Chapter 39: The Monster in the Dark

The air was thick with dust, smoke curling in lazy tendrils around the monstrous figure stepping through the shattered wall. Its metal limbs groaned with every step, wires sticking out like exposed veins. The face — or what was left of it — was partially human, partially a mask of twisted steel.

Hotaru didn't flinch. Her knife glinted in her hand, the weight of her father's memory sharpening her resolve.

"Guys," Tora muttered, tapping furiously at his tablet. "This thing isn't in any of the facility records I hacked. It's off-the-books."

"No name, no weakness," Sai said grimly. "Perfect."

"Why is it always us?" Ryuuji groaned, but his eyes gleamed with excitement. "Well, whatever. Let's show this oversized tin can why we're not your average street rats."

The monster lunged.

Hotaru ducked just in time, the creature's fist smashing into the concrete wall behind her, leaving a deep crater. Kuro, perched on Ryuuji's shoulder, hissed and jumped onto the monster's back, clawing at exposed wires with feral precision. Sparks flew, but the creature barely reacted.

"Why do we even have a cat?!" Tora yelled, already scrambling to unlock an emergency blast door further down the hall.

"Because he's smarter than you!" Ryuuji shot back, rolling beneath the creature's next swing.

Hotaru darted between its legs, slicing at its knee joint, hoping to disable its movement. The blade cut deep into flesh but barely scratched the reinforced metal beneath.

"Great," she muttered. "They built a tank."

Sai moved next, his blade finding a gap in the creature's shoulder plating. It roared in pain, swatting at him with enough force to send him flying into the opposite wall. Sai groaned but stood up again, blood trailing down his forehead.

"We can't brute force this," Hotaru said through clenched teeth. "Tora, tell me you found a weakness."

"Working on it!" Tora's fingers danced across his screen. "Okay, okay! There's an old failsafe built into these kinds of prototypes. If we can overload its core with too much electrical input, it'll force a shutdown."

"And where exactly is the core?" Hotaru asked.

Tora winced. "Chest cavity."

"Of course it is," Ryuuji sighed.

The creature roared again and charged, its massive arms smashing into the floor, sending chunks of debris flying in all directions. Hotaru flipped backwards, narrowly avoiding a piece of shattered concrete.

"Cover me!" Tora yelled, pulling a coil of wire and a portable battery pack from his bag.

Hotaru didn't hesitate. She sprinted forward, using her speed to weave between the monster's attacks. Ryuuji followed, distracting it with loud taunts and exaggerated flips, while Sai circled silently, looking for the perfect opening.

"Open the panel on its chest!" Tora shouted.

Hotaru's knife found a seam near its sternum, prying open a small hatch. Inside, a pulsing core of red energy throbbed like a mechanical heart.

"Got it!"

Tora threw the wire to Hotaru, who jammed it directly into the exposed core. The creature spasmed violently, its limbs flailing as energy overloaded its system. Sparks shot out from every joint, smoke pouring from its mouth like a dying beast.

But even in its death throes, it reached for Hotaru, clawed fingers inches from her throat.

Sai's blade flashed, severing the arm in one clean strike. The limb crashed to the ground beside Hotaru, lifeless.

The monster let out one final, tortured roar before collapsing in a smoking heap.

Silence filled the corridor, broken only by everyone's heavy breathing.

"That… was insane," Ryuuji laughed breathlessly. "And kinda fun."

"Fun?!" Tora wheezed. "I almost died from stress!"

Hotaru wiped the sweat from her forehead and turned to Sai. "You okay?"

Sai nodded, though the haunted look in his eyes hadn't faded.

"This place… it's not just experiments. It's a graveyard for everyone who's ever crossed Kurogane."

Hotaru's fists clenched. "Then let's make sure we bury them instead."

Mira's voice crackled in their earpieces. "Guys, I've been monitoring the facility-wide feed… and we've got incoming. A lot of incoming."

"How much is 'a lot'?" Ryuuji asked.

"Let's just say, if you don't get out in the next five minutes, we're going to be the stars of a 'heroic last stand' story."

"Fantastic." Hotaru sighed. "Tora, get us a way out."

"I already did." Tora grinned. "There's an old service tunnel just down the hall. It's risky, but it'll get us clear."

"Risky is our specialty," Hotaru said.

With one last glance at the fallen monster, they ran — leaving behind the shattered corridor and stepping deeper into the unknown.

End of Chapter 39