Chapter 1744: Chapter 1560: Going back


    ?


    Back in the heart of the Chaos organization''s hidden headquarters, a groan of pain echoed through a dimly lit passageway. A heavy metal door slid open with a hiss, revealing Number Two stumbling into the sterile, industrial environment.


    Gone was the pristine whiteboratory Number Two knew. Here, flickering fluorescent lights cast long, harsh shadows across the cracked and chipped concrete floor. Cobwebs clung to the corners of the ceiling, and the air hung thick with the metallic tang of old blood and ozone.


    Number Two, her once pristine white clothes now tattered and stained crimson, leaned heavily against the doorway. Her face, usually a canvas of mischievous defiance, was contorted in pain, a livid scar marring her previously smooth cheek. Her remaining arm clutched the hilt of a makeshift dagger - a poor substitute for the monstrous sword she had wielded just hours ago.


    Theboratory itself was a testament to hurried use and neglect. ss beakers filled with murky concoctions sat precariously on the brink of overflowing. Discarded wires snaked across the floor, sparking asionally, and half-finished charts and diagrams scribbled with cryptic symbols littered the chipped countertops. In the center of the room, a pulsating sphere of swirling energy hummed ominously, casting a sickly green glow across the deste


    scene.


    A lone figure hunched over a workstation, their back to Number Two. Their raggedb coat barely concealed the telltale glint of magical runes woven into the fabric. It was Skarn, the wiry strategist of Chaos, his normally focused expression etched with worry.


    He didn''t turn around at the sound of the door opening. Instead, he continued muttering to himself, his voiceced with frustration. "The readings are off the charts... temporal distortions... residual chaos signatures..."


    Number Two, her breath ragged, pushed herself away from the doorway. "Skarn," she rasped, her voice a hoarse whisper. "I... require medical attention."


    Skarn finally whirled around, his eyes widening in surprise. He took in her state, the grimace on his face morphing into a mixture of concern and disbelief. "Number Two? What


    happened?"


    Skarn rushed towards Number Two, his wiry frame surprisingly agile for a man of his presumed age. He caught her before she could fully copse, easing her down onto a nearby workbench cluttered with half-disassembled machinery.


    "Easy, easy," he soothed, his voice gruff butced with genuine concern. "Looks like Incursio gave you a real run for your money this time."


    Number Two winced at the movement, her single hand clutching at the throbbing wound on her side. "She... underestimated me," she gritted out, a flicker of defiance returning to her voice despite the obvious pain. "But... she won''t for long."


    Skarn sighed, his gaze flitting between Number Two''s injuries and the pulsating sphere in the center of theb. "That much is clear. You''re lucky to be alive. Her temporal maniption is a nasty trick. But that''s not the only problem."


    He flicked a switch on the workstation, and a holographic disy flickered to life, depicting aplex web of energy signatures. The readings were erratic, spiking and crashing in a way that made Skarn frown deeply.


    "The energy readings from the tomb... they''ve gone haywire ever since your fight with Incursio. The temporal distortions you unleashed must have disrupted the containment field."


    Number Two''s eyes narrowed, the defiance momentarily reced by a flicker of fear. "You think... it might awaken?"


    Skarn didn''t answer directly, his gaze glued to the holographic disy. "It''s a possibility we can''t ignore. We need to stabilize the field before it breaches containment entirely. Prepare yourself, Number Two. This might require another trip to the ice tomb."


    Number Two let out a low growl, the pain forgotten for a moment as a surge of anger coursed through her. "Going back there so soon... after that humiliation?"


    Skarn met her gaze with a steely resolve. "Humiliation or not, the consequences of a full- blown temporal anomaly are far worse. Besides," he added, a hint of his usual dry humor peeking through, "you wouldn''t want all that chaos to fall into the wrong hands, would you?" Number Two''s lips twitched into a smirk, a spark of her old mischief returning. "Fine," she conceded, her voice regaining some of its strength. "Just get me patched up first. I won''t be facing Incursio or whatever that tomb holds at half-strength."


    Skarn nodded, a ghost of a smile ying on his own lips. "That''s the Number Two I know. Now, hold still. This might sting a bit."


    As Skarn pulled out a medical kit and began treating Number Two''s wounds.


    A cool wind whipped at Incursio''s face as the hidden floating fortress of Alex''s materialized before her. Relief washed over her as she steered her magical tform through the city''s shimmering energy shield and towards the central pceplex. The battle with Number Two had been a brutal one, pushing her temporal abilities to their very limits. Yet, the secrets of the ice tomb remained unimed, and a new, unsettling concern gnawed at her. Landing gracefully in the pce courtyard, Incursio was met by the familiar sight of Sakuya tending to a blossoming cherry tree. The Japanese beauty, her features etched with worry despite the serene setting, turned at the sound of approaching footsteps.


    "Incursio!" Sakuya eximed, her eyes widening in surprise. Relief battled concern in her


    gaze as she rushed forward. "You''re back. But you''re injured!"


    Incursio winced slightly as Sakuya inspected a shallow gash on her arm, a lingering reminder of Number Two''s chaotic onught.


    "Just a scratch," she reassured Sakuya, forcing a smile.


    "A scratch?" Sakuya scoffed, her voiceced with yful exasperation.


    "Coming from you, that could mean anything from a minor cut to a near-death experience." She ushered Incursio towards the pce, her brow furrowed.


    Inside the cool, marble-floored pce halls, Incursio found the others - Artemia, her face etched with concern, Kuina was present as well.


    "Report, Incursio," Artemia said, her voice firm. "What transpired at the ice tomb?"


    Incursiounched into a detailed ount of her encounter with Number Two - the raw, destructive power of Chaos, the desperate struggle against spatial distortions and temporal maniption. She didn''t shy away from the near-devastating consequences of their battle, highlighting the damage inflicted upon the containment field surrounding Maria''s frozen prison.


    A heavy silence descended upon the room as Incursio finished. Sakuya''s expression was grim, Kuina''s eyes narrowed in contemtion, and even Artemia''s stoic features betrayed a flicker


    of worry.


    "Indeed," Kuina agreed, her voice heavy. "We can''t allow them to exploit the power that lies dormant within. The consequences could be catastrophic."


    "But how do we proceed?" Sakuya asked, her voiceced with frustration. "Incursio barely managed to contain Number Two, and who knows what other threats Chaos might unleash?"


    Incursio, despite her fatigue, straightened her shoulders, a determined glint returning to her


    eyes.


    "We don''t back down," she dered. "We strengthen our defenses, prepare for any contingency. And perhaps," she added, a mischievous glint flickering in her gaze, "we can use this situation to our advantage. After all, Chaos thrives on unpredictability. Let''s give them something truly unexpected.