“Coming.”
Right after Cassie’s warning, Owen threw his spear.
Clang!
Amon blocked the spear with his sword.
The clash of metal sent vibrations through the air.
While Amon took a slight step back, Cassie closed the distance to Owen.
Now unarmed after throwing his spear, Owen was met with Cassie swinging her spear without hesitation.
However, just before her spear could reach Owen’s chest—
“Ugh!”
Cassie abandoned her attack, twisted her body, and rolled to the side.
A spear flew past the spot where her head had just been.
The airborne spear returned to Owen’s hand, while another new spear materialized in his grip.
Seeing this, Amon asked Cassie, “What’s with those spears?”
Cassie replied, “The one he’s holding is his own, but the flying one is from our family’s armory.”
“Interesting spear.”
“It’s an expensive one.”
“Should I be careful not to break it?”
“You don’t need to go that far. Even if it breaks, it can be repaired, so fight freely.”
“Got it, boss.”
As the two bantered, no attacks came their way.
Owen waited patiently, which drew a smirk from Amon.
“Not taking the bait, huh?”
With those words, Amon disappeared.
***
In an instant, Amon closed the gap to Owen and swung his dagger.
In a fight between a spear and a sword, the spear generally has the advantage due to its longer reach—but only when the opponent approaches on foot.
For someone like Amon, who could instantly close the distance using Sky Step, that logic didn’t apply.
Having already moved into Owen’s range, Amon didn’t hold back and unleashed a flurry of dagger strikes.
Unable to capitalize on the advantages of his spear, Owen was quickly overwhelmed.
He had no choice but to play his second card shortly after the fight began.
A magical sigil etched on his unarmed forearm began to glow faintly.
A sinister green energy enveloped his arm.
Seeing this clearly ominous effect, Amon quickly put distance between them.
The spot where Amon had stood was soon struck by Owen’s green arm.
Drops of green liquid fell from the arm, sizzling as they hit the ground and melted it.
[Is that the poison you mentioned?!]
[Yeah. Owen’s magic sigils are focused on poison-based magic.]
Amon confirmed with Sonia.
[Sonia, do we have antidotes?]
[I prepared three fast-acting ones. I can make more during the fight, but it’ll take time.]
[That’s enough.]
Soon, Amon joined Cassie in attacking Owen again.
Owen hurled the flying spear toward Sonia, while using the one in his hand to fend off Amon and Cassie.
Meanwhile, his computer calculated a way to control the flying spear targeting Sonia and simultaneously counter both attackers.
Owen’s attacks began to display patterns Amon had never seen from any humanoid boss.
With a sweep of his left hand, a green mist obscured the area.
Unable to approach easily due to the poisonous mist, Amon watched as Owen’s spear emerged from the fog and targeted him.
Already anticipating an attack before visibility was lost, Amon evaded easily with a backstep.
Meanwhile, Cassie, having read the future, avoided the spear effortlessly and pressed further in.
Clang!
The clash of their future-reading abilities began.
Neither Cassie’s nor Owen’s spear could land a blow.
The weapons sliced through the air or were parried, maintaining a tense stalemate.
But Cassie had an ally—Amon.
Moving behind Owen, Amon secured a flanking position, catching Owen off guard.
Under the combined assault, Owen activated another spell.
Boom!
Stomping his foot, Owen summoned a snake made of poison from the ground.
The serpent lunged at Cassie with its jaws wide open.
Meanwhile, Owen turned to face Amon.
Even against two opponents, Owen wasn’t being pushed back.
But—
Bang!
A gunshot rang out, and the snake’s head exploded.
[Thanks, Sonia!]
In the midst of deflecting the flying spear with her gunblade, Sonia gave a thumbs-up in response.
Cassie immediately dashed toward Owen and exclaimed, “Let’s finish this!”
She succeeded in slicing into Owen’s arm.
Owen groaned and backed away from Amon and Cassie.
Amon, who had been parrying the dangerous spear with precision, took a moment to catch his breath.
“Sonia, are you okay?”
“Yeah, barely.”
Even Sonia, who had been dealing with the flying spear, looked visibly tired.
