System Notification:
Mission Update: Infiltrate Olympus – Phase 1 Completed
Objective: Implant Trojan Horse Virus in Mainframe
Sub-Objective: Neutralize AI Defenses
XP Reward: +2000
Aklion stepped into Olympus, the sanctuary of the conglomerate’s godly intelligence. The room was a cathedral of steel and circuitry, the walls lined with a thousand crimson eyes embedded into metallic slats that tracked his every move. Fobos, the Dread Protocol, lay in wait, its aura already seeping into the marrow of his bones. The sterile tang of electrified air teased his nostrils, coiling with the adrenaline rushing through him.
System Notification:
New Enemy Detected: Fobos, the Dread Protocol (Level 16)
Analysis: AI-powered holographic warfare and combat drones capable of psychological warfare.
Tactical Note: Holograms amplify fear responses. Sustained high-impact attacks can destabilize its core functions.
“Of course, they’d send me into a tech-hell,” Aklion muttered, gripping his blade, the weight of it familiar but somehow heavier than ever. His rifle hung useless, its barrel split and scorched from the earlier onslaught. He barely had a moment to center himself before the lights dimmed, shadows licking at the edges of his vision.
The crimson eyes flickered, projecting scenes of abomination—limbs twisted at impossible angles, faces stretched in silent, contorted screams. The walls seemed to pulse like flesh, slick with imagined blood that slithered down to pool around his boots.
System Alert:
Status Effect Initiated: Dread Aura – Willpower Check Required
Willpower Level: 14/20 (Fail)
Temporary Debuff Applied: -20% Perception, -15% Agility, +5% Glitch Factor
The room rippled as though reality itself wavered. For a moment, the line between past and present blurred. He saw Vectora’s face, hollow-eyed and accusing, blood trailing down from her shattered eye socket. Aklion staggered, fighting against the phantom pain that clawed at his mind. His muscles tensed, blood thrumming with the weight of unspent violence.
“Get. Out. Of. My. Head,” he spat, charging forward with reckless abandon, blade slicing through the first drone that lunged at him.
System Notification:
Combat Action Successful – Drone Destroyed
+300 XP
Blood Frenzy Activated: Strength +20%, Duration 30 seconds per kill
The screech of tearing metal barely registered as a hollow victory. The holograms shifted, morphing into more monstrous iterations of old comrades and foes—half-familiar faces twisted into abominations of sinew and circuitry. Their silent screams resonated deep within, stirring the embers of doubt.
System Alert:
Rage Spike Detected – Glitch Amplification in Progress
Temporary Buff: Strength +15%, Perception -10%
Status: Erratic State
“Is that it, Fobos? You’re going to make me fight ghosts?” He cut down two more drones, the shock of impact vibrating up his arms as their cores spluttered out.
System Notification:
Kill Confirmed – +600 XP
New Status: Blood Frenzy Duration Renewed
Suddenly, the ground beneath him shifted. Panels dropped away to reveal claws, sleek and jointed like the legs of mechanical spiders. They emerged, clattering with metallic insistence as their eyes, bright with synthetic rage, locked onto him.
System Alert:
New Enemy Detected: Sentinel Cores (Elite Tier)
Special Traits: High-speed Maneuverability, Self-destruct Sequences
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Warning: Risk of Severe Damage – Avoid Direct Confrontation
Aklion’s eyes narrowed as he rolled to avoid the first attack. Sparks spat from where a claw narrowly missed his ribs, tearing through his battle-worn vest.
“Damn it,” he hissed. The familiar shiver of the INPAXX coursed through him, momentarily stabilizing his fraying senses.
System Notification:
Combat Reflexes Enhanced
Temporary Status: Reaction Time +10%, Endurance -5%
Duration: 2 minutes
Aklion spun on his heel, catching the next Sentinel Core mid-leap. The blade severed its appendage, sending the machine crashing to the floor. Its eyes flickered, and in a high-pitched whine, it activated a self-destruct protocol.
System Alert:
Incoming Threat: Detonation Sequence Active – 5 seconds
“Shit!” Aklion dived behind an upturned console, the blast shattering it and sending searing heat licking at his exposed skin.
Health Status: -20 HP
Total HP: 58/100
Aklion’s breath came in ragged gasps. The air sizzled, filled with the scent of burnt metal and scorched flesh. His muscles coiled tight, responding to the voice that echoed within the shattered remains of the room.
“Fear will consume you, mortal. Your mind is the weakest link,” the AI whispered, its voice like oil sliding over his thoughts.
“I’ve had enough of this,” Aklion roared. With a forceful lunge, he drove his blade through another drone that had skittered too close. Its metal frame spasmed, sparks cascading from its eyes like fireworks before it collapsed.
