Beta Team — The Seraph’s Trick
The docks fell silent after Seraph vanished into the container maze. Raiden raised his blade, scanning shadows, his breath steady but tight.
“Stay sharp,” he ordered.
But what came wasn’t an attack. It was a voice.
Their comms crackled, lines scrambled, and then—
“Alpha’s down. Luce compromised. Valken sighted near the coast.”
It was Luce’s voice. Exactly his cadence. Exactly his tone.
🔴 Every member of Beta froze.
Ishaan swore. “That’s him. That’s Luce.”
“No…” Saira’s eyes widened, realization dawning. “That’s Seraph. He’s using mimicry.”
But confusion spread anyway. Raiden clenched his teeth, the sound digging under his skin. If you couldn’t tell the difference, how could you fight it?
Moments later, the signals warped again. New pings lit up their maps, pulling them farther into the city. Beta followed, unaware that every step widened the gulf between them and Alpha.
And in the shadows, Seraph watched, eyes glowing faint gold.
🟡 He turned away—not toward battle, but toward a sealed lab beneath the docks. Metal doors hissed open. Inside, tanks glowed, one larger than the rest. Fluid pulsed around the skeletal frame of something vast, something dormant. The Sleeping Gate.
Seraph laid a hand on the glass, whispering, “Not yet. But soon.”
Then he was gone.
Alpha Team — Against the Monster
Alpha’s fight didn’t stop. Valken pressed them mercilessly, every strike like thunder. His claws shredded the road, leaving gouges in stone and sparks off steel.
Damien roared as he blocked another swing. “He’s not even human! How the hell do we hold this thing?!”
Sayaka darted behind Valken, twin pistols flashing, but a backhand strike caught her square in the chest.
🔴 She hit the ground hard, blood spraying from her lips.
“Sayaka!” Luce’s heart nearly stopped. He lunged forward, blade intercepting Valken’s next strike, rage sharpening his every move.
Veer rushed to cover her, unloading a barrage of grenades. The explosions staggered Valken, smoke and fire rolling out.
But the monster walked through it, almost unharmed, eyes gleaming with cruel hunger.
🟡 His gaze landed on Veer. Not random. Not instinct. Selection.
“Yours will do.”
He moved faster than sight. Claws speared forward, piercing Veer’s armor and sinking near his chest.
🔴 The monster’s hand trembled, seeking his heart.
Veer screamed, blood gushing.
Intel Support — Panic in the Wires
Avni’s console lit with alarms. ARGUS pulsed red, warning tones screaming.
🟡 Vitals: Veer. Critical.
“No, no, no—Veer’s down!” Avni shouted, slamming the console. “He’s going for the heart!”
Isolde grabbed the comms, her voice sharp with authority. “Beta, divert to Alpha NOW! Forget Seraph, Valken’s priority!”
“But—”
“NOW!”
Lev slammed his fist against the table. “Dammit, if we lose Veer—”
Dev’s voice cut through, cold and focused. “Scan, ARGUS. Find me a weakness.”
🟡 ARGUS replied, tones low and calm amid the chaos:69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHk5Ugk75am
“Scanning Valken… skeletal density abnormal… regenerative pattern detected… weakness probability: unstable cardiac structure. Target chest cavity.”
Avni’s breath hitched. “We need everyone there, now.”
The Strike — Veer’s Heart
Valken’s claws sank deeper. Veer’s eyes rolled back, breath ragged.
Luce and Damien lunged together, blades clashing with claws, sparks raining. Both screamed as they forced Valken’s hand back.
🔴 For a heartbeat, claws scraped Veer’s ribs. Too close.
Sayaka, barely able to rise, fired with shaking hands. Each bullet found Valken’s face, forcing him to snarl and stagger back just enough.
Veer collapsed, coughing blood, alive but seconds from death.
🟢 Luce knelt, clutching him. “Hold on, brother. I’ve got you.”
Damien stood over them, defiant. “You want him, you go through me.”
Valken’s grin stretched inhumanly wide. “Gladly.”
Beta Arrives
The world exploded with gunfire.
Raiden’s rifle blazed as Beta charged in, Erik at his side, Ishaan vaulting over cover with his blade, Saira’s drones circling like steel hawks.
🟢 Alpha and Beta collided with Valken in unison — twelve boots in sync, twelve voices roaring war.
“Ravenfall, full force!” Raiden bellowed.
Ishaan’s blade cut through Valken’s arm, sparks flying where flesh refused to die. Saira’s drones targeted the chest, blasting him backward with heavy charges. Erik slid under a swing, his own blade biting deep.
For the first time, Valken staggered.
But he laughed, even as blood — black, not red — sprayed. “Yes. Better. All together. That’s how you should die.”
Intel Control
🟡 ARGUS fed lines of data into their visors:69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU0GoBZTZIb
“Weakness confirmed. Target chest. Strike simultaneously.”
Avni’s voice rang across comms: “Listen up — you want to drop him, you aim for the heart! Nothing else!”
Lev and Dev shouted coordinates, Isolde overriding feeds to keep them synced.
🟢 Intel and field merged — twelve against one.
The Clash
The night became fire.
Damien roared, blade driving for the heart. Luce followed, his strike clean and surgical. Raiden and Erik’s blades cut across the ribs, forcing Valken to expose his core. Sayaka, still bleeding, emptied her last magazine into the opening.
Saira’s drones pierced him with railfire. Ishaan leapt from above, blade sinking deep.
🔴 Valken shrieked, black blood spraying the ground, the chest cavity cracking.
But even shattered, he still laughed. His claw swiped wide, nearly cleaving Damien in two. Veer, half-conscious, raised his weapon and fired point-blank, joining the storm.
🟢 Together, Ravenfall pressed him back.
The Escape
ARGUS’s tone cut through:69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3vABxLkZ3y
“Enemy destabilized. Probability of termination: 72%. Caution: regenerative fallback expected.”
And then, Valken’s form distorted. His body split and reformed, shadows clinging, his laughter echoing as he dissolved into the night.
Silence fell.
Blood, smoke, fire. But no body. No victory.
Only Veer, pale and broken, clinging to life.
ns216.73.216.33da2
and then Add to home screen.