She rose from ashes, too damaged to be touched.
Yet strong enough to rebuilt kingdoms blazing like a torch.

"I want this mission to succeed at any cost," S commanded, her voice unwavering as she strode around the table. Her Russian comrades sat silently, their heads slightly bowed, but their focus sharp and intent on every word.

After arriving in Korea, S and her team had dispersed, taking shelter in various hotels across the city to avoid suspicion. Each night, they reconvened in a discreetly maintained warehouse, using the cover of darkness to discuss and finalize their next steps. Tonight, they were laying out their plan to strike a key target—the narcotics factory belonging to the Eclipse. This factory was a major source of income for Jongki and his gang, and taking it down would be a massive blow to their operations.

Sri's recent attack on Jongki's ships had already thrown Eclipse into turmoil, causing a financial disaster and putting Jongki on edge. His clients were undoubtedly growing impatient with the delays, and Sri intended to exploit that unrest fully. Her objective was not only to dismantle Jongki's empire but to erase the Eclipse gang from existence, piece by piece.

"We're entering the factory from the top," she announced, her finger tracing the blueprint spread out on the table. "They'll never expect an aerial approach, so we'll have the element of surprise. Once inside, burn down everything—leave no trace."

She leaned on the table, her face a mixture of determination and wrath. Fresh bruises and cuts from her previous skirmish were still visible, but they only seemed to fuel the intensity in her gaze. S wouldn't stop until she had eradicated the Eclipse gang and brought Jongki to his knees.

"Am I clear?" she barked, slamming her fist on the table for emphasis.

"Yes, madam!" the group responded in unison, their voices filled with steely resolve as they rose from their seats and began preparing for the impending assault.

S ensured the path ahead was clear. She pulled her mask up over her face, tightened her jacket, and loaded her guns before finally plunging into the maze of the factory.

The factory complex was vast and silent, the midday sun casting long shadows through the tall, grimy windows. The air was still, with only the faintest sound of distant machinery that hadn't been used in a while. The tin compartments, large and rusted in some places, were neatly arranged in rows but now stood empty and quiet.

The route was lined with towering tin compartments stuffed with illegal goods, creating narrow, shadowed passageways. The main building was still some distance away, and she knew she needed to create a distraction so her men could work undetected. 

Soon enough, she spotted her first guard a few feet in front of her. Stepping silently, she closed the distance and knocked him out with one swift, calculated strike. Without a pause, she moved further in. As she entered the next section, more guards appeared, now alerted to her presence. The fight was grueling, her movements growing heavier as minor injuries slowed her down. Still, she managed to defeat them all, her gun remaining fully loaded.

Then, almost as if on cue, another group attacked. This time, she had no choice but to use her weapon. She fired a few rounds, taking note of just how well-guarded the factory was. Clearly, Jongki had anticipated her arrival.

She narrowly dodged death as a bullet sliced through the air, just inches from her head. Dropping to the ground, she rolled behind a tin wall, barely escaping the incoming barrage of bullets. Gathering herself, she leaned out from behind cover and fired back with precision, taking down all five assailants with a single shot each.

Meanwhile, Alia entered the factory grounds hastily, flanked by Eclipse men who were ready to guard her. She hadn't expected her entire team of guards to go down so quickly. As the heavy iron doors of the main building creaked open, she stepped inside, determined to check on the inventory. She glanced down at her reflection in a puddle at her feet—clad entirely in black, her face obscured by a dark shawl, and a leather jacket hanging off her frame. Her hazel eyes glinted with a steely resolve as she barked, "Boys! Check that our goods are intact. Eliminate every intruder you find."

The men immediately scattered, sprinting inside to carry out her orders, though two remained by her side as her personal guards. A faint metallic clicking caught her attention. She turned her head, her gaze narrowing as she scanned the room. There, high atop a heap of stacked boxes, sat a shadowed figure. The person held a lighter, flicking it open and closed, the soft 'ting' echoing through the factory's hollow steel interior. Alia's eyes sharpened as the flame illuminated the familiar face before her.

