Chapter 133: Rage Once More

  Every scene looked the same.

  Just hallway after hallway after hallway of silver metallic walls, illuminated by thin, sterile strips of light embedded deep within the material itself. It wasn't the warm flicker of a torch or the soft glow of a lantern; it was a cold, constant luminescence that cast no shadows.

  Every step was a journey into a maze of claustrophobia, accompanied by the low, vibrating hum of something mysterious deep within the structure's belly. It pressed against their ears, a subsonic pressure that made teeth ache.

  The group—Yukari, Zhu, Mila, and Bob—were being guided. Or rather, herded.

  None of their questions were answered. They would reach a dead end, and a wall would split apart with a hiss of escaping air, forcing them to enter. As soon as the last heel crossed the threshold, the wall would slide shut behind them, sealing seamlessly as if it had never been broken.

  It was a sickening repetition of being driven like cattle through a slaughterhouse chute. No destination visible. No destination visible. No sense of distance or direction. And worst of all—no sign of Raito. Just a tension-building walk into the dark heart of the machine.

  "Where are we going?" Yukari asked, her voice echoing too loudly in the confined space.

  "Central room," the structure replied. Its voice was flat, synthesized, and utterly devoid of emotion or inflection.

  "You kept saying that," Yukari snapped, stopping in her tracks. "Can't we have any hint? A map? An explanation?"

  "The answer will be there," the structure said.

  "How about Raito?" Yukari asked again, her patience running thin. "You said you have him. Is he safe? Is he hurt?"

  "The answer will be there," the structure repeated, the same flat monotone drone.

  Yukari turned to the rest of the group, shaking her head in frustration. Despite the structure calling for her by her true name, it seemed intent on shutting down every inquiry she had.

  "I don't like this," Mila muttered. "Not one bit."

  Her hand was tense, gripping the handle of her greatsword so tightly that the leather wrap creaked. She walked with a predator's grace, ready to strike at the walls themselves if they so much as twitched wrong.

  "Me too," Zhu agreed, her eyes scanning every seam, every light strip, looking for hidden vents or weapons. "But we no longer have a choice. We are in too deep. Just prepare yourself for any kind of trap."

  Meanwhile, Bob was engaged in a more practical endeavor. He reached into his deep coat pocket and pulled out a hardtack cookie. Quietly, methodically, he began breaking off small chunks and dropping them onto the pristine metal floor.

  "Master?" Mila whispered, noticing the trail of crumbs.

  "To mark our way," Bob whispered back with a wink. "Helpful, right? Unless the floor eats them."

  Yukari stopped again. She stared at the wall next to her, frustration bubbling over.

  CLANG.

  She kicked the wall hard. A full, metallic reverb shuddered through the corridor, vibrating up her leg.

  "What is this made out of?" she asked, running a hand over the smooth, cool surface. "And how can there be light shining through the wall? Those are not lights from candle or lanterns."

  Her curiosity, honed by years of reading adventure novels, took hold of her for a second, overriding her irritation.

  "The answer will be there," the same answer announced itself once more, shutting down the moment of wonder with cold efficiency.

  Suddenly, the wall in front of them split open.

  It revealed a larger hallway, pristine and sterile, leading to a proper metal door at the far end. This door didn't look like a slab of wall; it had visible seams and a complex locking mechanism in the center.

  KSSH.

  With a hiss of pneumatics, the door slid open sideways, disappearing into the frame.

  "Enter, Chosen One."

  The voice spoke again. But this time, the metallic grating was gone. It sounded smoother. More... humanlike.

  The group stopped, looking at each other.

  "Do we... can we trust this?" Yukari asked.

  "No," Zhu said instantly, her eyes narrowing. "But we are trapped. As long as this structure still thinks you are this 'Chosen One', we have a chance to stay alive."

  "She is right," Bob supported, adjusting his heavy coat. "If they want something out of you, they will make sure you are being pampered first. Merchant 101. Just hoping that rule also applies here."

  "And hope," Mila added grimly, "best hope they actually need you alive and not just your body parts."

  She readied her greatsword, resting the flat of the blade on her shoulder.

  Yukari exhaled, shaking out her hands. "Alright. Here goes."

  The group entered.

  Zhu and Mila immediately spread out to secure the perimeter, weapons drawn, fist ready. Bob stayed close to Yukari, hiding her slight frame behind his massive bulk.

