The distant boom of collapsing stone echoed across the horizon as smoke curled into the crimson sky. The air reeked of burnt flesh and gunpowder, and the ground trembled beneath the weight of approaching doom.
"Sector Nine breached!" a voice crackled through the comms.
Kaizen stood at the edge of the forward trench, eyes fixed on the thickening fog of war. His body, still aching from the last fight, buzzed with residual power—an echo of the transformation he had no control over.
Squad Umbra had been divided.
Three Squads. Three Objectives. One Shot at Survival.
---
Kaizen's Unit – The Fire-Eater's Path
Kaizen, along with a newly transferred soldier named Virk, and two Umbra elites—Kita and Jinro, was tasked with defending the Vein Reactor Core, the last bastion of energy keeping the surrounding defenses alive.
The moment they reached the reactor chamber, the floor cracked beneath their feet. A monstrous figure burst through molten ground—Pyrrhax, a Bist general, whose body glowed like lava, and whose scream melted the steel around him.
"We fight, or this whole HQ burns," Kaizen muttered.
Pyrrhax's unique ability was devastating—he could absorb and reflect all heat-based attacks. Kaizen tried to strike him with a flame-coated blade, only to be hurled back by a fiery wave. Virk, cocky and inexperienced, charged in—and was immediately impaled through the chest. Blood sprayed across the white reactor walls.
"No—Virk!" Kita screamed.
Kaizen's anger flared, but he remembered the cost of losing control. "Jinro, Kita—we outsmart him, not overpower him."
In a rapid maneuver, they lured Pyrrhax into a chamber with liquid coolant tanks. As Pyrrhax released a blast of heat, Kaizen shattered the tanks—the supercooled liquid hit Pyrrhax's body, flash-freezing him for just a moment. Enough.
Kaizen's blade found the monster's core—and with a roar, Pyrrhax collapsed into a heap of cooling magma.
But Virk was gone.
---
Ayaka's Team – Shadows of the Forgotten
Ayaka, assigned with an injured Umbra named Lena and a tech analyst, Reis, were ordered to secure an abandoned lab near the outer HQ walls.
Inside, Ayaka stumbled upon sealed files dating back two centuries—project names like Vein Genesis and Ignis Protocol. She realized something chilling: The Bists didn't evolve naturally… they were created.
Suddenly, the walls burst open.
A spider-like Bist with razor limbs and a screeching laugh—Sk'rith, another general—descended upon them. Ayaka fought like a tempest, her twin blades dancing in the dark, while Reis uploaded whatever data he could.
But Lena got caught.
Ayaka turned as Lena screamed, being pulled into the ceiling, her voice echoing in choking gasps.
"Get the files!" Lena cried before the screech went silent.
Ayaka's hands trembled as she watched the blood rain down—but she didn't stop. She got the files. She escaped.
Barely.
---
Nael's Front – The Collapse of Hope
Nael and three other Umbra cadets defended the eastern artillery station. The fight was brutal—raw and unforgiving. A hulking Bist brute smashed through walls, and one by one, the cadets fell.
Only Nael survived, dragging their bodies back to a safe zone with blood on his hands and fury in his heart.
---
Meanwhile… Deep in the HQ War Room
Commander Vale watched in grim silence.
"All teams report heavy casualties. We've lost thirty-seven Umbra."
One of the analysts trembled. "Sir… we're receiving a distress signal."
On the holographic map, a blinking red dot appeared far to the south.
"South Gate has been breached."
Vale's eyes widened. "That's impossible. The city beyond is—"
The signal cut out. Static remained.
Then, one voice—barely audible—came through the channel.
> "Zar… Vok… is moving… He's not alone."