S's razor-sharp gaze remained fixed on the people below her, her lips curling into a dangerous smirk. She flicked the lighter open and closed with practiced ease, the flickering flame reflecting in her eyes. "What are you doing?" Alia's voice was demanding, but S ignored her, continuing her quiet play with the lighter.

"I said get down!" Alia tried again, her voice edged with authority, but S cut her off with a smooth, mocking tone.

"Or?" S's voice dripped with defiance, the challenge hanging thick in the air.

"Or I'll chop off your head right here," Alia threatened, her words sharp as she advanced, eyes locked on her target.

S chuckled, a dark, unsettling sound. "I like your style. I wonder if you would have liked me ten years ago, when I chopped thirty heads in a single night. Ahh, such an eventful night it was." The cruel amusement in her voice sent a shiver down Alia's spine.

Alia's expression faltered for a moment as she saw the darkness growing in S's eyes, the once controlled, calculated woman now starting to lose herself to the fire within. She glanced down and noticed, with a sinking feeling, the puddle beneath her feet wasn't water—it was kerosene. The faint smell lingered, but the mask over her face had kept her from recognizing it until now. She needed to escape, but before she could make a move, S's mocking voice cut through her thoughts.

"Looking for a way out?" S tilted her head, her lips curling into a knowing grin. "The door behind you is open."

Alia's pulse quickened. "You're not going to get away with this. Allah will punish you!" she spat, her confidence wavering as the weight of the situation sank in.

S's expression darkened further, her voice cold as ice. "God, Allah... or whoever the almighty is. I wish he had been there to punish you when you killed an innocent child. I wish he had been there to throw you into hell himself." She stood tall, unwavering. "But don't worry, I'll bring hell to you." Without another word, she tossed the lighter into the pool of kerosene, and in an instant, the factory erupted into flames.

The inferno roared to life, the heat licking the air and brushing against Alia's arm. The fire consumed everything in its path, spreading rapidly across the floor, licking up the walls. The scent of burning fuel mixed with the acrid smoke filling the air. Alia stumbled back, her bodyguards frantically searching for an escape route through the now blazing building. "Inshallah, I'll make you pay for this, S!" she hissed through gritted teeth.

S's eyes reflected the fire, the flames dancing in the dark icicles of her gaze. She saw the Eclipse empire crumbling before her, its strength reduced to ash. She thought of her daughter, a step closer to the justice she had promised. Slowly, a single tear rolled down her cheek, but whether it was from grief or the searing light of the blaze, she couldn't tell.

Climbing the aisle, Sri swiftly exited through the roof, her men already gone as per her instructions. She had promised to send Ivan's men back alive, and she intended to keep that promise. Now, she just had to evade the newly doubled guards of the Eclipse and make it out safely.

The easiest way out was guarded most powerfully. S knew this, and as she scanned the landscape from the roof, she could spot her black Range Rover parked a few hundred yards away. It would be her best route to escape, but she also knew it wouldn't be easy. 

With a swift movement, she landed lightly on the ground and took off in the opposite direction, veering away from the heavily guarded exit. Her boots hit the ground with a soft thud as she ran, her body low and fast, her senses sharp. Every step was calculated, each movement deliberate. The shadows of the tin compartments provided temporary cover, but she couldn't hide forever.

Five men came into view, and without hesitation, S took a sharp left, hiding behind a massive tin compartment. The men passed without noticing her, and she ran in the opposite direction, knocking out two guards in her path.

But soon, more men appeared, and the situation turned dire. She had no backup, no arms, and her escape was becoming more and more elusive. Every time she neared the exit, she had to retreat to avoid confrontation. The Eclipse men were closing in. She knew she was being tracked, but there was no time to find the tracker hidden in her body.

"Give me your jacket!" Sri froze at the sound of the familiar voice, her instincts kicking in. She spun around faster than light, finding Taehyung standing there with his hood pulled, his hand extended toward her. His expression was impassive, unreadable, but his voice was clear.

"Open the jacket. The tracker is somewhere in there," he said coldly.

She slid the jacket off her arms and handed it to him, her fingers brushing against his in the exchange. The brief contact sent a jolt through her chest, but she didn't have the time to think about it. They were both standing now in front of the blazing building—the same spot where she had started her invasion, only everything had changed.

