Crypta—a shining symbol of human resilience and stubborn refusal to quit. It's a fortress city, bustling with life and shimmering skyscrapers, but beneath its gleaming surface, there's a lot more going on than most people realize.
Take the building in front of me. It looks like your average government office: three stories, plain, unimpressive, the type of place where a strict dress code meets endless paperwork. But if you were to look below ground, things would get a whole lot more interesting. Beneath that mundane exterior, there's a hundred-meter-deep labyrinth of underground offices, secret labs, and war rooms. Welcome to the Crypta Warfare Department—a name so official it practically wears a tie.
Since the Doomsday Cataclysm hit, the world changed drastically. Monsters appeared from nowhere, cities fell overnight, and people got creative with job titles. "Doom-Breaker" started patrolling the streets, cities became fortresses, and governments had to give up huge swathes of territory, retreating to areas they could actually defend. The Darkhaven Imperium, despite its might, was no exception: abandon most of the land, defend what's left, and pray the monsters stay out.
In the end, the Darkhaven Imperium made a bold move. They constructed twelve fortress cities, pouring centuries of labor, resources, and sheer determination into turning wastelands into strongholds. Crypta is one of them—a city built to take whatever the monsters can throw at it, with walls thick enough to survive just about anything short of the apocalypse 2.0.
Here, the Warfare Department stays busy in its underground hive. They're testing weapons, training fighters, and constantly cooking up new strategies to keep the monsters at bay. You'd almost feel safer... if the stakes weren't so high. But humor aside, it's a place that never rests—quietly arming the city's defenders, always watching, always ready. While above ground, life carries on, blissfully unaware of the looming threats.
This is the last cradle of the Darkhaven Imperium's civilization. One slip-up, and everything could come crashing down. The pressure is real.
The Warfare Department is officially a Doom-Breaker combat organization set up by the Imperium. Its stated goal? To resist monster invasions and protect the Darkhaven Imperium's legacy.
But the truth? The real story is a little more sinister. Beneath all the Noble rhetoric, the Warfare Department is quietly building a war machine—one designed not just to fight monsters, but the Doom-Breakers themselves. The legendary warriors entrusted with humanity's survival against the most dangerous threats.
Because when you're the last empire standing, you don't just defend your borders—you always think three steps ahead. And that means preparing for the most dangerous warriors that walk the land.
Funny how humans tend to forget the pain once the wound heals. It's almost like we've forgotten the price of survival.
During the first hundred years of the terror resurgence, there was some semblance of unity—nations looked out for one another, grudges forgotten in the face of annihilation. But then came the rise of the Doom-Breakers, and suddenly, the old alliances—and old wounds—resurfaced. It's not the Alienor we need to fear the most anymore. It's the people behind the masks.
The meeting room for the Crypta Warfare Department is located on the third underground floor. No windows, no distractions—just cold, hard strategy. It's here that the future of the Imperium is decided, and the next move is always a well-kept secret.
---
In the conference room, a middle-aged man with sunglasses casually puffed on a cigar, looking entirely unfazed by the room full of stern-faced high-ranking officers from the Warfare Department.
He was Alexander, the Doom-Breaker who had thwarted the Hell Queen's attack at the test site and, in the process, saved Adam.
"How many times do I have to tell you old-timers this?!"
Alexander blew a cloud of smoke, the thick haze adding a dramatic touch to his words. "I seriously injured that SSR-level Alienor. Sure, she escaped, but there's absolutely no chance she's making it out alive!"
Adjusting his sunglasses with a smirk, he continued, "As for why the monsters suddenly decided to crash the test square—beats me! You think I'm some kind of psychic?"
The room was silent except for the quiet hum of the air conditioning. The dim light reflected off the faces of the Warfare Department's higher-ups, making them look as if they hadn't seen daylight in weeks, their brows furrowed in frustration.
"Alexander, watch your tone!"
An old man at the table stood up, his voice trembling with a mix of anger and authority. "This is a special hearing to address your gross dereliction of duty!"
"We have every right to interrogate you and investigate your actions!"
Alexander chuckled, taking another drag of his cigar. "Interrogation and investigation, huh? Maybe you should spend less time chasing your own tails and more time doing something useful."
The old man was about to explode, but the words caught in his throat. He clenched his fists, looking ready to shout—but Alexander had already won the verbal battle.
"That's enough," Alexander said, cutting through the tension. He stood up, casually tossing the cigar into an ashtray. "I've explained everything there is to explain. Whether you believe me or not? That's your problem."
With a final glance over his shoulder, Alexander turned toward the door.
"And as for how the monster horde managed to bypass the city defenses and invade the main city... maybe you should leave that to the Intelligence Department, yeah?" He gave a small shrug, clearly amused. "After all, my Doomsteed are only good at front-line fighting, while theirs are more into sniffing around like well-trained dogs."
After saying that, Alexander casually walked toward the door of the meeting room, as if the entire room could just vanish around him. His hands stayed comfortably in his trouser pockets, while a wooden arm emerged from the void, swinging the door open with a deliberate slowness.
The room stayed still, the air thick with tension, until Alexander strolled out without a second glance.
"Too arrogant!"
