The stark reality of the underground safehouse, usually a comfort in its functional simplicity, now felt like a cage woven from concrete and grim purpose. The triumphant echoes of their last mission, the clash in the snow-dusted Alps, had faded. What remained was the chilling realization that the war wasn't just against mad Rogues or desperate Apexes anymore. It was against people. Humans, driven by their own ideologies, their own greed, trying to resurrect a silent god.
Dr. Arisawa, bless her detached soul, was practically vibrating with excitement. She'd spent the last forty-eight hours hunched over the captured Collector tech, dissecting it with a terrifying surgical precision. The main chamber of the safehouse, usually dedicated to training, was now a temporary lab, cluttered with wires, blinking lights, and the faint, acrid scent of burnt circuitry. Her silver eyes, usually cool and analytical, gleamed with a zeal that bordered on fanaticism.
"Their external interface technology is… rudimentary, by Chimera's standards," she'd explained, gesturing to a dismantled piece of the Collector's suit, its grey aura now inert. "But remarkably robust. They've bypassed the biological integration process. They're using users as mere batteries, Shōra-kun. Plugging them in, siphoning off their fragment energy, and then projecting it through their suits. It's like a crude, externalized nervous system."
Kazuki felt a familiar knot tighten in his gut. It was dehumanizing, just like Chimera's methods, but perhaps even more so because it was humans doing it to other humans. The sheer audacity of it, the callous disregard for life, made his skin crawl.
"And the re-activation protocols they spoke of?" Kaito asked, hovering over the holographic map, his brow furrowed in deep thought. He looked exhausted, the lines around his eyes a little deeper, but his 'Tactician' system hummed with relentless activity, devouring the new data.
"They believe they can consolidate enough viable fragments to form a new core," Dr. Arisawa replied, not looking up from her work. "A controlled Project Chimera. One that answers to them. They've even managed to create rudimentary 'fragment storage' units. Essentially, they're collecting users and putting them in stasis, draining them as needed. It's monstrous."
Renji, who had been listening silently, his face grim, clapped his hands once. "Right. So the game has expanded. We're not just containing fallout. We're preventing a new global war, one fueled by weaponized human fragments. Our mission: locate these 'fragment storage' units, neutralize their operations, and liberate any trapped users." He looked at Kazuki and Kaito. "You two are still our primary response. Your Obsidian Fragment is key to disrupting their external tech, and Kaito's analysis is indispensable."
Their training shifted, yet again. Now, it was less about abstract combat simulations and more about precision infiltration, silent takedowns, and navigating human-operated security systems. Kenji taught them specialized breaching techniques. Erika refined her dampening fields to specifically counter technological signatures, making their presence almost imperceptible to electronic eyes. Ryu, his Surge ability now meticulously controlled, practiced creating surgical concussive blasts that could disable machinery without causing widespread damage.
Hiroshi, the Tracker, became their most vital asset. His 'Sensory Amplifier' could now pierce deeper into the grey signals of human factions, sensing their operational hubs, their movements. "New cluster detected!" Hiroshi would shout one evening, his yellow aura pulsing with urgency. "Major energy spikes. Not users degrading. It's… it's a systematic energy draw. Like a harvesting operation."
The map showed a new grey dot, larger and more stable than previous ones, on the outskirts of Nagoya. "A major storage unit," Renji confirmed, his jaw tightening. "They're actively consolidating fragments there."
The mission to Nagoya was different. No snow-dusted Alps, no urban chaos. Just the cold, clinical feel of a large, seemingly abandoned research facility. The air was heavy, stagnant, carrying the faint scent of ozone and something metallic, almost surgical. Hiroshi guided them through the labyrinthine corridors, his system humming, pointing out hidden laser grids, pressure plates, and the heavy presence of armed guards.
"Multiple hostiles ahead," Hiroshi whispered through their comms, his voice tight. "Heavy armor. Standard human guards. No system users among them. But their tech… it's feeding off a powerful external core. They're effectively armored drones."
