Chapter 5- Part One

The hum of the aircraft was steady, but the air inside buzzed with energy. Seven agents remained from AZO’s elite — the strongest force left standing after the Malaysia mission.

Ava leaned against the window, her legs crossed, fingers carefully coating her katana with layers of spiritual essence.

 Sparks shimmered faintly along the blade, flickering like soft lightning. Seated beside her, Keith guided the flow with surgical precision.

“Focus here,” he said, tapping near the hilt. “Your essence is bleeding at the guard. You’ll lose stability on contact.”

“I’m fine,” Ava replied, cool as ever. “Just tired from carrying this team.”

Keith raised an eyebrow, then grinned. “Says the girl who couldn’t cut through a minor phantom last month.”

“Because someone kept breaking my focus.”

Across the aisle, Christian pretended not to listen, but his eyes flickered toward Ava with every glance she didn’t return.

Meanwhile, chaos brewed two rows back.

“Sukuna wipes the floor with Gojo,” Maya declared, arms crossed, chin raised in defiance.

Matthew practically jumped from his seat. “Are you dumb? Gojo is literally built different. He has Limitless and the Six Eyes!”

“Doesn’t matter when Sukuna can slice through dimensions. He’s just raw violence. He’d chew Gojo up.”

Their argument bounced back and forth like a tennis match, drawing laughter from the rest of the cabin. Even Miloslav, seated near the front, cracked a half-smile.

Helena chuckled from the corner, her red scarf coiled around her neck like a lazy serpent. “This is what humanity’s fate depends on. Anime debates and emotional damage.”

Christian sat straighter in his seat, but his mind wasn’t on the banter. The laughter felt distant, hollow against the hum of the engines.

Power shapes reality. That was the ideal he’d lived by, the one thing that made sense after everything. But Malaysia had shown him the cracks. He had power, but it wasn’t enough. Cape Town had almost proved it again.

For the first time, he wondered if belief alone could hold such a fragile world together.

Evan, silent until now, leaned forward, addressing Christian directly. “They said you beat a phantom. Is it true?”

Christian shifted slightly. “It was a team effort.”

Maya peeked over the seat, smirking. “Look at this guy being all humble.”

Matthew chimed in. “Nah, don’t let him lie to you. We were all out of juice, and this dude used his spiritual volume to crush that thing.”

“It was a lucky shot,” Christian muttered.

Helena leaned in. “Man, I’m so jealous. Spiritual volume’s still a mystery to me. I poke a rock with my essence and it explodes, but using a spiritual volume? That’s just rude.”

Laughter broke out again. Even Evan cracked a rare grin.

From her seat, Ava glanced at Christian, just once. She caught his eyes. He didn’t look away.

They’d never needed to say it out loud. They were rivals — not enemies, not even competitors. But when Christian grew stronger, Ava felt it in her bones. It pushed her. The same way her blade’s edge pushed him to stay sharp.

“You’re not as annoying as I remember,” she said.

“You’re just nostalgic.”

“Mm. Maybe I liked it better when you were less talky.”

“Maybe I liked it better when you couldn’t block my attacks.”

Keith looked between the two of them, unimpressed. “God, just date or stab each other already.”

Miloslav’s voice cut through the cabin: deep, firm, final.

“We’re approaching the drop zone. Final check.”

Maya stood, stretching her arms over her head.

“About time,” she said. A violet shimmer rippled through the air around her, soft at first, then blinding.

With a loud clap of displaced energy, the cabin twisted. “Flash!”

Time folded.

And the agents vanished.

 

AZO Base Alpha – Worcester, South Africa

They reappeared an instant later, boots thudding softly against the stone floor of a circular chamber. Torches flickered along the walls, casting eerie shadows across the sigil-etched floor.

They had arrived at AZO’s Worcester Base, 100km outside Cape Town. Hidden beneath the mountains, the fortress thrummed with ancient power and modern tech.

Waiting at the center of the chamber was a man in a long, earth-toned coat, arms crossed, eyes sharp like broken glass.

Given Xulu.

“Welcome to the southern gate,” he said, voice steady. “The surge is worse than we thought.”

Miloslav stepped forward. “Status?”

“We picked up residual signatures from something... not human. Definitely not natural. Whatever it is, it made landfall last night. Near District Seven.”

A hush fell.

Ava looked at Christian. He didn’t speak — but he knew.

This was the beginning of something far bigger than anything Malaysia had prepared them for.

And somewhere, in the silence behind Given’s words, they all felt it.

The storm was coming.

 

AZO Base Alpha- Southern gate

Miloslav stood at a window at the southern gate. His presence quieted the remaining chatter. He adjusted the cuff of his coat and looked at Maya.

