Chapter 39

They stopped behind a shelf after making a left turn. Standing beside a door were two guards holding the same weapon as the previous ones. Their uniforms were a light grey instead of a dark blue.

"That door is heavily guarded but I don't see why we can't continue forward." Shinobu quietly said the girl was puzzled by Douma's decision to wait out here.

"Look at the picture on the wall."

"Huh?" Glancing to her left, Shinobu noticed something pasted at the end but she couldn't make out what it was. A picture of some sort? It looked like a red arrow pointing to the left direction. That's the only thing she could see, nothing suspicious about it.

"Not the arrow. Below it." Douma continued observing the door to see if anyone was entering or leaving that particular room.

"I don't get it. It's just an arrow what's so special about it?" Shinobu squinted her eyes again this time she forced herself to focus on the bottom of the picture.

Oh I see it now! There's something written on it but I can't see what it is. Ugh Douma are you seriously trying to test my patience right now? A crease formed on her forehead this was absolutely annoying.

"This area is under renovation." Douma said to which Shinobu looked at him speechless. "Entry prohibited."

"Oh of course. Your eyes are like binoculars." Shinobu rolled her eyes at the shrine leader.

Shinobu had exceeded the time limit of her invisibility. So now they had to find a way to distract the guards and make a run for it. The door was right there and it was the last one on the level. There was an elevator but both Douma and Shinobu didn't want to resort to going upstairs yet they had to find out what was going on in this organization and get the evidence they need. This door raised a lot of suspicion since it had guards unlike the other ones they passed.

Since it appeared as a bigger area there might be another way upstairs. They just had to see otherwise they could always head to the elevator. But first, the guards had to be occupied with something that will get their attention.

Douma summoned a portal that made Shinobu jump. "W-where did t-that come from?" She stammered this was the first time she saw an actual portal normally one would see it in movies this portal however was real.

At the end in front of the barricaded area where renovations were taking place, another portal appeared. Douma slid his hand through it and placed a chimpanzee toy outside the other portal. 

Shinobu watched curiously she couldn't see what was at the other side. Regardless Douma found a way to get in without having to deal with the guards. Knowing Douma's abilities this should work.

The chimpanzee started clashing its cymbals creating a loud noise from the construction area which alerted the guards.

Both Douma and Shinobu peeped from the shelf full of boxes and items as the guards looked at the direction of the sound in alarm.

"Who's there show yourself!" One of them said as they rushed towards the renovation site with a few more guards from the other corner following behind them leaving the door unguarded.

Immediately the two friends hoped from where they stood and dashed to the door which automatically opened. Meanwhile a lanky robot happened to pass by that area and saw them running into the area. It stood there watching.

~~~

The door opened revealing a large dark room with more shelves and crates lying around. However what stood out the most was the giant mech in the middle that was even taller than a bus.

Suddenly the alarm rang startling Shinobu as she hid behind Douma who froze it creating an ignition in the room.

"That sensor activates when an outsider walks in here." Douma said checking the area to see if there were more sensors. It seems that was the only one.

The violette walked closely beside the blonde in fear that something might jump out and attack them next. They noticed some movement coming from the mech. The closer they got, the more noticeable its features were. The mech resembled an orange and yellow badger with green eyes and sharp teeth.

Both of them took a step back as the mech growled and walked closer to them. Douma eyed the mech preparing for an attack from it. The blonde could sense animosity from this robot and with how compacted this place was Shinobu had to leave its sight this instance.

Shinobu's breathing became uneven. The badger was just staring at them, more so at her. Its system could only detect her, not Douma he was invisible in its sight. The notifications, "Target detected." and "Scanning environment." proved that it could only see Shinobu and hearing them over and over again made her legs shake. If anything happens this very moment, Shinobu wasn't sure if she could make it out alive she was frozen in fear.

 The badger looked up and the sound of something activating echoed throughout the room. Douma could tell that it wasn't complete, the mech's functions weren't working properly it saw Shinobu as a threat even though she didn't do anything. Its remaining parts and tools were lying on the table, whoever built it was away.

On instinct Shinobu ran towards the stack of crates and shelves as Douma got ready to face the giant mech. Several missiles flew out of the mech's back flying towards where Shinobu was last seen.

Douma dashed to the side, dodging the missiles. The two crates near Shinobu exploded upon impact, the walls on the other hand seemed to be bulletproof.

"Scattering Lotuses!" The ice shards slashed the mech's shoulders sending fumes into the air as it roared and looked at Douma's direction near the ceiling.

It struggled to comprehend what that attack was and the source of it as the system couldn't analyze this invisible opponent. The alerts stated an attack had come from Douma's direction towards the left but it never said what was behind it which made the mech even more confused.

 Shinobu watched as a green light emitted from the badger mech's wide open mouth followed by a sound. The mech was about to fire its cannon.

Flying to the side, the green blast struck the ceiling narrowly missing Douma who swiftly dodged it. The badger mech continued firing the blast at the crates and side of the area. Shinobu panted seeing the number of hiding spots decreasing down to just five.

What am I going to do that robot is after me. The violette inched forward to see what was going on, Douma was fine but the badger was still on the hunt for her.

Lifting up the crate beside her, Shinobu staggered back. The robot was close now and if it approaches this next crate, that was it.

Douma dove towards the mech and grabbed its tail. He lifted it off the ground without a sweat and flung it to the side of the area. Shinobu was impressed by Douma's strength, he carried the mech like a feather.

Another furious roar erupted as the badger mech lunged itself at Douma, the shrine leader swung his fan right up its throat and kicked the nape of its neck hard.

"This rusty robot is attacking at every corner now. It's a pity he can't see me, the fight would be more engaging I'd say. This feels like a tennis match honestly." Douma looked at the mech in boredom preparing for another round of claw attacks and tackling. 

Narrowing her eyes at him, Shinobu sighed and hid behind the crate again once the mech got closer. Douma knocked the mech's paws with his fan again and held its mouth that was about to chomp down on him. It was amusing to say the least because even if he was in between the mech's jaws it can't land a bite on him unless he allows it to, even so he would just regenerate.

What are you waiting for just destroy it already! Shinobu was starting to get impatient she knew Douma had no problem handling this beast but her life was at stake. Why wasn't he doing anything.

If I unleash one of my attacks that will finish this beast in one blow, Shinobu could get seriously injured I don't even want to imagine that. This area is soundproof which means no one can hear what's going on but it's dangerous because of how compact it is. Images of the potential outcome of the mech flashed in his mind as he searched for the best solution out of all the ones that popped up.

Shinobu may not get it but I can't just use Radiance or my Grand Ray on this mech. Once the mech goes off the result is going to be extremely destructive. I have to summon a shield around Shinobu while keeping an eye on the mech at the same time it keeps attacking the sides where Shinobu is hiding. Its reaction towards Shinobu is more agile because it can see her and make its move right there and then. Douma took out his golden fan and stared at it for a while, the mech running towards him at full speed again.

Throwing the mech to the ground, Douma eyed the giant robot watching it get up and scan his direction. No matter how many times it tried to track the source and its movements, the system couldn't obtain the slightest detail. The mech was in deep trouble.

I could slice it in half but it's not going to be easy given the size of this place and how fast this thing is, I'm not its main target the mech's limbs could land where Shinobu is hiding, I have to strike at the right time.

"Douma why are you- Realizing her big mistake, Shinobu covered her mouth in panic.

The mech turned around and started sprinting towards the crate with its jaws wide open ready to tear it down to shreds.

Oh no. The sound of the mech's loud stomps drew closer. Shinobu stared into space behind the crate waiting for the worst to happen.