Agito clutched desperately at the blood-soaked cloth covering his corrupted eye. A searing pressure bloomed behind it, oppressive like a storm ready to erupt.
His vision blurred—
A vision consumed him—brief, terrible, undeniable. His own corpse lay mutilated upon the stone, limbs twisted grotesquely, eyes wide in eternal agony, mouth locked open mid-scream. He could hear his own final, choked breath escaping.
A voice broke through the horror.
Soft, cold, right inside his skull:
"Run."
Enma.
He didn't know the name. But it was part of him.
The beast lunged again, shattering stone as it moved.
A malformed limb lashed out like a whip tipped with claws.
Instinct took hold—Agito dodged desperately, diving aside as the ground trembled violently beneath him.
His boot slipped against slick stone, sending him crashing painfully onto one knee.
The impact stole the breath from his lungs, but fear forced him onward.
Around him, the ground trembled violently, the tunnel echoing with a monstrous roar.
The abomination lunged forward, jaws gaping grotesquely wide, teeth glistening with decay, breath reeking like a burning sewer.
Agito braced himself for the inevitable, muscles seizing in hopeless anticipation.
From the darkness shot a flash of metal, striking the creature with brutal force.
Bone shattered audibly, black ichor exploding outward in a grisly fountain.
Agito spun toward the source of the attack.
A man emerged through the swirling smoke—tall, broad-shouldered, his scarred face set in determination.
His military jacket hung torn and filthy, dog tags and an old, battered locket bouncing rhythmically against his chest.
Gripped firmly in one bloodied hand was a bent metal pipe.
"You wanna die here?" the stranger barked, voice coarse as gravel. "Be my guest. But if you wanna live—fucking move!"
Agito gasped sharply.
"Who the hell are you?"
"Cain," the man growled, already pivoting toward a narrow side tunnel.
He paused only briefly to shout over his shoulder, "This way!"
Another tremor shook the cavern violently, accompanied by the wet, slapping sound of the creature's approach.
Cain didn't wait for a response.
Agito scrambled after him but stumbled, pain searing through his knee as fresh crimson streamed down his leg.
He nearly fell again, but Cain caught him roughly by the collar, dragging him forward.
"Not now, fucker—keep moving!"
They rushed onward through the claustrophobic, winding tunnel, the creature's enraged howls following close behind.
A flicker of faint, uncertain light appeared ahead.
In their path stood another figure—slim and small, gray-haired with pointed ears, eyes obscured by blinking-lensed goggles.
In his hands glowed a holo-map, casting distorted shadows across the tunnel walls.
The boy showed no trace of fear.
He merely tilted his head slightly, studying the approaching monstrosity with detached curiosity, as if examining a malfunctioning machine.
"Come on, rotbags," he said evenly, almost bored. "Come say hi to Vaxtor."
Agito blinked, stunned by the boy's calm indifference amidst chaos.
Vaxtor raised one hand sharply.
Small metal drones swiftly surged around him, each humming softly, their spherical bodies glowing faintly as they snapped into perfect offensive formation—like a swarm of metallic hornets awaiting a single command.
His voice rang out with chilling authority:
"Senmetsu Jinkei: Zanka no Mure!"[1]
The drones erupted simultaneously, illuminating the gloom in a flash of coordinated firepower.
Precision shells sliced mercilessly into the abomination's grotesque flesh, each volley choreographed with deadly accuracy.
The first barrage tore through its body, spattering viscous black ichor grotesquely across the walls.
The second assault ripped deeper, wrenching a tortured howl of agony from the beast as parts of its twisted form were violently shredded away.
Vaxtor stood immobile, eyes coldly tracking every shot, orchestrating his lethal symphony without hesitation or mercy.
Cain growled softly, awe mixing with suspicion.
"Definitely not human."
Yet the abomination writhed still, regenerating unnaturally fast—wounded but not defeated.
Vaxtor's eyes narrowed, calculating rapidly.
He turned swiftly toward them, voice urgent now:
"Drones won't hold it forever. Move, now!"
The beast lunged from the smoke again, scorched flesh writhing back into shape with sickening ease.
Cain swore viciously, gripping Agito's arm tightly and pulling him forward once more.
"I don't know who this little freak is," he snarled, "but if he screws up, we're all dead."
They followed. Fast. Hard.
The drones held the thing off for a few more seconds—just enough.
At that instant, the tunnel shook again.
One by one, the drones were torn apart.
The creature was gaining ground.
Cain ran like a man possessed, boots pounding the stone, grip on the pipe never loosening.
Ahead, Vaxtor glanced back.
"What a mess," he muttered. "It usually works."
Cain snapped,
"Usually?! Do something already!"
Vaxtor didn't even look guilty.
"Chill," he said. "You'll wrinkle your rage face."
Agito stumbled behind them.
His legs burned.
His lungs clawed desperately for air.
The metallic taste of blood lingered in his mouth.
Just then—another voice.
Not from outside.
From within.
Enma.
Her voice sliced through his thoughts like a blade of ice:
"Run."
A shiver ran down his spine.
He could feel it.
Danger still lingered.
The creature was catching up.
"Light!" Vaxtor shouted. "Go for the light!"
Agito looked up.
At the end of the tunnel—a pale glow flickered faintly.
And within that glow—
A woman.
Tall. Sharp. Implants running along her arms, glowing with cold purple fire.
Her silver hair whipped in the wind.
Her eyes locked on them like targeting systems.
"Faster!" she barked. Her voice echoed through the chaos. Cold. Commanding. "This thing isn't waiting. Move—or die!"
Cain burst through the tunnel mouth first.
Vaxtor followed, panting.
Agito pushed himself forward, legs burning.
Behind them—
A roar.
Close. Vile. Hungry.
[1] Annihilation Formation: Swarm of Burning Sparks