The cold bit deep.
Snow howled across the shattered ridges of northern Hokkaido, burying everything in white silence—except for the black tower that stabbed into the sky like a steel fang.
Mishima Orbital Lift #7.
A satellite control node. The last relay still linked to DRAGON-9, a weapons platform in low Earth orbit with enough firepower to glass a city block with a single solar lance. Kirika Mishima had locked down the system, moving assets toward militarization. If she completed the sequence, the weapon would no longer be defensive.
It would be judgment.
That's why Genji had come.
He crouched behind a broken ridge, flanked by Blaze and Xao Min Feng. Their armor blended with the terrain—white, matte, tactical. Their breath fogged the air, but no one spoke. Ahead, surveillance drones hovered in careful patterns, sweeping with blue sensors. Automated turrets tracked snow flurries like predators. Two Warblade Elites stood guard at the entrance, armored in Mishima black, helmets pulsing faint red.
> "Three drones. Four mechs. Pulse cannons at ten-second intervals," Genji muttered. "We break on my mark."
"Stealth, huh?" Blaze said, cracking his neck. "I'll try not to explode anything for the first five minutes."
"Try harder," Xao Min said, cocking her wrist. Twin plasma knives slid into her hands.
Genji didn't smile. His eyes narrowed as heat flared beneath his skin. The snow near his boots began to melt in a faint radius. Phoenix Blood surged—just enough to feel the rhythm of the machines, the hum of reactors buried deep beneath the ice.
> "Move."
They launched from cover.
Blaze was first, sprinting low and fast across open ground. One drone turned—and he vaulted into the air, slamming his fist down in an arc that short-circuited its core with an EMP burst.
The other two spun to respond—but Xao Min was already airborne, flipping through them like a ghost. Her plasma blades sliced precise arcs through chassis and circuitry. The drones collapsed in pieces before their sensors could scream.
Then Genji was on the mechs.
He vaulted over the first, landing behind it with his hand pressed to its back. His body glowed red-hot for a second—
> "Red Pulse: Overload."
The mech seized, joints locking, lights flickering—then exploded inward as its systems collapsed. Another turned to fire—but Genji spun, flames bursting from his foot.
> "Phoenix Dropkick!"
His foot slammed into the mech's core, melting through armor, and sent it tumbling across the snow like a ruined toy.
> "Three down," he muttered. "Two to go."
"Correction," Xao Min said, appearing beside him. "None left."
Behind her, the last mechs lay smoldering.
---
Phase Two – Infiltration
They breached the main gate silently.
Blaze hacked the side panel while Genji melted the maglocks with a low-heat flame. The door slid open with a hiss of steam. Inside, cold metal corridors stretched into darkness, bathed in crimson emergency lights. The power had shifted to defensive lockdown mode.
> "Up we go," Blaze said, pointing to the central lift. "Command node's ten floors above."
They moved fast, cutting through automated drones, security turrets, and trap doors. Genji kept the team moving, melting barriers, redirecting defense protocols.
Then they hit resistance.
Commander Kogarashi—the Iron Fang of Kirika's Black Helix—waited for them on Floor 9.
He stood nearly seven feet tall, armor bristling with curved blades and a back-mounted chaingun. His eyes were cybernetic, glowing green through a half-mask that left his mouth visible—a snarl carved from steel.
> "So the bastard phoenix flies," Kogarashi growled. "Time to clip your wings."
The Warblade Elites flanked him.
Blaze didn't wait. "I got the twins."
He charged one Elite, clashing in a thunderstorm of fists and plasma. Xao Min locked blades with the second, spinning in a dizzying dance of dodges and kicks.
Genji faced Kogarashi.
"You're standing in my way."
"I'm standing for order," Kogarashi spat. "Kirika will rebuild the world—and you're just another ember to stomp out."
> "Try."
The fight exploded.
Kogarashi launched himself forward with a jet-assisted stomp, blade-arms out. Genji ducked under one swipe, his own hand glowing with phoenix fire as he parried with his forearm.
> CLANG—!
The heat seared Kogarashi's blade. Genji twisted, slamming a burning elbow into his chest and kicking him across the hall. But the commander recovered fast, spinning his chaingun forward.
> BRRRRRRRRT!
Bullets screamed through the air—Genji slid behind a pillar, kicked off it, and landed on the ceiling in a low crawl. Then he dropped, landing behind Kogarashi.
> "Red Ember Palm!"
The explosion sent Kogarashi sprawling, but he grinned even through the burn.
> "Good," he rasped. "You bleed, too."
Then Xao Min screamed.
---
Phase Three – The Berserker Protocol
One of the Elites had landed a hit—cutting across Xao Min's back. Not deep, but enough. She hit the ground and rolled. Her blade flickered out.
Then something changed.
Her breathing slowed. Her pupils shrank. The sensors along her spine blinked red. A low hum emitted from her skin, like something buried inside her had turned on.
> "Protocol 00X-Λ5: BERSERKER MODE – UNSEALED."
Her body surged with blue-white light. A second pair of arms unfolded from her back—hidden cybernetic limbs, armed with plasma claws. Her scream turned into a static-laced roar.
> "Xao Min!" Genji shouted. "No—stay with me!"
But she didn't hear.
She tore into the Elite like a storm—claws rending through armor, blades shrieking through steel. She moved too fast. Too violently. Blood sprayed. Circuits sparked. She didn't stop.
The second Elite tried to retreat.
She grabbed him by the face.
> CRACK.
Gone.
She turned to Blaze next, eyes wild.
Blaze froze. "Uh… Genji?!"
Genji sprinted to her, flames wrapping around his arms.
> "Xao Min. It's me. Stand down."
She didn't hear. Her claw came up—ready to strike.
Genji caught it barehanded.
The burn tore through his palm—but he didn't let go.
> "It's okay," he said, voice low. "I'm here."
She twitched. Snarled.
> "You saw me at my worst..." she choked, the berserker mode glitching. "And you didn't run."
> "Never," he whispered.
The claws retracted.
Her extra arms folded in.
Her body collapsed forward—and he caught her.
---
Final Phase – Ascension
Blaze limped over. "She okay?"
Genji nodded. "Protocol override complete."
"She turned into a murder goddess."
Genji exhaled. "She survived."
With Xao Min unconscious on his back, Genji and Blaze reached the final chamber: the satellite control room.
The console blinked. Final sequence awaiting activation.
> "Let's end this," Genji said.
He placed his hand on the console.
Phoenix energy flooded the system. The override code Naomi had hidden in his pendant activated—now embedded in his soul. The satellite flickered red, then black.
> DRAGON-9 DISARMED.
> "Target disabled," Blaze said, grinning. "Kirika's gonna be pissed."
Genji looked out the high window—snowstorm still raging.
> "Let her rage," he said quietly. "We're just getting started."
---