The System's presence enveloped Cid and Jinwoo, a vast, disembodied intelligence projecting information directly into their minds. The tension of their reunion dissipated at the magnitude of what they were about to hear. They were no longer just a mysterious intruder and the protector of a kingdom; they were two singular entities about to be revealed the truth of existence.
[The System: Listen. Creation... this vast tapestry of realities, universes, and dimensions... did not always exist. Before, there was only the Primordial Void. And within it, resided an entity. Knull.]
The information poured into their minds, concise but overwhelming. They saw, they felt, the antiquity of Knull, the god of primordial darkness. They understood that the symbiotes were his progeny, extensions of his being forged to combat the light. They saw the original cosmic war, Knull's defeat and imprisonment by forces that represented Creation.
[The System: Knull is awakening. His prison is weakening. The influence of the Void is spreading again. He seeks to reunite his creations and extinguish the light of existence. The threat is multiversal and... fundamental.]
Reality was rewritten for Jinwoo. The "evil" he had fought in his world, the Gates, the Monarchs—everything suddenly felt small, a distant echo of a much, much larger conflict. Sensing Knull's essence, even through the filter of the System, caused a haunting resonance, an echo in the abyss of his own power.
Cid, for his part, absorbed every word with the gravity of a secret agent finally given access to the classified Alpha-level files. This was it. The true enemy. The Supreme Cosmic Cult led by the Architect of Darkness himself. The scale was perfect.
Cid thought: The superior's briefing. Direct and to the point. Knull. The final boss confirmed. The Containment Operation is the main mission. Everything fits into the Level 7 Agent's big board.
[The System: Containment is the only way. Destroying Knull in his current state would unleash the Void uncontrollably. He must be imprisoned again in a reinforced prison. This task requires infiltrating his domain, currently anchored in the remains of his original prison, and activating the confinement protocol.]
The mission is clear. Infiltration. Containment. An objective worthy of the Eminence, or rather, of the Level 7 Agent.
[The System: Few entities can operate in Knull's domain without being detected by his omnipresent network. His influence is darkness itself. But you two... are exceptions.]
The presence of the System focused on them individually.
[The System: Cid Kagenou. Your extradimensional origin, your manipulation of fundamental energy outside the patterns of Creation, makes you a blind spot. You are invisible to Knull's sensory defenses. A needle in the haystack of the Void.]
Cid nodded internally. A blind spot. Of course. The Level 7 Agent is the ultimate blind spot. His existence is invisibility incarnate on a cosmic scale.
Cid thought: As expected. My unique nature, my mastery over energy... It's the perfect tool for deep infiltration into enemy territory. The Level 7 Agent is the ultimate stealth asset.
[The System: Sung Jinwoo. Your power comes from a source that borders on the Void, yes, but you have subdued it. Your dominion over the shadows is an aberration to Knull. You are a dissonance in his symphony of darkness, a usurper to a throne he believes his own. Your connection allows you to interact with the darkness of his realm in ways others cannot, and your army of shadows is immune to his direct subjugation.]
For Jinwoo, this explanation was shocking. His shadow power, a source of strength he thought he understood, was somehow tied to the primordial god of darkness. Not as a creation, but as something...opposite. Something that claimed him rather than being claimed by him. Feeling that connection gave him a chill, but also a strange sense of purpose. His power wasn't just to protect his world; it resonated with the oldest threat in existence. And his shadow army, loyal only to him, was a force Knull couldn't control.
Jinwoo thought of his shadows, of Beru, of Igris, of everyone else. They were his. They weren't puppets of the Void. That distinction... was crucial.
[The System: Your skills complement each other. Cid can navigate undetected. Jinwoo can interact with and manipulate the darkness of Knull's domain, and his combat prowess is unmatched even there. Together, you can reach Knull's location and execute the containment protocol.]
The Unlikely Alliance. The System presented it as a given. These two individuals, one driven by a functional delusion of being an elite secret agent, the other by a sense of duty forged in survival and sacrifice, had to work together.
Cid didn't hesitate for a moment. A high-risk mission, in the shadows of the multiverse, working with a powerful but alien asset... this was the epitome of the life of a Level 7 Agent.
Cid thought: A Delta-Alpha level covert operations team. The Level 7 Agent and the Designated Shadow Asset. Combining stealth, infiltration, and direct combat power. A perfect synergy for a mission in enemy territory. I accept this assignment.
Jinwoo processed the information. Knull. The Void. A multiversal threat that he, with his power, was positioned to confront. He looked at Cid, the masked man who had caused so much chaos to "recruit" him. He seemed absolutely convinced of all this, or perhaps... he was simply operating on a completely different frequency. But the presence of the System, the reality of his own energy, and the unsettling resonance with Knull... he couldn't deny it. This was the truth. And this mission... was necessary.
Jinwoo felt the weight of responsibility. Not just for his world, but for many others. The peace he'd achieved was fragile if the source of the chaos was awakening on another plane. He looked back at Cid, the masked man's strange calm. He didn't fully trust him, didn't understand his ways, but the mission was clear. And they needed to work together.
He took a deep breath, his expression serious.
"I understand," Jinwoo said, addressing the invisible presence of the System and Cid. "The threat is real. And... it seems I have no other choice." Acceptance, tinged with a grim understanding of the burden placed upon him.
[The System: Decision recorded. The alliance between the Level 7 Agent and the Designated Shadow Asset is formalized for this operation. The coordinates and method of transit to Knull's domain will be provided.]
The System's presence began to retreat, leaving the two men alone again in the middle of the destroyed highway. The Unlikely Alliance had been forged. A delusional secret agent and a reluctant monarch, united by a cosmic threat and a destiny neither had truly sought on this scale.
Jinwoo looked at Cid, who maintained his inscrutable posture beneath his mask. There were so many questions, but the urgency of the mission was palpable.
"So... we're going to the realm of the god of darkness," Jinwoo said, disbelief mixed with determination in his voice. "You and me."
Cid nodded slowly.
Cid thought: Recruitment phase complete. The Designated Shadow Asset has accepted the assignment. The Containment Operation is ready for the next phase: Infiltration into Enemy Territory. My partnership with the Designated Asset will be... strategically interesting.
"Correct, Monarch," Cid replied, his voice a calm note in the energy-filled air. "It is time for the Level 7 Agent and the Designated Shadow Asset... to descend into the Abyss. We have a King to contain."
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