Chapter 16: The Moment Victory Became a Nightmare1. The First Battle Was Just a Warm-UpArms screamed in the air.
Red lights fshed, turning the metallic hallways into a shifting nightmare of shadows and crimson glow.
I could hear my own heartbeat—wild, frantic, desperate.
We had already fought one Nexus cyborg.
And somehow, somehow, we had won.
It had been fast. Too fast.
The three of us—Mikasa, the hacker girl, and me—stood over the smoking remains of the thing that had almost killed us.
It was a human once. Maybe.
But Nexus had turned it into a machine.
And now it was just scrap.
My hands trembled.
We actually won.
I could barely believe it.
And then—
The lights went out.
2. We Were Never Supposed to SurvivePitch-bck.
The world disappeared.
And in that terrifying silence, only one thing remained.
A voice.
Cold.
Artificial.
"Good. You survived the first one."
I froze.
Mikasa’s entire body tensed.
The hacker girl grabbed my wrist.
And then—
Something moved in the darkness.
3. The Second Cyborg Was Already HereI barely saw it.
A blur of silver and bck.
It wasn’t human.
It wasn’t a machine.
It was something beyond both.
And it was fast.
Too fast.
Mikasa moved first.
Her instincts were perfect.
She dodged left, barely avoiding the first strike.
The floor exploded where she had been standing.
Her knife was already out.
She lunged, aiming for the throat.
It should have worked.
It should have at least hit.
But the thing—
It caught her bde.
With its bare hand.
Mikasa’s eyes widened.
And then—
The thing smiled.
4. The Worst Sound I’ve Ever HeardI saw it.
I saw the exact moment Mikasa realized—
She had lost.
The cyborg’s fingers tightened.
Metal bent in its grip.
Mikasa tried to pull away.
Tried to move.
Tried anything.
But then—
CRACK.
It was the worst sound I’d ever heard.
Her arm.
Her entire arm.
It was snapped backwards.
The bone—
It tore through the skin.
I heard Mikasa scream.
A sound I never thought I’d hear.
And then—
The cyborg grabbed her throat.
5. There Was No MercyI ran forward.
I don’t even know what I was thinking.
I just—
I had to stop it.
But the hacker girl grabbed me.
"Don’t," she whispered.
Her voice was shaking.
I looked at her.
Her face was pale.
And that’s when I knew—
Even she knew it was too te.
Mikasa’s legs kicked wildly.
The cyborg lifted her higher.
One-handed.
Like she weighed nothing.
Mikasa’s eyes met mine.
Wide.
Terrified.
And then—
The cyborg grinned.
And squeezed.
6. The Sound of Someone DyingSNAP.
Mikasa’s neck broke instantly.
Her body went limp.
The cyborg didn’t let go.
It just held her there.
Like a puppet with no strings.
Her arms hung lifeless.
Her head tilted unnaturally.
Her eyes—
Still open.
Still looking at me.
I couldn’t move.
I couldn’t breathe.
Mikasa was—
She was—
Dead.
7. The Hacker Girl’s First MistakeThe hacker girl finally reacted.
Her hands flew to her device.
Her fingers moved fast.
A desperate command.
A st-second hack.
But—
Too slow.
The cyborg moved first.
It threw Mikasa’s body aside.
Like garbage.
Her corpse hit the floor.
And then—
The cyborg was already in front of us.
The hacker girl barely gasped.
Then—
Its hand was through her stomach.
8. I Was Alone AgainBlood.
Everywhere.
The hacker girl made a choked sound.
Like she was trying to speak.
Trying to breathe.
But there was—
Nothing.
The cyborg pulled its hand back.
She colpsed.
Right next to Mikasa.
And then—
It turned to me.
And it grinned.
9. This Was Never ComedyThere was no one left.
Mikasa was dead.
The hacker girl was dead.
And I—
I was still standing.
But not for long.
The cyborg took a step forward.
Slow.
Casual.
Like it already knew how this would end.
And I—
I felt my whole body go cold.
This was never comedy.
This was never lighthearted.
This was never some fun, action-packed adventure.
This was a horror story.
And I was about to become the final victim.
To Be Continued…Next Time:
"I’m the Last One Left, and I Think I’m Next"