  But... no one was there.

  In this supposed 'Central Room', there were no guards. No monsters. Just rows of foreign machinery that hummed with quiet power. Glass panels lined the walls, displaying scrolling lines of light and geometric shapes. Buttons beeped rhythmically, labeled with letters and symbols that none of them understood.

  "Where is the welcoming party?" Mila asked, her voice echoing in the large chamber. Her guard lowered just a fraction in confusion.

  "There is no welcoming party, my dear."

  A voice answered her. It came from everywhere and nowhere.

  "Who's there?!" Mila snapped back into a combat stance, spinning around.

  "Please, lower your weapons," the voice said. It was a gentle tone, soft-spoken and distinctly male. "We mean no harm. There is no need to be so barbaric here. We are all civilized, right? At least... I hope."

  The group looked around frantically, trying to find the source.

  "Reveal yourself!" Yukari commanded.

  Then, as if on cue, a small device embedded in the center of the ceiling beeped.

  Whirrr...

  A beam of light shot down, coalescing in the center of the room. Particles of blue light swirled and condensed, forming a blurry, translucent figure.

  "Hello there," the figure said, waving a hand.

  It was a man. He looked to be in his sixties or seventies, fair-skinned with a neatly trimmed white beard. He was wearing strange, pristine white clothing—a long coat over a shirt and a bowtie—that looked nothing like the robes or armor of Calvenoor. To a person from another world, he would look like a doctor or a scientist. To them, he looked like a wizard.

  "Who are you?" Zhu asked, glaring at the apparition.

  "Let’s try to behave rationally, shall we?" the man chided gently, adjusting the bowtie that seemed made of light. "I hope the world hasn't really regressed that much."

  Mila, moving silently, approached the figure from behind. She reached out with the tip of her greatsword, trying to poke the blue blur.

  Swish.

  The steel passed right through him without resistance.

  "I'm not really here, dear," the man said, not even turning around. "This is just a hologram."

  "Holo... gram?" Bob repeated the word, tasting it on his tongue. The term was utterly foreign to him.

  "Hologram," the man explained, gesturing with his hands. "A projection of light. Used for long-distance communication. Much more advanced than mobile phones. It even allows the communication of body language and micro-expressions. One of humanity's greatest creations. Right, One of them."

  The man started to ramble, but his expression turned somber at the last sentence.

  The group looked at each other. None of the words the man said—mobile phones, projection, humanity's greatest creation—made any sense to them. They were words from a language they didn't speak.

  The man paused, seeing their blank stares.

  "Oh dear," he sighed, his shoulders slumping. "We really have regressed that much, haven't we?"

  He looked at them with pity. "You four don't know what a hologram is?"

  The group just shook their heads in unison.

  "Oh no," the figure murmured, rubbing his forehead. "What a travesty."

  "Alright, enough charades," Yukari said, stepping out from behind Bob's massive shadow. Her last remaining patience burning away.

  "I am here," she declared, standing tall, looking directly at the man. "Where is Raito? What do you want with me? Why are you using my real name? And who are you?"

  The holographic man looked at her, his expression shifting from shock to mild confusion.

  "One question at a time, dear," he said, holding up a translucent hand. "The current me is... let's just say, not as equipped as the real me. My processing power is more limited in this state."

  "You better answer her, now!" Zhu barked, stepping forward with a glare that usually made soldiers faint.

  "Hmmm." The man ignored the threat completely. He scanned Zhu from head to toe.

  "Weird," he murmured, stroking his beard of light. "You are human... but altered. Most of your DNA has traces of heavy elemental energy infusion. One of IT's creations, I presume? Intriguing."

  "You... how?" Zhu gasped. She lunged, trying to grab the man by the collar, but once again her hand just phased through the blue light, leaving her stumbling forward.

  "Alright, it's time to answer your questions, starting from yours, Chosen One," the man said, turning his attention back to Yukari.

  "You mentioned this... 'Raito'. We have no recollection of him." He waved a hand dismissively, as if deleting a file. "The name is not in our database. It is insignificant."

  Yukari’s eyes widened in disbelief. The blood drained from her face.

  "As for your real name," the man continued, oblivious to the emotional devastation he just caused, "it is in our—"

  He never finished the sentence.

