Kai stopped the ATV and looked up.
The sky was a dull gray. Red lightning tore across the clouds like bleeding wounds.
Familiar faces flashed through his mind.
Comrades who had walked with him through life and death.
If he hadn't dragged them into this—
Maybe they'd be home right now.
Safe. Alive.
His gaze dropped to the speed display on the handlebar.
The number kept climbing.
His hand tightened.
Shaking.
"Captain…"
A final smile.
Before the black tide of that monster swallowed everything in front of him.
"Just watch—"
From the void, red tentacles shot forward.
A high-pitched screech tore through the air.
A grotesque smile slowly emerged in the darkness.
Kai's heart went cold.
His left hand rose, gripping empty air.
Instantly—
Black-violet light burst from his palm.
Stretching. Twisting. Condensing.
A pitch-black sword formed.
"…I'll kill it. I'll avenge everyone."
The blade unsheathed itself.
A surge of aura shot straight toward the incoming tentacle.
A deep roar echoed in his ears.
Rage.
More.
Grief.
Deeper.
"…I'm sorry. I didn't realize sooner."
"If I had released this power earlier…"
"Maybe—"
Kai raised the blade before his eyes.
Then turned it.
The tip pointed at the swarm of Clones rushing in.
The aura swelled violently.
Dark purple sparks ignited, coiling around his body like living creatures.
Those familiar smiles—
Burned away.
Erased.
Consumed in violet fire.
His eyes slowly turned a deep shade of purple.
He stepped off the ATV.
His right hand brushed his bangs back.
Purple lightning crawled across his body—twitching, alive, almost excited.
A group of Clones lunged together.
Dozens of tentacles slammed down toward him, trying to crush him.
Kai's face stayed blank.
The moment they reached him—
He flicked his sword.
Light.
Effortless.
But violet slashes tore through the air, erupting outward from his body.
Every tentacle was shredded instantly.
A circle of violet fire appeared beneath his feet.
Alive.
Then it expanded—eight meters… ten.
Kai stepped forward.
The circle moved with him, centered on his body.
More tentacles surged in.
But before they could even touch him—
The flames rose.
Devoured.
Tore them apart.
The Clones screamed.
Still, they charged.
Overwhelming in number.
Useless.
Nothing could stop Kai now.
His gaze fixed on the cocoon in the distance.
It was trembling.
Pulsing violently.
A smile spread across his lips.
The circle beneath him split.
Into two.
Inside—
Something shattered.
Like thousands of glass shelves collapsing inside his mind.
Crack.
Then crack again.
His consciousness began to slip.
But the smile remained.
Black-violet flames rose.
Slowly.
Swallowing everything left.
And just before they took over completely—
A hand rested on his right shoulder.
Warm.
A strange voice spoke beside his ear.
"A man alone."
"A sword that thirsts for the whole world."
"Don't let it consume you like this."
Something yanked hard.
Kai's mind snapped back.
His soul dragged out of the abyss.
His right hand clutched his forehead.
His face twisted.
He looked up.
The person standing before him—
Was bathed in golden light.
"…You?"
The man turned.
Facing him.
"Tch. Don't look so surprised."
A heavy pressure settled in, like sinking into deep water.
Everything grew heavier.
"Move too fast, and you'll stumble."
"And when you fall… it hurts."
Kai said nothing.
His body swayed slightly in the wind.
Then—
He raised his sword.
Black-violet flames crawled back along the blade.
Lam Huy Trường clicked his tongue.
"Yeah, I'm hungry… but I don't feel like eating your strongest attack head-on."
From Kai, only broken fragments of sound came out—
"Die… die… monster…"
"I… I can…"
"Not happening."
Lam Huy Trường raised his left hand.
His voice was firm.
"Command 1779FCox."
An engine roared through the rain.
The vehicle shot forward.
The circle of fire beneath Kai flared violently. Black flames surged upward, trying to block the impact.
But—
The vehicle stopped.
Right at the edge of the flames.
The engine noise faded into silence.
Then—
The chassis trembled slightly.
A low mechanical hum spread through the air.
Armor plates along both sides split apart—rotating upward, locking into broad shoulders.
The front wheel slid inward, folding neatly.
A metallic arm emerged, its joints tightening, moving with smooth precision.
The rear wheel rotated sideways.
Split in two.
Locked into place as legs—steady, grounded like a towering warrior.
The front of the vehicle opened.
The headlights and handlebar assembly separated the front armor.
A mechanical "face" took shape.
A display visor slid into place—masking the two cold lights behind it.
The handlebars and control panel folded in.
Reconfigured.
Sliding down, locking into the chest.
A semi-transparent armor layer sealed over it—revealing a pulsing energy core within.
