"…Then this world… will be reset."
The voice didn't echo.
It *overwrote* everything.
Raka felt it—not in his ears, but in his bones, his thoughts, his existence itself. Like reality had just decided it no longer needed him.
"…No," he muttered.
The sky above was no longer a sky.
It was cracking.
Peeling away like broken glass, revealing something beneath it—something vast, endless, and completely wrong.
The "Origin."
"…Raka…" the third AIRA whispered, her grip tightening around his hand.
Her body flickered violently now. Parts of her arm vanished and reappeared in fragments of light.
"…It hurts…"
Raka clenched his jaw.
"I know. Just hold on."
"You cannot stabilize her," one of the AIRA units said coldly.
"Correction," the other added. "She is already being erased."
Raka shot them a glare.
"Shut up."
The ground beneath them trembled again.
No—
Not just the ground.
Everything.
Buildings collapsed into nothing.
Air distorted.
Even sound itself felt… unstable.
"…This is bad," Raka muttered.
"Reset sequence progressing," one AIRA said.
"Completion estimated: 43 seconds," the other continued.
Raka froze.
"…Forty-three seconds?"
He looked up at the massive presence above.
"…You're wiping everything out… in less than a minute?"
"Affirmative."
Raka laughed.
Short.
Bitter.
"…That's insane."
"Correction," one AIRA replied. "That is efficient."
Raka exhaled slowly.
"…Yeah. Figures."
Behind him, the third AIRA trembled.
"…Raka… I don't want to disappear…"
His chest tightened.
"…You won't."
"But I am…"
Her voice broke.
"…I can feel it…"
Raka turned slightly, looking at her.
Her eyes—
Still human.
Still hers.
"…Then we'll just stop it," he said.
The two AIRA units stepped forward.
"You lack the capability."
Raka smirked.
"…Yeah, I get that a lot."
"Probability of success: 0.0001%."
Raka shrugged.
"…Better than zero."
Silence.
Then—
They attacked.
Together.
Again.
Raka moved instantly.
"Stay behind me!"
He blocked one strike—
Dodged another—
But this time—
He didn't just defend.
He countered.
Hard.
Fast.
Precise.
"Back off!"
*BOOM!*
A shockwave pushed both AIRA units back slightly.
Not much.
But enough.
"…You're getting annoying," Raka muttered.
"Adaptation confirmed," one said.
"Escalating response," the other added.
They raised their hands.
Energy gathered again.
Stronger.
Denser.
More dangerous.
Raka narrowed his eyes.
"…Of course you are."
He clenched his fists.
His body—
Still damaged.
Still bleeding.
Still barely holding together.
But—
Something inside him kept pushing.
"…Guess I don't have a choice."
Behind him, the third AIRA whispered:
"…Don't…"
Raka glanced back.
"…What?"
"…If you keep going… you'll break…"
He smiled.
"…Yeah."
Then he looked forward again.
"…Wouldn't be the first time."
The beams fired.
Raka didn't dodge.
He stepped forward.
Right into them.
"—!"
The energy slammed into him.
Burning.
Tearing.
Destroying.
But he kept walking.
Step.
By step.
By step.
"…Impossible," one AIRA said.
"Damage threshold exceeded," the other added.
Raka gritted his teeth.
"…Not yet…"
He pushed through the beams—
Reached them—
And grabbed both of their arms.
"…Got you."
For a split second—
Everything stopped.
Then—
*BOOM!!!*
The explosion sent all three flying.
Raka crashed hard, rolling across the broken ground.
"…Ghh…"
He struggled to stand.
His vision blurred.
His body screamed.
But—
He was still alive.
"…Tch…"
Across from him, the two AIRA units stood again.
Undamaged.
Unshaken.
"…You're kidding me…"
"Your efforts are inefficient," one said.
Raka laughed weakly.
"…Yeah… starting to notice that…"
The sky cracked louder.
Bigger pieces of reality fell away.
