— So where do I begin? 16 points of interest. All buildings with significant importance to the country's prosperity. Three of them represent the most critical facilities in the country, responsible for energy, defense, and monetary revenue. Two of them you will go to, and the third one is considered taken care of. The rest will be handled by Y.K.'s soldiers. There shouldn't be too many difficulties. However, you two need to have your plans explained separately. Y.K., you have the Homokarion nuclear power plant complex in the state of Arizona.
-Kharatsumi Hamura
Night—an interesting moment chosen for the attack. The operation involved identifying and capturing the person who runs the entire facility: Dr. Vincent. I put down the tablet with the information and looked at the other three passengers. I signaled them it was okay and nodded to the pilot. He opened the door, and I jumped. Floating through the air felt like being a bird—like nothing could happen. An interesting choice—night entry via parachute from an altitude undetectable by sensors. I opened my parachute, followed by my men. We landed in various spots. One of the soldiers would clear the perimeter from a distance with a long-range weapon. I regrouped with the other two. We were to enter the building where the doctor was. According to Mr. Hamura, the Easterners believe a large portion of the energy produced in the States is made at this complex. The sniper cleared the entrance. We went in. There were still some people inside, so we had to be cautious. It had to look like an accident. The hacker used an EMP to short-circuit the facility's energy. Only the backup generators for production equipment were running, so we had no lights or cameras. We put on our night vision goggles. The doctor was on the lower level with the nuclear reactors, and due to the EMP, the elevators weren't working, so we had to use the stairs at the other end of the room.
Then I saw a flashlight. We hid. He walked straight ahead. I hid behind a locker. He passed me and approached one of my soldiers. I jumped from hiding, grabbed him from behind, and snapped his neck. Up close, the body seemed too well-armed and prepared—bulletproof vest and helmet.
— Could they be prepared? Could we have been discovered? No, the alarms would have gone off already. Were they anticipating our attack?
It was possible.
— Vulture, copy.
— Yes, sir?!
— Do you see any signs of reinforcements or well-armed personnel in the perimeter?
— Negative, sir.
— Over.
Could it be standard protection? But why?
We continued downstairs. At the bottom was a hallway with a large metal door at the end. It required a fingerprint scan. I placed my hand and changed it to match the required print. The light turned on. We entered with guns aimed at the doctor.
— Dr. Vincent, you have the right to remain where you are.
He raised his hands.
— Who are you?! What do you want?!
I approached, gun pointed at him, and said:
— I want you to destabilize the nuclear reactors.
— You're insane?! You want to recreate Chernobyl?! Shoot me—do it—I won't do that, not even dead! You're insane!
I shot one of the scientists.
— Proceed with the rest.
My men shot the rest. Only the doctor was left, blood everywhere. It was traumatic to see a grown man crying in fear in his colleagues' blood.
— We won't kill you, but we'll make you wish you were dead.
I grabbed his palm and split it in two.
— AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA… I BEG YOU, NO, NO…
I punched him in the head, throwing him into another puddle. I pulled out the knife from my first mission.
— Maybe you'd look good with a patch.
I grabbed the knife by the blade, his head with the other hand, and drove the tip into his eye socket, gouging it out.
— AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA... PLEASE... PLEASE... PLEASE... Stay away from me! ... I'll give it to you—just spare me, he whimpered like a beaten dog.
— Good.
I grabbed his collar and slammed him into the control panel. He began to work. I checked my pistol. These powers were very interesting. Hamura had helped me learn to control them better, but the ability had limits. I couldn't use it to its full potential. Whatever I created consumed energy—the more complex the object or person, the more energy it required.
Then I heard over the radio:
— Sir... reporting... we've been... discov...
The line cut off.
— Shit!
"The honor is mine, Mr. Y.K.! a voice came from the end of the hallway, along with a screeching metal sound.
— Stay there! a soldier yelled, pointing his gun at the dark corridor.
He began to shoot, but the bullets sounded like they ricocheted. A bullet hit the soldier in the leg. Then a long blade pierced his chest and dragged him into the darkness. The blade looked like a tentacle. The other soldier started shooting, and I turned my pistol toward the doctor. Another tentacle sliced the weapon and the soldier's head off, then dragged him into the darkness.
— One wrong move, and I'll kill him.
Then the person stepped out of the shadows.
— Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Aston Graymore, codename Gentleman, and you are subject Y.K.
A man around 60 years old, dressed smartly in a black suit, black vest, and a top hat. He had a sharp black cane. No—it was an obsidian weapon. I could feel the same energy Phantom's knife emitted.
