Loading lunged—Moving with the same ferocity that Hegemon had used countless times before.

  Their blades clashed. A shockwave tore through the battlefield. Sparks rained like falling stars.

  Loading mirrored every movement Hegemon had ever made, replicating his past abilities with terrifying accuracy—everything up to the moment he had unlocked the Code Manipulator. Their blades clashed in a violent display of power, sending arcs of energy crackling through the fractured remains of the Anti-Void. Then, in the middle of a swing, Loading’s entire form pulsed with a dark blue glow.

  Before Hegemon could react, the blade in Loading’s hand dissolved, instantly reforming into a massive dark blue shield. With no hesitation, Loading lunged forward, aiming to slam the shield directly into Hegemon with bone-shattering force.

  But the Code Manipulator responded in kind. It flashed the same dark blue hue, and in an instant, a glowing barrier materialized between them. The impact was immediate and violent—the sheer force of Loading’s strike sent shockwaves rippling outward, fracturing the barrier upon contact. Cracks splintered across its surface like shattered glass, but it held just long enough for Hegemon to act.

  The Code Manipulator pulsed again, this time shifting to a vivid purple. The barrier shattered, but Hegemon was already moving, his speed amplified as he surged forward. His blade sliced through the air in a blur, forcing Loading onto the defensive. Caught off guard, Loading barely managed to react as Hegemon’s attacks intensified. Blow after blow rained down, each strike carving glowing slashes across Loading’s form, illuminating the battlefield with bursts of energy.

  Then, in a sudden, decisive motion, the Code Manipulator flashed light blue. A concentrated beam erupted from Hegemon’s palm at point-blank range, slamming directly into Loading’s chest. The energy coursed through his body, disrupting his very structure—his form began to distort, twisting and shifting uncontrollably as he struggled to regain control.

  Hegemon didn’t waste the opportunity. With a powerful kick, he drove his foot square into Loading’s chest. The force sent Loading hurtling backward, his body skidding across the crumbling remnants of the battlefield before finally plummeting into one of the destroyed sections of the Anti-Void.

  For a moment, silence. Then, from the abyss below, something stirred.

  As Loading vanished from sight, he reappeared almost instantly—faster than ever before. His outstretched hand was mere centimeters from Hegemon’s head, his fingers grasping for the kill. Hegemon barely had time to react, tilting his head back just enough to evade the grab.

  Loading’s momentum carried him forward, soaring just over Hegemon before landing fluidly behind him. Without hesitation, Hegemon swung his blade in a wide arc, but Loading twisted mid-air with inhuman precision, evading the strike with ease. His hand barely grazed the ruined surface of the battlefield before something unnatural occurred—the entire area began to glow red.

  From the shattered remains of the Anti-Void, pockets of energy pulsed and ruptured like unstable fissures, releasing torrents of Mainframe Essence. The entire battlefield trembled as the corrupted energy flooded outward, turning the void into a chaotic maelstrom of raw power.

  Before Hegemon could fully process the unfolding disaster, the vessel struck. Emerging from the chaos like a phantom, it slammed into Hegemon with monstrous force, driving him straight through the fractured ground. The impact sent him plummeting toward a vast, churning river of energy below—an endless current of essence feeding into some unknown abyss.

  At the last moment, Hegemon spread his wings wide, halting his descent just before colliding with the river’s unstable surface. But before he could regain his bearings, a massive explosion erupted above, consuming everything in its path with a blinding flash.

  As the flames and shockwaves subsided, Hegemon’s gaze snapped upward. The vessel’s broken body went flying, hurled away like debris from the blast. And standing amidst the chaos, rising from the devastation, was Loading—transformed.

  His entire form had shifted into something grotesque, an amalgamation of identities fused into one terrifying figure. His head had become fully robotic, covered in red armor, with a single glowing red eye that locked onto Hegemon with unwavering focus. His right leg, now skeletal, was encased in segmented armor, each individual bone reinforced with plating. His left arm had grown unnaturally muscular, a haunting reminder of someone Hegemon recognized all too well.

  His chest was now covered by a solid black shirt, yet it seemed to shift and blur, seamlessly blending with the unstable distortion of his unchanged arm. It was as if his very existence wavered between realities, caught in a constant state of flux. And with one final unsettling detail, his other leg had become a thin, skeletal limb, clad in torn green shorts and an orange boot.

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  Suddenly, two distinct swords materialized in Loading’s hands—one a crimson katana, gleaming with a sinister glow, the other a radiant purple double-edged shortsword with an unusual curved handle. Hegemon’s Code Manipulator flashed green in response, summoning a second sword into his grasp once more. Their eyes locked in a silent standoff before Loading burst forward from the ground with blinding speed, even by Hegemon’s standards.

