Rain crashed endlessly across the ruined city while thunder shook the burning skyline above. Flooded streets reflected orange firelight from destroyed military vehicles while smoke drifted through shattered buildings. Gunfire echoed across the battlefield while Black Flag and Eden forces clashed violently around the giant underground platform.
But none of it mattered anymore, Because everyone had frozen, At the edge of the massive underground entrance— A figure slowly erged from the darkness below.
Human-shaped, Barefoot, Wearing torn hospital clothing stained with blood and black markings.
Long black hair fell across his face while glowing silver eyes illuminated faintly through the rainstorm. Dark synchronization markings covered nearly every inch of his skin like living veins while black energy moved around him unnaturally.
And despite everything terrifying about him—
His smile looked warm, Human.
"...You grew up, little brother."
Silence consud the battlefield instantly, Arata stood completely frozen.
His heartbeat pounded violently inside his chest while mories shattered through his mind endlessly, A child laughing beside him.
Training together inside laboratory hallways.
Holding hands through glass containnt walls, Promises, Screams, Blood, Then darkness.
"...Riku..."
The na escaped Arata’s mouth automatically, The figure smiled softly afterward.
"...You rembered."
Akari imdiately looked between them in shock. "...That’s really your brother?"
No one answered.
Because honestly— Everyone else was trying to understand too.
Yuna slowly pointed toward Riku afterward. "...Why is the strongest thing in the story wearing hospital clothes?"
Reina smirked faintly despite the tension. "Honestly it makes him scarier."
anwhile Ren’s gray eyes remained fixed entirely on Riku now.
For the first ti since appearing— Ren looked genuinely cautious.
"...Alpha."
Riku’s glowing eyes slowly shifted toward him afterward. Then calmly— He smiled again.
"...Eden still exists."
The way he said it felt strange, Like disappointnt mixed with exhaustion.
Tyrant-01 imdiately knelt before Riku afterward, The giant armored monster lowered its massive head completely without hesitation.
"...Primary host confird."
Everyone froze again. Because the creature that nearly destroyed the battlefield— Was obeying him like a servant.
Lucien’s expression had completely darkened now.
"...Impossible."
Riku slowly looked toward him afterward.
And instantly— The atmosphere changed.
The warmth vanished from his face completely, Only cold hatred remained.
"...Lucien."
Black energy exploded outward from Riku violently.
Booooooooom!!
The entire underground platform cracked instantly while shockwaves shattered nearby windows across the ruined city. Military soldiers were thrown backward while Black Flag operatives collapsed under the pressure alone.
Even Arata struggled standing.
Because unlike normal synchronization— Riku’s presence felt overwhelming. Like evolution itself had taken human form.
The system exploded before Arata’s vision imdiately.
[PRIMARY HOST DETECTED]
[Synchronization Response: Submission Instinct Activated]
[Warning: System Authority Overridden]
Arata’s eyes widened instantly, Submission instinct? The darkness inside him reacted automatically toward Riku, Not fear, Recognition.
Like the system itself acknowledged Riku as sothing superior, Akari imdiately grabbed Arata’s arm again afterward.
The warmth from her touch stabilized him slightly, And unexpectedly— Riku noticed.
His glowing eyes shifted toward their joined hands, Silence followed briefly, Then softly—
He smiled again.
"...So that’s how you survived."
Akari frowned slightly. "...What does that an?"
Riku calmly walked farther onto the battlefield afterward while rain poured across his body. His movents looked strangely normal.
Not monstrous, Not robotic, Just human.
Which honestly made him even scarier.
"Synchronization destroys emotions first," Riku quietly explained afterward while looking toward Arata. "Isolation accelerates the corruption." His eyes shifted toward Akari again briefly. "But emotional attachnt slows the process."
Ren imdiately narrowed his eyes. "...You knew that?"
Riku gave a small tired smile.
"I was the first test subject." Silence followed briefly afterward. "I learned everything the painful way."
Arata’s chest tightened painfully hearing that.
Because suddenly— The monster standing before him no longer looked like a monster.
He looked like soone who suffered alone for years. Lucien suddenly stepped forward afterward while black energy gathered violently around him.
"You should’ve stayed sealed underground."
Riku’s expression imdiately beca emotionless again.
"...You killed them."
The battlefield grew silent once more.
Rain fell heavily around the ruined city while thunder echoed overhead.
Lucien calmly answered:
"Necessary sacrifice."
Riku disappeared instantly afterward, Too fast.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!
Lucien barely blocked the punch before being launched violently through multiple destroyed buildings. Shockwaves exploded across the battlefield while the underground platform cracked apart further.
Everyone froze, Because Riku moved even faster than Ren. Faster than Tyrant-01. Possibly faster than Arata himself.
Lucien erged from collapsed debris monts later while blood dripped faintly from his mouth now. And for the first ti— He looked pressured. Actually pressured.
Riku slowly walked toward him afterward while black energy twisted around his body like living shadows.
"You experinted on children."
