Gunshots echoed across the mansion grounds.
The peaceful atmosphere shattered instantly.
Outside, black-clothed intruders moved through the outer gardens while security alarms flashed red across every hallway.
Inside the mansion, guards rushed into defensive positions immediately.
But upstairs…
Eagle and Devil remained terrifyingly calm.
Aryan grabbed his gun from the desk while his expression became completely cold again.
The warmth from earlier disappeared instantly.
Eagle returned.
Beside him, Nithya loaded her weapon smoothly with deadly focus.
No fear.
No panic.
Only instinct.
Aryan looked toward her briefly.
"Stay close to me."
Nithya raised an eyebrow.
"You say that every time."
"And every time you ignore it."
Fair.
Again.
Rohan's voice sounded urgently through communication systems.
"Sir! Around thirty attackers entered from the east gate!"
Aryan immediately understood.
Not random mercenaries.
Organized attack.
Lucien.
Or someone encouraged by Lucien's rumors.
Either way…
Big mistake.
The moment Aryan and Nithya entered the main hallway downstairs, several guards straightened immediately.
The atmosphere changed around them.
Fear disappeared.
Confidence returned.
Because Eagle and Devil themselves had entered the battlefield.
One injured guard spoke quickly,
"They breached outer defense faster than expected."
Aryan's eyes darkened.
"Alive?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good."
Then he calmly looked toward the shattered glass entrance ahead.
"Now move."
Gunfire exploded the second the attackers rushed inside.
Aryan fired first.
Precise.
Deadly.
Two intruders dropped instantly.
At the same time, Nithya moved beside him smoothly and shot another attacker directly before he could aim.
Perfect coordination.
Like they'd fought together for years.
Every guard watching understood something terrifying.
Eagle and Devil didn't just love each other.
They trusted each other completely in battle.
That made them unstoppable.
One attacker suddenly threw a smoke grenade into the hallway.
Visibility disappeared instantly.
Several guards panicked briefly.
Bad mistake.
Because smoke meant nothing to predators.
Aryan grabbed Nithya's wrist automatically and pulled her closer beside him.
"Left side," she whispered instantly.
Aryan fired without hesitation.
A scream echoed through the smoke.
Hit.
Nithya almost smiled slightly.
"Still accurate."
Aryan reloaded calmly.
"Always."
Meanwhile outside the mansion gates, more attackers continued entering.
But suddenly black armored vehicles surrounded the property from every direction.
Eagle's hidden reinforcement teams arrived.
Snipers positioned instantly across rooftops.
Escape routes disappeared within seconds.
The attackers slowly realized the horrifying truth.
They hadn't invaded prey.
They walked directly into the home of monsters.
Inside the mansion hall, the remaining intruders finally retreated toward the garden area.
Aryan walked forward slowly through the smoke and broken glass.
Cold.
Terrifying.
Nithya stood beside him with equally deadly calmness.
One surviving attacker nervously pointed his gun toward them.
"You… you became weak because of love!"
Silence followed.
Then unexpectedly…
Aryan laughed softly.
Cold laugh.
Dangerous laugh.
"Weak?"
He stepped closer.
"Look around."
Bodies covered the hallway.
Broken weapons scattered everywhere.
Fear filled the air.
Then Nithya calmly added,
"Love didn't weaken us."
Her eyes turned ice cold.
"It gave us something worth destroying people for."
The attacker's hands started shaking.
Because suddenly he understood.
Lucien's rumor was wrong.
Completely wrong.
Love didn't weaken Eagle and Devil.
It made them far more dangerous.
The final attackers surrendered within minutes.
The mansion slowly became quiet again except for distant sirens and rain outside.
Rohan approached carefully while guards secured prisoners.
"We caught one alive for questioning."
Aryan nodded once.
"Interrogate him."
Rohan hesitated slightly.
"He already mentioned Lucien."
Nithya's expression darkened immediately.
Expected.
Very expected.
Later that night, Aryan stood on the balcony overlooking the damaged gardens below.
Rain washed blood from the stone paths while guards cleaned the battlefield silently.
Nithya joined him quietly carrying fresh bandages.
Aryan looked at her suspiciously.
"I'm fine."
"You reopened your wound."
Aryan sighed softly.
"You sound like my wife."
"I am your wife."
Fair.
Again.
Nithya carefully adjusted the bandage on his side while Aryan watched her silently.
Then softly he asked,
"Scared?"
Nithya looked up.
"Of what?"
"That one day they'll use you against me."
Silence followed briefly.
Then Nithya answered calmly,
"They already are."
Aryan's jaw tightened slightly.
But before he could speak, she gently touched his face.
"And you know what happened?"
Aryan looked at her quietly.
Nithya's lips curved faintly.
"We survived together."
For a moment, neither moved.
Then Aryan pulled her gently against him despite the pain.
And somewhere far away in another part of Seoul…
Lucien Moreau read reports about the failed mansion attack.
His cold blue eyes narrowed slowly.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Because Eagle and Devil together were proving harder to break than expected.