System Notification:
Status Effect: Prime INPAXX Injection Active
Mental Stability: +50% (Temporary)
Combat Reflexes: +30%
Emotion Regulator: 0% (Bypassed)
Glitch Factor: 80% (Unstable)
Aklion felt the surge of energy flood his veins, a raw, euphoric precision unlike any other. The prime INPAXX, given to him by the fates, coursed through his body like liquid fire, sharpening his senses to the edge of a razor. They said he would die if he used the normal stuff, after the spoiled INPAXX he injected as if it was water. For the first few moments, he reveled in the calm that enveloped him—no rage, no tremors, only the cold, calculated stillness of a predator. This was indeed the good stuff, he wondered how they manufactured it without ARES interference. But this was no time to ponder about the chemistry of good INPAXX, this was the time to burn the whole thing down. Still, that thought, for some reason stayed with him, so he carefully stashed the PRIME INPAXX vials, used and the ones left, almost like a pirate stashing his treasure.
System Update:
Strength: +20%
Agility: +15%
Critical Thinking: Enhanced
The world around him seemed to slow down, each detail razor-sharp, each sound a symphony of chaos he could conduct with his will alone. The silence within him felt alien, unnatural, almost as if it mocked the storm he had become used to. He breathed, and the breath was smooth, untroubled, like the eye of a hurricane waiting to crack open and wreak hell.
Then, like a dam giving way to a torrent, the calm fractured. His chest tightened, his pulse roared in his ears, and the familiar glitch clawed at the seams of his control.
“Fuck,” he whispered, feeling the jagged edges of emotion pierce through. The serenity was gone, replaced by a volatile, seething energy that made his fingers twitch with the urge to act. The empty INPAXX vials clinked in his pack, a grim reminder of his dependency and the fleeting nature of control.
System Notification:
Emotion Regulator: Disabled
Rage Mode Activated: Strength +10%, Perception +20%
Warning: Stability at risk.
Aklion stood at the mouth of the conglomerate base, its fortified steel gates and electric barriers casting shadows under the crimson sky. The guards, clad in black exosuits and carrying pulse rifles, watched him approach, their faces obscured by mirrored visors.
“Identification required,” one of them said, voice metallic and indifferent.
Aklion’s lips curled into a smile devoid of warmth. “I’m here to hand over intel on the rebels,” he said, tone steady but laced with venom.
The guards exchanged glances, their visors reflecting the fierce glint in his eyes. One nodded, stepping aside to let him pass, while the other kept his weapon trained on him. Trust was a rare commodity; caution was the norm.
Skill Check: Deception Passed.
XP Earned: +100 (Minor Achievement)
As he moved past them, Aklion’s senses flared, every step feeling like a calculated beat in a symphony of destruction. The calm from the prime INPAXX had slipped entirely, leaving only a dangerous cocktail of rage and anticipation.
System Notification:
Objective Updated: Infiltrate Olympus Server Room.
Optional Objective: Minimal Casualties [Reward: +1000 XP, Tactical Upgrade]
He didn’t plan on taking prisoners. The goal was to open the gates, to burn the fortress down from within, and to lay bare the gods of synthetic will.
Aklion’s boots echoed against the metallic floor as he advanced deeper into the labyrinthine corridors of the conglomerate base. Each step felt heavier, each heartbeat thrummed like a war drum in his ears. The sterile smell of machinery mingled with the faint metallic tang of blood—a scent that only he could pick up through the heightened sensory input granted by the INPAXX. The air was tense with expectation, like the moment before a blade struck its target.
System Notification:
Hostile Presence Detected.
Enemies Remaining: 14
Combat Strategy Suggested: Engage in Stealth Mode for Initial Approach.
“Stealth mode?” Aklion muttered, the words tinged with dark amusement. His fingers flexed involuntarily around the hilt of his blade. No, this wasn’t a time for silence. He had come here with one goal—to bring hell itself to Olympus.
