Anomalous Resonance
The underground laboratory in La Paz had never been so silent. Alan and María, both in reinforced isolation suits, didn't speak. They only exchanged glances as the holographic screens displayed results neither of them had expected.
"This... this isn't from here," Alan finally whispered, breaking the tension.
"Are you sure?" María asked, checking the data for the third time.
"The energy patterns emitted by these remains... don't match any known terrestrial form of energetic manifestation. Neither natural nor artificial. It's as if these beasts were alien to the energetic fabric of the planet."
The remains came from the silicon beast Rob had defeated in the Sahara. When Alan tried to fragment part of its core, the metal spontaneously reconstituted. Not by magic. Not by any known technology. But by an unknown logical structure.
The Hidden Message
It was María who found it. In one of the deactivated fragments of the core, enclosed in a dimensional microbubble, there was a code encapsulated by the Survival System. A hidden message. Not available to Guardians. Not even visible with their abilities.
When they finally deciphered it, it appeared on the screen:
[EVALUATION PHASE COMPLETED]
[ENVIRONMENT 01 RESPONDING POSITIVELY]
[PREPARING DIFFICULTY ADJUSTMENT – STAGE 2]
Both scientists took a step back at the same time.
"This wasn't a defensive mission," María said, eyes wide.
"It was… an experiment," Alan corrected in a grim tone. "They're watching us. Studying how we respond. Measuring our adaptation."
Part 3: Alerting the Alliance
Hours later, Rob gathered the key leaders of the Alliance of Light. The central hologram projected the data as Alan explained the discovery.
"These beasts… weren't sent to kill us. Or not just that. They were deployed as a test, a filter to determine if we're ready for something more."
"And who's doing this evaluation?" Alex asked, tense.
Alan didn't hesitate: "It's not human."
No one spoke. The room seemed to grow colder.
"Then… the enemy… isn't from Earth?" Lee Ming said quietly.
"That's the most likely explanation," Rob nodded, staring at the data in silence. "And if that's true… our fight is only beginning."
Part 4: Time Unraveling
Rob stood alone in a strategic projection room within the bastion. Before him, the holographic images showed scenes of recent days: the attacks, the deaths, his rise to rank S, the global reaction.
But Rob wasn't looking at that.
He was seeing something else.
Something no one else could see.
Memories.
Fragments of a world that no longer existed.
Anomalous Resonance The underground lab in La Paz had never been so silent. Alan and María, both wearing reinforced isolation suits, exchanged no words. They only shared tense glances as the holographic screens displayed results neither of them had expected to see.
"This… this isn't from here," Alan finally whispered, breaking the silence. "Are you sure?" María asked, checking the data for the third time. "The energy patterns emitted by these remains… they don't match any known terrestrial energy manifestations. Not natural. Not artificial. It's as if these beasts are foreign to the planet's energetic fabric."
The remains came from the silicon beast Rob had defeated in the Sahara. When Alan attempted to fragment part of its core, the metal spontaneously reformed. Not by magic. Not by known technology. But through some unknown logical structure.
Hidden Message It was María who found it. Inside one of the deactivated core fragments, enclosed in a dimensional microbubble, there was a code encapsulated by the Survival System. A hidden message. Not available to Guardians. Not even visible through their abilities.
When they finally decrypted it, the message appeared on screen:
[EVALUATION PHASE COMPLETE] [ENVIRONMENT 01 RESPONDS POSITIVELY] [PREPARING DIFFICULTY ADJUSTMENT – STAGE 2]
Both scientists stepped back at the same time. "This wasn't a defensive mission," María said, her eyes wide. "It was… an evaluation," Alan corrected darkly. "They're watching us. Studying our responses. Measuring our adaptability."
Alert to the Alliance Hours later, Rob gathered the key leaders of the Light Alliance. The central hologram projected the data as Alan explained the findings.
"These beasts… weren't sent to kill us. Or not just that. They were deployed as a test, a filter to determine if we're ready for something more." "And who's running this evaluation?" Alex asked, tense.
Alan didn't hesitate: "It's not human."
No one said a word. The entire room seemed to freeze.
