Kamcy

  Crap… I'm losing consciousness.

  My thoughts felt groggy and sluggish, like they were sinking through mud. The creature had one hand wrapped tightly around my throat, choking the life out of me, while its other hand held both my wrists together off to the side like I weighed nothing.

  I could feel it.

  My skin was hardening.

  My àse was being absorbed.

  The sensation was revolting—like something was drinking directly from my bones. My body weakened with every passing second, and the exhaustion I'd been fighting off the entire time finally crashed down on me like a tidal wave. The urge to simply let go… to stop fighting… to sleep…

  It wrapped around my mind like a warm blanket.

  My eyelids grew heavier by the moment.

  No.

  I forced my eyes to wander around in a desperate bid to stay awake.

  First, they landed behind the creature.

  My teammates.

  They were getting swarmed.

  Wave after wave of parasites crashed against them like a living tide. They fought with everything they had, unleashing hail upon hail of bullets into the advancing swarm. Muzzles flashed constantly in the darkness, each shot punching holes through writhing bodies.

  Parasites burst apart under gunfire like rotten fruit.

  Yet they kept coming.

  My teammates fought knowing full well that death was all that awaited them if they stopped.

  My eyes drifted again, searching.

  I couldn't find Ijeoma anywhere.

  My stomach twisted.

  She'd probably been launched somewhere into the darkness earlier… maybe heavily wounded… or worse.

  I forced my gaze back to the creature in front of me.

  Its mouth was open unnaturally wide, and I could literally see streams of faint blue light—àse—being pulled into it like a black hole devouring stars.

  I couldn't give up here.

  No.

  Not like this.

  This can't be it.

  I repeated the words mentally, clinging to them like a lifeline.

  I tried to struggle.

  But no matter how much my mind screamed at my body to move, my limbs felt heavier and weaker by the second. Breathing alone felt like dragging air through a clogged pipe.

  I couldn't even properly wrestle myself free.

  A deep anger surged within me.

  Did I go through everything… just to die here?

  Was all my hard work going to end like this?

  I refused.

  Yet as fiercely as my mind rejected that reality, another colder voice whispered back.

  What made me think I was so special that death would require my permission before it took me?

  How arrogant had I become?

  No.

  Shut up.

  I made a promise.

  I'm not dying here.

  This is not how my story ends.

  I… refuse… it.

  The harder I fought mentally, the heavier my eyelids became. They felt like slabs of concrete pressing downward.

  Like I hadn't slept in days.

  Then—

  "Hey! Trouble maker, think fast!"

  A flash cut across my vision.

  Followed by a voice I couldn't have been happier to hear.

  Ijeoma.

  The creature instantly reacted.

  Its tentacles shot outward like living spears, intercepting the attack that had been flying toward it. At the same time, it turned its head toward her and unleashed a piercing shriek.

  The same shriek that froze people in place.

  That was all I needed.

  Not letting the opportunity slip away, I drew what little àse I still had left into my legs.

  My boots roared to life.

  Repulsors ignited beneath my feet.

  I launched upward.

  My knees slammed into the creature's lower jaw.

  CRACK.

  Its head snapped backward so violently that it looked completely dislocated.

  I couldn't even tell if that cracking sound came from the creature… from my own bones… or both.

  It didn't matter.

  I activated [Home-Boy].

  The next instant my weapon shot back toward me like a guided missile.

  Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

  The glaive slammed into my waiting grip.

  Without hesitation, I slashed sideways.

  The blade tore through its throat, opening a deep, horrific gash.

  Black blood sprayed across the ground.

  The creature staggered backward, clawing at its ruined neck as thick ropes of dark blood poured between its fingers.

  Ijeoma—now free from the paralysis—charged in immediately.

  She swung her axe in a savage arc.

  The creature attempted to block with its tentacles, but they offered little resistance. She planted her feet and forced the blade through them with brute strength.

  The axe cleaved straight through.

  Tentacles split open like wet rope.

  Black blood rained down.

  I gave her a quick nod of appreciation.

  The hardened portions of my body were slowly returning to normal as my àse flow stabilized.

  The creature lashed out with another tentacle.

  Both of us spun sideways at the same time to avoid it.

