Chapter 51: The Plan of the Evil!

As Senjuro and Kyrin made their way to the Shade

Recruits Base—the training ground for E-Rank

Assassins—the atmosphere was bustling with activity. Young recruits

were honing their skills, their determination evident in every strike and

movement. The base echoed with the sound of sparring and focused discipline.

As they approached

the central training hall, they spotted Okiname, the seasoned instructor

responsible for shaping the next generation of assassins. Senjuro stepped

forward with his usual composed demeanor.

"Good evening, Sir Okiname! I hope you're doing

well."

Okiname, though

visibly weary from the preparations for the Eclipse Agent Exams, managed a warm smile.

"Yes, Senjuro. But with the exams

approaching, there's so much to prepare. The recruits are eager, but there's

still a long way to go."

Just as Kyrin opened

his mouth to speak, a sudden commotion erupted from the far end of the base.

The sharp sound of

metal clashing and panicked shouts cut through the air. And then they saw

him—an assassin clads in black armor, his helmet's red visor

glowing ominously. He looked exactly like the soldiers Lord

Z had shown in his

broadcast. Without hesitation, the intruder charged toward the Shade

Recruits, his intent clear destruction.

"Get back!" Senjuro shouted, his

instincts kicking in. In one swift motion, he pulled a dagger

from his belt and hurled

it with deadly precision. The blade embedded itself in the attacker's neck,

and the figure crumpled to the ground.

But the relief was

short-lived.

Before their eyes,

the assassin's body twitched—and then, impossibly, he

began to rise. The dagger wound sealed itself shut as if it had

never been there.

"What the hell?!" Kyrin's eyes widened.

"Regeneration. This isn't normal."

Senjuro's voice was tense, his sharp mind already processing the situation.

Without wasting another second, he activated his visors,

which linked directly to his core—Prism

Aetherheart. The advanced interface flickered to life, scanning the

enemy's energy signature.

"This thing's loaded with dark flux energy…"

Senjuro muttered, his grip tightening on his weapon.

"Then let's take it down fast." Kyrin's

voice was cold and focused.

In perfect sync,

the two drew their handguns, powered by the brilliant and

volatile Solarflare Ember Flux. The barrels glowed

with intense heat, and as the enemy rushed toward them, they opened

fire.

Flashes of molten energy burst through the air, the sheer force of their shots

lighting up the battlefield. The regenerating assassin stumbled, his

armor melting and cracking under

the relentless onslaught. But he kept coming, undaunted and unstoppable.

The battle had just begun—and the stakes had never been

higher.

The air grew thick with tension as the Shade Recruits Base, a normally

disciplined training ground, erupted into chaos. The alarm

blared, and the distant sounds of weapons firing and orders being

shouted filled the corridors.

Okiname's face

darkened. "We're under attack…"

Before he could say

more, the assassin's eyes snapped open—a cold, crimson glow

flashing within them. The dagger Senjuro had buried in his neck remained lodged there, yet the wound healed

in seconds, the skin knitting itself back together in an unnatural

display.

"That's not possible…" Kyrin's voice was

low, his eyes narrowed.

The enemy assassin

slowly rose to his feet, his twisted smile returning. He cracked his

neck with an eerie calmness. "You'll have

to do better than that."

Senjuro didn't

wait. His Prism Aetherheart Core flared

to life, and in one swift motion, his visors snapped into place, the holographic

interface glowing with energy signatures. He sensed the enemy's energy flux immediately—it

was unlike anything he'd felt before.

"This guy isn't normal, Kyrin. He's running on

something else—some kind of regenerative flux."

"Great. Just what we needed," Kyrin

muttered, already drawing his handgun, the Solarflare

Ember Flux humming

through the weapon. He felt the familiar heat rise through his arm, energy

crackling just beneath his skin.

The enemy assassin

moved—fast.

He lunged toward

the Shade Recruits with inhuman speed, a black blur against the

dim light of the training base. Senjuro reacted first, his dagger

flashing through the air, but this time the enemy dodged

effortlessly, twisting around the blade and closing the distance.

"Not so fast!" Kyrin shouted, firing

two shots in rapid

succession. The Solarflare rounds blazed through the air, exploding

on impact against the

assassin's shoulder and side. The force of the shots threw

him backward, crashing into a training dummy with a sickening thud.

But even as the

smoke cleared, the enemy assassin rose again—his wounds already

healing, the burnt flesh regenerating at an alarming

rate.

"Damn it… he's not staying down." Kyrin

gritted his teeth.

"We'll have to hit harder." Senjuro's

eyes gleamed behind his visor. "Cover me."

Kyrin nodded. "Got it."

The two moved

in sync. Senjuro dashed forward, his energy-infused daggers spinning in his hands, while Kyrin laid

down cover fire, his Solarflare rounds keeping the enemy on the

defensive.

The enemy struck

out with blinding speed, but Senjuro matched

him blow for blow, his core-enhanced reflexes pushing him

beyond human limits. The clash of weapons sent sparks

flying, and the air rippled with energy flux.

"We need to figure out how he's healing, or this

fight's never going to end!" Kyrin shouted, reloading

his handgun.

Senjuro narrowed

his eyes, analyzing the enemy's movements through his visor. "There's an energy source inside him—something…

corrupted."

"Great. Let's rip it out." Kyrin's Aetherstorm

Catalyst flared, and his speed doubled, his gun a blur

of motion as he fired precision

shots, forcing the enemy into a defensive stance.

"Now!" Senjuro moved, his daggers flashing

in an arc, and the Solarflare Ember Flux ignited, sending a wave

of searing heat crashing

toward the enemy.

