The wind was silent.
The battlefield where Hayate had fought the Divine Executor now lay in ruins — molten ground hardened into black glass, the air thick with the smell of ash and ozone.
He stood at the center of it all, his sword embedded into the stone. His breaths came slow and heavy, like a man fighting not just exhaustion, but the weight of existence itself.
[System Notice: Vitality at 12%. Soul Core Stabilizing… 67% Integrity Restored.]
The voice of the System buzzed faintly, flickering in his ears like a dying radio. He barely heard it. His eyes, half-lidded, traced the crimson horizon — a sky that had seen gods bleed.
For a moment, he thought he heard laughter. Not mocking — gentle, melodic.
"Still alive, huh?"
Hayate turned sharply, sword in hand. The laughter grew clearer, echoing through the shattered stone around him. Then, from the faint golden light of his System interface, something stepped out.
It was a girl.
No — a spirit. Her body shimmered like translucent crystal, lines of code dancing across her bare arms. Long silver hair drifted in an invisible wind, and her eyes glowed a warm amber. She looked human, yet… digital, like a living extension of the System itself.
Hayate blinked. "…What are you?"
The girl placed her hands on her hips, smirking. "Wow, rude. Usually people say, 'Who are you,' not 'what.' But I'll forgive you. You look like you've had a bad millennium."
He frowned. "Answer the question."
She pouted dramatically, then bowed with a little flourish. "Name's Lyra — System Companion Unit, Class: Sentient Support AI. Though since you're technically my new host, you can call me Master if you want."
Hayate raised a brow. "Not happening."
"Worth a try," she said cheerfully, floating around him. "Man, you really did a number here. One dead Executor, eight demolished sub-archangels, and one seriously pissed-off Goddess. I'd give you a 9 out of 10 on divine blasphemy."
Despite himself, Hayate almost laughed. "And what's the missing one point?"
Lyra grinned. "You're still breathing. That's a flaw. The Goddess clearly wants you very dead."
Hayate exhaled, shaking his head. "You sound cheerful about that."
"Well, someone has to lighten the mood," Lyra said, spinning midair. "Your System almost collapsed. If I hadn't booted up my consciousness module, you'd be—"
"Dead?"
She pointed two fingers like a gun at him. "Ding ding ding."
He sighed. "So you're a talking patch file that came to life?"
"Excuse me, I'm an enhanced adaptive entity!" she said, glaring. "I manage your System interface, prevent corruption, and occasionally stop you from being too moody. Think of me as your emotional tech support."
Hayate rubbed his temples. "Great. My System grew a personality."
The silence stretched for a moment — until the ground beneath them cracked.
[Warning: Divine Contamination Residue Detected.]
Black smoke curled from the cracks like liquid shadow. Hayate stepped back, gripping his sword. The residue pulsed — forming shapes. Figures.
Angels. Broken, twisted, their halos cracked and bleeding light.
Lyra's tone shifted instantly. "Oh no. No no no. These guys shouldn't be reforming this fast."
Hayate's eyes narrowed. "How many?"
"Four… five… maybe six? And their signatures are unstable. They're more like—"
"Corpses with wings," he muttered.
The first one screamed, its voice a distorted shriek that clawed at the air. It lunged.
Hayate moved like lightning, cutting through the angel's torso in one fluid arc. Light burst, fragments scattering. But more came.
Lyra projected a holographic grid before him. "I'll open a temporary field to suppress regeneration. You just focus on not dying again, deal?"
He smirked faintly. "You're bossy for a support AI."
"You're reckless for a supposed protagonist," she snapped.
He laughed under his breath. "Touché."
Then the battle began.
Each strike was faster than thought. The corrupted angels weaved through the darkness, wings flaring like torn banners. Hayate dodged, parried, countered — his blade drawing arcs of crimson and gold. Every impact sent shockwaves through the cavern, shaking the ruins around them.
Lyra's holograms pulsed in rhythm with his strikes. "Careful! Your Soul Core is still at 68%. If it drops below—"
"I know," Hayate said, panting. "Just keep them contained."
The last angel dove from above, screaming as its cracked halo split into two. Hayate ducked, then slammed his sword upward — the blade erupting in black fire. The impact shattered the angel in a rain of white embers.
Silence followed.
Then—
[All Hostile Entities Eliminated.]
[Revenant Synchronization +2%.]
Hayate collapsed to one knee, breathing heavily. Sweat dripped down his face. "That… was messy."
Lyra floated beside him, looking almost proud. "Messy but effective. You've got style, I'll give you that."
He chuckled weakly. "You enjoy watching me nearly die, don't you?"
She winked. "I mean, it's good entertainment. Besides, you're surprisingly fun when you're not brooding."
Hayate smirked. "You talk too much."