  The movement felt almost instinctual.

  The tentacle suddenly swelled.

  Razor-sharp spikes burst outward from its surface.

  They shot toward us like a volley of spears.

  We were forced to leap backward to avoid them.

  The creature used the space instantly.

  It vanished in a burst of speed.

  Then reappeared beside Ijeoma.

  Before she could react, it grabbed her by the neck.

  And slammed her into the ground.

  The impact created a spiderweb of cracks across the earth.

  Dust exploded outward.

  Before she could recover, the creature lifted her again, opened its mouth wide, and began absorbing her àse too.

  I didn't give it the chance.

  I launched myself forward and stabbed my glaive toward its head.

  The creature didn't even turn.

  A tentacle casually swung outward and slammed my weapon aside.

  I wasn't dissuaded.

  Instead, I used the momentum.

  Spinning the blade into a reverse grip, I drove it straight into the jagged spine running down its back.

  The blade sank deep.

  The creature howled.

  It retaliated instantly.

  Its leg snapped forward and slammed toward my midsection.

  I brought my blade down to block, the impact still launching me backward through the air.

  BANG!

  A shot rang out.

  A bullet tore through the creature's skull.

  The head ruptured violently, exploding into a grotesque spray of bone fragments, shredded brain matter, and black blood.

  The remains splattered across the battlefield.

  Miss 1.

  But she didn't get another shot.

  A wave of parasites swarmed her position, and she was forced to redirect her fire toward them.

  By the time I regained my footing, the creature's ruined head was already twisting and reforming.

  Every time I saw it, I couldn't help but lament its obscene regeneration.

  I rushed forward again.

  Deactivating [Knife Mode], my weapon expanded back into its full glaive form.

  At the same time, Ijeoma—with disheveled hair and bloodied lips—staggered forward and swung her axe again.

  The creature sidestepped.

  Its head continued regenerating even as it moved.

  Ijeoma tried to step forward again—

  But her knees buckled, forcing her to collapse onto them, breathing heavily.

  I didn't stop.

  I attacked relentlessly.

  The creature's tentacles whipped around defensively, keeping me at bay.

  I hacked and sliced through them as they came.

  Dodging the ones I couldn't destroy.

  Closing the distance inch by inch.

  Once I got within reach, I jabbed the glaive straight toward its face.

  It dodged.

  Turning its head slightly aside.

  I jabbed again.

  And again.

  And again.

  Each thrust faster than the last.

  At the same time, I twisted the polearm, using the shaft to knock aside incoming tentacles.

  Then I planted the glaive into the ground.

  Vaulted upward.

  And slammed both feet into its face.

  The double kick forced it backward.

  BANG! BANG!

  Two shots rang out.

  This time from my captain.

  Both bullets blew off the creature's arms.

  The wounds were instantly cauterized from the sheer heat of the rounds.

  Another shot followed.

  This time, from Orezi.

  A blast from his Z30 tore straight through the creature's throat, charring the wound black.

  That was my opening.

  I gave it everything.

  I pulled every last drop of àse from my reserves.

  Then raised my glaive high into the air.

  I poured every ounce of àse in me into the blade.

  At the same time, I poured in my anger.

  My hatred.

  My frustration.

  Everything.

  The glaive began to hum violently.

  Then—

  My suit reacted.

  It whirred to life like a machine booting up.

  Suddenly it began pulling àse from the surrounding air itself and funneling it into me… and I funneled it straight into the glaive.

  I didn't pay much attention to the sudden spike of energy.

  Rather, I focused only on the attack.

  The air around the weapon visibly warped from the sheer concentration of power.

  With that, I swung.

  With a roar.

  The creature sensed the danger.

  Its tentacles rushed forward to replace its missing arms, forming a desperate shield as it leapt backward.

  It didn't matter.

  The blade cut through them like butter.

  The wounds instantly cauterized.

  Then the energy wave followed.

  A compressed blade of air shot forward.

  It sliced cleanly through the creature from head to waist.

  Blood exploded outward.

  "Shit!" I cursed once I realized the cut wasn't deep enough.

  The creature, sensing an opening, lunged at me instantly.

  Claws outstretched.

