The tunnels were quiet again.
Too quiet.
Ryo and his team moved fast, their boots crunching against steel grates as they navigated the underground maze.
But no matter how fast they moved—
He could feel it.
Something was watching them.
Waiting.
The Reaper Returns
The system pinged.
> [WARNING: HOSTILE SIGNATURE DETECTED.]
[DESIGNATION: REAPER.]
A chill crept down Ryo's spine.
Serra saw his expression. "What?"
He exhaled. "It's back."
Vos frowned. "The hell are you talking about?"
Before Ryo could answer—
The tunnel lights died.
Everything plunged into darkness.
Predator in the Dark
Karin swore. "Oh, that's not good."
A faint metallic scraping echoed down the tunnel.
Slow. Deliberate.
Then a voice—low, distorted, inhuman.
> "I let you live once, Prototype."
A red visor flickered ahead.
Then another.
And another.
Five. No—six.
> "Let's see if you were worth it."
The Reaper's Pack
Ryo's mind snapped into focus.
These weren't just Hellion soldiers.
They were Reapers.
> [ENEMY CLASSIFICATION: ADVANCED CYBERNETIC ASSASSINS.]
[THREAT LEVEL: EXTREME.]
Krieg growled. "We doing this the hard way?"
Ryo clenched his fists.
"Always."
Then—the Reapers attacked.
Death in the Dark
The first blurred forward, blade flashing.
Ryo caught it mid-air, twisted—
SNAP.
He ripped the blade free and drove it into the Reaper's throat.
Another one lunged at Karin—
Vos sniped it before it reached her.
Krieg grabbed a Reaper by the leg and swung it like a sledgehammer into the wall.
Serra fired point-blank into another's visor, blowing its head apart.
But the leader—
The original Reaper—
Hadn't moved.
Yet.
The Final Hunter
It stepped forward, slowly drawing its weapon.
A long, curved blade of pure plasma.
> "You're still holding back, Prototype."
> "Let's change that."
Then—it vanished.
And Ryo had exactly one second to react.
Survive or Die
The Reaper reappeared behind him, blade flashing.
Ryo twisted—just barely dodging the strike.
But the second attack came instantly.
Too fast.
The blade sliced deep into his side.
Pain exploded.
The system screamed warnings.
> [CRITICAL DAMAGE DETECTED.]
[ADAPTATION REQUIRED.]
Ryo **staggered—**but refused to fall.
Because he knew one thing.
This wasn't just a fight.
This was a test.
And if he didn't win?
The Reaper wouldn't let him live this time.