Chaos swallowed Jiang City. Streets jammed. Emergency sirens wailed. The tetrahedrons – Wu Gen's "Sleepers" – didn't attack. They… observed.
Chen Bailong forgot Lin Mo. His golden ki flared toward the nearest tetrahedron. "Alien filth! This city is MINE!"
A beam of absolute black lanced down. Not energy. Absence. Where it touched Chen Bailong's ki, the light vanished, erased from reality. The beam grazed his remaining shoulder.
Poof.
Armor, flesh, bone – gone. Cleanly severed. Chen Bailong stared at the cauterized stump, shock silencing his rage. He fell to his knees.
Wu Gen spat. "Fool. They eat energy. Your flashy ki is a dinner bell."
Lin Mo cradled Yu. [ENERGY: 0 UNITS | FLESH INTEGRITY: 11%] Helpless.
A figure phased through the ruined wall – shimmering, indistinct. The Sender.
"Lin Mo." The voice was genderless, synthesized. "The Black Pagoda offers sanctuary. Your sister's condition is… unique. We can stabilize her. And teach you to fight them." A holographic contract appeared:
[SERVICE: 10 YEARS]
[PAYMENT: SISTER'S LIFE]
[RING ANALYSIS: CONTRACT TERMS - BINDING SOUL OATH DETECTED]
Wu Gen's sword hummed. "Black Pagoda? Vultures feeding on the apocalypse."
A low thrum resonated from the tetrahedrons. Gravity fluctuated. Cars lifted off streets.
[ENTITY ACTIVITY: HUNGER CYCLE INITIATED]
Lin Mo looked at Yu's trusting eyes. At the crumbling city. At the impossible choice.
He touched the hologram. "Done."
Space twisted. He, Yu, and the Sender vanished.
Wu Gen sighed. "And so it begins." He raised his sword to the sky tombs. "Come on then. Let's dance."