  Loading swung the katana in a swift upward arc, aiming to cleave Hegemon from below. Reacting in an instant, Hegemon brought his sword down in a horizontal block, catching the blade mid-swing. But Loading was already in motion—he hurled the second sword directly at Hegemon’s head. Instinct took over as Hegemon ducked, the weapon whizzing past him in a blur of violet light.

  Seizing the opening, Hegemon slashed his green blade toward Loading’s left side. But before the strike could land, the muscular arm caught the blade mid-swing. Fire erupted along his hand as he clenched his fist, shattering the sword into fragments before it vanished into the air. Without hesitation, Loading lifted his armored leg and swung it in a powerful roundhouse kick. Hegemon’s wings instinctively folded in front of him, absorbing the impact, yet the sheer force sent him skidding backward across the shattered terrain.

  As Hegemon regained his footing, Loading had already repositioned—no, he had skipped through time. Before Hegemon could react, a devastating uppercut slammed into his jaw, sending a jolt of force through his body. Staggering back, he barely had time to recover before the air around Loading shifted ominously.

  With a sudden flick of his muscular arm, a blazing red fireball erupted toward Hegemon. He raised his wings again, shielding himself from the scorching heat—but this fire burned differently. The sensation tore through his defenses like nothing he had felt before.

  Then, before he could even process the pain, a beam of purple energy laced with a gray outline surged toward him. The attack pierced through his armor effortlessly, driving the breath from his lungs. Gritting his teeth, Hegemon looked up just in time to see the glowing sword from earlier returning to Loading’s grip.

  Loading wasted no time. He slashed downward, his blade carving into Hegemon’s chest and launching him into the air. In a seamless motion, he teleported behind him, delivering another strike to his armored back, sending him spiraling even higher. With one final motion, Loading raised his blade skyward, the air crackling with energy as an unseen force propelled Hegemon upwards.

  Loading reappeared in an instant, materializing beside Hegemon before gripping the armor around where his neck would be. With a flicker of his Code, he unleashed a devastating ability, corrupting and fracturing a section of Hegemon’s form. The damage sent a jolt through Hegemon before Loading hurled him aside, his body crashing onto the broken ground.

  As Hegemon staggered to his feet, a guttural scream erupted from him, unleashing a shockwave that rippled through the battlefield. His entire body ignited in a blazing white fire, the sheer intensity of its glow warping the space around him. He pressed off the ground, wings propelling him forward with terrifying speed. But in that brief moment, V?rher materialized beside him.

  The spectral figure turned its gaze toward Loading before vanishing, only to reappear at Loading’s flank. In a blur, V?rher struck, sending Loading hurtling sideways. Before Loading could even react, V?rher was already in front of him mid-flight, his strikes relentless—one from the right, another from the left, a crushing blow from below, and a final devastating impact from above, slamming Loading into the ground.

  As Hegemon caught up, he watched Loading’s form bounce against the ruined surface. Without hesitation, all four of his wings flared to life, beams of radiant light charging at their tips. The battlefield was bathed in an overwhelming brilliance as Hegemon unleashed the attack at point-blank range. The blast consumed Loading entirely, his form shattering under the sheer force of the energy. But there was no time to rest.

  From the fading light, the Vessel returned—already mid-lunge. Hegemon barely had a moment to react before he seized its face, slamming it into the ground with all his remaining strength. His wings flared once more, but this time, they rained down an unrelenting barrage of energy. Hundreds—no, millions—of searing blasts struck the Vessel in mere seconds, tearing its body apart before it could regenerate. And then, silence.

  The battlefield lay in ruins, the echoes of destruction fading into the void. Hegemon’s body trembled, drained from the relentless battle. His connection to the Mainframe was faltering, slipping from his grasp like sand through his fingers. He could feel it—his end was near.

  Had this entire journey been in vain? Had he fought so hard, endured so much, only to perish on the precipice of seeing his last remaining family again?

  His thoughts drifted to those he had met along the way—faces he would never forget. He let out a weary breath, whispering to no one in particular. "I’ve met people I’ll never forget… Let’s just hope it won’t be the same."

  The blazing white fire that once engulfed him flickered and died. His knees hit the ground as he stared at the reflection of destruction upon the white anti-void’s surface. Then, a shadow loomed over him.

  A pair of blurred black legs stood before him, their presence undeniable. "It’s a shame to see you in this state, honestly." Hegemon didn’t even lift his gaze. "Oh, save me your arrogant speech already."

  His armor, once his unbreakable shield, cracked and crumbled, fading into nothingness. Beneath it, his original attire—its colors long since changed—was all that remained.

  And then, before another word could be spoken, the final sound echoed through the silent void— The sound of skeletal remains collapsing onto the ground. His wings were gone.