The roar came again.
Deeper.
Louder.
It didn't sound mechanical.
It sounded alive.
The entire underground vault trembled as if something massive were moving beneath the steel floor.
Dust rained from the ceiling.
Broken Hunter parts vibrated across the ground.
Even the rainwater dripping from above seemed to pause.
Rohan looked at the cracked floor and made the only reasonable decision.
"Nope."
He turned.
"I choose life."
Aarav grabbed the back of his jacket before he could escape.
"You're staying."
"I deeply disagree."
Selene stood completely still.
Golden eyes fixed on the centre of the chamber.
No fear.
Only focus.
That somehow made everything worse.
If someone like her looked serious, then whatever was below them was not something normal.
Aelina's holographic system flickered wildly.
Blue error messages flashed across the air.
CONTAINMENT FAILURE
SUBTERRANEAN UNIT RELEASED
CLASSIFICATION: TITAN HUNTER
Mira's violet eyes narrowed.
"…They brought one here?"
Aarav looked at her.
"Please tell me Titan Hunter is just a dramatic name."
Mira answered without emotion.
"It is a literal name."
Perfect.
Absolutely perfect.
The steel floor split apart.
A massive claw tore upward through reinforced metal like it was paper.
Then another.
The entire chamber exploded outward.
A gigantic figure rose from beneath Berlin.
Black biomechanical armour covered its body like living fortress walls.
Its limbs were massive, built more like a predator than a machine.
A crimson core burnt in the centre of its chest like a second sun.
Its eyes opened—
Two glowing red stars in the darkness.
The Titan Hunter.
It was easily the size of a building.
Rohan stared upward.
"…That is not a boss fight."
His voice cracked.
"That is a divorce settlement."
Even Mira looked irritated.
Selene simply reached for the weapon strapped across her back.
A massive black blade.
Longer than most people were tall.
Heavy enough that no normal human could lift it.
Of course, she carried that casually.
Of course.
6
She rested the blade on her shoulder and said calmly,
"Stay alive."
Then she walked forward.
Toward the monster.
Aarav blinked.
"She's just… going?"
Mira crossed her arms.
"She prefers introductions through violence."
The Titan Hunter roared and slammed one giant arm downward.
Selene moved.
One step.
That was all.
She vanished from where she stood.
The claw smashed into the floor, creating a crater.
Then golden light flashed.
Selene appeared above its arm, blade already descending.
CRASH!
Her sword struck the titan's armour.
The shockwave blasted across the vault.
Steel walls cracked.
Hunter's reins flew like paper.
Aarav shielded his face.
"She actually cut it!"
Not fully.
But enough.
A glowing wound spread across the armour.
The Titan roared again and fired a massive red beam from its chest core.
Aelina moved instantly.
Blue light spread outward, forming a defensive field around Aarav and Rohan.
The beam hit.
The shield screamed under the pressure.
Aelina's body trembled.
Her wound reopened again.
Blood stained her shoulder.
Aarav stepped toward her.
"Aelina—"
"I'm fine."
She was absolutely not fine.
Mira stepped beside them.
Her nanoshards rose like a silver storm.
"I'll support Selene."
She looked at Aarav once.
"Try not to die while I'm gone."
Then she launched forward.
The battlefield changed instantly.
Gold and violet light collided with crimson destruction.
Selene was raw force.
Mira was precision itself.
Together, they were terrifying.
Nanoshards sliced through exposed armour joints while Selene's blade shattered entire plates.
The Titan Hunter stumbled.
For the first time—
It was losing.
Rohan whispered,
"I think I'm in love with all of them."
Aarav sighed.
"Please focus."
"I am focused. That's the problem."
Then the Titan Hunter changed.
Its red core pulsed violently.
The entire machine froze.
Aelina's face went pale.
"No…"
"What?"
"It's adapting."
The broken armour began repairing itself.
Metal shifted.
New weapons formed.
Its right arm transformed into a massive cannon.
It's left in blade-like tendrils.
Mira cursed under her breath.
Selene tightened her grip on her sword.
The Titan was evolving mid-battle.
Of course it was.
Why wouldn't it?
The cannon charged.
But this time—
It wasn't aimed at the girls.
It was aimed at Aarav.
Selene's eyes widened.
Mira's expression changed.
Even Aelina froze.
The Titan Hunter spoke in a distorted metallic voice.
"Origin target prioritised."
Red energy gathered like a dying star.
Rohan whispered,
"…Bro, I would like to officially resign from this friendship."
Aarav couldn't even argue.
The beam fired.
Everything happened at once.
Aelina moved.
Mira moved.
Selene moved.
But the closest person—
was Aarav.
And for the first time, instead of freezing—
He stepped forward.
Something inside him burnt.
Hot.
Violent.
Ancient.
The moment the red beam reached him—
Golden light exploded from his body.
The entire chamber froze.
The attack stopped midair.
Suspended.
As if time itself had obeyed him.
Everyone stared.
Even Selene.
Even Mira.
Even the Titan Hunter.
A strange glowing pattern spread across Aarav's arm like living code.
Golden.
Ancient.
Impossible.
His voice came out lower than his own.
Calm.
Unfamiliar.
"You should not exist here."
Then the beam shattered.
The Titan Hunter was thrown backwards like a toy.
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Aarav stood there, staring at his own hand.
The golden light slowly faded.
His breathing was uneven.
He had no idea what he had just done.
But the girls did.
Selene lowered her sword.
Mira's violet eyes widened.
Aelina whispered—
"The Origin Code…"
And for the first time, Aarav realised the terrifying truth.
The future wasn't just connected to him.
It was inside him.