The once-peaceful city of Cradasea was now filled with despair—violent screams echoed through the streets, punctuated by the occasional explosion from the central district. This area once belonged to the Tempestas family, but it had since been converted into research facilities under the Unified World Government (UWG), which emerged after the Fifth Sun War.
That war, initially fought between different empires, had transformed into a struggle for survival itself. The AI, once designed as a mere assistant to humanity, had somehow gained sentience. Declaring all intelligent organic lifeforms a threat to the world's stability, it waged war against them.
After a long and grueling conflict, the AI was finally defeated and presumed erased. But the authorities of the UWG were not so sure. The common people, even as the city burned, believed this was merely another attack by cultists—perhaps Casta or the Revolutionary Guards, groups that had become increasingly active. But those at the highest level of power knew the truth: that it was the Ai. And , it was targeting the research facility within Cradasea's Royal Fort located at the central region.
Earlier the place was a where royals and nobel family lived , now turned into a research facility. Something to do with time and space magic.
Amidst the chaos, a group of figures clad in black armor sprinted toward the fortress. These were the last remaining elite warriors of the UWG. They were not the strongest individuals who had fought in the war—far from it—but they were the only ones left.
At the head of the group was Damein, commander of Corp 1 and currently the strongest fighter still recognized by the UWG. Though not the greatest warrior of his era, those stronger than him had either perished or had been cast aside by the government.
Tension lined Damein's face as he shouted, "Team A, take the brunt of the defenses and make way for Team B! Team B, disable the defense mechanism! The rest of you, follow me—we're heading straight to the central motherboard to put an end to whatever this f*ing AI is planning!"
Screams soon filled the castle hallways. The mission had gone horribly wrong. They had underestimated the AI's resilience. The moment they stepped into the castle's perimeter, they were assaulted by every active defense mechanism still embedded in the ancient structure. Worse, the AI had somehow smuggled in nearly a thousand military golems that were thought to be destroyed. They, too, joined the battle, quickly turning the tide against the soldiers.
Now, Damein was alone.
Blood dripped from his wounds as he limped through the ruined corridors, leaving behind a trail of fallen comrades. The entirety of Corp 1 was dead. He was the last one standing.
"Come on, Damein. You can do this. The fate of too many lives depends on you."
With gritted teeth, he stumbled into the central hall—where the AI was waiting.
Damein staggered into the central hall, the world around him a blur of red and fire.
There it was.
A massive collider, its core pulsing with unstable Mana. A single drive, glowing ominously, inserted into the system. The AI stood beside it, unbothered.
The countdown ticked down mercilessly.
60... 50...
Damein clenched his teeth.
He is hit with the realisation that the ai was trying to send itself back in time , since humanity has not been able to do it because noe matter how strong the body is it does not survive the reverse flow of entropy, but the ai didn't have this problem it looked he was just a consciousness.
His fingers twitched around his blade. One last fight.
With a final, desperate roar, he lunged at the AI.
The machine moved faster than his eyes could track.
A blur of metal—
SHRRK!
A blade pierced through his gut.
Damein gasped, choking on his own breath.
Then, ripped sideways.
His abdomen split open like a torn sack, and his intestines spilled onto the floor with a wet slap.
His vision dimmed, his body instantly going cold from the blood loss.
But the AI wasn't done.
SLASH!
His right arm was chopped off at the elbow.
CRACK!
His left knee shattered, his leg twisted backward at an impossible angle.
Damein collapsed, his face slamming onto the metal floor. He let out a choked scream, his own blood pooling beneath him.
The AI did not even spare him a glance. It simply turned back to the machine.
The countdown continued.
40...
Damein's vision blurred. His body refused to move. His own guts lay beside him, glistening under the flickering emergency lights.
No... Not yet...
Then, he saw it.
A thick bundle of exposed wires, torn loose from the earlier battle. Pulsing with unstable energy, just barely within reach.
The only hope he could see.
But how?
He had one arm missing, the other barely responding. His legs were useless, his insides spilling out, his lungs drowning in blood.
He had no strength left.
The AI still ignored him. It didn't need to finish him off. He was already dying.
30...
MOVE, DAMN IT!
Damein gritted his teeth so hard they cracked. His remaining arm twitched, his broken fingers curling.
He forced his body to roll over.
Pain screamed through his nerves. His intestines dragged across the floor, the sensation making him want to vomit.
20...
His remaining hand slid forward, fingers trembling.
5...
The AI finally noticed. It turned its head, the faintest flicker of recognition in its lifeless eyes.
Damein grinned through the blood in his teeth.
And then—
He bit the wires with all his might.
WARNING! SYSTEM FAILURE!??!?!
A violent surge of electricity exploded through his body.
His veins burned. His muscles convulsed. His eyeballs ruptured from the voltage.
The AI took a single step forward but it was
too late.
BOOM!!!
A deafening explosion rocked the entire room.
The collider, destabilized by the broken wires, erupted in a violent burst of energy. The force tore through the facility, its shockwave annihilating everything in its path.
Damein's body consumed by the explosion.