Chapter 167 : Operation Owl's Eye

The next day didn't begin with physical training, but with a cold tension in the villa's war room. A map of the mountains in Yamanashi Prefecture was displayed on the holographic table, a red circle marking the target location. This was the mission briefing for Tatsumi's first outing as their secret alliance's asset.

"Operation Owl's Eye," Hawks said, his tone professional, without a hint of his usual casualness. "The objective is simple: infiltration, observation, and exfiltration. Undetected."

He zoomed in on a satellite image of the target, showing a complex of wooden buildings that looked like an old logging camp. "Our intel shows significant PLF activity here. We need confirmation. Your task: get visual recordings of the entire complex, identify the number of personnel, the type of training they're conducting, and if possible, identify any high-ranking members present. You go in after dark, you get out before dawn."

Hawks looked straight at Tatsumi. "And this is the most important order: do not engage. Under any circumstances. You are a ghost. If you are seen, the mission is a failure. Understood?"

"Understood," Tatsumi replied, feeling the weight of the responsibility.

"When you're in the air, you are most vulnerable when you're still or flying in a straight line," added Akame, who stood in the corner of the room. "Use the clouds and the mountain contours as your blanket. Never fly directly at the target; approach from an unexpected direction. Think of yourself as the wind, not a bird. The wind has no predictable path."

Before leaving, Tatsumi received a few upgrades to his armor—not weapons, but support equipment. A high-resolution camera lens integrated into Incursio's visor and a secure communication link connected directly to Hawks. He was no longer just a fighter; he was a reconnaissance agent.

At a guard post in the remote training camp in the Yamanashi mountains, two Paranormal Liberation Front soldiers leaned on their rifles, blowing vapor into the cold night air.

"I hate night patrol," one of them complained, pulling his collar tighter. "There's nothing out here but trees and wild animals. Why do we have to guard this remote place like it's Fort Knox?"

"Orders are orders," his older partner replied. "The lieutenant said this place is crucial for training new recruits without the heroes watching. So we stand guard. At least it's better than the city, where any corner could have a hero in disguise."

"Still, this place is creepy at night," the younger soldier muttered. "Sometimes I swear I hear something in the wind, like a weird whistle."

The older soldier snorted. "It's just the mountain wind passing through the rocks. You're overthinking it. Nothing can get here without triggering at least a dozen vibration and heat sensors."

They continued their patrol, unaware that the real threat would not be coming from the ground.

Thousands of miles away, on an endless ice plain in the far north of Siberia, where the temperature could freeze one's breath in an instant, a terrifying masterpiece had just been completed. A giant bear monster, known as a local terror, now stood frozen forever in a roaring pose, its wild eyes wide with shock, a thick layer of ice covering its dense fur.

Esdeath placed her palm gently on the ice statue, feeling the last vibration of the life she had extinguished. She sighed, a puff of white vapor escaping her lips.

"Boring," she said to the frozen statue. "No resistance. No passion. Just mindless brute force."

She turned, her general's cloak fluttering in the snowstorm she had unconsciously created. Her ice-blue eyes stared at the endless horizon, but her mind was elsewhere.

"That boy... Tatsumi," she whispered to the howling wind. "He was different. In his eyes, even when he was on the verge of defeat, there was a fire that refused to be extinguished. A fire that dared to challenge my eternal ice storm."

A thin, dangerous smile played on her lips. "I want to feel that fire again. I want to see it grow stronger, strong enough to truly give me a challenge. And then... it will be so much fun to extinguish it forever."

The third threat in this three-way war was waiting, savoring the anticipation of her next hunt.

That night, under the cover of a moonless sky, a silver shadow stood on the edge of the villa's cliff. Incursio felt like a second skin, and the communication link in his ear crackled softly.

"Hawks, I'm ready," Tatsumi's voice was calm and controlled.

"Loud and clear, Owl's Eye," Hawks' voice replied from the other end. "You are green for departure. Remember the rules. Get in, get the pictures, get out. Leave no trace."

"Understood."

Without hesitation, Tatsumi leaped from the cliff. His dragon wings unfurled with silent power, catching the air and pushing him up, into the night's darkness. He flew, not with the panic of the previous days, but with a steady purpose. He climbed high before turning sharply, hiding himself among the low-hanging clouds.

The journey was a silent dance between him and the night. He felt the cold wind on his armor, saw the twinkling city lights far below slowly give way to the total darkness of the mountains. He followed Akame's advice, changing altitude and direction randomly, becoming a ghost in the sky.

After almost an hour, he saw it. A speck of light in a sea of darkness. The PLF camp.

He circled high above it, an invisible ring in the sky, like an eagle observing its prey. He activated the recording function in his helmet, his optical lens zooming with incredible precision. He could see the patrolling guards, the wooden barracks, and a large training arena in the center of the complex.

After ensuring the perimeter was clear of aerial surveillance, he began to descend in a wide, silent spiral. It was time to get a closer look.

His breathing was steady, his heart pounding with cold adrenaline. He was no longer just a hero student. He was an operator in a shadow war.

"I'm going in," he whispered into the silent communication channel.