"AARRRGHHHH!"
The Symbiarch released a guttural, wrathful scream as its final blow crushed the last of the machines into a heap of twisted metal.
The seven towering automatons, forged from alloys harder than steel, had fought with mechanical precision and relentless firepower. Yet, even that was not enough. Now they were nothing more than scattered fragments beneath the champion of the Myceliarchy.
The battle had not come easily. The air still shimmered with the aftermath of plasma beams, and the creature's body bore the evidence of a fierce struggle, blackened wounds, cauterized flesh, and an entire arm burned away.
Yet the monster endured. Its thick, fungal musculature flexed, closing the open wounds and stopping the hemorrhage, a living testament to the grotesque vitality that flowed through it. Its glowing red eye flared with hatred as it turned its gaze toward the horizon, back to its true quarry.
The fusion of countless Thralls had given the Symbiarch not only overwhelming power but also something far more dangerous, intelligence. It remembered the scent of the boy who had escaped. The human was an anomaly, an irritant that had to be eradicated or absorbed.
The Myceliarch's will pulsed within the creature's mind, commanding it to hunt, infect, and assimilate.
The fight with the robots had lasted less than five minutes, sufficiently for Syular to get far away out of sight, but that would not be enough. The Symbiarch lifted its head and inhaled deeply through the fungal vents.. The smell of ash, ozone, and there, faint but distinct, the boy's scent.
A low growl rolled from its throat. Then, in a single movement, it launched itself forward. The asphalt cracked beneath its feet, and the monster became a blur of crimson muscle and dark vapor.
It didn't take long before it spotted the young man in the distance. Sylar stood atop a half-collapsed building, with a backpack, clutching a large object. The Symbiarch slowed for a fraction of a second, analyzing. Then the weapon fired, and small metallic objects began raining down toward it.
At first, the projectiles seemed harmless. Then the explosions began.
"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!"
Grenades burst in rapid succession, filling the air with fire and smoke. Shrapnel and pressure waves battered the Symbiarch's hide.
Sylar was using a grenade launcher, likely taken from the ruins of a police station upon which he stood. The explosions didn't really wound the creature, but they disrupted its rhythm, forcing it to turn and shield itself.
Sylar noticed that. He knew the blasts couldn't kill the monster, but that did not seem to matter to him. He kept firing, each detonation enraged the Symbiarch further, its monstrous roars echoing across the city.
Finally, when the creature was close enough, Sylar discarded the launcher and sprinted down the street. Smoke grenades flew from his hands, bursting into dense gray clouds that covered entire city blocks.
The Symbiarch didn't slow; it didn't need to. Its mind locked on the scent, following the trail through the fog like a predator on the hunt.
Sylar's footsteps pounded against the pavement as he dashed into a large, multi-story building. The Symbiarch noticed him climb and followed instantly, smashing through walls and pillars as if they were paper.
The boy reached the rooftop of a large building. His heart hammered in his chest, but his eyes remained cold and sharp. He pulled a small flare from his pack and ignited it. He waited, counting under his breath.
"Three… two… one."
The Symbiarch burst through the street, emerging right where Sylar wanted it. The boy threw the flare with all his strength. The red light cut through the heavy smoke. The Symbiarch stared at the flare for a heartbeat, confused. It did not understand the purpose of such a futile gesture until it was too late.
What it did not see due to the smoke was that he was standing next to a massive gas station designed for trucks, with enormous underground fuel tanks. Sylar had scouted the area earlier, breaking the valves and leaking volatile gases into the air. All it needed was a spark.
The flare hit the ground.
"BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMM!"
The world erupted.
The explosion was cataclysmic; fire roared upward like a blooming sun, swallowing entire buildings in seconds. Shockwaves rippled through the city's blocks, shattering windows and collapsing weakened structures. The blast consumed everything in its radius, and at its heart was the Symbiarch.
Even from several blocks away, the heat struck Sylar like a physical blow, forcing him to shield his face and stagger back. The ground trembled violently beneath him as debris and flame filled the skyline.
When the light finally dimmed, Sylar lowered his arm and looked toward the inferno. What he saw left him speechless. The entire gas complex had been annihilated. Nothing remained but molten wreckage and rising pillars of smoke.
Then, amid the crackle of fire, a melodic chime echoed in his mind.
[Quest #003: Eliminate the Symbiarch of the Myceliarchy
Mission Grade: +3
Status: COMPLETED
Reward: System has evolved to Rank 1 – 7000 XP]
[You have reached Level 12 — 10 Free Points Available]
[You have reached Level 13 — 10 Free Points Available]
[You have reached Level 14 — 10 Free Points Available]
Sylar fell back against the rooftop, letting out a long, shaky breath. A radiant smile slowly formed across his bruised face. The monster that could tear apart steel and shrug off plasma fire had fallen to a plan born of desperation and cunning.
He had survived.
He had won.
As the last echoes of the explosion faded into the night, Sylar closed his eyes. With a single thought, the Nemesis System interface appeared before him, glowing faintly against the dark sky.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
NEMESIS SYSTEM INTERFACE
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[HOST STATUS]
───────────────────────────────────────
• Designation: Sylar Bright
• Species Line: Homo Evolutus
• Rank: 1 – KINDLER
• Level: 14
• Vault Capacity: 20 / 60 TP
• Entropy Debt : 0 % (Stable)
• Free Points: 30
• System Access: Basic – Status | Quests | Vault | Mutation
───────────────────────────────────────
[CORE ATTRIBUTES]
───────────────────────────────────────
STRENGTH (STR) 58
AGILITY (AGI) 71
VITALITY (VIT) 25
COGNITION (COG) 40
INTEGRATION (INTG) 15
WILL (WIL) 19
ADAPTABILITY (ADP) 16
Derived Values:
• Combat Efficiency Rating (CER): 154
• Evolutionary Potential (EP): 31
• Survival Index (SI): 44
• Cognitive Feedback Threshold (CFT): 59
───────────────────────────────────────
[INNATE ABILITIES]
───────────────────────────────────────
• Mutations: - Super Strength (Grade 4)
• Mutations: - Echolocation (Grade 4)
───────────────────────────────────────
[VAULT DATA]
───────────────────────────────────────
Vault Tier: 1
Capacity: 60 TP (Grade 3 entities max)
─ Stored Entities ─
▫ SYMBIARCH [MYC-Σ03] (20 TP)
───────────────────────────────────────
[MUTATION SLOTS] 0 / 2
───────────────────────────────────────
• Choose mutations among those in the list...
