As the unrest simmered in the chaotic streets of Chernobog, a lone figure observed the turmoil from a distant rooftop. Cloaked in the shadows of dusk, the unseen observer's sharp gaze followed the movements of the key players-the relentless Reunion forces, the steadfast operatives of Rhodes Island, and the hapless civilians caught in between. From this vantage point, they could see it all-the spiraling conflict that threatened to engulf the city.
The cityscape below was a grim tapestry of destruction. Twisted buildings groaned under the weight of the conflict, their skeletal frames buckling as fire and smoke painted the skyline. In the heart of this chaos, a small group moved stealthily into an abandoned structure-a brief reprieve for Rhodes Island's squad. Amiya, her brows furrowed with a mixture of determination and exhaustion, led her team inside. The weariness in her steps betrayed the toll of the day's battles.
Inside the building, the group settled into an uneasy stillness. Ace stood by the shattered window, his piercing eyes scanning the horizon. His presence was unshakable-a rock in the storm.
"Stay sharp," he murmured, his voice steady but firm. "Reunion won't let us rest for long."
"Let them come," Blaze retorted with a toothy grin, leaning her back against the wall. Her chainsaw rested beside her, the weapon as imposing as the woman who wielded it. "I've still got plenty of fight left in me."
"Don't let your bravado get the better of you," Ace countered, though his tone carried a faint smile.
Amiya glanced between them, offering a quiet reassurance. "Let's focus on regrouping. We can't afford to make mistakes now."
The tension among the group was palpable, but it was nothing compared to the storm brewing outside.
Further away, the Reunion forces gathered with ominous intent. Their sheer numbers were enough to make even seasoned fighters hesitate. At the forefront stood Tallulah, her fiery presence commanding the chaos around her. Her voice echoed as she barked orders, her crimson cloak billowing in the wind. Behind her, a cadre of Reunion's fiercest fighters stood ready, their eyes gleaming with fanatic purpose.
The observer's gaze shifted once more, drawn to a faint but growing sound-a low siren, wailing across the city like a harbinger of doom. It began softly, almost a whisper against the wind, but soon swelled into an unrelenting howl that consumed the air.
The observer stiffened. That sound was unmistakable: the Catastrophe was imminent.
"One hour," they muttered under their breath, the words lost to the howling winds.
For the people of Chernobog, the siren was a harrowing countdown. Civilians scrambled for safety, their fear etched in every hurried step. Even Reunion fighters paused, their fervor dampened by the ominous signal. The streets echoed with cries of panic and confusion as the city braced for the disaster that would soon strike.
In the distance, Ace's expression hardened as the siren reached their ears. "The Catastrophe," he said, his voice heavy with grim certainty. "It's coming."
Blaze's usual confidence faltered for a moment, her grin replaced by a steely resolve. "Guess we'll be fighting Mother Nature this time, huh?"
Amiya tightened her grip on her staff, her thoughts racing. "We need to move. Staying here will only make us sitting ducks when it hits."
Ace nodded, already assessing their options. "Blaze, scout ahead. We'll regroup once you find a safer path."
"Got it." Blaze hefted her weapon, her fiery enthusiasm rekindled. "Don't take too long, or I'm dragging you all out myself."
The observer watched as the Rhodes Island team began their retreat, their cohesion and determination a stark contrast to the chaos that engulfed the city. Below, the Reunion forces regrouped, their focus shifting as Tallulah barked new orders. And above it all, the siren's wail persisted-a chilling reminder of the Catastrophe's impending arrival.
The city seemed to hold its breath, the fragile balance teetering on the edge of collapse. Chernobog's fate was a thread stretched thin, and with every passing second, that thread frayed further.
And through it all, the lone figure on the rooftop remained, their silhouette unwavering against the crimson-hued sky. They had seen countless battles, endured countless disasters, but even they could not predict how this storm would end.
Meanwhile, in a Different Part of the City
The wails of the Catastrophe sirens echoed faintly through the broken alleys of Chernobog, but to Xian, they were just another noise amidst the chaos. He hadn't stopped to consider what the sound meant. His mind was too consumed by frustration, pain, and the sheer absurdity of the situation he had found himself in.
