---
The Cycle of Destiny roared through a shimmering rift — a tear left behind by the Demon King's collapse.
The air smelled different.
Not of blood or ash.
But of rust and ozone.
Ahead stretched a dead city —
Skyscrapers like broken swords jutting into a perpetually stormy sky.
Metal debris littered the cracked highways.
Giant mechanical skeletons — some humanoid, some monstrous — rusted and silent.
It was a world where machines had risen...
and then fallen into their own endless wars.
---
System Notification
> [ Welcome to World: Ironsoul Graveyard ]
[ World Type: Collapsed Machine Civilization ]
[ Rank: Tier 3, Level 7 ]
[ Danger Level: Extreme ]
---
Jayce shivered as he dismounted his battered hoverboard.
Elyra conjured a light shield, wary.
Lian, fused with the Cycle of Destiny, scanned the world instinctively.
Nothing alive for miles.
But something watched them.
Waiting.
Hunting.
---
They set up camp inside the twisted remains of a half-collapsed mall.
Burned shops.
Scorched mannequins.
Walls scrawled with machine code like bloodstains.
They didn't dare light a fire.
Jayce grumbled but kept watch, twin pistols resting on his knees.
Elyra stared into the broken glass of a storefront, whispering spells of protection.
And Lian —
He sat perfectly still.
His body thrummed with the pulse of the Cycle of Destiny.
Humanity slipping away with every beat.
---
Then — it happened.
---
The system chimed sharply.
> [ Warning: Ironsoul Revenants detected. Incoming hostile swarm. ]
The walls trembled.
The ground cracked.
Dozens — no, hundreds — of mechanical monsters poured from the ruins.
Twisted drones stitched together from scrap metal.
Cybernetic hounds with spinning sawblade jaws.
Gigantic mech-spiders, their eyes glowing a sickly green.
Each one marked by the same sigil —
A broken crown welded into their chests.
---
Combat Initiated!
---
First Wave: Revenant Swarm (Difficulty: Insanity)
---
Jayce opened fire, laughing wildly —
but already getting pushed back.
Elyra unleashed a barrage of destruction spells —
barely slowing them down.
Lian accelerated, the Cycle of Destiny weaving through the chaos.
One hit from these machines could kill them instantly.
They were outnumbered.
Outgunned.
And if they fell here...
No second chances.
---
A Brutal Choice Appeared:
> [ Immediate System Choice – Select One: ]
1. Emergency Warp: Spend all current resources to teleport randomly across the planet. (Survive, but scattered and vulnerable.)
2. Overclock Vehicles: Burn life force to supercharge vehicles for 10 minutes. (Survive, but permanently cripple stats.)
3. Call Ancient Weapon: Summon an ancient machine buried nearby. (But it comes with a terrible, unknown price.)
---
Jayce screamed across the comms.
"CAPTAIN! PICK SOMETHING BEFORE WE'RE SCREWED!!"
Elyra's shield cracked under the pressure of dozens of hounds slamming into it.
Sparks and blood flew.
Lian hesitated for only a second.
He chose Option 3.
Ancient Weapon.
---
Ancient Weapon – Summoning...
The ground split apart in front of them.
A massive iron hand clawed its way up.
Followed by a titanic mechanical beast —
An armored colossus easily the size of a skyscraper.
Its single eye blazed red.
The Revenants froze, trembling.
Even Jayce swore under his breath.
"That... that's not our friend, is it?"
The system chimed coldly:
> [ Summoned Weapon: Ruin-Titan Mk. Omega ]
> Status: Berserk. Objective: Annihilate all life.
---
Lian felt the weight of his decision crush him.
The Titan would kill the Revenants —
but then it would turn on them next.
---
Battle Reset.
Kill the Revenants AND survive the Titan.
Or die here.
No retries.
No save points.
Only forward.
---
The Titan roared — a sound like collapsing mountains — and smashed the first wave of Revenants with a single blow.
Bodies flew like dust.
The Revenants screeched — and charged anyway.
A full-scale war erupted across the ruins.
The sky was lit with explosions.
Sonic booms shattered windows miles away.
Lian weaved through the battlefield, directing Jayce and Elyra like chess pieces.
---
They fought savagely.
Jayce set up ambush points, laughing madly even as he bled.
Elyra detonated entire city blocks with forbidden rituals, burning her own soul to fuel them.
And Lian —
Moved like a demon.
A blur of white-hot speed and merciless strikes.
---
But it wasn't enough.
The Titan finished with the Revenants.
And turned its eye...
on them.
---
Final Battle Phase: Ruin-Titan vs. Survivors!
---
Jayce spat blood.
"Cap... I don't think jokes are gonna save us this time."
Elyra smiled grimly.
"No gods.
No prayers.
Only us."
Lian revved the Cycle of Destiny.
Even knowing the odds —
even knowing death was near —
he smiled.
"Then let's make this Titan remember our names."
---
The final charge began.
Screams.
Steel.
Magic.
Blood.
No more easy choices.
No more miracles.
Only willpower.
Only battle.
Only the strongest would walk away alive.
---
Chapter End
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