Time: April 30, 2032. 12:20 PM.
Location: Tokyo National Arena.
Kenji floated in the air, absorbing the energy of the Tower. A violet light enveloped his body.
"The game is over!" he shouted.
But...
The NPC Guards didn't even flinch.
One of them simply jumped. Moving at a speed that defied the laws of physics, it soared into the air and appeared directly above Kenji.
"ANALYSIS: MANA DENSITY HIGH. BUT PHYSICAL BODY - FRAGILE."
WHAM!
The Guard struck Kenji's lower back with the blunt end of his halberd.
Kenji plummeted to the ground at the speed of sound, like a swatted fly.
The asphalt cracked, forming a crater.
Before Kenji could even attempt to rise, a second Guard landed on him, stomping a metal boot onto his chest.
Crunch! Kenji's ribs shattered.
"Argh!" Kenji coughed up blood. "These... these aren't normal! Even the Tower's power isn't stopping them!"
A third Guard approached, grabbed Kenji by the leg, and hurled him like a ragdoll into the wall.
Kenji smashed through the concrete barrier and landed under the stands.
This wasn't a fight. This was a beating.
In the Government Box, the Prime Minister laughed.
"See? These Guards aren't just simple programs. They were created by 'Unknown Admin X.' They operate on laws outside the System. No player can defeat them!"
Kenji's Subconscious (Within the Darkness)
Kenji floated in the darkness. The pain was so intense that his consciousness began to fade.
"Did... did I lose?"
Suddenly, a familiar, young, and arrogant voice echoed from the abyss:
"Yeah, you lost, old man. Your plans, your caution... it's all garbage."
The Second Shadow appeared before him.
He was the 17-year-old Kenji. In his eyes was infinite hatred and... pity.
"Eighty years..." the Second Shadow whispered. "I watched your eighty years of suffering. The loneliness, the hunger, the cold... You fought to live, but deep down, you wanted to die."
"I'll save you from this pain. We're going to die now, Kenji. And it's going to be beautiful."
The Second Shadow shoved the Real Kenji's weak spirit aside.
"I'm taking the wheel."
The Arena Field
The NPC Guards marched toward Kenji's "corpse."
"TARGET ELIMINATED. PENALTY EXECUTED."
Laughter erupted from beneath the rubble.
At first low, then rising to a loud, manic cackle.
"Ha-ha-ha... Ha-ha-ha-ha!"
Kenji emerged from the dust.
But his walk had changed. He wasn't limping. A terrifying grin stretched from ear to ear. And his eyes no longer burned red, but with a White Fire.
This wasn't Kenji. This was Shadow-17.
"Whoa," Shadow-17 said, snapping his broken arm back into place with a sickening crack. "You guys gave me quite the 'massage,' tin heads. Thanks. Haven't had this much fun in ages."
The NPC Guards stopped.
"ERROR. TARGET STRUCTURE CHANGED. THREAT LEVEL: UNKNOWN."
Shadow-17 looked up at the sky.
"Alright, let's get to the main event."
"Real Kenji, you always whined about 'being careful with the body.' But I say: The body is just consumable material."
He spread his arms wide.
Blood began to seep from his pores because the power he was about to unleash threatened to tear this weak vessel apart.
[INVENTORY: LIMIT REMOVED - 5%]
[CATEGORY: LEGENDARY WEAPONS VAULT]
[MODE: RAIN (BOMBARDMENT)]
The sky split open.
In place of clouds, thousands of golden, black, and red portals appeared.
From each portal, a single legendary weapon—swords, axes, spears, maces... emerged, pointing downward.
Shadow-17 grinned maniacally.
"Do you know why I can kill you?"
"Because according to the Game Rules, you are 'Immortal'."
"But my Essence... it doesn't belong to this Game. It was created from the Universe itself. I am not a 'Glitch.' I am a VIRUS."
"Rain down!" Shadow-17 screamed.
Thousands of S+ Rank weapons fell like a meteor shower.
WHOOSH-WHOOSH-WHOOSH!
The NPC Guards raised their shields.
"ABSOLUTE DEFENSE!"
But it was useless.
The weapons, saturated with Kenji's "Essence," simply negated the NPCs' "God Mode" code.
The first spear pierced a Guard's shield.
The second tore through his armor.
The third severed his metal head.
"What?!" Everyone in the Government Box jumped to their feet. "They were supposed to be immortal!"
Armageddon broke loose in the Arena.
Legendary weapons devastated the ground, the concrete, and the NPCs.
With every weapon that fell, a new wound opened on Shadow-17's body. Blood streamed from his nose, ears, and eyes.
But he laughed, reveling in the pain.
"Yes! More! More!" he screamed. "Let this body crumble! I want to be free!"
Eight of the ten NPC Guards were instantly reduced to piles of scrap metal.
The remaining two retreated. Even as programs incapable of feeling "Fear," they were executing a logical withdrawal.
Shadow-17 approached them. He dragged a massive "Dragon Slayer" sword from where it had embedded in the earth.
"Where are you going? The game just started!"
He raised the sword. He was about to deliver the final blow, intending to blow up not just the guards, but himself as well. The 5% power was on the verge of stopping his heart.
"Goodbye, world!" Shadow-17 said.
At that moment... the giant screen in the center of the Arena lit up.
Cutting through the noise of the battlefield, a loud voice boomed:
"STOP, SHADOW!"
Shadow-17 froze. He tilted his head and looked at the screen.
"Who is it? Which idiot is wishing for death now?"
It wasn't a government official on the screen.
It was Aira (Light).
She was standing on the balcony of the "Temple of Light." A special "Mana Choking" collar was around her neck, and an assassin stood beside her, holding two daggers.
The Government's voice echoed:
"Shadow! Either you surrender right now, or we slit the 'Saint's' throat!"
"We know! You're looking for her! She is your weak point!"
The manic laughter on Shadow-17's face slowly faded.
He stared at the screen with his blood-soaked face.
The Real Kenji's spirit woke up inside and screamed:
"No! Aira! Give me control of the body! Give it to me!"
But Shadow-17 shook his head. Sarcasm and a terrifying coldness appeared in his eyes.
"Weak point, you say..." he muttered. "You people really are idiots."
Shadow-17 stabbed the sword into the ground.
"So," he said, looking at the government officials (via the camera). "What if I don't surrender? What if I... don't give a damn about your death, Aira's death, or even my own?"
"I'm not a hero. I'm a Shadow. Shadows don't cry."
He was bluffing. Or... was he really thinking that?
The Second Shadow, with his ruthless nature, intended to shock the government into hesitation.
But then, from amidst the rubble next to Kenji, Laylo emerged.
Seeing her brother's condition—blood-soaked, eyes wild, standing on the brink of death—she burst into tears.
She grabbed her brother's hand.
Shadow-17 looked at Laylo. He wanted to push her away.
But when Laylo's tear fell onto his bloody hand... the rage inside Shadow-17 halted for a split second.
"Brother..." Laylo sobbed. "Please... come back. This isn't you."
Shadow-17 gritted his teeth.
"Damn it..." he muttered. "Emotions. The biggest 'Bug'."
He released the body.
Kenji's real spirit returned. He fell to his knees in excruciating pain. The rain of weapons stopped.
Kenji looked at Aira on the screen.
"I..." Kenji rasped. "I surrender. Don't touch her."