He trudged through the rubble-strewn streets, his footsteps heavy with exhaustion. Every step he took seemed to drag him further into despair, especially when he finally reached his destination-or what was left of it. His shop, the small corner of this foreign world he had called home, was unrecognizable.
Charred beams jutted out of the ground like broken ribs, the skeletal remains of a structure that once stood proudly. The acrid smell of burnt wood and melted metal still lingered in the air, stinging his nose. Xian froze, his gaze fixed on the destruction before him. His heart sank.
"Damn it!" he yelled, his voice cracking under the weight of his emotions. He kicked a piece of debris away, sending it tumbling into the ashes. "I've been through hell to get here, and now... now it's all gone. Everything!"
The words felt hollow as they echoed off the ruins. Xian ran a hand through his disheveled hair, his thoughts spiraling. The memories of long nights spent tinkering in the shop, of building something from nothing in a world that wasn't his, came rushing back. And now, it was all reduced to rubble.
He clenched his fists, his body trembling with frustration. "The system helped me fight, sure... but it can't rebuild this. It can't bring back what I lost."
Xian's mind raced, sifting through the haze of anger and grief. Then, a thought struck him. His gaze snapped upward to the elevated sections of the city, where the intact parts of his shop might still be.
"Wait... There's got to be something left up there," he muttered, a flicker of determination reigniting in his chest. "I'll climb if I have to. Yeah, climbing's easy, right?"
He surveyed his surroundings, looking for anything to help him scale the crumbling wall that separated him from what he hoped was still salvageable. His eyes fell on the pistol he'd been clutching-the same one that had saved his life against the Reunion forces.
An idea clicked into place.
"What if I turn this thing... into a grappling hook?" he mused aloud, though his tone was laced with doubt. The notion sounded absurd, even to him, but desperate times called for desperate measures.
He held the gun up, examining it with a mix of hope and skepticism. "Alright, system," he muttered, focusing intently on the weapon. "You've done weirder things before. Don't let me down now."
The seconds stretched into an eternity as he concentrated, imagining the gun morphing into the tool he needed. He envisioned a sturdy grappling hook, one capable of carrying his weight and reeling him up effortlessly.
Nothing happened.
Xian groaned in frustration, tapping the gun's side as if that would help. "Come on, system! Don't leave me hanging here!"
He tried again, this time closing his eyes and gripping the weapon tightly. The image of the grappling hook burned in his mind-a sleek, durable device, with a retractable line and a hook strong enough to latch onto anything.
This time, when he pulled the trigger, there was a loud click!
A flash of blue light burst from the gun, and Xian instinctively shielded his eyes. When the light dimmed, he lowered his arm and stared in awe at the transformation. His pistol was gone, replaced by a sleek, futuristic device. The metallic sheen of its surface gleamed under the dim light, and a retractable line coiled neatly inside its casing. At the tip, a sharp, durable hook rested, ready to be deployed.
Xian let out a disbelieving laugh. "Now that's what I'm talking about!"
Testing the weight of the device in his hand, he felt a surge of confidence. Without hesitation, he aimed the grappling hook at a sturdy beam protruding from the wall above. His finger hovered over the trigger for a moment before he squeezed it.
With a sharp thwip!, the hook shot out, its line trailing behind. It struck true, embedding itself securely into the beam. Xian tugged the line to ensure it was stable.
"Alright," he said with a wry grin, securing the line around his wrist. "Time to climb."
As he ascended, the sound of sirens grew louder, mingling with the distant roars of battle and the ever-present hum of destruction. But Xian's focus remained sharp. With every pull of the line, he drew closer to the remnants of his shop-and the faint hope that something of his old life could still be salvaged.
As Xian began climbing, the ache in his muscles worsened with every pull of the grappling hook. He gritted his teeth, fighting against his body's protests as he scaled the side of the crumbling wall. With each movement, his limbs screamed in exhaustion from the earlier battle with the Reunion forces. His muscles felt like they were made of lead, and every breath was heavier than the last.
