Sylar instinctively leapt backward with all his strength, just in time to avoid a series of metallic appendages that erupted from the floor below. The massive limbs tore through the eighth floor like spears, shredding stone and steel as they punched through the body of the muscular Apostle he had just defeated.
From the gaping hole below rose a new enemy, taller, leaner, and far more terrifying. Its body bristled with mechanical limbs that moved like spider legs, slicing through walls and floor tiles as if they were paper. The creature's dark, reflective eyes locked onto Sylar, gleaming with cold malice and sadistic amusement.
"Little ant," it hissed, its voice layered and metallic, echoing through the ruined hallway. "You dare to kill my subordinates? I will flay you alive!"
It lunged forward, its bladed limbs striking with blinding speed. The air screamed with every movement. Sylar had no choice but to retreat, his body twisting and sliding through the narrow gaps between the spider-like appendages. Each strike was lethal, carving deep scars into the walls. One wrong move would mean death.
The Apostle's reach blocked the hallway completely. Escape through the windows was possible, but a fall from this height would incapacitate him for a few moments, leaving him helpless before the monster. His mind raced for an opening, a tactic, any advantage.
Then the world shook.
A thunderous temblor echoed across the horizon, followed by a distant explosion that rattled the building's foundation. The walls cracked, the lights flickered. Something massive had fallen from the sky.
For a brief second, the spider Apostle turned its head, distracted by the tremor. That was all the opportunity Sylar needed. He grabbed a fallen fire hose from the floor, smashed through a nearby door, and sprinted into the adjacent office. Without hesitation, he leapt through the shattered window.
The Apostle slashed at the hose, roaring in fury, but by then Sylar was already swinging downward, using the hose as a lifeline to descend to the fourth floor. He landed hard but rolled with the momentum, immediately breaking into a run, blasting through the wall, appearing between two small Apostles.
Sylar didn't hesitate. He crossed the distance in a blur, his first kick exploding one Apostle into a spray of blood and metal shards. The second managed to turn its head, but before it could react, Sylar's fist tore through its skull.
He barely had time to exhale before the ceiling above him shook violently. The spider Apostle had descended, landing before him with an ear-splitting crash that shattered the floor. The creature's mechanical legs unfolded like blades, each glowing with an electric current.
Sylar's expression hardened, eyes burning with cold determination. The reason for his new confidence was the message that just echoed in his mind.
[Quest #001: Eliminate fifteen Apostles of Necrasys
Missing Grade: 4+ — Status: COMPLETE (15/15)
Reward: 3500 XP]
[You have reached Level 6 — 10 Free Points Available]
[You have reached Level 7 — 10 Free Points Available]
[You have reached Level 8 — 10 Free Points Available]
[You have reached Level 9 — 10 Free Points Available]
"Thirty points to Agility," Sylar thought swiftly, "and ten to Cognition."
At once, his body responded. His pupils contracted as his brain processed reality at an entirely new pace. The world around him seemed to slow to a crawl. Each movement, each vibration in the air, became crystal clear. His reflexes, coordination, movement efficiency, and reaction speed skyrocketed.
The spider Apostle lunged. Its bladed limbs blurred, stabbing forward in a deadly barrage, but to Sylar, it was as if the attacks came underwater. Every motion was predictable, every angle visible. He sidestepped one strike, ducked beneath another, and deflected a third with the back of his hand. His movements were fluid and effortless, his expression unchanging.
The Apostle screeched in confusion. It could not comprehend how the boy it saw as prey less than two minutes ago had suddenly become untouchable. But before it could adapt, Sylar was already upon it.
He drove his fist into its chest. The impact cracked the air like thunder, the force behind it magnified by his doubled speed. Striking power came not only from strength, but from velocity, and his blow carried both in abundance.
The Apostle convulsed, black fluid spraying from its mouth. It was hurled backward, smashing through the corridor and into a steel support beam with a sound like tearing metal. Its body twitched, internal systems sparking, but Sylar didn't stop.