"Someone has to," she said, crossing her arms. "You'd be unbearable if you were silent all the time."
They moved through the ruins in relative quiet after that, Lyra occasionally flicking through floating screens of light — diagnostic panels, scan results, maps drawn in spectral gold.
"So," she said at last, "what's the plan, Boss?"
"Find the next fragment," Hayate replied. "The Goddess is moving faster than I expected. If I don't strengthen the Revenant Core, I'll be crushed when she sends her next pawn."
Lyra's tone softened. "You really hate her, huh?"
He stopped walking. His eyes darkened. "She took everything from me. My world. My friends. My purpose. And now she's playing god with the lives of others."
Lyra studied him quietly. "You know, revenge is exhausting work."
He smirked faintly. "You sound like my conscience."
"I prefer 'cute voice of reason,' thanks."
He shook his head, smiling despite himself. "You're impossible."
"Finally! Someone notices," she said, sticking out her tongue.
For a few moments, they simply walked. The air was heavy but peaceful.
Then Lyra's tone changed again — serious this time. "Hayate… your system logs show residual corruption from the Revenant Queen's assimilation. If we don't manage it, it could start eroding your mind."
He looked at her. "What happens if that happens?"
"You'll stop being you."
He was silent for a long moment. Then he smiled faintly. "Then you'd better keep me sane."
She blinked. "You trust me that easily?"
He shrugged. "If you were going to kill me, you had plenty of chances."
Lyra hesitated, then smiled softly — a rare, genuine smile. "You're weird. But… thanks."
Hours passed. The crimson light of the dungeon began to fade into cool blue. They reached a cliff overlooking a vast underground lake. The water shimmered like liquid glass, reflecting countless floating lights.
Hayate sat by the edge, sheathing his sword. Lyra floated beside him, legs crossed midair.
"So this is your world now," she murmured.
He stared at his reflection in the water. "If you can call it that."
She tilted her head. "Do you miss them? The ones who abandoned you?"
His expression didn't change. "Sometimes. I wonder what they're doing now. Probably praying to the same goddess they think will save them."
Lyra said nothing for a while. Then she whispered, "You don't have to forgive them."
He looked up.
She met his gaze. "Revenge isn't evil. Not when it's the only thing keeping you alive."
Hayate's voice was low. "You sound like you've done this before."
She smiled faintly, gaze distant. "Maybe I have. Maybe I was someone before I was code."
He studied her, curious. "You were human?"
Her eyes dimmed slightly. "Fragments of memory, that's all. I remember a promise… to protect someone like you."
He leaned back. "Guess fate really is a bad comedian."
She laughed softly. "Guess so."
[System Notice: Incoming Transmission Detected.]
Both of them froze.
The water before them rippled — then distorted, forming a perfect circle of light. Within it, a figure appeared. A woman dressed in white armor, eyes filled with sorrow and fury.
Lady Aurelia.
Hayate's former classmate. The girl who once mocked him for being "useless."
"Rengoku Hayate," she said, her voice trembling. "You… you survived."
Hayate stood slowly. "Disappointed?"
Her grip tightened on her spear. "You don't understand what you've done! The Goddess's fury has fallen on all of us! Because of you, the world itself is unraveling!"
He stared at her, silent.
Lyra whispered, "Careful, her signal's divine-boosted. That projection's strong enough to kill you if you're reckless."
Hayate didn't move. "Then let her try."
"Hayate—" Lyra began, but he raised a hand.
Aurelia's image flickered, unstable. "Please… stop this madness. If you keep defying her, she'll—"
Hayate's eyes blazed. "She already did. I'm just returning the favor."
Aurelia's expression twisted — anger, guilt, fear, all tangled together. "Then you leave me no choice."
Her projection's spear glowed.
Hayate lifted his sword, dark energy crackling.
But before either could strike—
[Warning: Unknown Presence Detected.]
The light behind Aurelia dimmed — replaced by something far darker. A shadow loomed, vast and unholy, its voice cutting through the connection.
"Enough, my dear pawn. I'll deal with this heretic myself."
The Evil Goddess's whisper.
Lyra gasped. "Oh no—she's forcing a direct link!"
The image shattered. The air split open, black lightning tearing through reality itself.
From the rift, a colossal hand reached out — pale and divine, tipped with claws of light.
Hayate stepped forward, aura blazing. Lyra floated beside him, eyes wide. "You can't fight her yet!"
"I don't need to win," he said quietly. "Just survive."
He raised his sword, defiance burning in his voice. "You want to play goddess? Then come down and face me!"
The hand slammed down, the world erupting in light and thunder.
And in that instant — before the explosion consumed everything — Hayate heard Lyra's voice inside his mind.
"Don't die, idiot."