> Zone: Genesis Sub-Layer — Atypical Convergence Point
Z3RO staggered back, sparks flying from his cracked gauntlets.
Facing him, Hakaijin, panting, kneeling, wiping the digital blood from his lip.
A moment of calm.
A moment of respect.
Two predators, equals, forced to recognize each other's strength.
Wordlessly, they each activated a quick potion—Emergency Regeneration Potion (T1).
A bluish glow briefly surrounded Z3RO, while Hakaijin tightened the restraints on his tattooed digital wrist, absorbing the elixir on contact.
> +60 HP restored
+20% Temporary Focus
The fight resumed, faster. More precise. More personal.
Z3RO initiated a reverse gravity jump, gaining height, launching two piercing nano-drones from the sky.
But Hakaijin, anticipating the movement, used the broken column to run vertically and struck the air.
> Aerial Clash — Explosion of Purple Light
B.I.T., Z3RO's drone, attempted to assist but was cut off in its tracks by a spiritual cutting wave.
It waltzed against a metal slab and temporarily shut down.
Z3RO felt it—not as pain, but as a loss of control.
> — "You're starting to piss me off, samurai!"
> — "Then fight seriously, machine-man."
They fell back to the ground in unison.
Silence.
Each raised their weapon.
Their next blow would be decisive. A horizontal strike charged with energy for Z3RO, an ancient Murim boot amplified by his Wish saber for Hakaijin.
> ORIAS Interface: "SPECIAL ATTACK CHARGING — CRITICAL RATIO EXCEEDED"
Then, everything stopped.
The ground shook.
The floating structures above them shuddered.
A rift suddenly opened in the Nexus, spitting out dark lightning mixed with glowing particles of data.
Something descended slowly.
Something… fused.
> [BOSS ALERT] — PROTO-OVERSEER: KAL-RAN THE DUALIST
Race: Bio-Sentient | Level 12
Class: Cybernetic-Monk — Fusion of Murim Styles & Cyberscience
He was floating a few meters above the ground. The body of a martial master, bare-chested tattooed with Murim runes, clicking cybernetic arms.
Long, wired hair, animated like data tentacles.
A neon-red gaze in closed eyes.
Two weapons hovered around him: a plasma nunchuck and a spirit lightsaber.
> "Two fragments fight... while the core watches?"
His voice echoed in their heads, not in the air.
> "One believes in the blade. The other believes in the machine. Neither believes in union."
He held out his open palms.
> "Prove to me that you deserve to exist in this Nexus."
Z3RO and Hakaijin, still on guard, turned toward him simultaneously.
Their interfaces flashed red:
> "Special Mission Triggered: Kal-Ran's Judgmental Duel — [Mandatory]"
> Objective: Survive for 5 minutes — or triumph.
A smile spread across both faces.
> Z3RO: "Shall we do it again later, samurai?"
Hakaijin: "As long as we survive... why not?"
✦ End of Chapter 11 — The Genesis puts them to the test.
Next: CHAPTER 12 — Boss Fight: Kal-Ran the Dualist (Part 1)
> Forced cooperation. A unique fusion style. And a boss who reads their moves before they think them.