The warehouse fell silent for a heartbeat. Thirty men encircled them, weapons glinting in the moonlight. Chains rattled, knives scraped against the floor, and the sound of safeties clicking off filled the stale air.
Ayu gripped her twin knives so tightly the hilts dug into her palms. "Thirty against two," she muttered, her lips curving upward. "They must think we're weak."
Luv's eyes swept over the enemies. His stance didn't change—calm, relaxed—but his fingers flexed once on the gun's grip. "We'll kill them all. Don't leave any alive."
The mocking voice from the rafters laughed. "Arrogant little pests. Tear them apart!"
The first wave charged.
Two men rushed Luv with pipes raised high. He sidestepped, faster than their eyes could follow, his gun barrel slamming into one's temple with a sickening crack. Before the body even hit the floor, Luv shot the second clean through the chest. Blood sprayed across the crates.
On the other side, Ayu danced forward like fire. She ducked under a swinging bat, her knife flashing across the attacker's throat. Hot crimson gushed out as he dropped, choking. Another man lunged at her from behind; she twisted, stabbing backward without looking, the blade sinking into his gut.
"You're too slow!" she spat, kicking him off her blade.
Bullets rang out, sparks flashing as metal ricocheted. Luv darted low, moving with a predator's precision. Every shot he fired found its mark—forehead, throat, heart. He wasn't wasting bullets; each kill was deliberate, cold.
Ayu vaulted onto a crate, her black hair whipping in the air. From above, she hurled a knife straight into an enemy's eye. He shrieked, collapsing. She leapt down onto another, her heel smashing into his jaw so hard his teeth scattered across the floor.
The warehouse echoed with screams, gunshots, and the clang of steel.
"Dammit, they're monsters!" someone shouted.
Luv grabbed a chain from the floor, wrapping it around a man's neck. He yanked hard, lifting him off the ground as the man clawed helplessly at the tightening steel. With one brutal twist, Luv snapped his neck and let the body fall.
The enemies tried to swarm them, but Luv and Ayu moved as if they had fought together for years. They stood back-to-back in the center of the chaos, covering each other's blind spots.
A blade slashed at Ayu—Luv's gun fired first, blowing the attacker's hand apart. A rifle aimed at Luv—Ayu's knife buried itself in the shooter's chest before the trigger was pulled.
Their movements were synchronized, each step calculated.
"Luv!" Ayu called, flipping another knife to him.
He caught it mid-air, spinning it in his palm before slashing it across a thug's throat. Blood sprayed, hot and metallic, staining his shirt. He didn't flinch.
Bodies piled around them, blood soaking into the floor. The smell of iron grew heavy in the air, mingling with oil and rust. The survivors began hesitating, their bravado crumbling.
"They're not human…" one whispered, backing away.
Ayu's eyes blazed with fury. Her jade-white skin was speckled with blood, her once-gorgeous appearance twisted into something terrifying. She looked like a fallen angel, beautiful yet merciless.
"Come on!" she shouted, her voice echoing. "Is this all the Black Crown has to offer?"
The insult struck a nerve. With a furious roar, five men charged her at once.
She didn't retreat. She lunged forward.
Her blade carved through the first man's shoulder, nearly severing his arm. She twisted, slashing across another's stomach, spilling intestines onto the floor. Blood sprayed across her cheek, but her smile widened. She headbutted the third man so hard his nose shattered, then stabbed upward under his chin, driving the blade into his brain.
The last two froze in terror. That hesitation was fatal. Ayu spun, her knives flashing, and slit both their throats in one sweeping arc. They fell, choking on their own blood.
Luv had just finished unloading his last clip into three men charging from the right. He dropped the empty gun, picked up a fallen machete, and hurled it across the warehouse. It impaled a thug straight through the chest, pinning him to the wall like an insect.
Only a handful of enemies remained now, their eyes wide with horror. The man in the rafters who had mocked them earlier was trembling.
"R-retreat!" he screamed. "Fall back! FALL—"
A single bullet silenced him. His body dropped from the rafters, landing with a dull thud. Luv lowered the smoking gun, expressionless.
The warehouse went quiet except for the sound of dripping blood. Bodies were strewn everywhere—broken, cut, crushed. The floor was slick with crimson, and the air reeked of death.
Ayu wiped her blade on a fallen man's shirt and glanced at Luv. She was panting, her chest rising and falling, but her eyes were bright with adrenaline. "Damn… we really are the best pair."
Luv said nothing. He just looked around at the carnage, his black eyes unreadable. But deep inside, a thought pulsed through him: Anyone who dares touch her… will die.