I was decided. I opened those doors, and a faint sound began to echo:

Tic... tac...

Everything exploded.

I was sent flying against the metallic walls, which dented from the impact. I tried to react, but my entire body was bleeding. The explosion had been strong enough to destroy the entire dome. The place was burning, and the sirens wailed endlessly.

A robotic voice spoke:

"Alert, Level 5."

It repeated the warning multiple times:

"Sector D has been damaged. Requesting support."

Soldiers from all nearby zones began arriving, but something felt wrong. A bad feeling crept over me.

Another explosion shook the area—this time, several kilometers away.

"Alert, Level 5. Sector C has been damaged. Requesting support."

My head... the pain drilled even deeper.

My eyes were bleeding, but that no longer mattered. I moved as fast as I could and, within minutes, reached the armory.

I smiled.

By instinct, I saw it reflected in the light—that beautiful, gleaming armor... my armor.

Without hesitation, I stepped inside.

I felt it again.

That indescribable pleasure of being devoured by the cables, of being injected with fluids designed to keep me from dying. The machinery dug into my skin, piercing through the suit from within, but none of that mattered now.

Wearing the armor, I sprinted toward the dome, covering kilometers in mere seconds, searching for survivors—or enemies.

Then I saw him.

My visor detected it: enemy.

The contracted blades were released. I charged, aiming to slice him in two.

"You will die today for the sake of the Empire!"

The thirst to see his blood flow consumed me.

But when the dust from my attack settled, he was still standing, amidst the rubble of what was once the dome.

The man wore a brown cloak and a completely white mask with a single blue stripe.

Words escaped his lips:

"It's been a long time."

—I don't care who you are or how long it's been since we last met… I just want to see your blood spill more than anything right now.

I attacked relentlessly.

He was faster than me and seemed well-trained. He deflected my armored strikes with his bare body.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

When I used my full speed to close in on him, I was hit directly—a kick to the chest so powerful that it sent me flying several meters.

"Don't you realize who I am? What's the point of fighting me? Just leave, and I'll spare you."

I laughed uncontrollably.

—Spare me?

An uncontrollable excitement coursed through my body.

—I am the Empire's light. The first and last Immortal Knight.

**Decompression at 80%.**

Even if I used the suit's remaining energy, it would be enough to kill him.

I launched forward at full speed. My attack was unavoidable. A crimson-red beam was about to be unleashed, but then—

I didn't see it coming.

Not even my visor detected it.

From the sky, a comet fell.

I managed to react in time, redirecting my attack. The condensed beam illuminated everything around it, splitting the clouds apart—but the descending figure activated a strange device.

A shield.

It nullified my entire attack.

My beam couldn't penetrate its energy barrier.

I could no longer move.

The core of my armor had been completely drained.

But they ignored me.

The one who activated the device spoke in a female voice:

—We have to go. The mission is complete.

We've eliminated the future Immortal Knights. The Queen will be pleased.

—Yes, I understand. Let's withdraw before reinforcements arrive.

No.

I won't let them leave!

I will kill them here and now!

The words echoed in my head over and over.

An unbearable pain drilled into my mind.

It consumed me...

And I loved it!

My armor glowed a deep crimson red.

I knew it by instinct:

"No one will protect this Empire better than me!"

I shouted with all my might.

—Second Stage: Berserk.

Both of them stared at me in silence.

—Hmm... so this is your trump card, huh? —the man said, curious.

—Looks like he won't let us leave —the woman remarked.

She removed her brown cloak, leaving only her mask and the suit underneath.

For a moment, I noticed it...

Is she a demon?

Her figure was dazzling. She looked human.

Her pale skin contrasted with the mechanical parts of her body.

She was a cyborg.

No different from me.

A chill ran down my spine. My mind tried to reject it, but the truth was right in front of me.

If she was a monster, then what was I?

No.

We are not the same.

I fight for something greater than myself!

She... she is just another tool of the Empire's enemies.

—Seems like I'll have to get serious… That transformation of yours doesn't look simple. I'll make sure you never rise again.

When I tried to move, a blinding light covered my visor.

And then I felt it.

My body—slashed in multiple directions.

I was conscious, but I couldn't get up.

Never before had I suffered such damage in combat.

—In the end, you're a joke. You couldn't even withstand my energy blade.

—I won't fall! I can't! This Empire, these people, they need me!

—So useless and weak... —her voice was sharp—. You seek to protect the Empire? Don't you get it? You're nothing but a tool to them. They'll never see you for what you are.

She pointed at me in fury.

—Look at me! Look at my body!

The implants. The scars.

—I have these damn wounds too. This Empire, these people, they used me as well. They did unthinkable things to me. And yet, you still say you'll protect them?

There was silence.

—That's enough —the man interrupted—. Look at him… he's suffering. His mind is in chaos.

—Let's go.

He turned away.

—It was amazing seeing you again after six years. I hope we meet again soon.

My mind burned.

I understood nothing.

The pain was unbearable.

Does the Empire need me?

Am I one of its people?

Am I a hero…?

Then, the questions vanished.

My mind shut down.

Why was I even asking such complicated things?

It doesn't matter.

I only need to protect the Empire.

That is the only thing that should matter.

My armor lost all its energy.

So did I.

I was made to be fully compatible with it.

Symbiosis.