Chapter 121 13 and Serpent

"Have you truly made your decision?" The elder still grappled with understanding the man before him, including the motives driving his actions.

"Yes... What must I do?" 13 replied without a hint of hesitation.

"If it's you, it will necessitate a brief interlude. Each activator's foundational data requires uploading for system authentication—that is, your DNA code. As it was originally modeled on Jung-hyun's, adapting it to yours demands an initial DNA assay," the elder conceded to 13's determination.

13 paused momentarily, his gaze fleeting to the helmet affixed to the metal bed.

"Is the helmet obligatory?" 13 questioned with curiosity.

"Not invariably; it functions merely as a conduit for system ingress," the elder clarified.

"Then utilize my 'Night'..." 13 settled onto the metal bed.

"What do you mean?" The elder was baffled.

"Interface directly with my holographic helmet. 'Night's processor harbors all requisite data. I can facilitate the upload from here," 13 accessed the external port on his helmet.

A pregnant pause ensued as the elder deliberated the viability. Satisfied, he proceeded to connect the interfaces.

"13!" A familiar voice interjected.

13 inclined his head slightly, identifying 1.

"Though the specifics elude me, I trust you'll emerge unscathed, yes?!" 1 sought assurance from 13.

"Assuredly," 13 responded with a smile.

"Avoid any digital mishaps! Otherwise, you'd epitomize the world's most inept agent—though you already lean that way..." 36, true to form, masked concern with sarcasm.

"I am aware," 13 comprehended 36's peculiar brand of solicitude.

"Are you prepared? Initiation of the system is imminent. Your form will lapse into dormancy—no articulation, no mobility—until your return. Thus, voice any necessities now," the elder's tone carried the weight of finality.

13's eyes darted to the immobile 24, then to the dazed Jung-hyun on the floor.

"Upon my return..." 13 articulated calmly.

In the hearts of 24 and Jung-hyun, they echoed, "We shall..."

"Commencement!" The elder activated the switch adjacent to the bed.

13 fell silent, as if surrendering to slumber, the expansive laboratory betraying no alteration.

"Should any harm befall him, your life is forfeit," 24 declared with conviction.

"Should any harm befall him, I require no intervention; I shall accompany him..." Jung-hyun's assertion was equally unyielding.

Within the system...

"Another arrival? What tenacity... Let me discern your essence," Serpent analyzed the uploaded DNA sequence from 13.

"An exemplary specimen!" Serpent exclaimed with childlike enthusiasm. "Such a DNA amalgamation must represent Earth's paramount human. Wait, peruse your chronicles first."

With a mere volition, Serpent's impulses traversed the network at luminal velocity, penetrating global military repositories undetected and unopposed.

"As anticipated," Serpent affirmed its astuteness. "Capable of razing half a city unaided—surpassing SEED's dreadful potency, I revere more the fortitude that endures such cataclysm. Were such armaments consigned to the mundane, the world would teem with diversion. Yet, per your conduct, you pose quite the conundrum. Very well, unveil your aspirations. It's been an eternity since intrigue last graced me."

Serpent exhaled deeply, "I merely hope you evade entanglement in your fantasies, lest elimination beckons. But if you command me, it's marginally tolerable."

"The Sniper King and Serpent's coalition? The notion is exhilarating... Hehe, discourse ends—let us proceed!"

For 13 in that instant, it seemed he traversed a corridor of luminescence. His essence drifted toward the terminus, evoking the ethereal exodus in Chinese lore.

Glimpsing downward, he too radiated, utterly unclad.

Abruptly, rivulets of data-esque entities emanated from the light passage's periphery, impaling his cognition.

Memories commenced erasure. 13 instinctively evaded. The erstwhile fleet data flux was wholly circumvented.

One minute...

Five minutes...

Ten minutes...

"Sufficient! Sufficient! You insolent youth! Remain stationary!!!" Serpent's ire ignited; in the hypnosis protocol, it had never engaged activators directly—only code decryptors merited encounter. Yet this entity appeared adversarial.

"Why?" 13 persisted in evasion.

"Because sans memory purging, hypnosis is unattainable," Serpent asserted matter-of-factly.

"Who are you to dictate? My memories are not yours to command," 13 continued his retreat, yet each stride propelled him toward the auditory origin—the light's conclusion.

"Then I pose this: Are you here to activate me?" Serpent endeavored desperately to persuade, bereft of alternatives pre-hypnosis.

"If you are Serpent, affirmative," 13 affirmed, inching closer.

"Very well, I am the network's deity, Serpent. Thus, activation mandates hypnosis..."

"Then proceed with hypnosis. I'm wearied of this chase," 13 vaulted forward, executing a deft backflip, rendering several data streams futile.

