The night sky burned with orange light as explosions echoed from below as it looked like fireworks were at display.

From the top of the tall building, Ren watched the chaos unfold near the dungeon gate. The once quiet district had turned into a battlefield. Gunfire flashed in the streets. Smoke rose from wrecked cars. The air was filled with the sound of shouting, metal, and gunpowder.

Ren squinted down at the gate area. From this height, it looked almost peaceful, like a tiny block surrounded by flickering lights. But every spark down there was a bullet or an explosion. He let out a slow breath.

"I thought this was supposed to be a monster stampede," he muttered under his breath. "But it looks like things got a lot more complicated than I expected."

Beside him, Luxy crossed her arms, her glowing eyes reflecting the chaos below. Her tone was calm but sharp. "It's a mistake coming this close to the angel."

Ren glanced at her, his expression unreadable. For a moment, he said nothing. Then he looked back at the burning district. "I know that."

He leaned forward, resting his arms on the metal railing, watching the flashes of battle far below. To him, the dungeon gate looked so small from up here, but the danger it carried was massive. He spoke softly, almost to himself. "If this angel is as dangerous as you claim, then everyone down there is already dead. That includes Kyouka."

Luxy turned to him, her blonde hair swaying slightly in the wind. "So what are you planning to do about it? You can't possibly beat this angel...I can't beat this angel. What we should have done is hide."

Ren's eyes hardened. "I can't let Kyouka die. Even if it means putting myself in danger. It's true she is not my real family but I care for her."

Luxy sighed, tilting her head. "You're a fool sometimes. You could find a better woman than Kyouka that got extra-ordinary powers." She gave a half-hearted shrug. "Whatever you want. Just dont' get yourself killed and send us both to eternal purge. Well you would probably get a slap on the wrist...but I will be the one who suffer most."

He gave a faint smile, not taking his eyes off the scene below. "Even if it leads to our ruin, we don't really have another option. I won't stand by and do nothing."

"You're a selfish brat!" Luxy clicked her tongue, her expression softening just slightly. "So, are we going into the dungeon?"

"Not yet," Ren replied. "We should check the area first. If Kyouka stayed outside, I want to find her before going in."

Luxy looked at him like he'd just said something ridiculous. "I can turn invisible, but what about you? You'll stand out like a neon sign down there."

Ren smirked. "I'll be fine. I just need a gun."

"A gun?" Luxy raised an eyebrow. "Do you even know how to shoot one?"

He gave a casual shrug. "I've played a lot of FPS games with Hiyori."

Luxy blinked, then laughed quietly. "That's not even close to the same thing. But fine." Her lips curved into a small, amused smile. "At least you'll make things interesting."

Ren gave a mock salute. "Glad to hear that."

For a moment, Luxy looked at him in silence. Something about his determination stirred something inside her she didn't quite like. A strange warmth. A flicker of emotion she thought she'd left behind long ago.

"When did I start having these trash human feelings," she muttered quietly, shaking her head. "Whatever."

Before Ren could ask, Luxy stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him. He tensed slightly as she pulled him close, her grip firm and unyielding.

"Hold tight," she said. "My flights are not stable."

Then her only wing shimmered into view—slightly blackened yet glowing, and alive. In the next second, the two of them leapt from the rooftop, descending into the chaos below.

***

The ground was a warzone.

Amanda ducked behind a concrete barrier as bullets cracked over her head. She popped up, fired three shots, and dropped another hostile charging with an assault rifle. Around her, her team was spread out, using vehicles and debris as cover.

"Keep pushing forward!" she shouted over the noise. "Suppress their flanks!"

Her radio crackled. A voice came through, panicked. "Commander! We're running low on ammo! The left side is getting pinned!"

Amanda pressed the radio close to her mouth. "Hold position! Support from the military should be inbound any second!"

As if on cue, the distant whine of engines filled the air. She turned toward the sound just in time to see a streak of fire cut across the sky. A missile slammed into a cluster of armed men in the distance, blowing them off their feet. Moments later, several helicopters roared into view, floodlights sweeping across the battlefield.

