Chapter 52: Silent Storm

The group crouched low behind a jagged boulder, the wind howling past them as the masked assassins stood eerily still at the cliff's edge.

"They're watching the path," Sai whispered. "Standard formation — two spotters, three attackers, one trap setter. If we charge, they'll lure us into a choke point and wipe us out."

"Great," Ryuuji muttered. "Love a warm welcome."

Hotaru glanced at Mira. "What do you think?"

Mira's eyes darted across the rocky terrain, taking in the uneven ground, loose stones, and narrow ledges. "There's a blind spot here —" she pointed to the left where a thin trail dipped beneath an overhang — "but only if we move silently."

"Silence is my middle name," Ryuuji said, immediately stepping on a twig.

Tora smacked him with his laptop bag.

"Focus!" Hotaru hissed. "Sai, any traps we should know about?"

Sai's fingers traced the rocks. "Pressure plates hidden under loose gravel. Wire trip alarms near the edge. If you breathe too hard, they'll know."

"That's comforting," Ryuuji whispered.

Kuro stretched out, claws clicking against stone. "I can scout ahead."

"No," Hotaru said firmly. "Too dangerous. We stick together."

"Then we need a distraction," Mira said. "Something to draw their eyes so we can slip into the blind spot."

Tora grinned. "I could hack their comms and play… motivational music."

"No," Hotaru said immediately.

"Or… I could overload their earpieces with static."

"That works."

"Wait," Ryuuji raised his hand. "What if we combined strategies? Tora hacks, Mira sneaks, Kuro knocks down some pebbles from the opposite side to create fake movement, and I…"

"You what?" Hotaru narrowed her eyes.

"Flirt my way into their hearts."

"Ryuuji," everyone said in unison.

"Fine, fine. I'll throw some smoke bombs and confuse them."

Hotaru smirked. "Now that's a plan."

They split into position. Tora pulled out his modified tablet, fingers flying as he hijacked the assassins' frequency. Crackling static filled their ears, followed by a garbled version of an ancient pop song no one asked for.

Mira and Sai moved first, slipping through the blind spot like shadows, feet silent on stone. Hotaru followed with Kuro perched on her shoulder, his eyes glowing faintly in the dark.

Ryuuji, true to form, tossed two smoke bombs right into the middle of the assassins. They exploded with a loud POOF and a cloud of thick, green smoke filled the air.

"WHAT IS THIS?!" one assassin coughed.

"Did someone poison the air?!"

"NO, IT'S JUST FLAVOURED SMOKE," Ryuuji's voice echoed cheerfully through the mist.

While the assassins choked and cursed, the team moved into position behind them. Sai tapped Hotaru's shoulder. "On your mark."

Hotaru drew her blade, eyes glinting. "We hit fast, no mercy."

In perfect sync, they struck — Mira's daggers flashing, Hotaru's sword slicing, Sai's precise strikes disabling pressure plates before they could trigger.

Kuro launched himself from Hotaru's shoulder, claws sinking into one assassin's mask, blinding him instantly.

Tora stayed back, feeding false enemy coordinates into the assassins' comms, making them think they were being surrounded by an army.

Within moments, chaos erupted. The assassins, disoriented and panicked, stumbled over their own traps.

Hotaru's voice rang clear through the smoke. "You trained to forget you're human. We fight because we are."

Her blade caught the moonlight — and the real battle began.

End of Chapter 52

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