The silence that followed the broodmother's death was heavy, broken only by the ragged gasps of the team and the soft, rhythmic drip of black ichor from the creature's corpse onto the polished wood floor. Jin stood over the fallen monster, the Kageyoshi held in a low guard, its dark steel seeming to drink the dim light of the dojo. His body thrummed with a newfound power, the memory of the perfect forms—*Kensei Kōryū*—still echoing in his muscles.
Sera was the first to break the spell, her voice cutting through the haze of battle with its customary authority. "Status report. Now."
Rosa leaned against a wall, wiping a smear of grime from her cheek with the back of her hand. "I'm... okay. Shook up. That thing was a whole new level of ugly." She gestured with her energy pistol. "But this little beauty makes me feel better."