— How much do you know?
— We figured it out when the transport was sabotaged. We know all the arrangements.
—...You and who?
— Maybe, since you're going to die, you should know who's behind all this.
—...
— He doesn't have a name, but everyone knows of him. He is a god among men. 'The Man Of High Society,' the only person close to achieving total freedom."
— What do you mean by 'total freedom'?
— Everyone is dependent on something in this world. Freedom is the absence of dependency, which leads to the creation of a god among mortals.
— …
"But enough chatter. Rest in peace.
A tentacle shot toward me. I dodged and pulled Vincent with me, using him as a human shield. The blade pierced his vital organs.
— Interesting ability. You can use your cane like a sword and a lasso.
— You're fast and smart. No wonder you're a contender. I see you're already familiar with obsidian weapons.
Since only a few soldiers had died, I could reclaim a bit of power. Bullets were useless against him, so I had to fight in kind. I created a katana. He attacked. I dodged while running toward him. He retracted his sword to its initial form, and our blades clashed. We pushed against each other. He wrapped himself in his blade, then made a diagonal slash. I dodged, but it got stuck in a control panel, and he pulled himself toward me, grabbed my face, and slammed me to the ground. Then he stabbed me in the heart and lifted me with one hand.
— This is the man who will bring the apocalypse? Pathetic.
He threw me through the control room window into the reactor chamber. I landed near the reactors, still barely conscious. I struggled to remove my mask to breathe better. Then I made eye contact with him. He widened his eyes and leaped to stab me again. A surge of energy engulfed me. I spun backward, drew my sword, and struck, but he parried.
— Impressive. I didn't expect you to be so lucky, demon.
— …
— I didn't expect you to be a host. That means I must crush the other six hearts and stab your brain. You know… you're lucky to have survived this long as a host. Usually, they're found and killed quickly, but don't get cocky—you'll join them shortly.
— We'll see.
He pushed my blade. I tried to get close, but he struck again. I blocked it. He backed off and began slashing wildly with his sword like a lasso. It was hard to block all the attacks. Then I hit his blade and ran toward him. At the same time, he retracted his cane and with a fast attack stabbed my palm. The blade moved and stabbed me again—in another heart. I had five left. Drained, but I needed more time. The sword came to stab again, but I grabbed the blade with my free hand and low-kicked Aston. Then I brought my stabbed hand close to the sword hilt, but Aston noticed and pulled back. Even with two broken hearts, I could still do something. I made an identical clone with a katana and cut off his hand. I had calculated that his blade's speed ranged between 4.52 to 9,32 m/s. To counter it, I had to strike faster. The blade fell. Aston clutched his bleeding arm. I took the sword.
— Last words?
—...I dedicated my life to The Man Of High Society, only to be killed by you. I swear. YOU WILL DIE! YOU STAND NO CHANCE AGAINST HIM! YOU WON'T STOP THE APO…
— You talk too much.
I killed him. Later, I found out he was the right hand of that idol of his. Soldiers began surrounding me.
— DROP YOUR WEAPON AND RAISE YOUR HANDS, OR WE WILL FIRE!
I ran toward them, dodging bullets and stabbing them one by one—until I slaughtered them all. It was a good sword. I returned to the control room. I had studied Vincent enough to know how to complete the reactor destabilization. Then I took my sword and destroyed all the equipment to prevent recalibration. When I tried to exit the building, I was met by two Apache helicopters and three military Humvees. I hid behind a wall and scanned the area. In the parking lot, alongside military vehicles, were civilian ones, but one caught my eye. The original plan was to escape in one of their vehicles, but since we were compromised, I had to improvise. A sport motorcycle with the key still in the ignition—relatively close to the exit. Seemed I had luck. I created an MGL using my ability and stepped outside. I fired four times—more to create panic. I jumped on the bike and sped off. Helicopters were behind me. I fired again while driving one-handed. It was pointless—the helicopters could withstand more than one grenade, and the Humvees were catching up. They started shooting. I accelerated and continued on the highway—it gave me more room to dodge bullets. A bullet hit my engine, disabling it. The sun was rising when I heard a blast behind me. Then a machine gun opened fire on the helicopters. When I looked, it was another helicopter—on my side this time.
— Sorry for the delay. Backup's here, I heard in my earpiece.
The helicopters crashed to the ground. The pilot lowered the rope ladder. I jumped on and climbed.
— Change course—go straight to base. I know the whole plan! I told the pilot.
— Understood!
-Y.K.