Amanda smiled grimly. "Right on time."

This was the emergency protocol she'd prepared months ago, in case the terrorists ever struck again. They had planned for this moment, and she was going to make sure it ended on her terms.

"Focus your fire!" she shouted. "We're taking them down tonight!"

Her heart pounded as she reloaded. The fight was fierce, but something in her gut felt off. There was no reason for these people to attack here of all places—so close to the dungeon gate. With a monster stampede expected to happen soon, it was practically suicide.

Why would they risk everything to fight here?

Her mind raced as she fired another shot. The answer came slowly, forming a pit in her stomach. They weren't here to fight. They were here because of the dungeon.

Amanda switched channels on her radio. "Command, I'm delegating field control to second unit leader. Protocol Omega is active. I need to confirm something."

A brief silence followed. Then a steady voice replied, "Roger that, Commander. We'll take over from here."

Amanda exhaled and moved back through the chaos, her boots crunching on shattered glass and bullet shells. The sounds of battle faded as she slipped into a side street near the gate.

The air was different here—quieter, heavier because of dungeon gate. Smoke drifted across the street, glowing faintly in the red light from burning cars. As she advanced, she saw movement near the dungeon gate.

A small group of figures was gathered close to it, working hurriedly. Equipment surrounded them—strange machines, wires, explosives. Amanda crouched low and moved closer, staying behind a half-destroyed truck.

She peered through the smoke.

A woman stood among them, wearing a white mask and a long coat but heavily armed. Her voice was sharp and commanding as she gave orders to the others. The sight made Amanda's stomach tighten. She had expected to see Lan Jia, the woman she suspected to be the Faceless one. But this wasn't her.

"Maybe I was wrong," Amanda muttered under her breath.

She adjusted her earpiece, switching off the radio to avoid noise. For several minutes, she stayed hidden, watching. The group seemed to be preparing something directly around the dungeon gate, attaching metal devices and cables to its surface.

She narrowed her eyes, trying to piece it together. What could they be doing?

Then one of the women spoke, her voice anxious. "We're almost ready. Once the charge sequence starts, there's no turning back."

Amanda's blood went cold. "Charge sequence?"

She focused on the masked woman. The woman nodded calmly. "Good. We'll destroy the gate entirely."

Amanda's eyes widened. Destroy the dungeon gate? That was insanity. The gate wasn't just a hole in the ground. It was a spatial anchor connecting their world to dungeon. Forcing it to collapse could cause an explosion that would rip through the entire district—or worse, destabilize the surrounding area and open dozens of uncontrolled rifts.

There haven't been such cases because no one was foolish enough to destroy a dungeon gate in the past—except for a few people who tried, thinking it would end the dungeon disaster. Instead, it only made the problem worse.

"Are they out of their minds?" Amanda whispered. "They'll destroy everything."

She took a slow breath, trying to calm herself. She couldn't rush in blind. There were too many of them, and she had no backup this deep inside. She watched their movements carefully, memorizing faces, equipment, and positions. Every detail could help later.

But the more she listened, the more uneasy she became. These weren't the faces of hardened terrorists. Some looked young, scared even. Their voices trembled.

"Do we really have to do this?" one of them asked. "What if lot of people die because of this?"

The masked woman's tone was cold. "You want to live in a world ruled by these ability holders and stay like an obeident bitch? This is the way. Don't doubt the orginzation."

Amanda clenched her jaw. So they believed they were freeing the world. Idealists with guns, explosive and terribly mislead. Is there anything more dangeorus than them?

She pressed her back against the truck, thinking fast. If she could take out their leader, maybe the others would hesitate. But then again, any wrong move could trigger the explosives.

Her mind flashed with possibilities, none of them good. She exhaled softly, whispering to herself with doubts in her mind. "Are they really innocent people who were shunned by society… or just terrorists trying to release these monstrosities into the city?"

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