The void was endless and suffocating, its silence pressing down on Jin like a weight he couldn't bear. In the darkness of his subconscious, his rage still burned, but it was hollow now—a desperate flame looking for fuel. He stood there, fists clenched, staring into the abyss.
"Come out," he growled, his voice echoing into the void. "I know you're here. Show yourself!"
The silence stretched, and then, from the shadows, came a low, rumbling chuckle. It started soft, almost distant, but grew louder until it reverberated like thunder. The air around Jin grew colder, heavier, as the darkness shifted and twisted.
"Show myself?" The voice slithered into Jin's ears, deep and mocking. "You call for me, and yet you think you can command me? How amusing."
From the darkness emerged the demon. Its form was colossal and shadowy, its eyes burning with a malevolent light. Its grin stretched impossibly wide, filled with jagged teeth that seemed to glint in the dim glow of the void.
"Here I am, boy," the demon said, its voice dripping with disdain. "What pathetic excuse will you give me this time?"
Jin didn't flinch, though the weight of the demon's presence pressed on him like a storm. "Help me," he said firmly, though his voice carried a hint of desperation. "Lend me your power. Destroy CP0."
The demon tilted its head, its grin widening further. "Help you?" it repeated, feigning shock. "Lend you my power? Oh, how low you've sunk, begging like a worm in the dirt." It laughed again, a deep, guttural sound that seemed to shake the very fabric of the void.
Jin's fists tightened, his anger rising. "This isn't about pride. I'll do whatever it takes. Just help me end this."
The demon circled him slowly, its burning eyes locked on Jin. "Whatever it takes, you say?" It chuckled again, dark and cruel. "Spoken like a desperate fool. Do you even know what you're asking for?"
Jin turned to face it, his eyes blazing with determination. "I don't care what it costs. I'll pay it."
The demon stopped, towering over him as its grin turned sharp and sinister. "Ah, I love this part," it said, almost gleefully. "The begging, the promises. It's so entertaining."
The Mother Box appeared, floating in the air between them. Its faint glow illuminated Jin's face, and for a moment, his resolve faltered.
"Destroy it," the demon said simply, its voice suddenly cold and commanding. "Shatter the box, and I'll grant you the power you seek."
Jin stared at the box, his heart pounding. "The Mother Box?" he said, his voice trembling. "But… it's lineage—"
The demon interrupted with a sharp laugh. "Do you think I care about your lineage?" it sneered. "That box is a shackle, a leash keeping me from my rightful place. Destroy it, or crawl back out there and die like the pitiful child you are."
Jin's hands trembled as he reached for the box. The faint light of the Mother Box flickered, as though it could sense his hesitation. He looked back at the demon, its grin now stretching unnaturally wide.
"Do it," the demon hissed, its voice growing louder, more insistent. "You said you'd do anything, didn't you? Prove it, boy. Prove you're not as weak as I've always known you to be."
Jin closed his eyes, letting out a roar as he channeled his energy into the box. The light of his power collided with the Mother Box, and with a deafening crack, it shattered into a thousand glowing shards. The void trembled as the shards dissolved, the darkness shifting and twisting around him.
The demon's laughter filled the void, louder and more menacing than ever. "At last," it said, its voice resonating like a thunderstorm. "You've made the right choice."
In the real world, the flames surrounding Jin's body dimmed, the chaotic energy calming as his trembling ceased. The suffocating aura of rage was replaced by something far more sinister—an oppressive, icy presence that seemed to drain the very air from the battlefield.
Jin opened his eyes, but they were no longer his. The light within them had been replaced by a dark, hollow glow. A wicked grin spread across his face, sharp and cruel, as the demon surveyed its new vessel.
"Well, well," it said, its voice echoing unnaturally. "It feels good to be back."
CP0, standing a few paces away, immediately sensed the shift. He raised his hand, his red energy flaring as he prepared for whatever this new entity was. "You're not Jin," he said coldly.
The demon tilted its head, the grin never leaving its face. "Very observant," it said mockingly. "And who are you? Another little toy of the Council? Another pawn sent to amuse me?"
CP0 didn't respond, his stance steady. But the demon took a step forward, the ground cracking beneath its feet. "Let me make this clear," it said, its voice growing colder. "You're nothing. A fly buzzing around a lion. I don't have time for this nonsense, but I suppose I can make an exception… just this once."
It raised its hand lazily, and the shadows around it twisted and surged. "Let's see if you can survive the wrath of a god."
CP0 didn't hesitate. His movements were precise, calculated, as he stretched his hand forward. The air behind the demon shimmered, warping into a swirling black hole. Without a moment's pause, a glowing hand emerged from the void, shooting forward to grab the demon from behind.
