Pacifist

The Phantom Veil crew moved like ghosts across the city skyline. Boots hitting the concrete, the distant sounds of traffic below, the wind whipping past their masked faces—this was their domain.

Kairi vaulted over a neon sign, flipping mid-air before landing on a narrow metal beam. "Damn, Jin, you got us running a damn parkour marathon. You training us for the Olympics or something?"

Jin, already mid-leap to the next building, didn't even turn. "If you can't keep up, go home."

Kasumi landed beside Kairi, grinning. "Yeah, or maybe you should start stretching before we do this. Old lady bones cracking already?"

Kairi shot her a glare. "You wanna see who breaks first?"

Aiko, laughing, jumped between them. "You two got the worst sibling energy. I swear, if I have to hear another death threat disguised as flirting, I'm throwing both of you off the next roof."

Celeste, keeping a steady pace, adjusted her coat. "Focus. We're almost there."

Unknown, moving silently ahead, suddenly stopped. His gloved hand shot up, signaling the group to halt.

Jin narrowed his eyes. "What?"

Unknown tilted his head towards a shadow lingering on a rooftop nearby.

A figure. Distant, but clearly tracking them.

A maid.

She stood still, poised like a predator. Her uniform was pristine, her presence almost unnatural—like she wasn't even real, just a figure blending into the night.

Then—she moved.

Vanished into the shadows, slipping from sight.

Kairi's grin widened beneath her mask. "Oho? We got company already?"

Aiko cocked a pistol. "Guess Kayd's rolling out the welcome mat."

Jin exhaled through his nose. "Keep moving. We hit Sayuri first. If she wants to follow, she can die second."

They took off again, faster this time. The thrill of being hunted made the air heavier, thick with tension.

The Ichiban District came into view—an ocean of skyscrapers and flashing billboards. At its center, like a queen's throne, was Sayuri Arakawa's towering building, its reflective glass exterior glowing with golden light.

Kasumi let out a low whistle. "Damn. Lady's living like a final boss."

Celeste peered at the rooftop entrance. "What's the plan?"

Jin cracked his knuckles. "We go in quiet. Then we make noise."

Kairi chuckled, unsheathing her katana. "Oh, I love that plan."

From the shadows, the maid watched. Waiting. Smiling.

Kairi rolled her shoulders, cracking her neck as she kept her eyes on the shadowy figure stalking them from the rooftops. The maid.

Her stance was relaxed, but the way she carried herself? No amateur. Kairi could tell—this one was going to be a problem.

She grinned beneath her mask, fingers twitching on her katana's hilt. "I'll handle her."

Before she could take a step, Kasumi grabbed her shoulder and yanked her back. "Nope. Sit down, murder dog. We got a bigger problem in front of us."

Kairi's eye twitched. "Excuse me?"

Kasumi crossed her arms. "Sayuri is priority number one. You can play with the maid later."

Kairi scoffed. "This ain't 'play.' That maid's tailing us for a reason. She either dies now, or she—"

Kasumi smacked Kairi on the back of the head.

Hard.

"OW!—THE HELL?!"

Kasumi deadpanned. "Focus. The mission. You're acting like a damn kid in a candy store."

Kairi rubbed her head, muttering every curse in the book before exhaling sharply. "Fine. Whatever."

She reached into her coat, pulling out her pistol before slowly raising it toward the massive glass window of Sayuri's office.

Jin watched her with a smirk. "What're you doing?"

Kairi aimed down the sights, lining up the shot. "The fastest way inside."

Aiko snorted. "We just spent ten minutes sneaking up here, and you're about to—"

BANG!

The gunshot shattered the silence—and the glass—as Sayuri's massive window exploded inward.

Celeste sighed. "There goes stealth."

Jin adjusted his gloves, grinning. "Then we do it loud."

Kairi spun the pistol around her finger before holstering it. "About damn time."

Inside the building, alarms began to blare.

The hunt had begun.

The second the glass shattered, the team rushed forward—all except Kasumi.

She stood still, her head tilted slightly, listening.

A whisper of movement. A shift in the air.

Then—a gleam of steel flashed behind her.

Kasumi sidestepped in an instant, avoiding the dagger slicing toward her throat.

The maid had struck.

She landed gracefully, her all-black uniform pristine despite the rooftop dust. Her long, gloved fingers twirled the dagger like a dancer warming up for a performance. Her mask obscured her face, but Kasumi could feel the smirk beneath it.

"You stayed behind," the maid said, her voice smooth, a mockery of politeness. "Do you truly think you can handle me alone?"

Kasumi cracked her knuckles. "Nah. I just like killing people one-on-one."

The maid's eyes narrowed through the mask.

Then they clashed.

The maid moved first—a blur of darkness, closing the distance instantly. Her dagger flashed in the moonlight, aimed for Kasumi's ribs.

Kasumi pivoted, letting the blade graze past her side, then slammed her knee into the maid's stomach.

The maid lurched back—but didn't falter.

Instead, she spun with the impact, turning it into momentum as she launched herself into a low sweep, aiming to knock Kasumi off her feet.

