Nitchtron — Ancient Headquarters
Levi and Kayo moved swiftly through the metallic corridors, the Nitchtronian woman guiding them ahead. Their pace wasn't frantic—but there was urgency beneath every step.
Kayo glanced toward Levi, concern evident on his face.
"Shouldn't we notify Ms. Nury first?"
Levi didn't slow down.
"There's no time."
His sharp gaze locked onto the woman walking ahead of them.
"They start working on him tomorrow."
Then he looked back at Kayo.
"If we're going to act, it has to be now—before they make their move."
The woman's shoulders tensed. She stopped abruptly and turned to face them, irritation clear in her expression.
"You do realize I can hear you, right?"
Her eyes narrowed.
"What you're doing is irrational."
She stepped closer.
"You're willing to compromise this entire operation just because of a hunch?"
Kayo hesitated, then glanced at Levi.
"…She might have a point."
He placed a hand on his chin, thinking.
"We're not a hundred percent sure they're planning anything."
A brief pause.
"The signs are there… but we can't afford to act recklessly."
Silence followed.
Both of them looked at Levi—waiting.
Levi didn't hesitate.
"I don't care."
The response was immediate.
Cold.
Kayo and the woman exchanged a glance, caught off guard.
Levi's voice lowered slightly.
"If what that lunatic doctor said about stardust decaying is true…"
A beat.
"Then I don't have time to play games."
His hazel eyes darkened, a faint crimson flicker stirring within them.
"Just killing an Archangel…" he muttered, almost to himself, "won't carve my name into this pathetic galaxy."
He raised his hand slightly, staring at it.
For a moment—
It was as if he could see something beyond it.
The universe.
Endless.
Fragile.
His fingers curled slowly, as if grasping it.
A faint crimson aura began to stir around him—not explosive, not chaotic… but heavy. Suffocating. Like pressure building beneath the surface of reality itself.
"I won't settle only for that."
His voice dropped.
"I'll bring damnation to all of it."
The air shifted.
It wasn't violent.
But it was overwhelming.
Kayo felt it first—a weight pressing against his chest, like something unseen was tightening around his body.
The woman froze.
Her breath caught.
They weren't looking at a man anymore.
They were looking at something else.
Something that didn't just want power—
But wanted to become part of existence itself.
And for the first time—
Even Kayo felt it.
Not doubt.
Not fear.
Something deeper.
The realization that Levi wasn't chasing a goal.
He was the beginning of something far worse.
Back at the Welcome Banquet
The hall was alive.
Laughter echoed across the chamber as members of the Ancient faction and the Red Moon clan mingled freely. Glasses clinked, voices overlapped, and for a moment—it almost felt like a genuine alliance.
Then—
Clink.
The sharp sound of glass being tapped cut clean through the noise.
Conversations died instantly.
All eyes turned toward the stage.
Atrunt stood there, a glass in hand, wearing a bright, welcoming smile.
"I want to thank you all for being here today."
His voice carried effortlessly across the room.
He slowly scanned the crowd, meeting eyes one by one.
"The future of science has never been brighter. Thanks to the Red Moon Clan… tomorrow, we begin writing a new chapter in the history of our universe."
A brief pause.
"One that will give birth… to eternal power."
He spread his arms wide—then raised his glass toward Nury.
"Thanks to you, we will seize control of this universe… and carve our names into it."
Their eyes met.
For a moment, the room disappeared.
Just the two of them—each trying to read the other, searching for something beneath the surface.
Atrunt smiled.
Nury didn't.
Then—
"For our friends… the Red Moon Clan."
He lifted his glass higher.
"And for science."
The room followed.
Glasses rose.
A unified motion.
And then—
They drank.
A second passed.
Then another.
Clink.
Glass shattered.
Lee turned sharply—just in time to see Nury collapse.
"Miss Nur—"
His words never finished.
His body followed.
Then—
One by one.
Red Moon members dropped to the floor.
Unconscious.
Helpless.
The laughter was gone.
The music had stopped.
Only silence remained.
The Ancients didn't move.
They simply watched.
Smiling.
Cold.
Satisfied.
Atrunt lowered his glass slowly, his expression no longer warm.
"Let us begin."
Back with Levi and Kayo
The heavy door slid open.
Levi, Kayo, and the Nitchtronian woman stepped inside.
The lab stretched far beyond what either of them expected.
Rows upon rows of humanoid exoskeletons stood suspended in place—different shapes, different builds, different species. Some massive. Some slender. All engineered with terrifying precision.
Kayo's eyes widened slightly as he took it all in.
"…What are you doing with all these?"
The woman walked ahead, her tone calm.
"These are exoskeletons modeled after different races across the galaxy."
She glanced back briefly.
"We'll be using one similar to these for Rumbler's body."
Kayo frowned slightly, still processing.
"…Are you doing this with other races too?"
She smiled.
"Of course."
A pause.
"Our goal is to preserve stardust."
Her voice carried quiet pride.
"Having powerful individuals across multiple species will only strengthen our position… especially when the time comes to conquer the universe."
She looked back at Levi.
There was something in her expression now.
Not confidence.
Not entirely.
A hint of unease.
"I know you might have your doubts… or a bad feeling about us," she admitted.
"But trust me—our goals are aligned."
She held his gaze.
"We intend to work alongside you."
Levi didn't respond.
Didn't react.
His face remained cold.
Focused.
Unmoved.
Whatever alliance she believed in—
Didn't exist for him.
He wasn't here for partnership.
He wasn't here for balance.
He was here for something else entirely.
They reached the end of the corridor.
A massive reinforced glass panel stretched before them.
Below it—
A chamber.
And inside—
Rumbler.
His massive body lay motionless, restrained and surrounded by machines. Tubes, wires, and mechanical arms connected to him from every direction, monitoring, preparing… waiting.
Levi stepped forward.
And looked down.
No hesitation.
No doubt.
Only one thing stirred within him.
Not curiosity.
Not concern.
Not even ambition.
Something far darker.
A slow, rising urge—
To burn everything.
To reduce it all to nothing.
To leave behind only ruin… with his name carved into it.
Levi's gaze didn't waver.
Because in that moment—
He wasn't looking at Rumbler.
He was looking at the beginning.
Of the end.