Danang pulled a cigarette pack from the disaster pouch, placed a cigarette in his mouth, and flicked open the lighter. Sparks danced as he spun the flint, igniting the blackened wick with a small flame. Bringing the cigarette tip to the fire, Danang stared at the glowing ember, exhaling a thin wisp of purple smoke before pressing his dizzy head against the elevator wall.

  He had no idea where the emergency escape elevator was headed or what lay at its destination. The low hum of the machinery echoed in the cramped, dark space, powered by minimal electricity. In the cold, silent darkness, Danang, ever vigilant, glanced at Eve, cradled in his arms.

  Her breathing was ragged, sweat pouring down her face like a waterfall. The girl, who had failed to hack the Earth Hologram and been repelled by its security, clutched her chest, writhing in agony within Danang’s embrace, her face twisted in pain.

  A countermeasure against invasive hacking, triggered by a robust offensive firewall... It was highly likely that Eve had been attacked by an electronic program designed to counter hackers or wizards handling information data. Those who used cybernetic prosthetics for visual hacking often had their brains or eyes burned out, suffering physical damage from security walls. Eve was likely enduring the same fate.

  “…”

  Silver wings enveloped her body, her pale skin appearing almost sickly white. Hackers whose brains were scorched by offensive firewalls, their nervous systems entirely fried, all met the same end: either writhing in agony until death or being left with a body incapable of ever handling data again. Though Eve’s body showed no visible wounds or changes, her nerves were likely shredded like threads, every slight movement sending waves of excruciating pain through her.

  “…Nephthys.”

  “Yes?”

  “Tell me about Eve’s condition.”

  “Lumina activity rate is approximately 70%. Sixty percent of Lumina’s resources are being allocated to neural and physical regeneration, as well as the repair of her body-mounted weaponry.”

  “And the remaining ten percent?”

  “Purpose unknown. It’s under the control of a third party.”

  “Who?”

  “Assistant Administrator Canaan. Connected to Administrator Eve via the Lumina local network. However, mutual communication is being rejected.”

  Canaan… The girl Eve referred to as her foolish little sister in Kamishiro’s message. If she was using the proprietary network built by Lumina’s bugs, their location might already be compromised. But if mutual communication was blocked, their position and status shouldn’t have been exposed—yet.

  Puffing out thick purple smoke and crushing the cigarette’s ember, Danang gripped the handle of his gun, tapping the barrel with his fingertips.

  If their movements were being tracked by Canaan and Kaas, he’d have to face a monstrously powerful opponent alone. Without Eve’s support, and with her in his arms, there was no guarantee Danang could survive a fight against them. Cold sweat trickled down his cheek, pooling at the corner of his mouth. He licked it away, hesitating.

  Survival meant making ruthless choices. Abandoning Eve, deeming her a liability, would slightly improve his chances of survival. But that was impossible. He couldn’t leave behind a girl who believed in him—a girl he wanted to believe in.

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  His organic fingers trembled as they reached for a new cigarette. Noticing the tremor, Danang crushed the cigarette in his fist, smothering the fear stirring within him. A short electronic beep signaled the elevator’s deceleration, and he turned his attention to it.

  What must he sacrifice to live? What must he seek to avoid death? Adjusting Eve on his back and raising his gun, Danang locked eyes with the relic hunters standing at the elevator’s entrance. Without hesitation, he pulled the trigger of his assault rifle, unleashing a barrage at the startled and confused figures.

  Gunfire roared, blood and flesh splattering. Other relic hunters in the rear raised their weapons, aiming at Danang as he sprayed bullets. Several shots ricocheted off his armor, bouncing against the walls. Grabbing a fallen corpse to use as a meat shield, Danang barked at Eve, “Hold on tight!” With the auto-aim function of his mechanical arm disabled, he precisely shot enemies between the eyes.

  The auto-aim was just a fallback. Against creatures requiring multiple critical hits in poor visibility, he’d rely on it. But against human opponents, his own shooting skills were faster. Accounting for barrel sway, he guided his shots, using ricochet trick shots and firing through the corpse’s organs.

  The relic hunters, terrified by Danang’s unorthodox combat, pushed forward children dressed in rags, each wearing a collar. Their vacant eyes and drooling mouths gave way to madness as the collar’s light switched from green to red. Screaming, they charged at Danang.

  Collared explosive devices—too late. By the time Danang shot one child between the eyes, it was over. These poorly equipped kids were human bombs, disposable bioweapons. The explosion engulfed his vision, shrapnel from their implanted metal piercing his armor. Blood spurted from his mouth as he was blown backward.

  “Did we get him?”

  “Damn it… Wasted resources. Bastard.”

  “Hey, how many bombs and bullets we got left?”

  “Look at this guy’s girl—white skin, gorgeous hair. We could sell her for—”

  Approaching Eve, the man’s arms were severed by a high-frequency blade deployed from Danang’s mechanical arm. “Wha—what?” he stammered, staring at his missing limbs before his head was lopped off.

  Lumina’s bugs swarmed over Danang’s wounds, healing potentially fatal injuries. The white nematodes repaired his cracked and shattered armor, reviving the incapacitated youth in moments, restoring him to fighting condition.

  “Monster!” one man screamed. Bullets tore through Danang, blasting his limbs apart, but Lumina adapted to the crisis, fusing with his cells and genes at a molecular level.

  The closer to death, the stronger the survival instinct, the more Lumina’s cell-fusion nanobots enhanced both themselves and their host.

  “Lumina second-stage fusion rate: 40%. Usage rate: 50%. Rapid suppression of hostile forces recommended.”

  “Weapons?”

  “Enhanced physical strength at the cellular level, temporary abnormal muscle fiber development, unrestricted partial use of bio-fused metal.”

  “Got it.”

  In an instant, Danang’s form flickered. A steel fist pierced the gut of a man firing wildly, and a dull gray blade bisected him.

  Screams, wails, rage, and terror filled the air. The relic hunters, fearing the unknown, fled, but Danang’s rifle, integrated into his mechanical arm, fired bullets with the destructive force of anti-materiel rounds, tearing them apart.

  Blood pooled, organs spilled from mangled bodies, creating a hellish scene. Danang scavenged the dead hunters’ gear, nose bleeding as he beheaded collared children with his sword, Helles. Adjusting Eve on his back, he started walking through the shallow passages of the ruins.

  “Connection to the Ark local network confirmed. Initiating communication with Lils.”

  “Communication?”

  “Yes. Lils and Administrator Eve have enabled communication via devices and programs integrated into the Black Steel Zero-Type, utilizing the local network. Connecting now.”

  In contrast to Nephthys’ mechanical voice, the voice resonating in Danang’s mind was that of a familiar girl.

  “Danang!? Are you okay!? Answer me!”

  “I’m fine. No issues.”

  A deep sigh of relief mixed with exhaustion came through. Clearing her throat to regain composure, Lils asked, “Job done?”

  “Yeah, heading back now,” Danang replied lightly.

  “Dinner’s ready, so hurry back. And Eve?”

  “About that—get in touch with Liars.”

  “Why?”

  “I need him. His skills with cybernetic prosthetics and weaponry are top-notch.”

  “…Got it.”

  After the brief communication, Danang continued toward the ruins’ exit, carrying Eve on his back.