  Yukari moved. Fueled by a sudden, blinding rage, she rushed the hologram. Since she couldn't grab him, she kicked him. She kicked the beam of light, her boot passing through the image but striking the floor beneath it.

  THUD. THUD. THUD.

  "You said you have Raito!" she screamed, her eyes filled with rage. "You said he is here! My ring reacted to this direction! You promised you had the answer!"

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  She kicked the floor beneath the man again and again, venting her frustration. "This is a waste of time! Let us out! Let us out!"

  "Chosen One! Chosen One, calm down!" the hologram flickered, his voice distorting slightly with the vibrations. "We do have answers! Please hear us! Hear me! This is important! We have no time!"

  "Like I give a damn!" Yukari shrieked, breathless. "Let us out!"

  BOOM.

  The structure shook violently.

  It wasn't a vibration; it was an earthquake. The floor lurched sideways, throwing everyone to the ground. Bob grabbed Yukari to cushion her fall, while Zhu and Mila skidded across the smooth metal.

  The sterile white lights turned a blaring, emergency red.

  Loud, discordant alarms began to blare, echoing painfully in the confined space.

  "What was that?" Zhu shouted over the noise, pushing herself up.

  "Computer! Status!" the hologram shouted, his calm demeanor vanishing instantly.

  "Outer wall, point 7b, breached," a mechanical voice answered from the ceiling speakers. "Damage non-repairable. Shield 0%."

  "This voice..." Yukari whispered, recognizing it. It was the same monotone voice that had been answering—or ignoring—her since they entered the structure.

  "Source?" the hologram demanded.

  "Analyzing..." the computer droned. "Void energy detected."

  The hologram's face went pale—or as pale as a projection could get.

  "No..." he whispered. "It found us. We are too late."

  "Hey! Explain everything to us!" Zhu demanded, grabbing the edge of a console for stability as the room shook again.

  "No time!" the hologram snapped. "IT... no, Silux is here! Computer! Defensive formation! All weapons hot!"

  He looked up at the ceiling. "How many are there?"

  "One," the computer answered.

  "One?" The hologram blinked. Then a grim expression settled on his face. "Show it on the main monitor. Silux must be thinking we are so easy to destroy that he only sent one of his creations."

  A large, rectangular monitor descended from the ceiling with a hydraulic hiss.

  BZZT.

  The screen flickered to life. The image was grainy, distorted by static and interference, showing a surveillance feed from one of the structure's hallway.

  It showed a figure. Human-like in shape, but clad in swirling, living darkness.

  The figure stood amidst the wreckage of what looked like the mechanical dolls . A thick tendril of black flame was currently wrapped around a large drilling machine. With a casual flick of the figure's wrist, the tendril tightened.

  CRUNCH.

  The machine was ripped right in half.

  The group in the central room gasped. The silhouette, the movement, the terrifying aura... it was undeniable.

  "That's..." Bob whispered, his hand covering his mouth.

  "Raito!" Yukari shouted, her voice a mix of relief and horror.

  Minutes before...

  "Argghhh... huff... huff."

  Raito clutched his head, his fingers digging into his scalp as if trying to physically hold his mind together. The black flame burst from all over his body, not as a controlled aura, but as a violent, chaotic eruption. The black flame slowly hardening along his skin like living armor.

  "Run... old man," he rasped, turning his head slightly toward the stranger.

  The mechanical dolls—about six of them—stopped their excavation. They turned in unison, their servos whining. They raised their tools, which shifted and clicked into weapon configurations.

  "Kid... what... you..." the old man stammered, backing away until he hit the tunnel wall.

  "R-run!" Raito stuttered.

  Then, the last thread of restraint snapped.

  "ARGHHHHHHHH!"

  He roared. The sound was so powerful it shook the entire tunnel, dislodging dust and pebbles from the ceiling.

  One of the mechanical dolls leaped, its hand spinning at high velocity, a blur of steel ready to impale Raito.

  It stopped mid-air.

  SHWICK.

  A tendril of black flame, solid as a spear, erupted from the ground. It wrapped around the doll, restraining it instantly.

  CRUNCH.

  With a sickening sound of compressing metal, the tendril bent the mechanical doll in a dozen different directions, crushing it into a ball of scrap.

