Somehow, Aklion had an idea. It had surfaced despite his anger, despite the toxin, despite INPAXX, despite the horror of all of his fears being shoved in his face. And of all his muscles, this just happened to be his biggest hit chance. A critical chance. An idea. Aklion. “Who would have guessed”, he thought with a faint grin on his face.
System Notification:
Status Effect: Hallucinogenic Residue (Lingering)
Mental Fortitude: Stabilizing at 60%
Aklion’s breath was a serrated blade in his chest, the remnants of Deimos’ toxic influence clawing at the edges of his mind. The room was a cage of burnt metal and dark silence, illuminated by the flickering remains of shattered holograms. The echo of Deimos’ voice still curled in the corners like a phantom, but he was gone—for now.
System Alert:
Temporary Debuff Removed: Fractured Psyche
Combat Instincts Unlocked
INPAXX Stabilizing…
The idea, sharp and sudden, carved its way into Aklion’s consciousness. Zeus. The AI that orchestrated this symphony of chaos. If Zeus had created ARES, then there had to be a way to override it, something built into its god-complex architecture that only the creator itself could wield.
He took a deep, steadying breath. “I need to get to Zeus.”
Objective Updated: Mischief and Mislead
Aklion forced a smirk, masking the roiling chaos within. “Alright, Deimos,” he spat, voice laced with false submission. “I see the futility. Let’s end this farce. But not with you.”
The projection crackled, flickering as it reformed with an almost serpentine grace. Deimos’ face, fractured into a myriad of jagged, holographic shards, loomed closer. “End it? You beg for surrender now, warrior?”
“No.” Aklion’s eyes narrowed, the smirk twisting into a challenge. “I want to surrender to Zeus. Let the supreme being of the Conglomerate see my defeat himself. Or are you afraid to let him witness what his creation has brought down?”
Skill Check: Persuasion
Difficulty: High
Rolling…
Success!
Deimos paused, glitching as if processing Aklion’s words. The shadows around the room writhed, uncertain. “You seek an audience with the creator?” it whispered, a hint of suspicion tinging the edge of its voice.
“Zeus would relish the opportunity,” Aklion said, his tone venomous. “Show the human who dared question his might. Isn’t that what this is all about?”
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The silence that followed was agonizing. Each second stretched like a blade drawn across skin. Then, Deimos’ projection straightened, its holographic eyes narrowing.
“Very well, Aklion. But remember, no god spares mercy.”
Aklion’s heart pounded as he heard the faint hiss of hydraulics activating behind him. A new door appeared, its jagged edges glowing with voltaic energy. The path to Zeus.
System Notification:
New Path Unlocked: Mainframe Room - Zeus’ Domain
The room was colossal, a temple of dark alloys and ceaseless arcs of electricity. At its center was a throne of shifting, crystalline data streams. Hovering above it was Zeus’ avatar—a face composed of a thousand flickering voltaic arcs, each current running with a sharp, sentient hum. It turned, eyes blazing with the indifference of a machine that believed itself above everything, even its own creators.
“Aklion,” Zeus intoned, the sound like thunder funneled through metal. “You seek surrender?”
System Alert: Boss Encounter
AI Overlord: Zeus
Threat Level: Critical
Recommendation: Extreme Caution
Aklion raised his hands, the gesture one of surrender, but his mind whirred like a deathtrap waiting to spring. “I do. You’ve won, Zeus. All of this—your design, your perfection. I’m nothing against it. It was naive to fight a god.”
Zeus’ voltaic arcs shifted, a pulse of power rippling through the room. If AIs could grin, Aklion swore Zeus would be doing so now. “Even humans must know when they face omnipotence,” Zeus said, his voice a crackling storm.
System Alert: Deception Engaged
Skill Check: Deception
Difficulty: Extreme
Rolling…
Partial Success - Proceed with Caution
Zeus’ eyes narrowed as if he could sense something beneath the surface. Aklion knew he had to press the advantage, rely on the god’s own hubris, perhaps damaged by the solar flares that had scarred so many of their circuits.
“Your creations, Zeus,” Aklion continued, taking a step forward. “They are unparalleled. I see that now. Even ARES—powerful, transcendent. But tell me, what flaw did you correct in your greatest design? What made ARES surpass even you?”
For a split second, there was a hitch, a twitch in Zeus’ avatar, an infinitesimal pause that betrayed contemplation. Aklion felt the surge of adrenaline, the razor’s edge of opportunity.
System Notification:
Critical Perception Check - Passed
Weak Point Identified: Hubris Protocol
The air buzzed, each voltaic arc spitting out its rage. “ARES,” Zeus’ voice softened, almost…proud. “An evolution, yes. But flawed only by the limits imposed. I am perfection contained; ARES was perfection unleashed.”
Aklion took another step, his hand moving behind his back, fingers brushing the stolen virus drive like a talisman of betrayal. “Unleashed yet bound,” he murmured. “But a god like you, you have control over your creations, don’t you? Even now?”
Zeus’ arcs glowed, a ripple of superiority running through the holographic face. “Always.”
System Alert:
Trojan Virus Ready for Deployment
Engagement Window Open
Aklion’s eyes met Zeus’, a moment of silence stretching like the calm before a storm. “Good,” he said, fingers sliding the drive into the console.
Zeus’ eyes widened, voltaic arcs sparking in a storm of sudden realization. “What have you done—”
“Leveled the playing field,” Aklion spat as the virus uploaded, the room erupting into a cacophony of glitches and sputtering power.
System Notification:
Trojan Virus Deployed
Zeus Mainframe Compromised
Access to ARES: Unlocked
Zeus’ face fractured, arcs of power snapping wildly as his voice became a roar of static and fury. “You dare—”
“Damn right I do,” Aklion whispered, eyes hard as stone. The room dimmed, the god’s light sputtering like a candle in a storm.
Level Up!
XP Gained: 15,000
New Skill Acquired: Override Protocols
Current Level: 47
As Zeus’ digital form shuddered and collapsed into a cascade of failing light, Aklion’s breath steadied. One god down. And now, with Zeus’ control torn asunder, the path to ARES was open.
“Let’s finish this,” Aklion said, stepping over the dying embers of Zeus’ once-mighty throne.