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Sylvester was used to dealing with impossible things, things that should be impossible. Still, the human mind was capable of getting used to anything. Eventually, the most nonsensical of shit entered your common sense, becoming your new normal.

That's why seeing Ryan come back from what should have no way back made him feel as if the ground beneath his feet had disappeared.

"I almost hope your circumstances are unique," he whispered so low that his voice was only audible to himself, almost as if he had uttered those words without realizing it. "Because, otherwise, how many people, how many have I killed unnecessarily?"

He clenched his jaw.

Naturally, he had lost count a long time ago.

Sylvester turned his back on Ryan. He was no longer a threat to anyone, except maybe himself. He walked over to Cynthia to disable the barrier. She was still clinging to consciousness. The fight hadn't really taken long, but it still required great willpower.

The two halves of the arm were held together by little more than a few strands of flesh. In other words, it was no longer an arm, just a dangling piece of flesh.

"Am I hallucinating or...?" She asked in a faint voice.

"He transformed and somehow became human again." Sylvester shook his head, "Did something happen while I was gone? Something that could explain this?

It wasn't the time, and he didn't really expect she could give him an answer. But he blurted it out anyway. Just in case. Cynthia lowered her head and remained silent long enough to make him wonder if she had lost consciousness.

"To escape from a room, we were supposed to choose between two vials. One poisoned and the other not. He took both."

"I see."

He devoted his life to fighting those monsters, but he was not an expert in that sense. He was not one of the many scientists who had spent years studying the Lunar Remnants.

So his opinion mattered rather little, but it was that what Cynthia said made sense.

By taking those things prior to the transformation, a strange reaction had occurred. He couldn't say for sure, but it was at least possible. And the only explanation he had at hand. They had been experimenting on those children, transforming them into monsters. Perhaps Ryan had turned out to be, unexpectedly, the only successful experiment?

In any case, the only alternative he could think of now was that it had simply happened. Pure coincidence or for reasons unknown to him.

He would act on that assumption, for the moment.

What he had just witnessed was too important to be neglected.

Anyway, back to work.

"Can you stand up?"

It would be hard to protect them both.

Cynthia nodded and made an attempt. She managed it only barely, and it couldn't be said that she was very stable, but for the moment it was good enough for him.

More or less satisfied with that, he went for Ryan, still unconscious and lying on the floor, of course he hadn't moved an inch more.

Anyway, Sylvester gave him a good shake to wake him up at last.

Ryan groaned and put his hands to his side where his boot would have left a mark if he'd been serious.

"I... I... What the fuck has...?"

"Don't you remember?"

"I remember some things, but I don't understand..."

"Don't waste your time. Whatever you remember is probably real. But in any case there's no time for explanations, get up and follow me."

Ryan had no trouble getting up. He'd had his stomach cut open and his head exploded when he was a Lunar Remnant, but not even ten percent of that had remained when he transformed back. Now he was fine.

Enough so that he could focus mostly on Cynthia, who was weak from blood loss and would most definitely be losing her arm.

"Let's move on."

Cynthia didn't get very far. Not on her own feet, at least. He caught her before her head hit the ground violently, got a good grip on her and lifted her up. He'd have to fight this way. Cynthia was in no condition to continue.

If they didn't end this and get out of here soon, she could die.

If she had to choose between saving her or saving the man who could end the Lunar Remnants, or at least their catastrophic consequences, then the choice should be obvious. He shouldn't even have to think about it for a second.

But they were a team. That mattered.

The poor creatures had begun to ignore him, leaving without attacking. That didn't change. In fact they left the three alone as they moved through the corridors.

It was another big surprise, something he didn't want to believe. But apparently they had enough consciousness remaining to recognize him as the person who had released them from captivity. Maybe there was another explanation and he was simply coming to the worst possible conclusion, but he didn't believe it, what other explanation could there be?

Ryan and Cynthia had been attacked along the way.

He had seen it with his own eyes, that the transformed Ryan hadn't been the only creature chasing Cynthia. But when she approached him, that had stopped. He couldn't be wrong.