The demon cocked its head, watching the hand with mild amusement. "Clever," it murmured, sidestepping effortlessly. Its movements were smooth, almost lazy, as it caught the emerging hand mid-motion.
"Your tricks bore me," the demon said, tightening its grip on CP0's projected arm. With a single, powerful motion, it pulled CP0's entire body through his own portal, slamming him into the ground with devastating force. The earth beneath them shattered, sending cracks racing outward as dust and debris filled the air.
The demon stood over CP0's fallen form, its grin widening. "Is that the best you can do?
The demon loomed over CP0's fallen form, its grin sharp and mocking, but then, a sudden shift in the air caught its attention. CP0's body began to glow faintly, a blue aura flickering to life around him. Within moments, the flicker intensified into a blazing inferno of blue flames, their heat so intense that the ground beneath CP0 began to vaporize into steam, leaving nothing but scorched earth in a perfect 10-meter radius.
The demon cocked its head, its grin faltering for the first time. "Interesting," it muttered, watching as its own hand, still lingering too close to CP0, began to dissolve. The shadowy tendrils that wrapped its form hissed and disintegrated, curling away from the heat like smoke in the wind.
With a sharp movement, the demon stepped back, pulling its arm away as the flames continued to intensify. Its burned hand began to regenerate almost instantly, but it paused, its hollow eyes narrowing in thought. "What's this?" it mused, flexing its partially restored hand. "A trick? No… something more."
As the demon stepped further away, its body began to heal more rapidly, the charred remnants of its hand reforming into perfect, unblemished darkness. It laughed softly, low and guttural. "Ah, I see. Your little flames aren't just destructive, are they? They deny me."
CP0, still cloaked in the blue flames, stood slowly, his cold gaze fixed on the demon. He said nothing, but his posture shifted, his body tensed and ready for another strike. The demon tilted its head again, amused by the silence. "So that's your game," it murmured. "Stay close, and I wither. Clever… for a machine."
But CP0 had already moved. In a blur of motion, he launched himself straight at the demon, his flames blazing brighter as he closed the distance. The demon's grin vanished, its form shifting backward as CP0's relentless charge forced it to retreat.
As CP0 closed the distance between them, his flames blazing brighter with each step, the demon's grin twisted into something far more sinister. Its hollow eyes glowed brighter, its towering form casting an overwhelming shadow over the battlefield.
It raised its clawed hand slowly, muttering an ancient, guttural chant that seemed to echo from the depths of the cosmos. The air around them shifted, vibrating with an unnatural force as reality itself seemed to bend and distort. Above, the sky darkened, and faint glimmers of light began to appear—nine planets, aligning in a perfect circle, their energies flowing downward toward the demon.
The demon's hand trembled with raw, unimaginable power as it pulled the energy of the planets into its palm. The swirling forces condensed, rotating faster and faster until they formed a small, glowing orb. The light of the orb was blinding, a concentrated mass of chaos and destruction that warped the space around it, distorting reality like ripples in water.
CP0 halted for a brief moment, his heightened senses immediately recognizing the immense danger. But before he could act, the demon looked at him with a cold, unyielding stare and spoke a single word, its voice like a death knell:
"Planetary Baam."
In an instant, the orb shot forward, moving faster than the speed of light and sound combined. It tore through the battlefield like a comet, its sheer velocity obliterating everything in its path. The ground split apart, mountains crumbled in the distance, and the air itself seemed to explode as the orb collided with CP0.
The impact was cataclysmic. CP0's body was sent hurtling backward, flying several feet before slamming into the ground with earth-shattering force. But the attack didn't stop there. The orb didn't simply strike him—it entered his body, its destructive energy coursing through his very being.
Inside CP0, the orb began to tear him apart from within. Every cell, every force that kept him standing, was systematically destroyed. His once-mighty form trembled and contorted as the orb's energy consumed him.
And then, it happened.
An otherworldly explosion erupted, a shockwave so powerful that the entire planet trembled. The ground cracked and split open, massive chasms forming as the explosion spread outward. The very balance of the planet seemed to shift, the air thick with smoke and ash. For a brief moment, it was as if the earth itself had turned upside down.
Amid the destruction, the demon stood tall, untouched by the chaos it had unleashed. Its glowing eyes narrowed as it looked at the ruined form of CP0, its expression twisting into one of cold disgust.
"Pathetic," the demon spat, its voice dripping with disdain. "You dared stain my hands with your existence? Filth."
It stepped forward, its movements slow and deliberate, as if savoring the moment. The battlefield around it was nothing but ruin, a testament to its overwhelming power.