"Why the hell am I doing this again?" Xian muttered aloud, struggling to haul himself upward. "I should've just grabbed some food, hidden out for a bit, and called it a day. But no, I had to go and get involved in all this... stupid nonsense."
He grumbled again, one hand grasping the rope as his feet found purchase on the jagged surface of the wall. A sharp, painful cramp shot through his right leg, but he shoved it aside, pulling himself up yet again. "I mean, honestly, I could be eating some decent food right now... maybe some grilled meat or whatever passes for food around here. Instead, I'm climbing the damn walls of a crumbling city just to pick through the remains of my burned-down shop. Fantastic."
Despite the exhaustion that crept up on him, he couldn't help but crack a wry smile. The sarcasm was his way of coping with the overwhelming frustration. It wasn't like he had much of a choice now. The city was in turmoil, and everything he'd fought for up until this point had either fallen apart or was at risk of being wiped out. Yet here he was, climbing a wall, still hoping for a shred of something to salvage.
"Yeah, because that's totally a rational decision," Xian muttered, the sarcasm dripping from his words. He glanced downward at the distant ground, seeing how small everything seemed now. "What am I doing? It's not like there's some treasure up there waiting for me. If anything, all I'm gonna find is more wreckage, a few more useless tools, and probably some rats fighting over the remains of my coffee maker."
Despite his grumbling, Xian couldn't help but admire the absurdity of it all. The whole situation had somehow become laughable to him, a bizarre mix of tragic and comic. And yet, deep down, he knew that this was just part of the life he had found himself living on Terra. A life that didn't come with clear answers or easy paths, but one where every day felt like a gamble.
"Yeah, this is the life I signed up for. Nothing like being chased around by maniacs, watching your home burn, and hoping some random scrap of a shop is still standing... What a joke," he continued, shaking his head. He reached another ledge and hoisted himself up, eyes briefly drifting across the horizon.
His thoughts, however, couldn't stray too far for too long. As he continued to climb, memories of the battle with the Reunion forces resurfaced, the adrenaline still lingering in his veins. The moments where he'd relied on the Information-Originium Convergence System, the way it had fueled him in ways he couldn't fully comprehend. He had barely made it out alive, and now, here he was, climbing a wall like a madman to save what little was left.
I should've just walked away, he thought, bitterly. But no, I always have to keep pushing, always have to keep trying... even when I'm not sure why anymore.
His self-deprecating thoughts lingered in the air like smoke, but they were cut short by the sudden shift in the environment. As Xian neared the top, his eyes caught a flicker of something far off in the distance. A low rumble reverberated through the air, sending a subtle tremor down his spine.
He hauled himself up one last time and, with a grunt, pulled his body over the edge of the wall, landing hard on the surface. He knelt for a moment, catching his breath, and then slowly rose to his feet. His gaze drifted out over the city, and the view took his breath away.
The streets of Chernobog were alive with movement. People scrambled to escape the chaos, some running, others fighting back in desperation, and a few simply stumbling, dazed and unsure. The air was thick with the acrid stench of smoke, and the sky above was choked with the dark, swirling clouds of destruction. Ruins stretched out before him like an apocalyptic painting-buildings crumbling, fires raging, and the world around him breaking apart.
But what caught Xian's attention was the massive shadow looming over the city. It was something dark, unnatural-a presence that hung in the sky like a curse, blotting out the sun and casting a chill over the land. His heart skipped a beat as the realization hit him.
No... it's happening.
The Catastrophe. The thing he had only heard whispers about-the event that had been the subject of hushed rumors, of warnings, of dread. It was here.
Xian's breath caught in his throat as he stared, wide-eyed, at the shadow that loomed over Chernobog. He could feel the oppressive weight of it in the air, a dark harbinger that made his skin crawl. The sirens blared louder, a shrill wail that cut through the chaos and threatened to tear apart what was left of the city's fragile hope. There was no escaping it now. It was happening.
The destruction, the devastation-it was all coming. The countdown had begun.
Xian's mind raced. He could feel the tremors of fear gnawing at his resolve, but something deep within him stirred. It wasn't just fear-no, it was something else. His jaw tightened, and his hand instinctively went to the gun that had transformed into a grappling hook. The familiar weight of the device gave him a strange sense of reassurance.
