Chapter 26: The Crimson Phoenix of the Night!

Kyra and her team arrived at the observation

point, hidden within the dense foliage of the Northern Forest. The air was thick with

tension as they crouched low, their eyes scanning the heavily guarded compound

ahead. The moon cast long shadows, and the occasional flicker of movement

confirmed their worst fears — the security here was no joke.

Kyra adjusted her

earpiece and whispered into the comm, "We're in position. The security… it's in

a Crow Formation. That means they're playing defense."

A brief silence

followed before Kyrin's voice crackled through the line. "Correction," he said

calmly, his voice carrying a sharp edge of caution. "They're using the Crow

Formation for both defense

and offense. Defense for patrol — tight, calculated movements — and

offense when they charge. Trust me, you don't want to be on the receiving end

of that."

Kyra exchanged

glances with Mirae, whose face was tense. "Noted," she replied. "We'll stay low

and observe."

The call ended, and

the forest went silent again — except for the occasional rustle of leaves in

the wind. Kyra's team spread out, Mirae taking point with her thermal

scanner, while Taro and Kaito covered their flanks. They moved with

the kind of quiet precision only seasoned assassins could manage.

Meanwhile, the

scene shifted to Zyren's vehicle speeding through the Southern

Forest. The road was narrow and winding, the darkness pressing in

around them. The only light came from the soft blue glow of the dashboard and

the occasional flash of headlights.

Zyren's voice

broke the silence. "Akio, you're

driving. Keep it steady and stay below their sensor range." He turned to the

others. "Hiroshi, you and Rin work together to hack their comms and

disable their surveillance grid. We need their eyes blind and their ears deaf."

Akira, who had

been quiet until now, nodded. "What about me?"

Zyren's eyes

gleamed. "You create a Phantom Barrier — something strong enough to distort

their sensors. Make them think we're ghosts."

In Kyrin's car,

speeding through the chaotic streets of Velhara Prime, the tension was just as

thick. Neon lights flashed outside the windows, the hum of the hover engine a

steady background noise.

"Senjuro, keep your eyes on the road,"

Kyrin instructed. "We need to be in position on time."

Rin, seated in the

back, was already working on her Umbra Nexus, fingers flying over the

interface. "I'm in their outer network, but their encryption is tough," he

said, frustration creeping into her voice. "This might take a minute."

Senjuro glanced at

Kyrin through the rearview mirror. "And where exactly is Blaze?"

Kyrin's lips

curled into a faint smile. "He's on a separate mission," he replied

cryptically. "And trust me — when the time comes, he's going to turn the tide

in our favor."

The line crackled,

and Zyren's voice came through. "They're in Crow Defense — perfect counter is Sleek

Stealth."

Kyrin's eyes

flashed with anticipation. "Copy that," he said. "Let's move."

The cars screeched

to a halt just outside the compound. The teams moved in perfect

synchronization. In the Southern Forest, Zyren's team spread

out, staying low in the underbrush. Akira extended his hands, and a shimmering,

translucent field spread out around them — the Phantom

Barrier. It distorted the air, bending light and sound just enough to

keep them hidden from detection.

"Barrier's up,"

Akira whispered.

Hiroshi and Rin

worked quickly, tapping into the compound's systems. The screens on their

devices flashed rapidly, code scrolling by in a blur.

"Surveillance grid

going down in three… two… one…" Rin announced.

In the compound,

the lights flickered, and the guards' comms filled with static.

"Now," Zyren

murmured.

He and Kyrin both

raised their Pulse Uzis, the sleek black weapons

humming with energy. Zyren fired first — a Shadow Bullet that zipped through the air and struck

the first guard. The man froze, his body convulsing as the dark energy

disrupted his nervous system. His weapon slipped from his hands.

Kyrin didn't wait.

He opened fire, his shots rapid and precise. The suppressed pulses of energy

hit their targets before the guards even realized what was happening. The

formation broke, their carefully coordinated defense crumbling under the sudden

assault.

"Push forward!"

Kyrin ordered.

In moments, the

entire Crow Defense formation

lay in ruins. The compound's outer perimeter was theirs.

