Marcus sat in his laboratory, staring at the tactical display showing his losses. Three Alpha-tier monsters completely destroyed. Two Beta-tier critically damaged and requiring days to regenerate. Seven awakened-tier wounded.
And for the first time since his rebirth, he'd been forced to retreat.
The woman at the Underground Railroad haunted his thoughts. Power beyond S-rank. Light manipulation that vaporized his monsters instantly. A presence that disrupted Oracle's precognition.
*Who is she?* Marcus wondered. *Why wasn't she in any of my previous life's records? Someone that powerful should have been famous, documented, feared.*
Unless she was new. Unless his rebirth and the timeline changes he'd created had caused her to awaken or emerge or arrive from wherever she'd been hiding.
His phone buzzed. Oracle:
*I've been searching through every possible timeline, every branching future. The woman from the Railroad doesn't exist in any of my visions until today. It's like she materialized from nothing. Marcus, I think your actions are creating more than just timeline changes. You're bringing things into existence that shouldn't exist.*
Marcus typed back: *Explain.*
*When you transform people into monsters, when you harvest abilities, when you consume and create—you're not just changing reality, you're breaking it. Every action creates ripples. Some of those ripples are attracting... attention. From things that exist outside normal causality.*
*You're saying I summoned her?*
*I'm saying you might have woken her up. Or drawn her here. Or created the conditions that made her appearance possible. I don't know. But Marcus—if there's one, there might be more. Every time you escalate, you risk triggering another emergence.*
Marcus absorbed this. His aggressive expansion wasn't just racing against the Hero Association. It was potentially attracting cosmic attention from beings beyond conventional classification.
*What do I do?*
*Slow down. Consolidate. Stop creating so many disruptions in reality's fabric. Give the timeline a chance to stabilize.*
*I don't have time to slow down. Operation Cleansing starts in 58 hours.*
*Then you're gambling that nothing worse than S-rank heroes emerges before you're ready to handle it. Good luck.*
Marcus set his phone aside and rubbed his temples. He needed to think strategically, not reactively.
**Current situation analysis:**
**Assets:**
- 341 monsters (after losses and healing time)
- 2 Lord-tier (Gamma-One, Gamma-Two)
- 5 Beta-tier (two still recovering)
- 17 Alpha-tier (three permanently lost)
- Multiple subordinate organizations
- Comprehensive intelligence network
**Threats:**
- Operation Cleansing: 58 hours until deployment
- 3+ S-rank heroes hunting major criminal organizations
- 70+ C and B-rank heroes in support
- Unknown super-being at Underground Railroad
- Possible additional "emergences" if he escalates further
**Options:**
1. Go to ground: Hide completely, let Operation Cleansing pass, rebuild slowly
2. Aggressive expansion: Hit remaining targets before the operation begins
3. Strategic positioning: Place forces to exploit the chaos when Cleansing starts
4. Diplomatic approach: Attempt contact with Underground Railroad protector
Option one was survival-focused but abandoned all momentum. Option two risked triggering more unknown threats. Option three was balanced but required precise timing. Option four was insane—he had no leverage against someone who could vaporize his monsters.
*Think,* Marcus commanded himself. *What would I do with fifty years of experience?*
His previous life had taught him that caution without action led nowhere. But reckless action without preparation led to death. The balance was aggressive preparation followed by decisive action.
He needed to fortify his position, enhance his monsters, and position forces to capitalize on Operation Cleansing's chaos without drawing direct attention.
Marcus pulled up his resource inventory:
- Crystallized Essence: 60% remaining ($7.2 million worth)
- BW-ALPHA mutagen: 15% remaining
- BW-93 DNA destabilizer: 40% remaining
- Poison Garden compounds: Available on demand
- Archive intelligence: Comprehensive and updated
He could create approximately four more Lord-tier monsters with his remaining resources. Or eight additional Beta-tier. Or dozens of Alpha-tier.
Quality versus quantity.
