The wind at the foot of Mount Seonghyeol twisted sharply as Jaemin stood alone on the narrow trail.
Jin arrived with three of his best assassins—silent, masked, and deadly—moving like shadows behind their leader.
Jin smirked when he saw Jaemin standing there, dagger in hand.
"So it's just you," Jin mocked. "No backup, no woman to hide behind. Good… I've been waiting for this."
Jaemin's jaw tightened.
"Move aside. I don't have time for you."
Jin clicked his tongue.
"That confidence makes me want to break you even more."
He raised his hand.
"Kill him."
The three assassins struck first.
Jaemin dodged the first blade by inches—feeling the wind slice past his cheek.
He grabbed the wrist of the closest assassin, twisted, and slammed his elbow into the man's throat.
The man fell gasping.
The second assassin lunged with twin daggers.
Jaemin spun, kicked the man's leg out, and sent him crashing to the ground.
The third tried to strike from behind—but Jaemin heard the footsteps, ducked, and delivered a back-kick that launched the man into a tree.
Jin scoffed.
"My men are useless today."
Then he unsheathed his own blade.
"Fine. I'll kill you myself."
Jaemin steadied his breathing, dagger slipping into position.
The clash was immediate.
Jin moved fast—too fast for an ordinary man—but Jaemin parried each strike, steel ringing through the forest.
"You're skilled," Jin growled, blocking a downward strike. "But skill won't save your girl."
Jaemin's eyes burned.
"Don't say her name."
He pushed forward, unleashing a barrage of swift, precise attacks.
Jin stumbled backward, shocked by the sudden intensity.
One slash grazed Jin's shoulder.
Another sliced across his thigh.
Jaemin's final kick sent Jin crashing into a boulder.
The fight was over.
Jin coughed blood, trembling, unable to stand.
Jaemin walked toward him—but stopped.
"I'm not killing you," he said coldly. "I don't waste time on trash."
Jin smiled—slow, twisted, bitter.
"You don't have to."
Before Jaemin could move, Jin lifted his own blade and drove it into his chest.
Jaemin's eyes widened.
"NO—!"
Jin dropped to the ground, blood pooling beneath him.
His lips curled into a crimson smile.
"By this hour your precious Dahlia," he wheezed, breath fading, "is already brought to Ren."
Jaemin froze.
Then a roar ripped from his throat.
He spun toward the helicopter, grabbed the pilot by the collar, and shoved his dagger against the man's neck.
"Take me to Ren's den," Jaemin growled. "Now."
The terrified pilot nodded instantly.
The helicopter blades whirred, lifting into the sky.
Jaemin's grip tightened on the dagger.
"Hold on, Dahlia… I'm coming."
Inside Kurogiri Ren's Den
Dahlia stumbled as the shadows dragged her deeper into the underground labyrinth.
Two assassins shoved her to her knees before Ren—a tall man with cold eyes, arms folded behind his back.
She glared up at him, breath trembling but gaze steady.
"You've been searching for the immortality stone your entire life," she spat, "but you never realized the guardian was right under your nose."
Ren's eyes narrowed.
"What?"
"One survived the massacre."
Her lips curled.
"And Seo Jaemin is the last descendant of the Moon Clan."
Ren's composure cracked.
In a snap, he slapped her hard.
Dahlia's head jerked, and blood pooled from the side of her lip.
Ren unsheathed his samurai blade, pressing the cold edge to her neck.
"Say one more word," he hissed, "and I'll cut your throat open."
She smirked through the pain.
"You can't kill me, not now."
Her voice was calm, deadly calm.
"Because by this moment, the stone is already in Jaemin's hands."
Ren stiffened.
"If you kill me," she whispered, "Jaemin will wipe out your entire bloodline, and you will never see the stone."
Ren snarled, enraged.
"SHADOWS! Tie her above the pit!"
They dragged her toward a massive cavern.
Below the wooden platform, countless serpents hissed—venomous, deadly, writhing in a black pool that had swallowed countless victims.
Dahlia trembled as they bound her wrists and suspended her above the bottomless pit.
Darkness below, death waiting, and cold sweat sliding down her back.
She whispered softly:
"Jaemin-ah… Dojoon-ah… please be fast…"
---------------------
Outside, explosions shattered the valley silence.
Dojoon's voice roared over the coms:
"MOVE IN! ALL TEAMS, NOW!"
Helicopters descended, soldiers rappelled, and chaos erupted everywhere.
Shadow assassins swarmed, clashing with the task force.
Chaerim sprinted toward the cavern where Dahlia was held.
"Hang on, Dahlia!" she yelled.
She fought her way forward—kicking, blocking, stabbing—while assassins surrounded her from all directions.
Dahlia's voice cracked:
"Agent Lee! The ropes—please!"
"I'm trying!" Chaerim shouted, slashing at the knot while fending off an enemy with her elbow.
But more shadows kept coming—too many, too fast.
Jaemin Arrives
A deafening blast shook the den as Jaemin stormed inside—eyes burning, dagger glowing faintly.
"GET AWAY FROM HER!"
He leapt across the broken platform, cut through two assassins in one move, and reached the pit in seconds.
"AGENT LEE, TAKE COVER!"
Chaerim rolled away just as Jaemin sliced the final ropes, catching Dahlia in his arms before she could fall.
Her fingers clung to him, trembling.
"Jaemin… you came…"
"Always," he whispered, holding her tight. "Are you hurt?"
She shook her head weakly.
"Please… save Dojoon… he went after Ren…"
Jaemin's expression hardened.
"What?! He went alone?!"
Chaerim nodded breathlessly.
"He refused to wait. He's already injured—Jaemin, you need to hurry."
Jaemin cupped Dahlia's cheek gently.
"I will save him. And Ren…" his eyes darkened, "…Ren is mine to finish, for the soul of my ancestors."
He looked to Chaerim.
"Ma'am… please watch over Dahlia."
Chaerim saluted him sharply.
"No worries, comrade. Just bring Detective Choi back alive."
Jaemin turned, ready to run.
But the moment he took three steps, a dagger flew past Chaerim.
Assassin Min emerged from the shadows.
Her lips curled.
"I'll be your opponent, Agent Lee."
Chaerim stepped forward, cracking her knuckles.
"Good. I've been waiting for this."
A fierce one-on-one battle erupted between them—steel slashing, sparks flying.
Dahlia crawled toward fallen soldiers, helping those she could—binding wounds, pulling them to safety—despite her own trembling body.
Meanwhile…
Deep in the den, Detective Choi Dojoon faced Kurogiri Ren alone.
He was bruised, bleeding, and barely standing.
But his eyes burned with fire.
Ren lifted his blade.
"So you're the boy protecting my little guest."
Dojoon spat blood.
"She's my sister."
Ren smirked.
"Then you will die first."
Swords clashed again—Dojoon stumbling, Ren striking harder, and the detective refusing to fall.
Heavy footsteps echoed.
Ren looked up.
Dojoon looked toward the entrance.
And Jaemin stepped out of the shadows—face cold as winter, dagger gleaming with sacred light.
"Step away from him, Ren."
Ren grinned, sensing a new thrill.
"So you finally arrived."
Jaemin lifted his blade.
"This ends tonight."
The final battle had begun.