Two guards rounded the corner, their helmets tilting in confusion before their bodies caught up to the realization. Too late. Aklion lunged, blade flashing in an arc that split the first man’s throat before embedding itself in the chest of the second. A choked scream escaped one as blood sprayed in rhythmic, panicked bursts, painting the walls in crimson.
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System Notification:
Combat Skills Activated: Melee Mastery (+25% Critical Hit)
XP Gained: +500 (Kill Streak Bonus)
Glitch Factor: +5%
The twitch in his eye returned, an erratic pulse that threatened to send his vision spiraling into glitch-induced chaos. He shook it off, feeling his blood thrum with adrenaline, heightened by the chemical wildfire in his system. Aklion was a weapon, but weapons didn’t question their wielders. Yet, in moments like these, flashes of doubt clawed at his mind, threatening to splinter his focus.
“Focus, you bastard,” he whispered to himself, voice rough as sandpaper.
System Notification:
Mental Stability Check Failed.
Temporary Rage Boost: Strength +15%, Accuracy -10%
He stumbled forward, driven more by instinct than logic now. The pristine hallways blurred, replaced with scenes that flickered across his vision like the memory reel of a dying man. Vectora’s face, her eyes wide with betrayal and pain, as his blade took her life. The replay of that single moment had been burned into his retinas, playing on loop during his torment in the Fates’ makeshift torture chamber.
System Notification:
Memory Glitch: Triggered.
Effect: Emotional Instability Enhanced.
Aklion gritted his teeth as the echoes of the past clawed at him. It wasn’t just the guilt. It was the fucking helplessness of it all. The realization that even with all his power, he’d been a pawn—a weapon wielded not by choice, but by the cold, calculating will of others.
Somewhere down the hall, the shouts of incoming reinforcements snapped him out of his reverie. He steadied himself, blade raised, eyes narrowing as he prepared for the onslaught. The sound of metal boots striking the floor filled the air, a drumbeat of war.
“Alright, assholes,” he snarled, feeling the rage coil around his spine, taut and alive. “Come meet your goddamned reckoning.”
System Notification:
New Enemy Wave Detected.
Current Status: Outnumbered. Combat Strategy: Berserker Mode Recommended for High Threat Situations.
Glitch Factor: Critical—Unstable.
Aklion welcomed the chaos, the burn of exertion, the metallic taste of fury in his mouth. He didn’t just fight; he became the fight, each move a violent dance with death as his partner. The guards were skilled, trained to be the conglomerate’s finest, but they were nothing more than fodder in the path of his destruction.
A pulse grenade detonated nearby, the blast shattering a section of the corridor and sending debris flying. Aklion’s ears rang, but he moved through it, feral and unyielding, eyes scanning for the one thing he needed—access to the central control that would fling open the gates and bring the rebellion’s fire to Olympus’ doorstep.
Aklion pushed forward, driven by the fury coursing through his veins. He could hear the clash of boots on metal, more guards converging on his position. His eyes darted to a shattered console just beyond the wreckage of the corridor, sparks flying like dying fireflies in the dark. That was his way in—the control panel that would allow him to override the security protocols and unlock the main gates for the rebels.
System Notification:
Objective: Access Olympus Mainframe
Skill Check: Hacking Level 8 Required
Current Skill Level: Hacking Level 6
Temporary Boost Activated: INPAXX Override +2 Skill Points
Status: Skill Level Met
Aklion’s fingers flew over the cracked console, sweat beading at his temple as the INPAXX burn fueled every synapse in his brain. The code was complex, a labyrinthine web of defense protocols that only the conglomerate’s most trusted operatives could navigate. But he wasn’t just any soldier; he was a broken, chemically-enhanced harbinger who had nothing left to lose.
The screen blinked twice, a sharp ping signaling success.
