The portal activated. A figure cloaked in brown robes and a black hood stepped through, glancing around.

"Just as he described it... Good thing that Death Squad thought I was dead," the figure muttered to himself.

Every Timer Agent and ISD soldier froze. The air thickened as they sensed the aura of a demigod.

The figure stood still at the exit. One of the soldiers cautiously approached and gave a respectful bow. Halbgötter, or demigods, weren't supposed to know about this facility—yet here stood one.

"Demigod Thalrion, what brings you here? Surely you must be lost. Perhaps we should call one of the gods and—"

"Heh..."

The soldier looked up and locked eyes with Thalrion—who responded with a threatening stare, then conjured a massive black greatsword with a curved tip.

The soldier fumbled for his sidearm, but a mere mortal stood no chance against even a lower-ranked demigod. Thalrion sliced him in half, blood splattering as the body hit the floor. His red-and-black blade gleamed ominously.

Without hesitation, ISD soldiers and Timer Agents opened fire. Some rushed for the weapon racks, grabbing rifles.

"Now, now..." Thalrion said with mock amusement, hurling his greatsword at a Timer Agent who had just reached for the emergency beacon. The blade impaled him, pinning him to the wall like a grotesque nail.

"SOMEONE PRESS THAT BUTTON!" shouted the same soldier who had spoken earlier with Ashfall, handing out rifles.

"You really think this will work?" Thalrion said, unimpressed. "Pathetic... Trying to stop me, a lower demigod?"

He lunged forward, grabbing two soldiers by the heads and slamming them into the floor with such force their skulls burst on impact.

"F*CK IT!" another soldier yelled, charging Thalrion in a desperate attempt to create a diversion.

But Thalrion spotted someone else reaching for the emergency button. "Come to me," he whispered. His greatsword ripped itself free from the wall and flew back to him—impaling the second soldier on its way.

"Let's clean up a bit, shall we?" Thalrion spun his weapon in a vicious arc, mowing down agents and leveling the surrounding area.

"I'll try to hit the beacon! Cover me!" shouted the same soldier, vaulting over two dead Timer Agents.

ISD and Timer forces gave everything they had to buy her a few seconds—but Thalrion kept advancing, shrugging off their bullets.

"Give me cover—I'm going for a headshot," ordered an ISD commander. Five soldiers nodded and charged Thalrion, only to be cut down instantly. But the distraction allowed the commander to slide between Thalrion's legs and fire a round into his skull.

Silence fell.

No one moved, but all weapons stayed ready.

The soldier had reached the emergency button but hesitated—even for a demigod, a shot to the head should be fatal.

"I-is it over?" one agent asked, lowering his weapon slightly.

"I-it must be... right?" More soldiers eased their stances.

But the ISD commander knew better. "KEEP FIRING AT HIM! NOW!" he yelled.

Just as he aimed again, the entrance to the Grand Clock burst open. Dozens of masked terrorists stormed the room, gunning down anything that moved.

The soldier slammed the button, triggering a deafening alarm so high-pitched it caused ears to bleed.

The terrorists screamed in pain, unable to block out the sound. Their gear lacked the morphing protection of the Timer Agents'.

As ISD soldiers dropped to the ground covering their ears, surviving Timer Agents seized the moment for a counterattack.

Their helmets had already been configured to mute all sound.

Thalrion twitched unnaturally in the background, his wounds slowly sealing shut.

The commander tried to warn his squad, but the alarm drowned out his voice. Thalrion cracked his neck, lifted his sword, and approached.

From behind, he stabbed a Timer Agent in the back.

"Did you already forget me?" his lips moved as his ears bled.

The terrorists had been reduced to less than a third of their numbers before Thalrion fully recovered and slaughtered the remaining Timer Agents and disabled ISD forces.

Moments later, only a handful of terrorists and Thalrion remained standing. The room was unrecognizable: destroyed elevators, pools of blood, and corpses everywhere.

He approached the alarm and noticed the injured soldier crawling away. First, he smashed the alarm device, then stomped her leg—shattering the bone.

She screamed, but he continued to crush her limbs.

"You brought everything?" Thalrion asked, referring to the explosives he couldn't see.

"The true ruler said your strength alone would suffice to sabotage the portal room," the terrorist commander replied.

"If you say so... then keep them off me." He gestured toward the Death Squad, who had been waiting silently.

"Lower Demigod Thalrion—your sentence was passed and executed. And yet, here you stand," one of the eight said in a deep, distorted voice.

"Mistakes happen. I guess you missed," Thalrion feigned ignorance.

"Then allow us to correct that." Without hesitation, all eight opened fire with surgical precision. The terrorists were cut down before they could react.

The onslaught overwhelmed even Thalrion. Magazine after magazine rained down without pause.

With a final effort, Thalrion hurled his sword, but one squad member dodged easily and kept firing.

Riddled with bullets, he collapsed. Still.

At a hand signal, the Death Squad ceased fire.

"Bring the Cryo-Seal—we're putting him on ice."

Two members fetched a small case and stretcher from their silent dropship hovering outside.

"Seal him and prep for extraction."

"Aaargh..." came a voice near the emergency button.

Two squad members approached cautiously, weapons drawn.

"Identify yourself," one demanded.

"ISD... Soldier 785420," she wheezed.

One ran a scan and verified her ID.

He nodded, and the other lowered his weapon. They retrieved a second stretcher.

As she was carried out, her eyes met the bodies of her comrades—and the commander who had landed the headshot.

She was airlifted away, while the Death Squad carefully loaded Thalrion's body onto their ship.