The battlefield had become hell itself. Military vehicles burned across flooded roads while infected corpses covered shattered concrete from every direction. Gunfire echoed constantly beneath thunder while smoke drifted upward through the storm-filled sky.

And standing in the center of everything—

Was Arata.Black energy swirled violently around his body while rain evaporated near him unnaturally. The dark markings had spread across portions of his chest and neck now while blood slowly dripped from the wound across his shoulder. His blade remained pointed directly toward the giant Devourer roaring before him.

Behind him—The little girl held part of his sleeve tightly with trembling hands.

"...Don’t die."

Those words still echoed inside his mind.

Small words.

Simple words.

But somehow—They reached parts of him the darkness couldn’t touch.

The Devourer roared violently again afterward while smashing through burning vehicles toward him like a living disaster.

BOOOOOOOOOOM!!

The ground exploded beneath its feet.

Everyone nearby immediately moved away from the collision path while military soldiers desperately fired explosives toward the mutation.

Nothing slowed it.

Nothing stopped it.

Except Arata.

Black energy erupted violently around him as he charged forward directly into the monster’s attack.

CRAAAAAASH!!

The impact shattered the flooded street beneath both of them instantly. Shockwaves exploded outward hard enough to destroy nearby windows while rainwater blasted through the air.

Reina grinned wildly while blocking flying debris with one blade. "...Now this is a fight."

Yuna looked emotionally broken already. "Why do you enjoy near-death situations?!"

"Because they’re fun."

"That answer explains too much."

Meanwhile Elena watched Arata carefully from nearby while blood continued dripping from her damaged gauntlets.

Her sharp red eyes narrowed slightly.

"...His synchronization stabilized again."

Kaede quietly nodded while preparing another explosive arrow. "...Emotional reattachment restored cognitive balance temporarily."

Yuna blinked slowly. "...Do normal people even exist anymore?"

The Devourer slammed multiple massive arms toward Arata simultaneously afterward.

BOOOOOOOOM!!

Arata dodged between them with terrifying speed while black energy followed every movement like living shadows. His blade cut through one distorted arm completely before he spun violently and kicked the creature backward through a burning armored vehicle.

The Devourer roared furiously.

Then regenerated the arm almost instantly.

Yuna immediately pointed aggressively toward it. "THAT IS CHEATING!"

Lucien quietly observed the battle from nearby rooftops while rain dripped from his white hair. His golden eyes never left Arata.

"...Remarkable."

One enhanced soldier stepped beside him cautiously afterward. "Commander Lucien... should we retreat?"

Lucien remained silent briefly.

Then softly smiled.

"No." His eyes narrowed slightly afterward. "Not yet."

Back on the battlefield, Arata landed across the shattered road while breathing heavily. The system warnings still flickered constantly before his vision.

[Synchronization Rate: 71%]

[Warning: Emotional Stability Fluctuating]

[Devourer Adaptation Increasing]

The creature suddenly stopped moving afterward.

Silence spread briefly across the battlefield.

Then slowly—The Devourer’s body began changing. Everyone froze.

Its armored flesh shifted unnaturally while glowing veins expanded across its massive body. Bone-like structures emerged from its back while additional distorted arms slowly formed from its torso.

Even Elena’s expression darkened instantly.

"...It’s evolving mid-combat."

Yuna looked absolutely exhausted. "...Of course it is."

The mutation’s glowing eyes remained locked entirely on Arata afterward.

Then once again—It spoke.

"...Host..."

Its distorted voice sounded clearer now.More human.

That somehow felt worse.

Arata’s heartbeat became unstable instantly.

Because mixed within that monstrous voice—

He could hear screams, Human screams.

Fragments of multiple voices trapped together.

The system flickered violently again.

[Memory Restriction Weakening]

Pain exploded through his head instantly afterward.More fragmented memories surfaced rapidly, A laboratory chamber.

Scientists screaming while containment alarms echoed.

A smaller mutation devouring human bodies violently.His father shouting desperately:

"Stop the experiment!"

Then Lucien’s voice calmly answering:

"Evolution requires sacrifice."

Arata staggered briefly afterward.Akari immediately noticed from nearby. "Arata!"

The Devourer attacked again instantly.

BOOOOOOOOM!!

A massive claw smashed toward him fast enough to blur through the rainstorm.

Arata barely blocked in time.

CRACK!!

The impact shattered the street beneath him while blood exploded from his already injured shoulder.

The creature pushed harder afterward, Stronger, Heavier.Arata’s knees slowly bent under the pressure.

Then suddenly—A warm hand grabbed his arm from behind.

Akari.

Everyone froze briefly, Even Arata looked shocked.

"Akari?!"

Rain poured heavily around them while the giant mutation towered directly before them.

And yet—She still stepped beside him.

Despite the black energy surrounding his body.

Despite the terrifying battlefield around them.