Chernobog might be on the brink of its end, Xian thought, his eyes hardening with resolve. But I'm not going down without a fight. Not this time. Not today.
The city was falling apart around him, but Xian was done running. He had survived this long, and he wasn't about to give up now. The thought of sitting back and letting the city crumble without even attempting to fight back was unbearable.
The world around him might be unraveling, but Xian was done waiting for the inevitable. If this city was going to fall, he was damn well going to make sure it didn't go down without a fight.
He clenched his fist and prepared himself for whatever was to come.
Chernobog's skies had darkened completely, casting a shadow over the city that felt as though the very heavens themselves were collapsing. The air was charged with an unnatural tension, crackling with energy, as though the atmosphere had reached its breaking point. The ground beneath Xian's feet trembled, a low rumble that vibrated through the walls and made the stones beneath his boots feel unstable. It was as if the very earth itself were recoiling in fear from the incoming Catastrophe.
Massive shards of originium-laden meteors rained from the sky, their trajectories sharp and unrelenting. Each meteor slammed into buildings with deafening force, the sound reverberating through the city like thunder breaking the sky. The ground shook violently with each impact, sending shockwaves that rippled outward, knocking over carts, crushing vehicles, and splintering wooden structures. The meteors exploded on contact, showering the streets with a storm of jagged debris that spiraled into the air like deadly confetti.
Each explosion was a violent eruption of light and power, the originium within the meteors glowing with an eerie, otherworldly luminescence that turned the skies into a kaleidoscope of fire and destruction. The flames tore through the city, licking at buildings, searing through anything that dared to stand in their path. Everywhere Xian looked, the city was being torn apart, consumed by the catastrophic storm that had descended upon it.
Fierce, gale-force winds howled through the streets, their sound like a roaring beast that had been awakened. The wind tore through the buildings, ripping away loose debris, sending windows shattering into the streets, and uprooting anything not secured to the ground. It howled down narrow alleys and over the rooftops, carrying with it the scent of burning wood, smoke, and the unmistakable tang of blood. People screamed, their voices lost in the wind, as they scrambled for shelter or tried to flee the inevitable destruction.
On top of the towering city wall, Xian stood against the storm, his body swaying with each gust of wind. His hair whipped around his face, and his coat fluttered wildly as if it had a mind of its own. He gripped his transformed grappling gun tightly, the metal slick with his sweat as he held it steady. His eyes burned with determination, despite the terror swirling inside him. There was no time to be afraid-not now. Not when the city was crumbling and his only option was to face the storm head-on.
"What the hell am I even doing up here?" Xian muttered to himself, his voice barely audible over the roar of the wind. His golden eyes scanned the horizon, narrowing as he took in the chaos unfolding before him. The meteors falling around him glowed with deadly light, their destructive potential too immense to fully grasp. Every time one hit the ground, the shockwave rattled his bones. His heart pounded in his chest, a constant reminder of the danger closing in. "I should be running. Anyone with half a brain would be running. But no, here I am... thinking I can absorb this disaster like a lunatic."
He could feel the weight of his own thoughts bearing down on him, the absurdity of the situation sinking in. What am I even doing? His grip on the gun tightened as a meteor crashed just a few streets away, the explosion throwing him off balance. The air was thick with ash, and the heat from the fires reached up to scorch his skin.
He had toyed with the idea of absorbing the Catastrophe's abundant originium energy. With his system, he believed he could potentially harness that power, fuel his abilities, and maybe-even just maybe-make it through this alive. But the more he thought about it, the more insane the idea seemed.
The Catastrophe wasn't just some localized storm-it was a cataclysmic force, a disaster of unimaginable scale. Even seasoned casters, those powerful individuals who wielded originium in ways Xian could only dream of, struggled to withstand its intensity. He had seen them fall, burned out by their attempts to channel so much raw energy. Absorbing that much would likely tear him apart, body and soul.
Stop being an idiot, Xian, he told himself. This is not something you can just absorb. You don't have the luxury of playing around with forces this big.
