When Night Falls (2)
A helicopter cut through the night sky.
Inside the cramped cabin, where a red warning light pulsed rhythmically, Sion checked his rappelling gear with a stoic expression. Beside him, Phantom leaned back in her seat with a crooked posture, stretching her limbs as she spoke.
"Sion, it's been a really long time since we ran a mission together like this. Don't you feel a little excited?"
"Not particularly. Why would I be excited about work I do all the time?"
"Hmph~ You're as blunt as ever. But you know? A blunt man is the coolest thing on the battlefield."
Phantom gazed at Sion’s profile, speaking with a playful tone.
Her intense stare was enough to bore a hole through his face. Even so, Sion calmly checked his watch.
"Five minutes to drop. Stay focused."
"I am focused~. I might talk like I'm joking, but my body is always ready."
With a face that still looked like she was having the time of her life, Phantom rolled a dagger between her fingers.
As Sion finished his final equipment check, Esteban, who was piloting the helicopter, spoke up.
"You are clear to drop now, Null. And you too, Phantom."
At the signal, Sion opened the door, and a fierce gale rushed into the cabin.
Even amidst the wind, Phantom didn't lose her smile; she waved her hand and leaped out.
"I'm going first, Sion! See you at the target point later~."
"...Honestly, she's impossible."
Sion followed, throwing his body into the void.
Two black shadows cut through the dark sky, falling toward the harbor.
Thud.
Though she had landed on top of a logistics warehouse teeming with enemies, Phantom still wore a relaxed expression. However, unlike her face, her eyes flashed with the sharpness of a cat preparing to hunt.
A faint, subtle sound drifted through the silent space.
As soon as Sion dropped to the target point, Phantom spoke quietly.
"Sion, I'll take the left. You take the right."
"Understood."
With those words, Phantom vanished like a shadow.
A dagger flashed over the nape of an organization member who had been smoking nearby. Before he could even scream, the blade precisely sliced through his carotid artery.
Red blood sprayed out like a fountain, scattering into the air.
The moment the first victim collapsed, Phantom used his body as a stepping stone, springing toward the next target.
"Now then, shall we have some fun after all this time?"
With a short laugh, her dagger flashed repeatedly. Before the enemies could even aim their guns, their wrists were severed, and before their screams could escape their lips, the blade pierced their vitals.
The gap in skill was so overwhelming that they couldn't even mount a proper defense.
"Intruder! There's an intruder here...!"
"Shh."
Slash.
Before the organization member could finish his sentence, his head, severed by the dagger, rolled across the floor.
"Three."
The organization members began to swarm in at the sudden commotion. Yet, there was no sign of the playful smile leaving Phantom’s lips.
"Now this is starting to feel like a warm-up."
Phantom spun her dagger lightly and began leaping through the air, cutting down the organization members.
Her movements were like a beautiful dance. Yet, unlike that beauty, wherever Phantom went, flesh was torn and bones were shattered.
"Four, five, six, seven..."
As her dagger drew a graceful arc, the wrist of an organization member aiming a gun flew into the air.
The man writhed in agony. Taking advantage of the opening, Phantom spun her body halfway and drove her heel into his temple.
Crack!
With a heavy, dull thud, the man’s head snapped, his eyes rolling toward the ceiling.
"Eight."
Two more rushed in immediately.
Phantom waited for them, driving her dagger into the wall.
Using the hilt as a foothold, she launched her body into the air. She stepped on the enemies' shoulders one after another with both feet.
As their balance crumbled under her force, the enemies collapsed like dominoes. Phantom pulled the dagger from the wall while in mid-air, spun her body, and threw it.
Thwack! Thwack!
The daggers struck their hearts with precision, and the two members collapsed powerlessly.
"That makes ten."
Ten lives had been lost in an instant, but Phantom’s breathing hadn't faltered in the slightest. If anything, she wore a refreshed expression, as if she were finally loosening up.
"Hehehe. Shall I head toward Sion’s side now?"
Just as Phantom, thinking this side was mostly cleared, reached out to pull the dagger from the floor—
Bang!
A short gunshot rang out. A bullet, accompanied by a spark, struck the blade precisely.
The impact caused the dagger to bounce out of Phantom’s hand and roll into the darkness.
"Oh?"
As Phantom shifted her gaze, she spotted an organization member aiming a gun at her.
"Don't move...! If you move, I'll shoot!!"
The member was filled with the certainty that he had her cornered, now that his opponent was unarmed.
That might have been true for a normal opponent, but...
