CHAPTER 90: END HIM

Theo stopped his car at the side of a narrow road, the last pin from Aries’s tracker pointing just ahead... east, deep into a forest-covered section of town. He killed the engine and got out, pulling on his camouflage gear. His jaw was tight, his vision laser-focused.

They took Aries.

He activated stealth mode and disappeared, his footsteps muffled by Wind Veil. Branches shifted silently as he moved with deadly speed through the woods, his body lowered like a predator ready to strike.

As he neared the warehouse ahead, he saw them, two armed men posted as lookouts.

Theo crept close, shadows wrapping around him. The first man dropped without a sound. Theo’s hand clamped over his mouth. The second reached for his gun, too slow. Theo buried a punch into his ribs with bone-breaking force, dropping him instantly.

And then-

[Ding! DARK SYSTEM ONLINE - Justification Protocol Active]

A new screen blinked in his system’s interface, ominous and pulsing red.

[Ding! DARK SYSTEM OVERRIDE: ENGAGED]

PURGE MISSION UNLOCKED: "While the Iron’s Hot"

Target: Eliminate fellow Meteor Survivors

Objective: Purge all hostile UMS in the area.

[Main Reward: Ironblood Mutation Path - Phase 2: Crimson Apex

Ability Gained: Bloodrage Conversion

Bonus Reward: Steel Will - Passive

[Warning: Accepting this quest enables temporary access to blood-fury-enhanced combat state. Entering this state may affect alignment.]

[Accept PURGE QUEST? YES / NO]

Auto-decline in 15 seconds...

Theo’s hands were shaking, rage building from his core like molten fire. His sister. His childhood friend. Held hostage like bargaining chips. And these bastards thought they could get away with it.

He quickly chose YES without hesitation.

[Ding! Quest Accepted - PURGE MISSION INITIATED]

A searing burn surged down Theo’s spine. For a brief moment, the fire inside him matched the heat radiating from his Pyreflame core. His senses sharpened. His pulse beat like a war drum.

He felt like a weapon.

Theo muttered under his breath as he moved toward the warehouse’s shadowed side, bypassing barbed barricades and wired traps.

He silently took down the last of the guards outside the warehouse, slipping behind a stacked crate and pressing his hand against the unconscious body.

He deactivated his camouflage gear and crouched low, listening to the wind rustle through broken panels above.

Then-

[Ding! DARK SYSTEM UPDATE]

Host Alert: Six UMS were detected inside the structure.

Theo’s jaw tightened as he moved through the shadows. These weren’t just common thugs, they were survivors like him. People who had likely gone feral or twisted by the powers they’d gained.

Before stepping inside, he quickly made a call to Calix.

"I’ve reached the location where they’re keeping Aries. Don’t proceed to the location until I give the signal."

"Copy that. Be careful, Theo," Calix replied firmly.

Time was running out. He had to confirm that Aries and Beatrice were really inside before anything else.

The kidnappers gave him two hours. That meant he still had just over an hour left before Calix and Kael would be forced to bring the kids to the drop-off point.

Theo gritted his teeth. He couldn’t afford to waste a single second. If he failed here, Aries would suffer and the kids would walk straight into a trap.

He pushed open the side door, stepping into the dark, rust-scented hall. The moment he entered, heavy footfalls surrounded him.

From the shadows, eight figures emerged, seven men and one woman.

"Well, look at this," Kravo drawled, stepping forward with a smug grin. "A lone boy trying to play hero."

His voice echoed through the dim interior of the warehouse, oozing mockery. The men around him chuckled darkly, but Kravo didn’t take his eyes off Theo.

"I didn’t believe my men at first when they said someone actually tracked us down," he continued. "But here you are. I’ll admit, I underestimated you."

Theo’s eyes narrowed. He could already tell, this older man wasn’t just another thug. This man was the head of this twisted operation, and the way the others fell in line around him confirmed it.

Kravo’s grin twisted into something more dangerous. "It doesn’t matter whether you’re AMS or UMS. Out here, it’s not about rank. It’s about power. And right now? There’s one of you, and eight of us."

He gestured casually to the six UMS surrounding Theo, each one armed and already pulsing with dangerous, unstable energy.

"You’ve got guts, I’ll give you that," Kravo sneered. "But coming here alone? That’s not courage. That’s stupidity. Still... I must applaud you. No one has gotten this close to us in months."

His eyes gleamed with malice.