Frustration bubbled inside him, his fists clenching as he cursed under his breath. "Dammit, I need a way out of here. Lungmen... Lungmen's my best shot. I can make it out there. I just need to survive long enough."
He turned, intent on searching for a way to escape-perhaps a route that would lead him away from the devastation, a path toward Lungmen where safety might be within reach. But then-
A sudden burst of intense fire in the distance caught his attention.
"What... the hell is that?" His eyes widened as he saw a massive column of flames erupt from the left side of his view. The fire wasn't natural-it burned with a precision and intensity that could only come from something far more controlled. It spread rapidly, tearing through the buildings in a way that spoke to purpose, not chaos. Xian's curiosity, already piqued by the madness around him, intensified. He couldn't make out the source of the fire from this distance, but he had to know.
Instinctively, he reached for his gun, attempting to transform it into a binocular-like scope, but no change came. His brows furrowed in irritation. "Figures... it's not that easy." He cursed under his breath, wishing for once that the system would work as smoothly as it was supposed to. But as he adjusted the gun, he realized it wasn't the tool itself that was the problem-it was his own lack of preparation.
He frowned, deep in thought, his mind racing for a solution. Then, as if a lightbulb went off in his head, it hit him. He needed something to focus the gun's capabilities. Something that could refine the output and allow him to see further into the distance.
Glass... I need glass, Xian muttered, his eyes darting over the area. His gaze landed on the shards of broken glass still embedded in his arms from the earlier chaos. I can't believe I'm going to do this.
"This is crazy," he muttered to himself as he plucked one shard free from his arm, wincing in pain as it came loose. The shard of glass felt sharp and foreign against his skin, but he didn't hesitate. He didn't have time to hesitate. "But it just might work."
He imagined the glass fusing with the gun, visualizing the way the shard would integrate into the device, becoming part of it in a way that would enhance its function. The system pulsed in response, as if it understood his intent. A soft blue light enveloped the grappling gun, the shard of glass glowing faintly as it merged with the weapon, transforming it into a crude but functional scope.
"Alright... let's see what's going on," Xian whispered, his voice steady despite the storm that raged around him. He raised the scope to his eye, the wind howling in his ears as he adjusted the lens. At first, the view through it was blurry, distorted by the storm and the fires burning around the city. But after a few moments of adjustment, the image came into focus.
Through the scope, Xian saw the figure responsible for the fire-a towering individual clad in heavy armor, her presence almost overwhelming against the backdrop of flames. She wielded an enormous flame in her hand, a firestorm contained within her grasp. The sheer force of it radiated outward, an impossible heat that made Xian's blood run cold.
"T-Tallulah?" he muttered, his voice cracking as the realization hit him. His heart pounded in his chest. "So she's the one doing all this...?"
Xian's eyes were wide with disbelief as he tried to comprehend what he was seeing. Tallulah, the leader of the Reunion, was here-at the heart of Chernobog's destruction. She was more powerful than he had imagined. And from the look of things, she wasn't done yet.
Near the heart of Chernobog, Amiya and her team had regrouped with Ace and the others. They stood at a makeshift defensive line, facing down Tallulah and a massive force of Reunion soldiers. The tension between the two sides was palpable.
Tallulah stepped forward, her eyes burning with a fierce intensity. "You should have left when you had the chance," she said, her voice calm yet filled with menace.
Amiya stood firm. "We won't let you destroy everything. There are still innocent lives here!"
Tallulah scoffed. "Innocent? There are no innocents in a system that oppresses the infected." Without warning, she raised her hand, conjuring a massive surge of fire, and launched it toward Amiya's group.
Amiya reacted instantly, erecting a barrier of blue energy that absorbed most of the blast, though the force sent her team staggering backward.
Ace shouted, "Get ready for another-"
But before he could finish, a blinding blue blast streaked across the battlefield.