Amidst the chaos and destruction, Broken moved silently through the battlefield's wreckage, his sharp, calculating eyes focused on his targets. The air was thick with smoke and ash, the earth trembling from the aftershocks of the demon's power. Yet, Broken slipped through unnoticed, his movements precise and deliberate.
In the shadows, Broken had engaged Rex in a fierce battle. Despite Rex's attempts to fight back, his cube abilities were no match for Broken's relentless assault. Broken's sound-based attacks disoriented Rex, leaving him vulnerable. With one final, devastating blow, Broken subdued Rex, binding him tightly in energy restraints. Amy and Aria, who had desperately tried to intervene, were not spared. Broken eliminated them without hesitation, their bodies lifeless amidst the rubble.
As the dust settled, Broken emerged into the open, dragging the captured Rex.His calm, eerie smile contrasted with the destruction surrounding him. He stopped a short distance from the demon, who was slowly approaching CP0's obliterated form.
Broken clapped his hands , the sound cutting through the silence. "Bravo," he said, his tone dripping with amusement. "Such dramatic power. Truly, you are a spectacle."
The demon stopped in its tracks, turning its head slowly to face Broken. Its hollow eyes glinted, but there was no anger—only disinterest. "You dare interrupt me?" the demon said coldly, its voice reverberating like a growl. "Speak quickly, before I decide to erase you."
Broken smirked, unfazed by the demon's threat. "Relax," he said, holding up his hands as if in surrender. "I'm not here to fight you. I simply came to collect what's mine." He gestured to CP0's remains and the captured Rex. "Besides, you don't seem to care about these things."
The demon glanced at the lifeless forms of Amy and Aria, then at Rex's restrained figure. There was no flicker of emotion, no sign of concern. "You're right," the demon said with a shrug, its voice cold and detached. "My bargain was to eliminate CP0. What you do is none of my concern."
Broken smiled wider, his satisfaction evident. "I knew you'd see it my way." Without wasting another moment, he opened a swirling portal, dragging Rex and the shattered remnants of CP0 through it. On the other side, the dark halls of the factory awaited, where Dr. Rend stood at the portal gate, his expression a mix of curiosity and urgency.
Dr. Rend's gaze darted to Broken, then to the remains of CP0. "Five death counts registered," he muttered to himself, his voice sharp. "CP0… a failure." He glanced at Rex, bound and unconscious, and a faint smirk crossed his face. "Interesting. We'll put him to good use."
Back on the battlefield, the demon loomed over Jon's lifeless body, its shadowy form writhing with malice. It crouched down, studying the faint glow of the compass that still hovered above Jon's chest. Its burning eyes narrowed as it reached out a clawed hand.
"Time magic," the demon muttered, its tone filled with disdain. "A clever little trick for a mortal… but nothing I can't bend to my will."
The demon's fingers curled around the compass, its touch sending ripples of dark energy through the artifact. The compass pulsed in response, resisting the demon's grasp. The demon growled, its grin fading into a snarl.
"Do not defy me," it hissed, pouring more of its power into the compass. The glow of the artifact flickered, but instead of succumbing, it surged with blinding light. The energy shot back against the demon, searing through the shadows with an intensity that forced it to recoil.
The demon let out a roar of frustration, its form flickering as the compass's light grew brighter and brighter. The ground trembled as the artifact's energy enveloped Jin's body, forcing the demon's presence to retreat.
"No!" the demon bellowed, its voice echoing through Jin's subconscious. "This was your plan all along, wasn't it, Jon?" The demon's tone shifted, filled with both rage and reluctant admiration. "You knew you'd fail… and this… this was your last gambit, But it Matters Not."
The compass pulsed one final time, its light piercing through the void of Jin's subconscious. The demon was pulled back, forced into the depths of Jin's mind, its roars fading into a simmering growl.
Jin's body slumped to the ground, motionless for a moment. His breathing was ragged as he slowly opened his eyes, his vision blurred but clearing. He could feel the faint, lingering presence of the demon in the back of his mind, its anger like a storm pressing against a sealed door.
"You think this is over?" the demon's voice echoed faintly in his mind, cold and simmering. "Jon outsmarted me this time… but you can't keep me caged forever, boy. I'll be waiting."
Jin sat up, his hand clutching the compass tightly. His gaze moved to Jon's lifeless body, his heart heavy with the weight of what had happened. Jon's final act, his sacrifice, had saved Jin from the demon's full control—but at a cost. Jin's fists clenched, his resolve hardening.
"Thank you, Jon," he muttered under his breath, his voice filled with both grief and determination. "I won't let it be in vain."
An encrypted message was passed to Jin via The Time compass from Jon