Night drapes over Neo like a veil soaked in electricity and tension. The sky is heavy, the city more alive than ever—but not in a good way. This energy… something is about to happen.
After the silent glances exchanged earlier, I let Kiyomi sleep early. She didn't protest—which, coming from her, seemed more than understandable. The way she perked her ears and nodded… it was the kind of silence that screamed, *I don't know where you're going, but be careful.* Maybe I will.
I activate my internal lenses with a subtle command, and the hidden tracker on Nix's clothing glows a vivid red dot at the edge of my vision. It's moving. Fast.
I take two steps back. The concrete beneath my feet vibrates with the city's pulse.
"Let's go, Nix…" I murmur to myself, cracking my neck before breaking into a run. "Take me to one of your favorite toys."
I launch myself into the air.
The leap carries me to the neighboring building with the ease of someone who's done this for years—and I have. The wind cuts through the silence, cold against my skin. My white coat billows like wings. The muffled noise of the streets echoes below, but up here… up here is my territory.
I follow the edges of the rooftops, guided by the red dot. Nix is in a car, gliding through the avenues as if heading to a casual meeting. But I know her. When she moves like this, someone is about to bleed—or tremble.
I activate optical zoom. My eyes lock onto the rear window of the moving vehicle. There she is, crossing her legs with the usual venomous elegance. A smirk on her lips. A tight black dress. She's preparing to charm or manipulate—usually both at the same time.
"You're taking this seriously, huh, Nix?" I mutter under my breath, leaping once more toward a side building.
The car slows down. They're approaching an old warehouse, broken windows, the scent of an ambush. Typical.
I settle at the edge of a rooftop and observe. Four armed men. Two on the upper floors. One in the alley, another on the warehouse roof. Dark clothing, precision rifles. None of them seem to know what they're doing.
"Seriously…?" I exhale deeply and shake my head, disappointed. "Four poorly positioned guards? You guys should charge less for your services."
I jump to the building closest to the sniper on the roof. Moving like a shadow, silent. When I get behind him, he turns his head—just enough time to see the glow in my eyes.
"Good night," I whisper.
A direct kick to the head. His body flies off, landing silently in the alley below.
I grab the rifle before it slides off the rooftop. Cheap oil and rust smell. I inspect the muzzle.
"No silencer?" I let out a short, almost cynical laugh. "You guys are the tutorial of tutorials."
With a snap of my fingers, my own rifle materializes in my hand—black and white, silenced, and calibrated to the core.
"Now we're talking. Let's see what you're up to, Nix."
I aim at the second guard.
"Let's dance."
I position myself at the edge of the building, lying down with the rifle lined up to my shoulder. My eye naturally aligns with the floating digital scope—a cyan-lit hologram pulsing like an artificial retina.
I inhale slowly.
Time slows.
I pull the trigger.
A muffled thud. The first guard's head jerks back with a muted snap. The others don't even have time to react.
Two.
Three…
Bodies drop soundlessly, like leaves torn away by the wind.
"As alert as a corpse…" I murmur, spinning the rifle and resting it casually on my shoulder. "Not even covering four angles. Either they're amateurs… or they're vastly underestimating who they're dealing with."
I bring the scope closer to the warehouse ahead. A freshly parked black car, headlights still warm. The rear door swings open, and Nix steps out—as always: confident strides, a bored expression, and sarcasm hanging on her lips. The tight dress gleams under the broken neon lights, revealing more than it conceals.
Right behind her, a tall man emerges—broad shoulders, a face marked by a tribal tattoo, and a mechanical arm that looks stolen from a war tank. Cazram.
I tap the communicator attached to my right ear. A subtle click, and their voices invade my ears like stereo whispers.
"Why, exactly, did you schedule this mess in this dump?" Nix speaks, crossing her arms impatiently. "You're a walking disaster, Cazram."
I keep them in my sights, smirking slightly.
"Take it easy, princess..." I murmur to myself, adjusting the scope with two light taps on the lens.
"I... thought it would be discreet, Miss," he replies, nervous. His voice shakes more than a rookie's aim.
"'Discreet' would be a rooftop in the heart of Neo, with camouflaged drones and champagne. This looks like the place where serial killers come to retire." Nix takes a step forward, her heel echoing on the damp concrete. "And to make matters worse, I was supposed to have dinner with Sirius tonight. Had to push it to tomorrow because of your 'urgency.' Does this have to do with Kronos, or is it just another one of your tantrums?"
"Didn't know we had a date, Empress," I murmur. "Next time, I'll cancel in advance so you don't get annoyed at your own employee."
Cazram scratches the back of his neck, visibly uneasy.
"We retrieved a casing from one of the bullets he uses."
That captures her attention. Silence. One of those weighty ones.
"And...?" she presses, her tone now more serious.
"The casing is made from an alloy... capable of piercing military-grade armor. Like... any armor."
She furrows her brows, bringing a hand to her chin.
"So... his weapons are supplied by Guns and Fire?"
I offer a subtle smile. Time to step into the conversation.
I activate the voice channel.
"Almost, Nix..." My voice ripples through the air, distorted by the mask. "But not quite."
Both of them freeze.
Nix slowly turns her head, as if sensing my presence in the air.
"Kronos...?" she says, tense.
"Those bullets... weren't made by Sirius's companies," I continue, adjusting the rifle with an elegant click. "They're stronger. Cleaner. More... personal."
I pause, just for dramatic effect. The wind blows hard, carrying the scent of metal and impending rain.
"I made them. For me. Just for me."
Absolute silence.
Then I smirk and add, in that half-amused, half-deadly tone:
"Now tell me, Cazram... who was the idiot that thought messing with my homemade arsenal was a good idea?"
