*Chapter 29: Arrival*

Gunfire echoed through the loading bay. Bullets hit the truck, sending sparks across the concrete floor.

Blade crouched low behind the rear wheel, back pressed against the cold metal. His breathing was heavy.

“Tch…” he muttered, tapping his earpiece. “Agh… who’d have thought giving a little peek would break the damn vent…”

A burst of static answered him. Then Eyepatch’s voice came through.

“You should have considered that it’s a very old infrastructure, man…”

“Not the time for lectures, bro,” Blade hissed.

Another burst of gunfire chewed into the truck’s side. Blade flinched, ducking lower.

Eyepatch continued, ”…So, do you have a gun?”

“Nah… Mine got separated from me when I fell onto the damn concrete—”

Blade suddenly stopped. Something had caught his eye. The truck’s rearview mirror. In its reflection, two armed Abyss soldiers were approaching from behind slowly and quietly.

They were coming for an ambush.

Blade lowered himself slightly.

The soldiers reached the corner of the truck. They turned. Their rifles immediately pointed toward the spot where Blade was supposed to be hiding. But there was nothing. The soldiers hesitated.

One of them glanced toward the other.

Then—

BANG!

The truck’s door swung open and slammed directly into one soldier’s face. Before he could recover, Blade stepped out and drove his foot into his face. The soldier crashed onto the concrete.

The second soldier barely had time to react. Blade spun toward him and drove his elbow into the side of his head. The soldier staggered. Blade grabbed his rifle, twisted it out of his hands, and shoved him against the truck. The weapon clattered to the floor.

Blade’s eyes followed it.

Then something rolled out from beneath the truck. It bumped against the concrete and came to a stop right beneath his feet. Blade looked down.

A grenade.

His eyes widened, “Holy…”

For a moment, he just stared at it. Then his expression changed.

”…You gotta be kidding me.”

BOOM!

The explosion tore through the loading bay.

The blast sent the truck flipping onto its side. Its windows shattered instantly, spraying glass across the concrete. Cracks spread across the floor beneath the force of the explosion.

Smoke and dust filled the air. The two Abyss soldiers who had thrown the grenade slowly lowered their weapons.

One of them looked toward the wreckage and spoke, “Looks like that bastard is eliminated…”

Before he could finish—

CRACK!

A shovel slammed hard into the side of his neck. He dropped instantly. The other soldier spun around.

Blade stood behind him, covered in dust and smoke. He gripped the shovel tightly.

”…I’m not fucking dead, bastards…”

The soldier raised his rifle and fired.

Click.

The magazine was empty.

Blade stared at the rifle for half a second. Then he kicked it out of the soldier’s hands.

The soldier stumbled backward, stepped on a brick, and fell.

A demonic smirk spread across Blade’s face as he tightened his grip on the shovel.

Elsewhere, on the other side of the shopping complex, bullets tore through the corridor like angry hornets.

Aizawa pressed himself against the concrete barrier, his breath coming in short, controlled bursts. Beside him, Satome crouched low, her pistol still smoking.

“Shit…” she hissed, peeking around the corner. “They’re still advancing. I hate to say it, but I guess we’re pinned. Should we retreat?”

Aizawa didn’t answer. His eyes remained fixed ahead as he counted the enemy movements.

“Wouldn’t make a difference at this point, I guess…” he muttered. “Hang on.”

A moment passed.

“Satome,” he said quietly. “When I give the signal—”

“Don’t.” She cut him off. “You’re not about to do something stupid, are you? You Division Ones are just muscleheads…”

“Huh?”

Aizawa reached for his earpiece and pressed it firmly against his ear. Only static answered him.

Then—

“—wa—”

The voice crackled through, broken and distorted. Aizawa frowned and adjusted the earpiece. A second later, the transmission became clearer.

“—at Squad Two has arrived. I repeat, SWAT Squad Two has arrived at the east entrance. They’re moving into position now.”

Aizawa’s expression changed slightly.

Behind them, the distant sound of heavy boots echoed through the corridor. More footsteps followed, growing louder with every passing second.

The 2nd SWAT Squad had arrived.

Aizawa finally let out the breath he’d been holding.

“Finally…” Satome muttered, the tension in her voice easing.

“About damn time,” Aizawa said.

His grip on his pistol tightened.

For the first time in several minutes, the situation was beginning to turn in their favor.

Then the voice over the earpiece continued, calm and measured, as if it were delivering routine information.

“—also… Shiro Kenoshita has arrived.”

Aizawa froze.

The sound of approaching boots suddenly seemed distant.

”…What?”

Meanwhile, somewhere else inside the shopping complex…

A single elevator stood at the end of a dimly lit corridor, its floor indicator above flickering, displaying the digits like a countdown.

Shiro Kenoshita was standing before it.

He was wearing a black formal suit. His tie was perfectly straight. His glasses reflected the elevator, and the elevator’s doors reflected him.

He looked like he’d just stepped out of a board meeting.

The elevator dinged. The doors slid open.

Five Abyss soldiers, fully armed, were standing inside. Their tactical armor gleamed under the harsh light.

They froze. Shiro didn’t.

He stepped into the elevator like it was the most natural thing in the world… like he was entering a mall elevator for a weekend shopping trip. Just calm and quiet.

The soldiers stared at him, utterly confused for a moment.

One of them started to raise his rifle.

Shiro met his gaze through the visor. His expression was unreadable.

That half-second was all it took. The elevator doors slid shut.

The floor indicator above flickered once.

Ding.

The elevator began to move upward.

The elevator hummed softly as it climbed.

Ding.

The doors slid open. Shiro stepped out.

Behind him, the five soldiers lay unconscious on the elevator floor, scattered like fallen puppets. No visible wounds, no blood. Just stillness and chaos.

Shiro adjusted his tie and walked forward without looking back.

The elevator doors slid shut behind him, sealing the silence inside.