The Source. What is the Source? Human science realized early on that the Universe is imperfect. From the vast constellation of particles, energies, and interactions that govern their operation, something was missing. That power is the root of all things – both the origin and the primordial flaw that permits existence ... to well exist and endure amidst the void.

  And humanity – born in impossibility, in a place deprived of the Source – can never hope to garner or harness it.

  Source, in other words, is simply pure force and the power source of preference for all advanced civilizations. After all, it can be directed to and utilized for any task – it will just positively increase an effect or a property in the wielder’s interpretation. In fact, all high-end civilizations run on converting abundant universal energies through dimensional sublimation into the Source’s energy state.

  But then, how could human technology exist and operate at the same level?

  Simple. Don’t have access to the Source. Then just go ahead and create your own.

  In essence, artificial Source transforms different energies by using human will as the medium for conversion into a pure force. For that reason, only humans can wield said force, and the larger and more energy-intensive the machinery, the heavier the load—requiring an increased number of humans to run it.

  Artificial Source worked as a pure negative force that resisted exterior effects and limitations imposed by universal laws. Instead of making the material directly stronger, it removed the limit restricting its increase in durability. As such, humanity could stand on equal footing and even start to surpass the Universal standard of peak technology.

  And yet – no matter how much they struggled – they were unable to advance their life-order.

  Seo pondered these distinctions momentarily as he tried to fully comprehend what had happened to him during the experiment. He was retired from the battlefield and chosen to participate in a program designed to open up the higher ranks of power to humanity. The reason? We were slowly losing the war…

  …and the reason for that, the enemies’ high-level combatants.

  Ultimately, no matter the destructive potential and number of weapons, it is impossible to deal with combatants capable of independently shuttling across space, causing unquantifiable levels of destruction, and wielding an array of powers so varied and vast that it was impossible to come up with a universally applicable countermeasure.

  Despite our terrifying capability for warfare, we were still being slowly wilted down, and our leaders knew fully that once the True Gods backing the Coalition started to move, we would be hopelessly crushed.

  So, despite the disastrous results recorded in the past, they decided to attempt to acclimate humans to artificial Sources no matter the cost. The result: a meat grinder, of which I am likely the only survivor.

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  Seo stopped channeling his newly discovered energy and let the faint strip of red mist recede. ‘Huh,’ he thought for a moment before addressing Ajax for further input.

  “It seems I have fully ascended to the first Rank.”

  “My augmentation seems purely physical, but in reality, it seems I can forcibly resist the laws and constants of my environment.”

  The circle pulsed, adding, “Your analysis appears to be correct, and it would stand to reason that as your rank increases, your ability to manifest *unnamed* will increase.”

  ‘*Unamed*?’ I consider ‘seems I’ll need to think of a name in the future’

  “Ajax is armor undamaged?”

  “Confirmed”

  A square panel receded from the floor, revealing a small platform that quickly ascended. In tow came an intricately crafted mechanical suite. Its armor plating was jet black, with an overlapping design and green streaks of energy surging through the seams. In the center of the chest plate, the core was housed, and it shone with the same fervent light.

  I studied the familiar armor before making adjustments to compensate for my recent rise in strength: “Remove any physical enhancement allocation and focus solely on support features. In addition, remodel it to accommodate my current size and disable any oxygen creation, conversion, and retention systems.”

  Ajax let out a confused electric hum.

  “Breathing has become a formality at this point,” I responded.

  “Acknowledged.”

  I watched as the suit morphed to fit my requirements before it seemingly split in half and turned partially liquid as it floated and enveloped me. I reached over, donning the helmet.

  Outside, in a gorge shrouded in shadows and wreckage, an armored figure sat silently watching a projected recording. He had fashioned a rudimentary cloak from a grey piece of cloth. It’s hood pulled tightly over his head, and its tattered ends floated gingerly in the wind. His helmet masked his entire face and bore three glowing green lines.

  Two bent angular streaks flowed from each just outside the outer edge of the eye before turning and running down to the chin, a small black margin dividing the two congruent lines. A third streak ran straight down from the center of the hairline to the bridge of the nose, forming a diamond-shaped gap. All the lines were pointed, exhibiting triangular tips.

  Seo watched the recording he had recovered from the drones that had survived the onslaught. He scrutinized the video intently before a thunderous blue flash consumed the screen and veered to black. He turned his upward-facing palm downward, dismissing the projection.

  I let out a sigh.

  “They really sent a Rank 7 Demi-God.”

  The hologram had shown an intense firefight as the human fleets led a costly but successful defensive siege. But then, the entire atmosphere was consumed with ghostly light as an azure sun seemed to have dawned on the horizon. The light spread everywhere, effortlessly piercing the shielding and erasing every single human on board.

  The towering ships—deprived of a human medium—rapidly lost power and began to plummet to the surface as the enemy pummeled the defenseless hulls with fire. Vessels cracked and broke apart, and more than half exploded into vast plumes of fire and smoke.

  The security drone stationed at the top of the far mountain only recorded a single frame of what happened next. For an instant, a robed figure appeared, indistinguishable save for its golden serpentine eyes. Their right arm was raised. And in the next frame, a monstrous impact.

  I stared at the barren landscape before speaking something halfway between a promise and a statement:

  “I am coming for you all.”

  “With this new power..."

  - Endogen -