Chapter 5: No Way Back

Diego did it. He was the one who managed to open a portal—tearing through the Dome's barrier from the outside and stepping inside.

A soldier threw Alex to the ground with force, but his focus had already shifted to Diego. Without hesitation, he called for reinforcements. The entire Dome roared with alarm.

"K. L is inside the Dome. Repeat, K. L is inside the Dome! Emergency situation! Repeat, emergency situation! Reinforcements required!"

The wailing sirens cut through the air. Responding to the urgent call, additional troops rushed to the battlefield, their footsteps merging with the mechanical hum of the Dome's defense systems.

Diego didn't hesitate. His body surged with Nexus energy, crackling like a storm barely contained. He took a firm stance, gathering power, and then punched the air with full force. The impact sent a sharp whistle through the battlefield as bolts of lightning erupted from his fist. The electric arcs shot across the distance, striking soldiers before they could react. Their bodies convulsed under the sudden shock, the scent of ozone filling the air.

The soldiers kept coming. More and more flooded the battlefield, taking positions on the streets, rooftops, and every possible vantage point. The Dome trembled with the weight of their presence, and yet the night was anything but dark—blazing light poured from the massive tear left behind by "The Blade of K. L.", a technique that had pierced straight through the barrier.

The battle escalated. Blows clashed, energy flared, and the air thickened with the scent of dust, metal, and ozone.

Diego's Nexus grew stronger, more visible with each moment. His power was no longer hidden—amber seals began forming across his skin, glowing faintly yet relentlessly. They pulsed in sync with his breath, as if alive, ready to unleash a force no one had ever witnessed before.

Alex watched it all unfold, and his eyes filled with tears. He saw the chaos he had unleashed—battles raging, the Dome tearing apart, the city consumed by conflict.

All of this… for a piece of Circle's shares.

A bitter laugh threatened to escape his throat, but self-loathing choked it down.

Still dazed, he barely registered the moment when one of the Circle's soldiers grabbed him by the collar. With unnatural force, the soldier dragged him through the corridors of the Dome's main facility, past the blaring alarms, past the rushing soldiers stomping across metal floors, past glowing terminals flashing emergency warnings.

No one even looked at him.

Then, without warning, the soldier shoved him into a white room.

Empty. Completely empty.

The door clicked shut behind him, locking him inside.

Fear.

Confusion.

Guilt.

Alex slowly sank to the floor, palms pressing against the cold surface. His whole body trembled, though he wasn't sure if it was from anger, terror, or the unbearable realization that he had led himself to this moment.

"I thought I was just playing a game."

"I thought I had found a loophole."

"I thought I could outsmart the system."

But he hadn't been playing. He hadn't outsmarted anything.

He had destroyed.

The scene shifts to Diego.

The battle rages on. Explosions tear through the streets, the air hums with charged energy, and the screams of soldiers blend into the deafening roar of collapsing buildings. Diego moves like lightning itself—fast, unpredictable, relentless.

And the fight doesn't stop.

It spills onto the rooftops. Metal groans beneath their feet, tiles shatter and fall, but Diego doesn't slow down. They keep coming.

Kim, for some reason, stays with him.

He could have run, could have disappeared into the chaos, but he doesn't. Instead, he covers Diego, using bizarre, almost playful tactics from his "Whimsical World" techniques—throwing objects in unexpected directions, creating false illusions, disrupting the soldiers' vision. He's not an attacker. He's support. But his presence allows Diego to fight at full force.

Diego focuses, feeling Nexus coursing through him. He clenches his fists, electricity crackling around his body. Then—lightning shots. Controlled with telekinetic precision, they rip through armor, short out weapons, and paralyze enemies before they can even react.

But the soldiers aren't unprepared.

They deploy weapons designed specifically against K. L. Not just energy shields, not just reinforced armor—they know who they're fighting.

They came prepared.

And now Diego must decide—push forward or find another way.

As soon as Diego opened the portal where Alex was, Kyle and Jake immediately logged out. They knew they wouldn't survive this battle.

Jake watched the chaos from his apartment window. Explosions lit up the sky, the dome trembled under the force of the fight. Even through the screen, he could feel the world they once called home falling apart.

Kyle, standing deep in the forest, observed everything. Leaves rustled, trees stood like dark silhouettes against the blood-red sky. He had nowhere to run. Nothing to say. He didn't know what to do.

Then, his phone rang.

—Felix? — Kyle's fingers trembled as he answered the call.

—Tell me what is happening?! — Felix's voice was sharp, angry, but beneath the anger, there was fear. — How did it come to this?!

Kyle stayed silent.

—Why is Diego destroying our home?! — Felix was practically yelling. — And why the hell is Kim helping him?!

Kyle swallowed hard. He had no answer.

Felix added Jake to the call.

—Well? Say something, — Felix snapped.

—I'll say this—Kim's a sellout bastard, — Jake scoffed. — Diego has a ridiculous amount of Kanteeegan, and Kim took the bait.

—That's bullshit, — Felix refused to believe it. — Kim wouldn't—

—Yeah? Then where is he? — Jake cut him off. — Right next to Diego, helping him tear the Dome apart!

Felix clenched his teeth, a growing unease spreading in his chest.

—What about Alex?

—They dragged him into the Dome's main building, — Jake answered.

—Oh, come on.

A tense silence settled between them.

—What do we do? — Kyle finally asked.

Felix had no idea.

—I could ask the Circle for help, — Jake suddenly suggested.

Felix let out a dry chuckle, irritation lacing his voice:

—After we betrayed them? They won't lift a damn finger for us.

Kyle finally snapped out of his shock and spoke up:

—Then we play a different game. We become double agents.

—What? — Felix and Jake said at the same time.