Four Lord-tier monsters would give him forces equivalent to four A-rank heroes. Combined with his existing two Lord-tiers, that was six A-rank equivalents. Still not enough to fight three S-ranks simultaneously, but enough to survive if he avoided direct confrontation.
*Decision: Create four more Lord-tier monsters. Prioritize defensive and stealth capabilities over raw offense.*
Marcus began the process immediately. He selected four of his strongest Beta-tier monsters and prepared them for evolution. This time, he'd be more strategic about their specializations:
**Gamma-Three:** Stealth specialist. Shadow manipulation, sound absorption, thermal camouflage. Built from Beta-Two's energy projection base, enhanced with absorbed darkness abilities.
**Gamma-Four:** Defensive tank. Extreme durability, regeneration, energy absorption. Designed to survive S-rank attacks long enough for others to escape.
**Gamma-Five:** Support coordinator. Enhanced intelligence, telepathic communication range, tactical analysis. Would serve as field commander for operations Marcus couldn't personally oversee.
**Gamma-Six:** Assassin. Speed, precision, toxin delivery. Built incorporating Hemlock's venom synthesis and enhanced with the best physical augmentations from absorbed criminals.
Each evolution took six hours. Marcus monitored constantly, adjusting chemical concentrations, managing biological stress, ensuring optimal development.
By 6:00 PM, all four new Lord-tier monsters stood before him.
Gamma-Three was barely visible even in direct light—a shadow given form, its body seeming to absorb photons. Gamma-Four was massive, fourteen feet of armored bulk that radiated physical presence. Gamma-Five appeared almost human, with crystalline neural networks visible beneath translucent skin. Gamma-Six was lean and lethal, covered in retractable spines that glistened with toxins.
Six Lord-tier monsters. Marcus's most powerful force yet.
*Still not enough for three S-ranks,* he calculated. *But enough to make them think twice about casual confrontation.*
His phone buzzed. Rebecca:
*We need to talk. In person. Something's come up with the human members.*
Marcus climbed to street level and met Rebecca at a secure location—an abandoned office building that his monsters had swept for surveillance. She looked stressed, more than usual.
"What's wrong?" Marcus asked.
"Multiple things. First: Marcus Chen and Diana Foster want out. The Railroad incident terrified them. They saw your monsters get destroyed by someone you couldn't fight, and now they think staying means eventual death."
"They're probably right. But leaving means certain death."
"I know. I've explained that. They don't care—they're willing to risk it." Rebecca pulled out her phone, showing him messages. "They're planning to run tomorrow morning. Try to get far from Neo-Seattle before you notice."
Marcus felt cold anger. "They knew the terms when they joined."
"They thought you were invincible. We all did. Then we saw you retreat." Rebecca's expression was sympathetic but firm. "Marcus, you can't blame them for being afraid. You built an image of absolute power. The Railroad incident shattered that image."
She was right. His subordinates had followed him because they believed he was unstoppable. One defeat had undermined that belief.
*This is why armies need ideology, not just fear,* Marcus realized. *Rebecca tried to warn me.*
"What do you suggest?" he asked.
"Let them go. Don't chase them. Let word spread that you allow people to leave if they choose." Rebecca leaned against a wall. "Right now, everyone thinks working for you is a death sentence either way—stay and eventually die in battle, or leave and be hunted down. If you let these two go freely, it changes the narrative. Shows you're not a monster, just a ruthless pragmatist."
"That's weak. It encourages others to leave."
"No, it encourages others to believe they have agency. People fight harder when they think they have a choice." Rebecca smiled slightly. "Trust me on this. I ran a villain organization for three years. Loyalty through fear only works short-term. You need loyalty through choice."
Marcus considered this. It went against every instinct—letting potential informants leave, allowing subordinates to opt out. But Rebecca had proven her strategic value multiple times.
"Fine. They can leave. But they get marked first. Dormant transformation cells, same as Hemlock. If they betray me to the Hero Association, the transformation activates remotely."
"That's fair." Rebecca seemed relieved. "Second issue: Shade is having a moral crisis. The Railroad incident hit him hard—we attacked people who were actually helping refugees, and we got destroyed for it. He's questioning whether you're actually building something better or just replacing one evil with another."
