”

Another half-human shouted, “At least we’re alive!”

Silence.

For a moment, no one moved.

Then—

They attacked.

The fight was brutal.

These weren’t mindless curses.

They were humans… or what remained of them.

Akaiyo fought without hesitation—but his eyes showed pain.

Kinako hesitated once—and nearly got hit.

Rosolen pulled her back. “Don’t think. Fight.”

“I know!” she snapped, but her voice shook.

One by one, they fell.

At the end, only one remained—the first man.

He collapsed, laughing softly. “…You think you can change anything?”

Akaiyo stood over him.

“…No.”

Then ended it.

Floor three was silent again.

Kinako whispered, “This world is messed up…”

Rosolen said nothing.

Floor 4 – The Guardian

The air changed the moment they entered.

Heavy.

Hot.

A massive figure stood at the center.

A hybrid curse-human.

Stronger than anything before.

It smiled.

“Final test.”

Akaiyo stepped forward. “Together.”

This fight pushed them to the limit.

The guardian was fast, powerful, relentless.

Rosolen attacked head-on, clashing blades.

Kinako fired nonstop, trying to slow it down.

Akaiyo waited—watching.

“Now!” he shouted.

Kinako fired a charged shot, stunning the guardian.

Rosolen locked it in place.

Akaiyo dashed forward—

One perfect strike.

The guardian fell.

All three dropped to their knees, breathing heavily.

Kinako laughed weakly. “If floor five is worse than this… I’m quitting.”

Rosolen smirked. “Too late.”

Floor 5 – The Girl

The door opened slowly.

Inside, a single girl sat in the center of a glowing circle.

Chains of energy surrounded her.

She looked up.

“…You came.”

Akaiyo stepped forward. “We’re getting you out.”

Tears filled her eyes. “They said no one would come…”

Kinako knelt beside her. “Yeah, well… they were wrong.”

Rosolen cut the chains.

The circle flickered.

Alarms blared.

Kinako looked up. “That’s not good.”

Akaiyo’s expression turned serious.

“They know.”

Far away, in the shadows…

Kimorutsu Noritoshi smiled.

“The game begins.”

And somewhere above…

Something in the sky… started to move.

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