I didn't hesitate.

The doors opened, and a sound slithered in. A whisper. A promise of death.

Tic… tac…

Then came the detonation.

Everything ruptured.

I was flung against the wall, my body crashing like broken glass. The steel bent beneath me. My ears rang, vision blurred. Blood filled my mouth, my ears. The pressure could've shattered a normal man, but I wasn't normal anymore.

The dome—gone. Only fire and twisted wreckage. Sirens screamed in the distance, like children wailing for their lives.

A synthetic voice crackled overhead:

"Alert. Level Five."

Repeated. Broken.

"Sector D compromised. Requesting support."

Footsteps thundered in all directions. Soldiers flooded in, shouting commands, forming lines. But something gnawed at my spine.

Something was wrong.

Another blast—closer this time. Deep, thunderous.

"Alert. Level Five. Sector C compromised. Requesting support."

I gripped my head.

The pain was different. It wasn't physical. It was inside. Drills digging into my skull.

Blood dripped from my eyes, but I didn't flinch.

I staggered toward the armory. Each step left a trail of crimson. My legs felt like stone. But when I saw it… that shine. The monster of steel waiting in the dark.

My armor.

A crooked smile twisted my lips.

Without thought, I stepped in.

I welcomed it.

The needles stabbed into my skin. Cables slithered beneath. The suit hissed, sealing around me like a second, cruel skin. Fluids burned through my veins. Pain surged—but it was a familiar pain. Comforting.

It reminded me I was still alive.

I ran. The remains of the dome were kilometers away. The HUD flickered to life. Heat signatures. Lifeforms. Movement.

Then I saw him.

The visor locked on.

[TARGET: ENEMY]

The arm blades slid free, and instinct screamed. I didn't think—I launched.

—I'll split you in two.

I hit the ground like a force of nature. I was pure velocity, pure wrath.

"You will die today for the glory of the Empire!" I roared.

Bloodlust surged. I could already taste his bones breaking beneath my blades—

But when the dust settled, he was still there.

Standing.

A brown cloak draped over him, a white mask obscuring his face. A single blue line ran across it.

Then… he spoke.

"It's been a long time."

His voice was quiet. Familiar.

I didn't care.

—I don't know you. I don't care if we've met before. I just want your blood on the ground.

I attacked again. Faster. Harder. My blades met his body, but he didn't even flinch. He blocked with his bare hands.

What the hell was he?

I pressed harder—every ounce of speed I had. He ducked, pivoted, and then—

Boom.

A kick to my chest sent me flying, armor dented, systems flickering.

"Do you even understand who I am?" he asked. "Why fight me? Walk away. I'll spare you."

I laughed—guttural, broken, devoid of reason.

—Spare me? You arrogant bastard.

—I am the Empire's light. The first and last Immortal Knight.

Decompression at 80%.

Energy surged through my limbs. Vision sharpened. My pulse spiked. I charged. A beam built in my gauntlet. Crimson. A power that could melt mountains.

I released it.

But I never saw it coming.

The sky cracked open.

A comet descended, cloaked in silence, like judgment itself.

Unidentified Entity Incoming.

She landed before him, activating something—an alien device. A shield dome expanded, absorbing my beam like it was nothing.

My power was gone.

Core energy depleted. My limbs sluggish. Systems screamed in red.

They ignored me.

"We're done here," the woman said. Her voice was calm. Tired. "The mission's complete. The future Immortal Knights are eliminated. The Queen will be pleased."

"Let's go. Before reinforcements arrive."

No.

I couldn't let them leave.

My head cracked with pain.

—I'll kill them. Here. Now.

Pain devoured me.

And God… I loved it.

The suit trembled.

Crimson light burst from every seam.

I roared—so loud it shook the ground beneath me.

"No one will protect this Empire better than me!"

SECOND STAGE: BERSERK.

They froze. The red glow reflected in their masks.

The man tilted his head. "So that's your trump card, huh?"

"he's not going to let us leave," the woman muttered.

She dropped her cloak. The suit beneath was strange—half flesh, half machine. Her body… twisted. Beautiful. Dreadful.

She wasn't human.

No, she was like me.

Cyborg. Hybrid. Modified.

A monster.

A chill ran through my spine.

For a second, I hesitated.

—Is that… what I am?

No.

We are not the same.

I fight for something greater. She's just a tool.

"I'll tear you apart," I hissed.

Before I could move, a flash.

I didn't see it. Not even the suit could track it.

My body was shredded. Limbs ripped open. Flesh torn apart.

I collapsed. Vision flickering. Pain beyond anything I'd ever felt.

She stepped closer.

"Pathetic," she said. "You couldn't even survive a single strike."

—I'm not done…

"You really think they need you?" she spat. "You think you matter to them?"

Her voice trembled with rage.

"LOOK AT ME!"

She tore open her sleeve.

Scars. Implants. Metal jutting from flesh.

"This Empire you defend… they used me too. Carved me. Broke me. And you still believe you'll protect them?"

I didn't answer. I couldn't. I just bled on the ground, my heart pounding in my chest.

Silence.

"He's broken," the man said. "His mind's gone."

They turned to leave.

"It was good seeing you again after six years," he muttered, almost a whisper. "Maybe next time, you'll remember who you really are."

Six years?

Thoughts spiraled.

—Does the Empire need me?

—Am I one of them?

—Am I a hero?

But the questions shattered.

Nothing mattered.

Only the mission.

Only the armor.

Only the blood.

My systems went dark.

And so did I.

Symbiosis terminated.