Returning to the Lambda facility, the two brigadiers, Lucia and Kenji, parked themselves, one on each side of the door, while Kassidy awaited my signal to storm in, but before I could take any action, Leona interrupted me one last time:

  "Hey, Cacto," she gestured, "you seem worse than usual. I'll be back at my base if anything happens"

  A few seconds later, after I had mustered the courage to face the progenitor of all this chaos, I said:

  “Now.”

  And with that, Kassidy broke down the door and immediately began attacking the guards in order to clear a path for me, but it was clear that none of them were being seriously injured; the Icicle Blade itself, at that moment, was nothing more than a dull silver sword.

  Then, like a pair of enraged bulls, we traversed each floor, leaving a tide of fallen bodies in our wake—Kassidy fought like no other, each blow parried and returned with twice the precision, always hitting sensitive spots like the nape of the neck and the stomach, making sure it was enough to knock out, not kill—as graceful as the snow…

  Meanwhile, I didn't let anyone even get close to me, sending the security guards away or redirecting them so Kassidy could deal with them—I have to conserve my energy to deal with Hideaki in the end.

  Kassidy really wasn't in the mood to talk—he just wanted it to be over. Frankly, I'd love to put an end to this too. Well, that's precisely why I came here—to finish off that bastard Hideaki.

  With each floor we descended, the security became increasingly intense, as did the tingling in my head—he's close.

  As we were going down the stairs from one floor to another, Kassidy ended up asking:

  "Strange, you’re quieter than usual." He squinted. "Where's your attitude, machine?"

  "You of all people don't know when to shut up in a serious situation?" I glanced at him sideways. "Tsundara can be strict, but not without reason."

  Kassidy grunted before falling silent.

  The truth is, as we approached Hideaki's confines, I couldn't remain calm—that bastard isn't just ruining my life, but he's also left indelible scars on others, even after his imprisonment—Lotus, Saul, Kassidy, and countless others, altered by this monster's actions. He may be a Cog, just like me and Divine, but in no reality are genocide and insanity ways to deal with what they did to a person.

  It’s what I've always believed in—power doesn't matter, what matters is what I do with it!

  "Is this damn thing going to ever end?" I asked Kassidy as we defended ourselves from yet another mob.

  "If you'd been paying attention, you would have noticed that we're already on the second-to-last floor," he said sternly as he took down another guard, "I bet if it weren't for my help, you'd be nothing but scrap metal by now!"

  “And here you are—helping your greatest enemy!”

  "Second greatest enemy." He corrected before returning to combat.

  And it was indeed the 49th floor; the door leading to the next floor was locked with a key card, which I did not have in my possession.

  "Hey, brute," he nudged me, "I found these cards and noticed you weren't carrying them." He held out a handful of cards. "Have you even done anything besides trailing me?"

  "What I'm about to do is more significant than anything I've done so far," I growled, grabbing the cards and heading for the door. "Now, please leave. You've completed your part of the bargain."

  "Looks like you'll be facing him alone. Normally I'd chase after him in a fit of blind hatred…" Kassidy sighed, "but if I can't even handle you, then I have no chance against that maniac." He turned his back. "Go ahead. I'll stand guard outside. Good luck." he said reluctantly.

  Before moving on, I couldn't help but say goodbye to Kassidy. So I gave him a little kiss on the cheek.

  "I wish you the same." I said, my heart pounding in my chest. "This might be the last time we see each other, so it only makes sense that I say goodbye..."

  “Come on… hurry up.” He said through gritted teeth, paralyzed.

  And as the door closes, the mystery begins—two people from the same lineage confronting each other. From that room, only triumph or pure despair can emerge…

  The staircase was long, longer than any other on Theta—probably in an attempt to isolate Hideaki as much as possible. With each step, the premonition grew stronger, my heartbeat intensified, and my feet felt heavy.

  Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs, there was a suitable space for observation; tables with computers, reports, and even some half-empty coffee mugs. But what matters to me is what's on the other side of the room—Hideaki's cell.

  There was a small panel that managed the security systems. Next to it was a reinforced glass panel and a door—the only thing separating me from what was on the other side.

  Through the glass, it was possible to see him—Lotte Hideaki. Now chained to the wall. The shackles emitted a red glow, and so did his spikes—it must be to contain his energy. His body was limp like a corpse… until he suddenly lifted his face to look at me:

  "So you really did come," he flashed the same macabre smile I'd seen in my visions. "I know you're not here to 'liberate' me in the literal sense," he chuckled. "I may have been busy lately, but I haven't missed what you've been plotting since your visit to that hermit."

