Chapter 50 Ambush (Rewrite)

~During the Meeting Between Jens and Kanda, Before Their Fight

After Kanda left for the location where Jens was believed to be hiding, the rest of the household remained at home. Kio had gone out earlier, but no one gave his absence much thought—he had always been the quiet type who came and went as he pleased.

In the cozy living room, warm sunlight filtered through the curtains. Kuune, Durel, Melwin, and Chaika sat together on one of the couches. Across from them, Eris, Manami, Aoi, and Lawry lounged together, while Antonia, as usual, sat regally on a single-seater armchair with Sarah and Maya standing silently at attention behind her.

Aoi clasped her hands in her lap, her eyes restless as she stared at the floor. "Is it really okay for Kanda to go alone? To meet Madam J, of all people?" she finally asked, her voice almost a whisper.

"Don't worry too much, Futaba-san," Kuune said softly, giving her a calm smile. "He knew the risks, and he told us to trust him."

"But still..." Aoi bit her lower lip. "It's always the same with him. He smiles and says he's fine, but he never lets anyone carry the burden with him. I hate that about him sometimes."

"I get what you mean," Chaika said, leaning forward with a serious expression. "It's like... he tries to shield us from the darkness, even when it's eating him alive."

Manami leaned back with a sigh. "That's exactly why we have to trust him now. He's not stupid. If something goes wrong, he'll find a way to survive—he always does."

"We can call him, right?" Aoi asked, still unsure. "I mean, if something feels off, we can contact him right away."

"Absolutely. His communication device is synced to all of ours," Manami reassured her. "If anything happens, we'll know. And I bet he'd pick up instantly if it was any of us calling."

Aoi nodded slowly, still worried but slightly reassured.

As they sipped tea and nibbled on desserts—some of which Kanda had made earlier at Chaika's enthusiastic request—the mood settled a little, though the tension never fully left the room.

Eris suddenly turned to Kuune. "Captain, what do you think Jens really wants with Kanda?"

Kuune looked thoughtful. "It's hard to say. Maybe she wants to offer him something... something dangerous."

"Dangerous?" Manami frowned. "Like what? A bribe? A deal?"

"I don't have the exact answer," Kuune admitted. "But I suspect it's about his allegiance to us."

"Allegiance?" Melwin echoed. "You mean… his role as our ambassador?"

Durel chimed in, her voice calm but grim. "Yes. Ichijou has been the bridge between us and this planet. He helped mediate during those early misunderstandings. Jens knows that. She may want to sever that bond—perhaps even try to sway him to her side."

Aoi's eyes widened. "You think she's interested in him? In that way?"

"No, not romantically," Durel clarified. "It's not love—it's utility. She sees him as a threat to her plans. His skills. His leadership. His heart. That's what she wants to manipulate."

"Then she's wasting her time," Aoi said firmly, clenching her fists. "Kanda's loyalty isn't something you can buy. He'd never betray us."

"I believe that too," Durel said with a faint smile. "But Jens might not accept rejection quietly."

There was a long silence.

Then Durel continued, "If she doesn't get what she wants from him… the only other option is an attack."

That made everyone sit up straighter.

"What do you mean?" Melwin asked quietly.

"I mean she could have planned an assault on this very house," Durel said bluntly. "While she has Kanda occupied, her subordinates could strike here. That way, he wouldn't be able to protect us."

"No way…" Aoi said, eyes wide. "But if that's true, then—then he wouldn't have gone if he knew!"

"Exactly," Durel said. "Which is why I fear he's been lured away under false pretenses."

A heavy silence fell. Then—

SCREEEEEECH!!

The deafening sound of tires skidding violently on asphalt came from just outside the house.

Everyone froze.

BAAAAAAM!!!

The wall facing the front of the house exploded inward in a shower of plaster, dust, and crumbling debris. A truck's container crashed through like a battering ram, splitting the wall apart and shaking the entire structure.

"A-Attack!" Melwin screamed, diving behind the couch.

"Get down!" Kuune yelled.

Shards of furniture and wood flew across the room as a large metal container slid into view, tearing a path through the elegant home. The air filled with choking dust and static crackling from scattered electronics.

Maya didn't hesitate. "Ready yourselves! Protect the guests at all costs!" she barked.

Her maids immediately sprang into action. With practiced precision, they drew compact firearms from holsters beneath their uniforms, spreading out to cover all exits.

Claris and her squad unsheathed their specially-forged blades—weapons modified under Kanda's direction after their last encounter with Jens's forces.

With a loud clang, the container's doors burst open.

From within, dozens of dog-like humanoid robots emerged, their eyes glowing red, weapons clutched in their right hands and energy shields glowing from devices on their left arms.

The robots leapt into the room, weapons aimed, targeting the people inside.

"Engage!" Maya ordered.

Claris led the charge, her blade flashing. She leapt at the first robot and cleaved it cleanly in half before it could fire.

Behind her, her team moved like a synchronized unit—dodging gunfire, deflecting energy blasts, and systematically dismantling each enemy unit with brutal efficiency.

Chaos erupted in the living room.

Eris shielded Lawry with her body, while Antonia remained eerily calm, issuing orders to Sarah under her breath. Manami and Aoi rushed to help evacuate the injured staff.

"Damn it…" Aoi muttered as she looked toward the hole in the wall. "Kanda… where are you?!"