So...

What was left should be simple.

Not pleasant, not by a long shot, but simple.

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He came upon an elevator and decided that they had gone far enough on foot. And that what he was looking for would probably be downstairs, not on the first few floors anyway.

Sylvester hit the button. He didn't have to wait long for the elevator to arrive and the doors to open.

He stepped in, and Ryan followed without asking questions. However, his silence didn't last long.

"Are you sure we're going in the right direction? I mean, I don't even know what you're up to right now, but...."

Why did he have to say that? If he was able to give voice to those doubts, then he was also perfectly capable of realizing that he had a good reason to have them. And that maybe he should keep his mouth shut.

"Doubts don't do any good."

It wasn't a direct answer, but it said enough. Cynthia had to focus only on herself. To keep breathing, to stay conscious. She didn't need anyone to give her reason to doubt now. She should be able to trust him and relax, focus on what was important.

Ryan apparently got the message and fell silent.

Or not.

"Not a great idea to get into an elevator in hostile territory, huh?"

He'd spoken too fast. The elevator stopped suddenly, the lights went out, and Ryan felt the need to comment as if it contributed something. Just minutes ago he had nearly killed him and maybe he should have been a few seconds faster.

Okay. Well, not really, but well...

"Open it."

He would do it, but he had his hands full, and he preferred to be the one who was vigilant. Danger could appear at any moment, and with or without the power of a Lunar Remnant, Ryan was no match for him. It had been decisively proven a moment ago.

Ryan reached his hands into the gap between the doors, pulling at the sides. It didn't take him long to open it. They went through first.

Down the elevator shaft, sliding quickly but safely with the aid of the many cables at hand. He couldn't say Cynthia was okay, but she wasn't screaming in pain, her eyes were still open and more or less focused. Enough.

More than could be expected, at least.

Ryan arrived shortly after and also opened the doors ahead of them, their entrance to the top floor. He hoped it would all be over soon. But naturally, more obstacles stood in his way. There were guards in the hallway.

More than he expected, but the experiments hadn't yet had time to get here.

What were they protecting in the depths?

They opened fire, and Sylvester pressed his back against the wall of the elevator shaft to dodge the bullets.

"Don't waste my time."

They couldn't do anything to him. They never stood a chance, but certainly not when things had reached this point. They couldn't regain control of the situation. Or rather, they never had.

So it would be better if they got out of his way at once. Indeed, they had already wasted too much time.

Of course, they just kept firing in turn as they advanced on their position. They wouldn't listen to the voice of reason, and it's not as if he had any plans to spare their lives even if they moved out of the way anyway. He wouldn't kill them outright, but he would sink this island before they had a chance to escape. He had no plans to let a single one escape. This island had to be buried in darkness for everyone's sake.

Anyway, what was he going to do?

Sylvester had come here to clean up. He should do his job, not complain that it was taking longer than he had expected.

Especially considering that he had won a priceless and unexpected prize. He was thankful he hadn't listened to Cynthia, sparing Ryan's life long enough for that to happen to him. Thanks to that, maybe defeating that evil that came from the moon wasn't just a dream.

Sylvester laid Cynthia carefully on the floor, slouched against a wall. Her eyes were half closed. Still awake, though surely with her consciousness clouded for the most part. As if she was daydreaming.

Then she jumped through the elevator shaft and into the hail of bullets.

Ryan stayed behind. He might have lacked manners, but he wasn't entirely stupid. He understood that he wanted him to take care of Cynthia while he fought and stayed in the elevator shaft.

Or maybe the man didn't want to get anywhere near him after the ease with which he'd torn him apart even in his Lunar Remnant form, and he'd rather take a rest.

In any case, Ryan stayed where he wanted.

While he hunted.

If the bullets were a rain of iron, then he was a wall of steel. Some inevitably hit him, but none penetrated even the most superficial layer of his skin before he landed in their midst.

A guard's head flew off before he could scream.

