The fragments of the Watcher still lingered in the sky, shimmering motes dissolving into the void. But inside me, something else was taking shape.
My body trembled—not from weakness, but from change. The shards of sound it had driven into me pulsed, resonating like tuning forks buried in my core.
The pain was constant, unbearable for anyone else. But I dragged it deeper, made it mine.
[System Notice]Immunity Process Complete.— Ultrasound/Vibration Vulnerability: Removed— Permanent Resistance Added to Adaptive Matrix.
The resonance snapped—then stilled.
Where once vibrations tore me apart, now they passed through harmlessly, swallowed into my frame like meaningless echoes. I flexed a claw, and the air itself rippled. I could hear every tremor of the earth, every heart beating within kilometers.
For the first time, the weakness was gone. Forever.
"Scourge…" Lala's voice reached me, quivering but full of relief. Haruna clung to her arm, her presence echoing through the hivemind like a desperate prayer finally answered. Even Yami's sharp distrust had softened—just barely.
I descended, my form shifting back into the humanoid shell they could accept. Smoke rose from my shoulders, but the wounds had already closed.
"I'm fine," I told them, though the truth was more. I wasn't just fine. I was more.
Sephie's eyes, calculating and sharp, lingered on me with a strange mixture of awe and unease. She said nothing—but her silence was louder than any words.
The Devilukean soldiers erupted in cheers, believing the monster vanquished. Believing the danger gone.
But I knew better.
The Watcher hadn't died. It had tested me. Fed me. Pushed me into this new state.
And as its last whisper still echoed in the recesses of my mind, I realized the truth:
It wanted me stronger.
And I was.
[System Update]New Trait Acquired: Resonant Core— Immunity: Fire, Heat, Ultrasound/Vibrations— Passive Effect: Detects emotional/physical disturbances within a 5km radius.
A slow smile touched my lips.
The world had tried to shatter me with sound.
Now every sound belonged to me.
And anyone who raised their voice against me… would be silenced.