NIKKE: The Apocalypse Arrives, But the System is 100 Years Late

A massive high-energy particle beam tore through the air, ripping toward Mo Chen at blistering speed. At the last moment, his automatic evasion system kicked in—his body instinctively shifted.

At the same time, his left hand manifested a glowing shield, absorbing the impact's residual force, while his right hand launched a devastating punch—

A fist imbued with pure destructive force, striking directly at Alteisen's barrier!

Weak point—shattered!

Boom!

A thunderous explosion shook the sky!

Alteisen's barrier trembled violently. In the next instant, under the force of Mo Chen's fist, the barrier buckled inward, twisted like a snapped wire, and—

Shattered!

Like a broken glass pane, the protective shield burst into countless fragments, scattering through the air!

"Ryūjin Jakka!"

With a swift motion, Mo Chen raised his blade—its surface glowed with flowing flames, igniting in an instant.

He stepped forward—

Shunpo activated.

His spiritual energy surged, gathering beneath his feet—allowing him to run across the air itself, cutting through the roaring winds like a phantom.

Below, Alteisen's triple-barreled cannons swiveled, firing.

A storm of artillery erupted—accompanied by homing missiles and ion beams, all converging on Mo Chen's position.

A relentless barrage, a wall of death closing in from all directions.

Mo Chen sprinted mid-air, his body a blur—then, he swung.

His blade descended… And in that moment, an overwhelming force erupted.

A shockwave of sword energy tore through the sky.

Wherever the blade's aura passed, the air itself split apart, leaving behind jagged, clear-cut distortions—like cracks spreading through shattered ice.

The surrounding space twisted violently, warping under the sheer force of the attack.

A formless, razor-sharp energy, cutting through the very fabric of the battlefield.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Midair, the artillery shells exploded on contact, bursting into brilliant firework-like detonations.

And from within those dazzling explosions—

Mo Chen shot forward.

His body blurred, streaking through the air like a meteor—

His left fist coiled with immense energy, compressing a force as powerful as roaring thunder, before—

"Ikkotsu!"

The single strike technique, amplified by his raw strength and spiritual energy, transforming it into a blow that could demolish mountains.

Had he used his blade, Alteisen would have been cleaved in two.

But that would've been a waste.

Instead—he chose his fists.

Even without a weapon, his sheer power was far beyond what a Tyrant-class Rapture could withstand.

Boom!

A devastating impact—like an earthquake splitting the earth.

Alteisen's midsection crumpled inward, as if struck by a falling meteorite.

The sheer force rippled through its entire frame—the ground cracked apart, the train's head and tail whipped upward, and—

Boom!

Chunks of shattered armor and debris erupted into the sky!

The once imposing armored shell—crumbled like an eggshell.

Its massive gun turrets, once a symbol of destruction, now seemed fragile, crushed as if they were nothing more than children's toys.

Smoke and fire roared across the battlefield, filling the air with thick black clouds.

And in the midst of it all—

Mo Chen stood atop Alteisen's wrecked turret.

Like a hunter who had tamed a savage beast.

Beneath his feet, the once fearsome train now lay in ruins—his rightful trophy.

How many new players had been crushed beneath its wheels before?

Today he took his revenge.

Mo Chen stood with his blade in hand, giving it a swift flourish before spinning it deftly at the wrist. In a fluid motion, he sheathed it at his waist—and at that very moment, Ryūjin Jakka's blade dissolved into flames, scattering into the air like embers caught in the wind.

With a graceful leap, he descended, reaching out midair to hook onto Alteisen's massive cannon barrel. He swung effortlessly, using the momentum to flip himself upward—landing squarely atop the colossal weapon.

At its center, the crimson core pulsed like a blood-red gemstone, radiant and eerily mesmerizing.

Mo Chen strode forward, stopping before the Rapture's core.

He extended his pale hand.

Instantly, countless crimson filaments, fine as silk threads, uncoiled from his palm—twisting and writhing like living tendrils.

The Punishing Virus surged forth, its normally slow movement suddenly accelerating severalfold—as if it had found a feast laid before it.

It lunged greedily toward the core.

Corrosion! Assimilation!

But at that moment something strange changed.

Alteisen's core suddenly flared with a crimson glow—like a pair of awakened eyes.

The massive train trembled violently, its whistle piercing the air, shattering the silence.

And then—it moved.

The wheels screeched, grinding against the rails, accelerating at an insane speed with a sharp, mechanical clatter.

Mo Chen stumbled slightly from the sudden jolt, surprised.

Alteisen had just taken heavy damage—yet it still had enough power to keep moving?

The battered train surged forward like a dying beast in its final rampage, carrying Mo Chen with it.

It charged through the swarm of Raptures, twisting and barreling through them at high speed, making sudden sharp turns in an attempt to throw Mo Chen off.

However, with most of its weapons destroyed in the previous battle, even its basic turrets were useless—unable to angle themselves to fire at Mo Chen, who was too close.

Annoyed by this desperate struggle, Mo Chen didn't bother dodging anymore.

He just started punching.

Boom! Boom! Boom!—

Each strike hit like artillery shells, smashing into Alteisen's frame.

With every punch, sparks flew, metal groaned, and pieces of armor ripped away.

Dismantling the Rapture with his bare hands.

A single punch—a chunk of armor torn off.

The sound of metal shearing apart echoed across the battlefield.

Oddly enough—

With every piece of Alteisen he destroyed, a notification popped up in his system.

"Earned 2 points."

"Earned 3 points."

"Earned 1 point."

"Earned 7 points…"

Mo Chen paused for a moment.

Something about this was deeply unsettling.

Early Rapture models had used human flesh as an energy source.

And now, Alteisen was moving like it was running on something far worse.

Mo Chen's gaze sharpened.

Clinging to one of the massive cannon barrels, he raised his free hand—

Ryūjin Jakka reformed in his grip.

The gleaming edge of the blade reflected his silhouette in the firelight.

Should he split its head open—or just cut straight to the core?

Then—

He smelled something strange.

A familiar scent drifted through the howling wind, sending a chill down his spine.

His eyes narrowed.

Somehow—Alteisen had taken him to a completely different area.

The surrounding ruins had transformed into something grotesque.

What was once a wasteland of shattered buildings and wrecked vehicles was now blanketed in crimson.

The ground, the broken skyscrapers, the rusted-out cars, the twisted streetlights—everything was covered in a thick layer of red organic matter.

It looked like moss, but also like fungal colonies—or worse—like an overgrown red algae bloom, shifting in waves with the wind, writhing with an unnatural sense of life.