The old man from before slammed his fist onto the table with a thud, causing the surface to tremble. His face flushed red with fury.
"Forget it, Levi."
The other man, a bit older, let out a weary sigh. With a tired smile, he patted Levi's shoulder in an attempt to calm the storm. "He's the top fighter in Crypta, one of the legends who took down the Chosen Son of the Oceanic Federation. It's not surprising he's got a bit of a swagger."
Levi grumbled, clearly not convinced by the reasoning, but the other man pressed on, his tone taking a slightly more pragmatic turn. "But, you know, as much as I want to wring his neck, he's right about one thing. Figuring out how that monster wave bypassed the city's defenses? That's for the experts to deal with."
As one of the twelve fortress cities of the Darkhaven Imperium, Crypta's outer defenses are as sturdy as a well-built wall—impervious and unyielding.
So, the sudden appearance of a Monster tide in the testing square was downright strange.
The whole event had unfolded without warning, with small-scale monsters popping up as though they'd just fallen from the sky, completely bypassing the city's defenses. The sheer unpredictability of it all raised serious alarms.
"What you mean is..." Levi, the old man, arched a brow, his voice laced with suspicion.
The other man, in his sixties, nodded gravely. "We need to let the Intelligence Department handle the investigation. Their Doomsteed are more suited for this kind of covert work."
"It's the only way," Levi muttered, sinking back into his chair, exhausted.
The room fell into a heavy silence once again, the weight of the situation settling over them. The walls seemed to close in, each second adding to the tension. Everyone knew what needed to be done, but the path forward was far from clear.
Suddenly, the door to the conference room was thrust open with force.
A tall woman entered, her movements purposeful yet graceful. She was striking—her features sharp, her posture impeccable. Dressed in form-fitting attire that emphasized her professional yet alluring air, she carried herself with a quiet intensity. Her eyes, dark and piercing, locked onto the group as she moved swiftly toward Levi.
"City Lord Levi, we have a serious situation!"
Levi's eyes narrowed, clearly irritated. "What's the rush? We're in the middle of a meeting."
The woman paused, casting a brief, apologetic glance. Her lips curled into a small, almost imperceptible smile before she lowered her gaze in respect. "Apologies for the interruption, sir."
Her voice, smooth and steady, belied the urgency of the moment. "Please, listen carefully."
The sixty-year-old man, his interest piqued, gestured for her to continue. "What's happened?"
With a controlled exhale, the woman steadied herself before revealing the news. "Yesterday, just before the monster tide attacked the test area, an emergency signal was sent out. Unfortunately, the communication team didn't catch it in time due to the chaos of the invasion."
Levi's expression hardened, his curiosity flickering. "What did the message contain?"
Her gaze softened for a moment, and then she spoke, her voice low and commanding, as though carrying the weight of something momentous. "Among the testers from yesterday, there's one with the rare talent of Quantum Resonance."
"Wait, what?" The room fell into stunned silence, the air thick with disbelief. Levi, normally composed, shot to his feet, his sharp eyes scanning the woman as if searching for any hint of a lie.
The woman leaned in slightly, her presence magnetic as she delivered the final blow. "It's the Divine Martial Body... the legendary Divine Martial Body."
The words hung in the air like a spark in dry tinder. This was no small revelation—it was the kind of news that could reshape everything. The group of men sat in stunned silence, their eyes fixed on her, as the magnitude of the discovery began to sink in.
Quantum Resonance is a mystical and powerful talent that transcends the typical Quantum Force, shrouded in even deeper mystery.
Humans with the ability of Quantum Resonance are able to communicate and control Alienor in ways others cannot even comprehend.
Such individuals are often referred to as the "Divine Martial Body"—a rare, legendary class of warriors.
While ordinary Doom-Breakers can only control one Alienor at a time, using their talents to push these creatures to their limits, those who possess the Divine Martial Body can control multiple Alienor simultaneously.
It's like someone such as Alexander, who has mastered the extremes of Alienor capabilities, and yet, even he can only manage one at a time, regardless of his immense strength. He may command the freaks to the fullest, but that's still within the limits of a single beast's abilities.
In contrast, those with the Divine Martial Body can do far more. With the right training, they can command a battalion of armed freaks, coordinating their movements and abilities seamlessly in battle.
A truly gifted individual can face entire waves of monsters and win without breaking a sweat.
In this era, the Divine Martial Body stands as the pinnacle of human power—no one surpasses its potential. It is the ultimate expression of strength in a world that constantly tests the limits of humanity's survival.
In the entire Darkhaven Imperium, fewer than four individuals have the Divine Martial Body. And in Crypta? Not a single one.
"Where are they? Where's the person?" Levi asked, his voice thick with concern.
The woman's face turned a deep shade of red, clearly embarrassed. She shifted uncomfortably, stammering, "I... I'm not sure. After the beast tide hit, the test team lost contact. This was the last message they managed to send before everything went dark..."
"Damn it!"
Levi couldn't hold it in any longer. He slammed his fist on the table. "Evelyn, what kind of operation are you running here? I'm this close to firing everyone in your department! Get out of here and start rebuilding the damn city walls in the slums if you can't keep things under control!"
...