The team rolled out not long after, the hunt finally turning into something real.
On the way to the industrial planet, Blade stood near the front of the ship, one hand resting on the wall as the others listened. His voice was calm, but sharp enough to keep everyone locked in.
"Alright, team. Remember where we're going."
A hologram of the industrial zone hovered in front of them, factories, moving rails, heavy machinery, narrow rooftops, smokestacks.
"Lots of moving parts," Blade said. "Heavy equipment. Uneven ground. Blind corners. Watch your footing and watch for traps."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"We're in its territory now."
That shut down any casual energy left in the room.
When the ship finally descended, they landed on top of one of the main factories. The metal roof vibrated beneath them, machinery below humming like the whole planet had a pulse.
Renn checked his tracker.
"He's right below us."
Blade nodded once. "Go."
They split immediately.
Different entry points. Different angles.
Renn moved toward a side hatch. Blade vanished the second he stepped off, moving like a shadow with intent. Caden circled toward a service gap while Blue Riot didn't bother with subtlety at all.
He kicked in the front door.
The crash echoed through the factory.
Inside, rows of machinery and stacked crates created a maze of steel and shadow. And there—just past a cluster of containers,
The demon.
It was waiting.
Blue Riot barely had time to register its position before it lunged.
Riot reacted instantly, snapping one of his giant shuriken forward. The spinning blade screamed through the air, forcing the demon to twist away. Riot pulled it back with Kia, caught it, and launched the second one a heartbeat later.
The two of them collided in a flurry of motion.
Arm blades.
Shuriken.
Metal screaming against metal.
Then Blade appeared.
He zipped in so fast Caden almost missed it, one hand flashing out just long enough to slap a permanent tracker onto the demon's shoulder. The creature turned at a horrifying speed and swung.
Blade's long katana came up in time, catching the strike with a sharp crack of force.
Renn fired from the side, the blast hammering into the demon and making it recoil.
Caden held position, eyes darting, waiting for a clean opening.
He didn't get one.
The demon vanished.
Then the roof exploded.
It tore upward through metal and steel supports, bursting onto the top of the factory and sprinting across the industrial district.
"Move!" Blade barked.
The chase started instantly.
Blade in the lead.
Blue Riot close behind.
Caden pushing hard to keep up.
Renn veered off toward the ship, choosing the faster line from above while the others ran the rooftops.
The world became noise—steam vents blasting, giant conveyor systems moving beneath them, cranes rotating overhead, sparks raining down from welding arms and broken machinery. The whole industrial zone felt like a trap designed by something patient.
Blade flowed through it all like he belonged there. He ducked under swinging hooks, stepped over rail gaps, and cut through collapsing pathways without losing speed.
Caden forced himself to keep moving, lungs burning.
Ahead of him, Blue Riot launched a shuriken.
The spinning blade struck the demon's leg.
The hit finally mattered.
The creature stumbled, lost balance, and crashed hard across a rooftop, skidding through metal debris before slamming to a stop.
"Now!" Blade shouted.
He and Caden launched forward together.
This was it.
Or it should have been.
Because right when they closed in, the demon moved again.
Too fast.
Too sharp.
Its focus shifted in an instant, from Blade to Caden.
Caden saw it coming and raised his rifle, firing as he moved. Shots flashed, but the demon had already committed. One of its bladed arms cut in toward his middle.
Caden twisted hard.
It saved his life.
But not cleanly.
The blade still caught his side.
Deep.
Pain ripped through him immediately, hot and blinding.
Caden hit the ground hard, breath gone from his lungs as blood started soaking through his gear.
Above him, the demon was already gone again.
Blade chased for three more steps…
Then stopped.
He turned back, looked at Caden once, and made the call immediately.
"Call it off."
Blue Riot looked like he wanted to argue, but Blade's voice left no room for it.
"Take him back to HQ. Infirmary. Now."
That was the end of the hunt.
For now.
Blue Riot got to Caden first.
He knelt beside him, one hand pressing near the wound while the other helped keep him upright. Caden gritted his teeth, trying not to let the pain show too much, but his face gave away enough.
Blue Riot didn't say much at first.
He just helped him to his feet and got him moving.
By the time they reached the ship, the silence between them had turned heavy.
Not awkward.
Guilty.
Caden noticed it immediately.
Blue Riot strapped him in and finally spoke, voice lower than usual.
"…This one's on me."
Caden frowned through the pain. "What?"
Riot didn't look at him right away. He kept his eyes forward as the ship lifted.
"I should've prepared you better."
Caden let out a strained breath. "It wasn't your fault."
Blue Riot shook his head once. "Maybe not all of it."
But he still looked like he believed it was.
The ride back to HQ felt longer than usual.
And when they finally landed, Blue Riot was the one who helped get Caden to the infirmary, quiet, focused, carrying more on his shoulders than just another wounded recruit.