The sky shifted again.
Arjun felt it—
before he saw it.
Pressure.
Heavy enough to make breathing slower.
Like the world itself…
was bracing.
The sky shifted again.
Arjun felt it—
before he saw it.
Pressure.
Heavy.
The air thickened—
forcing each breath slower.
He stepped into the open street, rifle still warm in his hands.
The city—
was no longer just in chaos.
It was collapsing.
Smoke spiraled upward.
Buildings burned.
Explosions echoed—
constant.
Unstoppable.
And above—
the warship moved.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
Arjun narrowed his eyes.
"…It wasn't moving before."
[Anomaly Detected]
Primary Warship entering Active Deployment Phase
"Active… what does that even—"
[Phase Shift Initiated]
The sky tore open.
Not cracks—
a rupture.
Massive.
Something descended through it.
Bigger than the warship.
Far bigger.
Arjun's breathing slowed.
"…That's not normal."
[Warning]
High-Density Energy Signature Detected
Threat Level: Extreme
The ground trembled.
A low hum—
deep enough to feel in his bones.
Then—
a pillar of blue light dropped.
Straight into the city.
Everything—
stopped.
For one second.
Then—
impact.
BOOM.
Arjun was thrown backward.
His body slammed into a car—
metal bent, flipped.
The suit absorbed most of it—
not all.
"…What the hell was that?!"
[New Entity Detected]
Designation: Elite Unit
Dust cleared slowly.
At the center—
something stood.
Humanoid.
Tall.
Still.
Black armor—
smooth.
Blue energy flowing across it like veins.
Not raging.
Not moving.
Just—
watching.
Its head turned.
Locked onto Arjun.
[Elite Unit A-E1 Identified — Threat Level: Extreme]
Arjun felt it immediately.
This wasn't like the others.
This—
was controlled.
"…So this is extreme."
It stepped forward.
The ground cracked—
not from weight.
From pressure.
Energy.
Arjun raised the rifle.
"Let's—"
He activated Target Prediction.
Lines appeared—
then broke.
Glitched.
Collapsed.
"…What?"
[Prediction Failure]
Target exceeds calculation threshold
Arjun's jaw tightened.
"So I can't read it."
The Elite Unit moved.
No build-up.
No motion.
It was just—
there.
In front of him.
Too fast to track.
Impact.
A fist drove into his chest.
BOOM.
Arjun's body launched.
Through concrete.
Into a building.
Everything shattered around him.
Pain followed.
Even through the suit—
he felt it.
"…Damn—"
The Elite Unit walked through the wall.
Unharmed.
Untouched.
Arjun forced himself up.
"…That's not a fight."
[Emergency Recommendation: Avoid direct confrontation]
He let out a short breath.
"Yeah…"
"No argument."
The Elite Unit raised its hand.
Energy gathered—
dense.
Unstable.
Arjun's eyes widened.
"Move."
He rolled—
just as the beam fired.
The building behind him—
vanished.
Not destroyed.
Gone.
Erased.
Arjun stared.
"…It erased it."
[Energy Output exceeds current equipment limits]
"So I can't outfight it…"
The Elite Unit walked forward.
Slow.
Certain.
Like escape didn't exist.
Arjun's mind raced.
"Think."
[New Option Unlocked]
Tactical Retreat
Speed Boost + Signal Suppression
Duration: 10 seconds
He exhaled.
"…So I run."
No hesitation.
Activated.
Speed surged.
The world blurred.
He dashed out—
into the street.
Behind him—
another blast.
The building disappeared.
Completely.
He didn't look back.
"System—what is that thing?!"
[Elite Units are advanced combat entities deployed during Phase Shift.]
"So this is the next level…"
[Warning: Multiple Elite Units detected]
Arjun slowed.
"…Multiple?"
The map appeared.
Red markers.
Large.
Spread across the city.
Each labeled:
ELITE.
Silence.
"…So normal kills don't matter anymore."
[Correction: Elite elimination accelerates Civilization Rank progression]
Arjun stopped.
Behind him—
the Elite Unit stepped into the street.
Watching.
Waiting.
Arjun turned.
Slowly.
Grip tightening.
"…So I have to kill it."
[Survival probability: 8%]
A faint smile formed.
"…Not today."
He stepped back.
Eyes never leaving it.
"…But soon."
Above—
more blue pillars descended.
More of them.
Too many.
Arjun's gaze sharpened.
"…This isn't random."
"It's controlled."
A system.
His grip tightened.
"…Then I break it."
The Elite Unit tilted its head.
As if it understood.
Then—
it stepped forward again.
This time—
it didn't attack.
It just kept walking.
Closing the distance—
like it already knew
he wouldn't escape forever.