—Diego trusts us. And through Kim, we can get even closer, — Kyle explained quickly. — Let them think we're on their side. When the time is right, we strike.

Felix fell silent, thinking. Jake grimaced but didn't argue.

—Unless you two have a better idea? — Kyle asked quietly.

No one answered.

Alex lay on the cold floor, struggling to gather his thoughts. For a moment, warmth filled his mind. Memories flooded in—bright flashes of happiness, rare moments of joy, faces he once held dear.

Then… nothing.

The warmth faded into an icy void. His mind became clean, sterile—like a blank sheet of paper. No past, no emotions, not even a sense of self. Alex no longer knew who he was, what he had been, or what he wanted.

The door in front of him slowly creaked open.

Stepping inside was a figure he recognized instantly—his in-game character. But it was no longer just pixels and code. It was alive.

The figure moved closer. Shadows swallowed him whole. In the next moment, Alex was gone—his mind, his body, his existence consumed entirely.

Only a new entity remained.

A part of the Circle.

The battle continued to escalate with each passing moment. Soldiers attacked Diego from all directions, utilizing aerial devices and specialized weapons designed to eliminate individuals like him. They had the numerical advantage, and their strikes were becoming increasingly deadly. But despite the overwhelming threat, Kim remained by his side, providing support. He used energy shields to protect Diego, constantly buffing his strength, and skillfully picking off soldiers with headshots wherever they tried to hide. Yet, the sheer number of enemies was so vast that it felt like only a matter of time before the tide turned.

At that moment, on top of one of the buildings, appeared Alex. He was no longer the same person Diego knew. This was a different Alex—one completely transformed. He stood on the rooftop, his eyes glowing with newfound resolve. With a wave of his hand, creatures began to materialize around him—beings that could assume any form, transforming into unimaginable horrors. These creatures were not ordinary werewolves, but something far more dangerous—entities capable of adapting and turning into anything that could give them an advantage.

Alex, standing on the rooftop, used his summoning technique, directing the power of these creatures at Diego and his allies. He forced Diego to activate his technique, "Kilianthropism." Feeling the growing pressure, Diego made his decision and, plunging into deep concentration, activated the ability.

The technique worked instantly. Diego's mind became a mirror, reflecting everything related to his enemies. Memories came to life, and scenes from the past flashed before his eyes—everything he had ever experienced, every person, every word, every gesture became so real it seemed as though they were standing right in front of him. This wasn't just a vision; it was living the experience. He relived each memory as though it were happening again.

This technique not only opened his mind but also made his memories vulnerable to influence. They became an open book, accessible to his enemies. But it had its advantages—physically, his opponents couldn't harm him. The entire attack was halted in that moment. But this was temporary. As soon as Diego himself took any aggressive action, the technique would immediately fall, and the enemies could strike once more.

For now, the technique remained active, and Diego was safe. He felt his memories and emotions, deeply embedded within him, become so real that he could interact with them as though they had come alive. This was his chance—a chance to understand who stood before him, to find some meaning in the chaos. But to continue, he needed to find some sense within this madness.

Diego's memories began to flood his mind, words spoken by Alexander long ago echoing through the chaos. In the haze of battle, he found himself standing in a moment from his past, when he was just twelve years old.

Alexander stood at his desk, surrounded by papers, working on something that seemed trivial at the time but would shape the course of everything. As he worked, he spoke to young Diego, his words cutting through the years, clear and reassuring.

"Listen, Diego," Alexander's voice rang out in the memory. "You can do whatever you want with your life. You have the power to shape it. I'll cover for you, always. Got it?"

Back then, those words had been a beacon, a promise that meant everything to the boy Diego. Now, standing on the battlefield, the memory took on a new meaning. Diego, the adult, who had been torn apart by the weight of everything, realized that what he needed most in this moment was not just support from others—it was the strength to give that support to himself.

As the memory played out, his eyes hardened with newfound resolve. The hesitation that had once held him back dissolved, replaced by the fierce determination to fight, to survive, and to honor the promise that had been made to him.

With that clarity, Diego's will reignited. His mind, once uncertain and scattered, was now sharp and focused. He didn't need to rely on anyone else's words, not anymore.

He took a step forward, then another, moving into the fray. With the full force of his resolve, Diego began to fight, his actions driven by the support he had always given himself when no one else could.

Alec advanced with a deadly focus, his movements swift and calculated, ready to strike from behind. The chaos of battle faded into a blurred haze as his target came into view — Diego, seemingly distracted, his concentration shattered. The weight of the moment pressed in on Diego, his reliance on Kim long gone. He had made the hard decision to send Kim to a safe zone, ensuring that his friend was out of harm's way. Now, it was just him — alone in the fight.

Diego could feel Alec's presence behind him, closing in fast. The air thickened with the tension of an inevitable strike, and he knew there was no time to react. Alec's strike was imminent, a perfect opportunity to incapacitate his foe. But just as Alec's hand reached for Diego's back, a powerful force interrupted.

A sudden blur of motion appeared at Diego's side, and before Alec could land the blow, he was met with resistance. It was Marcel. His face set in a fierce, unwavering expression, he threw himself into the fray, intercepting Alec's attack with precision. Marcel's fist collided with Alec's arm, redirecting the incoming strike and throwing off his balance.

"You think you're the only one who knows how to fight dirty?" Marcel sneered, eyes burning with a fierce protective instinct.

Diego, now with his back covered, steadied himself. His eyes flickered with gratitude before narrowing again, the fight not yet over. Alec had underestimated the resolve of those who stood with Diego. Even with everything at stake, even with the immense power of the situation, he wasn't alone.

"Thanks," Diego muttered, taking a deep breath to focus. His next move would be critical.

Marcel stood tall at his side, ready to keep Alec at bay. Together, they formed a fleeting but powerful line of defense. The battle raged on.

To be continued...