Her violet eyes remained fixed on him.

"Don’t lose yourself."

Silence.

Arata stared at her blankly for a second.

Then the pressure around him changed slightly.

The black energy stabilized.

Lucien noticed instantly from afar.

"...Again."

Akari tightened her grip slightly afterward while speaking quietly enough only he could hear.

"You promised to protect everyone, remember?" Her expression softened slightly. "So stop fighting like you’re planning to die alone."

Something inside his chest tightened painfully afterward.

Because honestly—That was exactly what he’d been doing, Ever since his parents died.

Ever since the apocalypse started, He always fought like his own life didn’t matter.

The Devourer roared violently again before smashing another arm downward.

This time—Arata moved differently, Not recklessly, Precisely.

He grabbed Akari instantly before leaping aside moments before the impact destroyed the flooded street beneath them completely.

BOOOOOOOOM!!

Rainwater exploded everywhere.

Akari held onto him tightly during the movement while her heartbeat pounded violently inside her chest.

Because right now—He was carrying her effortlessly through literal chaos.

Arata landed across another broken road afterward while still holding her protectively against him.

Their faces ended up unexpectedly close.

For one brief second— The battlefield noise felt distant.

Akari immediately realized how close they were.

Then her face exploded red instantly.

"...W-Why are you holding me like this?!"

Arata blinked once before looking down slightly.

"...You told me not to let you die."

"That doesn’t answer anything!"

Yuna stared at them from nearby while bullets flew overhead. "...WHY IS THERE ROMANCE DURING A BOSS FIGHT?!"

Reina smirked immediately. "Honestly impressive timing."

Akari instantly shouted back, "THIS IS NOT ROMANTIC!"

Meanwhile Arata quietly placed her down safely afterward.

But before either could speak again— The Devourer suddenly roared toward the sky violently.

Then all nearby infected stopped moving.

Everyone froze instantly afterward.

Thousands of glowing red eyes slowly turned toward the battlefield from surrounding streets.

Silence spread across the ruined city.

Then— Every infected charged simultaneously.

Yuna’s soul visibly left her body. "...No."

The streets exploded into chaos instantly afterward.

An endless infected horde flooded toward the battlefield from every direction like a living tsunami beneath the rainstorm.

Military soldiers immediately opened fire desperately while explosions illuminated entire city blocks.But there were too many.

Far too many.

Elena’s expression hardened instantly. "Defensive formation now!"

The military forces repositioned rapidly while armored vehicles created barricades across the streets.

Meanwhile Lucien quietly smiled again from the rooftop.

"...The Devourer is calling them."

Kaede fired arrows continuously while speaking calmly. "...Hive command behavior confirmed."

Yuna reloaded frantically afterward. "Can the zombies stop unlocking new abilities every hour?!"

Reina dashed directly into the infected horde with terrifying excitement. "No promises!"

Arata looked across the battlefield afterward while the Devourer slowly approached through the endless infected swarm toward him again.

Its glowing eyes never left him.

Like it wanted something.

Then suddenly— The system flashed violently.

[Warning]

[Devourer Resonance Increasing]

[Core Exposure Opportunity Detected]

Arata instantly noticed it.During regeneration— A glowing red core briefly appeared beneath the creature’s chest armor.

Small opening.

Only seconds. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Elena noticed too.

"Arata!" she shouted immediately. "That’s the core!"

The Devourer roared again before armored flesh covered the weak point once more.

Too fast.

Too durable.

Arata’s breathing slowly steadied afterward while black energy swirled around him violently.

Then quietly— He made a decision.

He slowly looked toward Akari afterward.

"...Stay behind the military line."

Her eyes widened instantly. "...What are you planning?"

Silence.

That alone answered enough.

Akari immediately grabbed his sleeve tightly. "No."

"Akari—"

"You’re thinking about sacrificing yourself again."

Rain poured heavily around them while explosions echoed through distant streets.

Arata looked away slightly afterward, Because she was right.

The amount of power needed to destroy the Devourer’s core completely— Would probably push his synchronization beyond safe limits.

He understood that already, Akari’s grip tightened afterward.

"You said you’d protect everyone." Her voice shook slightly now. "That includes yourself too."

Those words hit strangely hard, Because honestly— Nobody ever included him before.

Not in survival, Not in protection, Not in hope.

The little girl slowly stepped beside Akari afterward while looking up toward Arata nervously.

"...Big brother..."

He looked down at her silently.

"...Come back okay?"

Silence.

Warmth spread painfully through his chest afterward.

Small fragile warmth.

Human warmth, And suddenly— He realized something terrifying, He wanted to survive.

Not for revenge, Not for power, For them.

The realization alone shook him deeply.

Lucien quietly observed from afar afterward.

Then his expression slowly darkened for the first time.

"...No."

Because he understood something too, Arata was changing.

But not into the weapon Black Flag wanted.

Into something else entirely.