The Sprawl didn't sleep. It pulsed.
Even in blackout, Halo District 9 felt alive, like the city itself was holding its breath. Neon graffiti flickered faintly in the dark, half-dead drones hummed in alleyways, and somewhere deep in the maze of rust and steel, people whispered Jack's name like a prayer… or a warning.
Jack stood on the roof of a collapsed factory, boots sunk into warped sheet metal slick with rain. His coat was torn, soaked through, and stained with blood that wasn't all his. The wind carried smoke and the distant crackle of gunfire. Somewhere far below, gangs and scavengers clashed with Authority patrols, but up here it was quiet—too quiet.
Victor crouched beside him, scanning the streets through a cracked scope. His face was pale in the neon haze. "They're circling us. Gangs, Constructs, Authority. All of them."
Jack didn't answer. He was staring at the reflection in a puddle near his boots. The water rippled with every breath, every heartbeat, and for a moment, Marcus's grin stared back at him instead of his own.
Jack's jaw tightened. He knelt, fingers brushing the water, smearing the reflection into nothing. "Let them come."
The words were calm, but his pulse wasn't. Something inside him hummed—a dark, electric hum that made the world sharper, faster, louder. He flexed his hand, feeling the Blood Oath burn under his skin like liquid fire.
Victor caught the twitch in his fingers. "You're slipping."
Jack glanced at him, one brow raised. "Am I?"
Victor didn't flinch, but his voice lowered. "If Marcus doesn't kill you, this thing in your veins will."
Jack smirked faintly, though it didn't reach his eyes. "Then I'll take them both with me."
A sudden buzz filled the air. Broken billboards flickered to life all at once, every screen in a five-block radius glitching with static. The rain-slick streets below glowed red as Marcus's face filled every display.
"Jack." His voice slithered through the speakers, smooth, mocking. "You've become a spectacle. My shadow wearing a crown."
Jack's hand twitched toward his blade. "Show yourself."
Marcus's grin widened, his image glitching, fragments of Jack's own face bleeding through the static. "I already have."
The Sprawl erupted.
A deafening screech echoed through the ruins as Constructs poured from the shadows—steel and bone fused into hulking shapes, glowing red cores pulsing like heartbeats. They scuttled across walls, leaping from rooftops, a swarm of Marcus's will made flesh.
Victor swore under his breath, snapping his rifle up. "We're surrounded."
Jack straightened, rain running down his face, blade sliding free with a soft metallic hiss. "Good."
He stepped forward, the wind catching his coat, neon light flickering off his glowing eyes. "I was starting to get bored."
The first Construct lunged.
Jack spun low, cutting it clean in half, sparks and black ichor splattering across the roof. Another leapt from behind, claws outstretched. Jack twisted, dragging the blade through its throat. It screeched and crashed against the metal, its body twitching.
Victor dropped two more with clean headshots, his rifle crack echoing through the Sprawl. "We can't hold this roof!"
"We're not holding," Jack said, his voice calm despite the chaos. "We're hunting."
A Construct swung down from a broken crane, its claw big enough to tear a man in two. Jack ducked under it, shoved his blade up through its chest, and let the momentum pull him onto its back. The machine writhed, hissing steam, but Jack jammed his blade deeper until it stopped moving.
The hum in his veins grew louder. His breathing slowed even as his movements quickened, every motion brutal and precise. For a moment, time seemed to bend around him, like the world was struggling to keep up.
Victor caught sight of him and froze for a fraction of a second. Jack's face was lit by the red glow of the Constructs' cores, his eyes sharp but empty, his body moving with a predator's grace that didn't feel entirely human.
"Jack," Victor barked, firing another shot. "Talk to me!"
Jack didn't answer. He leapt from the crane, cutting another Construct down in mid-air, landing with a roll that left cracks in the metal beneath him. His movements were too sharp now. Too fast.
Victor's chest tightened. "You're not yourself."
Jack glanced back at him, smirking faintly, but something about the expression was wrong. It wasn't entirely his.
More Constructs poured in, crawling down walls and skittering across the flooded streets below. The sound of metal claws scraping against concrete filled the air.
Jack dropped into the chaos.
He moved like a storm, blade carving arcs of sparks and ichor, each strike faster than the last. The hum in his veins turned into a roar, and for a moment, Victor swore he saw Marcus's reflection flicker over Jack's face.
"Jack!" Victor shouted, leaping from the roof to cover him. He unloaded a clip into the Constructs' cores, clearing Jack's flank.
Jack turned his head slightly, voice low. "Stay close. Don't slow me down."
They fought back to back, Victor covering with precision rifle fire while Jack tore through the swarm like a machine possessed. The rain turned slick with black blood, steam rising as Construct after Construct fell.
A loud screech split the air, followed by the sound of something massive moving in the shadows. Victor's head snapped up.
"Oh, hell…"
A new figure stepped into the dim glow—a Revenant Construct twice the size of the others, stitched together from the remains of mechs and armored corpses. Its glowing core was cracked but pulsing violently, like a second heart ready to burst.
"Harbinger," Victor muttered.
Jack's smirk widened. "Finally."
The Harbinger moved with terrifying speed for its size, its claws smashing through a building as if it were paper. Jack sprinted forward, leaping onto its arm as it swung at him, using the momentum to launch himself onto its shoulder.
He drove his blade into its core, sparks exploding around him, but the creature roared and flung him off, sending him crashing through a rusted billboard.
Victor fired a grenade round into its chest, but the Construct barely stumbled.
Jack climbed out of the wreckage, blood dripping from his mouth. He wiped it with the back of his hand and grinned. "Alright."
He charged, ducking under a claw swipe and stabbing the Harbinger's leg joint, severing a cable. It roared, falling to one knee, but its massive arm swung, catching Jack across the ribs and sending him flying into a wall.
Pain exploded through his body. His vision flickered. For a moment, he wasn't looking at the Harbinger. He was looking at Marcus, smiling at him from across a mirror.
"Still think you're the king?" Marcus's voice purred in his head.
Jack's hand clenched around his blade. "I'm not running from a crown," he hissed, staggering to his feet. "I take them."
The Blood Oath flared inside him, and his body moved before his mind caught up. He blurred forward, ducking under another swing, climbing the Harbinger's back like a predator. He jammed his blade into its core, twisting, ripping wires and metal apart with raw strength.
The Harbinger shrieked, collapsing to its knees. Jack leapt off as its core exploded, sending sparks and shards raining down.
Victor stared at him, chest heaving. "Jesus Christ."
Jack wiped blood from his lip and turned to him, expression unreadable. "We're not done."
The Sprawl had gone silent. The few remaining Constructs scattered, retreating into the darkness. Gang members peeked from alleyways, eyes wide as they watched Jack standing over the Harbinger's smoking corpse.
"King," someone whispered.
The word spread like wildfire. More voices joined in, echoing off the rain-slick walls.
"King… King…"
Jack stood in the center of it all, breathing hard, his blade dripping black ichor. The chant grew louder, a rhythm that rattled through the streets, until it felt like the city itself was calling his name.
Jack didn't smile. He didn't raise his blade. He just stood there, rain running down his face, and for a moment, even Victor couldn't tell if he was still himself.