The battlefield still smoldered. Bodies, both metal and flesh, littered the crater in broken heaps. Scorched banners drifted on toxic winds. And at the center of it all, standing alone on the fractured obsidian floor, was RAID-13.
He didn't look at the carnage. He already knew how it ended.
From behind the husk of a shattered gunship, a figure emerged — robed, limping, ancient. Unlike the soldiers who screamed as they died, this one walked without fear. His eyes glowed faintly beneath a hood of void-silk, and his staff sparked with runes that pulsed like a dying heartbeat.
RAID's eyes narrowed.
"You've got ten seconds to be interesting," he said, voice sharp, casual. "Or I add priest-flavored ash to the mix."
The figure stopped ten paces from him and raised his head. His face was lined with age, but his gaze held something timeless — fury and fear wrapped in prophecy.
"I am Alkanus," he said. "Warpriest of the Sixth Rift. Keeper of the Multiverse Codex."
RAID tilted his head, unimpressed. "Is that supposed to mean something? I just turned a god-walker into scrap two hours ago."
Alkanus's voice didn't waver. "You are the Catalyst. The one who burns what must not burn. You're not a warrior. You're an extinction event."
RAID smirked. "Cute. You rehearsed that?"
The priest stepped closer. His staff hit the ground with a heavy clang. Runes flared red.
"You are marked by the Omega Brand," Alkanus said. "When the multiversal chains break, your soul will be the blade."
"Chains?" RAID rolled his neck. "You talk like I give a damn about your invisible leash. Here's what I care about: Mechs. Power. Enemies that scream well when they die."
Alkanus's face twisted. "You were supposed to be a protector. A weapon tempered by loss. Instead, you've become a plague."
RAID stepped forward. The crater seemed to darken with each of his steps.
"I didn't become anything," he said. "They made me. And now they regret it."
He stood a foot away from the priest.
"I killed gods for less preaching than this."
Alkanus didn't blink. "Then strike me down. Prove that you are beyond salvation."
Silence.
RAID looked at the priest, then up at the sky, where distant stars shimmered through the ash clouds.
Then he laughed.
"Oh, I'm beyond salvation," he said, eyes gleaming. "But you're not worth the energy."
He turned, walking away. VANTH-OMEGA dropped behind him, its eye cores glowing faintly.
As RAID climbed aboard, he muttered:
"Let the prophets scream. I'll write my gospel in blood."
Engines ignited. Wind howled. The mech launched skyward, leaving the priest in the crater, alone with his prayers and a war already lost.