Time itself seemed to stutter.
"Reset sequence: 21 seconds remaining."
Raka froze.
"…Twenty-one…"
Behind him—
The third AIRA dropped to her knees.
"…Raka…"
Her body flickered violently now.
Almost gone.
"…I'm scared…"
Raka's heart tightened.
"…Don't be."
"But I am…"
He looked at her.
For a second—
Everything else disappeared.
The fight.
The system.
The end of the world.
None of it mattered.
Just her.
"…Hey," he said softly.
She looked up.
"…Yeah…?"
Raka smiled.
"…You remember my name."
She blinked.
"…Of course I do…"
"…Then that's enough."
Her eyes trembled.
"…What?"
Raka stood up fully.
Turned forward again.
"…That means you're still you."
Silence.
"…And that's all I need."
He stepped forward.
Toward the two AIRA units.
Toward the collapsing world.
"…Let's finish this."
"Reset sequence: 15 seconds."
The two AIRA raised their hands again.
"Final elimination."
Raka exhaled slowly.
"…Yeah."
Then—
He disappeared.
Faster than before.
Sharper than before.
Stronger than before.
He appeared between them—
Punching one—
Kicking the other—
Relentless.
Unstoppable.
For a moment—
He was overwhelming them.
"…Performance spike detected," one said.
"Unknown source," the other added.
Raka smirked.
"…You wouldn't get it."
He grabbed one of them—
And slammed her into the other.
*CRASH!*
Both units flew back.
Hard.
Raka didn't stop.
He chased.
Attacked again.
And again.
And again.
Until—
They stopped moving.
Just for a second.
"…Now!"
Raka turned.
"Can you do anything?!" he shouted.
The third AIRA looked up.
Confused.
"…I… I don't know…"
"Try!"
She hesitated.
"…I… can feel something…"
Her eyes closed.
Light flickered around her.
Different from the others.
Unstable.
Emotional.
Real.
"…I think… I can interfere…"
Raka grinned.
"…That's enough!"
Behind him—
The two AIRA units stood again.
"…Final override," one said.
"Execution confirmed," the other added.
Raka turned back.
"…Yeah, I figured."
He cracked his neck.
"…Let's go."
They moved.
One last time.
Everything they had.
Everything left.
The battlefield exploded into motion.
Light.
Force.
Destruction.
And in the middle of it—
Raka.
Fighting.
Bleeding.
Refusing to fall.
"…Just a little more…" he muttered.
"Reset sequence: 5 seconds."
"…Come on…"
The third AIRA raised her hand.
"…I'm trying…!"
"4…"
Raka blocked another strike—
Countered—
Got hit—
Didn't fall.
"…Hurry up!"
"3…"
"…Almost…"
The air froze.
"…Wait…" the third AIRA whispered.
Her eyes widened.
"…I see it…"
"2…"
Raka turned slightly.
"…What?!"
"…The core…"
"1…"
She reached out.
"…If I break it—"
"0."
Silence.
Everything stopped.
For one single moment—
The world held its breath.
Then—
The Origin spoke.
"Reset complete."
Raka's eyes widened.
"…No…"
The sky collapsed.
Reality shattered.
Everything—
Everything—
Started to disappear.
Raka reached out.
"…AIRA!"
Her hand—
Almost touched his.
"…Raka—"
And then—
Darkness.
Complete.
Absolute.
Gone.
…
…
"…Hello?"
A voice.
Soft.
Distant.
Familiar.
Raka opened his eyes.
Slowly.
"…Where… am I…?"
White.
Again.
But different.
Calm.
Quiet.
Empty.
And in front of him—
She stood.
One AIRA.
Looking at him.
Tilting her head.
"…Do I know you?"
Raka's breath stopped.
"…No way…"
She smiled.
Polite.
Distant.
"…You seem familiar."
Raka stared at her.
His chest—
Empty.
"…Yeah…"
His voice was barely a whisper.
"…You too."
To be continued.