It was Jay, but not the Jay I'd gutted in the clock tower. This version stepped out of the shadows with a predatory grace, his silver armor gleaming under the blood moon, etched with those golden scorpion motifs that seemed to writhe like living tattoos. His tail arched high, venom dripping in lazy plops that sizzled on the overgrown grass, and his scythe rested casually on his shoulder, the blade curved like a sadistic smile. But there was something off,his form flickered at the edges, like a hologram fighting interference, and his red visor eyes locked on me with an intensity that made the whisper in my head purr in recognition.
"Rei," he said, his voice echoing with that same steady calm, laced with a digital undertone. "You made it. Faster than I expected. The symbiosis is progressing well, I see. That crimson flash in your eyes? It's the first sign of true integration. Soon, you'll feel the full spectrum,regeneration that defies death, venom that corrupts gods themselves."
I gripped Phobos and Deimos tighter, the pendants already expanded into their full blade forms during the ride up. They hummed in my hands, Deimos's edge vibrating with eager bloodlust, Phobos's grip cool and cautionary. The whisper amplified, slithering through my thoughts: *Unite with him... fuse the forbidden and the scorpion... shatter the thrones...* My knuckles ached from the earlier wall-punch, but the skin was flawless now, healed in seconds. Exhilarating, yeah, but it felt like borrowing power from a devil who'd come collecting soon.
"Jay? Or should I say, Harlan?" I spat, circling him slowly, my green armor's interface scanning him automatically. *Scorpio Rider Variant – Official Rider ♥ 1/2. Eclipse Mode: Active. Warning: Anomalous Fusion Detected.* One life left? I'd taken one in the tower, but this didn't feel like a simple respawn. "You look pretty solid for a guy I skewered yesterday. What is this, some clone bullshit? Or did you 'unite' with one of your tar pets?"
He chuckled, a low rumble that distorted into static. "Clone? Close, but no. The Eclipse Project allows for... backups. Essences preserved in the orb network. You saw the hologram; you know the goal. The gods pit us against each other like gladiators in their cosmic arena, erasing the losers, fogging the minds of the masses. But if we merge the symbols,fuse Rider powers into one unbreakable force,we break the cycle. No more tournaments, no more erasures. Just us, ascending beyond their control."
Phobos's voice cut in, urgent and maternal. "Rei, don't listen. This is madness. His 'merger' will erase you, turn you into a puppet for his vision. Purge the data now,channel us, we can sever the link!"
Deimos countered with a growl. "Purge? And waste this edge? Feel that buzz, kid,the venom's making you sharper, faster. We take him down here, absorb what's left, and boom, we're the united one. Gods be damned!"
The whisper agreed with Deimos, flooding my vision with flashes: Me, towering over the zodiac thrones, scorpion tail lashing, serpent blades fused into venomous whips, gods crumbling to star dust. Lara and Andi's faces flickered in, avenged in the chaos. I shook it off, but the pull was stronger here, the observatory's cracked dome amplifying it like an antenna. The air hummed with energy, zodiac symbols projecting faintly on the walls,Aries's horns crackling with lightning, Cancer's shell pulsing red.
Jay tilted his head, visor scanning me back. "The voices war within you, don't they? Phobos the protector, Deimos the destroyer, and now my whisper, the unifier. Ophiuchus chose well in you,a forbidden outsider with nothing to lose. But the quest demands confrontation. The gods want the 'anomaly' purged. So let's give them a show. Survive this, and I'll share the next phase: Fusing with a canon Rider. Imagine it,your serpent venom mixed with Aries's lightning. Unstoppable."
Before I could respond, he lunged, scythe sweeping in a wide arc that cleaved the air with a venomous hiss. I rolled left, Phobos parrying the tail strike that followed like a whip crack. The impact jarred my arm, but the symbiosis kicked in,venom resistance dulled the burn, and my skin tingled with regen. "Henshin's already on, asshole," I muttered, countering with Deimos in a brutal thrust aimed at his midsection.
He dodged fluidly, tail coiling around my blade and yanking hard. I twisted free, but not before a splash of venom hit my armor, sizzling but not penetrating. The interface blared: *Symbiosis Synergy: 45%. Venom Output Unlocked.* Green energy veined with red surged through me, and I channeled it into the swords,Phobos extended into a whip-like coil, lashing at his legs, while Deimos slashed upward, drawing a gash across his chest plate. Black ichor sprayed, but it knit shut almost instantly, his regen mocking mine.
"Good," Jay said, unfazed, circling faster. "Embrace it. The whisper grows stronger with each clash. Unite the symbols, Rei. Or die trying."
The whisper roared now: *Fuse... dominate... end them all...* My eyes flashed crimson again, vision sharpening to predatory levels,I could see every flaw in his armor, every drip of venom trailing like a target. But Phobos's plea echoed: "Rei, resist! This isn't you!" Deimos laughed: "It could be. Strike true!"
