The rage hadn't dissipated with unconsciousness. If anything, it had settled deeper, becoming not hot fury but cold determination. When he woke—when his mana had recovered and his mind was clear—that determination would drive him forward.
Merc Assault had made a fatal mistake,the fatal mistake was leaving Satou alive.
Miles away, in a chamber that existed partially outside normal space and time, Merc Assault materialized back into their physical body with a scream of agony that echoed through dimensions.
His real form—hidden for centuries, known to almost no one—convulsed violently as the price of their failure became immediately, horrifyingly apparent. Something was wrong. Terribly, fundamentally wrong.
He collapsed to the floor, his body spasming uncontrollably. Every nerve was on fire. His mind felt fractured, incomplete, like essential pieces had been torn away and discarded.