“District 7,” he said calmly. “You're teleporting Christian, Ava, and Keith with you. The rest of us will regroup here at Base Alpha. ”

Maya cracked her knuckles, already forming the sigil with glowing fingertips. “Got it. What are we expecting?”

“At this point, anything. Go in light, but be ready to call for backup,” Miloslav replied. His tone was clipped, as always.

Christian stood first, nodding. “Understood.”

Keith followed without a word. Ava glanced once more at her blade—now glowing faintly with layered essence—and slung it over her shoulder. No theatrics. Just quiet focus.

Maya finished the teleportation sigil in the air, and with a burst of warping light, the four of them vanished, leaving a scorched circle on the aircraft floor.

AZO Base Alpha, HQ – Worcester, South Africa

The base buzzed with quiet energy, nestled beneath the mountains and camouflaged into the dry brush. Hidden, self-sustaining, and reinforced with spiritual seals, it was where the AZO made its final decisions.

Given Xulu leaned over the table, a digital map of southern Africa projected above it, glowing in a pulsing red around District 7.

“Are they already on-site?” he asked without looking up.

Miloslav nodded. “Maya teleported them ten minutes ago. They’ll sweep the area.”

Helena crossed her arms. “If it’s anything like what happened in Malaysia…”

“It’s not,” Miloslav said. “This is bigger.”

Xulu tapped the projection, zooming in. “Then we might be dealing with a breach from the Order.”

Evan exhaled sharply. “And what about Aiden?”

A silence fell. The name cut through the room like a cold gust.

“Aiden’s betrayal compromised our entire internal tracking grid,” Miloslav admitted.

 “He wiped two safe houses and sold intel to the Order. If he’s resurfaced in South Africa—”

“Then this surge could be the Order calling cards,” Xulu finished grimly.

Xulu nodded. “Let’s prepare for worst-case. If this is a coordinated resurgence, we’ll need to move fast. This isn’t just another Phantom surge.”

Miloslav’s eyes narrowed at the map. “This is the start of something big.”

District 7 — Cape Town

The streets of District 7 were unnervingly quiet. The sky seemed thinner, like the stars were holding back- something waiting to seep through.

Dust clung to the air as the wind shifted, carrying the smell of old smoke and charred pavement. The once-busy neighbourhood was littered with remnants of evacuation: scattered bags, abandoned market stalls, shoes left mid-stride.

Keith crouched near a cracked manhole, two fingers to the ground. “Spirit Expand.”

The effect was instant.

A translucent pulse of energy spread out from him, distorting the air like heat off tar. Within seconds, a 5km radius of detection filled with shimmering threads of residual essence—traces left behind by the spiritually attuned. Keith's eyes snapped open.

“It’s hard to say. There’s residue. Lots of it.”

Ava glanced around warily. “Human?”

“Hard to say.” Keith rose. “It could be Phantom-adjacent, or something else."

Christian scanned the empty street, unease tugging at his chest. The silence reminded him too much of Malaysia—moments before the ambush.

 He was a frim believer in AZO’s mission. Now, with every shadow stretching longer than it should, he felt the weight of a question he didn’t dare voice:

What if strength wasn’t enough?

The group moved in silence, boots clicking against the uneven tar. They passed a weather-beaten house with pale blue shutters—unaware that behind its cracked glass, Jordan sat cross-legged on the floor, eyes closed, breath still.

Unaware that the world was already watching her.

N2 Highway Exit – Zonneblom

As they approached the curve that overlooked the Zonneblom interchange, Keith suddenly stopped.

“There.” His voice dropped. “Two signatures. It’s faint. But there.”

Ava narrowed her eyes toward the rocky hill near the highway fence. “I don’t see anything.”

“They’re masking it. They're sloppy, but it's effective.” Keith’s fingers twitched. “Let's move.”

They dashed forward—Maya vanishing and reappearing mid-run to scout ahead. But just as they reached the origin point, the spiritual signatures disappeared.

Gone.

Silence.

Then—

SHING!

A flash of silver light carved a crescent through the air—Ioi Slash.

The ground split as an arc of spiritual force erupted between them, throwing dust and debris. The four agents scattered instinctively—divided.

Maya blinked rapidly toward cover, shielding her eyes. “AMBUSH!”

From above the ridge, two figures emerged—cloaked in wind and grit.

Megumi, eyes gleaming and blade glowing with spectral light.

And beside her, the rookie in loose tactical wear—Jason, barely nineteen, smirking despite the nervous twitch in his jaw.

“Guess this is the part where we fight,” Megumi said calmly, stepping forward.