Above Rumbler's Chamber
Levi turned toward the Nitchtronian woman.
His gaze alone was enough to make her tense.
When he spoke, his voice was calm, but the threat behind it was unmistakable.
"You've got two options."
"You can start working on him and program him to follow my commands."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"Or you can go back to that stupid banquet."
A pause.
"Just know that one of those choices ends with you dead."
The woman's face paled.
Fear washed over her instantly.
Every instinct in her body screamed at her to run.
But something else stopped her.
The realization that running might be the worse option.
Slowly, she turned toward the staircase leading down into the chamber.
"Please..."
Her voice trembled.
"You don't have to do this."
She looked back at him desperately.
"What you're planning could get all of us killed."
Levi remained unmoved.
The weight of her words seemed incapable of reaching him.
As though the consequences she feared simply didn't apply to him.
For a few seconds she stared at him, hoping to find hesitation.
Doubt.
Anything.
There was nothing.
His expression remained cold and absolute.
Eventually, she lowered her head.
Defeated.
Without another word, she began descending the stairs toward Rumbler's chamber.
Kayo stepped beside Levi, watching the frightened woman disappear down the stairs.
He frowned slightly.
"We're making a big decision here."
"Something we should definitely notify the others about."
Levi kept his eyes on the chamber below.
"It doesn't matter to me what they have to say."
His response came without hesitation.
"I'm doing this with or without them."
Kayo let out a long sigh.
At this point, trying to convince Levi otherwise felt pointless.
"Ms. Nury is going to kill me for this."
He rubbed the back of his head.
"Just so you know, we're definitely getting scolded when this is over."
The corner of Levi's mouth twitched upward slightly.
Whether it was amusement or complete disregard for the consequences—
Kayo couldn't tell.
Elsewhere.
Inside a brightly lit room, the effects of the drugs were beginning to wear off.
Nury slowly opened her eyes.
Her vision was blurry at first. The overhead lights stabbed at her eyes, forcing her to squint.
"Oh."
Atrunt's voice broke the silence.
"Look who's finally waking up."
Nury blinked several times until the room came into focus.
Atrunt stood nearby alongside two doctors. All three wore surgical masks and protective gear, preparing what appeared to be some sort of operation.
Atrunt folded his arms.
"It's been thirty minutes. The sedative should have kept you unconscious for another four hours."
A faint smile appeared beneath his mask.
"But that was my mistake. I underestimated a higher-ranking member of the Red Moon."
Nury quickly assessed her surroundings.
Metal restraints secured her wrists and ankles to a reinforced table. Machinery surrounded her from every direction. Monitors hummed softly. Mechanical arms rested above her.
She sighed.
Atrunt tilted his head.
The reaction confused him.
Most people panicked.
Nury simply looked annoyed.
The door suddenly opened.
Detrox entered.
"Sir, he's requesting to speak with you."
Atrunt glanced at Nury one last time.
"Very well."
He turned toward the doctors.
"Keep an eye on her."
Without another word, he left the room.
---
Atrunt entered his office.
A holographic communicator sat on his desk, projecting a blurred figure concealed behind layers of distortion.
An anonymous voice emerged through heavy static.
"I've been informed of the current status of the operation."
Atrunt nodded.
"That is correct, sir. Everything is proceeding according to plan."
He sat down.
"We have successfully captured two individuals known as Blades."
A pause.
"The boy's stardust level is not particularly impressive."
His expression shifted.
"But the woman..."
"She may prove even more valuable than Rumbler himself."
"When the time comes, they will be ready."
Static filled the room briefly.
Then the voice returned.
"Excellent."
"However, our plans have changed."
Atrunt frowned.
"I beg your pardon?"
"We've spent years preparing for this."
His voice remained calm, though confusion crept into it.
"Resources. Funding. Personnel."
"We built this project to create the perfect army."
"An army capable of conquering the galaxy and securing the future of our race."
A pause.
"What could possibly be more important than that?"
The static intensified.
Then the answer came.
"The Heart of God."
Silence.
Atrunt froze.
His eyes widened.
For the first time in a long while, he was speechless.
The voice continued.
"You understand why this changes everything."
Atrunt leaned forward.
"But... how?"
