Metroplex Center, Promethea.
A crowd gathered under the digital billboards that dominated the neon sky. The holographic screens flickered for a moment before displaying one final message:
"My mission is finally coming to an end... after all this time... It has been a displeasure, Mickey."
As the transmission ended, wanted posters flooded the screens. Three men and a Siren.
Silence fell heavily over the streets of Promethea. In a rare moment, Meridian Metroplex, the beating heart of the city and the busiest place on the planet...
...was in complete silence.
Workers abandoned their tools. Merchants set aside their sales. Even the gangs, accustomed to sowing chaos, froze, trapped by the ghostly glow of the screens.
A sharp wind whispered between the skyscrapers, spreading murmurs of uncertainty through the city.
The crowd began to stir. The silence gave way to whispers, and the whispers turned into screams. Panic was about to spread.
Then, like a crushing wave, Atlas soldiers took to the streets, their boots thundering against the concrete.
"Shut it down! Kill the feed—NOW!"
"Lock down the Metroplex! Cut all external relays!"
"Everyone, back to your homes! Now! By corporate order!"
The first shots were fired into the air, but that was enough. Chaos erupted. People tried to flee, pushing and stumbling over each other. Drones buzzed like wasps over the rooftops, scanning every corner for anyone recording or retransmitting the message.
A young man, separated from the crowd, pulled his hood over his white hair and disappeared into the darkness of the side streets.
"Cut the power to Sectors 4 and 5! If they don't listen, blackout the entire city!"
The city that never slept fell into darkness, leaving its people confused by such aggression, unaware of the information circulating through ECHOnet.
Two high-ranking Atlas officials were dead. Executed on a forgotten planet, along with all their men. Killed by a group of mercenaries, unknown until a few hours ago.
Panic took hold of the glass-walled offices of the corporate elite. Executives lifted their asses from their ridiculously expensive leather sofas to mobilize their intelligence teams. The orders were clear: censor everything.
But how do you censor something that a Siren has already spread across the cosmos?
When control proved impossible, brute force was all that remained. And for corporations, if money and military power don't solve a problem, it's because they aren't using enough.
The damage was already done. Now, the only thing left for Atlas was to wait for the inevitable retaliation from its rivals.
And as if someone had been waiting for this moment, a new, rare mineral began to be sold in large quantities in the following weeks. Atlas' superiors could only feel their hearts bleed, unable to send troops to investigate without compromising themselves.
While Atlas faced an unprecedented crisis since its founding, where the horizon promised only civil war among its people and a siege by its enemies. High above, a shadow lost its timidity among the stars, a nameless fear, and a deadly poison prepared to punish the flesh of the greatest sinner.
A month later, another blow was struck against Atlas.
The CEO of Atlas was found dead in his apartment. After an autopsy, poison was discovered in his body, spreading fear among Atlas' top executives. Fearing they would be next, the most sensible ones, seeing that the once great and proud Atlas empire was crumbling like a house of cards, fled to their bunkers with their families, leaving the people and soldiers to their fate.
Pandemonium quickly erupted in Metroplex and slowly spread to more remote and rural areas. Supermarkets and gun stores were the first to be looted by the beastly populace, like animals freed from their chains, guided only by the instinct to see the next sunrise.
Atlas' stocks plummeted like a meteor, straight into the claws of hungry predators. But this chaos didn't happen by chance. It wasn't a coincidence.
Someone had been waiting for this opportunity.
And overnight, Atlas changed hands.
The population, too dazed by the chaos to react, watched the rise of a new corporate overlord. An entity that, like a patient serpent, had waited for the right moment to devour its prey.
The new sovereign of Promethea had an entire planet under their control.
But their eyes were fixed on only one target.
The Seer.
And now, the Seer was watching back.
...
As the gears of the universe turned and the balance of power chose a new favorite, on Odyssey, a standoff occurred between two figures. The dojo was silent, except for the hum of plasma swords.
Maxwell stood at one end of the wooden training hall, rolling his shoulders. Across from him, Athena adjusted her stance, her blade igniting with a deadly crimson glow.
Maxwell frowned at Athena's relaxed posture. He had lost countless times and would only be satisfied with a victory over the assassin.
"Where's all that initiative? Weren't you the one who said something like…" Athena teased, noticing Maxwell's tense stance. "Don't forget, Athena. Hesitate, and you lose. That is the way of war."
A single heartbeat passed.
Then, they moved.
Maxwell struck first, his blade descending toward Athena's shoulder.
