Axel's black spear tip shot forth like a dark slash cutting through the air. It moved so fast the eye could barely follow it. The dagger aimed straight at Rena's chest hung only inches away when the spear blade pierced the attacker's throat first. The soft sound of flesh being pierced drifted through the taut room. The mercenary's eyes widened in shock. His body stiffened for an instant before strength left him entirely and he crumpled onto the dusty floor. Dark blood sprayed from the wound in his neck and splashed against the dull concrete walls. Thin steam rose from the fluid before fading slowly into the cold air of the Ninth Tower. Axel did not even glance at the fallen man. His entire focus went straight to Rena. "Are you all right?" he asked quickly dropping to his knees beside her. His voice came out sharper and more anxious than he had intended. Rena still clutched the tattered blanket wrapped around her. Her knu

"That is impossible... your blood does not decay at the cellular level. Your body naturally produces antibodies against the Void corrosion." the Shadow Merchant exclaimed. His voice so composed only moments before shattered completely. His hands gripping the silver cup trembled hard enough to slide it several centimeters across the cracked tabletop. The reddish-purple liquid inside pulsed softly as though it possessed a life of its own something no ordinary blood should ever hold. Axel caught the shift instantly. Since the moment they met the tall hatted man had stood unshakable. Threats weapons danger no matter how grave had never so much as shifted his expression. Yet now something stood clear and undeniable. Pure unfeigned shock. Rena standing at his side stiffened instantly. "What is wrong?" she asked quietly. The Shadow Merchant did not answer at once. His gaze remained lock

"This... is impossible," Rena whispered, her eyes fixed unblinkingly on the holographic screen that now filled the room. Beside her anatomical model, rows of numbers and percentages continued to move endlessly; data regarding organ synchronization and energy stability displayed a compatibility rate that was far too high and perfect, making her chest feel tight and heavy.The digital blueprint floating above the cylindrical container spun slowly, projecting layer after layer of a design so intricate it seemed almost unbelievable. Lines of blue energy formed the structure of a massive machine named ^Void Nova Engine^, and at the center of the diagram lay a single point that glowed far brighter than the rest. That point connected directly to the anatomical structure of Rena’s body, piercing straight into her heart.Holographic light reflected off their faces, which had suddenly frozen in place. The sounds of battle that had previously filled the corridor seemed to fade away, drowned out

"Axel, stay where you are!"The concrete floor beneath their feet vanished in an instant. The cold gray surface faded like mist swept away by wind, replaced by a transparent expanse revealing endless darkness below. From an immeasurable depth, millions of black hands reached upward, moving in perfect unison as if the entire chasm had come alive and waited for them to fall. Faint howls drifted up from below, soft at first then growing louder until it felt like something was scraping the back of his skull.Axel glanced over his shoulder. Rena stood pale beneath the corridor’s dim light, her eyes fixed straight down at the same illusory abyss. Her shoulders were tight and her fingers trembled faintly though she tried to hide it. The psycho-active frequency waves emitted by the iron walls still throbbed in the air. The vibration was subtle, barely felt, yet strong enough to force open the deepest corners of a person’s mind. Axel could feel it. It wasn’t physical pressure. It was something

BOOM!The thirty-centimeter bulletproof glass wall shattered into a shower of crystal shards as Axel slammed into it with his full weight and every ounce of strength left in his body. His bone-crystal spear roared in his grip, channeling a wave of energy that tore through the illusion’s surface and the physical structure beneath it all at once. White dust billowed through the interrogation room, choking the air with the scent of hot metal and burning wiring while glass fragments clattered loudly across the steel floor, bouncing again and again before rolling away.Axel stood tall amid the swirling dust. The burn mark left by the electric collar still seared his neck, the skin beneath the armor collar felt as if pressed against live coals, yet the pain only sharpened his mind and made it clearer than ever."Your cheap little games are over," he growled, his voice low and heavy with threat.No answer came. Only the echo of his own voice bouncing back from the room as it began to lose it