The Reaper was gone.
But its presence still lingered, like a shadow stretching across the battlefield.
Ryo staggered back, breath ragged, body still buzzing from the fight.
The others were watching him—Karin, Vos, Serra.
Not just with shock.
But with fear.
Because he hadn't just survived.
He had fought the Reaper to a standstill.
Damage Report
Vos broke the silence, lowering his rifle. "That thing… it just left?"
Serra's cybernetic eye flickered. "Not out of fear. It was analyzing him."
Karin scowled, moving to check his arm. "You're hurt."
Ryo flexed his fingers, feeling the fractured bone reset itself.
> [ENHANCED METABOLIC RECOVERY: ACTIVE.]
[DAMAGE COMPENSATION: 73%.]
He exhaled. "I'll live."
Krieg climbed back onto the transport, bloodied but grinning. "That was the craziest shit I've ever seen."
His grin faded. "But next time? That thing won't be testing you. It'll be killing you."
Ryo knew that.
The Reaper had called him a failed prototype.
And now?
It was watching.
Waiting.
For him to prove that wrong.
> "Congratulations, rookie. You're officially a science experiment with a kill switch."
> "Hope you're ready to break the damn switch."
Rethinking the War
Serra pulled up the Hellion holo-map, her expression grim.
> "Hellion won't let this slide. The Reaper was just the beginning."
She zoomed in on the prison facility—their next target.
> "We have to hit them before they regroup."
Vos rubbed his temples. "And what if another Reaper is waiting there?"
Silence.
Karin leaned against the wall. "Then we kill it first."
Ryo met her gaze. She wasn't joking.
And neither was he.
> [NEW QUEST UNLOCKED: THE IRON STORM.]
[OBJECTIVE: ATTACK THE HELLION BLACK-SITE.]
Ryo looked at his battle-worn team.
This wasn't just a rebellion anymore.
This was war.
And now?
He had to become something stronger than the Reaper.