She dodged at the last moment, deflecting with a swift, controlled motion that sent sparks flying as the swords clashed.
The impact rattled his grip, but he twisted his wrist and slashed in retaliation. Athena's knee buckled under the force, but she used the moment to sweep his leg, following with her blade whistling dangerously close to his ribs.
"Guh!" Maxwell barely moved in time, the blade narrowly missing his neck.
Their swords clashed again, each strike a blur of burning light illuminating the dark dojo.
Maxwell knew Athena was faster, but he compensated with unpredictable aggression.
He pressed forward, feinting left before swinging upward, aiming for her exposed side. But Athena read him like a book, spinning her blade to catch the attack before it could connect.
"Still predictable," she noted, pushing him back.
Maxwell smirked. "Still arrogant."
Their movements quickened, the dojo echoing with the clash of energy meeting energy. Maxwell gritted his teeth as Athena switched to the offensive, forcing him to the ground.
Athena raised her blade to finish him, but Maxwell kicked at her, rolling back just in time to launch an attack at the destabilized Athena.
*Shooooosh*
Maxwell stopped behind Athena, both standing still for a moment before Athena's arm fell to the floor, blood raining from the wound.
A small smile grew on Athena's lips.
Maxwell had no time to celebrate before the world spun, and his head hit the floor. His eyes widened as he saw his body still standing, but without its head.
Then everything went dark.
"Damn it!"
Maxwell shouted as he was ejected from the simulation. After the system stabilized his nerves, the simulation capsule opened, allowing him to step out.
"Athena doesn't hold back on me," Maxwell muttered, rubbing his sore neck. There was no wound, but a phantom pain lingered, a result of his brain truly believing he had been decapitated.
"I can't get used to this feeling. Hmm?"
His eyes blur for a moment as he sees the system screen appear in front of him.
[Quest:]
(X) Earn Knoxx's loyalty
(X) Earn Athena's loyalty
(X) Purchase Atlas
[Quest accomplished! Depositing rewards…
+2000[C] x 2 = 4000[C]
1x Mastery Point
1x Advocate REGEN Relic]
Credits: 4580
"I did it..." Maxwell muttered. He had planned everything and hoped that nothing would get out of hand, but he could only allow himself to relax when the mission was complete.
A smile grew on Maxwell's face as he saw the Regeneration multiplier making him richer; the higher the Regeneration, the more credits. Descending to the next reward, he was a little pensive, but decided it would be better to use it now, as he was enjoying using his plasma sword, or as he had affectionately named it...
Chunchunmaru.
Because the important thing was not only to win, but also to humiliate his opponent.
[Are you sure you want to use "1x Mastery Point" in "Blade Mastery"?]
[Your proficiency will remain the same, but you need to level up the skill to increase your proficiency of the new perk]
[Y/N]
Maxwell chose yes without hesitation.
[Blade Mastery lv.100 > Bladerunner lv.1+]
Sharpening: Its sharpness lasts longer, allowing you to use your blades for longer. Quality is defined by your level.
Throwing: Throws throwables further and more accurately.
Butcher: Your blows using blades hardly get stuck, in addition to keeping your blade clean for longer.
(New!) Untouchable: Able to deflect physical attacks and projectiles with all types of blades. When an attack is launched at you, your perception of time is dilated by a percentage equal to your DEX (current: 40%).
Maxwell kept himself from jumping out of his chair with excitement. Imagine when he reached 100 DEX, time would stand still in his view!
Calming down, Maxwell moved on to the next reward. He had to open the item's description, as he had no idea what it was.
[(Medicine) Advocate REGEN Relic: Hammond's elite technology, initially built to extend the life of the founder of Hammond Engineering, Heinrich Hammond. The project was a success, with Mr. Hammond living for over 600 years. In the following centuries, this technology would be used on pilots after some modifications, now not only regenerating their bodies but also storing a copy of the pilot's mind.
Warning! Due to the powerful injections of anesthesia, the patient will need to take a few weeks to properly recover their coordination and memory, as well as their abilities.]
Maxwell's eyes widened as he read the description.
Pulling his butt out of his chair, Maxwell ran to find Moxxi and Tannis.
He called out for Angel but remembered that the poor girl had spent several hours monitoring Atlas' actions over the last few days and would spend some time resting. He made a mental note to return the favor, as Rhys got Atlas through Jack, but Jack only got a share of Atlas due to the limited funds he had at the time, because he was the humble programmer John.