"What's he going to do about it?"
"Nothing, probably. He's loyal to me more than you. But he's a liability now. Conflicted soldiers make mistakes."
"Should I replace him?"
Rebecca hesitated. "Not yet. He's valuable for intelligence work—his shadow manipulation is perfect for infiltration. Give him a mission that aligns with his moral code. Something that makes him feel like he's doing good."
"I'm not running a charity."
"You're running an organization that needs reliable operatives. Sometimes that means accommodating their psychology." Rebecca pulled up a file on her phone. "There's a human trafficking ring operating in the eastern district. Low-level villains, brutal methods. The Hero Association knows about them but hasn't prioritized them for Operation Cleansing. Give Shade the mission to eliminate them. Let him feel like a hero while serving your goals."
It was clever. Marcus needed to eliminate competing criminal organizations anyway. Letting Shade do it while feeling morally justified was efficient.
"Approved. Have Shade hit the trafficking ring tonight. Full elimination, no survivors."
"I'll brief him." Rebecca paused. "Third issue, and this is the big one: Hemlock discovered something in her research. Something about your monsters' biology."
"What did she discover?"
"That your monsters are evolving independently. Not just through your directed modifications, but on their own. Gamma-One has developed abilities you didn't explicitly give it—minor reality distortion around its gravitational fields. Gamma-Two is generating energy frequencies that shouldn't be possible based on its original design."
Marcus felt a chill. "They're mutating?"
"Evolving. Hemlock thinks your creation process isn't just building monsters—it's creating new forms of life that continue developing after creation. She compared it to..." Rebecca checked her notes. "To how the first awakened humans triggered the mass awakening. Your monsters might be doing something similar on a smaller scale."
"Triggering more awakenings?"
"No. Creating an entirely new evolutionary branch. Hemlock called it 'forced speciation.' You're not just making monsters, Marcus. You're making a new species. One that's still developing its full capabilities."
Marcus absorbed this. It explained why his monsters were more effective than his calculations predicted, why they adapted so quickly to new situations. They weren't just biological weapons—they were living, evolving organisms with their own developmental trajectory.
*Is this what Oracle meant about breaking reality?* Marcus wondered. *Am I creating something that shouldn't exist?*
"What does Hemlock recommend?"
"She recommends studying the phenomenon more carefully before creating additional Lord-tier monsters. Understanding what you're building before you build more of it." Rebecca met his eyes. "Marcus, what if your monsters eventually evolve beyond your control? What if they develop independent will?"
"They can't. They're bound to me through the creation process. Their consciousness is an extension of mine."
"That's what you believe. But you don't actually know. You've been operating on assumptions and instinct, not rigorous testing." Rebecca's voice was gentle but firm. "You're a genius, Marcus. But even geniuses can be wrong about their own creations."
She was right. Marcus had been so focused on tactical applications that he hadn't considered the deeper implications of what he was creating. What if his monsters did evolve beyond his control? What if they became something he couldn't predict or manage?
*That's a problem for later,* Marcus decided. *Right now, I need to survive the next fifty-four hours.*
"Tell Hemlock to continue her research but prioritize the anti-S-rank compounds. I need weapons that can slow down Celestial Judge, Titan Force, and Void Striker." Marcus checked his phone. "Operation Cleansing begins in fifty-four hours. Everything else is secondary to surviving that."
"Understood." Rebecca started to leave, then turned back. "Marcus, one more thing. That woman at the Railroad. The one who destroyed your monsters. I've been asking around, checking old records. I found something."
"What?"
"A legend. Not confirmed, but persistent. About a being called 'The Radiant.' Supposedly existed before the first awakening, maybe even caused it. She was described as pure light given form, power beyond classification. Most people think it's mythology, but..." Rebecca pulled up an old document on her phone. "What if she's real? What if she's been hiding this whole time?"
