A few hours after their training triumph, the team gathered in the meeting room. Before them, a large digital table projected various diagrams and holographic data. The atmosphere was heavy, everyone sensing the importance of the subject.
Miya: "The three leaders of the extremist organization aim to extract several Xiorz energies from every living being in order to create genetically modified beings."
Suka: "They often target vulnerable people, those who have nothing left to lose... They're their ideal prey."
Daru: "Indeed. There are still many cities where every neighborhood is ravaged by poverty... We can't be mobilized everywhere at once; it's simply impossible."
Yamero (crossing his arms, but his tone betrays concern veiled with hope): We're not alone. Other rebel groups exist in this country. They want the same thing we do: to break their chains. We can join forces, unite our wills. Alone, we're a spark... together, we can become a fire.
Suka (raises his head, a flash of determination in his eyes): I've already thought about it. A few minutes ago, I requested a videoconference audience with the leaders of the other rebel groups. They're waiting to hear our plan. Soon, we'll no longer be isolated.
Maki (his voice trembles slightly, as if a sense of urgency were crushing his chest): What Suka saw during his captivity... what they're planning... we have no more time to waste. If we fail, the entire world risks plunging back into a war worse than the previous ones. We're walking on the edge of an abyss...
Daru (slamming his fist on the digital table, his face contorted with a mixture of anger and despair): And Japan? How can our own government turn a blind eye? How can they let these foreigners drain the life out of our citizens, reduce them to mere human batteries?! It's pathetic... I feel like I don't recognize my country anymore.
Miya placed a strange, thin, and elegant machine, resembling a dagger, on the digital screen. The object's dark metal vibrated slightly, and a pulse of light caused a bright red dot to appear in the center of the holographic map. The atmosphere in the room immediately grew heavier.
Suka (squinting, her heart clenched with curiosity and apprehension): What's that? Her voice betrayed a hint of concern, as if she already sensed a disturbing truth.
Miya (her gaze serious, but with a subtle pride in her words): It's an invention I created... When I fought Oswald, I managed to steal some fragments of his energy. I injected that energy signal into the machine. Thanks to that, we can locate him, no matter where he's hiding.
A slight tremor ran through her fingers as she spoke; behind her apparent calm, she still felt the tension of that fight and the fear this enemy inspired in her.
Daru (frowning, throat tight, torn between hope and suspicion): So... we can assume all three of them are in the same place? Her words hung in the air, as if the idea of such an opportunity frightened her as much as it motivated her.
Suka (shaking her head gently, her icy intuition urging her to remain cautious): No... it's not certain. These guys know we're after them, and they also know we've discovered their plan. They won't risk staying together. They'll split up... to avoid falling into our hands all at once.
Her voice vibrated with suppressed anger, mixed with a sense of helplessness: she wanted to charge, but her instincts screamed at her that the enemy was smarter than they appeared.
A tense silence followed, everyone staring at the red dot on the map, feeling the weight of the mission ahead. Their emotions intersected in a mixture of fear and feverish anticipation.
Miya: Suka, since you witnessed their plan, tell me... how do they plan to absorb such a quantity of life energy?
Suka replied gravely, his eyes slightly narrowed:
"They use state-of-the-art machines, designed to extract the life energy from their victims. Then they add certain modifications... But the actual mechanism that allows them to transform this energy, I haven't been able to locate. It's certainly a relic they're keeping secret."
Daru, crossing his arms, added:
"Of course. Such an operation can only be performed with a relic, or a force of immeasurable power. Only an entity of that level can allow such a permutation of life energy."
Maki interjected, frowning:
"The question remains which relic they're using... or which one they still want to obtain."
A heavy silence fell, suddenly broken by the ringing of Suka's phone. He took a few steps back, quickly answered, and exchanged brief but firm words. Five minutes later, he returned to the group, his expression marked by a flicker of suppressed excitement.
Miya, curious, immediately asked him:
"So? Any news?"
Suka gave a small smile.
"Yes... and very good news. One of the rebel teams has a few soldiers who work secretly for us, under the thumb of the three leaders. One of our infiltrators intercepted a conversation. According to him, they are indeed using a relic... a relic called "the Heart of Shadow."
A shudder ran through the group at the mention of the name, as if the mere mention of it made the air around them heavy.
Daru tapped frantically on the touchscreen of the large digital table. Lines of text scrolled quickly, then a dark red hologram appeared, depicting a heart-shaped crystal.
Daru, his voice heavy:
"Here... I found it. The Heart of Shadow. A relic from Romania. According to the archives, it's a cursed object, reputed to contain a dark and unstable power."
A shudder ran through the room, and everyone fell silent for a moment.
Suka, arms crossed, said in a bitter breath:
"No wonder they create monstrosities... They don't hesitate to draw on cursed relics, even if it means cursing all of humanity, just to achieve their ends."
Miya continued in a firm tone, her eyes fixed on the map where a red dot was pulsing:
"Good. Now that we know Oswald's location, and we know what relic they're using to carry out their project, the real question is: what plan of attack are we going to adopt?
