Cyberknight: One Path

⁕ A New, Different Path

With a metallic thud, Sniper's head rolled onto the floor before stopping in front of Mike's feet. As much as Sniper believed himself to be a God, even in his eyes, Mike became the man who managed to instill fear into the eyes of a God. Terror filled Sniper's mind as his head was lifted in the air alongside his body.

In his last moments, Sniper received a taste of the doom he had bestowed upon all of his victims. Before his eyes, there is Mike's fist, but the aftermath is complete hopeless darkness. The sensation of the empty void terrified Sniper as he felt the touch of a thousand hands all wrapping around his body and head. They quickly robbed him of his sight, his hearing, his taste, his smell, his sensations and finally, his freedom. Sniper was suffocated under a sea of nothingness, crushed under the weight of a thousand universes.

With a single punch, Mike splashed Sniper's body into a fine red mist that stretched for a few hundred metres. No one dared to speak or approach Mike. Sniper's remains were enough of a warning for any cyberknight or soldier to back the fuck off.

All around the world, previous victims of Sniper's power suddenly regained their will. Karson woke up in a pool of cold sweat, only to feel as if he was let out of solitary confinement. Meanwhile, miles underground, Scaphism breathed a sigh of relief before the chains around his limbs began to break apart.

After making his way onto the ship, Mike abruptly collapsed on the ground while Kadyn rushed toward him. At first, Kadyn smiled joyfully as she held Mike in her arms.

[Kadyn] - "You did it, Mike. We are finally free. "

However, Kadyn immediately felt that something was off. Instead of the usual fun and charismatic personality displayed by Mike, he simply stared blankly at the ceiling.

[Kadyn] - "Mike? Are you alright? "

Said Kadyn in a worried voice.

[Mike] - "I sometimes ask myself, why did I wait so long to fulfill my promises? "

Said Mike in a weak voice.

As Kadyn caressed Mike's head, her hands began to shake as fear overtook her heart.

[Kadyn] - "We can live our dreams now. It's over, Mike. We are free to live our lives. "

Said Kadyn in a sorrowful voice.

[Mike] - "I wish I could go back in time and give you that family you dreamed of... I regret, I truly do regret, that I didn't listen to you. "

Said Mike as he touched Kadyn's cheek with his hand.

Kadyn was slowly beginning to understand why Mike was mentioning all these things, but she refused to accept what was soon to happen.

[Kadyn] - "I don't want any of it! I just want you to be with me. "

Said Kadyn while holding back tears.

[Mike] - "Why did you choose me? I couldn't fulfill any of my promises to you... I can't even find a wedding ring. I just wish that you loved someone who could actually be there for you. "

Said Mike as his voice grew fainter.

A sharp pain pierced through Kadyn's heart as she felt the life draining out of Mike's body.

[Kadyn] - "I would always choose you. No matter in what life, no matter in which dimension, I will always choose you. *Sobs* You are my knight, my guardian... What am I without you? You are the only one, and no one can replace you. I love you... More than anything. "

Said Kadyn as she began to weep.

[Mike] - "No tears, alright? You need to be courageous, my little Lemon. You can't stop because of me. "

Said Mike before the wound on his neck reopened.

Mike's ability was slowly extinguishing as the light from his crystals grew dim.

[Kadyn] - "What's the point of this adventure if you can't walk beside me? Wasn't it always meant to be OUR adventure? "

Cried Kadyn as she held onto Mike's cold hand.

[Mike] - "And we did thread together. From the day we met, you changed my fate. I went from a mindless tool to someone capable of fighting for what he believes in. You gave me love and memories worthy of a lifetime of struggle. Thank you, my dear Lemon. "

Having lost control over his wounds' integrity, Mike was left without the ability to speak. Mustering the last of his strength, Mike reassured Kadyn by tapping his finger against his heart before gently tapping on Kadyn's chest. With one last grin, Mike's body went limp while the light vanished completely from his crystals. With his last breath, the defiant light shining like a supernova in the young man's eyes faded away, leaving nothing but the empty, glassy stare of a dead man.

Upon seeing armed soldiers rushing up the ladder, McCree decided that he couldn't wait any longer. After seeing what seemed to be all three of the supposed passengers in the back, McCree confidently closed the ramp and stepped on the thruster. In a flash, the ship rushed out of the hangar into the snowstorm.

Meanwhile, people inside the hangar began to panic at the sight of Sniper's remains. While some cried at the loss of their emperor, others immediately saw an opportunity to seize power for themselves. Like a pack of hungry hyenas, cyberknights rushed in to collect pieces of Sniper's armour and other valuables to aid their claim to the throne. One of them was CR-455. As Judge, Valentine and other high-ranking officials arrived inside the hangar, they quickly saw CR-455 approaching a puddle of Sniper's blood.

[Judge] - "Stop him! Don't let him get close to the blood! "

CR-455 kneeled inside the blood and, with an enthusiastic smile, coated both of his arms and hands in Sniper's blood. All of a sudden, his crystals mutated their shape, took on an irregular pattern and gained a white shade similar to Sniper's crystals. Judge quickly ordered a cyberknight to arrest CR-455, but the Pope simply used his ability to freeze the knight into a massive icicle.

[CR-455] - "I, the rightful son of the Emperor, crown myself as the new Emperor. Those who dare oppose my rule shall be now labelled a heretic and will be targeted for extermination. "

Yelled CR-455 with his arms extended.

Upon seeing the hopelessness of the situation, Valentine grabbed Sniper's crystals from the ground and rushed up to Judge.

[Valentine] - "We can't stop him. Let's not be test subjects for his new ability. "

Valentine pulled a German flag out of his pocket and covered both himself and Judge under it. Like a magic trick, they abruptly both disappeared below the flag without a trace.

[CR-455] - "Kneel before your new Emperor! "

Yelled CR-455 as his voice echoed far and loud across the hangar.

Meanwhile, the clandestine ship continued its course over the sea and its destination is America, where the main Allied Forces are situated. With Kadyn's association with Mike made clear, she will be officially targeted as a traitor with a reward for her head. Inside the cargo section, Kadyn slowly lay beside Mike's cold body and cried herself to sleep in a sea of shattered dreams.

Volume 1 END.