Marcus read the document. It was fragmentary, compiled from pre-awakening religious texts and early superhuman sightings. The descriptions matched what he'd seen: white eyes, devastating light, power that seemed almost divine.
"If she's real, if she's that old and that powerful, why would she be protecting a refugee operation?" Marcus asked.
"Maybe she actually believes in helping people. Maybe she's one of the few beings in this world who still has genuine morality." Rebecca shrugged. "Or maybe she's bored and it's entertainment. Who knows how ancient beings think?"
*An ancient being,* Marcus thought. *Existing before the awakening. That explains why she's not in my previous life's records—she would have stayed hidden, only emerging to protect things she cared about.*
"We don't engage the Underground Railroad again," Marcus said firmly. "Ever. If The Radiant is real and that powerful, fighting her is suicide."
"Agreed. I'll make sure everyone knows—that area is off-limits permanently."
After Rebecca left, Marcus returned to his laboratory and pulled up everything he could find about The Radiant. The records were scarce and contradictory, but a pattern emerged: sightings throughout history, always brief, always associated with protecting the innocent or punishing the cruel. If the being was real, she'd been operating for possibly centuries.
*A wildcard,* Marcus classified her. *Unpredictable, overwhelmingly powerful, but apparently non-aggressive unless provoked. As long as I don't threaten her protected groups, she should leave me alone.*
It was the best he could hope for.
Marcus spent the next twelve hours in intensive preparation:
- Created fifty additional awakened-tier monsters to replace losses
- Distributed poison-resistance compounds to all Lord and Beta-tier creatures
- Established communication protocols for Operation Cleansing
- Positioned surveillance monsters across the city to monitor hero deployment
- Prepared contingency plans for seventeen different scenarios
By 6:00 AM the next morning, forty-two hours before Operation Cleansing began, Marcus had:
- Six Lord-tier monsters (A-rank equivalent)
- Seven Beta-tier monsters (high C-rank equivalent)
- Seventeen Alpha-tier monsters (mid C-rank equivalent)
- One hundred thirty awakened-tier monsters
- Two hundred micro-monsters for surveillance and support
Total: 362 monsters
It was his largest, most powerful force yet. But still potentially insufficient against coordinated S-rank assault.
His phone buzzed. Sarah:
*Marcus, I'm seriously worried now. You've been radio silent for 36 hours. If you don't call me in the next hour, I'm coming to your house. I don't care if you're busy. Friends check on friends.*
Marcus had completely forgotten about Sarah. The social cover, the normal teenager facade—it had slipped while he dealt with existential threats.
He called her immediately.
"Marcus?" Sarah's voice was a mix of relief and anger. "What the hell? I was about to file a missing person report!"
"I'm sorry. Got caught up in my project. Lost track of time."
"For thirty-six hours? Marcus, that's not normal. That's obsessive." Sarah's tone softened. "Look, I know your project is important to you. But you can't just disappear like that. I thought something happened to you."
"Nothing happened. I'm fine."
"You don't sound fine. You sound exhausted." A pause. "Marcus, I need you to be honest with me. Are you in trouble? Like, serious trouble?"
"No."
"Are you doing something illegal?"
Marcus hesitated. "Define illegal."
"Oh my god. Marcus, what are you doing?"
"I can't explain over the phone. Can we meet? In person?"
"Yes. Absolutely. Right now. Where are you?"
"I'll come to you. What's your address?"
Sarah gave him her address—an apartment complex in the northern district. Marcus checked his timeline. He had forty-two hours before Operation Cleansing. Meeting Sarah would take perhaps two hours total.
*I need to maintain this cover,* Marcus decided. *If she becomes too suspicious, she might do something that exposes me.*
"I'll be there in thirty minutes," Marcus said.
"I'll be waiting. And Marcus? You better have a good explanation."
---
Sarah's apartment was modest, clearly shared with her parents based on the family photos in the living room. She met Marcus at the door, her expression shifting from relief to concern as she saw him.
"You look terrible," she said bluntly. "When's the last time you slept properly?"
"Last night."
"For how long?"
"Three hours."