"You even made it here before the drop. Maybe you’re better than I thought. Doesn’t change anything though."

Theo stood still, silent. But inside, he was already scanning the area, gathering every detail. The warehouse’s structure. The positioning of the UMS. Their energy signatures. Their physical tics.

He could feel his Observer’s Insight flaring, analyzing them one by one. His muscles coiled with tension.

Theo didn’t blink. His voice was low. Controlled. "Where is my sister?"

Kravo grinned wider. "Ah. So it is personal."

He snapped his fingers. Two UMS dragged Aries and Beatrice forward from the back room.

Aries’s hands were still cuffed. Her face bruised, jaw clenched. But her eyes sharpened the moment she saw Theo.

Beatrice was held by another man, her clothes torn, lip bloodied, yet still glaring defiantly despite the hold around her neck.

Theo pressed the bluetooth earpiece snug against his ear and spoke low, "Aries and Beatrice are here."

"Copy that," Calix replied immediately. "I’ll pull the kids back. Kael and I will move once you give the signal."

The line went dead.

Theo’s gaze lifted, sharp and unflinching, locking onto Kravo.

"Let them go," he said, voice low and dangerous.

The room seemed to tighten with tension. Kravo’s grin returned, wider this time, mocking.

"Oh? So brave," Kravo said with a slow clap. "You really think you’re in a position to make demands?"

Theo didn’t blink. His jaw was set, his hands loose at his sides but every muscle was coiled like a loaded spring. "I’m not asking," he said coldly. "I’m warning you."

Kravo placed his hand mockingly under Aries’s chin, tilting her face toward Theo. "You want them back? Then come take them."

Theo’s pulse didn’t spike. His rage, however, burned hotter than before. He moved a step forward, shifting into a loose stance. Quiet, deadly.

"I’m only going to say this once..." His voice dropped like steel. "Let. Them. Go."

Kravo laughed. "Or what, hero? You’ll fight all of us alone?"

Theo’s body shimmered faintly, heat waves from inner fire beginning to flare as he activated Ignite Form.

"No," Theo said. "I’ll erase you."

Kravo didn’t even finish his mocking laugh before Theo moved.

A blazing dash of fire erupted from beneath his feet and in less than a blink, he appeared behind one of the UMS.

Crack-

His head twisted at an unnatural angle as Theo drove his fist into his neck and yanked the body forward, using it as a shield just as one hurled a pulse of electric energy at him.

BZZZT!

Sparks crackled uselessly into the corpse. He smashed its head, making sure he would no longer mutate before Theo tossed it aside and lunged at the next.

"One," Theo muttered coldly.

The second UMS tried to raise a weapon, a metal rod, until-

[Silent Strike + Bonebreaker Frame] enhanced Theo’s speed and mass. He crushed the UMS’s arm with a single elbow strike, then smashed his head.

CRACK.

"Two."

The third screamed and ran, wind mutation crackling at his heels. A coward. Too slow.

Theo used [Aero Dash], shooting after him like a silent blur. He reached the runner mid-stride and dragged his blade across his back then plunged it through the UMS’s spine, clean and merciless.

He used his axe to decapitate him.

"Three."

Blood soaked the concrete, steaming slightly from the heat rising around Theo’s burning form.

Kravo stood frozen, eyes wide, trembling. Gripping Aries tighter, he shouted, "He’s a monster! Don’t let him near!"

"A monster?" Theo smirked.

One of the remaining three UMS snarled and charged with a roar, activating his Titan Charge, body bulking up grotesquely, his footsteps shaking the ground.

Theo didn’t flinch.

He activated [Granite Skin], letting stone crawl over his arms and chest as Kravo swung a full-force punch-

BOOM!

Stone met flesh. Theo slid back an inch, but his arm didn’t move. He caught his punch.

[Seismic Counter - Active]

A wave of force rippled outward from the impact point, shattering crates and slamming his head back against the wall. Before he could move, Theo activated [Pyre Burst] at point-blank.

FWOOOM!

The wall behind him erupted into flame and rubble. His charred body crumpled to the floor.

Kravo’s lips twisted into a sneer as he looked around at the bodies of his fallen men.

"Useless trash..." he muttered, then turned toward the last two UMS still standing, both eyeing Theo with barely contained aggression. "You two. End him."

The two UMS exchanged glances, one was a man, the other a woman.

"Leave now while I’m still letting you escape," Theo warned.