"Then… the enemy… isn't from Earth?" Lee Ming said quietly. "That's the most likely scenario," Rob nodded, eyes locked on the data. "And if that's true… our fight is only beginning."
Time Unravels Rob stood alone in a strategic projection room within the bastion. Before him, holographic images displayed scenes from the last few days: the attacks, the deaths, his rise to S-rank, the global reaction.
But Rob wasn't looking at any of that. He was seeing something else. Something no one else could see.
Memories. Fragments of a world that no longer existed.
Echoes of the End
In his past life, the SS+ beasts didn't appear immediately. The world took over a year to reorganize after the System's initial event. Only after multiple waves of S and SS beasts did they begin to manifest.
And when they did… that was the true collapse.
He remembered one. A creature that looked like a mix between a phoenix and a quantum machine, hovering over the African continent, erasing everything its song touched.
Another, a leviathan of liquid shadow, devoured the Himalayas, swallowing cities and bastions without leaving a trace.
And the worst of all: a humanoid entity with glass-like skin that fed on fear and duplicated its abilities when touching earth contaminated by despair.
Rob hadn't killed any of them in that life. He barely survived.
An Altered Timeline But this time… everything was different. "They're already beginning to move," he whispered. "In my other life, this didn't happen this soon. Nor this coordinated. Nor with such precision."
He crossed his arms, closed his eyes, and let the memories flow. "We're… in a different version. Something has changed. Or everything's being accelerated."
Rob understood battles. Strategy. Combat. But this time, it wasn't just that. It was about rhythm, rituals, a script someone else was rewriting.
And the worst part… was that whoever was behind it seemed to know him too.
Final Reflection Standing before the map, Rob thought of everyone he had saved. His family. His allies. His people.
And for the first time in weeks, he felt that despite everything… it wasn't enough.
"I need to do more," he said quietly. "Before that door opens."
And the only way… was to become even stronger. Much stronger.
The Crater of Destiny
The strategy room vibrated with a faint pulse. The hologram showed the topography of southern Mexico. Amid dense vegetation and ruins of ancient civilizations stood a circular mark, sealed by gravitational distortion fields: the Chicxulub Crater.
"This is where the meteor that killed the dinosaurs fell," Alan said. "But since the System event, it's been sealed by an unidentified energy barrier. Neither NASA nor we have been able to enter."
Rob observed silently. His eyes no longer showed doubt.
"In my other life… that's where I awakened my ultimate ability. When it was already too late. When everything was lost."
The rest of the council fell silent. The tension was palpable.
"What ability?" Alex asked, arms crossed.
"Just one word," Rob answered. "World Devourer."
One Step Before the End María projected the latest scan of the crater. Intermittent pulses of space-time energy emerged from the core, as if the very universe rejected anyone trying to touch it.
"All indicators suggest that if someone approaches… they'll be met by an entity or automatic defense," Alan warned.
"Then I'll go alone," Rob declared.
"No!" Thea exclaimed. "After everything you've accomplished, we can't risk you!"
"If I don't go… no one else will cross that seal," Rob said firmly. "And if I don't awaken that ability now… I won't be ready when the SS+ beasts arrive. Not this time."
His voice had the tone of someone who wasn't asking for permission. Nor compassion. Only the straightest path toward the abyss he had to face.
The Guardian Marches Alone Rob prepared at dawn. He didn't travel with escorts. He didn't use cutting-edge aircraft. He took his sword, a backpack with energy provisions, and a communicator.
Victoria hugged him silently. Amélie looked at him with curiosity. Matthew handed him a drawing of his dad slicing a comet in half.
"I'll be back soon," he promised, without lying.
In the clear skies of South America, a point crossed the atmosphere. And heading north, Rob flew… toward Yucatán.
Chapter Closing As the wind crashed against his face, a thought repeated in his mind.
It wasn't fear. It was urgency.
"The system. The trials. The creatures. The enemy… It's all connected."
"And if I'm not strong enough to break that cycle… then everyone will die again."
The sword vibrated on his back. The sky seemed to darken, though it was still day.
And in a plane no human could see, an entity watched Rob.
"Come then, devourer… but remember: everything that ascends… can be swallowed by something even greater."
[End of Chapter 34 – Shadows from the Deep]