SICARII

The group followed Officer Carran as he led them cautiously through the narrow passages of the Winko base. The eerie quiet was unsettling—there were no signs of immediate resistance, but the distant rumble of gunfire and explosions confirmed that the battle outside was still raging. It was clear the Winko forces hadn't retreated; they were actively pushing toward Kirkia's base. This part of the Winko compound, however, felt abandoned, as if the bulk of their forces had already surged forward to join the offensive.

The base itself was cold and industrial, a maze of corridors lined with steel walls marked by years of wear and tear. Emergency lights cast a dim red glow, flickering sporadically. Along the floors, bullet casings and broken equipment hinted at the hurried departure of the soldiers who'd left to join the fight. Officer Carran motioned for the group to stay vigilant, his voice low but firm.

"Weapons drawn," he ordered. "Stay sharp. Just because it's quiet doesn't mean it's safe."

Taizen gripped his katana tightly, his eyes scanning every shadow, every corner. Mionara stayed close behind, his twin short katanas ready. Both of them felt the heavy weight of anticipation—the silence only made the tension worse.

Then, without warning, a violent burst of purple fire erupted from a side corridor, slamming into the floor just ahead of them. The flames roared, casting unnatural shadows on the walls, and the intense heat forced the squad to stumble back. The flames weren't normal—they crackled with a strange energy, their purple hue shimmering ominously in the dim light.

"Take cover!" Carran shouted, his voice cutting through the chaos.

The squad dove for cover behind overturned crates and debris, weapons pointed in all directions as they tried to locate the source of the attack. The air was thick with the acrid smell of burning metal and something almost… otherworldly.

From the smoke and fire, two figures emerged.

The first was tall and commanding, clad in sleek, dark armor that seemed to shimmer as if alive. A long, flowing cape trailed behind them, and their face was hidden beneath an angular, high-tech helmet. Only their eyes were visible, glowing with an eerie violet light that pulsed faintly. In their right hand, they held a staff made of blackened steel, topped with a jagged crystal that radiated the same violet energy as the fire.

The second figure was shorter but equally menacing, their armor more streamlined and built for agility. Instead of a staff, they wore gauntlets that crackled with energy, their fingertips glowing like embers. Their face was also obscured, though their glowing eyes burned just as brightly as their companion's. As they moved, the faint hum of their energy-infused armor sent chills down the spines of everyone present.

"What the hell are those things?" one of the soldiers muttered, his voice trembling.

Carran's jaw tightened. "Mages," he said grimly.

Taizen and Mionara exchanged bewildered looks, struggling to process what they were seeing. Mionara's mind raced, flashes of a conversation with Lino coming to the forefront. Lino had mentioned that the Winko military had strange, unexplainable power behind their strength, and now the truth was staring them in the face.

"This… this is what Lino meant," Mionara whispered, his voice shaky. "He said the Winko military was strangely strong. They have… mages."

Taizen gritted his teeth, gripping his katana tighter. "Mages? I thought that was just a myth," he muttered, though the proof was right in front of him.

Carran's voice was steady, cutting through their disbelief. "Believe it. I don't care what kind of powers they're using; we have a mission to complete."

The two mages stood their ground, their glowing eyes scanning the squad with an almost predatory intensity. The air grew heavier, charged with the strange energy radiating from them. Taizen and Mionara felt their pulse quicken as they crouched behind cover, adrenaline surging.

Carran motioned to his squad to hold their position, his hand signaling for them to stay low and quiet. "Wait for their move. Don't fire unless you're certain. These things aren't like anything we've faced before."

The mages advanced slowly, the purple flames still crackling faintly around their forms, as if the very air bent to their will. Each step they took felt like a countdown to disaster, the squad gripping their weapons tightly, bracing for whatever was about to come next.

The fire mage unleashed another wave of roaring purple flames, the inferno arcing through the air and crashing into the ground where the squad had just been standing. The blast sent chunks of debris flying in every direction, forcing the soldiers to scatter as the heat threatened to engulf them.

"Move! Keep moving!" Carran shouted, diving to the side to avoid another deadly blast.

The remaining unit members scrambled for cover, their weapons barking in retaliation. Bullets streaked through the air, aimed at the fire mage, but the bullets seemed to evaporate against a shimmering shield of purple energy that surrounded their armored figure.

"Damn it, our guns aren't doing anything!" one of the soldiers yelled, panic creeping into his voice as he ducked behind a piece of wreckage.

While the fire mage continued to rain destruction on the scattered squad, the second mage raised their gauntleted hands, their fingers twisting and pulling as if conducting an invisible orchestra. The ground beneath the unit trembled, cracks spidering outward as jagged spikes of rock erupted from the earth. The mage controlled the spikes with precise movements, sending them shooting through the air like spears aimed directly at the soldiers.

"Get down!" Carran barked, shoving one of his men out of the way as a stone spike narrowly missed impaling him.

Another soldier wasn't as lucky—a spike caught him in the side, lifting him off the ground before slamming him lifeless into a nearby wall. Blood splattered across the dirt as the soldier's body crumpled to the ground, lifeless.

"Damn it!" Mionara growled, his twin katanas glinting as he ducked and rolled to evade a barrage of flying spikes. "These things don't stop!"

Taizen dodged another spike that shattered against a nearby wall, sending shards of rock flying in every direction. He tightened his grip on his katana, his heart pounding in his chest. "They're keeping us scattered! We need to get closer!"

"Easier said than done!" Mionara shouted back, slashing at a smaller spike that had been aimed directly at his face.

Carran fired both of his pistols at the earth mage, trying to disrupt their concentration. The mage raised a hand, and the bullets veered off course, smashing into the ground harmlessly.

"These bastards are tougher than anything we've faced," Carran muttered, frustration in his voice. He glanced at Taizen and Mionara, who were dodging and slashing their way through the onslaught. "Listen up! We have to take out that fire mage first! Those flames are pinning us down. We'll handle the earth mage after!"

Taizen nodded, his face grim. "Got it!"

Mionara, panting but determined, added, "Just say the word."

Carran barked orders to the remaining soldiers. "Suppressive fire on the fire mage! Draw their attention! Taizen, Mionara—circle wide and get close. We need to take them out!"

The squad opened fire, their shots focused on the fire mage, who responded with another wave of purple flames. Taizen and Mionara exchanged a quick look before breaking off from the group, their swords gleaming as they sprinted toward the mages, dodging spikes and flames in a desperate bid to close the distance. The battlefield was chaos, but they knew this was their chance.