Dawn broke. The day of the raid.
Raze woke early. His body still ached from the reconstruction but the pain was manageable. Fading.
He stood. Stretched. His muscles responded smoothly. His core flowed mana without restriction.
Testing time.
He drew Azure Edge. Moved through forms. Basic strikes. Defensive positions. The blade sang through air.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh.
His Swordsmanship skill activated fully now. With a proper weapon. With mana flowing through the blade. Everything clicked into place.
The muscle memory was there. Years of training baked into the original Raze's body. But it had never been accessible before. The fragmented core. The inadequate weapon. Everything had been limited.
Not anymore.
Slash.
He cut through a wooden support beam. Experimentally. Testing the blade's edge.
Crack.
The wood split cleanly. The sword barely slowed. Mana enhanced cutting power.
"Impressive." Kael had woken. Watched from his bedroll. "Your form improved overnight."
"The weapon makes the difference. And the core. Mana flows properly now. Enhances everything." Raze sheathed the blade. "I'm actually combat capable. Not just mobile support."
"Good. We'll need that tonight."
Morning passed slowly. Preparation without action. The anticipation building.
Raze visited Sophie one final time. She was eating breakfast. Healthy. Vibrant. Everything he was fighting for.
"Big brother!" She smiled as he entered. "You look better. Less tired."
"I feel better." He sat beside her. "Sophie, tonight I'm doing something important. Something dangerous. But after tonight, all the other children here get cured. The sickness stops spreading. Everything gets better."
Sophie studied his face. "You're going to fight bad people."
"Yes."
"Will you win?"
"I'm going to try my hardest."
She hugged him tightly. "Then that's enough. Just come back. Promise."
"I promise to try."
He left before emotion could overwhelm him. Miss Helen caught him in the hallway.
"Tonight's the night." Not a question. A statement.
"Yes."
"Elena came by this morning. Left you a message." Miss Helen handed him a folded note. "She said you'd understand."
Raze unfolded it. The handwriting was precise. Elegant.
"Good luck tonight. Try not to die. I still need to collect my favor. Also, expect complications. The Syndicate knows something is coming. They've increased security at their operations. Be careful. - E"
Complications. Of course.
"Thank you." Raze pocketed the note.
"Whatever happens tonight, thank you. For trying. For caring." Miss Helen squeezed his shoulder. "Most people wouldn't risk anything for children they don't know. You're different."
"I'm just stubborn."
"That too."
He returned to the warehouse. Showed Kael and Aslan the note.
"Increased security." Kael frowned. "That's problematic."
"It changes the approach. We can't rely on minimal guards." Raze thought quickly. His Absolute Genius processing. "But it doesn't change the objective. We still need to destroy that equipment. We just have to fight harder to reach it."
"Mariabel becomes more critical." Aslan observed. "If security is heavy, we need her chaos to cover our infiltration."
"Agreed. Which means we need to coordinate timing perfectly." Raze checked the sun position. Afternoon now. Hours until midnight. "Let's finalize everything. No assumptions. Plan for the worst."
They spent the afternoon in detailed planning. Attack patterns. Fallback positions. Emergency signals. Every contingency they could imagine.
As evening approached, they prepared equipment. Weapons. Medical supplies. The cure doses. Everything secured and ready.
Kael tested his Iron Flesh and Regeneration skills one final time. "I won't be dead weight. I can take a hit and keep moving."
"Good. Stay behind us. Support from range. But if someone gets through, you can handle it." Raze checked his own gear. Azure Edge sheathed at his side. His skills ready. His core humming with power.
Aslan practiced partial transformation. His silver aura flickering. Twenty percent strength without losing consciousness. It wasn't much but it was progress.
"I'll hold back as long as possible." His silver eyes glowed faintly. "Save the full transformation for when it's absolutely necessary."
"That's all I ask."
Night fell. The city lit up around them. Mage lights. Lanterns. Normal life continuing.
But in a dusty warehouse, three people prepared for war.
They ate simple dinner. Bread. Dried meat. Water. Fuel for what was coming.
As they ate, footsteps approached outside.
Tap tap tap.
Everyone froze.
The door opened.
Creeeak.
Mariabel Valtee entered. She wore dark practical clothing. Leather armor under a cloak. Her long black hair was tied back. War paint under her eyes.
