Youri's decision was final.
There was no hesitation left in him—no doubt, no fear, no second thought. Whatever remained of the man who had once tried to live peacefully within the walls of the Kaelthorn estate had been buried the moment he walked out that door.
What stood now was something far more resolute.
He was ready.
Ready to sacrifice himself.
Ready to burn everything if that was what it took to keep Leonora safe.
And the empire… knew exactly how to use that.
The royal military base loomed ahead, a sprawling fortress of steel and light, its towers piercing the sky like silent sentinels. As Youri's transport entered onto the parking platform, ranks of soldiers stood at attention, their formation precise, their presence heavy with expectation.
The hatch opened.
Youri stepped out.
Every eye followed him.
Some with admiration.
Some with fear.
Some with something else entirely.
But he didn't look at any of them.
Not once.
His gaze remained forward—cold, distant—locked onto something only he could see.
Alan stood at the far end of the platform, hands clasped behind his back, watching closely as Youri approached. There was no greeting, no ceremony, no wasted words.
Just a silent understanding.
The mission had already begun.
Moments later, Youri stood inside the briefing room.
The air was tense, thick with anticipation. High-ranking officers, strategists, and commanders filled the chamber, their eyes shifting between the central display and the man who had just entered.
Youri didn't acknowledge them.
He stood still.
Silent.
Focused.
Alan stepped forward, taking his place at the head of the room.
With a simple gesture, the lights dimmed.
A holographic projection ignited at the center.
A planet.
Rugged. Harsh. Unforgiving.
"This," Alan began, his voice steady and commanding, "is planet Seron."
The image rotated slowly, revealing vast rocky continents, deep canyons, and violent atmospheric storms that curled across its surface like living scars.
"A mineral-rich world located within the Orion region," he continued. "Positioned within the so-called 'Goldilocks zone' of its system. Habitable… but far from hospitable."
Youri's eyes narrowed slightly.
Alan went on.
"With the intelligence we've gathered over the past two years, we are now certain of one thing—Trevor Mosioh is hiding here."
A faint murmur rippled through the room.
"And he is not alone."
The projection shifted.
Three figures appeared.
Each one rotating slowly in midair.
"This," Alan said, gesturing toward the first, "is Dellor Pickollten. Captain of the unidentified vessel that attacked Terria."
The image of a man with a calm yet calculating expression hovered before them.
"The ship itself has been identified as Amnesia. A fitting name, considering its ability to evade detection and distort spatial tracking."
The next figure appeared.
A woman.
Sharp-eyed. Focused.
"You already know her," Alan said. "Serin Valis."
Youri's gaze sharpened.
"A former Terrian researcher. One of our own. The architect behind the Hound unit… and the pioneer of the Valis particle fusion core."
The room grew heavier.
"She betrayed the empire," Alan said coldly. "And now she stands against it."
Then—
The third figure appeared.
Silence followed.
"This," Alan said, his tone shifting slightly, "is Larsen Steelspear."
The hologram flickered faintly as if even the system struggled to define him.
"There is no history. No records. No origin."
Youri's eyes locked onto the image.
"Everything we know about him… we learned the hard way."
The image shifted—combat data, fragments of battle logs, blurred recordings of a machine tearing through fleets like paper.
"His skill… his kill count… his efficiency…"
Alan paused.
"…rivals that of the Duke himself."
The room went completely still.
"He is known among their ranks as the Devil."
Youri said nothing.
But something behind his eyes flickered.
Recognition.
Not of the man.
But of what he represented.
"The mission is simple," Alan continued.
The projection zoomed out, revealing fleets surrounding Seron.
"We surround the planet. Total orbital lockdown."
Lines of ships appeared, encircling the world like a tightening noose.
"General Charles Vartellis will lead the main assault force. His objective is to engage and occupy all hostile resistance."
Another projection appeared—an enormous silhouette.
Altopereh.
Even as a hologram, its presence felt… wrong.
"During this time," Alan said, his voice lowering, "Altopereh will be deployed."
A quiet tension spread through the room.
"It will charge its anti-matter cannon."
The projection shifted.
A beam.
A line of pure annihilation.
"When fired… Seron will cease to exist."
No one spoke.
No one needed to.
"Mission success condition," Alan finished, "total eradication."
The lights returned.
The briefing was over.
No applause.
No discussion.
Only silence.
Youri turned.
And walked out.
Deep within the base, behind reinforced blast doors and layers of security, it waited.
Altopereh.
The monstrous Orbiton stood dormant, its massive frame casting a shadow that swallowed the entire hangar.
Youri stepped forward.
Each step echoed.
Heavy.
Final.
As he stood before it, his reflection faintly visible across its dark plating, something stirred inside him.
Memories.
Pain.
Death.
The first time he had entered it.
The lives it had taken through him.
The name it had given him.
The Reaper.
He exhaled slowly.
"No turning back now," he murmured.
The cockpit opened.
Inviting him in.
Youri climbed inside.
The hatch sealed behind him.
Darkness.
Then— Connection. The world dissolved. Reality shattered. And once again— He fell. Into the abyss.
Endless water stretched in every direction.
Dark. Silent. Bottomless.
Youri floated within it, weightless, suspended in a void that felt more alive than anything he had ever known.
Then— A sound. A roar.
It tore through the abyss like a storm.
Followed by laughter.
Deep. Twisted. Hungry.
"You finally came back."
The voice echoed from everywhere.
And nowhere.
The water around him shifted.
Something moved beneath it.
Massive. Ancient. Watching.
Youri didn't flinch.
Didn't retreat.
He simply looked forward.
And smiled faintly.
"Can't say I missed you."
The water exploded upward.
A colossal form emerged from the depths—shifting, writhing, impossible to fully comprehend. Eyes burned within the darkness, countless and endless, all fixed on him.
Altopereh.
It circled him slowly.
Like a predator savoring its prey.
"Two years…" it whispered, its voice layered with distortion. "And still… you carry that scent."
Youri's expression hardened.
"I didn't come here for you."
The creature laughed.
A horrifying, echoing sound.
"No," it said. "You came because you have no choice."
It moved closer.
Closer.
Until its presence pressed against his very being.
"I can feel it," it continued. "Your hatred… your desperation… your hunger."
Youri didn't deny it.
Didn't argue.
Because it was true.
"I want one thing," he said quietly.
The abyss trembled.
"Revenge."
Silence followed.
Then—
Laughter.
Louder this time.
More violent.
"Yes…" Altopereh whispered. "Yes… that is why you are perfect."
The water began to churn violently.
Energy surged through the abyss.
"I will give you power," it said. "More than before. More than you can control."
Youri closed his eyes briefly.
Then opened them.
Steady. Unshaken.
"I don't care."
A pause.
Then— Altopereh's voice dropped to a near whisper.
"Good."
The abyss erupted.
Power flooded through him.
Burning. Consuming. Transforming.
"Then let us feast."