Taehyung glanced toward the raging flames behind them, the heat licking at the air. He met her gaze with quiet determination. "Leave the premises as soon as possible," he instructed.

"What about you?" Sri asked immediately, concern flashing in her eyes.

"I can defend myself," he answered, a glimmer of assurance in his tone.

Sri studied his face for a moment. There was no doubt in her mind that Taehyung could take care of himself. She gave a small nod, her eyes softening. "Be safe."

Without another word, the doctor and the gangster took off in opposite directions, each running toward their own goal.

Sri continued her path, neutralizing a few more men along the way, her focus sharp, her resolve unshakable. After what felt like an eternity, she found herself standing in front of her black Range Rover. The door was unlocked, the engine still warm, but something held her back. She waited.

She held her breath, eyes scanning the surroundings, every muscle tense. She didn't move until she saw Taehyung emerging from the chaos, unharmed and with no sign of her jacket. He must have disposed of it during his escape.

When he finally reached her, Sri exhaled a sigh she didn't realize she was holding. "Thank you," she said, her voice flat, but her eyes betrayed the depth of her gratitude.

Taehyung simply nodded in acknowledgment. He was about to step into his own car when a voice called out to them, stopping him in his tracks.

"Looks like you've succeeded in your little plan, S." Jongki's voice rang out, laced with mockery. His smirk was wide, almost victorious.

Sri didn't miss a beat. "It's fun to see your empire slowly burning to ashes," she shot back, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

Jongki raised an eyebrow, the smirk never fading. "Do you really consider me so foolish?"

Sri's chest tightened at his casual demeanor. Something was off. He shouldn't be so unaffected by the destruction of his operations. Her gut instincts screamed that this wasn't over, that she hadn't hit him where it would hurt the most. "Fuck," she muttered under her breath, realizing her mistake.

"Tsk tsk tsk..." Taehyung shook his head in disappointment. "The real question is, do you consider us so foolish?"

Sri's eyes widened as she turned her head sharply toward him, her breath catching. That was when Alia came running toward them, panic in her steps.

"Boss!" Alia shouted, her face frantic. "The Titans have abducted our trucks!"

Sherly stood with her men, her grip steady on the machine gun as she aimed at the truck wheels. The bullets rang out, puncturing the tires and causing the speeding vehicles to lose control. The trucks swerved violently before toppling over, sending plumes of smoke and dust into the air. It would have been a catastrophic crash if the road had been busy, but fortune was on their side today. The road was nearly empty, with only a lone cyclist passing by on the footpath. The cyclist had narrowly avoided disaster, his quick reflexes saving him from a deadly collision.

The three massive six-wheeler trucks lay crumpled in the aftermath, their engines sputtering in the haze. "Destroy everything," Sherly ordered coldly, her voice carrying the weight of finality. Without another word, she strode towards one of the toppled trucks, where the driver was frantically trying to climb out of his mangled seat.

Sherly grabbed the driver by the collar, yanking him from the truck and dragging him to his knees on the cracked asphalt. Her eyes bore into him, her gun pointing directly at his head. "Call your boss," she commanded, her voice unyielding.

Trembling and bloodied, the driver fumbled with his phone, his hands shaking as he dialed. After a few attempts and some tense moments, the call finally connected. "Boss—" he began, but Sherly snatched the phone from his hands, her patience wearing thin.

She held the phone up to her ear, her tone cold and deadly. "Tell Song Jongki that his plan has miserably failed." Without waiting for a response, she slammed the phone down on the ground, shattering it under her boot. The sound of cracking plastic echoed in the quiet aftermath of the wreckage.

Sherly glanced around at the burning cargo, the goods being consumed by flames. Her men moved silently, their faces stoic as they made their way back to the vehicles. Before they left, they marked the scene with the Titans' iconic logo, the symbol of their arrival, their message clear.

The war had begun.

15 votes for an immediate update.

Finally LOMLs digital single. He was so excited to give TMIs. 🤧🤧

14th July! We need to break some records Armys!