She handed a serum to Amon, gazing at him intently.
“You got grazed. Just in case, use this.”
“Thanks.”
Amon injected the serum near his wound while grumbling in Owen’s direction.
Blood dripped from Owen’s arm.
Though not severed, the cut was deep.
Even with his ability to calculate the future, Owen was still human and had limits to how much he could respond.
He was no exception.
At this rate, Amon’s team held the advantage.
But they couldn’t relax.
[He’s getting sharper. I’m not the only one noticing this, right?]
[Same here.]
Cassie agreed with Amon.
With each passing moment, Owen was adapting to Amon and Cassie’s strategies.
More accurately, he was analyzing them in real-time.
[In this regard, a computer is better than foresight.]
Cassie’s telepathic comment reached Amon as she caught her breath.
Foresight only shows potential futures and choices to avoid, but the computer analyzed opponents and suggested optimal actions on the spot.
Owen’s AI had already downloaded 30% of Amon and Cassie’s movements.
“We need to end this quickly.”
After a brief pause, Amon and Cassie launched another attack on Owen.
With Sonia’s support fire, they managed to injure Owen once more.
But—
“Download complete.”
Owen’s announcement sent chills down their spines as he grabbed Cassie’s spear shaft.
The team’s faces darkened.
Owen smirked as Cassie struggled to free her spear, then activated another spell.
From his mouth, he spewed a poisonous fog.
“Ugh! That smell!”
Cassie dropped her spear and quickly retreated.
As she hastily pulled out a serum to inject herself, Owen swung his spear at her.
Clang!
Amon intercepted the spear and blocked it.
With a fierce grin, he said, “You’re not the only one downloading.”
Though not as advanced as a computer, Amon’s insight wasn’t something to be underestimated.
Owen shifted his attention from Cassie to Amon.
“Is that so? Let’s see, then.”
With those words, their duel began.
The dazzling clash of spear and dagger left Cassie unable to intervene.
Sparks flew as their weapons collided.
At first glance, Owen seemed to have the upper hand.
But on closer observation, his face betrayed a hint of defeat.
And the reason was simple.
“Coward.”
“Oh, come on. It’s teamwork.”
Amon was receiving constant healing from Sonia.
In the end, Owen realized that half-hearted poison wouldn’t be enough to defeat Amon.
If he wanted to remove him from the battlefield, he would need a decisive blow.
“Fine… If I have to take you down, I’ll need to make my move.”
Owen’s muttering puzzled Amon, but he swung his sword nonetheless.
The blade cut through Owen’s left arm.
“Got it!”
Cassie cheered.
Amon, too, inwardly celebrated the achievement of severing Owen’s arm.
But then, the severed arm began to transform, growing into a massive snake that lunged at Amon.
As he fought off the snake, Amon shouted:
[What kind of magic sigil is this?!]
[Sorry! I didn’t foresee this one. It’s like he’s overcome the future itself!]
[What is he, a shonen manga protagonist?!]
Clicking his tongue at Owen’s sudden awakening, Amon severed the snake’s neck.
The massive serpent screeched, spraying poisonous mist everywhere.
Holding his breath amidst the cloudy haze, Amon injected a serum into himself.
As his vision cleared, he began scanning for Owen.
His sharp eyes caught sight of Owen clinging to the ceiling.
Holding his spear aloft and chanting a spell, Owen’s weapon began to glow with an ominous green light.
Amon’s instincts screamed at him.
“Get away!”
At Amon’s warning, his team retreated from Owen.
Owen finished his chant and drove his spear into the ground.
***
Boom!
The earth split as green spikes erupted from the ground.
Just before the spikes emerged, Sonia injected herself with a blue serum.
Her vision pulsed, and time seemed to slow slightly.
It wasn’t a neural accelerator but rather a powerful stimulant.
While it only boosted her physical abilities by about 10%, Sonia’s already impressive base stats made the effect extraordinary.
She grabbed Cassie and leapt away from the spikes.
Her natural reflexes allowed her to dodge all the spikes as she carried Cassie to safety, far beyond their reach.
After setting Cassie down, Sonia checked on her condition.
