Chapters M-W-F 9AM, plus occasional bonus chapters for the weekend!  Upgrade. Consume. Evolve. Whether it’s cybernetics or mutations, this world demands you be more than human. Humanity stole power from the MALswarm’s alien invasion, rebuilding itself past the ashes of nuclear war. Mutated blood and minds fused with steel became the currency of survival, but The Founder’s utopia never came. The MAL still attack every century, their Titans destroy billions, and New California’s underworld plans to profit from the Fifth Swarm. Ripley Donovick's mother is dying. Forced to work for a gang-owned brothel for her treatment, it's destruction from a MAL unravelled his world into one where corporations and crime war for control, but his newfound prowess in cybernetics can weave the future he seeks. He has to be more than an operator or a mercenary, crafting weapons that make him into an architect of ruin. Only then can he forge a legacy that drowns all others. Diana Jones, engineered for perfection, abandoned her past to fight for the justice she never received. An undercover operation at a club revealed a plot threatening to end their city, but with her body mutating she'll fight against the gangs, killers and corruption at the heart of it all. Determined to burn it all away, she’ll become the storm of change this city needs. Even if it means mutating herself past the humanity she protects. One night bound their fates, each receiving half of a power with infinite potential yearning to eclipse upon itself.The Clash of Blood and Steel echoes in thunderous omens, woven upon webs of lies. What happens when you mix GodClads, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, Akira and a dash of Blade Runner into the mix? This novel. What to expect? -  Two MCs on opposite sides of the law. Both MCs have their separate storylines for the first Volume, switching every 4-8 chapters. These storylines intersect and reveal a larger mystery neither of them can take on alone. Rivalry themes are present. POV is pretty much 95% of the time on these two. - Adaptation-based Progression. Powers are shaped by the experiences they go through, changing to mirror their character growth. Ripley's mind will temper into a double-edged weapon, while Diana's flesh slowly mutates past the person she starts off as. Retaining humanity as you become more powerful is a big theme. - A medium-burn story. Action and drama are both intermingled throughout each perspective shift. - Two distinct Power Systems. A Skill-Based system with cultivation-like tiers of growth. Cybernetics gain features that update (level up) and empower machinery; Mutations can combine and diverge to transform your body. - Slice-of-crime [Daily life/Criminal shenanigans/Police investigating] with a side of cybernetics engineering, moments of humanity amidst despair and gloom, and a whole lot of asskicking! - Both MCs have their own separate romantic lives... for now. - Weak to strong to legendary. Power. Fame. Money - they'll get it all. - A long Sci-fi Cyberpunk Epic. I've planned out a lot of this story, each volume follows a three-act structure of about 100-150k words and we'll get to see gangs, corporations, titanic aliens, and a whole host of cybernetics and mutations. It'll certainly be a few million words. - Eventual alien invasion and kaiju fights. The MAL and their Titans will be heavily mentioned throughout the earlier parts of their story and will be involved, but the first few volumes are about a conspiracy intending to take advantage of the next big Swarm. After that? Who knows? Author's Note: This story can be pretty heavy at times. T/W's include: Gore, death, profanity, sexual themes (no descriptions), drugs. Honestly, my novel might be a list of war crimes one day. This story was highly influenced by some downer moments in my life, but ultimately is a story about overcoming tragedy as the characters learn that they can accept the darkness in them, and embrace the light.