Fading World ( Part 2 )
Aiko's voice echoed softly inside Jack's mind, her usual upbeat tone turning uncharacteristically solemn. "Bossman, I don't know how else to put this, but… your world is set to join countless others that have fallen to a race called the Titans."
Jack's expression hardened as he processed her words. "Titans? You mean like the creatures we've been fighting?"*
"Far from it, Bossman. Wailing Hounds and Dread Ghosts are nothing compared to Titans," she continued, her voice faint but serious. "Titans are mighty celestial beings—devourers of worlds. They're also the creators of Systems, like the one you're using."
Jack paused, gripping his fists. "So… why me? Why was I chosen?"
"Well…" Aiko hesitated. "Aiko thinks you weren't supposed to have this System. It was likely intended for another Enforcer—someone who could use it to weaken your world before the Titan's arrival. Somehow, it ended up with you instead."
Jack's mind raced. "So who exactly was supposed to get it?"
"Probably a powerful human, someone who had trained for years and could unlock its abilities instantly. But your System isn't like the older models, Bossman—it adapts. It chose a reward-based progression style for you to level up," she explained.
Jack took a moment to steady himself. "And how many other Systems are out there, Aiko?"
"Thousands. The Titans have countless Enforcers in their service. That's why Aiko didn't activate herself when she sensed another System user nearby. She didn't want to expose you."
Jack's face tightened. "And if they find me?"
"Bossman's System is rare, designed with a high growth potential. But because it wasn't meant for you, the Titans won't stop until they retrieve it. Aiko hates to say it, but… a System can only be extracted from a dead host."
Just then, Hamilton hobbled over with his crutch, grimacing from the effort. "Damn, I feel useless as hell," he muttered.
Jack raised an eyebrow. "Cynthia's been taking care of you nonstop. You should be grateful."
"She's driving me crazy with all this food-pushing," Hamilton grumbled. "I'm not about to let her go hungry just for my sake."
Jack shook his head. "Trust me, any of us would be doing the same if we saw how banged up you were when the military got here."
Hamilton gave him a once-over. "So Cynthia tells me you got a few scrapes of your own. How's Linzy handling that?"
Jack smiled. "She's steady as ever. Scared, sure, but tough in her own way. She's got this quiet strength."
Hamilton nodded. "Probably comes from being a healing mage on the battlefield. She's got to stay strong for everyone else."
"Speaking of mages," Jack said, "You still know a few people on the inside . Any chance we're getting better accommodations soon?"
"Actually, yes. Some of my old platoon is headed here. I know a few folks who'll look out for us, make sure we're comfortable." Hamilton's eyes scanned the packed bunker. "Place was full when we arrived. Pretty soon, there won't be enough to eat."
Inside Jack's head, Aiko's voice cut in, insistent. "Bossman, this bunker's a bore. We should be out there, fighting monsters, leveling up."
Hamilton smirked. "What's up with that blue butler anyway? She hasn't popped out yet?"
"What did the fool just call Aiko?" she spat, leaping out of Jack's chest in a flash of blue light and marching right up to Hamilton. Without a second thought, she gave him a sharp kick in the shin.
"Aiko, get back inside, now!" Jack whispered urgently, eyes darting to the crowd. People had noticed Aiko's apparition, and whispers started spreading through the bunker.
"Is she… a Heretic?" someone murmured.
"They're responsible for this whole crisis, aren't they?"
"What about the men? They must be in on it."
"They're all Heretics! Someone needs to alert the soldiers—before they summon more monsters!"
Aiko glared at the crowd defiantly, crossing her arms as the whispering escalated.
"Aiko, now!" Jack insisted, his heart pounding.
With a final glare, Aiko vanished back into Jack's soul. But the murmurs only grew, and he could feel hostile eyes from all sides.
No sooner had he said this than the whole bunker went silent , the sound of rapid gunshots coming through the hallway that Linzy and Cynthia had just gone through .
The soldiers manning this hallway all fell down with relative ease as a skinny man in a cowboy clad strolled past their bleeding corpses with two prisms floating behind him.
The obsidian black prisms had multiple round proliferations across their surface from which countless rounds of bullets sprayed out in endless torrents, killing any living thing on sight.
[
36 Souls harvested.
Rewards ; Core energy x3
]
The man observed the red screen before him with a look of satisfaction as he dismissed his talent.
" Your souls are valued gift and I move to set them to valued purpose ," the man said as he walked through the hallway and arrived at the safety bunker where Jack and Hamilton were.
Without giving anyone time to breathe , he summoned and released one of the prisms upon the crowd at the far right of the room.
They all fell instantly as the bullets rained through their bodies , leaving the white wall behind them spattered in red.
Jack was trying to get a read on the man with Perception to no avail. It felt like trying to read a book through a curtain. The information was within reach but obscured.
" That's the presence I felt . He knows we are here ," Aiko whispered , fearful that the enforcer might sense her . At his current stats , she knew that Jack stood no chance against this man.
The remaining crowds panicked and started screaming.
Some dared to make a break for it and were put down swiftly by another floating prism just when they were about to reach the hallway leading out of the bunker. Their bodies piled up on each other haphazardly , blocking the exit in the process.
" Listen , as I make intent known. Hidden in your numbers is a man who stands in possession of a power not of their own. Break word and make him known to me , that you may live to see the sun fall this day ," the man lied, letting the two black prisms float around to do a perimeter run of the room.
The remaining people , frozen in fear , were obviously unable to find their tongues.
"Come on , free tongue and see self parted from misery ," the cow boy's boots clicked as he started walking round the centre of the crowd , giving each person a keen scrutinising look.
He slowed when his eyes neared Jack , sensing that his quarry was near.
" And what if you have already killed him you fucking psycho !" a young woman with a child of barely ten years clinging to her blouse spoke up from behind the enforcer.