Kasumi jumped over it effortlessly, landing just as the maid lunged forward again—this time with a second dagger appearing from her sleeve.

Two knives now.

Kasumi's eyes flickered with excitement. "Oh? Dual-wielding? Cute."

The maid attacked relentlessly, twin daggers slashing in rapid succession.

Kasumi dodged each one by a hair, her movements fluid, almost lazy.

Then—she countered.

She ducked low, sidestepped the next stab, then grabbed the maid's wrist—twisting it violently.

CRACK.

The maid let out a muffled grunt as Kasumi dislocated her wrist.

The dagger clattered to the rooftop.

But she didn't stop.

With her uninjured hand, she swung her second dagger at Kasumi's throat.

Kasumi smirked.

She leaned back just enough to avoid the blade—then drove her elbow into the maid's face.

BLOOD SPATTERED.

The maid staggered back, mask slightly cracked, blood dripping from her nose.

Kasumi wiped her own hand, bored. "That all you got? I was hoping for something fun."

The maid straightened, breathing heavily. Then, she smiled beneath her mask.

"…You're just like her."

Kasumi's expression froze.

The maid tilted her head. "You remind me of someone I killed before. She thought she was untouchable too."

Kasumi's fingers twitched. Her breathing slowed.

The maid noticed.

She smirked.

"…What was her name again? Rika?"

Kasumi lunged.

There was no flair. No taunts.

Just pure, unfiltered murder intent.

The maid barely had time to raise her dagger before Kasumi's knife was already in her throat.

The rooftop fell silent.

Kasumi didn't blink as she twisted the blade, watching the life drain from the maid's eyes.

She yanked the knife out, blood spraying across her mask.

The maid collapsed, choking, twitching—then still.

Kasumi exhaled, staring at the corpse.

Her voice was low. Flat. Emotionless.

"…Yeah."

She turned toward the building, blood still dripping from her knife.

"She was fun too."

Kasumi stepped into the building without a word, blood still warm on her gloves, her blade still dripping from the kill. She didn't wipe it off. She let it stain her fingers.

The others were already moving through the lower levels, weaving through corridors drenched in dim, sickly yellow light. The walls reeked of money, power, and filth—an empire built on bloodstained deals and bodies buried beneath the concrete.

Phantom Veil was here to burn it down.

Kairi was the first to notice her arrival. She flicked her eyes to the red splattered across Kasumi's mask before smirking. "That was quick. She squeal?"

Kasumi barely spared her a glance. "Didn't need to. She was just a disposable dog."

Jin, leading the way, glanced over his shoulder. His voice was calm, but sharp. "Any complications?"

Kasumi rolled her shoulders, the tension from the fight still buzzing in her veins. "None. Just another dead maid. But she knew Rika."

That made the group pause.

Aiko clicked her tongue, gripping her sword tighter. "Of course she did. That bitch Sayuri probably made her one of those 'sacrifices.'"

Celeste sighed, brushing a strand of hair back. "Means we're on the right track. Let's keep moving."

They reached the elevator doors, but before they could touch them—

DING.

The doors slid open.

A wall of guards stood inside.

No hesitation. No standoff.

Just immediate slaughter.

Kasumi ducked as Kairi's katana sliced through two men's throats in one stroke. Blood splattered the elevator walls before they even hit the ground.

Unknown stepped forward, blade flashing like a ghost's whisper. One, two, three bodies dropped before the remaining guards even registered what happened.

Aiko flipped over a desk, kicking off a chair to impale a man through the skull with her sword. His death gargle echoed through the halls.

Jin didn't need to waste effort. The moment a guard raised his gun, a throwing knife was already lodged between his eyes.

More guards stormed in.

Kasumi licked her lips.

Finally. A warm-up.

She moved like a shadow, her blade carving through flesh, dodging a bullet by twisting behind a corpse before slitting another throat.

A man aimed at her from the side—

She grabbed his wrist, twisted it until it SNAPPED, then stabbed him through the gut.

Another tried to flee.

Kasumi launched her knife.

It sank into his spine.

He collapsed, twitching.

A guard pleaded, his gun shaking in his hands.

Kasumi stabbed him in the throat without a second thought.

Within seconds—it was over.

The room smelled like copper and gunpowder.

Bodies littered the marble floor, blood pooling in wide, glistening puddles. The only sound left was the dripping of fresh kills and the soft hum of the elevator still waiting.

Jin sighed, flicking blood off his knife. "Messy."

Kairi grinned, stepping over a corpse. "Took longer than expected."

Aiko cracked her neck, twirling her sword. "Not my fault they can't handle us."

Kasumi finally wiped her blade, letting out a slow, deep breath. The thrill of the hunt still lingered.

Unknown pressed the elevator button. "No alarms. Sayuri still doesn't know we're here."

Celeste smirked. "Not for long."

The doors slid open again.

This time, it was empty.

Jin stepped inside first. "Ground floor. Let's go."

One by one, they entered.

As the doors closed behind them, Kasumi flicked her gaze upward.

The next floor would be war.

…