The air in the training room still had that sharp ozone smell when the emergency alarms started blaring. Jin could hear all the different layers of the alarms.

**[EMERGENCY ALERT: PERIMETER BREACH DETECTED]**

**[CRAWLER SIGNATURES: MULTIPLE INFILTRATION POINTS]**

**[COMMAND WING SECURITY: COMPROMISED]**

"What on earth?" Rosa's cheerful vibe disappeared in an instant as she automatically grabbed her sidearm, the cool metal feeling solid in her grip. The sudden shift from a fun training exercise to a genuine threat had her heart racing and her senses on high alert.

Clara's tablet beeped urgently, a flurry of holographic alerts flashing in red across its screen. "Oh no, oh no!" she said, her fingers darting over the controls. "The emergency venting system in the training room—it activated a partial lockdown when Jin crashed into the wall panel, which has left gaps in the outer sensor grid!"

Clara was sweating nervously, the air thick with the smell of hot electronics as they tried to figure out where the problem was. Jin noticed a bit of shaking in her voice—she really seemed to understand just how serious things were.

**[HP: 280/280] [Stamina: 285/285]**

**[Status Effects: Resurrection Sickness (48 hours) - Minor attribute penalties]**

"Positions!" Sera's strong voice pierced through the noise, showing off her training. She made her way to the command console with ease, her bare feet softly hitting the metal floor in a rhythmic pattern. "Clara, I need a full readout on all breaches. Rosa, secure the secondary access points. Jin—"

"Hold on," Scarlett jumped in, her instincts for combat taking over. She spoke with the confident tone of someone who's used to calling the shots in tough situations. "Defensive positioning is a mistake with so many points of entry. We need to take the initiative—and strike first before they can coordinate their attacks."

The vibe in the room got pretty intense, buzzing with the clash between two strong leaders who just couldn't see eye to eye. Jin was on high alert, like a predator sensing the rising tension in his own team that was raising some serious red flags.

**[Apex Predator: 360-degree threat awareness active]**

**[Killing intent detection (30m radius): Multiple hostiles approaching]**

**[LEADERSHIP CONFLICT DETECTED]**

**[TEAM COORDINATION: DEGRADING]**

**[RECOMMENDATION: MEDIATION REQUIRED]**

"Are you serious right now?" Sera quickly turned to look at Scarlett, her amber eyes burning with anger. The sudden movement released a hint of her light floral perfume, now mixed with a touch of stress. "I've been working to keep this team safe for days, and you've only been awake for hours!"

Scarlett's emerald eyes stayed calm, unaffected by Sera's frustration. "In those hours, I've identified seventeen weaknesses. Your team is capable. These Crawlers are adapting."

"They're not adapting, they're—" Sera started to reply.

"Sera," Jin jumped in and stood between them. He could totally sense the racing heartbeats, the quick breaths, and the little facial cues from two folks whose pride was getting in the way of making smart choices. "Please, we need both of you right now. Everyone's important!"

His Phoenix-boosted pheromones kinda lightened the mood for a bit, but it was Rosa who really got down to business and snapped everyone back to reality.

"Uh, sorry to interrupt the argument," she said, already holding her mono knife, "but we've got company."

Out of nowhere, the first Crawler burst through the emergency vent, emitting a sound reminiscent of metal tearing and bones breaking. Its elongated, pale body squeezed through the gap, moving with an unsettling fluidity on all fours. Its milky white eyes gleamed in the light, like those of a cat, fixating on the warmth of their bodies, with its pupils widening in the dim glow. The creature's long fingers ended in sharp, fixed claws that scraped along the metal floor, leaving deep marks behind. They caught a whiff of its odor right away—a putrid mix of decay and antiseptic that clung to the Crawler's matted fur and oozing wounds.

**[COMBAT INITIATED]**

**[ENEMY COUNT: 1... 3... 6...]**

**[WARNING: COORDINATED ASSAULT PATTERN DETECTED]**

**[Crawler Slayer: +40% damage vs Crawlers active]**

"Move to your left side, but avoid getting close to them!" Scarlett yelled as her twin blades whipped through the air with incredible accuracy. She fought with a natural intensity, making sure every swing packed a real punch.

"Clara, seal those blast doors!" Sera commanded, raising her pulse rifle with practice ease. "Rosa, cover the—"

"Hold on!" Scarlett interrupted, maintaining her attack. "Make sure the exits are clear! We have to push them back through where they came in!"

"That's reckless!" Sera shot back, but her voice got lost in all the noise as another wave of Crawlers broke through the gaps. The sound of their claws scraping against the walls was seriously creepy, adding to the whole feeling of disaster about to happen.