───────────────────────────────────────
Sylar's lips curled into a satisfied smile as the interface shifted before his eyes. His mind instantly dove into the Vault Data, focusing on the Symbiarch. Within moments, a detailed character sheet materialized before him, suspended in midair like a living projection.
[> Entity: SYMBIARCH [MYC-Σ03]
> Classification: Biological Convergence – Type: Parasitic Collective
> Origin: MYCELIARCHY
>Grade: 3
> Status: Dormant / Contained / Partial Resonance Established
> Biological overview: The Symbiarch is a composite organism — the fusion of multiple Myceliarch Thralls. It functions as a parasitic overmind, capable of assuming control of lesser fungal biomasses and incorporating their nervous structures into its gestalt form.]
"Grade 3." The words slipped from Sylar's mouth in quiet awe. "No wonder it was so powerful. The difference of a single grade shouldn't have felt so vast, yet the gulf in power was staggering, an overwhelming display of biological and metaphysical dominance. He barely had time to process the thought before another notification flickered into view.
[Would Host like to view the Symbiarch's available mutations?]
Sylar's eyes widened, glowing with excitement. Mutations were the cornerstone of his strength. He already possessed two, and even though he was only a Grade 4, they had saved his life more than once. The idea of gaining access to the abilities of a Grade 3 organism sent a rush of adrenaline through his veins, so he immediately nodded.
[AVAILABLE MUTATIONS (Extractable through Vault Interface)
Each mutation occupies 1 Mutation Slot unless stated otherwise.
Multiple compatible mutations can chain to form composite traits.
---
FLESH-BASED MUTATIONS:
-Mycelial Skin (Grade +4): Subdermal fungal mesh that enhances resistance and self-repair. +20 VIT; Passive regeneration; +25 % toxin/acid resist.
-Spore-Lung Adaptation (Grade +4): Converts oxygen intake into biochemical energy; filters toxins. Immunity to airborne pathogens; minor stamina regeneration in toxic zones.
-Tendon Bloom (Grade -3): Muscle fibers reinforced with reactive mycelia. +20 STR; +20 ADP; tendons can momentarily harden for impact.
-Chitinous Sheath (Grade -3): Flexible, living armor layer under the skin.+30 VIT; 10 % damage reduction; regenerates after rest.
-Symbiotic Tendrils (Grade 3): Extendable appendages grown from back or arms. Melee reach +3 m; drain vitality; can manipulate objects.
-Bone-Vine Fusion (Grade 3): Bones become interlaced with fibrous vines.+35 STR; +20 VIT; semi-immune to fractures; slows bleeding.
---
HIVE / NEURAL MUTATIONS:
-Neural Web Node (Grade +3): Establishes low-grade hive link to lesser lifeforms. Control up to 10 Thralls; share sight/hearing.
---
ADAPTIVE / UTILITY MUTATIONS:
-Biomass Conversion Gland (Grade 3): Converts consumed flesh into repair energy or crafting substrate. Regenerate health and stamina; create organic ammo/armor.
-Metabolic Surge (Grade +3): Triggers temporary overclock of body chemistry. +50 % AGI & ADP for 10 s; cooldown 60 s.
------
Note: Consult the value of Entropy of each mutation before assimilating them.]
Sylar's eyes glowed with excitement, his heart pounding in his chest as he scrolled through the list of available mutations. Each one was an astonishing, powerful adaptation that could completely alter the course of a battle. Yet, as his gaze reached the bottom of the interface, his eager expression slowly shifted into something more serious.
"Entropy."
The word pulsed faintly on the screen, its simple presence carrying a weight that unsettled him. His eyes narrowed, and he focused on it.
Almost immediately, the Nemesis System responded.
[Entropy represents the biological and metaphysical cost of forced evolution. It is the manifestation of the accumulation of instability created every time the host alters their genome, absorbs new traits, or fuses with another entity.
Every grafted gene, foreign organ, or essence-fusion adds microscopic errors, cellular misfolds, neural desynchronization, and soul echo noise.
The System can compensate for these up to a limit; beyond that, entropy builds faster than it can be dispersed.]
[Entropy Debt Ranges:
0 – 30 % (Safe) Slight fatigue, gene stabilisation optimal.
31 – 60 % (Caution) Organ strain, vivid dreams of stored entities, mild pain spikes.
61 – 90 % (Danger) Tissue crystallisation, hallucinations, echo voices, genetic drift and psychic polution.
91 – 100 %+ (Critical) Complete metabolic collapse, and psychic corruption.]
[How Entropy Accumulates:
Assimilation of compatible genes: +2 – 5 %
Assimilation of semi-compatible genes: +6 – 15 %
Assimilation of incompatible genes: +20 – 25 %
Forced Fusion / Emergency Fusion: +20 – 30 %
---
Values are estimates. They can change due to several factors, with the most common being the difference between the Host's Grade and that of the mutation or fusion.]