The headquarters of the Kusanagi Clan presented a deceptive facade to the world. From the outside, the estate appeared serene and immaculate, a testament to ancestral grace. Even the entrance halls and corporate sectors maintained an air of polished professionalism. But deep within its heart lay the Mechanical Department—a place that remained, as always, a chaotic symphony of grease and iron.
Inside the workshop, massive machines groaned under the strain of their own power, venting thick plumes of white steam that hissed into the rafters. A labyrinth of primary-colored cables snaked across the floor like synthetic vines. Dozens of engineers swarmed the floor, clad in heavy aprons of deep navy, the proud crest of the Kusanagi Clan emblazoned across their backs.
Among the laborers stood a few senior architects. They were distinguished by their obsidian-colored robes, cinched at the waist with ornate belts and paired with heavy, traditional trousers. Yet, even they were dwarfed by the behemoth in the center of the room.
It was a titan of pitch-black armor, a mechanical giant bristling with thick conduits and power lines. On its massive chest plate, the Kusanagi seal glowed with a silent, threatening authority. Its gauntlets were monstrous, forged with enough hydraulic force to shatter a fortress wall with a single, tank-heavy blow.
One engineer stood trembling before the machine, clutching a data tablet. He was reporting to a man seated in a high-backed chair nearby.
"Professor Herdam," the engineer stammered, "we are nearing completion. The assembly is finished, the core is seated, and the internal cabling is perfectly synchronized with the power source."
Professor Herdam looked up. He was a man in his late sixties, possessing a mane of long, silver-streaked hair and piercing brown eyes. He wore the same obsidian robes as the elite engineers, though his were trimmed with white silk, and a golden badge gleamed on his collar. A mechanical "Hammer of Thunder" sigil pulsed on his breastplate.
With a grim expression, the Professor clamped an old-fashioned cigar between his teeth. After a long moment of studying the metal giant, he spoke. "Have you manually verified the functional output?"
A middle-aged man with silver hair stepped forward and nodded. "Yes, sir. The functions are optimal. We have successfully tested the 'Attack Mode' and the secondary combat configurations. Everything is performing within parameters."
Herdam exhaled a cloud of smoke, leaning back in his chair. "And the safety protocols? Did you check them all?"
"We did, sir," the engineer replied. "Every precaution has been taken. The only missing piece is the Blueprint. If we can secure the System Circuit Drive, we can finally control this beast remotely, rather than relying on physical cables."
The Professor closed his eyes, his voice dropping to a gravelly whisper. "That Blueprint is irreplaceable. It has taken a lifetime of work to extract those secrets from the North."The heavy doors of the workshop burst open. A messenger, wearing the standard Kusanagi uniform, rushed toward them, his face pale with sweat.
"Professor! Bad news!"
Herdam snapped his eyes open and straightened his posture. "Speak."
"We... we lost it, sir."
The workshop fell into a deathly silence. The engineers stopped their work, faces filled with shock. The Professor stood up slowly, his voice rising in a low, furious rumble. "What did you say?"The messenger gulped, trembling as he tried to find his voice. "The Steam-Walker unit... the ones tasked with retrieving it... they lost the Blueprint."