In its normal state, it was just an all-terrain machine.
Compact.
Durable.
Built to cross any terrain.
But once the transformation completed—
It was no longer a vehicle.
It stood there—
A towering mechanical warrior.
Powerful.
Behind it, the cargo rack and rear frame unfolded.
Layering into wing-like armor plates.
Or shifting into weapon mounts.
Its arms adapted fluidly—
Cannons.
Or energy blades.
Depending on the situation.
It stood in place.
Heavy.
Yet agile.
Like a living creature wrapped in military-grade technology.
Kai's gaze flickered.
A brief moment of surprise—
But instantly—
He attacked.
Not the machine.
The one who made him uneasy.
A dark violet slash tore across the sky.
Straight toward Lam Huy Trường.
Lam Huy Trường closed his eyes.
"Damn it—"
Boom.
A heavy impact rang out.
Smoke spread.
Obscuring everything.
Then slowly—
It cleared.
"…Gone."
"No one left to stop me."
Kai smiled.
A twisted smile.
Unnatural.
But—
A surge of blue electricity suddenly ripped through his body.
Not purple.
Blue.
His eyes trembled.
Pain.
Kai shook his head.
"…Stay out of this."
He stepped forward.
But—
Stopped.
His eyes narrowed.
Ahead.
Through the thinning smoke—
A massive figure stood in his path.
Motionless.
Around it—
A dome of blue energy.
The smoke fully cleared.
Revealing—
A towering mech.
Floating slightly above the ground.
Across its visor—
Data scrolled.
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
Kai clenched his teeth.
And then—
A voice sounded from behind it.
"Close one."
"But… just barely made it in time, Mrs. AI."
"So—"
"Next."
"Attack command."
Mechanical locks snapped open.
An energy blade burst from the mech's arm.
Light flared—blindingly bright right in front of Kai.
"Alright. Knock him back to his senses."
"Kaiiiiiii...That idiot lost himself."
"Got swallowed by power."
Lam Huy Trường pointed straight at him.
"Hit him. Keep hitting him until he remembers who he is."
Kai's lips twitched.
"…Kai?"
He whispered his own name.
His head throbbed.
The circle beneath his feet trembled—unstable, on the verge of collapse.
A sharp gust cut through the air.
The mech vanished.
Then appeared right in front of him.
Swinging down.
Kai raised his sword to block.
The black flames beneath him split, trying to surge upward—
But—
Blue electricity lashed through them.
Forcing them down.
"What…?"
Impossible.
Kai stared at the current locking his movement.
Not just the flames—
His entire body.
"Just a little more… and I would've taken full control of this body…"
"Next time… don't expect to reverse it."
Pressure slammed down.
His sword trembled.
Kai dropped to one knee.
His vision blurred.
In the distance—
Lam Huy Trường.
Standing there, breathing hard.
"You bastard… almost split me in half."
"Playing dumb hero—"
"Almost died for nothing."
He looked ahead.
The mech pressed the attack.
Every strike was precise. Ruthless.
And Kai—
Could only defend.
The flames on his blade flickered weakly.
"Mrs. AI… can't you go a little easier on him?"
A female voice came from the watch on his wrist.
Cold. Irritated.
"No."
"He almost killed you. If I hadn't intervened."
"Or do you prefer being cut into pieces?"
"If so, I can stand back and let him finish."
"Wait, wait—no need for that."
Lam Huy Trường grimaced.
"But… we need him intact."
"We still have to pull him into the fight."
The mechanical voice paused.
A trace of reluctance slipped in—like a girl unwilling to agree.
"…If that is your order."
The mech halted.
Just for a beat.
Data streamed across its visor.
The energy blade retracted.
The arm shifted.
A cannon emerged.
It aimed straight at Kai.
Light gathered at the muzzle.
Then—
It fired.
Kai raised his sword to block.
But—
The shot veered off.
Not at him.
It slammed into the ground.
Like an anchor.
Kai glanced around.
Another impact.
Then a second.
A third.
One after another.
Metal anchors drove into the ground around him.
Forming a circle.
Then—
They discharged electricity.
The black flame circle beneath Kai shrank.
Thinned.
Faded.
The current struck.
The flames tried to surge one last time—
Then died.
Electricity tore straight through his body.
He collapsed.
A metallic blur shot forward.
Stopped right in front of him.
Kai looked up—
A bolt of electricity struck him point-blank.
His sword slipped from his hand.
His body went limp.
Falling—
But never hit the ground.
A figure, bathed in golden light, caught him.
That voice spoke again.
"So… can we talk now, new teammate?"
"Should I call you… future Hero—"
"Or…"
"Child of destiny?"
Kai's eyelids slowly closed.
"…Damn it."