"You coward!" Nix's voice tears through the night like a blindly thrown dagger. "Show yourself!"
She hasn't even noticed the small device clipped to the collar of her leather jacket. Discretion has always been my favorite talent.
"As you wish... Empress." My voice echoes low, almost lazy, dripping with a sharp sarcasm that amuses me.
The precision rifle dissolves between my fingers like smoke drawn by an invisible wind. I rise slowly atop the building, letting my black coat sway in the nocturnal breeze.
My mask, once limited to my nose and mouth, pulses. A liquid glow spreads across my face like enchanted mercury. In seconds, the living metal covers my entire face, void of expression.
I leap.
The world falls into silence.
The wind slices through my ears, whipping against my coat. Below, the city gleams with red and blue neon signs, a corrupted metropolis where hope is a luxury.
Nix and Cazram lift their eyes, following my movements as if witnessing the arrival of their sentence.
I fall backward, like diving into an invisible pool, spinning at the last second. The impact cracks the asphalt.
I rise. One second of absolute silence. My eyes lock onto hers from behind the mask.
"Looks like this time, there are no screens or cameras between us, Empress," I say, my voice muffled, metallic, firm.
"Tsk…"Nix narrows her eyes, irritated. "Turn this bastard into Swiss cheese!"
The car opens. Four guards emerge like trained hounds, firing without hesitation. Cazram raises his mechanical arm, and a blue light begins to pulse in his fist like a weapon ready to roar.
Bullets fly.
But they don't touch me.
I move between the projectiles like smoke in a crosswind. Each bullet comes dangerously close, but none find their mark. Nix's pupils dilate, struggling to follow the impossible.
In the blink of an eye…
I am right in front of her.
Centimeters away. So close I can see the neon's reflection in her eyes.
In the next blink…
I vanish.
I reappear behind her, back-to-back. The subtle touch of our shoulders makes her shudder.
"They say he was a great man," my voice is low, as if sharing a secret the world has forgotten. "A hero among races. A symbol. And you… you are his daughter. But unlike him… you're trampling on the very ones he swore to protect."
She turns her head. Surprise. The arrogance drains from her eyes.
"You…"
"I'll say it again, Nix." I raise my hand. A pistol appears in an ethereal glow, materializing as an extension of my will. "I am just like him. And because of that… to save those who can still be saved…"
I turn. Fire.
A dry, powerful sound echoes between the buildings. The guard to the right drops like a lifeless sack of flesh.
Nix screams, clutching her ears.
But I am no longer there.
I vanish from behind her like a shadow fleeing the light and charge through the remaining guards like a wolf among armed lambs. Each step is a calculation. Each shot, a poem of death.
The last guard is within my reach, but before I can finish him, Cazram moves like lightning, sending me flying with a brutal strike. My body spins across the ground and collides against the wall of a nearby building, the impact reverberating through the concrete like thunder. The dry crack of debris crumbles, and the world goes dark for an instant as the building collapses over me.
Nix's voice echoes through the chaos.
"Looks like Kronos isn't so unstoppable after all…" she says, almost amused.
Cazram watches the rubble, disbelieving.
"This is the bastard who was giving my men so much trouble?"
Silence. Then, the rough sound of dust being shaken off.
"Hey." I step out of the wreckage, a smirk curling my lips as I walk calmly, brushing the dust off my shoulders with an indifferent gesture.
Nix and Cazram's eyes widen at the same time.
"You've got to be kidding me?!" they exclaim.
"Not kidding." The metallic glow pulses in my hands and feet, gauntlets and greaves forming like steel phantoms. My fingers flex, feeling the weight of imminent vengeance. "But now, let me return the punch…"
Cazram blinks, confused.
"What…?"
There's no time for answers. In the blink of an eye, I'm right in front of him. My fist cuts through the air and slams into the center of his face, the force of the impact reverberating like a shockwave. The sound is dry, visceral. Cazram flies like a human missile, crashing into the old warehouse before its wreckage swallows him in dust and twisted metal.
The guard senses danger and reacts fast. He grabs Nix's arm and throws himself into the car. Tires screech, the engine roars, and before I can chase them, a colossal stone projectile hurtles toward me, cutting off my advance. My eyes track the source of the attack.
Cazram's laughter rumbles like demented thunder.
"Hahaha… Perfect, perfect! Incredible! Kronos can take my punch? This is going to be fun…"
I flex my hands, feeling the energy pulsing in my fists. My eyes lock onto his.
"You're pretty weird." I shift into my stance, a predatory smile crossing my lips. "Well… Let's have our first dance, Cazram."
Cazram charges like a bullet, his eyes burning with pure euphoria.
"Come on, Kronos!" He raises his fist, ready for impact. "Entertain me!"
Time slows for an instant. I flex my fingers, feeling the pressure of the moment condense within me. My fist rises and collides with his, and the impact detonates like thunder. The ground beneath us fractures into erratic patterns, fissures spreading like hungry roots. Dust rises, blanketing everything in a gray curtain.
Cazram smiles, but the gleam of his arrogance barely masks the sting of the blow.
I run a hand over my lips, tasting a faint trace of metal.
"Nix's lapdog is pretty tough, huh…" My tone is carefree, but my eyes remain cold, unwavering. I stare at Cazram like a predator who has already marked its prey. "But you're a damn race trafficker… and I'm going to break your fucking face. Son of bitch"
The tension in the air is tangible. The concrete beneath us still crumbles into shards and dust. Cazram licks his lips, his eyes glowing with a mix of madness and exhilaration.
"Then come at me!"
My stance solidifies, my weight adjusts.
"Oh, I will."