In the port side, Shinobu moved like a shadow through the security room, her presence barely disturbing the air. The guards never even had time to gasp. Lightning-quick strikes landed with brutal precision—knuckles to throats, blades flashing just long enough to spill blood before disappearing again. Bodies collapsed soundlessly, crumpling to the floor in dark, spreading pools.
She worked swiftly, efficiently. One by one, she cut power to the surveillance system. The red blinking lights on the monitors winked out, plunging the room into darkness. The cameras went blind. The port fell deaf.
Moments later, the warehouse doors thundered open.
Sister Mayumi burst inside with a force that rattled shelves and sent dust cascading from the ceiling. She moved like a living weapon, her strikes heavy and unforgiving. A kick snapped a guard's ribs with a dull crack. An elbow shattered another man's jaw, sending teeth skidding across the concrete. Her chain whistled through the air, wrapping around a third guard's neck before she yanked him off his feet and hurled him into the wall with bone-crushing force.
She didn't slow down.
With a sharp gesture, Mayumi signaled forward. Shin, Kenzo, and Reika slipped in behind her, melting into the cavernous godown. The warehouse stretched endlessly in all directions, rows of towering shelves packed with sealed crates and ancient artifacts. The air was thick with dust and the metallic tang of age-old relics, humming faintly with forgotten power.
The team fanned out, eyes scanning, senses sharpened.
"Find the key," Mayumi ordered quietly.
Shin and Kenzo moved together, their curiosity barely contained. They whispered jokes under their breath, nudging each other as they passed artifacts of terrifying origin. Reika shot them a warning glare, but they only grinned.
"Relax," Kenzo muttered. "What's the worst that could—"
His hand brushed the wrong object.
A shrill alarm tore through the warehouse, piercing and relentless, echoing like a scream trapped in metal.
Everyone froze.
In the control room several corridors away, Chen Guangli, the chief of security, stiffened at the sound. His calm shattered instantly. With furious precision, he barked orders into his communicator.
"Investigate immediately! All units, move!"
Guards rushed toward the security room—only to find it in ruins. Cameras dead. Screens dark. Bodies scattered across the floor, unconscious and bleeding. Panic flickered across their faces as one guard hurriedly brought the system online.
Four intruders appeared on the monitor, moving among the artifact shelves.
"Sir," he said, voice tight. "We have intruders."
Chen's eyes hardened. Enraged, he grabbed four elite guards and stormed toward the warehouse himself, boots pounding the floor with authority. His mind raced, already calculating kill zones and choke points.
High above, Shinobu spotted them instantly.
"Incoming," she whispered urgently into her comm. "They're moving fast."
Mayumi didn't hesitate.
"Scatter. Cause chaos."
The team exploded into motion.
Shelves toppled. Crates were kicked aside. Glass shattered as relics crashed to the floor. The warehouse filled with thunderous noise—splintering wood, grinding metal, alarms screaming as debris rained down like shrapnel. Smoke and dust billowed, obscuring vision and swallowing sound.
Then, somewhere behind them—
Laughter.
Inside the security room, a maniacal giggle echoed through the darkness. A demon stepped forward, its warped silhouette illuminated by flickering emergency lights. A massive sickle dragged along the floor, sparks flying with every step.
The door exploded inward.
The demon lunged.
One guard didn't even have time to scream before his stomach was split open, blood spilling freely as the demon laughed, crimson dripping from its blade like a grotesque celebration. Another guard fired wildly, panic shaking his aim—but the sickle smashed into his skull, cracking it open with a wet crunch.
The remaining two guards tried to run.
They didn't make it.
In one smooth motion, the demon slit their throats, heads rolling across the floor. Its gaze then fell on a young guard trembling in the corner, tears streaming down his face.
With a cruel grin, the demon carved his mouth wider into a grotesque smile.
Outside, Chen Guangli's voice rang out through the corridor.
"Status report! What's happening in the security room?!"
No answer came.
Then the floor screamed.
Two guards walking ahead of Chen suddenly vanished as the ground beneath them ruptured into a swirling pool of water. They were dragged under instantly, their gurgling screams cut short as the surface sealed behind them.
Chen staggered back, horror flooding his face. "Check it! Now!"
A guard stepped forward, spear shaking in his grip. He prodded the water—
It erupted.
The pool surged upward like a living beast, swallowing him whole. Chen and the last guard turned to flee, but the water rose again, blocking their escape. A wave crashed over them, dragging them into the depths.
Inside the watery prison, Chen flailed helplessly. The world became dark and endless, bodies floating around him—his men, torn apart, limbs twisted unnaturally. Panic strangled his breath.
Something moved.
A demon emerged from the depths.
Its claws struck once.
Chen Guangli was ripped apart in a spray of blood and bone, his screams dissolving into bubbles.
High above, Shinobu witnessed the massacre, her expression tightening.
"Mayumi," she shouted. "The demons are here. They're inside!"
A maniacal laugh echoed through the warehouse, rolling like thunder.
Sister Mayumi tightened her grip on her chain, eyes burning with resolve.
"Everyone," she said coldly, "prepare yourselves."
Her gaze hardened.
"This is not a raid."
She smiled grimly.
"This is war."