[WARNING: High-Ranked Enemy Detected.]
[Permission required to initiate LAST DOOM PROTOCOL.]
[Authorize? Y / N]
Will stared at the glowing screen for several long seconds, his mind blanking out as the warning repeated itself in silent crimson letters.
He had expected danger on this journey, but he had not expected the system to escalate things so aggressively, especially against a single individual who had yet to even attack him directly.
"Wait," Will said slowly, his brows knitting together. "What the hell is the LAST DOOM PROTOCOL?"
[Host, please authorize it.]
The system's tone was unusually serious, devoid of its usual teasing undertone. That alone made Will uneasy.
"What happens to the vehicle if I authorize it?" Will asked, his eyes flicking back to the monitor where the girl still stood with her hand raised, holding the SATD-V suspended midair as if gravity itself had decided to betray its own rules.
[Host, the vehicle will not be destroyed. However, if you wish to subdue that girl safely and immediately, authorization is required.]
Will clenched his jaw. He did not like unknown variables, and he liked last-resort protocols even less, but the situation left him very little room to maneuver.
The longer he stayed suspended in the air, the higher the chances that something else would arrive.
Without hesitating any further, Will reached forward and tapped the option.
"Yes."
The confirmation icon flickered.
[ding!! LAST DOOM PROTOCOL authorized.]
[Please select operational sequence.]
A new interface unfolded in front of him, projecting a list of multiple combat sequences, each one more ominous than the last. Will scanned them quickly, feeling a faint chill crawl up his spine.
[Host, select the fourth sequence.]
Will paused briefly, then nodded.
"Okay."
The moment the fourth sequence was selected, the entire SATD-V shuddered violently, its massive frame rattling as if something deep inside it had been forcibly awakened.
The hum of its engines changed pitch, lowering into something far more menacing.
and Then..
*BOOM*
A violent psionic shockwave erupted outward from the vehicle, not once, but continuously, like an invisible storm radiating in expanding pulses. The air distorted visibly as the waves tore through the forest, bending mana and space alike.
"AAAARGHHHHH!!
The girl below screamed.
She dropped to her knees instantly, clutching her head as if something inside her skull was being torn apart. Her scream echoed through the forest, raw and unfiltered, filled with pain and panic.
The invisible grip holding the SATD-V in the air shattered.
The massive vehicle slammed back into the ground with a thunderous crash, sinking slightly into the earth as the shockwaves continued to ripple outward for several long minutes.
Inside the vehicle, Will remained unaffected.
"These psionic waves aren't affecting me?" Will asked, glancing at his hands instinctively.
[You are the registered owner of the vehicle, Host. Psionic suppression protocols exclude the operator.]
"Oh," Will muttered. "Good to know."
He leaned forward, watching the girl convulse on the ground through the monitor. "Then why don't I just go restrain her with mana-restricting cuffs or something while she's down?"
[Not feasible.]
Will frowned. "Why not?"
[She may not be alone. Based on her attire, she appears to belong to a tribal group.]
The system paused briefly before adding,
[Tribal settlements often exist deep within forests. Her village may be nearby.]
Will groaned and rubbed his face with one hand. "Oh god. Why do I always end up dealing with the worst possible people in the worst possible locations?"
The psionic waves finally ceased, leaving behind an eerie silence. The girl collapsed completely, her body twitching once before going still, unconscious but breathing.
[Host, energy reserves depleted. Immediate replacement of monster cores recommended.]
"Dammit," Will cursed under his breath.
"SP comes like a turtle and goes like a hare."
He didn't waste any time after that. The SATD-V roared back to life, tearing through the forest with renewed speed as Will made a narrow escape from the area, leaving behind broken trees, scorched ground, and one unconscious spirit master whose fate he chose not to investigate further.
At the time, Will believed that their paths would never cross again, he didn't know how wrong he was.
Two days passed in the blink of an eye.
The SATD-V eventually slowed before coming to a complete halt at the edge of a massive cliff. Beyond it stretched a sea of thick, cotton-like clouds that rolled endlessly toward the horizon, obscuring whatever lay beneath.
The sun shone at the edge and was about to set.
The air here felt different, a lot heavier than normal.
[We are here.]
Will stepped out of the vehicle, the wind tugging at his clothes as he approached the cliff's edge. The world beyond looked unreal, as if reality itself had been folded away beneath layers of fog and silence.
At his command, the SATD-V shimmered and collapsed inward, transforming back into the bio-mech transformation orb before slipping neatly into his inventory.
[Are you ready?]
Will inhaled slowly, steadying his breath.
"Yes."
Without hesitation, he stepped forward and jumped.
The blanket of clouds swallowed him instantly.
Moments later...
Thwack.
Will landed hard on a tangled web of thick black vines, their surfaces rough and unnaturally cold against his body.
The impact knocked the air out of his lungs, but the vines absorbed enough force to prevent serious injury moreover his awakened physique was sturdy enough to take some shocks.
He groaned softly and pushed himself upright.
Dense fog clung to everything, crawling along the ground and wrapping around the dead trees like grasping fingers.
The sky above was hidden entirely, smothered beneath layers of cloud so thick that not even a hint of sunlight could penetrate.
The temperature here was noticeably lower.
The forest ahead looked ancient and ruined, as though it had been burned centuries ago and never allowed to recover. Every tree was pitch black, their twisted branches reaching outward like skeletal hands frozen in eternal agony.
There was no sound of insects, or even the flowing breeze
Only silence, A silence so complete it felt oppressive.
Will exhaled slowly.
"This place…" he muttered. "It feels worse than hell."
[absolutely Host, This place is worse than the abyss]
[You are currently inside the Prison of the Fallen Gods.]
The words settled heavily on him, even after being aware of his current location, just listening to the name of this place sent chills down his spine.
And he had just walked into it willingly.
He smiled faintly, his heart pumped with excitement.
he immediately popped a few healing potions and wore the healing artifacts gifted by the Sword saint.
The air was extremely toxic in nature within a few hours he would die from corruption if he did not keep healing himself continuously.
This was the reason he had been hoarding healing items at a large scale from the past week.
Suddenly an ominous aura erupted
[Watch out host!!!]