In a world where everyone was a predator, Zuraiz was a sheep.Twenty years ago, the Great Awakening changed human history forever. A rogue scientific experiment went catastrophic, releasing a primordial gas that swept across the globe. It didn’t turn humans into monsters; instead, it fused prehistoric beast DNA into human genetics. Overnight, humanity became a superpowered society ranked strictly by their primal bloodlines, from the pathetic E-rank lizards to the catastrophic, Country-level apex predators like the Tyrannosaurus Rex.And then, there was Zuraiz."Still trying to fix that ancient piece of junk, useless?"A mocking voice echoed across the scrap yard. Zuraiz, a lean twenty-year-old with dark messy hair and sharp but tired eyes, didn't look up. He wiped the sweat from his brow, his oil-stained hands tight around a wrench as he continued repairing a broken generator.A heavy foot crushed his toolbox.Zuraiz finally looked up. Standing over him was Riaz, a muscular thug from

The damp air of the alleyway didn't just turn cold; it decayed.As Zuraiz stood over the empty space where Tariq had just fled, the dark gold energy around his hands began to change. It didn't fade like a normal fighter’s aura. Instead, it dissolved into a coarse, ash-colored fog—an Extinction Mist that smelled of petrified soil and ancient death. Where the mist touched the brick walls, tiny, jagged Black-Gold Primordial Cracks materialized in the air, spider-webbing outward as if the reality of Sector 9 couldn't handle the density of his presence.This energy... it feels heavy. Heavy like a graveyard, Zuraiz thought, looking down at his trembling fingers. The obsidian talons receded back into his skin, leaving his hands stained with faint, charcoal-like residue."Brother..." Amaya’s soft voice broke his concentration.Zuraiz closed his eyes, forcing the ash-mist and the black-gold cracks to snap shut. When he turned around, the terrifying predator was gone, replaced by the protective

The air inside the small apartment didn't just fracture; it tore apart like old parchment.The neighborhood boy scrambled backward on his hands and knees, his eyes wide with primordial terror as the Extinction Mist choked out the remaining neon green light from the window. The Black-Gold Primordial Cracks hovering around Zuraiz pulsed with an erratic, deadly frequency."Zuraiz... your eyes..." the boy whimpered.Zuraiz didn't hear him. The roaring of ancient blood was deafening in his ears. But within three seconds, the volatile storm of ash and dark gold energy suddenly snapped backward into his skin. His breathing was heavy, but his face—once again—became a mask of absolute, frozen stone.Rage was a weakness. His father had always told him that a predator who loses his temper is nothing more than a rabid dog waiting to be put down. An intelligent predator keeps his heart cold.Amaya was taken to the Eastern Scrap Yard, but they are moving her to the First District High Alliance, Zur

The standoff inside the shattered transit station was absolute.Four tactical rifles remained locked onto Zuraiz’s chest, their red laser sights bleeding through the settling Extinction Mist. Evelyn Vance’s hand didn't leave the hilt of her obsidian blade. Her emerald eyes were like chips of ice, waiting for the slightest twitch from the slum teenager in front of her to authorize lethal force."I will repeat myself once more," Evelyn said, her voice dropping into a dangerous, low frequency that vibrated through the concrete floor. "Move away from the containment pod."Behind her, Riaz spat out another mouthful of dark, volcanic blood, his fractured jaw tightening as he hissed through his teeth. "Captain... execute him. He is an unregistered lethal anomaly. Look at his arms—he’s using a banned extraction technique!"Zuraiz didn't look at Riaz. His golden eyes remained fixed entirely on Evelyn. His forearms were throbbing, the black-gold primordial cracks beneath his skin stinging like

The Sector 9 Grand Arena was less of a sports complex and more of an industrial slaughterhouse converted into a theater. Built inside a hollowed-out, subterranean cooling tower from the old world, its towering concrete tiers were packed to the brim with thousands of screaming slum dwellers, syndicate low-lifes, and wealthy scouts from the middle rings looking for cheap, disposable talent.In the center of the dusty, blood-stained dirt floor, a massive holographic display projected the bracket numbers.Right under the VIP glass box where Riaz sat—his fractured jaw tightly wrapped in heavy black cybernetic braces that hissed with localized steam—hung a massive, floating ice-blue container.Inside it, Amaya’s silhouette was barely visible through the thick frost, the faint white plasma embers of her dormant Phoenix core flickering like a dying star. Evelyn Vance stood right on the edge of the Alliance observation deck above the container, her red hair tied tight, her emerald eyes looking