  Raito turned to the remaining dolls. His eyes were gone—fully black, devoid of pupils or whites. He pointed a shaking finger at them. Then, slowly, deliberately, he drew his thumb across his neck.

  A declaration of death.

  This time, Raito was on the offensive.

  The old man, not understanding what was going on in front of him, just watched, his hand outstretched as if trying to pull Raito back from the abyss.

  Raito moved closer, a walking nightmare.

  The dolls scattered. Their logic cores sensed the overwhelming danger. They moved with calculated precision.

  One of them immediately broke formation and boarded one of the larger drilling machines parked near the wall.

  The others stood their ground and opened fire.

  BANG-BANG-BANG.

  They shot projectiles—metal cones, propelled by combustion.

  The dolls were organized. They kept their distance, moving every so often, firing in a synchronized rhythm designed to suppress and kite their enemy. They were playing Raito like a matador plays a bull.

  But the projectiles were useless. The moment the metal slugs came into contact with Raito’s black armor, they were consumed. Erased.

  The dolls knew this. They were outmatched in raw power, but not out of options. They were buying time. They were wasting Raito’s energy, making him leap around with no sense of strategy.

  While Raito chased the decoys, the doll onboard the drill machine opened a port on the dashboard. It took out a canister glowing with unstable, dark energy from its back and inserted it into the opening.

  WHIRRRRR.

  The machine shuddered. Its massive, conical drill began to spin. Along with the rotation, a coating of black, crackling energy began to envelop the tip of the drill. It turned, its treads grinding the stone floor, and began moving toward Raito’s exposed back.

  Raito, mindless and hyper-focused on the moving targets in front of him, paid no attention to the rumble. There was no “behind” anymore. Only targets.

  It was the old man who noticed.

  "Kid!" he shouted, his voice cracking.

  Raito didn't hear him. He was too busy tearing another doll limb from limb.

  The drill accelerated.

  The old man gritted his teeth. He braced himself, his frail legs bunching with surprising strength.

  He ran.

  He sprinted toward the moving machine, aiming for the open roll cage of the cockpit.

  "Get away!"

  He jumped, grabbing the roll bar and swinging himself inside. He landed on top of the mechanical pilot, grappling with the doll for control of the levers.

  Raito, still in a frenzy, managed to catch another doll mid-leap. With a savage growl, he ripped the construct's head off with his bare hands, sparks showering down like rain.

  Only three combat units left. Not including the one in the drill machine.

  Inside the cockpit, the Old Man grappled to the best of his ability. He clawed at the metal casing, trying to jam the gears. Still, he was nothing but a frail human against a machine designed for labor and war. The doll simply swiveled its torso and shoved him.

  The Old Man was thrown aside, tumbling onto the roof of the machine's cabin, barely holding on.

  The drill was now completely behind Raito.

  Raito turned, his instincts finally screaming a warning. But it was too late.

  The massive conical drill slammed into Raito's chest. The black, crackling energy coating the tip didn't just pierce; it unraveled. It chewed through his armor of darkness like a rot, dissolving the void energy on contact.

  "ARGGHH!"

  Raito roared in pain, the sound raw and human. He spun around, grabbing the spinning drill shaft with both hands, trying to force it back with brute strength. His boots dug furrows into the stone floor as he was pushed backward.

  The other dolls seized the opportunity. They positioned themselves in a semicircle, bombarding Raito with metal slugs from all sides.

  PING. PING. SQUELCH.

  Raito found himself getting overwhelmed. The black flame was unraveling faster than he could regenerate it before this mysterious drill tip. His defense was stretched thin, leaving the rest of his body exposed. Projectiles grazed his arms, his legs, his sides.

  His offense was entirely focused on trying to stop the drill from boring a hole through his chest.

  Thankfully, Raito was not alone.

  The Old Man was still there, hanging precariously on top of the drill machine's roof. When he was thrown earlier, his fingers had snagged a small ventilation slit.

  He heard Raito scream. He saw the blood.

  He frantically searched his rucksack with one hand, his fingers trembling. Anything. A rock. A tool.

  His hand closed around a worn, leather-bound book.

  He pulled it out. He tried to throw it at the control lever. He hesitated. This book... it held something important to him. It was his anchor.

  ROAAAAR!

  Raito roared again. The drill was winning. The black flame flickered out, and the spinning metal bit into his bare chest. Blood began to drip more, sizzling on the hot metal.

