THE LAST SURVIVOR

THE FIRST BATTLE

The largest Eclipse Beast charged.

Its thunderous footsteps shook the earth as it barreled toward Ethan, crushing rocks and uprooting trees. Its crimson eyes burned with pure rage, and its roar echoed through the forest.

"Ethan, move!" Raven shouted.

Before he could react, the Guardian stepped forward.

BOOM!

Its metallic fist collided with the beast's claws, sending a shockwave across the battlefield. The impact flattened nearby bushes and knocked several soldiers off their feet.

The two giants stood locked in a contest of strength.

The Eclipse Beast roared and forced the Guardian backward.

"It... it's stronger than the Guardian?" one soldier gasped.

General Victor Kane clenched his fists.

"No... it has evolved."

Another beast leaped from the trees and landed behind the Guardian. Before anyone could warn it, the creature slammed its claws into the Guardian's back.

Sparks erupted from the machine's armor.

Warning lights flashed across its chest.

"Armor integrity reduced to 82%."

The Guardian staggered.

"Ethan!" Raven shouted. "The Guardian draws power from your pendant! If you don't fight, it will lose!"

"I don't know how!" Ethan cried.

The pendant suddenly pulsed.

A familiar voice echoed in his mind.

"Synchronization at 18%."

"Combat training available."

"What?"

Without warning, Ethan's vision blurred.

The battlefield disappeared.

He found himself standing inside a vast white chamber with no walls or ceiling.

Floating symbols surrounded him.

In front of him stood a transparent figure dressed in silver armor.

"I am ARIA," she said calmly.

"The Guardian's artificial intelligence."

"You have entered the Combat Link."

Ethan looked around in confusion.

"Am I... dreaming?"

"No."

"Time flows differently here."

"You have less than ten seconds before the Guardian is destroyed."

ARIA raised her hand.

A glowing sword appeared.

"To survive..."

"You must remember who you were trained to become."

She swung the sword.

Instantly, Ethan's body moved on its own.

He dodged.

Blocked.

Counterattacked.

Every movement felt natural, as if he had practiced them for years.

Memory after memory flooded back.

Training.

Combat drills.

Endless battles inside a laboratory.

He had learned all of this before...

He had simply forgotten.

ARIA smiled faintly.

"Synchronization complete."

The white chamber shattered.

Ethan returned to the battlefield.

Less than a second had passed.

The Guardian was on one knee.

The largest beast raised its claws for the killing blow.

Ethan instinctively stretched out his hand.

The pendant blazed brighter than ever before.

A stream of silver energy shot from it into the Guardian.

The machine's eyes changed from blue...

To brilliant gold.

"Synchronization level: 32%."

The Guardian stood.

New armor unfolded across its body.

Massive energy wings burst from its back.

The soldiers stared in disbelief.

General Kane whispered,

"It has entered... Ascendant Mode."

The Guardian disappeared.

For one impossible moment, it moved faster than the eye could follow.

BOOM!

The largest Eclipse Beast flew through three rows of trees before crashing into the side of a mountain.

The forest fell silent.

Every person on the battlefield stared at Ethan.

He stared back at his own glowing hands.

"What... have I become?"

Far away, hidden on a mountain overlooking the battlefield, a man in a black coat lowered a pair of binoculars.

A sinister smile crossed his face.

"So..."

"The Last Survivor has finally awakened."

He turned to the shadow behind him.

"Prepare the other survivors."

"There are still six of them alive."

The shadow nodded.

"Yes, Director."

The man looked back toward Ethan.

"The real war..."

"...begins now."