His voice was quieter now.
"I thought it was a myth."
"People have searched centuries for it."
"Our work is the only path to preventing stardust from disappearing forever."
"Exactly."
The voice responded immediately.
"Which is why we must obtain it."
"If someone else acquires it first, everything we've built becomes meaningless."
Atrunt swallowed.
"Where is it?"
"Currently in the possession of Casa Nostra."
The name alone carried weight.
"A Demon organization originating from Earth. One of the largest criminal networks in the known galaxy."
Atrunt nodded slowly.
"I've heard of them."
"But how did they manage to find something like that?"
"They have their methods."
The voice sounded almost amused.
"The fortunate part is that the artifact isn't being held by anyone particularly intelligent."
Atrunt raised an eyebrow.
"What do you mean?"
"The current owner is Giovanni Bambino, leader of the Casa Bianca syndicate."
Static crackled.
"The fool intends to auction it."
Atrunt's eyes widened again.
"An auction?"
"At the annual Casa Nostra gathering."
The voice continued.
"There will be artifacts. Weapons. Exotic technology."
A pause.
"But the Heart of God will be the centerpiece."
"The location remains unknown. Every year the event is held on a different planet."
"I'll provide the coordinates as soon as they're confirmed."
Atrunt remained silent.
Processing.
Calculating.
The voice spoke one final time.
"Prepare your forces."
"You're going to need every weapon, every soldier, and every ally you can gather."
"This won't be a simple operation."
"The entire underworld will be there."
"Demons."
"Gangs."
"Drug cartels."
"Smugglers."
A pause.
"Everyone."
The transmission ended.
For the first time that evening, Atrunt looked genuinely concerned.
Suddenly, Detrox burst through the office doors.
"Sir, we've got a problem!"
Atrunt immediately rose from his chair.
The urgency in Detrox's voice was enough.
The two rushed through the corridors and into the control room.
Several technicians were already gathered around the surveillance monitors. The atmosphere was tense.
One of the operators turned toward them.
"We missed them, sir."
Atrunt frowned.
"What do you mean you missed them?"
The operator swallowed.
"I don't know how they got there."
He pointed toward the largest screen.
Everyone turned.
The monitor displayed Levi and Kayo standing above the operation chamber.
Silence filled the room.
Detrox stared at the screen in disbelief.
"That's impossible."
A beat.
"I saw them at the banquet."
"They drank the sedative."
"They were both there."
Atrunt's eyes narrowed.
"Then who are they?"
No one answered.
The surveillance operator quickly switched cameras.
The image changed.
Now the chamber itself appeared on screen.
Inside, the nitchtronian woman was already working on Rumbler.
Atrunt's expression darkened immediately.
"No..."
"No, this can't be happening."
His voice grew sharper.
"They're forcing Ninax to begin the procedure."
He clenched his fists.
"We never told her about the real plan specifically to avoid this. So she couldn't spill it out by accident—"
He stopped himself.
Then looked at Detrox.
"Go down there."
"Bring them to me."
Detrox nodded immediately.
"Understood."
He turned and headed for the exit.
The doors slid open.
Then—
He stopped.
Everyone noticed it.
Detrox didn't move.
He simply stared.
Frozen.
Slowly, he took a step backward.
The room fell silent.
Atrunt frowned.
"What is it?"
No answer.
A second passed.
Then another.
The technicians began exchanging nervous glances.
Atrunt finally stepped forward and looked past the doorway.
His eyes widened.
For the first time that night—
He looked genuinely shocked.
Standing outside the control room was Nury.
Blood stained her hands.
Dark red and already drying.
The faint smell of burnt flesh lingered in the air around her.
Her expression remained unchanged.
Cold.
Calm.
Unwavering.
Yet there was something burning behind her eyes.
Something dangerous.
Nury looked at the room full of Ancients.
Then spoke.
"You aren't going anywhere."
Her voice was quiet.
Almost gentle.
Which somehow made it worse.
No shouting.
No threats.
Just certainty.
The room went still.
Atrunt understood immediately.
The plan had changed.
Again.
Because standing before them was not a prisoner.
Not a test subject.
Not a future experiment.
Standing in their way was the Golden Blaze of the Red Moon.