Yamero, seated but with a sharp gaze, declared:
"We know Oswald is in a specific location. If they split up, it's not for nothing: surely to each oversee a vital energy production zone. So, logically... Oswald guards one site, and the other two do the same."
Maki, frowning, immediately replied:
"Three locations in all...? No. They're not stupid enough to limit their project to three production points. As Suka said earlier, they want massive, even international, production. That'll take a lot more than three sites."
Miya nodded slowly:
"That's right." So we have two choices: either we rush straight to attack Oswald, at the risk of falling into a trap, or we choose to delay and concentrate our efforts on locating the other production points to put pressure on them and reduce their room for maneuver.
Suka, who had been silent until then, suddenly sat up and interrupted Miya in a tense voice:
"Wait. You're assuming we'll just run into Oswald and a few guards... But think about it! No ordinary soldier can stand up to us, we know that. What worries me is something else. What if their project has already progressed further than we think? What if some of their prototypes have already seen the light of day... and are operational?"
Silence fell again in the room. Suka's words weighed heavily.
He continued, even more serious, his eyes darkened with worry:
"If we follow Miya's first plan, we'll find ourselves facing Oswald, and perhaps... facing completely unknown forces. Not to mention the possibility that Griselda or Ha'arm will come as reinforcements. If that happens, we'll suffer losses. Heavy losses... and unnecessary ones."
The team members exchanged meaningful glances. Everyone knew that what they decided here would determine the fate of their mission... and perhaps that of the world.
Yamero, with a wry smile and crossed arms, declared:
"For now, Miya's second plan is the best we can do. We'll have to continue working with the other rebel teams, use all the resources we have to locate their production sites and destroy them one by one. And if their plan has already come to fruition, if they've created a few idiots with tampered powers... well, we'll do what we've always done: we'll take them out."
Miya, rolling her eyes, sighed:
"Still as aggressive as ever, you... Head down like a bull. You'll never change."
Suka, in a serious tone but with a slight smile:
"Perhaps, but Yamero is right. Our priority is to destroy these cursed sites one by one. As long as we don't cut off their production line, the heart of darkness will always give them the advantage."
The tension rose in the room, everyone focused on the weight of this strategy. But suddenly, their discussion was interrupted by a metallic sound: the digital table flashed, projecting a hologram alert.
Suka reached out and answered the call. The screen displayed a female silhouette, proud and determined. Her scarlet eyes recalled the rigor of a warlord.
Rea, her voice clear and authoritative:
"You surely know who I am. My name is Rea, leader of the Purple Flower rebel team."
Daru, arms crossed, replied curtly:
"Yes, we know. No need to waste time, get straight to the point."
Rea nodded impassively:
"Very well. My team and I have located a hangar located in the Kabukicho district of Shinjuku." Every night, at precisely 12:30 a.m., soldiers from the extremist organization enter and exit the compound. This is no coincidence. It's most likely one of their production sites.
Suka, his gaze piercing:
"Perfect. We'll mobilize our forces. Do the same on your side. Have you spotted any other sites?"
Rea, frowning slightly:
"Not us. But other rebel teams are already working on it in other parts of Tokyo. We've also received worrying reports: unrest is breaking out all over the major cities. The extremists are getting active, but this confirms one thing... The plan to liberate Japan is underway."
A heavy silence fell over the room at these words. Everyone's hearts beat faster.
Suka, a determined smile playing on his lips:
"Good. That's excellent news. See you at the hangar. Try not to be late, Rea."
Rea nodded slightly in agreement. The screen immediately went blank, cutting off the connection.
The group remained silent for a few seconds, each assessing the significance of what had just been said. The real confrontation was approaching.
Miya said, staring at the map in front of her:
"There, now we have a possible production site. We have to go there immediately."
Daru shook her head, arms crossed.
"No. We'll have to wait until nightfall to launch the attack. That's the only time we'll have the advantage of the shadows."
Maki spoke, her tone firm, her eyes shining with thought.
"Attacking a simple site won't help. We have to find out who owns this relic. That's much more important than the production sites."
Suka banged her fist on the table, her gaze burning with determination.
"Without the relic, their project can't succeed. But if they keep it and we just destroy their sites, it won't change anything. They'll rebuild again and again. It would be a waste of our time and energy."
Yamero, calm but sharp, intervened in turn:
"Yes, you're right, Miya. But first, we must play our cards right and go on the offensive. Perhaps under pressure, one of them will eventually betray themselves. Then we'll know who holds this relic."
Suka nodded, then declared in a deep, almost solemn voice:
"It's decided. Tonight, we launch our first liberation operation to retake our country. Prepare... for the best and the worst."
The hours passed slowly, each one heavier than the last. Each member of the team prepared in their own way: Miya readjusted her blades and checked her traps, Daru fine-tuned the improvised explosives, Maki recited protective incantations in a low voice, while Yamero and Suka trained silently, skin to skin, to sharpen their reflexes. The air was charged with electric tension, as if the world were holding its breath.
When night finally fell, a dark veil covered the city. The sky was devoid of stars, heralding a heavy, almost ominous atmosphere. In the shadows, the group set off, moving softly toward the designated hangar. Each step echoed in their chests like a promise: tonight would mark the beginning of a war from which there would be no return.