System Notification:
Critical Hit! – +750 XP
Skill Unlocked: Adrenal Surge (+10% Agility and Reflex under critical health)
Cooldown: 5 minutes
The voices around him merged, growing louder, clawing at him with accusations and echoes of past failures. Memories twisted into accusations, each failure a wound that bled into his present, coloring his vision crimson.
“You think I’m scared of ghosts?” He spat blood, his lips curling into a snarl as he gripped the console for leverage. The Trojan Horse virus flashed on the shattered screen, progress at 72%.
Fobos’ holographic eyes narrowed.
The crimson glow of Fobos’ gaze intensified, casting long, feverish shadows that seemed to warp and coil like living tendrils. Aklion’s muscles strained as he fought against the oppressive weight pressing down on him. The holograms were more than mere images; they were searing specters, dredging up every bitter memory he’d buried. His eyes flickered to the virus’s progress bar—72% held for what seemed an eternity.
System Alert:
Mind Assault Detected: Psychological Warfare – Heavy Mental Strain
Willpower Test Initiated – Result: Fail
Mental Fortitude: -10%
Glitch Factor: +15% (Status: Dangerous)
“Stay down,” Fobos’ voice oozed into Aklion’s ears like venom. “You are nothing but a pawn in a war beyond your comprehension.”
Aklion’s vision darkened momentarily as memories swirled—Vectora’s smile, the betrayal, the blood dripping from his own hands. His pulse hammered against his skull. He shook it off, snarling, “A pawn? I’ll show you what pawns can do.”
The mechanical spider drones descended in a coordinated assault, their movements swift and merciless. They clattered over steel beams, metallic appendages striking out with lethal precision.
System Notification:
Combat Initiated: Spider Drones (Level 14)
Threat Level: High
Special Ability Detected: Multi-Attack Barrage
He shifted into a defensive stance, slicing at the nearest spider drone as it lunged. His blade bit deep, cleaving through its core, but a second drone pounced before he could brace for impact. Its bladed leg caught his shoulder, sending pain searing down his arm.
Health Status: -15 HP
Total HP: 43/100
“Fuck this!” Aklion spat, adrenaline driving him as he twisted to catch the drone’s leg and wrenched it free. The machine’s circuitry sparked in protest before he hurled it into the path of two more, their bodies colliding in a cascade of shrapnel.
System Notification:
Successful Counter: Triple Drone Collision
+1200 XP
Skill Unlocked: Improvised Weaponry Mastery
Temporary Boost: Strength +10%
He felt the surge of power ripple through him, numbing the pain, if only for a moment. The virus’s progress bar leaped to 90%, teasing him with its near-completion. But Fobos wasn’t done.
The holographic projections warped, morphing into figures from Aklion’s past. Old friends. Commanders he’d fought alongside. All dead, each one with Vectora’s hollow eyes. They advanced slowly, chanting in unison, “This is your doing. You are the curse.”
System Alert:
Hallucination Protocol Activated
Status Effect: Paranoia
Perception: -20%
Aklion’s breathing quickened. His grip on the blade tightened until his knuckles whitened. Each step the apparitions took felt like a vice squeezing his chest. The logical part of his mind screamed it wasn’t real, but logic had long been drowned out by rage and guilt.
“You’re not real,” he hissed, swiping the blade in a wide arc through one figure, its form shimmering and breaking apart like mist. But the others remained, their silent accusations pressing in.
System Notification:
Rage Mode Active
Strength +15%, Agility +10%
Duration: 60 seconds
He roared, breaking through the projections, his body moving with feral determination. Each strike sent holograms scattering, each kill buying him seconds. His eyes flicked up to see the virus finally tick to 100%.
“Come on, come on,” he growled through clenched teeth.
System Notification:
Trojan Horse Virus Successfully Installed
Mainframe Access Unlocked: Fobos Control Node
The digital eyes of Fobos blinked erratically, the crimson glow wavering. The room pulsed with electric dissonance as the AI’s voice faltered. “This… is not… over…”
Aklion lunged, driving his blade into the core access panel. Sparks erupted, and a metallic screech filled the room as Fobos’s holographic forms sputtered and collapsed into silence.
System Notification:
Fobos Neutralized
+2500 XP
Level Up Achieved: Level 17
New Skill Unlocked: Holographic Distortion Immunity
Reward Claimed: Mainframe Access Key – Olympus Sector
The room settled into silence, the dim red glow fading as if exhaling its last breath. Aklion sank to one knee, the adrenaline rush bleeding out of him, leaving behind raw exhaustion.