They moved like ghosts. Erika's dampening fields made their footsteps silent, their heat signatures almost invisible. Kenji, a silent, powerful shadow, disarmed guards with brutal efficiency, leaving them unconscious, not broken. Ryu, with a precise burst, disabled automated turrets, sending sparks flying.
They found the 'fragment storage' unit deep within the facility. It was a sterile, circular chamber. In the center, a large, cylindrical device hummed with a low, grey light. Around its perimeter, arranged in neat rows, were a dozen glass tubes, each containing a figure suspended in a shimmering, amber liquid. Users. Their blue, green, and red auras, once vibrant, were now dim, almost lifeless, flickering faintly as their energy was slowly siphoned away. Among them, Kazuki recognized one – a faint green shimmer. Tsubasa Ohtori. The Reaper he had defeated. He was a prisoner now, a battery. The sight filled Kazuki with a cold, righteous fury.
"They're harvesting them," Kaito whispered, his voice tight, his own 'Tactician' system radiating distress. "Draining their fragments for… Project Chimera's re-activation protocols. Just like the Collector leader said."
Suddenly, the lights in the chamber flared, casting harsh shadows. A cold, synthesized voice echoed through the room. "Intruders detected. Unauthorized access to Fragment Storage Unit 003. Neutralization protocols initiated."
From hidden panels in the walls, more armed guards emerged, their grey-tinted armor gleaming. And behind them, two figures in sleeker, more advanced combat suits stepped forward. Their grey auras were stronger, more stable, pulsing with controlled power.
"Not just battery units," Kaito muttered through their link. "These two… they're different. Their suits are integrated with active fragments. Like the Collector leader, but higher grade. They're weaponized users."
Renji's voice was sharp. "Specialized Collector agents. Likely 'Assimilators'. Designed for high-value fragment acquisition and combat. Be careful. They're formidable."
The two Assimilators moved with unnerving speed, their attacks synchronized. They projected bursts of fragmented system energy, similar to what the Collector leader had, but far more powerful, far more precise. Kazuki and Kaito moved to intercept.
Kazuki unleashed a counter-frequency blast of his Obsidian Fragment energy at one Assimilator, aiming for the weak point Kaito identified. The grey aura around the suit flickered, sparks flying. But this time, the Assimilator absorbed it. The suit glowed, subtly, briefly, with a dark blue shimmer, like it was trying to integrate Kazuki's own anomaly.
[WARNING: USER 'ASSIMILATOR 007' – ATTEMPTING FRAGMENT INTEGRATION. MIMICKING OBSIDIAN FREQUENCY. COUNTER-MEASURES INITIATED.]
They can absorb other fragments? Even mine? The thought sent a jolt of terror through Kazuki. This was a new level of threat.
"They're absorbing your counter-frequency, Kazuki!" Kaito yelled, his voice strained. "They're trying to turn it against us! Hit the other one! Focus fire!"
Kazuki shifted, his system roaring, and unleashed a full-power blast of his Obsidian Fragment energy at the second Assimilator. The suit shuddered, its grey aura flickering, but it too absorbed the energy, glowing with a faint blue. These weren't just Collector suits; they were adaptive, learning machines.
Erika, moving with fluid precision, deployed a wide dampening field, attempting to suppress the Assimilators' external systems. The grey auras around the suits momentarily dulled, their movements faltering. Ryu launched a massive, controlled concussive blast, slamming into one of the Assimilators, sending him skidding across the floor. Kenji, a silent, unbreakable wall, intercepted the other, his bronze aura flaring as he deflected a barrage of energy blasts.
Renji, meanwhile, moved towards the central cylindrical device, furiously tapping on his tablet, his blue aura pulsing. "Dr. Arisawa, can you override the core unit from here?" he yelled into his comms.
"Analyzing," Dr. Arisawa's voice, calm and analytical, replied through the comms. "Their encryption is advanced. It will take time. They've integrated dormant Chimera fragments into the main power conduit. It's like a neural network for the facility itself."
