As the giant mercenary lying to the ground, lifeless, Hera and Valkyrie caught their breath, their adrenaline still pumping from the intense battle.
Valkyrie wiped the sweat from her brow, her eyes scanning their surroundings warily. Blood seeped from a wound on her side, inflicted by the giant mercenary's brutal attack.
Hera immediately rushed to Valkyrie's her eyes widening in concern.
"Valkyrie, you're hurt! Let me see that wound." Hera offered, her voice filled with concern and worry.
Valkyrie winced as Hera gently inspected the wound.
"It's just a scratch, sister." She muttered through gritted teeth, trying to downplay the pain.
"Just a scratch?" Hera retorted.
"Just because you're a Queenswoman, that doesn't mean you don't need to take it easy." Hera added, her voice a mix of worry and irritation.
She quickly tore a piece of her own clothing to fashion a makeshift bandage, wrapping it tightly around Valkyrie's wound.
"This should help for now, but you need proper medical attention soon." Hera said, her voice softening.
Valkyrie nodded, her expression tense.
"Thank you, but the mission isn't over and we need to rush at the bomb maker's location." Valkyrie insisted, despite the pain from her wound.
Hera nodded in agreement, though her concern for Valkyrie's wellbeing was evident.
"Agreed, but they're taking too long. They should've a confirmation about their initial objectives right now." Hera replied, feeling impatient as she believed time was of the essence.
"I don't like this, something feels off." Valkyrie shared, her grip tightened on her sword, a furrow forming on her brow despite the pain from her wound.
Suddenly, they heard a noise from the shadows. Both women tensed, their weapons at the ready, expecting another enemy to com. Their muscles coiled, ready to strike.
A figure stepped into the dim light, and for a moment, their suspicious flared.
But as the figured moved closer, recognition dawned on them.
It was Izanami.
"We need to go, now!" Izanami called out, urgency evident in her voice.
Hera and Valkyrie exchanged wary glanced, suspicion clouding their features.
"Where's Rakshesha?" Hera demanded, her voice tinged with concern.
"There's no time to explain, sister. We have to leave now!" Izanami stubbornly said, her face's strained with urgency.
Valkyrie took a step forward, wincing slightly from her wound, her eyes narrowing.
"You have time to explain, where's Rakshesha, Izanami?" Valkyrie followed.
"Listen, this isn't the moment for questions. If we don't move now, we'll all be in danger." Izanami said, her eyes flickered with impatience.
Hera's expression hardened, her hand instinctively moving to her handgun.
"We don't leave without Rakshesha. Where is she, Izanami?" Hera asked again, her tone became more firm and aggressive.
The tension between them thickened, and Izanami became more desperate.
"I told you, there's no time. Trust me, we need to go!" She kept on pushing, her tone became more insistent.
Valkyrie shook her head.
"Trust you? I don't think we can." Valkyrie said. Her trusting Izanami wasn't in her nature ever since.
"Fine! Stay here and get yourselves killed. I'm leaving." Izanami uttered, her eyes flashed with frustration.
"You're not going anywhere until you answer us. I know you did something to Rakshesha." Hera stepped closer, her voice low and dangerous.
"Do you think I did something to her? Stop fooling yourselves, sisters." Izanami denied the accusation, her patience snapped.
Valkyrie pointed her sword at Izanami, her stance aggressively despite her injury.
"You should be the one to stop fooling, and tell us the damn truth." Valkyrie persisted.
"The truth? You won't be able to handle it once you find out!" Izanami said. She clenched her fists, her voice trembling with anger.
"Then, tell us." Hera voiced, her eyes blazed with determination as she await Izanami to tell the truth.
The air crackled with tension as the three Queenswomen faced off, their suspicions laid bare. Things became more heated and they were decided to handle the situation in another way. But before it became violent, Hera asked the ultimate question to Izanami.
Hera took a deep breath.
"Izanami, answer me honestly. Is your loyalty attached to Risa Rourke, the Matriach?" Hera asked Izanami.
Izanami's widened in shock and indignation. She couldn't believe her sisters in war, the only people she'd protect and die for, has accused her and doubted of something incomprehensible and unforgivable.
"What? After everything we've been through? The training? The battles? Our taking of vows?" Izanami expressed in shock and felt an ounce of betrayal in her heart.
"You can't blame us, Izanami." Hera pressed on, her grip on her weapon tightened, poised to counterattack.