She looked like a completely different person from the bored noble in the tea house.
"Good evening, darlings." Her smile was sharp. Eager. "I hope I'm not late for the party."
Raze stood. "You're early. Perfect timing actually. We were just finalizing plans."
"Excellent." She moved to the table. Examined their layout. The map. The notes. "Show me everything. I want to know exactly where I'll be burning things."
They spent an hour coordinating. Mariabel's role was critical. She would arrive at the mill first. Visible. Obvious. Drawing attention.
"You're the chaos. The distraction." Raze pointed to positions on the map. "Enter through the main entrance. Make noise. Use your Authority. Force them to respond to you. While they're focused on the Expert rank cultivator with fire powers, we slip in the eastern service entrance. Reach the basement. Destroy the equipment."
"And how long do I keep them distracted?"
"Twenty minutes. Maybe thirty. Long enough for us to complete the objective and escape."
Mariabel's flames danced across her fingertips. "I can manage that. Burning things is my specialty after all."
"Try not to kill unnecessarily. Intimidate. Disable. But killing brings more complications." Raze met her eyes. "We want the Syndicate destroyed. Not a bloodbath."
"You're no fun, sweetie." But her smile showed understanding. "Alright. Minimal killing. Maximum property damage. I can work with that."
They synchronized timing. Mariabel would attack at exactly midnight. Raze, Aslan, and Kael would enter five minutes later when attention was fully diverted.
"Questions?" Raze asked.
"Just one." Mariabel's amber eyes fixed on him. "You're absolutely certain about this? Once we start, there's no backing out. The Syndicate will hunt us forever if we fail."
"We won't fail."
"Such confidence. I love it." She stood. Stretched. Flames flickered briefly around her hands before extinguishing. "Alright then. Let's burn down a criminal empire."
The clock approached eleven. One hour until the raid.
They gathered their equipment. Final checks. Everything secured.
Raze drew Azure Edge. The blue steel gleamed in lamplight. He channeled mana through it experimentally.
Zzzzzt.
The blade lit up with energy. Blue light dancing along the edge. His Mana Manipulation skill working perfectly. His S rank Mana Well providing seemingly endless power.
He sheathed it. Looked at his team.
Mariabel. Expert rank. Flame Authority. The Witch of Annihilation in the making.
Aslan. The Mercurian. Overwhelming strength wrapped in a gentle soul trying to find redemption.
Kael. The alchemist turned combat healer. Determined to never watch children die again.
And himself. A gamer with stolen knowledge. A reconstructed core. Skills that shouldn't exist together. Fighting to swallow a plot before the hero arrived.
"This is it." His voice was steady. "Tonight we change everything."
"Or die trying." Kael managed a nervous smile.
"Preferably the former." Aslan's silver eyes reflected lamplight strangely.
"Definitely the former, darlings." Mariabel's flames flickered. "Now let's go. I'm tired of waiting."
They left the warehouse together. Four figures moving through night streets. Heading toward the Riverside District.
Toward the abandoned textile mill.
Toward the Twilight Syndicate.
The city was quiet. Most people asleep. The guards on patrol didn't notice four individuals moving with purpose. Didn't recognize the danger walking past them.
They reached the mill at eleven forty five. Fifteen minutes early. Time to take positions.
The building loomed against the night sky. Three stories of abandoned industrial architecture. Windows broken. Walls covered in grime. It looked dead. Empty.
But Raze's enhanced perception caught signs of life. Light flickering in basement windows. Voices muffled by stone. The hum of machinery.
The Syndicate was here. Operating. Extracting corrupted mana and poisoning the district.
Not for much longer.
Mariabel separated from the group. Circled toward the main entrance. Her flames were already dancing across her hands. Eager. Ready.
Raze, Aslan, and Kael moved to the eastern service entrance. An old loading dock. The door was locked but rusted.
They waited. Watching. Listening.
Tick tock tick tock.
Time crawled. Each second an eternity.
Then midnight struck.
Somewhere in the city, bells chimed.
Dong dong dong dong.
Twelve times.
Whoooosh.
An explosion of flame erupted from the main entrance.
Mariabel had begun.
"NOW!" Raze kicked the service door.
Crash.
The rusted lock shattered. The door flew open.
They were inside.
The raid had begun.