The scream echoed through the forest long after the crimson vein shattered.
Not loud.
Not violent.
But wrong.
It sounded less like a creature crying out in pain and more like something finally becoming aware of its own death.
The moment the central vein collapsed, the entire battlefield changed.
The corrupted structures connected to the creature immediately began disintegrating, unstable crimson energy leaking violently from every fractured line running through its body. The black armor plates covering its massive frame cracked apart one after another, falling heavily onto the ruined ground below while the malformed flesh beneath convulsed uncontrollably.
For the first time since the battle began—
The network stopped responding.
No regeneration.
No correction.
No forced stabilization.
The creature staggered backward heavily.
Then again.
Ayan stood several meters away breathing hard, his sword still buried halfway into the shattered remains of the crimson vein beneath the battlefield. Blood dripped slowly from his injuries, his entire body trembling faintly from exhaustion after pushing himself far beyond his limits once again.
But his eyes never left the collapsing monster ahead.
Because even now—
He remained cautious.
After everything he had already seen, assuming something was dead too early felt dangerously stupid.
The creature let out another broken screech before one of its massive legs finally gave out beneath its weight.
BOOOOM.
The ground shook violently as the enormous body crashed into the clearing, uprooting shattered earth and broken trees beneath it.
And still—
It moved.
Not attacking.
Not fighting.
Just twitching.
The remaining crimson eyes scattered across its distorted skull shifted frantically in different directions, unfocused and unstable as though the system controlling them had suddenly disappeared.
Ayan slowly pulled his sword free from the broken ground beneath him.
"…It's disconnected now."
Aelira stepped beside him silently.
"…Yes."
Her gaze remained fixed on the creature.
"…The network can no longer sustain it."
The massive body convulsed again violently.
This time parts of it simply collapsed apart completely, black armor splitting open while unstable crimson tissue beneath began dissolving into ash-like fragments.
Ayan frowned slightly.
"…It's decaying fast."
Aelira nodded once.
"…Because its evolution was incomplete."
Ayan looked toward the dying creature quietly.
Now that the corruption stabilizing it was gone, he could finally see how unnatural its existence truly was. Its body had never fully adapted to the forced transformation. Bone structures overlapped incorrectly beneath cracked armor. Muscle fibers twisted unnaturally beneath exposed flesh. Entire sections of its body looked assembled rather than evolved.
Like something built too quickly.
Something unfinished.
"…The system forced it beyond what its body could survive."
Aelira's voice remained calm.
"…It prioritized strength over stability."
Ayan narrowed his eyes slightly.
"…Like the false core."
"…Yes."
The answer came immediately.
Everything connected again.
The network didn't evolve naturally.
It accelerated.
Forced adaptation.
Forced correction.
Forced survival.
Until eventually—
The structure collapsed under its own instability.
The creature's movements slowed further now, its remaining eyes gradually dimming one by one as the corruption faded from its body.
Then unexpectedly—
One eye focused directly on Ayan.
Not violently.
Not aggressively.
Just—
Focused.
Ayan stiffened slightly.
Because for a brief second—
The creature looked aware.
Not controlled.
Not distorted.
Aware.
Its broken jaw shifted weakly.
A faint sound escaped.
Not a roar.
Not a screech.
A word.
"…Help…"
Ayan froze completely.
His eyes widened slightly.
"…What?"
The creature's body twitched violently again afterward.
The brief awareness disappeared instantly as unstable corruption surged through it one final time.
Then—
Its entire body collapsed inward.
Black armor shattered apart.
Crimson tissue dissolved completely.
And within seconds—
Nothing remained except scattered ash and fragments of corrupted bone across the ruined battlefield.
Silence followed.
Heavy.
Cold.
Ayan stood motionless staring at the empty place where the creature had died.
"…Did it just…"
Aelira remained silent beside him.
Ayan slowly looked toward her.
"…You heard that too."
Not a question.
Aelira's expression remained unreadable.
"…Yes."
Ayan's grip tightened slightly around the sword.
Because suddenly—
Everything felt worse.
If the creature had retained awareness beneath the corruption—
Even briefly—
Then what exactly was the network doing to living things?
Not creating monsters.
Trapping them.
Twisting them.
Forcing them beyond themselves while something human still remained buried underneath.
Ayan lowered his gaze toward the ash scattered across the clearing.
"…That thing was suffering."
The realization settled heavily in his chest.
Aelira closed her eyes briefly.
"…Yes."
A long silence followed afterward.
The forest around them slowly calmed as the last traces of crimson corruption faded from the battlefield completely. The corrupted roots collapsed into dust. The distorted pressure vanished entirely.
Nature slowly reclaimed the silence.
But Ayan's thoughts remained unsettled.
Because now the monsters felt different.
Before, they had simply been threats.
Enemies.
Creatures corrupted by some unnatural system.
But now—
He had heard one beg for help.
Ayan exhaled slowly.
"…So every evolved creature…"
He looked toward the empty clearing again.
"…Could still be conscious."
Aelira's silence lasted longer this time.
Then finally—
"…Some more than others."
Ayan clenched his jaw slightly.
Because somehow—
That answer was even worse.
The wind passed quietly through the destroyed clearing as Ayan stared at the remains of the shattered crimson vein beneath the battlefield.
Then his eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Wait."
A faint pulse moved beneath the broken ground.
Weak.
But present.
Aelira noticed immediately too.
"…Residual energy."
Ayan crouched slowly near the shattered vein, brushing aside loose dirt and fragments of corrupted crystal.
Then he saw it.
Buried beneath the destroyed network structure—
A small object pulsed faintly with crimson light.
Not organic.
Not alive.
Artificial.
Ayan carefully pulled it free from the ground.
It resembled a shard of black crystal no larger than his palm, thin crimson lines moving slowly beneath its smooth surface like living veins.
The moment he touched it—
A violent pulse shot through his hand.
Ayan's vision blurred instantly.
Fragments flashed through his mind.
A massive underground structure.
Endless crimson lines spreading beneath the world.
Countless creatures connected together.
And far below everything—
Something watching.
Ayan staggered backward sharply.
The crystal nearly slipped from his hand.
"…Ayan."
Aelira moved beside him immediately.
His breathing roughened slightly as the visions disappeared.
"…I saw…"
He tightened his grip unconsciously around the crystal.
"…The network."
Aelira's eyes narrowed sharply toward the object in his hand.
"…A memory fragment."
Ayan looked down at the crystal silently.
The crimson light inside pulsed faintly.
Alive.
Waiting.
And somehow—
It felt like the system itself had intentionally left it behind for him to find.
A cold feeling settled in his chest.
Because now—
He was no longer simply following traces.
The network had started responding directly to him.