Izanami's face darkened and hardened, her heart became numb.
"Believe what you want. I'm leaving with or without you." Izanami decided, her voice and flat.
As she was about to leave, Hera and Valkyrie swiftly blocked her path with their weapons.
"You're not going anywhere until we get some answers." Valkyrie said, pointing her sword at Izanami.
Drowning in negative emotions, Izanami's heart and mind has had enough and couldn't control her composure anymore. With a swift, fluid motion, she lunged at them, initiating another fierce fight. Blades clashed, and the sound of their battle echoed through the corridor.
"I knew we couldn't trust you!" Hera shouted, parrying a strike from Izanami.
Izanami didn't respond. Her movements were quick and calculated, her face a mask of cold and emotionless. Her sharp blade slicing through the air.
Valkyrie, despite her injury, fought with fierce resolve, matching Izanami blow for blow.
Their fight raged on, neither side willing to back down. Izanami's blade whistled past Hera's face, narrowly missing her. Hera retaliated with a swift kick, aiming for Izanami's midsection, but Izanami twisted away, countering with a slash that grazed Hera's arm.
"You betrayed the Queen, Izanami." Hera spat, her eyes blazed with fury. She feinted to the left, then brought her retractable knife down in a powerful arc, forcing Izanami to step back.
Valkyrie, despite her wound, advanced on Izanami with relentless aggression. She spun her sword in a dazzling display of skill, forcing Izanami on the defensive.
"The Queen trusted you!" Valkyrie followed, her voice strained but unwavering.
Izanami deflected a series of rapid strikes. Her eyes cold and her face expressionless.
Hera saw an opening and lunged, her weapon aimed at Izanami's shoulder. Izanami barely managed to dodge, rolling to the side and coming up with a swift counterattack that forced Hera to retreat.
"You failed your vow and the Queen." Valkyrie pressed, her blade clashing with Izanami's in a shower sparks.
The fight continued, each woman pushing herself to the limit. Hera's strikes were powerful and precise, each one aimed to disarm and disable. Valkyrie's attacks were swift and relentless, her wounded side barely slowing her down. Izanami, caught between them, fought with a despere intensity, her movements a blur of speed and skill.
Suddenly, noises from the shadows made them all freeze. They turned to see figures approaching, and for a moment, they thought it was another enemy. But as the figure stepped in, it was one of Risa's special forces men, his weapon raised.
"Stand down, all of you!" He barked, his voice commanding.
Hera, Valkyrie, and Izanami hesitated, their weapons still at the ready. The man stepped forward, his eyes hard.
"We surround you. Drop your weapons now, or we will open fire." The man demanded.
The tension was palpable, each woman weighing her options. Then, with a quick glance at each other, Hera and Valkyrie lowered their weapons, though their eyes remained wary.
Izanami, however, did not. She tightened the grip on her blade, her eyes flashing coldness and fury.
Before anyone could react, she moved. Her blade became a blur as she launched herself at the special forces men. The corridor erupted in chaos as they tried to subdue her, but her movements were fluid and deadly. Hera and Valkyrie watched in shock as Izanami fought with a ferocity they had never seen before, her strikes precise and lethal.
Hera and Valkyrie's eyes wide as they witnessed Izanami's fury. She moved through the special forces men like a tempest, each strike calculated to kill and dismember. One man went down with a gurgle as her blade sliced through his throa. Another tried to counterattack, but she was already moving, her blade burying itself in his chest.
"Izanami!" Hera called out, trying to break through the fury that consumed her.
But Izanami was beyond reason. She fought with a cold, detached rage, her movements efficient and brutal. Blood spattered the walls and floor as she cut down each of Risa's men with ruthless precision.
Finally, the last man fell, clutching to his chest as he crumpled to the ground. Izanami stood amidst the carnage, her breath coming in sharp, ragged gasps. Her cat-like, beautiful silver eyes, usually calm, were blazing with a terrifying intensity.
Hera and Valkyrie approached cautiously.
"Iza-" Valkyrie tried to utter, but before she could finish, Izanami threw down a smokescreen, enveloping them in a thick, choking fog.
Coughing, they tried to see through the haze, but Izanami was gone, her escape as swift and cunning as her attack.
"Damn it, she's gone." Hera muttered, frustration clear in her voice.
Valkyrie, clutching her wounded side, nodded.
"We'll find her. Her crime against the Majesty and the organization will not go unanswered." She said, determination in her eyes.