Kazuki and Kaito realized the horrific truth. The entire facility was a giant, externalized system, powered by the trapped users. And the Assimilators were its active limbs.
Kazuki launched another precise blast at Assimilator 007, aiming for the same weak point. This time, he infused his energy with a chaotic, unpredictable temporal distortion, just as Kaito used to do to disrupt the Apex. The suit, already burdened with trying to integrate his Obsidian Fragment energy, spasmed violently, its grey aura sparking with red static. It couldn't adapt to the contradictory input.
"That's it!" Kaito yelled, his 'Tactician' system blazing. "Overload its processing! Feed it conflicting data!"
They unleashed a barrage of carefully calibrated chaos, each blast from Kazuki's Obsidian Fragment infused with subtle, conflicting frequencies and temporal distortions, guided by Kaito's precise analysis. The Assimilator suit shrieked, a metallic whine, its grey aura turning into a violent, sparking storm of red and blue. It overloaded, convulsing violently, then collapsing. The man inside was unconscious, his external system shattered.
The second Assimilator, seeing his comrade fall, roared in frustration. He fired a devastating volley of energy blasts at Kazuki. Kazuki, exhausted but resolute, met it head-on with a defensive counter-surge, his blue aura flaring. The clash was immense, shaking the chamber.
Suddenly, a new signal flared on Hiroshi's comms. "More hostiles incoming! Reinforcements! Heavily armed!"
"We're running out of time!" Renji yelled, still tapping furiously on his tablet. "Dr. Arisawa, status on the core override!"
"Accessing… almost there… there!" Dr. Arisawa's voice burst through the comms, triumphant. "Core unit override complete! Fragment release sequence initiated!"
The central cylindrical device in the chamber hummed, a deep, resonant thrum. The amber liquid in the glass tubes began to glow, turning a vibrant, pure blue. The unconscious users within them stirred, their dim auras flaring back to life. The glass tubes retracted into the floor, releasing the users, who floated gently down, gasping for air, disoriented but free. Tsubasa Ohtori, the Reaper, was among them, his green aura flickering, his eyes wide with confusion.
The remaining Assimilator roared in fury, unleashing one final, desperate burst of energy at Kazuki. Kazuki, utterly drained, barely managed to put up a defensive counter-surge. The impact sent him flying, slamming him into the far wall. His system flickered dangerously low.
But then, Kenji was there, a solid bronze wall, intercepting the Assimilator with a brutal, precise strike. Erika deployed a dampening field that swallowed the Assimilator's energy, and Ryu, pulling himself up, finished him off with a controlled burst that left the suit inert.
"We have to go!" Renji yelled. "Now! Before the reinforcements arrive!"
They moved fast, grabbing the disoriented but freed users, guiding them towards the exit. Kazuki, leaning heavily on Kaito, felt the profound exhaustion settling in. They had succeeded. They had stopped the harvesting. They had freed the users.
Back in the safehouse, later that night, the chamber was a mix of quiet celebration and grim recovery. The liberated users, disoriented but slowly regaining their faculties, were being tended to by Dr. Arisawa. Tsubasa Ohtori, the Reaper, looked at Kazuki, his eyes wide, a flicker of something unreadable in their depths. The last time they met, Kazuki had broken his system. Now, he had saved him. The irony was not lost on him.
Renji looked at the holographic map. The grey signals of the human factions, temporarily disrupted, were already consolidating, growing stronger. "This was just one outpost," he said, his voice grim. "They have more. And they're getting smarter. But we have something new now. The captured tech. And new allies." He looked at the freed users, their blue, green, and red auras slowly regaining their vibrancy.
Kazuki looked at them too, at Tsubasa, at the others. These were the true casualties of Project Chimera's fall, and the new soldiers in the fight for the future. He had liberated them. Now, he had to protect them. The court had just expanded, globally, and the rules were becoming terrifyingly complex. The fight for humanity's future, for the true meaning of evolution, had just escalated dramatically. He was ready. He had to be.