The storm of metallic shards swallowed Altopereh whole.
From the outside, the god unit vanished beneath a violent cyclone of silver-black fragments. Millions upon millions of razor-like pieces spun around the towering Orbiton with impossible speed, creating a sphere of screaming metal that eclipsed the crimson sky itself.
The sound alone was unbearable.
Inside the cockpit, warning systems flickered wildly as the entire frame of Altopereh shook under the force of Kalian's reconstruction.
Lea gripped the side rail tightly as another violent tremor surged through the machine.
"What exactly is he doing!?" she shouted over the deafening noise.
Youri kept both hands firmly on the controls, trying to stabilize himself as the cockpit tilted sharply sideways.
"He's rebuilding it," he answered.
"That's rebuilding!?"
Another massive impact shook the entire unit.
Outside, giant shards slammed against Altopereh's armor before liquefying instantly, melting into the damaged sections like living metal. Broken plating reformed layer by layer. Fractured joints fused together. Torn mechanical muscle regenerated beneath fresh armor.
The dark hues that once barely held the shattered sections together slowly began fading away.
For the first time since arriving in Tartarus—
Altopereh was healing completely.
The giant core behind the cockpit pulsed violently.
Black light surged through the entire frame.
Power readings climbed rapidly.
OUTPUT 42%... 58%... 71%... 89%...
Lea stared at the numbers.
"That's impossible…"
Then suddenly—
Everything stopped.
The storm faded almost instantly.
The countless shards halted midair before dispersing across the desert like silver rain.
Silence fell over Kalian's domain once more.
And there—
Standing beneath the blood-red sky—
Was Altopereh.
Complete.
The damage from Tikadello's assault was gone.
The shattered chest plating had been restored into smooth black armor lined with crimson veins of energy. The broken arm had fully regenerated, now layered with intricate dark metallic patterns that pulsed faintly with antimatter light.
Its shoulders looked broader.
Sharper.
More monstrous.
Even the plasma scars from the battle against the Hound had disappeared.
Altopereh looked reborn.
Inside the cockpit, Youri slowly stood from the pilot's seat and stared at the restored systems.
Every warning light had vanished.
Every damaged section was operational again.
MAIN CORE — FULL STABILITYFRAME INTEGRITY — 100%ANTI-MATTER SYSTEMS — ONLINEPLASMA WEAPONRY — RESTORED
Lea looked speechless.
Youri exhaled slowly.
"So this is your full form…"
Altopereh laughed.
The sound echoed through his mind like thunder rolling through deep water.
"Oh no…"
The giant machine slowly clenched its restored hand.
"…this is merely the body."
Outside, Kalian stood before them silently.
The towering ruler of metal loomed over the spear forest, countless metallic spires rotating slowly behind him like a moving ocean of blades.
Altopereh stepped forward.
The desert trembled beneath its weight.
Then the ancient ruler laughed again.
"I see you haven't changed at all."
Kalian slowly tilted his head.
The blue glow in his eyes intensified slightly.
"Neither have you."
Its voice echoed coldly across the metallic wasteland.
Then Kalian's gaze narrowed.
"I heard they leashed you."
For the first time since entering Tartarus—
Altopereh stopped laughing.
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
Youri felt it immediately.
The hatred.
The rage.
The ancient humiliation buried inside the being connected to his mind.
Altopereh's voice lowered.
"I was sloppy."
"That is all."
Kalian continued staring at him.
"You disappeared for ages."
"I know." Altopereh replied.
"And then your presence suddenly returned."
Altopereh slowly raised its head toward the crimson sky.
"When I finally got another chance to take revenge…"
Its voice became colder.
"…they had already evolved again."
Lea crossed her arms quietly inside the cockpit.
Even she could feel it now.
These were not ordinary monsters speaking.
These beings remembered ages far older than history itself.
Civilizations.
Wars.
Extinctions.
The rise and fall of worlds.
Kalian's metallic body shifted slightly.
"Tartarus has changed."
The spear ruler looked toward the distant horizon.
"And I do not think that change happened because of him."
His eyes shifted toward Youri.
Youri frowned slightly.
"You mean me?"
"No."
Kalian pointed upward.
"The sky."
For a moment, everyone looked toward the endless crimson heavens.
The giant cracks stretching across Tartarus seemed larger now.
Darker.
As though something behind the sky itself was slowly trying to break through.
Altopereh loomed forward slightly.
"Either way," it said, "that is where I'm headed."
The antimatter glow beneath its armor intensified.
Kalian remained silent for several long moments.
Then finally—
The ruler of metal spoke again.
"Among us ten originals…"
The countless metallic spears behind him slowly lowered like kneeling soldiers.
"…you were always the strongest."
Even Altopereh went quiet at those words.
Kalian's voice carried no fear.
No admiration.
Only truth.
"And for that…"
The metallic giant placed one hand over his chest.
"…you have my respect."
Youri blinked slightly.
This was the first time he had ever heard another ruler speak to Altopereh without hostility.
But then Kalian continued.
"There was a reason we never counted Almosis among us."
Lea immediately stiffened.
Youri narrowed his eyes.
Altopereh chuckled quietly.
Kalian continued.
"Despite our differences…"
The spear forest shifted slowly around them.
"…we coexisted."
Images flashed through Youri's mind.
Ten ancient rulers.
Ten domains.
Ten monsters powerful enough to shape Tartarus itself.
"But Almosis…"
Kalian's glowing eyes dimmed slightly.
"…was existence itself."
Silence followed those words.
Even the wind across the metallic desert seemed to stop.
Youri frowned.
"What does that even mean?"
Kalian looked toward the endless desert beyond his domain.
"You have walked upon his body since the moment you arrived here."
Youri's expression darkened.
The desert.
The sky.
The endless crimson horizon.
All of it—
One domain.
One ruler.
One existence.
Kalian turned back toward Altopereh.
"That is why we never crossed paths with him."
The giant ruler's voice became heavier.
"We survived because we stayed away."
Then—
Altopereh laughed.
Not softly.
Not mockingly.
It laughed with genuine excitement.
The kind of laugh that came before destruction.
"You say that…"
The god unit raised one restored arm.
"…because I never tried."
The black plasma veins across its body glowed brighter.
Youri felt the surge of power flowing through the cockpit.
Altopereh's voice echoed through the entire domain.
"And this time…"
The giant machine slowly formed a plasma blade in its hand.
The weapon ignited violently.
Gray-black energy erupted outward, distorting the air around it.
"…I am trying."
Kalian's spear forest trembled.
Lea stared silently.
Even Youri felt uneasy.
Because Altopereh truly meant it.
This was not arrogance.
This was obsession.
The being before him genuinely intended to challenge the ruler of the endless desert itself.
"And now…"
Altopereh pointed the plasma blade toward the distant crimson horizon.
"…we will finally learn…"
"…who the true ruler of Tartarus is."