But the night was far from over.

The atmosphere inside the building was thick with

tension — every corner felt like it was pulsing with danger. Kyrin's voice cut

through the comms, calm but commanding. "Rin, crash their servers and take down

the power supply. Now."

Rin's fingers danced

over his Umbra Nexus, his eyes sharp and focused. "Yessir!" he replied, his

tone a mix of excitement and determination. Within moments, the screens across

the compound flickered, then went dark. The building's hum of electricity faded

into an eerie silence as the entire system collapsed. Emergency lights

sputtered to life, bathing the corridors in a dim, red glow.

"Should we head to

the power room and secure it?" Rin asked, his voice breaking the silence.

Kyrin shook his

head, his eyes locked ahead. "No need," he said, his tone laced with a quiet

certainty.

In the heart of the

building, the main server room was a flurry of panicked activity. Vytek Zeyer,

the right-hand man of the enigmatic Lord Z, loomed over the control station.

His icy gaze swept across the darkened screens, his frustration barely contained.

"What's

happening?!" he barked. "Check the power room — NOW!"

A squad of guards

snapped into action, rushing toward the power room. Their heavy boots echoed

down the corridors as they moved, weapons ready.

But they never saw

it coming.

A sudden,

deafening crash shattered the room's tension. The reinforced glass windows

exploded inward, shards scattering like deadly confetti. Through the wreckage,

a sleek, red Zephyr Ignis X9 roared into the room — a blur of speed

and power. The bike's crimson glow pulsed like a heartbeat, casting jagged

shadows against the walls.

The rider

dismounted in a fluid motion, his presence commanding and otherworldly. He was

clad in high-tech assassin gear — sleek and form-fitting, enhanced with

cutting-edge weaponry and gadgets, all pulsing with the unmistakable energy of Crimson

Phoenix Energy. The air around him seemed to shimmer with heat, as if

the very fire within him threatened to ignite the room.

One of the guards,

his voice shaking, raised his weapon. "Wh-Who are you?"

The assassin

didn't answer. He didn't need to.

With a swift,

almost casual motion, he pulled out two Infernal Rapid Uzis, silencers

attached. The weapons gleamed with an otherworldly heat, and the instant they

fired, the room became a warzone.

The bullets

weren't ordinary — each one was forged from pure Crimson

Flame, streaking through the air like miniature meteors. They tore

through the guards' defenses with terrifying speed and precision. The silence

of the suppressors only made the spectacle more chilling. Bodies fell in rapid

succession, their armor scorched and their weapons useless against the

onslaught.

In seconds, the

entire force lay incapacitated. The room, once a hive of activity, was now

eerily still — save for the soft crackling of residual heat in the air.

But the assassin

wasn't finished.

Without a word, he

turned and sprinted toward the shattered window. The wind howled as he leaped

into the open air, gravity pulling him into the abyss below.

And then he

changed.

With a flash of

crimson energy, his Phoenix Jetpack ignited — but it didn't just propel

him forward. The energy surged outward, engulfing him in a brilliant, fiery

transformation. In moments, his form shifted, expanding and reshaping until he

was no longer a man but a creature of legend.

A massive,

magnificent phoenix soared

upward, wings spread wide and trailing a vivid crimson flame. The aura

surrounding him pulsed with raw, untamed power, casting a radiant glow across

the night sky. The wind whipped around him, his flames leaving an ethereal

trail as he ascended.

From the ground,

Vytek Zeyer watched through a fractured window, his face pale with shock and

rage. "What… What is that?" he whispered, his voice barely audible.

But the phoenix

didn't answer. It simply soared higher and higher — and then, with a final

burst of speed, disappeared into the night, leaving only the fading embers of

its fire in its wake.

Back in Kyrin's

car, a small smile played at the corner of his lips as he watched the sky.

"Perfect timing, Blaze," he murmured.

Senjuro glanced

over, his eyes wide with a mix of awe and disbelief. "That was him? That… that

was Blaze?"

Kyrin's smile widened. "Told you I had the perfect plan for

him."