Flooded streets trembled beneath thunder while destroyed military vehicles burned around shattered buildings. Smoke covered the skyline while thousands of infected corpses filled the roads from every direction.

And standing in the center of the chaos—

Was Tyrant-01.

The giant armored creature towered above everyone while black mechanical armor fused directly into distorted flesh. Red light pulsed beneath the metal plating covering its body while heavy cables moved across its back like living veins. Every step shook the battlefield beneath it.

Its glowing eyes remained fixed entirely on Arata.

"...The Creator wants the original returned alive."

Silence spread instantly.

Nobody moved.

Because honestly— That sentence terrified everyone more than the monster itself.

Yuna slowly blinked afterward. "...I’m sorry." She pointed aggressively toward the giant armored nightmare. "THE CREATOR?!"

Reina grinned dangerously despite the tension. "...Okay now this story finally became interesting."

"This is not the time to enjoy things!"

Meanwhile Elena’s military forces immediately repositioned defensively while Eden operatives activated strange silver energy weapons across the battlefield.

Even Ren’s emotionless expression had darkened now.

Which honestly felt extremely concerning.

Arata quietly stared at Tyrant-01 while rain poured heavily across the ruined streets. The system warnings continued flashing violently before his eyes.

[Prototype-Class Entity Confirmed]

[Designation: TYRANT-01]

[Warning: Catastrophic Threat]

[Creator Authority Signal Detected]

Creator Authority.

Those words felt wrong somehow.

Like the system itself recognized whoever this "Creator" was.

Lucien suddenly stepped forward afterward while black energy flickered around his body violently. For the first time since appearing—

He genuinely looked angry.

"...Who activated you?"

The Tyrant slowly turned its massive head toward him.

Metal groaned unnaturally during the movement.

Then the distorted voice echoed again:

"You discarded us."

The battlefield became silent once more.

Lucien’s golden eyes narrowed slightly afterward.

"That project was destroyed."

"Incorrect."

BOOOOOOOOM!!

The Tyrant suddenly disappeared.

Too fast.

The giant armored fist smashed directly toward Lucien hard enough to split the flooded street apart violently.

Lucien barely dodged.

CRAAAAASH!!

An entire building behind him collapsed instantly from the impact.

Everyone froze.

Because the monster’s size should’ve made movement impossible that fast.

But Tyrant-01 moved like a missile.

Lucien retaliated immediately afterward.

Black energy exploded outward violently while several sharp constructs formed around him instantly before launching toward the Tyrant.

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

The attacks hit directly.

But barely damaged the armor.

Tyrant-01 slowly looked down toward the impact marks afterward.

Then laughed.

Distorted metallic laughter echoed through the battlefield while rain poured heavily across its armored body.

"You cannot destroy your own evolution."

Then it attacked again.

Meanwhile Arata’s heartbeat slowly became unstable.

Not from fear.

From recognition.

Because somehow— The Tyrant’s energy felt familiar too.

Connected to the system.

Connected to him.

The black markings across Arata’s arm flickered violently afterward.

The system suddenly glitched.

[MEMORY LOCK FAILURE]

Pain exploded through his head instantly.

Fragments surfaced again.

Laboratory rooms.

Containment chambers.

Children connected to machines.

Screaming.

Scientists shouting desperately.

One large observation window overlooking giant armored figures inside test chambers.

And a man’s voice calmly saying:

"Only one compatible original exists."

Then— Young Arata unconscious inside another chamber nearby.

Arata staggered slightly afterward.Akari immediately caught him before he fell. "Arata!"

His breathing became uneven now.

"...I remember..."

Her expression immediately softened with worry. "What?"

Before he answered—Tyrant-01 suddenly stopped fighting Lucien.

Its glowing eyes locked directly onto Arata again, Then quietly—It knelt, The battlefield froze instantly.

The giant armored monster slowly lowered its head toward Arata afterward.

"...Original host located."

Nobody understood what was happening.

Not even Lucien.

Ren’s gray eyes narrowed dangerously.

"This is bad."

Yuna immediately pointed toward the kneeling monster. "...Can somebody explain why the skyscraper is bowing?!"

No one answered.

Because honestly—Everyone was trying to understand too.

Tyrant-01’s distorted voice echoed again afterward.

"...Creator orders your return."

Arata’s eyes darkened slightly. "...Who is the Creator?"

Silence followed briefly.

Then the Tyrant answered:

"...Father."

The world stopped, Rain continued falling softly across the ruined battlefield, Nobody moved, Nobody breathed.

Akari slowly looked toward Arata afterward.

Lucien’s expression completely changed for the first time.

Even Ren looked shocked, Meanwhile Arata himself froze entirely.

"...What?"

The Tyrant slowly lifted its head afterward while red light pulsed beneath its armor.

"...Creator designation: Dr. Hayato Kazuki."

Arata’s heartbeat stopped.That name, His father’s name, Impossible, His father died years ago.

He saw the blood.He remembered the gunshots.The burning laboratory.

The system warnings exploded violently before his vision again.

[Emotional Shock Detected]

[Synchronization Rate Rising]

[75%...76%...77%]

Black energy burst around him instantly afterward while the flooded streets cracked beneath his feet.

Akari immediately grabbed his arm tightly. "Arata!"

But he barely heard her.

Because his mind had completely shattered.

His father alive?

Creator?

The apocalypse connected to him?

Nothing made sense anymore.

Lucien suddenly stepped forward aggressively afterward. "That’s impossible."

