The moon hung low and swollen in the night sky—crimson at the edges, like it bled silently over the ruins of Sector 8.
Rei moved fast across the rooftops.
The streets below were quiet. Too quiet.
> "System," he whispered, "scan for signatures."
> [Scanning…]
[5 Hostiles Detected – 2 Elite Rank, Unknown Affiliation]
[Warning: They're moving in formation.]
He tensed.
Luka had warned him. Rumors of rogue Guilds sniffing around after "Kain Vos"—the masked rookie who downed an Apex Serpent solo. That kind of fame was dangerous.
Especially when you weren't fully human anymore.
---
▓ Sector 8 – Slag Alley
Beneath, five shadows slipped through the alley like liquid. One wore a red hood. Another had mechanical claws humming with poison tech. But all wore the same insignia on their collars:
> 🜂 – The Flamebrand Guild (Blacklisted)
"Target is close," said the one in the hood. A woman's voice. Cold and crisp.
"Orders?" asked the clawed one.
"Alive. If possible." She paused. "Limbs optional."
---
▓ Rooftop – Rei's View
He felt them now. Closing in from all sides.
The Hybrid within him pulsed eagerly.
The part that wanted the fight.
But Rei stayed calm.
No mask this time. Just a tattered coat, worn gloves, and that strange mark glowing faintly beneath his shirt.
> "Five-on-one," he murmured. "Bad odds."
> [Skill Suggestion: Flesh Sculpt – Arm Blade Form | Cloak Mode Partial]
[Sanity Anchor Stable. Proceed.]
He grinned.
> "Let's fix the odds."
---
▓ Ambush – Ten Seconds Later
The first attacker lunged from the fire escape—dagger aimed at Rei's throat.
> Too slow.
Rei twisted, his arm shifting mid-motion—bones realigning, muscle warping into a curved blade. It caught the attacker across the ribs with a wet crunch.
Before the body hit the roof, Rei was already moving.
A whip of flame burst from the second elite's gloves.
He ducked under it, eyes flashing red.
> "Reconfigure: Obsidian Shell – Chest."
His torso hardened just as a fire blast hit him point-blank.
No burn. Just a cracked chunk of armor and smoke curling from his shoulders.
He smiled.
> "My turn."
---
▓ Ground Level
The red-hooded leader growled. "What the hell is he?!"
From above, something slammed into the ground—hard.
Rei landed in front of her, crouched low. His blade-arm extended, his left arm now partially scaled, veins glowing.
> "You're not Guild," he said. "You're scavengers."
She hissed. "You think you're strong? You're a freak."
> "Maybe." He stepped forward. "But I level up."
She moved to cast a spell—but Rei's flesh-arm snapped forward, tendrils firing from the wrist.
She screamed as they pierced her leg and shoulder.
Before she could even speak again—Rei was in front of her, and his blade was buried in her chest.
---
▓ Five Minutes Later
It was over.
The alley stank of blood and mana burn. Four dead. One barely alive—tied in tendrils and twitching.
Rei stood among them, body slowly returning to human.
> [Devour Complete – Elite-Class Data Absorbed]
[Mutation Level: 64%]
[New Skill Fragment: Flame Carve – 17% Synchronicity]
[Next Evolution Milestone: 1 Elite Devour Remaining]
He exhaled.
One more. Then his body would change again.
He didn't know what he'd become after that.
---
▓ Back at Luka's Hideout
Rei returned at dawn, clothes scorched and boots dripping blood.
Luka stared, half-asleep. "Another fight?"
Rei didn't answer.
He looked at his reflection in the window.
The boy he once was… was fading.
But something else looked back now—calm, focused, unafraid.
> "Luka."
"Yeah?"
"Get me Rift coordinates. I want to find another Elite."
"…Why?"
Rei turned. His eyes glowed faintly red.
> "Because the next thing I become—will need to kill gods."
---
📘 Character Update:
Level: 9
Elite-Class Devour Count: 2
Traits Evolving:
Flesh Sculpt: Lv. 2 – New variant unlocked: Obsidian Shell
Hybrid Instinct: Enhanced reflex triggers before conscious thought
Stability: 64%
Next Evolution Trigger: 1 more Elite-Class devour
Skill Sync:
Flame Carve (17%) – Partial mastery