The smile didn't last.
It broke.
A violent cough tore through Ryuzen's chest.
"—Khh…!"
Blood spilled from his lips, splattering against the cold stone beneath him.
His body trembled.
Uncontrollably.
Pain surged through his right arm.
No—
Not pain.
Something worse.
He looked down.
His arm…
Was destroyed.
Not just broken.
Shattered.
The bone had splintered beneath his skin, twisted at an unnatural angle—as if it had tried to withstand something it never should have.
"…What… did I… do…?"
His fingers twitched.
They barely responded.
Then—
Something flickered.
A black distortion crept into the edge of his vision.
Faint.
Unstable.
Like something glitching into existence.
[ WARNING: SYSTEM INCOMPATIBILITY ]
[ VESSEL INTEGRITY: 12% ]
"…What is… this…?"
The words echoed weakly in his mind.
It wasn't in front of him.
Not really.
It felt—
Etched.
Like something carved directly into his brain.
"…A screen…? No…"
His breathing grew heavier.
"…This isn't… normal…"
A low growl answered him.
GRRRRRR…
The darkness shifted.
The monsters hadn't left.
They were watching.
Waiting.
And now—
They moved.
Slow.
Careful.
Drawn by the scent of blood.
From above—
A clicking sound echoed.
Sharp.
Rhythmic.
Click… click… click…
Ryuzen's eyes lifted.
Something descended from the ceiling.
Tall.
Thin.
Unnatural.
Four elongated arms extended from its body—each one shaped like a blade.
Its joints bent in ways that shouldn't exist.
A Stalker.
Its glowing eyes locked onto him.
Predator.
Prey.
Ryuzen tried to stand.
His legs collapsed.
"…Tch—!"
His body hit the ground hard.
He couldn't stand.
Couldn't fight.
Not like this.
The Stalker tilted its head.
Observing.
Learning.
Then—
It lunged.
A blade-arm sliced through the air.
Time—
Slowed.
No—
It fractured.
Ryuzen's vision shifted.
The world turned—
Red.
His pupils shrank.
Then expanded.
Everything became clear.
Every movement.
Every angle.
Every possibility.
[ ANALYSIS: STALKER — BLADE DANCE ]
[ SYNCHRONIZING… ]
"…What… is happening…?"
His body moved.
Not by will.
Not by thought.
Something deeper.
His broken arm jerked—
CRACK.
The bone snapped back into place.
Ryuzen didn't scream.
He couldn't.
His body twisted.
Matching the creature.
Perfectly.
The blade passed—
An inch from his throat.
Missed.
The Stalker froze.
For the first time—
It hesitated.
Ryuzen moved.
He grabbed its arm.
Tightly.
[ REFLEXIVE COUNTER: ACTIVATED ]
[ OUTPUT: 200% ]
"…!"
He drove his palm forward.
Not a punch.
Something heavier.
Something wrong.
A shockwave exploded through the monster's body.
Its chest caved inward.
Internal organs ruptured.
No scream.
Just collapse.
Dead.
Silence.
Ryuzen remained still.
Then—
His hand split open.
Skin peeled back.
Blood spilled freely.
"…Ghh—!"
Pain hit.
Delayed.
Violent.
His body trembled uncontrollably.
"…My body… can't… handle it…"
He collapsed to one knee.
Breathing.
Breaking.
Then—
He felt it.
Hunger.
Not normal hunger.
Something deeper.
Something dark.
His eyes slowly shifted—
Toward the corpse.
Inside it—
A faint glow pulsed.
A core.
Beating.
Like a heart.
"…What is… that…?"
The black distortion returned.
[ TARGET NEUTRALIZED ]
[ COMMENCE ASSIMILATION? (Y/N) ]
Ryuzen stared at it.
"…Assimilation…?"
His thoughts blurred.
His body moved.
On its own.
His hand reached forward.
"No… wait—"
Too late.
His fingers crushed the core.
CRACK.
Dark smoke burst out.
It didn't disperse.
It rushed into him.
Through his skin.
His veins.
His lungs.
"…AAAAHH—!"
Pain.
Burning.
Consuming.
Something inside him—
Changed.
His breathing slowed.
Then stopped.
For a moment—
Everything went silent.
Then—
He opened his eyes.
Different.
Not fully human.
Not anymore.
A pool of blood reflected his face.
One eye—
Had changed.
Deeper.
Darker.
Alive.
Ryuzen stared at his reflection.
Then—
He smiled.
Cold.
"If I have to be a monster to kill them…"
Silence.
"…then so be it."
"His body was breaking.
Bone. Blood. Breath.
Everything was failing.
And yet—
Something inside him was waking up."
[ END OF CHAPTER 2 ]