The tunnel narrowed into a jagged corridor, the walls blackened with old flame. Ash drifted in lazy spirals from the ceiling vents.
Elias crouched near a bulkhead, pistol in one hand, knife in the other. His body screamed at him to rest. His legs were shaking. His chest ached from a cracked rib — probably two.
But the screams were closer now.
He could hear them echoing down metal halls and grates: choked, raw, and panicked. Gunfire barked like thunderclaps through the sewers. Each blast lit the pipes above in harsh white flashes.
He pressed himself to the wall and peered around the corner.
A wide junction. Blood everywhere. Fresh.
And in the center of it all — a single man. Massive. Shirtless. Skin tattooed with sigils Elias couldn't recognize but instinctively feared.
The ganger's teeth were filed. His eyes were ringed in red. He held a chainsword in one hand, buzzing and dripping. The other gripped the limp body of a PDF soldier by the throat, armor crushed inward.
The ganger dropped the corpse. Turned.
And saw Elias.
There was no chance to run.
The chainsword revved with a howl, and the brute lunged forward, feet pounding the grated floor.
Elias barely brought up his pistol.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
The shots struck the man in the chest — but he didn't stop. He roared, swinging high, the blade shrieking like an animal.
Elias dove sideways, slamming into a pipe, ribs howling. The chainsword cut sparks from the wall where he'd just been.
Too fast. Too strong. Too close.
Elias scrambled, rolled, raised the pistol again—
—but the brute was already on him.
A boot slammed into Elias's stomach, knocking the wind from him. He hit the wall, stars bursting behind his eyes.
The blade rose.
This is it.
His body knew. He'd faced death before, but not like this. Not here. Not in this hellhole far from home.
He raised his hand out of instinct — a futile defense.
But his fingers twitched.
And something inside him snapped open.
> COMBAT THRESHOLD BREACHED
> Vital Signs: Critical
> EMOTIONAL SURGE: FEAR / WILL TO SURVIVE
> Chakra Conversion Rate: Accelerated
> New Technique Available: [Clone Technique – Rank E]
> Emergency Instinct Trigger: ENGAGED
Elias's hand moved on its own.
Two fingers forward. A blur. No thought. Just reaction.
Poof.
Three clones appeared — imperfect, jittering, barely holding form. But the attacker blinked in confusion for a split second.
That was all Elias needed.
He rolled under the swing, grabbed his fallen knife, and jammed it into the brute's thigh.
The ganger screamed.
The clones dispersed like fog — but Elias was already up, shoving his shoulder into the man's side, forcing him back into the wall.
The chainsword fell from his grip.
Elias grabbed it — and with a ragged shout, jammed the blade upward into the ganger's chest and revved it.
Teeth. Blood. Screaming.
And then silence.
Elias dropped the weapon. His arms were shaking. His entire body buzzed with the fading afterimage of chakra — that raw, coiled energy still burning beneath his skin.
His hands were soaked. His stomach turned.
He didn't throw up.
He just stared.
The System's voice returned, cold and final:
> Combat Complete
> Threat Level: Moderate
> Chakra Usage: 72%
> Remaining Pool: 0.56/2
> Skill Mastery Progress: [Clone Technique – 19%]
> Progression Unlocked: "Adaptation Through Death Proximity"
> Reward: Minor Stat Boost – Reflex +1
Reflex +1?
The numbers didn't feel real. What did feel real was the ache in his bones, the burning in his chest, the very human terror that hadn't faded even after the fight was over.
He was still just a man. But now he had something else inside him. Something alien. Something growing.
And he had just killed again — not out of training, not for country, not under orders — but because if he hadn't, he'd be a corpse cooling on the floor of a nightmare tunnel.
He retrieved the pistol, checked the mags. Empty.
He checked the chainsword — too heavy to carry. He took a sidearm off the corpse instead: a stub revolver, scratched with tally marks. Crude but reliable.
He turned to leave.
Then paused.
His own clone. The last image of it still hovered in his mind.
It had moved like him. Acted like him.
What else can I do?
[END OF PART 3]