The person he was facing was Phantom, an S-class killer known as the pinnacle of dagger arts and martial arts.
"...Hehehe, this is fun."
Phantom raised an eyebrow for a moment, then smiled and flicked her fingers. Almost simultaneously, she closed the distance rapidly and twisted his wrist.
"Aaaargh!!"
"Do you really think a gun is the ultimate weapon?"
The bullet from his twisted wrist pierced the ceiling.
The organization member, now unable to resist, tried to beg Phantom for his life, but his mouth was blocked by Phantom’s knee before he could speak.
Crunch!
A horrific sound, as if his face were being crushed.
"What a pity."
Phantom immediately spun her body, grabbed the enemy’s arm, and used it as a lever to slam him into the floor. A sickening sound of a spine snapping echoed through the darkness.
"Eleven."
Phantom stepped slowly over the corpse on the floor and walked out. She had no dagger in her hand, but there was no sign of the playfulness leaving her expression. It was as if she found it even more enjoyable to be without a weapon.
"Now, shall I go see Sion while I finish off the rest..."
At that same time.
Sion, who had walked quietly into the silent warehouse, scanned the organization members inside. He was determining the order of who to kill first to complete the mission in the most efficient manner.
And the moment that process was finished—
The trigger of the pistol in Sion’s hand was pulled.
A flash from the suppressed muzzle, and a hole appeared in a forehead. The organization member died instantly and collapsed limply to the floor.
While the other members panicked, Sion moved without hesitation, firing his gun precisely at the enemies' heads.
With his breathing kept steady, he killed the enemies like a machine. A corpse appeared one by one wherever Sion moved.
"Intruder! Over here too...!"
Before the words could even finish, two bullets simultaneously pierced the glabella of two men.
As soon as he confirmed the enemies were dead, Sion turned his head immediately.
Upon spotting an enemy on the second floor, he drew a dagger in place of his empty gun and threw it precisely at the man's throat.
Thwack!
As expected, the dagger embedded itself right in the center of the throat.
The organization member hit by the dagger lost his strength and fell from the second floor.
"...Finished."
The right warehouse, where over thirty people had been standing just a moment ago.
Yet, it had all been cleared by Sion alone in less than three minutes. Quietly.
"..."
As Sion watched the scene in silence, he lit a cigarette and exhaled a cloud of smoke.
Phantom, who had appeared from the darkness with measured footsteps, spoke.
"As expected, you look cool whenever you're smoking~."
Even though her clothes were covered in blood, she wore a playful smile. As Phantom approached, Sion dropped his cigarette and crushed it under his foot.
"Did you finish everything?"
"Of course. Eleven in the warehouse. And on the way here... was it six?"
Phantom muttered jokingly, tapping a corpse with her foot.
"Anyway, your skills haven't rusted. Is that because you're the famous Null?"
"...You're just as famous as I am."
"You know I'm famous for other reasons, not my skills."
Phantom gave a playful, eye-smiling look.
Sion looked at her for a moment, then opened his mouth as if he had just remembered something.
"Right. Putting that aside, I have a favor to ask."
"A favor? What kind of favor is our Sion going to ask?"
At the casual mention of a favor, Phantom’s eyes filled with curiosity. Usually, Sion tried to handle things on his own, so he rarely asked for favors.
"...Could you help my student later?"
"A student? You? Didn't you say you wouldn't take any more students after that time?"
"I did, but... the kid had such incredible talent, and they looked like they had nowhere else to go."
Sion added, almost as if he were muttering to himself.
"...They reminded me a lot of my past self."
"Hehehe. Then wouldn't it be better for you to teach them?"
"I plan to teach them the basics and combat sense, but... their combat style is similar to yours. No one can follow you when it comes to martial arts and dagger skills."
"Is that sooooo."
Phantom narrowed her eyes for a moment, then grinned.
"Sure, why not. I've seen the face of Sion asking for something seriously, after all."
"This isn't the time for jokes."
"I know, I know. But Sion."
Phantom walked slowly over the corpses and stood in front of Sion. She tilted her head slightly, meeting his gaze directly.
"The fact that you'd go that far to say that means... that kid is the real deal, right?"
"...That's right. If they just gain enough experience, they're a kid who can rise to our level."
At Sion’s words, Phantom thought for a moment and drew a circle in the air with the tip of her dagger.
"Fine. It’s interesting, so I’ll teach them myself. When should we make time?"
"They'll need time to adapt, so not right now. Later."
"Got it. So, call me when you need me?"