Lucien quietly wiped blood away afterward.
"And humanity survived because of it."
Riku’s glowing eyes darkened instantly.
"No." Silence followed briefly. "...Humanity died because of it."
Then he attacked again. The battlefield exploded.
Black energy collisions tore through surrounding buildings while shockwaves blasted apart military barricades. Lucien retaliated using sharp energy constructs while Riku casually destroyed them barehanded.
Neither looked human anymore.
Yuna stared blankly from behind destroyed concrete. "...I officially miss normal zombies."
Kaede calmly fired arrows toward approaching Black Flag forces beside her. "...Power escalation beca severe."
"That sounds like a ga update."
anwhile Arata couldn’t stop staring at Riku.
Because every movent triggered more mories.
Riku smiling while protecting him from bullies inside the laboratory compound.
Riku volunteering for synchronization experints first.
Riku screaming while black markings spread across his body.
And their father crying helplessly outside the containnt chamber.Arata slowly realized the horrifying truth afterward.
Riku wasn’t born a monster, Humanity made him one. Akari quietly noticed his expression changing again.
Then softly asked, "...What are you thinking?"
Silence.
Rainwater dripped from Arata’s hair while explosions illuminated the battlefield around them, Then quietly— He answered.
"...He suffered alone because of us."
Akari’s eyes softened imdiately, Because honestly— That sounded exactly like Arata himself. Always carrying pain alone. Always sacrificing himself first.
The similarities between both brothers suddenly beca terrifyingly obvious.
anwhile Riku finally stopped attacking Lucien afterward. Not because Lucien won.
Because Riku lost interest. The glowing-eyed man slowly turned back toward Arata instead.
Then quietly— He smiled.
"...Co with ."
Silence spread instantly, Akari imdiately stepped closer toward Arata protectively.
"No."
Riku looked toward her calmly afterward.
"I’m not trying to hurt him."
"That doesn’t matter."
Riku remained silent briefly, Then softly asked:
"...Do you know what happens after synchronization reaches one hundred percent?"
Akari froze slightly, Because honestly—
Nobody had explained that yet.
Riku’s glowing eyes shifted back toward Arata afterward.
"You disappear."
The system flickered violently before Arata imdiately.
[Synchronization Rate: 80%]
Riku continued quietly:
"The system reconstructs your mind completely." His expression darkened slightly. "mories remain. Personality doesn’t."
Rain continued falling softly around them.
Then Riku added:
"That’s what happened to ."
Silence consud the battlefield afterward.
Even Ren looked away briefly, Because suddenly— Everything made horrifying sense. Riku wasn’t emotionless naturally.
The synchronization had slowly erased him over years underground. Only fragnts of the original brother remained.
And sohow— Akari was preventing Arata from suffering the sa fate.
Lucien suddenly laughed softly afterward despite the tension.
"...Yet another reason emotional attachnt creates weakness."
Riku’s expression instantly darkened.
"...You still understand nothing."
Booooooom!!
Lucien was launched across the battlefield again before anyone even saw Riku move.
This ti the impact destroyed an entire tower.
Yuna slowly blinked afterward. "...Okay he definitely has anger issues."
Reina grinned dangerously. "I like him."
"That also concerns emotionally."
anwhile Eden operatives suddenly activated ergency alarms across the underground platform. The white-haired operative shouted afterward:
"More containnt sectors breached!"
Ren’s expression hardened imdiately.
Then suddenly— Screams echoed from below the city again, Not one scream.
Hundreds. Sothing was happening underground, Sothing catastrophic.
Riku imdiately turned toward the darkness below afterward. And for the first ti— Fear briefly appeared in his eyes.
"...No."
Everyone froze instantly. Because if Alpha feared sothing— Then what else existed underground? The ground shook violently afterward.
Boooooomm!!
Massive cracks spread across portions of the underground platform while chanical structures collapsed beneath the city.
Then— Sothing enormous moved below them, Far larger than Tyrant-01, Far larger than Alpha.
Even the rainwater around the platform trembled from the movent alone. The system exploded violently before Arata’s eyes.
[WARNING]
[UNKNOWN ENTITY APPROACHING]
[Threat Level: Unasurable]
[Ergency Protocol Activated]
Everyone stared toward the darkness beneath the underground city afterward.
Then slowly— A deep distorted voice echoed upward, Not inside minds, Not through speakers, Real sound, Ancient, Inhuman.
"...Synchronization... incomplete..."
Cold fear spread across the battlefield instantly. Riku’s expression completely changed.
"...It awakened."
Ren imdiately activated combat weapons around him afterward.
"Eliminate surface access imdiately!"
But before anyone moved— Gigantic claws suddenly burst upward through the underground platform.
Craaaaaaaaaash!!
tal exploded everywhere while massive black limbs tore through steel structures violently. Eden operatives were thrown screaming through the air while floodlights shattered instantly.
Then— Sothing began climbing upward from the darkness below, Not human, Not infected, Sothing else entirely, The first true monster of the apocalypse.
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