The masked man's words still hung in the air.
Rain dripped from his coat, forming small, dark puddles on the warehouse floor.
Riku's hands clenched around the rusted metal pipe he had grabbed earlier.
The figure moved first fast. Too fast.
A flash of steel cut through the moonlight as the intruder swung a curved blade toward Riku's head.
Riku ducked instinctively. The blade skimmed the air above him, slicing a loose wire from the ceiling. Sparks rained down.
Hikari was already in motion, her silver dagger catching the light as she slashed upward, forcing the attacker back a step.
But he didn't retreat.
He twisted, grabbed her wrist mid-strike, and used her momentum to hurl her toward the wall. She hit the ground hard, the dagger skidding across the floor.
"Hikari!" Riku shouted.
The masked man turned toward him.
Every step he took was deliberate predatory.
Riku swung the pipe in a wide arc.
The man blocked it with the flat of his blade, the impact jolting through Riku's arms. Before Riku could swing again, the man slammed a boot into his stomach, sending him sprawling.
Pain shot through his ribs.
The world blurred.
Through the haze, he saw Hikari getting back on her feet, eyes blazing.
She sprinted toward the dagger, snatched it, and spun.
Her strike was lightning precise, deadly.
The masked man barely blocked it, but the force of her attack pushed him back into a stack of old crates.
Riku forced himself up. His breathing was ragged, but adrenaline burned away the pain.
He spotted a heavy chain hanging from the ceiling part of an old pulley system.
"Hikari, move!" he shouted.
She ducked to the side just as Riku swung the chain like a whip.
The steel links slammed into the masked man's shoulder, knocking his blade from his hand. It clattered across the concrete.
Hikari didn't hesitate.
She closed the distance, pressed her dagger against the man's throat.
"Who sent you?" she demanded.
The masked man's voice was low, but there was a hint of mockery in it.
"You already know."
Her jaw tightened. "Black Lotus."
He chuckled. "Not just them… someone closer than you think."
Before either of them could react, the man reached into his coat and dropped a small, spherical object onto the floor.
Smoke exploded outward, thick and choking.
"Riku, get down!" Hikari yelled.
They hit the ground as the smoke swallowed the room.
By the time it cleared, the masked man was gone vanished into the storm outside.
Riku coughed, still gripping the chain.
Hikari stood frozen, staring at the empty doorway.
He stepped closer. "What did he mean… someone closer?"
Her voice was barely above a whisper.
"It means… someone I trust has already betrayed me."