The evening sun was setting over Shibeno Slums, casting a warm orange glow over Shingo’s garage, where the heroes had gathered for their final meeting before the Universal Reckoning.

Shingo, as always, was standing by his motorcycle, his arms crossed and a glowing look on his face as he surveyed the group in front of him. Mariko, Chiyo, and Gale stood in their usual positions, while Keiji, Shiori, Nishi, and Ryonoken were seated or standing haphazardly around the garage.

Shingo broke the silence with a voice of admiration, “I’m truly impressed. All of you went your ways to do your tasks, and within a day come to gather here in time.”

Keiji spoke up, “Well, this is Shima. And we are only practicing Bushido, the true Shimanese Way of Honor.”

Ryonoken added, “Besides, finding this place isn’t quite hard, as I have infiltrated this place before.”

Shiori leaned forward, “I’m sure you have obtained some important updates to the information we have on JinCorp Mega Complex, Ryo-san.”

“We need that so we can adjust or change our strategy accordingly,” Chiyo chimed in.

Ryonoken nodded, “The latest news is, JinCorp has vacated all humans from the whole complex. Only the shopkeepers and people outside the outer ring wall remain on-site.”

Raijin interjected, “They also doubled their security. I couldn’t hack into JMC from outside. The firewalls are too thick for me to breach into.”

Nishi exclaimed, “They know we’re coming! If not, they wouldn’t do such drastic moves.”

Shingo remained calm, “Know it or not, Jinbei can choose not to evacuate the employees when we attack or when they undergo the ‘infinity power extraction’ process.”

Mariko spoke up, “Whew, JinCorp sure thinks ahead to gain people’s support by evacuating the humans.”

Gale added, “If they didn’t, JinCorp is no different than the Yakuza they’re allied with.”

Shingo turned to the group, “So, in light of these updates, what’s our strategy now?”

Shiori answered, “Well, it’s the same as before. Our strategy is ‘there is no strategy’.”

Gale was taken aback, “What!? What’s the meaning of that?”

Keiji explained, “It means you just go out there and battle your way past whatever traps, obstacles, and enemies are in store.”

Chiyo nodded, “As long as we move together as a single unit, we can make variations and act accordingly to overcome those obstacles.” As she spoke, Chiyo gestured to her smartphone while staring into Shingo’s eyes.

Nishi suggested, “Is that so? Very well, let’s sync our smartphones so we can send and respond to messages and calls immediately if necessary.”

Raijin interrupted, “What? I don’t have a smartphone. Mine was broken in our last battle at the runway.”

Ryonoken reassured him, “Don’t worry. Just stay close to me and I’ll forward the messages from the team to you.”

Mariko added, “Hayato sent word that he is still weak, but he’s recuperating in his club. He won’t be joining us in the raid.”

Gale spoke up, “So, I’ll fill in for him. By the way, the Skull Mask Squad elites, called the Crystal Skulls are working with Akiba Maeda. Our adversaries are multiplied, so I think we should stick together as a unit.”

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Shingo let out a sigh, “Oh, I see. So, we have no choice but to storm that place and make tactics along the way, right?”

The group fell silent for a moment.

Keiji, the intrepid agent, broke the silence with a shrug, “That’s that. Even the great tactician, Shogun Amigaharu Munetori, couldn’t think of a better way.” His words rang with a note of resignation, but his eyes were focused and alert.

Shiori, the brain of the group, spoke next, “Sometimes we can only rely on our intuition and heart.” She wore a determined expression on her face as she looked around at her comrades.

Chiyo, the sorceress-tactician-painter, added, “Just keep focus and keep a clear mind, and the solution will present itself.” Her eyes were sharp as she surveyed the room, taking in every detail.

Shiori then continued, “We have a team with members who have various specialties and talents that complement each other in terms of power, intelligence, skill, and spirituality.” She glanced at each of her team members in turn, acknowledging their unique strengths.

Ryonoken, the wise ninja, chimed in, “Shin Kamui has put all the things we need conveniently in the right places. All we have to do is to recognize and utilize them.” His voice had a mystical quality that commanded attention.

Keiji then turned to Shingo, “Since you seem to have a talent for team coordination, Shingo, you better use that too. So, go ahead and lead us all.”

Shingo hesitated for a moment, knowing that the responsibility of leading such a diverse team in a dangerous mission was no easy feat. “I think Keiji is more suitable for the job. But since he insisted that I should lead the whole team, it’ll be an insult to him if I refuse. So, I accept this responsibility.” He felt a mix of emotions as he spoke those words, but he knew that this was the right thing to do.

With a sense of purpose and unity, they all raised their fists and shouted in unison, “For mankind!”

The team then moved to do their last-minute preparations for the raid and infiltration. The streets were empty, and the night was silent, except for the sound of their footsteps and the hum of Shingo’s bike engine being started. The tension was palpable as they worked in silence, each one focused on their assigned tasks.

Just as Shingo was about to roll out with his bike, he received a message on his smartphone. It was from Shiori, and his heart skipped a beat as he read it. “Shin, I’m sorry we said before that there’s no strategy. We have one. But, we don’t trust Raijin, and we don’t want him to know the real thing.”

Shingo’s mind raced as he read on. He knew that Raijin was a wildcard, and if he were a spy for Hannya, then their whole mission could be compromised. “I think he is a spy for Hannya because he’s Hannya’s disciple, and Hannya holds his girlfriend, Fuujin, as a hostage.”

Shingo’s hands trembled as he read the rest of the message, “We have sent messages to other team members too, and forwarded them all to you. So, when the time and place are right, just instruct them, and they’ll do it.”

Shingo curled up a faint smile, relieved that there was a plan after all. At last, everything was well-prepared and ready.