MONOLOGUE

The air trembled with heat, heavy with the smell of gunpowder and ash. Craters marked the battlefield where fire had once erupted; the sky above was smudged with thick smoke, clouding the ruined cityscape in hues of gray and orange.

And in the middle of it all, two figures stood facing each other—both panting, both bloodied, neither willing to fall.

Vengeance stood there, breath ragged. The pain was sharp, but nothing compared to the boiling fury in her chest. Her eyes were locked on Aegis, standing just meters away, also breathing hard, her gun still smoking from the shot she’d fired.

Vengeance wiped a smear of blood from her lip, her shoulder aching from the strain of holding both sword and gun. Her clothes were torn and dust-coated, her red hair plastered to her face with sweat. Her chest rose and fell with violent rhythm, heart pounding like a war drum.

"I will kill you," she growled, venom coating every syllable. "You hear me, Aegis?"

Across from her, Aegis’s eyes burned with the same fire. She was bruised and battered, a gash on her jaw still bleeding, but her grip on her blade remained steady. She spat to the side, then smirked, the corners of her mouth twitching upward.

"In your dreams, Vengeance," she replied, breathless but resolute.

The words stung more than the bullet. This was no longer just a battle of bullets and blades—it was pride against pride, pain against pain.

They had fought fiercely, ruthlessly, neither of them backing down. Each strike was parried, every bullet dodged or returned in kind. Their strength was equal, their resolve unbreakable. The world around them had faded into smoke and chaos, but their eyes never wavered from each other.

Then they launched forward again—a blur of motion.

Gunshots rang out. Blades collided in metallic shrieks. Every movement was sharp, deliberate, the result of years of training, hatred, and muscle memory. This wasn’t just a fight anymore.

It was a grudge soaked in old blood.

They moved like echoes of one another, every attack matched, every dodge predicted. Rage and adrenaline fueled them, and the battle raged on—gunfire echoing through crumbling ruins, metal clashing with metal as sparks burst with every strike.

Each was relentless. Blow for blow, strike for strike, they mirrored each other like two sides of the same blade. Equal. Opposed. Destined.

Then—just as Aegis prepared for the next strike—a voice shattered the rhythm.

From behind a crumbling wall, a shout pierced through the chaos.

"Aegis! That’s enough! We have to leave—Lilac is critically injured!"

Amber’s voice tore through the smoke like a scream in the void.

Aegis froze.

Her gaze darted toward the rear, eyes widening. And there—slumped against the wreckage of a burned-out vehicle—was Lilac. Her black hair was matted with blood, her violet jacket torn and soaked. Her eyes fluttered open only to squeeze shut again in pain.

Vengeance saw it—the shift in Aegis’s expression. The tension, the hesitation. Her enemy turned, looking past the battlefield, drawn by something far.

Lilac.

Aegis’s jaw clenched. She looked back at Vengeance, voice low and dangerous.

"This isn’t over. I’ll find you. And next time... I will kill you."

She raised her pistol and fired—not at Vengeance’s heart, but at her shoulder. A shot that is intended as a warning message.

The bullet tore through fabric and flesh.

Vengeance cried out, stumbling back as pain erupted in her arm.

Smoke surged between them again—and when it cleared, Aegis was gone.

"ARGH! Damn you!" Vengeance screamed, raising her gun again in fury—but before she could fire, a firm grip caught her wrist.

"Enough!" Veridian snapped, stepping beside her, eyes sharp with urgency. "Let’s go. We need to report this to Boss Azure.

Tangelo rushed to Vengeance’s side, offering support as she swayed from blood loss.

"Are you okay? You're hurt bad. Let’s get back to base—you need rest, and that wound needs treatment before it gets infected."

Vengeance winced, brushing away the blood from her face. "It’s nothing. I’ve had worse."

Veridian scoffed. "Don't be such a drama queen, Gray... It's just a minor wound. It's far from her vital organs—she won't di—"

Tangelo’s fist moved faster than anyone could blink.

It connected squarely with Veridian’s jaw before the sentence finished.

"You seriously just used my real name? Out here?!" Tangelo snapped, fury flaring in his eyes. "Do you have a death wish?!"

Veridian held her jaw, wincing. "It was an accident, alright? Chill!"

Vengeance, teeth gritted, pain flaring hotter than ever, groaned, "Would you two just stop fighting already? I’m the one who’s been shot—and now I have to listen to you idiots bicker?"