He sprinted forward, every step a blur, closing the distance before the monster could recover. The Apostle swung wildly with its spider legs, a desperate barrage of strikes meant to push him back, but Sylar weaved through them like smoke.
Then he counterattacked.
His fists became a storm, raining down blow after blow, each strike sinking deeper into the Apostle's chest. The support beam behind it groaned, twisting under the pressure. With one final roar, Sylar put his entire strength into the last punch.
The beam snapped.
The Apostle was blasted through the wall, its enormous body hurtling into open air before crashing down onto the streets below. The impact shook the building, scattering dust and debris through the hallway.
Sylar fell to one knee, breathing hard. His body trembled from exhaustion; his muscles screamed for rest. Pushing his mind and body to such extremes consumed enormous energy, but the exhilaration that coursed through him drowned out the fatigue.
He pulled up his status instinctively.
───────────────────────────────────────
[CORE ATTRIBUTES]
STR 58 | AGI 51 | VIT 25
COG 39 | INTG 15 | WIL 19 | ADP 16
Derived Values:
• Combat Efficiency Rating (CER): 128
• Evolutionary Potential (EP): 31
• Survival Index (SI): 44
• Cognitive Feedback Threshold (CFT): 58
───────────────────────────────────────
A faint smile crossed his lips. His power had grown far beyond what he could have imagined. Yet he quickly pushed the satisfaction aside; there was still work to do.
He had counted before the battle began. Ten Apostles total. He had eliminated eight. Two still remained.
Sylar stood, rolling his shoulders to ease the tension, and walked to the jagged hole left by the fallen Apostle. From here, the drop wasn't far. Without hesitation, he leapt.
He landed in the street below with a heavy thud, cracks splintering beneath his feet. Ahead lay the town square, where the Apostles had assembled the surviving citizens.
But before he could advance, something in the distance caught his attention.
A strange object protruded from the ground, a small, metallic meteorite no larger than a wagon wheel. Its surface was cracked and steaming, oozing faint light from the fissures. From within, dark fungal tendrils writhed outward, spreading like roots across the dirt.
Sylar's enhanced vision caught something else: tiny spores drifting through the air, invisible to the naked eye, spreading quickly around the town square.
His blood ran cold.
Whatever had fallen from the sky wasn't just debris. It was alive.
"That must have been the cause of the sudden tremor from before," Sylar muttered, his eyes narrowing. Even without understanding why, every instinct in his body screamed a single warning: stay away.
He turned toward the townspeople and froze. What he saw next sent a chill through his veins. The remaining two Apostles were being ripped apart, not by soldiers, not by machines, but by the people themselves. Men, women, even children tore into the abominations with their bare hands, shredding steel and flesh with unnatural strength.
As Sylar focused on them, the horror deepened. Their bodies were grotesquely transformed, their muscles swollen and misshapen, their skin flushed a violent red. Blood poured from their noses, mouths, and eyes, dripping in thick streams. The veins beneath their skin pulsed like dark roots, twitching with every heartbeat. They looked less like humans and more like meat puppets driven by something alien.
Sylar instinctively stepped back. At that exact moment, every single villager froze. Then, slowly and in perfect unison, hundreds of heads turned toward him.
[Quest #002: Escape from the Thralls of the Myceliarchy
Missing Grade: +4
Reward: 4000 XP
Status: ACTIVE
---
Note: Due to the Host's current low vitality and genetic adaptability, any contact with infected blood or bodily fluids from a Thrall will result in lethal infection.]
"ARGHHHH!" The villagers screamed as one, their cry more beast than human. The next instant, the horde surged toward him, hundreds of bodies moving with terrifying speed.
"God damn it!" Sylar cursed, spinning on his heel. He didn't hesitate; he ran, with all the energy he had left.
He was powerful now, strong enough to face a squad of Apostles, but against this? Against five hundred frenzied, infected humans whose bite meant death?
This wasn't a battle. It was survival.
As he ran, Sylar could not help but remember an old zombie series he saw when he was a child. Unfortunately, these were not walking, but running faster than any Olympic athlete.