[How are you?]
[I’m okay. Th-thanks.]
[You didn’t see this coming either?]
[No… but it’s strange. It feels like he’s deliberately hiding parts of his moves. Oh, where’s Amon?]
[Huh? Good question.]
The two looked around belatedly, searching for Amon.
He was nowhere to be seen.
Owen seemed equally perplexed.
“Where is he…?”
At that moment—
Tick!
A faint, anticlimactic sound reached Owen’s ears.
A warning message appeared in his vision, and he instinctively reached for the back of his head.
Something sharp pierced his hand.
He immediately realized it was an arrow.
Thanks to modifying his skin to be bulletproof, the arrow hadn’t penetrated his skull.
The arrow had merely gone through his hand and grazed the back of his head.
Owen grinned, amused, as he turned to the source of the arrow.
“Good effort.”
A voice replied from above him.
“And a good result, too.”
“?”
Beep.
The sound came from his hand.
Owen glanced at the arrow.
The tip glowed with a faint blue light.
In an instant, he understood its function.
Data deletion.
The arrowhead emitted a magnetic pulse that permanently damaged any electronic component it touched.
Owen’s expression turned pale as he realized where the arrow had struck.
Behind his head was something more vital than his brain.
“The chip…!”
His connection to the computer was severed.
Amon landed in front of him, holding a small crossbow unfamiliar to Owen.
Amon smirked.
“You always save your trump card for the end, don’t you?”
Amon had wanted to make a snarky comment about Owen’s mother but refrained, knowing Cassie was present. That secret would remain his forever.
Disconnected from the computer, Owen lost his resolve and dropped to his knees.
Roar!
At that moment, his werewolf assistant, who had transformed, was also defeated by Amon’s allies.
The team was battered, but all of them were still standing.
In contrast, the werewolf’s ankles had been obliterated by traps.
“It’s over.”
Amon patted the bull-like tank on the shoulder and signaled to Cassie.
Cassie understood and approached Owen.
“Owen. Do you have anything to say?”
“…Something to say?”
Owen looked up at Cassie pitifully.
“What do you think I look like now?”
“A brother I once respected. Now a failed traitor.”
“That’s right. I’ve failed.”
Owen clutched his empty left shoulder with his remaining arm.
“Sister.”
“Don’t call me that, you disgusting bastard.”
“Even in this moment… Fine. I guess I’ve only ever had Mother by my side. Forever.”
Owen laughed bitterly, brushing the back of his head.
Cassie briefly felt pity flash in her eyes, but it quickly vanished.
She pointed her gun at Owen.
It was time to end this cursed connection.
But as she was about to pull the trigger, her eyes met Owen’s, and she froze.
His gaze wasn’t lifeless.
She pulled the trigger immediately.
The bullet pierced Owen’s head.
But instead of collapsing, Owen’s body remained standing, and the wound began to regenerate.
“Amon!”
Even before Cassie called, Amon was already moving.
He targeted Owen’s neck.
But Owen, as if determined to protect only his neck, sacrificed his arm and fled.
Despite Amon’s allies also targeting Owen, they were blocked by—
“Go!”
Owen’s assistant, mustering their last strength, threw themselves in harm’s way, allowing Owen to escape.
Owen disappeared into an elevator.
Amon and his team glanced at Cassie.
“It’s fine. That elevator can’t take him far.”
The elevator was designed to connect only the upper floors with a secret underground facility.
“Why does a corporate office even have something like that…?”
“We’re a megacorp too.”
They cut the chatter and headed underground, leaving the lifeless werewolf behind.
***
Arriving in the underground facility, they found Owen standing before a massive machine.
A supercomputer surrounded by floating brains.
Owen was staring at one of the brains.
Cassie’s brow furrowed, but her resolve didn’t waver.
She pointed her spear at Owen.
“I don’t know what you’re plotting, but if you want to die here, I’ll grant your wish.”
Owen’s reply was disconnected from the situation.
It wasn’t even a reply—more like a lament.
“Even while I hated her, Mother always loved me. And now, with that connection severed… I am nothing.”
His voice trailed into incoherence.