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  Just seeing him was enough to paralyze the faint of heart—his lanky body, covered in steel plates, his sharp ribs gleaming the same red as our spikes. He also seemed to wear a limiter like the one I had, but this one covered his eyes like a visor, allowing only the gleam of his eyes to pass through.

  “Aren't you going to say anything? You sound like your sister…”

  "Quiet." I adjusted my gloves. "You've lived long enough. Don't get me wrong, I understand the source of your hatred and distrust, but what you did wasn't the right way to deal with it."

  “They leave us no other option. We do everything we can to get them to accept us—”

  "I don’t give a shit!" I punched the wall. "Your party ends today."

  "If you're this hurried, then I'll tell you right now that the password is…" before he could finish, he fell to the ground after releasing the chains.

  “2208, the year this nightmare began.”

  "Looks like you did your homework.” He coughed as he stood up.

  Before he could do anything, I positioned myself in front of his cell door, approaching him with my fist raised. He tried to dodge to the side, now regaining his physical strength, but I still managed to grab him by the neck.

  But before I could reach him, I noticed that all the spikes scattered across his body had begun to glow again, and his arachnid appendages had extended as they had been on my body previously.

  And in my moment of carelessness, I was scratched by his claws. It didn't hurt much, but it was in a sensitive spot, incapacitating me to the point of closing my eyes for a few seconds. But even in such a short time, I could already feel the weight of the world crashing down on me—he’s escaped the cell.

  His frantic movement not only helped him evade capture, but also facilitated his escape.

  "Come back here, you sack of shit!!" I yelled in vain, losing all control I had over me, along with my hope.

  "You prepared very poorly!" He hissed, glancing at me over his shoulder. "Now, thanks to you, they're all doomed!" He laughed maniacally. "Starting with your oh so dear sister…" Hideaki suddenly stopped, putting his hand over his ear. "No… As much as I'd love to give her what she deserves, I have more urgent matters…"

  “Goodbye!” There was a hint of insecurity in his voice as he sped off into his little race. A few seconds later, I heard that same steel door above me being torn open, clearing the way for him.

  …

  I failed…

  …But I can't let that monster free!

  And with that, I immediately sprinted towards the exit—to hell with my condition, I'm not going to stop chasing him until he's dead!

  However, upon returning to the 49th floor, I found Kassidy paralyzed; not by intense emotions, but by pure fear. He immediately turned to me, in tears:

  "I knew it!" he shouted. "It was obvious you desired nothing but death and destruction, just like all the others of your kind!" He unsheathed his sword, gleaming brighter than ever before. "You only wanted to gain our trust so we would help you unleash the original evil!"

  “No, Kassidy, it was my mistake! Please listen to me—”

  “Silence! You're dead to me!”

  And with that, he brandished his sword, making the most painful cut in my entire life across my stomach. It burned as if the heat of all his fury had been channeled into that single cut. Beneath me lay a pool of blood that only grew larger with each passing second. But the physical pain didn't even come close to the betrayal I felt—the only connection that mattered to me since… since he died…

  “KASSIDYYYYYYYYYY!!!!” I screamed loud enough for the entire facility to hear me until my lungs emptied in vain as he let me die.

  So that's it… it's over for me. My eyesight was the first thing to leave me, my last glimpse being Kassidy's back… cold as always…

  The metallic taste of my blood disappeared soon after, along with its smell.

  I could hear, from a distance, some kind of dialogue above me, and a few minutes later, I felt a pair of arms carrying me, along with someone cursing themselves:

  “Shit, shit, shit! I knew I shouldn't have let that heartless jerk be a part of this!”

  I went out right after…

  By some miracle, I hadn't found myself at the gates of paradise, but rather lying on a mattress, surrounded by the same smell of wood from the Brigade.

  "Chief," I heard a worried Kenji's voice, "Cacto woke up!" Apparently, I was back in the Turtle Master Brigade's quarters.

  “Cacto…” I found Leona crouched over me as I opened my eyes, “I'm so sorry for what happened, I never thought he could be so cruel.” I could stay here, but there was something I couldn't ignore for even a second:

  "Where... where is... Hideaki..." I mumbled, trying to get up.

  “Hold on, dear. You took a pretty hard hit back at Lambda, you need to recover before you go out.”

  “I… I don’t care,” I was recovering my composure, “he can't be roaming free.”

  “The authorities, especially the Order, are already pursuing him.”

  “They have no idea how much danger they're in!”

  "Listen, Cacto!" she stammered.

  "I have nothing left to lose!" I shouted as I stood up. "I'm willing to die if it means he'll turn to rust!!"

  And with that, I ran out of the room, already at the peak of my physical condition. Nothing else matters to me anymore besides the ruin of that bastard!