The enemy tried to

dodge—too late.

The attack hit

home, and for the first time, the regeneration faltered. The enemy staggered,

a snarl of pain escaping

his lips.

"That's it! Hit him hard enough and he can't heal

fast enough!" Kyrin called out.

Senjuro didn't

hesitate. Energy surged around him, and his Prism

Aetherheart flared

brighter, the combined energies of Aurora Spritian converging

into his weapons.

"This ends now."

He launched

forward, a streak of light and fire, and the next

strike pierced through the enemy's chest, embedding deep with a crackling

burst of power.

The enemy's eyes widened

in shock—and then the healing stopped.

"Kyrin, now!" Senjuro shouted.

Kyrin didn't

waste a second. He unloaded his weapon, each Solarflare

round finding its mark, the explosive impacts tearing through the enemy's

body until there was

nothing left but ash and cinders.

The air finally fell

silent.

Okiname stepped

forward, his face pale. "That… wasn't a

normal assassin."

"No, it wasn't." Senjuro pulled his visor

back, his eyes dark. "This was something

else. Something created."

Kyrin holstered

his gun, his jaw set. "And I think we

both know who's behind it."

Lord Z.

The atmosphere in the base felt heavy — a mix of

tension and dread. The soft, rhythmic beeping of the communication device

echoed in the quiet room. Senjuro's eyes flicked toward it, noticing the glowing

light pulsing ominously. Without hesitation, he tapped

the device, and a holographic screen flickered to life,

illuminating the dim space with its cold blue hue.

And then, he

appeared.

Lord Z's face materialized on the screen, his icy, menacing smile stretching across his features. His voice

was calm but filled with malice.

"I know you both are coming… and how's my project?"

His words dripped with arrogance. "This—"

He gestured vaguely, presumably toward the fallen assassin they'd just fought, "—is just a prototype. The final product… will be

destruction."

The message

cut off abruptly, and the screen went dark.

Kyrin's eyes narrowed

dangerously, his hand instinctively tightening around his weapon. "Take the body and submit it to the lab

immediately," he ordered the guards standing by. "I want every inch of this thing analyzed. Now."

The guards nodded

and swiftly carried the lifeless, yet unnatural body away, its energy

signature still faintly pulsing, as if refusing to fade entirely.

Without wasting

time, Kyrin and Senjuro followed the guards, heading deeper into the lab's

restricted section. There, they met Professor Dante Kriyu, one of Neo-Kyoto's

top energy specialists. The professor was a man in his late forties,

his silver hair tousled from

long nights of research. He adjusted his glasses, his face grim as he took his

first look at the results from the initial scans.

"This man…" Dante began, his voice

filled with unease, "…is not

human."

Senjuro's eyes

narrowed. "What do you mean?"

Dante turned the

holographic display toward them, revealing energy signatures unlike anything they'd seen

before. The readings spiked violently, patterns chaotic and… wrong.

"He's a clone — an artificial being created from

some form of… dark energy."

Senjuro's brow

furrowed. "Dark Ripple Energy?"

Dante shook his

head. "No… this is something far worse."

He gestured at the readings. "Its

presence is heavy, suffocating. This… this is an entirely new energy source.

And if I'm right, Lord Z is harnessing it for something catastrophic."

Kyrin's jaw

tightened. "He's creating his own army…

instead of recruiting assassins."

Senjuro's fists

clenched at his sides. "But how? Where is

he getting this much power?"

The professor's

face grew more serious. "That's just it.

He's not."

Both assassins

exchanged a look.

"The energy supply within these clones is unstable

and finite." Dante's voice softened, his worry growing. "To stabilize and power this dark energy, Lord Z

would need something pure, raw… and infinite."

Kyrin's eyes widened

in sudden realization. "Something

like… the Aurora Blossom?"

Dante nodded

gravely. "Exactly. The Blossom's energy

is a perfect match — a source so pure and abundant it could stabilize this dark

flux and grant his army limitless power."

A heavy

silence fell over the

room. The weight of the threat before them had grown far

more dangerous than they'd anticipated.

"That means we only have three days."

Kyrin's voice was cold, his mind already calculating their next move.

Senjuro hesitated

before speaking. "Should we inform Zyher

and cancel the exams?"

Kyrin sighed,

shaking his head. "We'll inform him, yes

— but canceling the exams isn't an option. The Eclipse Agent Exams are tied

directly to the blooming of the Aurora Blossom. It's a tradition that's gone on

for generations. Stopping it would cause panic and uncertainty."

Senjuro's frustration

was clear, but he knew Kyrin was right. "So, what do we do? Just wait?"

Kyrin's expression

hardened. "No. We strengthen our

defenses." He turned back to the professor. "We'll need the United Nations of Assassins (UNA) stationed around

the Blossom — their best agents, fully armed."

Senjuro nodded in

agreement. "And we'll take care of the

forest and the cavern. We know Lord Z's methods — he'll try to infiltrate

through any weak point he can find. We won't let that happen."

Dante adjusted his

glasses again, his worry still evident. "Even

with increased security… be careful. If this energy grows stable, we could be

facing an enemy unlike any we've fought before."

Kyrin offered the

professor a nod of gratitude. "Thank you,

Professor. Your insight's invaluable."

As they left

the lab, the weight of their mission settled heavily on their shoulders. The threat

loomed closer than ever, and the fate of Neo-Kyoto — maybe even the world — rested

on their ability to stop Lord Z's plan.

"Three days, Senjuro." Kyrin's voice was

low and determined.

Senjuro nodded, his eyes fierce. "Then let's make sure we're ready."