The leader beast took a step forward…
But the ground shook as if an earthquake had struck.
His massive tubes began pumping black energy into his body, and the air pressure around him rose terrifyingly.
"This thing… isn't just an experiment," Mizuno said, stoking his feet.
"It's a weapon," Riorno retorted, his eyes blazing.
Suddenly—
The beast vanished.
In a split second, it reappeared directly in front of Riorno and unleashed a crushing blow.
Riorno raised his arm to block it—
Crash!
He staggered back several meters, his feet sliding to the ground as the flames around him dissipated.
"It's too fast!" Mizuno yelled.
He didn't wait.
He lunged sideways, his arm transforming into the predator's full form—longer, black claws, glowing with faint green streaks.
"Try this!"
He attacked swiftly, targeting the knee joint—
Slash!
Sparks flew… but the monster didn't fall.
Instead—
He grabbed Mizuno's arm.
Mizuno's eyes widened:
"Damn it—!"
He hurled him against the wall.
Bang!
Mizuno slammed into the metal wall, collapsing to the ground, gasping for breath.
"This thing… is adapting…"
At that moment, Riorno stood up again.
His flames grew stronger… more intense.
He closed his eyes for a moment.
Then—
Fire erupted around him.
It transformed into an aura enveloping his entire body, and his features began to shift slightly…
Not a complete transformation… more of an intermediate state.
He opened his eyes—
They were glowing.
"I won't let you… stop us here."
He charged forward.
This time—
He was faster.
He dodged the monster's attack, then swiftly circled it, unleashing a flurry of concentrated fireballs on the pipes in its back.
Explosions!
The monster took a step back… for the first time.
"The pipes! They're its power source!" Mizuno shouted from afar.
He smiled through the pain and stood up.
"All right… let's finish it off."
The two charged together.
From below, Mizuno, with lightning speed, severed joints and immobilized the monster… and from above, Riorno, focusing his fire on vital points.
The monster tried to resist, unleashing a wave of black energy—
But Riorno pierced it with his flames.
"Now, Mizuno!" he yelled.
Mizuno leaped high, spun in mid-air, and then—
He sank his claws with all his might into the monster's metallic heart.
At the same instant—
Riorno placed his hand over the wound and unleashed his most powerful fireball.
BOOOOM!!!
Light exploded inside the hall.
The entire facility shook.
Everything stopped.…
After a few moments ..The leader monster's body slowly fell…
Then it collapsed.
Silence fell.
The flames gradually subsided.
Riorno stood, breathing deeply, his hand still glowing faintly.
Mizuno sat on the ground, chuckling softly. "Heh… Looks like we've survived."
Riorno looked at him. "This is just the beginning."
Around them, the systems began to shut down… But only one screen remained active.
A message appeared: "—Next Phase Activated—"
The two froze.
"Don't tell me there's…more," Mizuno said.
Riorno looked up into the darkness. "No…"
"Looks like we've awakened something bigger."
Lloyd entered one of the software rooms. It was filled with old computers, unlit screens, and papers scattered across the tables, as if whoever had been there had left in a hurry.
He began to search quietly, flipping through files, trying to understand anything that might lead him to the truth…
Suddenly—
He stepped on something plastic.
He slipped.
He fell to the ground with a slight thud, and a scraping sound echoed on the metal floor.
He frowned as he got up:
"Damn it…"
He looked down and found a large, partially transparent piece of plastic.
He picked it up and dusted it off.
It was… a map.
But not an ordinary map.
He unfolded it in front of him and began to study it intently, rubbing his chin:
"Hmm… maybe it's a map of the facility…"
But after a few seconds, his expression changed.
"Wait a minute…"
He widened his gaze further, trying to take in the details.
"Is it… this big?"
The map wasn't just a room or a floor…
It was a vast network.
Long stretches of tunnels, connecting multiple areas—from north to south… and perhaps even further.
And there were many side branches… but some were shaded or incomplete, as if they were areas left unexamined or deliberately hidden.
He moved closer to the map, his eyes fixed on a specific point.
"This place…" He placed his finger on his current location.
"I'm here…"
Then he traced his finger along the long lines.
"And this stretch… goes all the way to the south…"
His eyes widened slightly.
"So…"
He remembered Seko's words… and his feeling that the structures weren't all the same.
"All these places… are connected."
But what caught his attention most—
Strange symbols scattered around the edges of the map.
Dark circles, and warning signs around them.
"These aren't warehouses… or ordinary passageways," he whispered.
Then he gripped the map tightly.
"These are…key points."
Suddenly—
An intense chill swept past him again.
But this time…stronger.
He froze.
He looked at the map again… then at the corridor outside the room.
"If this map is correct…"
He lowered his voice, his eyes sharpening:
"Then I am…close to one of those points."
Ice began to form at the edges of the map itself… as if something didn't want him to discover more.
He slowly raised his head. "Okay…" "Come."
Lloyd stepped cautiously out of the room, his eyes scanning the corridor from side to side.
The silence was heavy. There was nothing.
No movement, no sound, only the occasional flickering of dim lights.
But the tension didn't subside.
He stopped.
Then he turned slowly around. Faint lights flickered erratically at the end of the corridor, as if something were passing in front of them.
He narrowed his eyes, trying to focus. Before he could turn away,
it appeared.
A huge, white figure stood in complete silence.
Its body was covered in a smooth, icy layer, as if sculpted from snow, and its eyes were violet, glowing with a terrifying coldness.
It made no sound.
It simply looked at Lloyd. Lloyd froze for a moment. Not out of fear, but in shock at the speed of its appearance.
Then
The entity slowly opened its mouth…and released a thick, icy breath. It wasn't just cold air. It was a direct wave of freezing.
Lloyd tried to move, but it was too late.
He froze.
An ice mass formed around his body in an instant,
closing him completely, right down to his feet.
His eyes widened, and he tried to move his hand, but his body wouldn't respond.
The cold penetrated his bones…
Even his breath stopped for a moment.
"Damn it…" he muttered softly inside the ice.
The entity approached slowly…its footsteps were silent, as if it were gliding on the ground. It stopped directly in front of Lloyd. It stared at him for a long time…as if examining him.
Then
It extended its icy hand toward him. At that moment, the marks on Lloyd's arm began to glow intensely inside the ice.
Rapid pulses…heat fighting against the cold.
The ice trembled slightly.
The violet entity's eyes widened.
For the first time… a reaction appeared. Something inside… couldn't be easily frozen.
Lloyd gritted his teeth, his voice strained: "You won't… end this… that easily…"