“I thought… the world wasn’t…”
“Is he insane?”
“But when my connection with Mother was severed, I realized something. Mother wasn’t connected to me through these mechanical devices. Cassie, do you see it? The bond between me and Mother?”
“What are you talking about… You’re insane.”
Cassie’s voice trembled as she responded to Owen’s rambling.
When Owen turned around, Cassie’s expression twisted in horror.
Attached to Owen’s abdomen was a brain, connected as though it were his spine.
Cables extended from the brain, piercing through a glass tank and linking to Owen’s navel like an umbilical cord.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Even the usually composed Amon couldn’t help but swear.
Despite their reactions, Owen’s demeanor remained unchanged.
If anything, he seemed euphoric.
“Ah, Cassie. I finally understand. It’s Mother’s love that will change the world.”
Owen’s words made Amon nod absentmindedly—until Sonia smacked him on the back of his head.
Meanwhile, Owen continued, lost in his ecstatic delusion.
“Love! It’s all love! Everything is so full of love! I’ve finally realized how wonderful the world truly is!”
Cassie took a step back in dread, while Amon tilted his head in puzzlement.
‘Why does this feel familiar?’
He thought about it for a moment.
‘Ah.’
It was just like the fanatical cult leaders from Punk City 1, who entered a similar state after merging with some demonic entity and entering a new phase.
Remembering this, Amon unsheathed his sword and formed a makeshift cross with its hilt.
“Cut that umbilical cord now, while I’m still asking nicely. At least die as a human.”
But Amon’s words didn’t reach Owen.
Owen remained fixated on his “Mother,” shouting with fervor.
“Ah, Mother! Look at me! I’ll show you this world!”
At his cry, the computer in the room exploded.
Brains spilled out of the tanks, and cables wriggled like serpents before converging on Owen’s back.
Squelch.
The cables formed wings on his back.
Drooling uncontrollably, Owen’s eyes sunk deep into his flesh.
Moments later, new eyes appeared on the brain attached to his abdomen.
“Ah! Finally, you are with me…”
The room shook violently.
Lights flickered, monitors turned on and off, and the once-dark screens glowed eerily.
***
[Ugh! What the hell is that?!]
The mute sniper pointed frantically, drawing everyone’s attention.
On one of the monitors, an eyeball stared back.
It wasn’t just the monitor.
Eyeballs appeared on every reflective surface—glass, water, even a puddle on the floor.
The overwhelming sight froze everyone in place.
The oppressive atmosphere was more than just fear; it felt as though the very air had turned to stone.
Only Amon seemed able to move.
“Damn it.”
Clicking his tongue, he prepared to charge at the grotesque figure that was once Owen.
Every eyeball in the room swiveled to stare at Amon.
Owen addressed him, his voice filled with unnatural clarity.
“If you’re thinking of flipping the table to block my view, don’t bother. I can see it.”
“If you’re planning to climb along the ceiling, don’t. I’ve already seen it.”
“If you think I won’t react, forget it. I saw it coming.”
He spread his arms wide and declared:
“Ah, Amon. Poor, pitiful child. Nothing you do matters in my presence. I’ve seen it! Your future! Your thoughts! Your past!”
Owen’s voice grew louder, more triumphant.
“I even know how you were born.”
A twisted smile stretched across his face.
In his omnipotent delusion, Owen burst into laughter.
“This is love—”
But his words were abruptly cut off.
“Huh? What?”
Confusion crossed his face.
“No, that’s not right. I’m sorry!”
A sudden apology escaped his lips.
Then—
“Aaaah!!! I’m so sorry! Please forgive me!!!”
Owen began wailing, his cries filled with anguish and desperation.
As his sobs filled the room, the countless eyeballs disappeared.
The suffocating pressure that had dominated the space lifted.
Amon’s companions stumbled as they regained their freedom of movement.
“What’s happening to him?”
The bull-like tank gestured at Owen, who was visibly deteriorating.
Amon shrugged.
Owen’s form began to melt.
“Aaaah… Ahhhh…”
All that remained of him was a grotesque snail-like creature, uttering faint moans.