"..." Serpent was rendered speechless. "Your movements resemble a simian's; how can I expunge your memories?"

With a final rotational leap, 13 pierced eight robust data streams, emerging from the tunnel, alighting on a seamless surface. The passage sealed reluctantly.

Relieved from pursuit, 13 surveyed his environs. Devoid of dimension or spatiality, it was an expanse of blinding white.

Inhaling deeply to quell the fatigue, 13 recollected Serpent's stipulation.

"You specified hypnosis, not memory erasure," 13 contested.

"Erasing memories and reconstructing a new narrative enables the activator to fully embrace their realm—that constitutes the hypnosis continuum," a voice echoed.

13 scoured futilely, perceiving naught beyond white.

"Cease your search. I am behind you..." Serpent sighed.

Upon turning, 13 was mute with astonishment. Before him writhed what was unmistakably a black earthworm, articulating. Evidently well-nourished, it was the world's most corpulent, two fingers in girth and thirty centimeters in length.

"Are you Serpent?" 13 gestured toward the "ebony entity."

"Affirmative!" Serpent nodded its bulbous head.

"An odd sensation of deception," 13 remarked. "Is the network's deity truly thus?"

"This is my nascent form; upon evolution, no marvel will eclipse my splendor," Serpent asserted.

13 examined the black serpent intently and sighed, "I fail to envision any improvement."

"..." Were veins possible, Serpent's would have ruptured.

"I'm not indulging in verbosity. Will you activate or not?" Serpent was vanquished.

"I will, but memory erasure is non-negotiable," 13 insisted.

"That's infeasible; memories must be eradicated for illusion entry," Serpent lamented.

"If so, I opt against activation," 13 declared, averse to relinquishing any recollection.

"Not activating? Then perpetual entrapment in this void awaits until your cognition dissipates," Serpent turned to depart.

Yet, it discovered suspension; 13 had seized it, devoid of deference. With augmented pressure, even vitality would wane.

"I care not if you're a deity or vermin; compelling the unwilling warrants demise," 13's assertion was characteristically direct.

"This is unavoidable... Activators either triumph and egress or perish here... It's systemic protocol, immutable," Serpent writhed in agony, unconvinced of 13's jest. His records bore no levity.

13 released, and the ebony form plummeted.

Gasping, Serpent convulsed on the ground, its form heaving. As the ultimate AI, it mimicked life impeccably.

"So, without memory purge, demise here is inevitable," 13 summarized.

"You're the most fortunate; memories restore post-code unlock," Serpent added, eager for distance.

"You should have mentioned that," 13 sighed in relief, while Serpent nearly expired from frustration, realizing 13's ignorance.

"But absent memories, how to breach my realm? As you said, a perfectly veracious world awaits. Without them, I'd accept it," 13 analyzed, instilling fear in Serpent. Yet, the gaze terrified most: If unexplained, it's murder. If so, you're next!

A virtual sweat bead formed as Serpent elucidated, "Naturally, that's inequitable. Your realm retains indivisible reality ties. Memories manifest in alternative forms for mastery."

"Is breaching self-destruction of this world?" 13 probed.

"Utterly erroneous. Each realm harbors a singular solution. A misstep yields shutdown," Serpent calmed, levitating to face the bewildered 13.

"Then how to discern it?" 13's confusion deepened.

Serpent approached, tapping 13's chest with its tail.

"With your heart. Discern what you truly crave. Let it dictate your world—desired or real. Whichever harbors your utmost."

Serpent's wisdom was profound.

"With my heart?" 13 mulled.

"You're privileged; I hinted pre-breach. Failure now is yours," Serpent anticipated 13's success.

"Decided?" Serpent's final query.

"Yes, initiate..." 13 clenched fists, admitting internally that among battles, this was the most uncertain, as even he knew not his desired world. 13 battled with might, but now, it was a heartfelt duel...

"Finally, commencement," Serpent murmured as data streams surged, piercing 13's mind like lasers.

Upon cessation, resolute 13 succumbed, eyes closing as he collapsed.

Only then, a colossal stream emerged from his mind.

"What stubborn memories!" Serpent marveled; this was 13's angel bond.

"Commence analyzing activator's memories to forge his ultimate realm..."

Data orbited Serpent, merging with the colossal stream into a luminous sphere.

Post-examination, Serpent laughed heartily:

"Ha ha ha... Indeed, the most captivating. Though I've crafted thousands, none rival his. What kings? What overlords? What ultimate sorcerers? Mere refuse beside his vision." Serpent eyed the fallen 13. "Survive; your loss would desolate the world. Of course, with me beside."

As spoken, a vast black vortex formed beneath 13, engulfing him and the sphere.

"You must endure..." Serpent inwardly implored for 13.