*Hssst—*
Predatory intent.
My head instantly turns towards the staircase, and the azure line attached to my wrist device falls to the ground.
"Horikita? What is it?" Haruka asks, her playful tone vanishing in an instant.
"Report."
"Multiple... No. Hundreds."
"Coming this way. Fast."
I run towards the staircase, moving on instinct.
And then, burst through the door of Last Stand and into the open area.
They're coming.
From all sides of the ruined city.
I can sense their Ki, and it's not the familiar warmth of living things.
It's cold. Empty. Thousand tiny voids, all moving, all hungry. Like the thing in the park, but multiplied. An army of holes where life should be.
Haruka appears at my side.
"Quantify, ace." Haruka's voice is crisp, cutting through the rising dread.
"Vector, speed, estimated numbers. Give me data."
"They're… everywhere," I say.
"All directions. They're closing in on our position. Fast."
"It seems I underestimated the sensitivity of their network to Divine Ki." Haruka says.
"Your little light show... it was a dinner bell."
I clench my hands.
My fault.
This is all my fault.
Just like in the park.
The reason I got corrupted is my fault. And now... I've led them here.
"This isn't a failure, ace. It's a successful stress test." Haruka says, sensing my self-blame.
"We now have a baseline for their network's response time to Divine Ki. Valuable data."
"Valuable data?" I repeat.
"They're coming here to kill us because of me, and all you can think about is 'data'?!"
"Precisely."
"We have a live-fire scenario with multiple hostiles, a newly activated Divine Ki user, and an experimental projection device. The potential data yield is astronomical. This isn't a disaster, Horikita. It's an opportunity."
Her words are insane. Utterly, completely insane. But the confidence in her voice… it's absolute.
No... No. This isn't an opportunity. It's a threat. A threat I brought here.
I won't let anyone get hurt because of my mistake.
"I'll handle this," I declare, stepping forward.
"Negative, ace."
"We will handle this. I am command and control. You are primary offense. Do not break formation."
Before I can argue, they emerge from the ruined streets. Dozens of them.
The first wave comes from the east side.
"Twelve Arachne-class units approaching from the east."
"Watch out for the autocannon on their top."
Hmph.
I'm not sure why, but I feel good.
Confidence. That's what it is.
This time, I won't be helpless. This time, I won't collapse. This time… I will fight.
Unlike before, my Ki is stable.
I unleash my demonic Ki through my left foot, blasting it into the ground.
Black flames blast upwards through the middle of the approaching Arachne-class units, and in the next instant, collapse back down, compressing the machines together into a single pile.
"Die." I flex my left hand, clenching my fingers into a tight fist.
*BOOM*
The pile of scrap detonates.
"Target group neutralized."
"Efficient area-of-effect attack. Demonic energy output is stable and focused. Data is good."
I sense more coming from the west.
"West," I say, turning my head.
"Sixteen units, Skeleton-class," Haruka reports.
"Blade configuration. Faster, more agile. Close-quarters threat."
I suppose I could try that.
I run towards the west, fixed on the approaching skeletons.
With my stable Ki, I can use that technique.
I take a deep breath, my mind clearing as I focus on the flow of energy within me.
Then, I aim the device on my wrist and shoot a fine thread of Azure light at one of the approaching skeletons, striking it dead in the center of its chest.
And, with a sharp twist of my hand,
Pull it towards me!
"Impact Breathing..."
"...Eighth Form..."
"INVERSE FLASH!"
Black Ki explodes from my fist on impact—space itself seems to crack under the force.
I hit the machine with such force that it becomes a projectile, smashing through the other fifteen and then punching through the cores of eight solid buildings before finally coming to rest in the ninth.
I pull my fist back, panting softly.
"Body as the Blade."
"Target group neutralized."
"Exceptional kinetic force. Range of projectile impact: 4.2 kilometers. Structural integrity of target confirmed compromised beyond recovery."
"Good job, Horikita! I'm saving this in your combat log!"
I can't suppress the exhilarated smile that stretches my lips. My breathing deepens, but it's not from exhaustion—it's the rush of absolute power. I feel alive. More alive than I have in years.
"More... Power... I need more!"
I sense more coming, but this time, it's from both sides.
"East, twenty-four Arachne-class. West, thirty-two Skeleton-class,"
"Simultaneous approach. Dual-vector engagement required. What's your play, ace?"