  The Old Man shook his head. He squeezed his eyes shut and let go of his attachment.

  He threw the book.

  It tumbled through the air, end over end.

  THWACK.

  It wedged itself perfectly into the open mechanism of the control lever. The lever jammed hard to the 'OFF' position.

  CLUNK-WHIRRR-ssss...

  The drill shuddered and stopped spinning. The momentum died.

  Raito was freed from the pressure. He staggered back, gasping.

  Seeing this, the doll inside the cockpit turned its head 180 degrees. Its eyes glowed a furious, bright red.

  With one fluid motion, the doll swiped its metal arm across the roof.

  WHAM.

  It hit the Old Man.

  He was thrown with terrifying force. He sailed through the air like a ragdoll and hit the tunnel wall with a sickening, wet thud. He slid down to the ground and did not move.

  Raito saw this.

  Something inside him shattered. The very last restraint, the last hold on sanity—gone.

  "ARGHHHHHHH!!!!!"

  He roared again, louder than before. The sound wasn't just rage; it was a shockwave.

  The book the Old Man had thrown fell from the machine and landed next to Raito’s foot. It flopped open.

  In one of its yellowed blank pages, there was a picture. Raito saw it for a split second. A picture—old, faded, human.

  FWOOSH.

  Hands of black flame began to form around his real arms, massive and clawed.

  Raito lifted the multi-ton drill machine as if it were a toy. The darkness swarmed over it, half-consuming the metal frame instantly.

  Raghhhh!!!

  He threw it.

  He didn't aim. He just hurled the massive object with all his might. The machine flew through the air, a projectile of scrap and shadow.

  CRASH.

  The direction the machine flew was accidental, but the impact was decisive. It slammed into the outer wall of the buried silver structure.

  The force was cataclysmic. The invincible metal wall buckled and broke.

  Raito didn't stop. He extended tendrils of darkness, grabbing the remaining three dolls. He pulled them toward him.

  They tried to fire their projectiles. Click. Click. Useless.

  CRUNCH.

  He didn't consume them. He dismantled them. He tore their limbs off, crushed their heads, and ripped out their cores.

  The pilot doll, the one that had hurt the Old Man, leaped out of the wrecked drill machine at the last moment. Seeing the broken wall, it calculated a retreat and ran inside the breach.

  Raito followed.

  He was a blur. He caught up in the corridor. He grabbed the doll by the head and waist.

  RIP.

  He tore it apart from the midsection, oil spraying the pristine walls.

  All the mechanical dolls were eliminated. The threat was gone.

  But Raito did not stop. He had already lost.

  He started banging his head against the structure walls.

  BANG. BANG. BANG.

  The structure shook with every hit.

  He found himself entering deeper into the facility, wandering through the corridors by complete accident. There was no goal anymore. Only motion.

  SLIDE. CLICK.

  Turrets appeared from the walls, ceilings, and floors. They tracked him.

  PEW-PEW-PEW.

  Laser fire erupted.

  Raito roared. He had no choice but to destroy.

  This scene... was seen by Yukari and the others on the monitor in the central room. The grainy footage couldn't hide the identity of the monster.

  "Raito!" she called out once more, her voice cracking with emotion.

  She turned on the projection. "Hey! Where is that?! Lead me to him!"

  "You are our last hope," the hologram said, stepping in front of her, his translucent face etched with fear. "I can't let you go near. That thing."

  "Please," Yukari turned to Bob, Zhu, and Mila, ignoring the ghost.

  They all nodded. Without a word, they fanned out, scanning the smooth walls for any slit, any panel, anything that could be pried open.

  "That is Silux!" the hologram shouted, panic rising in his voice. "Enemy of humanity! The Destroyer! The reason I brought you here is to activate the defenses against him!"

  "No," Yukari stated, her voice trembling but fierce. "You are wrong."

  She glared at the image of the boy surrounded by darkness. "That is Raito. My husband. My eternal love."

  BOOM.

  Another shockwave rocked the facility.

  "Error... error..." the computer voice stuttered, looping. "Containment breach in Sector 4. Manual override engaged."

  KSSH.

  A door on the far side of the room, previously invisible, hissed open.

  "Lin!" Zhu shouted, spotting the exit.