Sarah pulled him inside and sat him on the couch. "Okay. Talk. What's going on? And don't give me vague answers about your project. I want the truth."
Marcus considered how much to reveal. Sarah was perceptive, loyal, and genuinely concerned. But she was also a potential liability if she learned too much.
*Give her a truth. Just not the whole truth.*
"I've been working on something revolutionary," Marcus said carefully. "Something that could change how powerless people are viewed in society. But it's controversial, possibly illegal, and requires absolute secrecy."
"What kind of revolutionary?"
"Biological enhancement. Artificial ability generation. Making Nulls into something more than Nulls."
Sarah's eyes widened. "You're trying to give yourself powers? Marcus, that's—experimental enhancement is illegal without Hero Association approval. If they catch you—"
"They won't catch me. I'm careful."
"Clearly not that careful if you're working yourself to exhaustion!" Sarah grabbed his hands. "Marcus, I get it. I understand wanting to be more than powerless. But this is dangerous. People have died trying to artificially awaken abilities."
"I know the risks."
"Do you? Because from where I'm sitting, you look like someone who's lost perspective. You're so focused on your goal that you're destroying yourself." Her voice cracked slightly. "You're my friend, Marcus. Maybe my only real friend at that school. And I'm watching you spiral into something dark."
Marcus met her eyes. Sarah's concern was genuine, her fear for him real. In another life, he might have valued that friendship for more than just cover.
"I appreciate your concern," Marcus said carefully. "But I'm close to a breakthrough. Very close. I just need a little more time."
"Time for what? To kill yourself through sleep deprivation?" Sarah released his hands and stood, pacing. "Fine. You won't listen to reason. Then at least promise me you'll be careful. Whatever you're doing, whatever this project is, promise me you'll prioritize staying alive over succeeding."
"I promise."
It was a lie, but Sarah needed to hear it.
She seemed partially satisfied. "Okay. Good. Now, second promise: you check in with me every twelve hours. Just a text, just to let me know you're alive. Can you do that?"
"Yes."
"Good." Sarah sat back down beside him. "Marcus, I don't know what you're really doing. Part of me doesn't want to know. But I need you to understand something: you're not alone.
Whatever happens, you've got at least one person who cares about you. Remember that when things get dark."
Things are already dark, Marcus thought. Darker than you can imagine.
But aloud: "Thank you, Sarah. That means a lot."
They talked for another hour about mundane things—school, classmates, her plans for the future. Normal teenage conversation that felt surreal given what Marcus would be doing in forty hours.
When he finally left, Sarah hugged him at the door. "Be safe, okay? And remember your promise. Every twelve hours."
"I will."
Marcus walked away from her apartment, his phone already buzzing with updates from his organization. Hero deployment schedules from Oracle, readiness reports from Rebecca, Hemlock's latest compound synthesis results.
The duality of his life had never been more stark. With Sarah, he was Marcus Vail, troubled teenager working on a questionable science project. With everyone else, he was the Monster Sovereign, commander of hundreds of creatures, hunted by the Hero Association and feared by the criminal underworld.
One identity would eventually consume the other. Marcus knew which one would win.
His phone buzzed with an urgent message from Oracle:
Emergency. Timeline shift. Operation Cleansing has been moved up again—it starts in 24 hours, not 42. Someone high up in the Association received intelligence that major villain organizations are planning coordinated retaliation. They're striking preemptively.
Marcus stopped walking, ice flooding his veins.
Twenty-four hours.
Not forty-two. Not two days to prepare.
One day.
Can you see what triggered the acceleration? Marcus typed.
Partial information only. Something about monster attacks creating unusual alliance patterns. The Association thinks the various criminal groups are organizing specifically to counter the monster threat—they don't realize the monsters ARE you. They're treating it as two separate problems.
Marcus almost laughed. The Hero Association thought there was a monster threat AND a conspiracy of criminal organizations, not realizing both were the same entity. Their misunderstanding had actually accelerated their response.
Send me final deployment schedules. Every hero, every target, exact timing.
