The soldiers' footsteps pounded closer and closer. But before the unit could storm in, the steel door at the side clicked and swung open. A woman stepped inside, white lab coat immaculate, glasses cold and unreadable. She was one of the scientists who had earlier gone to inspect the central chamber.
"Lysander, hold them off. I'll help you keep her here. Got it?"
It was Doctor Elara, one of VOID's highest-ranking specialists.
Lysander did not respond.
Without waiting for anyone to react, she pressed her access card against the control panel beside Noir. Lines of crimson data flooded the screen as the locking system reactivated.
"ACTIVATING BIOLOGICAL REGENESIS MODE."
Instantly, the restraints around Noir's wrists flared violently. Electricity surged through her body, forcing her down onto the steel floor, convulsing. Sparks burst from the scratches Specter had made earlier, making the scene even more volatile.
"Agh—!!" Noir cried out, blood spilling from the corner of her mouth.
Specter roared.
"Stop it!"
He raised his gun, but Lysander immediately stepped in front of Elara, his gaze glacial.
"No one can touches her."
Orion gritted his teeth, his sword trembling with tension.
"You're really choosing their side, Lysander? Is this how you protect Noir?!"
Elara calmly observed Noir collapsing, the corner of her lips curling upward.
"A perfect specimen like her… cannot be left free for long. This system will return her to her original state."
Noir's eyes burned red, streaks of blue flickering within. She struggled, but the electric current intensified, locking down every muscle fiber. Blurred memories of her training in darkness flooded back like an endless nightmare.
Specter and Orion lunged at once, but Lysander swung his dagger with one hand while skillfully drawing his gun with the other, suppressing them. Steel clashed against steel, sparks erupting as he held them both back.
Outside, soldiers were already converging on the laboratory door.
Elara watched Noir writhe, voice dripping with satisfaction.
"Don't worry… before long, you'll obediently return as VOID's weapon."
The steel door shook under impact, boots pounding through the corridor. Inside, electricity continued to surge from the console into Noir's body, her skin seeming to burn in patches, thin smoke rising.
Orion narrowed his eyes. Elara was too focused—her fingers sliding rapidly across the data interface. He clenched his jaw and gripped a steel rod he had snatched from the corner.
"My bad, Doctor."
CRASH!
The rod slammed down onto the control panel. Sparks exploded across the room. Elara screamed, her body thrown violently into the wall, her glasses shattering, blood seeping from her temple.
The system short-circuited. The restraints on Noir flared once more—then dimmed. The voltage dropped. She slowly lifted her head, mismatched red-and-blue eyes opening, breath ragged like someone dragged back from hell.
"Haa…!" Noir trembled. The mechanical locks still held her in place, blood dripping onto the steel floor.
Specter immediately aimed his gun at Lysander, voice low and fierce.
"That's enough. Let her go."
Lysander said nothing. His gaze seemed torn, yet the blade in his hand lowered into a ready stance.
Then—
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The laboratory doors burst open. Hundreds of VOID special operatives flooded in, weapons raised simultaneously at Specter, Orion, and Noir still restrained on the examination platform.
The air tightened like a battlefield where they were outnumbered.
"Take them alive! No one leaves this room!" a soldier shouted.
Specter narrowed his eyes, sweat trailing down his neck. Orion tightened his grip, the steel blade reflecting the flashing red alarms. Noir remained pinned down—but her eyes blazed, as if waiting for the exact moment to ignite.
Gunfire exploded, deafening. Muzzle flashes streaked red across the laboratory. Specter and Orion took cover behind steel pillars, returning fire in bursts, sweat and blood running down their temples.
Lysander stood between both sides, expression cold, eyes dark and unreadable. He had yet to unleash a decisive move—silent, as though waiting for something.
Amid the chaos, a small figure darted in through a side entrance. No one noticed; bullets were flying everywhere.
"Noir…"
It was Kealith.
She was breathing hard, trembling fingers reaching for the mechanical restraints pinning Noir to the table. Noir opened her eyes, her icy gaze sweeping over her in brief surprise.
Kealith whispered, voice shaking.
"J-just hold on a little longer. I'll unlock it for you… this time… I won't let them kill you…"
The metal lock clicked softly, the mechanism slowly loosening. Noir raised a brow slightly, saying nothing, her eyes filled with confusion and suspicion.
BOOM!
A flash grenade detonated near the entrance, white light freezing the VOID soldiers for a split second. Specter shouted:
"Orion, hold the door! Don't let more of them flood in!"
Orion gritted his teeth, swinging his blade through the air, slicing a rifle barrel clean off and yelling:
"Come on, fucking dogs!"
In the hall, chaos roared. Specter and Orion fought desperately against an army, Lysander pressing them dangerously from within, and beside Noir, the small figure moving furtively to free her. Noir, exhausted—truly exhausted.
Kealith remained focused on dismantling the devices when suddenly Doctor Elara, who had regained consciousness at some point, lunged forward and seized Kealith by the throat. The surprise sent the girl crashing to the floor, but she refused to yield, struggling fiercely.
"Let them go! You all deserve to go to hell!!" Kealith snarled through clenched teeth.
"You little bitch…" the doctor spat back.
Gunshots, steel, screams—all fused into something like hell itself. In the center of the battlefield, Noir still lay restrained, her red-and-blue eyes growing brighter, brighter—her eruption only moments away.