Firearms had replaced bladed weapons for very good reasons, but this way he had the advantage. In their midst, so close, they would hesitate before firing so as not to hit their comrades. Even if it was only a tenth of a second. Even a tenth of a second could turn the tide of a battle.

And if they didn't hesitate, so much the better. They would do his job for him.

With a single swing of his katana, he cut one's rifle in half. And then his hands. He let him scream while looking at his stumps instead of finishing him off immediately.

Sooner or later they wouldn't hesitate even for a tenth, fear would take over and they would let themselves go.

He was simply helping it happen faster.

A few shots from behind. Sylvester staggered forward, just once. He raised his hand, suddenly shrouded in darkness, and waved his hand toward one of them. The darkness shot out like a whip, grabbing him.

Ignoring the gunfire, Sylvester lifted the guy he had trapped with that hand of darkness and slammed him into the ceiling.

He heard him gasp. Spitting more blood than saliva.

Then he slammed him to the floor and then all that could be heard was the sound of his body exploding like a piñata. The only thing he had inside for them was his guts. His guts washed over his comrades, grossing them out, blinding them, making their hands twist slightly or not as they took aim.

At least three guards fell to the ground from their own comrades' bullets at that moment.

He couldn't say if they had all received lethal wounds, but in any case they wouldn't be well. And if they didn't die on their own, he would soon kill them anyway.

Ryan still hadn't come out of the elevator shaft. Good. He didn't need any help.

He shoulder tackled a guy.

He flew across the corridor and even through the wall. Fear had already completely taken hold of them, they were already just shooting wildly, hoping to get him out of the way and survive without any consideration for their comrades.

Although only together they had the slightest chance of defeating him. He never complained about his own enemies doing his work for him.

Who didn't want to do as much as possible with as little effort as they could? It was not a question of laziness, but of efficiency, no more, no less, as was to be expected of a professional.

It didn't mean he couldn't speed things up, though.

He clenched his free hand into a fist, never stopping running and moving, trying to dodge as many bullets as possible. He twisted his fist. Slowly, as if the air was presenting him with some kind of physical resistance.

Until it cracked.

That way he broke the neck of one of the guards without even touching him, killing him instantly.

And the massacre continued until he cleared the last line of defense. What had they been protecting here? Sylvester broke down the door. Ryan followed him inside now that the way was clear, carrying Cynthia.

That monster told him they didn't have a convenient system for opening all the cages.

But they did have a self-destruct system, naturally, they needed to be able to get rid of this island and any traces of evidence in an emergency like this. He had planned to activate the self-destruct himself, but it turned out they had already done that before he got here. The countdown was written in black on the all-red screen in warning.

There wasn't much left.

Not at all.

But the escape pods weren't far away either. All the rows were full. So no one had escaped? He couldn't be a hundred percent sure, but he'd make sure once they escaped. And he'd send Cynthia for medical attention.

They got into one of the pods. Sylvester activated it, causing them to shoot outside, out into the calm sea, for the moment, just for the moment. It was still dark. The whole mess hadn't taken too long either.

Sylvester opened the pod's hatch so he could stand up as he watched what had been set in motion.

The countdown timer read only thirty seconds by the time they had arrived. It would be very lucky and coincidental if anyone else had made it in time. But the cleanup crews could certainly take care of any survivors.

In the end, the biggest danger in all this had turned out to be the Lunar Remnant attacking the plane, not anything on the island after all.

A big explosion. His sight became a blank canvas for long seconds.

After that he watched as the entire island sank into the sea, becoming a pit of corpses where monsters and their victims would rest together for all eternity. The idea left a bad taste in the mouth of the man inside him, but the professional knew it was the most efficient and realistic way to deal with the situation.

The long night was far from over in more ways than one.

When he returned, what awaited him wasn't rest but talk of Ryan, what had happened and other politics that exasperated him to no end.

Sylvester sighed deeply, observing the emptiness where the island had once been. And the black smoke rising towards the heart of the heavens.