Jin tightened his grip on his mono sword, his heart pounding in his chest. He'd been training, but he still felt so clumsy with the blade compared to how he'd fight with the baton. His body remembered some movements, but his mind struggled to keep up.

**[STR: 38.85] [DEX: 12.44] [AGI: 25.65]**

**[Adaptive Combat Mastery: +25% damage with ALL melee weapons active]**

"I can do this," he whispered to himself, taking a deep breath. "I have to protect everyone!"

As a Crawler lunged toward Clara, Jin moved without thinking. His body reacted on instinct, the blade moving in a clumsy but effective arc that deflected the creature's attack. The Crawler's milky eyes widened in surprise as its claws scraped against the metal floor where Clara had stood just seconds before.

**[TSURUGI SWORD SYNCHRONIZATION: 18% → 20%]**

"Nice try, but that was all wrong!" Scarlett called out, noticing his struggle. "Keep your wrist straight! Let the blade do the work!"

Jin nodded, adjusting his grip. He tried to remember what he'd been taught about sword forms, but his mind was a jumble of half-remembered techniques. Another Crawler approached, and Jin raised his sword, trying to mimic the elegant movements he'd seen in his memories.

His first swing was too wide, leaving him off-balance. The Crawler dodged easily with terrifying agility, its elongated limbs allowing it to flow around his attack. It counterattacked, forcing Jin to stumble backward as the creature's claws grazed his arm, tearing through his uniform and drawing blood.

"Focus, Jin!" Sera shouted, providing a covering fire. "They're faster than they look!"

"I'm trying!" Jin called back, frustration creeping into his voice.

He closed his eyes for just a second, trying to center himself. When he opened them, something had shifted. The world seemed to slow down, and he could almost see the Crawler's next move before it happened.

**[COMBAT PREDICTION: ACTIVE]**

**[Apex Predator: 2-second time dilation in critical moments triggered]**

His body moved on its own, the sword flowing through a series of movements that felt both foreign and familiar. There was a moment—a brief flash—where his technique transformed. For just a second, he moved with the precision and grace of a master swordsman, his blade cutting through the air with perfect form.

**[TSURUGI SWORD SYNCHRONIZATION: 20% → 22%]**

The mono sword sliced through the Crawler's neck with impossible precision. For a moment, nothing happened—then the creature's head slid from its shoulders, hitting the floor with a wet thud. Black ichor sprayed from the severed arteries, spattering across the nearby walls in a grotesque pattern. The headless body twitched violently, claws scraping at the floor, before collapsing in a pool of its own dark blood.

Jin stared in surprise at his blade, then at the fallen creature. Had he really done that?

"Whoa! That was amazing!" Rosa called out, taking down another Crawler with her knife. "Where did that come from?"

"I... I don't know," Jin admitted, looking at his hands in wonder. "It just... happened."

The moment was fleeting, and Jin could feel the skill slipping away as quickly as it had come. But for those few seconds, he had touched something greater—some ancestral memory of sword mastery buried deep within his Tsurugi bloodline.

"This isn't working!" he shouted, deflecting a blow that nearly sliced open his throat. "We need both of you to cooperate!"

Shūmei popped up beside him as if she had come straight out of the shadows, a hidden blade appearing in her elegant hands. She moved with a surprising ease, and when she attacked, the Crawler just stood still. She executed a perfect slice at a vital spot on its body, proving her skills didn't match her claims of being inexperienced.

"Jin-sama is right," she said sweetly, though her crimson eyes shimmered with a fierce intensity as she assessed the situation. "Maybe our seasoned leaders could come to an agreement before it's too late for us all?"

*'What disorganized leadership. If they were out of the picture, Jin-sama would instinctively turn to someone who truly understands his needs...'* That thought crossed her mind as she positioned herself to guard against any surprise attacks.

Her voice had this sarcastic edge, but she played it cool like she was totally innocent. It snapped Sera and Scarlett out of their rivalry. They shared a look and then shifted their focus back to Jin, who was actually keeping things together while they argued about strategies.

"Scarlett," Sera said through clenched teeth, "what do you need for your counter-strategy?"

"I need control of the northern exit and someone who can read their regrouping patterns," Scarlett replied, swiftly decapitating a Crawler that attempted to sneak around Jin. Her twin blades moved in a deadly dance, severing the creature's head with one strike while disemboweling it with the second. The Crawler's intestines spilled onto the floor in a tangled mess of blackened tissue. "Your strategic perspective might help in timing it perfectly."