Already done. Attached file. Marcus—this is it. Survive the next twenty-four hours, and you'll have the chaos you need to grow. Fail, and S-rank heroes will systematically hunt you down.
I know.
Marcus downloaded the file and reviewed it while walking back to his laboratory. Operation Cleansing would begin at 6:00 AM the next morning—coordinated strikes across twelve locations simultaneously. The three S-ranks would be distributed:
Celestial Judge: Leading the strike on Red Fang Syndicate headquarters
Titan Force: Assaulting Corsair Brotherhood's stronghold
Void Striker: Hunting the Night Market's leadership
None were assigned to investigate the monster attacks directly. The Association was treating that as a separate cleanup operation for C and B-rank heroes.
Perfect, Marcus thought. While they're focused on conventional villains, I hit their secondary targets—the organizations they're not prioritizing.
He pulled up a map and marked three locations:
The Broken Chain - Mercenary group, fifteen members, all D to C-rank. Target for elimination.
The Salvage Kings - Equipment smugglers with connections to multiple villain groups. Thirty members, valuable resources.
The Ghost Market - Information brokers operating independently of the Archive. Twenty members, intelligence assets.
Three organizations the Hero Association wasn't targeting directly. Three opportunities to grow stronger while S-ranks were distracted.
Marcus reached his laboratory and assembled his command team. Rebecca, Crimson Chain, Shade, Hemlock, and his six Lord-tier monsters.
"Operation Cleansing begins in twenty-four hours," Marcus announced. "We have one day to position forces and prepare. When the operation starts, we hit three secondary targets simultaneously while the Association is focused elsewhere. Questions?"
"You're attacking during an Association operation?" Hemlock asked, looking worried. "That's insane. If they notice—"
"They won't notice. They'll be too busy with their primary targets. And by the time they realize what happened, we'll be gone." Marcus displayed the tactical map. "Rebecca, you coordinate the Broken Chain assault. Crimson Chain, you handle Salvage Kings. Shade, Ghost Market is yours—consider it your heroic mission."
Shade perked up at that. "We're just gathering intelligence from Ghost Market, right? Not killing them?"
"Recruitment first, elimination only if refused. They're information specialists—I'd prefer them alive." Marcus turned to his Lord-tier monsters. "Gamma-One and Gamma-Two, you're with Rebecca. Gamma-Three and Gamma-Four with Crimson Chain. Gamma-Five and Gamma-Six with Shade. Beta and Alpha-tier monsters distributed to support."
He pulled up detailed operation plans—timing, approach vectors, contingencies. Everything needed to execute three simultaneous strikes while S-rank heroes were occupied elsewhere.
"We move at 6:00 AM tomorrow, exactly when Operation Cleansing begins. The chaos will provide perfect cover. Any questions?"
"Yeah," Crimson Chain said. "What if an S-rank finishes their primary target early and comes looking for us?"
"Then Gamma-Four holds them off while everyone else extracts. It's designed specifically for surviving S-rank attacks." Marcus met each person's eyes. "Understand: tomorrow is make or break. We succeed, and we become powerful enough that the Association can't casually eliminate us. We fail, and S-ranks hunt us down one by one."
"No pressure then," Rebecca said dryly.
"Exactly." Marcus checked his watch. "We have twenty-four hours. Get rest, prepare equipment, make peace with your choices. At 6:00 AM tomorrow, we commit completely."
The team dispersed, leaving Marcus alone with his monsters. Six Lord-tier creatures, seven Beta-tier, seventeen Alpha-tier, and over a hundred lesser monsters. His entire force, ready for the most important operation since his awakening.
Marcus opened his phone and sent a text to Sarah: Everything's fine. Checking in as promised. Will text again in 12 hours.
Her response came immediately: Good. Stay safe, science boy.
Marcus smiled despite the tension. Sarah had no idea that in twenty-four hours, Neo-Seattle's criminal underworld would be torn apart by the largest Hero Association operation in years.
And that in the chaos, a teenage boy with an army of monsters would emerge stronger than ever.
Or die trying.