Chapter 164: Breaking Point
"...They're all..."
Kai's voice barely escaped him.
His eyes remained fixed on the fallen hybrids.
A baker.
A merchant.
A blacksmith.
People.
Not monsters.
People.
His fists slowly clenched.
Dr. Z.
The smiling doctor.
The laughing doctor.
The man who had thanked him.
"...You..."
For the first time since arriving in this world—
Kai felt genuine hatred.
Not toward a demon.
Not toward the Cult.
Toward one man.
The world around him slowly faded.
The screams became distant.
The explosions muffled.
Then—
A familiar voice echoed.
Not the Cult Kai.
Not the one covered in the tattoo.
A different voice.
Older.
Colder.
More composed.
"...There it is."
Kai's eyes widened.
"...Who's there?"
Silence.
Then—
"...Use it."
Kai looked around.
Nothing.
Only darkness.
The voice continued.
"That anger."
"That hatred."
"Stop suppressing it."
Kai frowned.
"...Who are you?"
A figure slowly emerged from the darkness.
Another Kai.
No tattoo.
No robes.
No madness in his eyes.
Only...
Absolute indifference.
His expression carried neither joy nor sorrow.
He simply looked tired.
"You've been holding back."
Kai stared.
"...Another me."
The other Kai nodded once.
"They took innocent people."
"They turned them into monsters."
"They experimented."
"They thanked you."
His eyes narrowed.
"So."
"What are you waiting for?"
Kai looked down at his own hands.
"...If I use them..."
"They hurt."
The other Kai smiled faintly.
"...Good."
Kai frowned.
"...What?"
"Pain means they're working."
"Use them."
Kai hesitated.
"...They're killing me."
The other Kai took one step closer.
"...Then make those seconds count."
The darkness shattered.
Kai's eyes snapped open.
A hybrid roared.
It charged toward another group of civilians.
Kai inhaled.
His chest burned.
"...Just..."
"...Five seconds."
He stopped fighting the Circuits.
He didn't force them.
He simply let the rage flow.
The lines beneath his skin ignited.
This time—
Brighter.
They spread farther.
Across his arms.
Across his neck.
Wind exploded outward.
The pavement cracked beneath his feet.
Kai vanished.
The hybrid never saw him.
One punch.
Its chest caved inward.
Another.
The creature flew through an entire building.
A third hybrid lunged.
Kai twisted.
Fire coated his fist.
The impact erased the creature's head.
A fourth.
Gone.
A fifth.
Gone.
Soldiers stopped fighting.
"...What..."
"...Was that?"
Kai barely heard them.
Everything felt...
Light.
Fast.
Clear.
For a few beautiful seconds—
His body moved exactly as he imagined.
Then—
CRACK.
Pain.
Violent.
Unbearable.
It felt like something inside him had torn apart.
His heartbeat skipped.
Once.
Twice.
Blood burst from his mouth.
The glowing lines flickered wildly.
Then disappeared.
Kai stumbled.
His vision blurred.
"...Ngh..."
His legs gave out.
He collapsed onto the broken street.
His heartbeat slowed.
The Circuits had shut themselves down.
Not because he wanted them to.
Because his body couldn't endure another second.
One nearby Soldier rushed over.
No response.
Another soldier checked his pulse.
"...He's alive!"
"Barely!"
They quickly dragged him away from the front line.
The battle continued without him.
The Magic Circuits...
Were never a blessing.
Every activation was slowly destroying him from the inside.
Deep inside Muscle City's administrative district—
Far away from the battlefield—
A meeting continued.
The cabinet.
Several officials remained seated around a large table.
The distant sounds of war echoed through the walls.
One elderly official slammed his fist onto the table.
"This cannot continue!"
Another crossed his arms.
"The city is under attack because of Taai's recklessness."
A younger official shook his head.
"He spends all day training."
"Leadership requires more than strength."
Another spoke quietly.
"We need someone capable of governing."
Across the table—
One man remained silent.
Watching.
Listening.
Another slowly smiled.
"...Perhaps..."
"...Muscle City needs new leadership."
No one noticed the subtle exchange of glances.
Not everyone in the room shared the same goal.
Some genuinely believed Taai was unfit to rule.
Some simply wanted his position.
Others...
Had already chosen another side.
One official slowly stood.
"...It's time."
His hand disappeared beneath the table.
A small crimson crystal rested in his palm.
He crushed it.
CRACK.
Across the city—
Several people suddenly stopped moving.
A merchant.
A guard.
A warehouse worker.
A clerk.
Their eyes slowly turned crimson.
Sleeper agents.
One after another—
They smiled.
Then—
BOOM!
An explosion tore through the eastern district.
Another erupted near the supply depot.
A third destroyed an ammunition warehouse.
Soldiers spun around in confusion.
"What happened?!"
"Attack from inside!"
"They're everywhere!"
Chaos multiplied.
The western gate still fought demons.
The northern gate struggled against the second horde.
Dr. Z's hybrids continued flooding the streets.
Akari had vanished into the city.
Sleeper agents ignited the districts from within.
And Kai—
The one person who knew the truth behind the hybrids—
Lay unconscious.
Muscle City had reached its breaking point.