A violent wind tore through the tunnel, hurling dust and shattered concrete into the air.
The steel floor trembled—as if the underground itself had grown a heart,
and that heart was beating faster by the second.
Theer raised his guard.
The Hope Cheetar armor trembled with him.
Not from damage.
But from instinct.
As if it already understood something he didn’t want to accept.
Marcus took a single step forward.
The metal beneath his foot collapsed inward, crushed as if struck by an invisible giant.
“Don’t be afraid,” Marcus said calmly.
“I only want to test you.”
Warnings flooded Theer’s visor.
[WARNING: Power Mismatch Detected]
[WARNING: Opponent Output Beyond Safe Limit]
Theer clenched his teeth.
“I won’t back down!”
He lunged first.
Energy surged through his body.
Lightning wrapped tightly around his arm.
FZZZ—KRAAAACK!!!
The electric punch slammed into Marcus’s chest.
BANG!!!
The sound thundered through the tunnel—
But Marcus didn’t move.
Not even a millimeter.
He looked down at Theer with cold indifference.
Like a leaf brushing harmlessly against his armor.
Marcus seized Theer’s arm with one hand.
Crush.
Squeeze.
Metal screamed.
The Hope Cheetar armor warped under the pressure.
“AAAGH—!” Theer screamed.
Marcus hurled him away.
Theer’s body slammed into the wall, concrete collapsing inward.
BOOOOOOM!!!
The tunnel shook violently.
Alarms blared inside the helmet.
[Armor Integrity: 64%]
Dr. Amporn shouted in panic.
“Theer! Don’t fight him head-on—he’s beyond your limits!”
Theer forced himself to stand.
His legs shook uncontrollably.
Marcus stepped forward—
Then vanished.
—SHK!
Theer barely registered the movement.
Marcus was already in front of him.
“Too slow.”
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
The black spear sliced past Theer’s face.
The pressure alone carved a deep gash across the cheek plate of his helmet.
Theer froze.
This wasn’t a fight.
This was a predator deciding when to kill.
The spear’s tip touched Theer’s forehead.
Soft.
Almost gentle.
Then—
The world collapsed.
Color drained away.
Sound disappeared.
Reality folded inward.
The Death Cheetar Domain activated.
A black ground stretched endlessly.
Above it hung a sky that wasn’t a sky—empty, oppressive.
A howling wind echoed like a colossal beast breathing.
Broken weapons littered the ground—
twisted steel, shattered armor, remnants of those who lost.
Theer stood alone.
Marcus waited at a distance.
Red eyes burned within the helmet.
“Welcome,” Marcus’s voice echoed directly inside Theer’s mind,
“to my field.”
Electricity flickered weakly around Theer’s fists.
His power—
suppressed.
“…What is this place?” Theer demanded.
“A world with one rule,” Marcus replied calmly.
“I always win.”
Marcus vanished.
Then struck.
Faster than the real world.
Unrestricted.
The blow slammed into Theer’s abdomen.
BOOOOOOM!!!
Theer was sent flying, skidding across the ground.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Blood spilled from his mouth.
Still, he tried to rise.
His legs refused to move.
The world blurred.
Marcus approached slowly.
“Weak,” he said.
“Just like your father was… at the beginning.”
Theer’s eyes widened.
“My… father?”
Marcus didn’t answer.
He raised the spear.
Aimed directly at Theer’s chest.
—Reality—
Tatt stared at Theer’s unmoving body.
Eyes unfocused.
Breathing shallow.
As if something had seized his mind and refused to let go.
With trembling hands, Tatt reached into his bag.
He pulled out a small metal device.
Scratched.
Rough.
Clearly handmade.
On its surface was a single engraved word.
Not a serial number.
Not a model name.
A name.
ZERO
Tatt paused.
Memories surfaced—
late nights, whispered arguments, hurried calculations,
someone always standing just outside the light.
“…You said this might save someone someday,” Tatt whispered.
“…even if no one ever knows it was you.”
He swallowed.
“This was never meant to be finished,” he muttered,
“…but you helped me build it anyway.”
His thumb hovered over the switch.
Then pressed it.
A violent high-frequency wave erupted.
WEEEEEEEE—!!!
The ground vibrated.
Lights flickered wildly.
Dr. Amporn shouted, “Tatt! Stop! It’ll scatter everywhere!”
Tatt clenched his teeth.
“I know… but this is what he designed it for!”
The sonic wave struck Marcus.
Death Cheetar faltered.
Just for a fraction of a second.
Marcus tilted his head slightly.
Annoyed.
“…Irritating.”
But it was enough.
The domain shattered like broken glass.
Theer collapsed back into reality.
He gasped violently.
Blood streamed from his nose.
Barely able to stand.
Dr. Amporn screamed, “Theer—run! NOW!!!”
Theer looked around.
Some Black Fang mercenaries were beginning to stir.
Tatt was barely upright.
Dr. Amporn clutched his shoulder, blood soaking through his sleeve.
Ray stood still.
Too still.
Like someone waiting for permission.
“No! I’ll fight—!” Theer shouted.
Dr. Amporn roared, louder than ever.
“If you fight—we all die!
Run! Jump into the underground river!”
Theer met Dr. Amporn’s eyes.
Fear.
Pain.
And absolute trust.
Behind them—
Marcus advanced.
Each step shattered steel.
“Leaving already?” Marcus asked calmly.
Theer turned and sprinted.
He reached the edge of the platform.
A raging underground river churned below.
Electricity surged across his armor.
He jumped.
WHOOOOOSH—!!!
Theer vanished into the black current.
Iron Shade units flooded the station.
The remaining Black Fang mercenaries were swiftly surrounded.
Before any of them could resist,
black restraints snapped shut around their wrists and ankles.
Bound.
Disarmed.
Pinned to the ground.
An Iron Shade officer spoke calmly into his comm.
“Black Fang secured.
Notify local police to take custody.”
From a distance, Marcus watched.
To the outside world, it would look clean.
A criminal syndicate dismantled.
Illegal hunters captured alive.
A powerful organization assisting law enforcement.
A man who helped society—
without ever dirtying his hands.
Dr. Amporn and Tatt were seized roughly.
Ray staggered forward, feigning panic.
“Wait! Don’t hurt them!”
An Iron Shade soldier shoved him hard.
Ray hit the ground—on purpose.
Tatt saw it.
Fear twisted into relief.
Ray struggled to rise—
not too fast,
not too strong.
Perfect.
“Secure everyone! Move them to base!” a commander barked.
Two soldiers restrained Ray.
He resisted weakly.
“Let me go!” he shouted, voice shaking flawlessly.
Dr. Amporn cried out despite being restrained.
“Ray! Stop resisting—you’ll only get hurt!”
Ray froze.
Breathing hard.
Defeated.
That image burned itself into their minds:
" Ray is on our side "
" Ray was captured too "
" Ray is not Marcus’s man "
Tatt looked at Ray with genuine trust.
“…Thank you,” he whispered.
“If you hadn’t helped earlier… we’d be dead.”
Ray smiled softly.
The smile of a good man.
But the camera lingered—
on his eye.
Perfectly controlled.
Marcus watched from behind.
The corner of his mouth lifted slightly.
Satisfied.
Like a director admiring a flawless performance.
Iron Shade loaded everyone into transport vehicles.
Ray’s hands were bound like a hostage.
Dr. Amporn and Tatt unconsciously leaned closer to him.
And far below—
the underground river carried Hope Cheetar into darkness.
End of Chapter 10