I feinted with Phobos, drawing his scythe block, then drove Deimos deep into his shoulder joint. The blade bit hard, emotion-fueled,my rage at Andi's erasure, Lara's scream, the gods' laughter,pouring into it like fuel. He staggered, visor cracking, but his tail countered, stabbing toward my chest. I blocked, but the force sent me skidding back, concrete crumbling under my feet.
The observatory shook, vines cracking as energy built. The dome groaned, stars visible through the fissures, twisting into zodiac patterns that seemed to watch us. Jay straightened, ichor dripping. "The convergence begins. Choose, Rei: Purge and remain weak, or unite and ascend."
I spat blood mine? His?,the whisper of a tempest now. But Ophy's words cut through: *Remember why you fight.* Not for thrones, not for fusion. For the forgotten. "Screw your unity," I growled, swords humming. "I'll end this my way."
We charged again, blades clashing in a venom-lightning storm that lit the night. The quest timer ticked down in my interface: Confrontation Imminent. Purge or Perish.
The clash echoed through the observatory like thunder cracking the night sky, our blades locking in a furious grind that sent sparks,green veined with red,showering the cracked dome. Jay's scythe pressed down hard, his tail whipping around for a flank strike, but I anticipated it this time, the symbiosis sharpening my instincts to a razor's edge. Phobos coiled out like a serpent whip, wrapping his tail mid-thrust and yanking it aside with a metallic screech. Deimos followed up, slashing deep into his thigh armor, ichor bubbling out as his regen struggled to keep pace.
"You're fighting it, Rei," Jay said, his voice distorting through the visor crack, almost admiring. "The whisper calls for unity, but you cling to your isolation. Ophiuchus's curse,always the outsider. Let go, and we end this farce together."
The whisper surged: *Fuse... become whole... gods fall...* Visions hit me like venom injections,me and Jay merged, a scorpion-serpent abomination toppling thrones, Andi and Lara's ghosts applauding from the shadows. My eyes burned crimson, the interface glitching: *Symbiosis Synergy: 67%. Overload Imminent.* It felt good, too good, power flooding my veins like fire and ice mixed. Deimos laughed in my grip. "Yes! Twist deeper, kid,feel that destruction? We could raze them all!"
"No," Phobos countered, her hum steadying my trembling arm. "This isn't ascension; it's erasure. Purge it, Rei,channel us, focus on the forbidden core. Remember Andi, not this poison!"
I broke the lock with a shockwave push, green energy exploding outward and cracking the observatory walls. Vines snapped, zodiac projections flickering wildly,Aries's horns sparking, Cancer's shell cracking like an omen. Jay staggered back, but his tail lashed out, injecting a venom burst that grazed my shoulder. The burn hit, but my regen knit it fast, the whisper turning the pain into hunger. *More... take his essence... unite...*
"Screw your backups and orbs," I snarled, lungs heaving. "I didn't sign up to be your lab rat. This tournament took everything from me,Andi, my normal life, all of it. I'm ending it, but not your way." I feinted low with Deimos, drawing his scythe block, then whipped Phobos high, coiling around his neck and squeezing. His visor eyes widened as I pulled him close, driving Deimos straight into his chest plate. The blade pierced deep, emotion-fueled,my rage at the gods, grief for the erased, defiance against the whisper,pouring in like a purge command.
Jay gasped, static bursting from his form. "You... can't... the convergence..." His armor glitched, holographic flickers revealing code-like fractures beneath. The symbiosis peaked: *Symbiosis Synergy: 89%. Fusion Threshold Reached.* The whisper screamed: *Unite now! Claim it all!* But I focused on Ophy's words, on Phobos's plea, twisting Deimos harder. Green overrode the red, the swords humming in unison,a forbidden purge wave rippling through him.
His body convulsed, ichor spraying as the regen failed. "The project... lives on..." he rasped, form dissolving into digital shards that scattered like dying stars. The tail went limp, scythe clattering to the ground. I yanked Deimos free, the interface beeping: *Anomaly Purged. Symbiosis Severed. Star Fragment Acquired x2.* The whisper faded to a faint echo, then nothing, leaving me hollow but whole.
I dropped to one knee, swords retracting to pendants as the observatory quieted, the dome's projections winking out. Phobos sighed in relief. "You did it, Rei. The corruption's gone,for now." Deimos grumbled. "Wasted potential, but hey, we won. What's next, kid?"
The blood moon hung low, the quest complete, but Ophy's mist swirled in, his eyes gleaming. "Well fought. But the gods stir,more Riders will come. Rest, then prepare. The cycle cracks, thanks to you."
I nodded, exhaustion crashing in, but a grim smile tugged at my lips. For once, I felt like I could break it all.