Sunset bled across the windows of STF Headquarters as the city lights of Tenrihines flickered awake. Inside his office, Ian was finishing a report when Optimus burst in without knocking.
"Ian, there are cultist activities reported in Iron Summit. Multiple sightings."
Ian exhaled sharply and stood. "Looks like it's gonna be another long night. Get the pratrol jet ready."
Optimus crossed his arms. "You want me to go with you?"
Ian shot him a look. "No. Last time you tried something stealthful, you broke through a roof and landed on the enemy commander."
Optimus raised a brow. "I killed him, didn't I?"
"That's beside the point."
Optimus frowned. "Then who are you taking?"
Ian tapped his comm. Moments later, the door opened and Deadshot Valor, the 16th Great, and one of Ian's students, walked in with a confident swagger.
Optimus groaned. "So you'll take him over me?"
Deadshot smirked. "Yeah. He'll take me over you. I don't crash through ceilings."
Ian rubbed his temples. "Both of you, quiet."
He turned to Deadshot. "Get Scarlet on comms. Meet me at the mobile command plane."
The Mobile Command Plane sat on the runway, a sleek dark-gray craft modified with holo-screens, maps, a briefing table, and a mini-armory. At the controls was Twin Blade Scarlet, her red hair tied back, her two sheathed katanas strapped to her seat.
"Strap in, boys," she said, powering up the engines.
The jet took off, cutting through the night sky toward Iron Summit. Inside the dimly lit cabin, Ian stood over a holo-map.
"I think the cultists are planning to finish the assassination they failed on Atherion. Draykor is a political keystone; if he dies, the entire empire destabilizes."
Deadshot leaned against the wall, loading ammo. "So we're ghost-hunting again. Great."
Ian ignored him. "Be on high alert. We don't know how many demons they have hidden. Scarlet, guide us from above."
"Copy that," she replied.
The jet circled silently over Iron Summit, a city now swallowed in quiet darkness. Ian and Deadshot leapt from the jet, hopping rooftop to rooftop at superhuman speed, their shadows gliding across the stone streets.
They reached Draykor's home in mere seconds. A window on the upper floor was cracked open. Ian motioned. They slipped inside. The room was empty. Too empty.
Deadshot scratched his head. "Uhh… maybe he's out late?"
Ian shook his head sharply. "No. Draykor sleeps early. Something's wrong. Check the front door."
Deadshot sprinted down the stairs, then called out: "Sir, forced entry. He's been kidnapped."
Before Ian could respond,
CRASH.
The house windows shattered as masked cultists swarmed inside. One lunged at Ian, and he grabbed the attacker mid-air and threw him into the wall so hard the plaster cracked.
Deadshot raced back upstairs, firing clean shots into two more cultists. Their bodies dropped instantly.
Scarlet's voice cut through the comms: "Guys, get out of there! You're surrounded by demons AND cultists."
Ian sighed. "Yeah… it's gonna be a long night."
Silas Verin Reveals Himself. The front door burst open. In walked Silas Verin, surrounded by demon bodyguards, eyes glowing faintly crimson, not human eyes at all.
He raised a hand. "Don't move. We have your Draykor captured. He is in our possession."
Ian stepped forward. "What do you want?"
Silas smiled darkly. "Withdraw all your troops from the War for Iron… and give us our factories back."
Ian laughed once — humorless. "You know I can't do that."
Scarlet cut in urgently: "I hacked security footage, they're holding Draykor two miles from your location, underground temple."
Deadshot glanced at Ian. Ian nodded. In a flash, both vanished. Ian tore through cultists with blinding sword arcs. Deadshot unloaded controlled bursts, dropping demon after demon.
Silas slipped out a back door, his demon guards shielding him as he escaped into the night.
By the time Ian and Deadshot finished clearing the house, Silas was long gone.
They sprinted through Iron Summit, reaching a worn-down stone building. Inside, a hidden staircase led them underground. They entered a massive temple lined with cracked columns and glowing red sigils.
In the corner tied to a pillar was Draykor, bruised but alive. "Draykor!" Ian rushed forward.
But before he reached him, BOOM.
A giant brute demon smashed through the wall, kneeing Ian in the stomach. The impact launched him through stone, sending him flying into the sewage tunnels below.
"SIR!" Deadshot shouted.
Draykor: "Leave me—help Ian!"
Deadshot shook his head. "Not happening. You stay behind me. Time to show the power of the 16th Great."
Demons and cultists poured into the chamber. Deadshot fired with unreal accuracy, every shot a kill. He shielded Draykor with his body as they pushed through the cramped tunnels. A demon dove at him, grabbing his rifle.
Deadshot ripped it back, fired two shots into its skull, then kicked down a door. He tossed a flash grenade white fire blinded the entire room.
Scarlet's voice returned in his ear: "Go to the street, escort team is waiting!"
Deadshot bulldozed through the house, shooting demons, stabbing others, fighting like a raging storm. They burst out onto the street where an armored SUV skidded to a stop.
Renn Varos and an elite squad were inside. Draykor was shoved into the back.
Deadshot slid into the driver's seat. "Buckle up!"
Demons sprinted after them, slamming into the metal. Renn fired through the window, picking them off. Deadshot drifted around corners, shaking off the cultists.
Meanwhile, deep under the city, Ian rose slowly from the sewage, clutching his ribs. The brute demon charged. Ian dodged its massive fists, slicing tendons, striking pressure points.
The demon swung wildly, crushing tunnel walls. Ian leapt upward, landing a brutal knee to its head. The demon staggered. Ian wrapped his arm around its throat and choked it unconscious, dropping it into the water with a thunderous splash.
He clicked his comm. "Deadshot, is Draykor secure?"
Deadshot answered. "Yes, sir, he's safe!"
Ian climbed out onto the street, breathing hard.
He immediately called Optimus. "Hey, wake up. Get STF units and military down to Iron Summit. We're starting a planet-wide search for Silas Verin."
Optimus froze. "Silas was evil…?"
Ian's voice was cold. "He was a demon disguised as a human."
Optimus whispered, "…wow."
The Aftermath Dawn broke over Iron Summit as soldiers swept the streets, arresting cultists and searching every building for traces of Silas. But he was gone, vanished like smoke. Ian and Deadshot met with Draykor at a temporary command tent.
Draykor looked shaken but determined. "I'm out of words… did you find him?"
Ian shook his head. "No. He had an escape plan. He's off-world by now. But we'll get leads from the cultists."
Later that day, Draykor stood before the people of the Galactic Empire. Broadcasts streamed across planets. "Citizens… last night, an attempt was made on my life. My adviser Silas Verin, whom I trusted, was revealed to be a demon in disguise."
Gasps filled the crowds. "I proposed lowering our military budget. I now see the error in that. Instead of cutting our defenses, we will redirect military forces to rebuild war-torn planets and worlds still healing from our past wars."
He bowed his head. "And we will hunt down Silas Verin and every demon hiding among us." The galaxy erupted in applause.