She stumbled forward. "Let’s just get back to base before we attract more enemies. This place is already a damn warzone."

Tangelo immediately moved to her side again, supporting her weight as she limped toward the vehicle. Her voice was sharp, her frustration aimed squarely at Veridian.

"Honestly, Veridian. Have some decency. She just took a bullet, and you’re walking around like some kind of jerk. Seriously—help me out here. Can’t you see she’s struggling? Or did your brain get punched too?"

As they approached the vehicle, Tangelo carefully helped Vengeance into the passenger seat and began treating her wound with supplies from the first-aid kit. Veridian took the driver’s seat, face twisted in sullen silence.

"I said I’m fine," Vengeance muttered.

Veridian, grumbling as she started the engine, shot back, "Why should I help? She brought it on herself. If she had been more careful, she wouldn’t be bleeding all over the place. Wasn’t she supposed to be the best among us? Boss Azure sure talks like she’s invincible. But look at her now—she got outplayed."

Vengeance turned her head slowly, voice low and even despite the throbbing pain in her shoulder.

"I never wanted to compete with you, Veridian. I’ve only ever done my best—if that threatens you, that’s your problem."

"Oh please," Veridian scoffed. "Don’t act humble. You always walk around like you’re better than everyone else. I already told Boss Azure from the beginning—I should’ve led this team."

Tangelo snapped, "Enough, Veridian! Vengeance is hurt, and you're acting like this? Just drive and keep your mouth shut."

Veridian grumbled but obeyed, turning her focus to the road.

Tangelo gently lowered Vengeance into the backseat, her fingers already busy with gauze and antiseptic. Vengeance didn’t complain—not about the pain, not about the mission.

She just sat in silence, the sting of the bullet forgotten for now.

Because in her mind, only one thing burned.

Aegis.

Meanwhile…

Aegis’s team—Amber and Lilac—were racing against time in their battered van, the tires screeching around corners as the city blurred past the windows. Inside, chaos was unfolding.

Lilac lay curled on the backseat, sweat glistening on her pale forehead. Her face had lost all color, and her trembling hands clutched weakly at the wound on her side. Her breath came in shallow gasps, and the occasional cough brought specks of blood to her lips.

Aegis knelt beside her, pressing a cloth tightly against the bleeding. Her jaw was clenched, trying not to let panic creep in. Every second counted.

“Please hurry, Aegis!” Amber’s voice cracked from the front seat. “Lilac needs medical attention ASAP!”

“I know,” Aegis snapped, more sharply than intended. “Keep driving, I’ll stabilize her.”

She turned back to Lilac, her hands already moving with practiced urgency. But they were losing ground fast.

From the driver’s seat, Amber’s voice trembled again. “I—I’m an artist, not a medic!” Her knuckles were white as she gripped the steering wheel. “I don’t know what to do!”

Lilac coughed again. This time, it was worse—thicker, darker blood. Her eyelids fluttered weakly as she looked up at Aegis.

“Am I... going to die?” she whispered, voice trembling like glass ready to shatter.

“No,” Aegis said instantly, her tone so fierce and unwavering it made Amber flinch. “You’re not dying. I won’t let that happen.”

Amber risked a glance at the wound again—and went pale. “There’s something wrong,” she breathed. “The wound… it’s turning violet. That bullet must’ve been poisoned.”

Lilac gave a hoarse laugh, even as pain laced every breath. “Hehe... Violet. My favorite color…”

“Amber, get the first-aid kit!” Aegis barked. “Now. Lilac needs treatment, and she needs it now.”

Amber fumbled around the glove compartment and tossed the kit back. Aegis snatched it open, already digging through gauze and vials, searching for anything that could slow the venom coursing through her friend’s veins.

“You’re unbelievable,” she muttered, voice wavering as she cleaned the wound. “You got shot, and you’re still cracking jokes.”

Lilac gave a teasing smirk through the tears. “Admit it… you really care about me, don’t you, Bestie? You really love your best friend.”

“Shut up, Bestie,” Aegis muttered, barely holding back her own tears. “You’re lucky I passed police medical training. Now hold still—and don’t you dare leave me yet.”

Time blurred. Every heartbeat was a war drum. The hours that followed were agonizing.

But eventually—miraculously—both teams reached their respective headquarters and base. For now, Lilac and was safe same to Vengeance.

Relief came, but it didn't last.

This wasn’t the end. The war was far from over.

The next time Aegis and Vengeance met, it wouldn’t end in smoke and threats.

It would end in blood.

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