The chamber shook with violence. Gunfire cracked like thunder, screams ripped through the air, and the metallic tang of blood thickened until it clung to every breath.
Luv was a storm in motion. His eyes—black voids without mercy—tracked every flicker of movement. He shot with surgical precision, his bullets carving holes through throats, foreheads, and hearts. He didn't waste a single round. Each pull of the trigger was a death sentence.
Men lunged at him with pipes and knives; he snapped their necks, slammed heads into steel beams, and crushed bones beneath his boots. He fought with a predator's grace, as if the chaos itself bent around him.
Ayu was fire beside his shadow.
She spun with twin blades flashing, her body a blur of kicks, stabs, and slashes. She cut down two men in a single leap, then slid under a gun barrel, slicing the shooter open from groin to sternum. Blood sprayed across her face, painting her grin savage red.
But a shotgun roared—
She twisted, barely avoiding the blast, though pellets tore across her shoulder. The pain seared white-hot, but Ayu only laughed through gritted teeth. She slammed her blade into the shotgun wielder's throat, ripping it free in a fountain of blood.
"Not today," she hissed.
The fight surged into madness. The Black Dragons were endless. Every time one fell, two more took his place.
Luv and Ayu fought back-to-back, surrounded by snarling men. Bullets streaked past them, blades flashed, fists cracked against flesh.
A massive brute charged with a steel hammer, aiming straight for Luv's skull. Luv side-stepped, shoved his pistol into the brute's mouth, and fired. Skull fragments painted the ceiling.
Ayu vaulted onto the shoulders of another enforcer, snapping his neck with a sharp twist, then hurled herself into a diving kick that shattered the jaw of the man aiming at Luv.
Still, they were being pushed to the center.
"Luv!" Ayu shouted, her voice raw. "We can't keep this up forever!"
His expression never wavered. Calm. Cold. Focused. "Then we don't stop. Not until every last one of them is down."
Ryuga's laughter carried through the chamber. Smooth. Mocking. "Marvelous! Truly marvelous! But tell me—how much blood will you spill before you realize… you cannot win?"
At his signal, the floor panels shifted with a metallic clang. From hidden cages rose a fresh wave of soldiers, armored and armed to the teeth. Their dragon tattoos coiled like living serpents across their muscles.
Ayu's chest heaved, her blades dripping. She spat blood to the floor. "He's… just playing with us."
Luv's jaw tightened. His hand gripped Ayu's arm for just a second—steadying, grounding. "Then we stop being his game."
And with a roar, they charged into the fresh horde.
The bloodbath had only begun.