The deeper levels of the facility were different.
Colder.
Quieter.
Alive in a way the upper sectors were not.
---
Diablo moved through the dim corridor without slowing.
Each step controlled.
Each breath measured.
---
The alarms had dulled.
Not because they stopped—
But because something else replaced them.
---
A pressure.
---
Subtle.
Yet overwhelming.
---
His instincts reacted immediately.
---
Danger.
---
Not the kind he had faced before.
---
Not guards.
Not machines.
---
Something else.
---
He stopped.
---
For the first time since breaking free—
He didn't move forward.
---
His eyes shifted slightly.
---
Listening.
---
Feeling.
---
The air itself felt heavier.
---
Then—
---
A sound.
---
Not loud.
Not fast.
---
A single step.
---
From the darkness ahead.
---
Diablo's gaze locked forward.
---
A figure emerged slowly from the shadows.
---
Tall.
Unchained.
Unarmored.
---
Perfect.
---
No visible wounds.
No scars.
No hesitation.
---
Its eyes met Diablo's.
---
Empty.
---
Not emotionless.
---
Absent.
---
"Subject… Zero."
---
The words didn't come from Diablo.
---
They echoed through the corridor.
---
From hidden speakers.
From observers watching.
From fear.
---
The figure stopped a few steps away.
---
Silence stretched.
---
Neither moved.
---
Then—
---
Subject Zero tilted its head slightly.
---
As if observing something insignificant.
---
Analyzing.
---
Judging.
---
Diablo didn't react.
---
But inside—
Something shifted.
---
His instincts didn't scream.
---
They froze.
---
That was worse.
---
A warning beyond fear.
---
Subject Zero moved.
---
No buildup.
No signal.
---
It simply appeared in front of Diablo.
---
A hand reached forward.
---
Not fast.
---
Unavoidable.
---
Impact.
---
Diablo's body lifted off the ground instantly.
---
The force didn't explode outward.
---
It compressed.
---
Focused.
---
He crashed into the wall behind him.
---
The structure cracked.
---
Not shattered.
---
Cracked.
---
That alone told him enough.
---
Stronger.
---
Far stronger.
---
Before he could recover—
---
Subject Zero was already there.
---
A second strike.
---
Diablo raised his arm—
---
Too slow.
---
The blow landed.
---
A sharp crack echoed.
---
Pain surged.
---
Not surface.
---
Deep.
---
Structural.
---
His body hit the ground.
---
For a moment—
Stillness.
---
Then—
---
He moved.
---
Rolling aside—
---
Just as the floor where he had been collapsed inward.
---
Subject Zero didn't chase.
---
Didn't rush.
---
It stood still.
---
Waiting.
---
Testing.
---
Diablo rose slowly.
---
His breathing—
Uneven now.
---
His arm—
Slightly misaligned.
---
Damage.
---
Real damage.
---
The system flickered.
---
Status: Critical
Structural Integrity: Reduced
---
He ignored it.
---
His eyes remained locked on the figure ahead.
---
No wasted movement.
---
No wasted thought.
---
Only calculation.
---
Subject Zero stepped forward again.
---
Slow.
---
Deliberate.
---
Diablo moved first this time.
---
Not to clash.
---
To test.
---
He closed the distance—
Low angle.
Precise trajectory.
---
His hand drove forward—
Targeting the center mass.
---
Contact.
---
Crimson energy surged.
---
Crimson Predation activated.
---
Nothing happened.
---
No absorption.
No reaction.
---
For the first time—
The skill failed.
---
Diablo's eyes sharpened.
---
Important.
---
Before he could adjust—
---
Subject Zero's hand moved.
---
Faster.
---
Grabbing his wrist mid-contact.
---
Stopping him completely.
---
No resistance.
---
No struggle.
---
Just absolute control.
---
Then—
---
A squeeze.
---
Crack.
---
Diablo's arm bent unnaturally.
---
The pain—
Immediate.
---
But he didn't react.
---
Didn't hesitate.
---
His other hand struck forward—
Targeting the same point again.
---
Adapt.
---
Adjust.
---
Survive.
---
This time—
A faint reaction.
---
Not absorption.
---
Resistance.
---
Subject Zero's head tilted slightly again.
---
As if…
Interested.
---
Then—
---
It threw him.
---
Hard.
---
Diablo's body tore through the corridor wall.
---
Metal bent.
Stone fractured.
---
He crashed into the next section.
---
Dust filled the air.
---
Silence followed.
---
For a moment—
Nothing moved.
---
Then—
---
A slow shift.
---
Diablo pushed himself up.
---
His body—
Damaged.
---
More than before.
---
His arm hung slightly lower.
---
His breathing—
Heavy now.
---
The system pulsed again.
---
Warning: Overload Strain increasing
Recovery slowed
---
He ignored it.
---
His eyes lifted.
---
Through the broken wall—
Subject Zero stepped through.
---
Unharmed.
---
Untouched.
---
Perfect.
---
That confirmed it.
---
This wasn't something he could defeat.
---
Not now.
---
So—
---
He changed.
---
Not his power.
---
His approach.
---
Subject Zero stepped forward again.
---
Diablo moved—
---
Backward.
---
Not retreat.
---
Reposition.
---
His eyes scanned the surroundings.
---
Environment.
Structure.
Weak points.
---
Then—
---
He ran.
---
Not away blindly.
---
Toward something.
---
Subject Zero followed.
---
Not rushed.
---
Not concerned.
---
Certain.
---
Diablo reached a junction.
---
Multiple pathways.
---
He chose instantly.
---
Left.
---
Narrow corridor.
---
Lower stability.
---
Subject Zero entered behind him.
---
Diablo stopped suddenly.
---
Turned.
---
And struck the wall.
---
Not at the enemy—
---
At the structure.
---
Crack.
---
The weakened corridor gave way.
---
The ceiling collapsed.
---
Debris crashed down between them.
---
Blocking the path.
---
Dust filled the air.
---
Silence returned.
---
For a moment—
Nothing moved.
---
Then—
---
Diablo turned.
---
And kept walking.
---
Not fast.
---
Not rushed.
---
Alive.
---
Behind the rubble—
---
A faint movement.
---
Subject Zero stood still.
---
Watching.
---
Not trapped.
---
Not concerned.
---
Waiting.
---
As if it already knew—
---
This wasn't over.
---
And it wasn't.
---
Far from it.