  Aiming for my face.

  But as it closed the distance—

  I smiled.

  A grin so wide it would make the devil proud.

  With another roar, I activated my boot repulsors as my legs refused to move, having died on me.

  So instead of retreating—

  I surged forward.

  The creature realized the trap too late.

  It tried to step back.

  Useless.

  Because Ijeoma was already there.

  She appeared beside it with a furious shout, bringing her axe down with savage strength.

  For a moment I could swear I saw something resembling confusion… maybe even fear… in the creature's eyes.

  It had no arms.

  No tentacles.

  They had all been severed and cauterized.

  It had nothing to defend itself with.

  Cornered between a rock and a hard place, it made a decision.

  It spun and kicked.

  Its leg smashed into Ijeoma's axe and knocked it aside.

  That… was a stupid choice.

  Because that left its side open.

  I switched to [Knife Mode] and drove the blade straight into its ribs.

  For a split second nothing happened.

  Then the glaive lit up.

  The creature opened its mouth to scream—

  But the sound never came out.

  Its throat was still charred.

  All the energy stored inside the weapon erupted outward.

  A massive beam of destructive power detonated from the blade.

  The night lit up like daytime.

  The blast consumed the creature completely.

  For several seconds, the world was nothing but blinding light and roaring energy.

  Then it ended.

  When the glow faded, only the lower half of the creature remained.

  Its legs staggered forward twice.

  Then collapsed.

  The flesh twitched uselessly, trying to regenerate.

  Behind it, the beam had carved a massive trench through the earth… all the way into the distant swarm.

  I dropped to my knees.

  Every ounce of strength drained from my body.

  My vision began fading.

  "Hey… you still alive?"

  "Yeah… I'll be fine. You?"

  She laughed.

  Which immediately turned into a coughing fit.

  "Yeah… I thought so too," I muttered.

  I looked up at the sky.

  The moon was emerging from behind the clouds.

  And then—

  Something strange happened.

  The edge of my vision began glitching.

  Like a corrupted screen.

  Then I saw it.

  A massive monolith next to the moon.

  An enormous inverted pyramid.

  The sky suddenly caught fire.

  Dozens of objects tore through the atmosphere like meteors, burning as they descended.

  For a moment, it looked like the apocalypse had begun.

  Then—

  It all vanished.

  A flash of light blinded me.

  Vehicles slowed down nearby.

  Someone—or maybe two people—grabbed my collar and dragged me off the ground.

  "Hmm… na now I know why you be number 1."

  Orezi stepped into view with a wide grin.

  I didn't respond.

  My mind was still stuck on what I'd just seen.

  Was I hallucinating?

  "Prepare yourself!"

  Miss 1's voice rang out.

  I turned my head.

  From the open rear of the vehicle, she pulled out a cylindrical device that looked similar to the SSD we were meant to mount.

  She pressed several buttons on its interface.

  I turned my head again.

  The swarm was still coming.

  And among them—

  The lower half of the creature.

  It had already started regenerating.

  Before it could reach us—

  A silent wave burst outward from the device.

  The moment it passed through the swarm—

  Every creature collapsed.

  Like puppets with their strings cut.

  Bodies slammed into each other in a grotesque domino effect.

  Our vehicle rolled forward.

  Then stopped in an open clearing.

  The ground beneath us rumbled.

  And we began descending underground.

  I looked back.

  The swarm had gotten up again.

  But now they wandered aimlessly as if they'd lost their sight.

  Roaring uselessly into the night.

  "So that was their plan…" I muttered.

  Resting my head back, I thought again about what I had seen.

  The monolith.

  The burning sky.

  None of it made sense.

  Eventually I gave up.

  Instead, I looked at my teammates.

  They were cheering.

  Relieved to have escaped death.

  Even if only temporarily.

  Then I looked at the bodies of those we lost.

  Some reduced to mangled flesh.

  Others turned to stone.

  "Guy smile small, shwo! You always be forming nonchalance," Orezi said again.

  This time I listened.

  And smiled.

  Yeah.

  I'm glad I'm alive.

  Whatever comes next… whatever I saw…

  That can wait.

  For now—

  I'll enjoy the moment.