  "Raito!" Yukari shouted back.

  She didn't hesitate. She bolted, running from the central room through the open door. The group followed close on her heels.

  "Hey, stop! We need you!" the hologram yelled, chasing after them. He tried to grab Yukari’s arm, but his fingers of light phased harmlessly through her flesh. "Lin Meihua! That is suicide!"

  They ignored him.

  The group ran through hallway after hallway, the sterile white lights flickering with the power fluctuations caused by Raito's rampage.

  "Where?!" Mila asked, breathing hard.

  "Left!" Yukari shouted, taking a sharp turn without slowing down.

  She knew exactly where he was. The Sakura ring on her finger was burning, pulsing in time with her own heartbeat, guiding her like a compass to magnetic north.

  Moments later, they found him.

  The corridor opened up into a wide junction. Raito was there.

  He was a whirlwind of destruction. Turrets popped from the walls, firing projectiles after projectiles. Raito tore through them, shredding metal with claws of black flame, smashing cameras, and dissolving the floor beneath him.

  "Raito!" Yukari called out, her voice cutting through the noise of battle.

  Raito froze. Despite his frenzy, despite the void consuming his mind, he reacted to that voice.

  He turned. His black eyes met hers.

  Recognition flickered—not of a friend, but of a danger he couldn't face.

  He ran.

  He turned his back on her and sprinted away, deeper into the facility.

  "Get back here!" Yukari chased him. She ignored the debris, sidestepping the wreckage of turrets that were still sparking.

  The automated defense system, detecting a new target moving fast, swiveled its remaining guns.

  CLICK.

  A turret aimed at Raito fired.

  But Yukari was in the way, chasing him. The bolt of projectile wasn't aimed at her, but she ran directly into its path.

  "Lin!" Zhu screamed, realizing she was too far away to intercept.

  Yukari didn't stop. She didn't flinch.

  FWOOSH.

  A blur of black flame materialized out of thin air right in front of her back.

  It wasn't an attack. It was a shield.

  The bolt hit the black wall and vanished, consumed instantly.

  "Computer! Shut down defensive protocols!" the hologram's voice boomed over the intercom system. “We might hit our chosen.”

  "Acknowledged," the computer droned.

  The hum of the remaining turrets died. The lights stopped flashing red. Silence fell over the corridor.

  Raito stood there, his hand outstretched, the black flame dissipating from where he had cast the shield.

  He slowly lowered his hand.

  "Raito," Yukari called out softly.

  Raito flinched. He turned away, taking a step to leave.

  But Yukari wouldn't let him. Not this time.

  She moved, putting herself directly in his path. She stared up into his void-black eyes, her gaze never wavering.

  She smiled. It was a sad, tired, beautiful smile.

  "Wake up, idiot!"

  She screamed the words.

  Then, she pulled her head back and slammed her forehead forward with every ounce of strength she had.

  THWACK.

  She delivered a powerful headbutt straight to Raito’s forehead.

  It connected with a solid, bone-jarring thud. Pain exploded through her skull, but she welcomed it.

  Raito stumbled back, clutching his head.

  CRACK.

  The sound of breaking glass echoed in the spiritual space. The black armor flickered and shattered like obsidian, falling away into mist. The void retreated from his eyes, leaving behind warm, confused brown irises.

  Raito blinked. He looked around, bewildered.

  He looked at Yukari, standing there with a red mark on her forehead.

  "This... has to be a dream," he said, his voice weak, trembling.

  "No, it is not," Yukari reassured him, stepping closer.

  Raito suddenly reeled. His vision cleared. He saw Yukari’s arms—limp, bandaged, and scarred with black veins.

  The memories crashed into him. The Old Man. The picture in the book.

  "I'm sorry..." he gagged, bile rising in his throat. "I'm sorry..."

  His knees gave out. He collapsed forward.

  "Raito!"

  Yukari moved instinctively to catch him. She threw her arms out to support his weight.

  But her arms didn't move. They hung uselessly at her sides.

  Raito fell past her, hitting the metal floor face-first with a sickening smack.

  He didn't move. He was unconscious before he hit the ground.

  In the central room, watching the feed on the monitor, the hologram stood frozen.

  "That... is not Silux," the hologram whispered, confusion clouding his features. "But how... does that boy... have the 'Void'?"