It was deep into the night.
For ordinary people who did not work night shifts this was the time to sleep and rest.
But inside the Schicksal Organization's West Asia Branch base quite a few areas still had lights on.
Deep in the underground prison floor, a silver-haired girl stepped out of the cell that had once held Ling Ke.
She wore black-green combat clothes, headphones resting around her neck, short hair framing an expression that was far too calm for someone who had just broken free. No fear. No hesitation. Only the faint electric hum that followed her like a second shadow.
At this moment she was the only one moving in the real world.
The real Ling Ke remained hidden deep inside the Theater of Dominance, watching through her eyes.
"Buzz~"
A soft wave of energy rippled outward as the spatial gate closed behind her.
She was alone now.
Yet not alone.
Every step she took carried the cold certainty of someone who already knew exactly how this night would end.
Right at that moment the thick blast door hissed open.
A squad of heavily armed special forces stormed through, rifles snapping up in perfect unison, every barrel locked on the motionless silver-haired girl.
More than a dozen red laser dots settled on her forehead and heart.
"Don't move. Hands up."
The squad leader strode forward without missing a beat, mask muffling his voice as he immediately keyed his comms.
"Report, sir. Intruder located. Immediate suppression—"
"Shing!"
The sharp sound of a blade sliding out of its sheath cut him off mid-sentence.
Every head snapped toward the kneeling silver-haired girl.
Even with more than ten guns pointed at her she showed not a single trace of fear.
Instead she calmly raised her right hand, gripped the hilt at her waist, and slowly drew the straight black blade.
"Final warning. Do not move."
"Or we will open fire immediately."
The squad leader barked again, but it was already too late.
The short-haired girl had already brought the black blade up in a reverse grip, holding it steady in front of her. Her knees bent slightly, clearly preparing to move.
"Open fire!"
The corridor exploded with deafening thunder.
The sudden roar of automatic gunfire slammed against the concrete walls like trapped lightning, the sound so brutally loud it hit like a physical blow to the chest and made ears ring with painful pressure. Muzzle flashes strobed the narrow hallway in blinding white bursts, turning the darkness into a flickering nightmare as dozens of rounds tore through the air at once.
The short-haired girl exploded forward in a single fluid dash.
The black blade flashed in a whirlwind of silver arcs as she charged straight into the storm of bullets. Every round that reached her was sliced cleanly in half mid-flight, steel parting with bright sparks that trailed behind her like dying fireflies. She never slowed. The blade moved so fast it left afterimages, carving an invisible path through the hail of lead as she closed the distance in the blink of an eye.
"She's a Valkyrie!"
"Fall back! Fall back!"
"Notify the Silver Lotus squad now!"
Seeing the girl closing in, the special forces started retreating while still firing, trying to buy time with suppressive fire.
But nothing could stop her advance.
In the end they were all closed in on.
Then…
"Swish swish swish~"
"Thud!"
The sharp black blade cut through their armor and bodies like tofu, slicing them clean in half at the waist.
It was an undeniably cruel way to kill.
People who had been cut in half did not die immediately.
In Ling Ke's original world there had even been cases where victims were saved.
But for these special forces now collapsing and screaming in agony any hope of rescue was pure fantasy.
"You… what the hell are you?"
The squad leader, still conscious, forced the words out through gritted teeth.
He was clearly a dedicated man.
Too bad…
"Me?"
The short-haired girl mirrored Ling Ke's expression, tilting her head as she looked at him. She spoke each word slowly and clearly.
"Just a demon that hell itself refused to take."
"Oh and one more thing!"
She suddenly smiled again and added
"By the way… the current me is your own masterpiece."
With those words the short-haired girl let the tip of her black blade drag lightly along the ground. As she stepped forward it left a trail of tiny sparks and a teeth-grinding screech.
She murmured softly…
"So now… I've come to repay the favor."