Chapter 27: The Hunt Begins

The alarms wailed.

Red lights painted the dimness of the room where Mayu, Akira, and the stranger were hiding.

Rapid footsteps echoed in the hallways.

They were coming.

— Move! the stranger ordered, opening a metal hatch in the floor.

Akira grimaced, holding his injured shoulder, blood soaking his shirt.

Mayu struggled to breathe.

Project Azur.

The last subject.

Her past was nothing but a lie. An experiment.

— Mayu! Akira shouted, grabbing her wrist. We need to move, now!

She shook her head.

No time to hesitate.

She grabbed Akira around the waist and slipped into the opening.

---

The underground corridor was a labyrinth of metal and darkness.

The stranger led the way, Mayu following closely, her thoughts in disarray.

— Project Azur… What exactly is it? she finally blurted.

The man didn't turn around.

— Experiments on children. Training. Modifications.

His pace didn't slow.

— The Professor wanted them perfect. But none survived… except you.

A chill ran down her spine.

Blurred images flooded back to her.

White corridors.

Scientists in lab coats.

Faceless figures.

And a voice…

A voice that still echoed in her mind.

— Number 07. She is ready.

Mayu felt her stomach churn.

She forced herself to suppress the dizziness.

Later.

She had to get out of here first.

---

But they were not alone.

Footsteps echoed behind them.

Quick. Synchronized. Multiple people.

Akira cursed.

— They followed us!

Without waiting, the stranger drew his sword.

Mayu gripped her blades, her heart racing.

Then…

The darkness exploded.

---

Shadows surged from the side corridors.

The first adversary lunged at Mayu, katana raised.

She dodged fluidly, retaliating with a swift strike to the throat.

A strangled cry. A body fell.

But another was already coming.

This time, it was Saya.

Their blades clashed in a burst of steel.

Saya smiled.

— Show me. Show me if you're worthy of being the one I have to bring back.

Mayu struck.

A flurry of unleashed attacks.

Saya blocked effortlessly, a glint of amusement in her eyes.

— Not bad, but not enough yet.

Then she counterattacked.

---

The stranger and Akira were also fighting.

The stranger, precise and methodical, sliced through his enemies like a silent ghost.

Akira, despite his injury, gave it his all.

He narrowly dodged a blade, plunging his knife into an assailant's throat.

His arm trembled with pain.

But he couldn't fall now.

— Mayu! he shouted.

She couldn't hear him.

She was fighting for her life.

---

Saya attacked at an angle.

Mayu barely parried.

A searing pain pierced her side.

The back of the katana.

She lost her balance and fell to her knees.

Saya looked down at her, a triumphant smile on her face.

— You're still too weak.

Her sword came down.

---

A memory shattered in Mayu's mind.

Distant voices.

— Number 07 shows impressive results.

— Good. We need to break her, then rebuild her.

A laugh.

A scalpel approaching.

And a voice…

— You will be perfect.

Darkness.

---

Mayu snapped back to reality at the last moment.

She grabbed Saya's wrist and pivoted sharply, throwing her backward.

The assassin barely caught herself, landing gracefully.

She raised an eyebrow.

— Well, well.

Mayu stood, her breath still trembling but her gaze clearer.

— Try again, Saya.

She tightened her grip on her blades.

— You will never win against me again.

---

Saya chuckled softly.

— We'll see about that.

Then she vanished again.

But this time…

Mayu saw her coming.

She blocked. Dodged. Countered.

A strike. Another. Faster.

Each impact echoed in the narrow corridor.

Akira, leaning against the wall, watched the scene.

His arm trembled with pain.

But he had to do something.

The stranger continued to face a second assailant, a hulking figure with a vacant gaze, a man enhanced by the Professor's technology.

The blades sliced through the air.

Steel shards flew in all directions.

The stranger was precise, efficient.

But something was off.

He fought as if he didn't care.

As if… he were waiting for something.

---

Then, the unthinkable happened.

Mayu narrowly dodged another katana strike.

But before she could counterattack…

The katana disappeared.

Saya was unarmed.

She was still smiling.

Then, in a flash, her arm pierced Mayu's guard.

And her cold hand plunged into her chest.

---

An overwhelming pain.

Mayu gasped, her vision blurring.

An unbearable heat surged from her chest.

And deep within her mind…

Something shattered.

---

Memories exploded.

Screams, voices, a laboratory.

Syringes.

Frightened faces.

Children in cages.

A blue light.

Her in a chamber.

The pain. Inhuman. Excruciating.

Then…

One single command.

— Erase her memory.

---

Mayu opened her eyes.

She was no longer the same.

Her hand moved on its own.

Her blade sliced through the air with inhuman speed.

Saya didn't have time to retreat.

A spray of blood erupted from her shoulder.

Her smile finally faded.

— At last.

She touched her wound.

Her gaze sparkled with excitement.

— There you are, Mayu.

Then she charged again.

This time, they danced in unison.

A ballet as beautiful as it was deadly.

The blades clashed, sending sparks flying all around them.

The stranger continued to face the masked man.

Sharp sword strikes like claws.

Calculated dodges to the millimeter.

But something was off.

The stranger wasn't attacking to kill.

It was as if he hesitated.

As if this opponent…

was important to him.

---

The fight continued, a rapid and deadly dance.

Until Saya, exasperated, hissed.

— Enough playing.

She touched a blade hidden in her sleeve.

A faint red glow ran along the blade.

The stranger froze.

— No…

Mayu immediately recognized the bluish gleam.

Her heart tightened.

— It's Venom.

Saya smiled.

— Finally, we'll see if you're really the Professor's favorite.

Then she charged at her.

---

The blades met with a deafening crash.

Mayu barely dodged a slash aimed at her flank.

She countered with a quick strike.

Saya blocked with the back of her hand.

The metal screeched against her black gauntlet.

The fight transformed into a deadly dance.

Soft footsteps on the concrete.

Flashes of steel in the light.

Short breaths.

Eyes locked on each other, unable to look away.

— You're stronger than I remember, Saya whispered.

Her smile had vanished.