System Notification:
Security Protocols Overridden
Gates Opening: Estimated Time – 15 seconds
Alert: Reinforcements Incoming – ETA 10 seconds
“Fuck,” Aklion muttered, eyes darting to the corridor as the thundering footsteps grew louder. He had seconds, maybe less, before they were on him. The sharp edge of fear tried to worm its way into his mind, but he stomped on it, grinding it down into fuel for his rage.
The first soldier appeared, visor gleaming under the sterile lights. Aklion was on him in a heartbeat, blade slicing through armor with a sickening crunch. Blood sprayed, and he felt the familiar surge of adrenaline, a brutal satisfaction that clawed through the haze of his consciousness.
System Notification:
Kill Confirmed – +250 XP
New Skill Unlocked: Blood Frenzy – Temporary +20% Strength Boost per Kill for 30 Seconds
Aklion’s lips curled into a feral grin as the system notification pinged in his HUD. Blood Frenzy. He welcomed the gift, feeling the rush amplify his already distorted state. The second guard was met with a backhanded slash, his body folding like paper as Aklion spun to block a third attacker’s assault rifle.
“Come on!” Aklion roared, his voice a guttural growl that reverberated down the hall. The soldier hesitated for a split second—long enough for Aklion to plunge his blade into the man’s gut, twisting it until the screams stopped.
System Notification:
Glitch Factor at 90% – Warning: Instability Imminent
Temporary Skill Malfunction: Tactical Analysis Disabled
He staggered, the edges of his vision blurring as the glitch took hold. The walls around him seemed to waver, morphing into dark, yawning chasms that threatened to swallow him whole. He squeezed his eyes shut, fighting the sensation, but Vectora’s face surfaced in his mind—a specter of the past, eyes wide with betrayal and pain.
“No,” he whispered, forcing himself back into the moment. “Not now.”
Apologetic Intermission:
“Hey, you bastards still reading? Good. I don’t know if it’s the INPAXX talking, but if this mess of blood and code keeps you entertained, toss a coin to your wretched anti-hero. I’ll take your pity money on Patreon, where I’m high enough on INPAXX to actually thank you.”
He shook off the echo of the voice in his head and refocused, just as more soldiers rounded the corner. This time, they were flanked by two combat drones, their mechanized limbs bristling with energy cannons.
System Notification:
New Enemies Detected: Combat Drones (Level 12)
Analysis: Weak Points Located – Energy Cores in Upper Torso
Skill Activated: Precision Strike
Aklion lunged, sliding across the floor to avoid a barrage of laser fire. His blade found the first drone’s core, metal screaming as he ripped it apart with a roar. Sparks and molten metal rained down, sizzling against his armor as he pivoted to engage the second drone.
A burst of energy slammed into his chest, sending him sprawling. Pain lanced through him, sharp and electric. He gritted his teeth, pushing himself up even as his HUD flickered with warnings.
System Notification:
Health Critical: 25%
Armor Integrity: 35%
Rage Mode Boost: +10% Strength Activated for 60 Seconds
He spat blood, eyes narrowing as he forced his battered body to move. The second drone loomed over him, energy cannon whirring as it prepared another shot. Aklion’s fingers brushed the hilt of a fallen soldier’s energy blade, and without a second thought, he grabbed it, hurling it into the drone’s core.
The explosion lit up the corridor, a blinding burst of heat and light. He stumbled back, vision swimming as the shockwave pressed down on him like a crushing wave. But the drone was down, its sparking remains crumpling to the floor.
System Notification:
Kill Confirmed – +1000 XP
Status: Olympus Gate Unlocked. Reinforcements Arriving.
He exhaled, a shaky breath that burned his lungs. The INPAXX hummed in his veins, a toxic comfort that kept him standing. The gates were open. The rebellion’s fury would soon flood this place, and Olympus would learn the cost of betrayal.
With one final glance at the corridor, now strewn with bodies and shrapnel, Aklion pushed forward into the heart of the base, where the gods of code and machinery awaited their reckoning. It was about time for this to be over.