While Claris and her elite team clashed with the robotic intruders pouring out of the truck container, chaos erupted within the estate. Maya and her team of tactical maids quickly sprang into action, escorting Eris and the others away from the frontline. Gunfire echoed violently from the front entrance, where the outer perimeter maids were fiercely holding their ground.

"Upstairs—now!" Maya commanded, her voice sharp and unwavering as she led the group up the grand staircase.

They took shelter inside one of the guest rooms on the second floor, the door reinforced behind them as Maya and her team positioned themselves defensively, weapons at the ready.

"This… this is just like what Dr. Durel predicted…" Melwin muttered grimly, peeking between the curtains. Her voice carried the weight of reluctant acknowledgment. "It seems Kanda rejected Jens's offer. And in response… she pulled the trigger on her plan."

"You mean this was all premeditated?" Manami said, disbelief and anger flashing in her eyes. "He went to her knowing something might happen, and she still—"

CRASH!

The shattering of glass cut through the room like a dagger. The windows exploded inward as enemy robots burst into the room.

"INCOMING!" Maya shouted, her team raising their weapons immediately.

The fight turned intimate and vicious. Bullets flew, blades clashed, and screams echoed as the maids defended their charges with precision. Aoi, Eris, and Manami jumped into the fray as well, taking up defensive stances beside Maya's squad.

A sudden mechanical growl came from one of the robots as it broke through the defensive line—its target, Kuune.

"Get down!" Sarah cried out. She fired her sidearm with pinpoint accuracy and leapt forward, her dagger gleaming as she stabbed the robot. Sparks erupted, but it wasn't enough.

With a violent jerk, the robot swiped at Kuune.

"CAPTAIN KUUNE!!" Eris and Melwin screamed in unison.

The next moment, Kuune collapsed to the floor, unmoving.

Durel rushed over instantly, kneeling beside her.

"Dr. Durel, please—tell us she's alright!" Melwin urged, her voice trembling.

Durel checked her vitals, her fingers steady but her brows furrowed. "She's alive. Her vitals are stable."

Everyone exhaled in partial relief.

"But she's completely unresponsive," Durel added, her tone darkening. "She's in some kind of artificial coma… I've never seen anything quite like it."

"You mean... she was targeted specifically?" Eris asked, clutching her hands.

"It's likely. She may have been the primary objective," Durel answered, eyes narrowing. "We need time to analyze what they did to her."

"I'll contact Kanda immediately," Eris said, already activating her communicator. After a brief exchange, she looked up. "He's on his way back—but it might take time."

"We don't have time!" Manami snapped, glancing toward the door. "How many more of those things are going to keep coming?"

A sudden giggle broke the heavy silence.

"Hehehe… Don't worry, everyone. I've got this," Antonia chimed in, patting her modest chest proudly.

"What do you mean 'you've got this'?!" Manami asked with suspicion.

"This is the perfect time to test my latest invention! Inspired by none other than Kanda-niisan!" Antonia beamed.

The others turned toward her with mixed expressions of hope and dread.

"Sarah. Maya. Execute Plan D." Antonia ordered with a dramatic pose.

"Yes, Antonia-sama," the two maids responded in perfect sync.

From their uniforms, they drew short black batons marked with three buttons. They input a specific sequence: bottom, top, middle, middle, top, bottom.

A split second later—

FLASH!

An explosion of white light filled the room. Everyone instinctively shielded their eyes as the blinding brilliance swept through the entire house.

From the ground floor to the upper rooms, from the halls to the front yard, the burst of energy surged outward like a wave.

When it faded, silence fell. The mechanical growls ceased. The sound of clattering metal filled the air—robots collapsing one after another, their systems disabled, their limbs twitching before falling still.

"What… just happened?" Manami asked, blinking in disbelief.

"Hehehe… What do you think?" Antonia grinned, hands on her hips. "That was my new Electromagnetic Pulse Lightwave System—prototype edition. Designed for synchronized neutralization of multi-wave robotics."

"You made what now?!" Manami yelled, exasperated.

"Like I said! It was just a prototype. A first field test. And it worked beautifully!" Antonia said proudly, twirling a strand of hair.

"And what if it hadn't worked?!" Manami pressed, stepping closer.

"Well… then it would've gone KABOOM!" Antonia gestured with both hands, mimicking an explosion. "A tiny one! Just… minor deafness for about fifteen minutes."

"Minor—" Manami nearly exploded herself. "KANDA'S the one who gave you this idea, right?! I'm going to make him regret that."

"Calm down, Manami-san," Eris said with a sigh. "At least it worked."

The maids downstairs began clearing out the rubble, dragging damaged robot parts into a pile for disposal. Upstairs, the rest regrouped, Kuune resting carefully under Durel's supervision while the others made space for analysis.

Minutes later, the front door opened.

Kanda stood there, his eyes widening at the sight of the wreckage. Broken walls. Collapsed robots. Scratches scorched into the floor. Maids still sweeping debris.

His heart sank.

"...They came here too," he muttered, fists clenching.

One of the maids ran to greet him. "Ichijou-sama! You've returned!"

"Where's Kuune?" he asked immediately.

"She's upstairs. Unconscious. Dr. Durel is with her."

Without another word, Kanda rushed into the house, fury smoldering beneath his calm expression.

END OF THE CHAPTER.