The mutated agent's body twisted in a way that didn't look human at all.
Bones cracked under the skin. Dark veins spread across his body like something poisonous was crawling through him. His eyes were no longer normal either. They had turned a pure, empty red.
Yoru took a step back without thinking, his claw tightening in his hand.
"What the hell is this..." he muttered.
Sairi's face turned serious.
"Eclipse experiments..."
The creature slowly lifted its head. Its neck bent at an angle that looked wrong even to look at.
Then it laughed.
Not a real laugh. Something broken. Distorted. Barely human.
"Subject... elimination..."
The next second—
BOOM.
The floor cracked beneath it as the creature launched itself at Yoru with terrifying speed.
He barely got his claw up in time.
CLANG.
The strike hit hard. So hard that Yoru slid backward across the floor.
"Fast...!"
The creature didn't give him a moment to breathe. Another attack came almost immediately.
Yoru dodged sideways—
CRASH.
The wall behind him exploded into pieces, concrete scattering everywhere.
"This thing isn't like the normal agents..." Yoru grit his teeth.
Sairi had already moved.
She raised her hand.
"Ice Bind."
Chains of ice burst from the ground and wrapped around the creature's body.
For a second, it stopped moving.
"Yoru!" Sairi shouted. "Now!"
Yoru rushed forward at once.
Dark energy flared around his claw.
"Get lost!"
SLASH.
The attack landed cleanly.
The creature's shoulder split open, and black blood sprayed across the floor.
But it still didn't stop.
Slowly, it turned its head toward Yoru.
And smiled.
That tiny smile made Yoru's stomach tighten.
"It... doesn't feel pain?"
CRACK.
The ice chains broke apart instantly.
"Impossible..." Sairi whispered.
Before Yoru could react, the creature grabbed him by the throat.
THUD.
It slammed him into the wall.
The impact knocked the air out of him.
"Damn—!"
Its grip was crushing. Way too strong. Its glowing red eyes stared straight into his.
"Target... unstable..."
"Kill..."
Yoru struggled hard, his claw trembling.
Inside him, something stirred.
Darkness.
Then that voice came again.
Interesting...
Yoru clenched his teeth.
"Not now..."
The voice let out a soft laugh.
You're weak.
Back in reality, the creature pressed him harder against the wall.
Cracks spread through the concrete behind him.
Sairi quickly formed an ice spear and threw it with full force.
SHHHK.
The spear pierced the creature's side.
Its head turned.
Its grip loosened for just a second.
Yoru took that chance.
Black aura exploded from his body.
BOOM.
The dark energy blasted the creature backward.
Yoru dropped to the ground, breathing hard.
Pain burned through his chest.
"Why won't this thing die...?" he muttered.
Sairi moved beside him.
"Because it's no longer human."
The room went quiet for a moment.
Then the creature stood up again.
Its wounds started healing right in front of them.
Black flesh twisted and repaired itself.
Yoru stared.
"Regeneration... seriously?"
The creature cracked its neck.
Then its body became even more unstable.
Its aura turned violent.
The whole room started shaking.
Sairi narrowed her eyes.
"Yoru..."
"What?"
"It's about to overload."
Yoru frowned. "What does that mean?"
Sairi answered in a low voice.
"It means either it destroys itself..."
"...or it takes us down with it."
Suddenly, the creature screamed.
A horrifying, distorted roar echoed through the room.
The windows cracked.
The floor trembled.
Yoru tensed up on instinct.
"Amazing..." the voice inside him whispered again.
"Let me out."
"Shut up..." Yoru muttered under his breath.
The creature attacked again.
This time even faster.
Yoru barely dodged.
A sharp cut opened across his cheek.
Blood dripped down.
The creature stopped for a second.
Its eyes locked onto the blood.
Then it got even more aggressive.
"Great..." Yoru said sarcastically.
The fight turned ugly after that.
Yoru slashed.
The creature regenerated.
Sairi froze it.
The monster shattered through the ice.
It felt endless.
Yoru's breathing got heavier.
His aura started shaking again.
The voice inside him grew louder.
You're losing...
Give me control.
Yoru shut his eyes tightly.
"NO."
"Then die."
Suddenly—
The creature appeared right in front of him.
Too fast.
THUD.
Its punch sent Yoru crashing across the room.
Pain exploded through his body.
His vision blurred.
Slowly, the creature started walking toward him.
Heavy footsteps echoed through the ruined room.
Its killing intent was overwhelming.
Sairi tried to step in front of him—
But she was exhausted too.
"Yoru..." she said weakly.
The creature raised its arm to strike—
Then—
Silence.
The pressure in the room suddenly shifted.
The creature froze.
Sairi's eyes widened.
Slowly, Yoru lifted his head.
Near the doorway, a familiar figure stood there.
White shirt.
Calm eyes.
Akira.
He looked at the scene for a moment and sighed.
"You guys seriously create chaos everywhere you go."
The creature let out a low, aggressive roar.
But Akira didn't react.
He just focused his eyes on it.
And in the next moment—
The creature froze completely.
Like its body had simply stopped obeying it.
Yoru stared.
"What... is that...?"
Akira walked toward the creature.
Then he lightly placed his hand on its forehead.
Silence.
CRACK.
The creature's body began breaking apart into black particles.
Within seconds, it was gone.
The room fell completely silent.
Yoru looked at Akira in disbelief.
"What... are you?"
Akira glanced at him.
That same calm smile was still there.
"You're not ready for that answer yet."
Then he turned away.
"But remember one thing, Yoru..."
He stopped at the doorway.
"Eclipse isn't just hunting you."
Silence.
"They're afraid of you."
And with that, he disappeared into the darkness.
The room went quiet again.
Only Yoru's heavy breathing remained.
Slowly, he tightened his fist.
"Afraid... of me?"
The voice inside him laughed softly.
"Now you're starting to understand... aren't you?"