Xian had transformed his gun further, pushing his ingenuity to the limit, inspired by a design he vaguely remembered from a certain anime. The barrel had elongated, its sleek, almost futuristic shape giving it an otherworldly appearance. It glowed with a faint blue light, like a distant star pulsing with energy. The energy coursing through it was immense-he could feel the power thrumming in his hands, a dangerous, almost tangible force that threatened to overwhelm him. But the recoil, the force that would unleash when the shot was fired, would be brutal. He could already feel his arms trembling at the thought.
The wind howled around him, tugging at his clothes, pulling at his hair as if the storm itself was trying to drag him away. The meteors continued their descent, lighting up the chaos around him in bursts of fiery destruction. Despite the madness, Xian kept his focus on the task at hand.
He took a deep breath, steadying his shaking hands. "I've got to weaken it just enough... don't want to hit Amiya and the others." His voice was barely audible, carried away by the wind, but he repeated the words to himself, each syllable grounding him in the moment. He adjusted the power setting on the gun, careful not to set it too high. He needed precision-an exact hit that wouldn't send him crashing through the walls of the city or incinerate everything in its path.
His stomach growled loudly, a rumble that echoed in the dead space between explosions. Xian froze, momentarily embarrassed. "Seriously? Now?" he muttered under his breath, the sound of his hunger almost comical in the midst of the destruction around him. Of course I get hungry now, he thought bitterly. You're in the middle of a battle, and your body decides it's time for lunch.
He pushed the sensation aside, letting it fade into the background. Hunger had no place in this moment-he was too focused on the task at hand. Ignoring the pangs in his stomach, Xian steadied himself, both physically and mentally, as he aimed at Tallulah, who stood at the heart of the chaos. His hands were shaking, not just from the energy flowing through him but from the sheer strain of it all. His body was screaming for rest, his mind reeling from the cost of using so much power. But he pushed through the pain, willing himself to stay calm.
"Just one shot," he whispered, as though speaking the words aloud would somehow make it true. "Make it count."
He took another deep breath, focused through the ache, and pulled the trigger.
A powerful, concentrated beam of blue energy erupted from the barrel of the gun, cutting through the raging storm with a crackling hum. The shot sliced through the air like a bolt of lightning, a streak of pure force in a world already torn apart by chaos. The beam slammed into Tallulah with a force that made the ground beneath Xian tremble. She staggered, her body recoiling from the blow, but she raised her shield of flames in an instant, a massive wall of fire that absorbed some of the energy. The rest of the blast, however, still hit its mark. It pushed her back, sending shockwaves through her nearby allies, forcing them to retreat.
The air around Tallulah shimmered with heat as her flames flickered in resistance, but even she seemed momentarily stunned by the raw power of the shot. Her expression darkened, her focus shifting toward the source of the attack. Xian's heart pounded in his chest, but he couldn't let up now. He was running on fumes-his energy, his resolve-everything was drained from the shot. But the mission was far from over.
In that instant, Ace saw the opportunity and yelled, "Move now!"
"Move!" he screamed again, his voice cutting through the roaring wind like a command that couldn't be ignored.
Without hesitation, Ace and the others sprang into action, running toward the extraction point with a speed fueled by desperation. The city was collapsing around them, its walls crumbling as meteors continued to crash into it, each impact more violent than the last. They had no time to waste. They had only seconds before Reunion would recover, before Tallulah would unleash her fury upon them all.
Xian watched from his perch on the wall, the exhaustion threatening to drag him under. His vision blurred, his senses overloaded from the immense strain of his sniper shot. He'd done it. He'd hit Tallulah. He'd disrupted her, slowed her down, but the cost was high. Every muscle in his body screamed in protest. His vision darkened at the edges, his breath coming in ragged gasps as he stumbled backward, the world tilting around him.
"I... did it..." he whispered, though the words felt distant, muffled by the pounding of his heart in his ears.
But his victory was short-lived.
As Xian glanced back toward the city, his breath caught in his throat. What he saw froze him in place. The Catastrophe was no longer just a distant threat-it had arrived in full force. Meteors were falling faster now, streaking across the sky like comets of doom, their tails of fire lighting up the darkened heavens. The winds, already powerful enough to tear through the city, had intensified to an unimaginable level. Chernobog was falling apart, its towering structures shaking and crumbling under the onslaught.