Tyrant-01 slowly turned toward him.

"You lied to the original."

Lucien’s expression darkened immediately.

Then Tyrant-01 continued:

"Creator survived."

Silence spread heavily across the battlefield afterward.

Rain fell softly through smoke and fire while everyone processed the revelation.

Yuna slowly looked emotionally broken already. "...At this point I’m expecting the moon itself to become evil too."

Reina smirked slightly. "...Wouldn’t surprise me."

Meanwhile Ren quietly watched Arata carefully.

Because the synchronization around him was rising dangerously fast now.

Too fast.

The black markings had spread across most of his neck already while dark energy distorted the air around him violently.

The system flickered continuously.

[Emotional Stability Critical]

[Synchronization Approaching Threshold]

Akari noticed immediately.

Then without hesitation—She stepped directly in front of him again.

Her violet eyes locked onto his.

"Look at me."

Silence.

Arata’s breathing remained unstable.

"...My father..."

"You don’t know the truth yet."

"He’s supposed to be dead."

"Then find out properly."

Rain continued pouring around them.

Akari grabbed both sides of his face afterward despite the terrifying energy surrounding him.

"Stop trying to carry everything alone again."

Her voice shook slightly now.

Because honestly— She was scared too.

Scared of losing him emotionally.

Scared of watching him disappear inside the system completely.

Arata slowly looked toward her afterward.

And somehow— The darkness weakened slightly again.Ren quietly observed that interaction.

Then softly muttered:

"...So that’s why."

Lucien heard him immediately.

"You figured it out too."

Ren’s gray eyes remained fixed on Akari afterward.

"The original host isn’t surviving synchronization through willpower." Silence followed briefly. "He’s surviving through emotional tethering."

Yuna blinked slowly. "...Can scientists stop saying weird things for five minutes?"

Kaede calmly nodded. "...Translation: Arata becomes mentally stable around Akari."

Yuna pointed dramatically afterward. "THANK YOU FOR SPEAKING NORMAL HUMAN."

Akari’s face instantly turned red. "...W-Why are we discussing this now?!"

Even Elena looked slightly amused for one second before immediately becoming serious again as explosions echoed nearby.

Because the battlefield still wasn’t over, Black Flag soldiers remained active.

Military lines were collapsing.

And worse— The Tyrant suddenly stood again.

Its glowing eyes shifted toward Ren this time.

"...Eden survivor detected."

Ren’s expression remained cold afterward. "...You recognize Eden?"

"We remember everything."

That answer sent tension through everyone again, Remember.

Meaning the Tyrants weren’t mindless weapons, They retained human memories.

Human emotions, Human hatred.

The armored giant slowly stepped forward afterward while rainwater exploded beneath its feet.

"Creator requested Eden elimination."

Lucien quietly smiled faintly. "...Seems your underground paradise has enemies too."

Ren ignored him completely, Instead— Black energy slowly spread around his body again.

But unlike Arata or Lucien—Ren’s energy looked perfectly controlled.

Silent.

Precise.

Terrifying.

The battlefield pressure intensified instantly.

Even military soldiers struggled breathing nearby.

Then suddenly— Multiple explosions erupted across surrounding rooftops.

BOOOOOOOOM!! BOOOOOOOOM!!

Everyone turned immediately.

More figures appeared above the battlefield.

Dozens.

All wearing white combat coats with silver symbols matching Ren’s group.

Eden reinforcements.

And every single one radiated dangerous pressure.

Yuna stared upward blankly. "...Why does every new faction look stronger than the last one?"

Elena’s expression darkened slightly. "...Because they are."

The Eden operatives landed silently across the battlefield afterward while aiming strange silver weapons toward Black Flag forces.

One female operative stepped beside Ren afterward.

Long white hair.

Blue eyes.

Cold expression.

She looked toward Arata briefly, Then narrowed her eyes.

"...That’s the original?"

Ren nodded once The woman immediately looked disappointed. "...He looks unstable."

Yuna gasped dramatically. "THAT WAS RUDE."

Unexpectedly— Arata quietly answered himself.

"...I am unstable."

Silence followed briefly, Because honestly—He wasn’t denying it anymore.

The black markings continued spreading slowly while the system warnings flashed constantly before him.

He could feel it.

Something changing deeper inside him.

Something irreversible approaching.

The white-haired Eden woman calmly continued afterward.

"Then we should retrieve him immediately before synchronization collapse begins."

Akari instantly stepped protectively beside Arata again. "...He’s not an object."

The woman looked toward her.

Then toward their joined hands.Silence followed briefly afterward.

"...So you’re the anchor."

Akari looked exhausted already. "...I genuinely hate that title now."

Even Ren almost smiled again.

Meanwhile Tyrant-01 suddenly roared violently toward the sky.

The sound shook nearby buildings instantly.

Then all battlefield lights flickered, Everyone froze afterward, Because something enormous moved beneath the city.

Deep underground.

A low mechanical sound echoed upward through the flooded streets.

Then— The road beneath Tyrant-01 cracked apart violently.

BOOOOOOOOM!!

A massive steel structure slowly rose from beneath the city itself.

An elevator platform, Gigantic, Ancient.

Covered in rust and warning symbols.

Everyone stared silently, Then Tyrant-01 turned toward Arata again.

"...Path to Creator opened."

The giant underground platform continued rising through smoke and rain while massive floodlights activated beneath the streets.And slowly— The truth hidden under the ruined world began opening before them.