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

The girl's pale, delicate figure lay sprawled across the cold office desk. Her slender hand hung limply off the edge, her fair complexion marred with bruises and finger marks, and her tear-streaked face showed swollen, reddened eyes, evidence of a prolonged sobbing session. Her clothes were in disarray, the torn fabric scattered across the room.

When Mo Chen regained clarity, the scene before him was chaotic. The office was a wreck: overturned chairs, scattered garments, and a bruised, unconscious Syuen sprawled across the desk.

The memory of what had just transpired looped relentlessly in his mind.

"Did I really do this?"

Mo Chen held his head in his hands, a wave of guilt and confusion washing over him. How had things spiraled so far out of control? It felt as though he'd been consumed by something foreign, acting beyond his own will.

This wasn't like him, at all.

Syuen was still young—a mere child by many measures—and he couldn't fathom how he could have let himself cross such a line. Even now, as clarity returned, he searched desperately for an explanation: possession? Manipulation?

Though reluctant to admit it, his body felt revitalized. Whatever had happened had erased his fatigue completely, leaving him light-headed and unnervingly invigorated.

But this wasn't the time to focus on himself. He glanced at Syuen, her unconscious form barely stirring.

"Wake up, wake up!" Mo Chen leaned down, lightly tapping her face. She was guilty, sure, but this? It had gone too far, even for her. If something happened to her now…

Syuen's long lashes twitched, and her bleary eyes fluttered open. Her gaze was dazed, almost vacant, as she struggled to comprehend her surroundings.

The moment her focus landed on Mo Chen, her pupils shrank. Spook overtook her expression, and with a high-pitched scream, she lashed out—kicking him squarely in the chest.

Thud!

Mo Chen didn't budge. His body was like an immovable boulder, while Syuen's desperate kick only sent her tumbling backward, sprawling off the desk and landing on the floor with an audible thunk.

"Ow!"

Mo Chen winced instinctively, watching her groan and clutch her head in pain. She scrambled to her feet, trembling as her legs threatened to buckle beneath her.

Her gaze locked onto Mo Chen, panic written across her face. The memories of what had just transpired flashed in her mind like a cruel echo, and her every step was laden with agony.

But before either could say a word, a subtle vibration rippled through the air.

Mo Chen's instincts kicked in as he scanned the room. Objects scattered across the floor trembled faintly. Fallen garments, discarded shoes, even a small earring that had come loose during the earlier chaos—all quivered in unison.

The vibrations were growing stronger.

The ear-piercing shrill of an alarm suddenly cut through the room. Syuen froze, her tear-streaked face paling even further. Mo Chen's expression darkened, his senses sharpening as the realization set in.

Raptures. And they were drawing closer.

But something felt off: Mo Chen sensed an eerie fluctuation, as though something was behind him.

At that moment, he caught sight of Syuen's terrified expression, her eyes fixed not on him, but on the space behind him.

Near the office door, a swirling black vortex materialized. From the murky mist of the vortex emerged a pitch-black shell, a massive body slowly extending outward. Even from the small portion revealed, its immense size was evident.

It was a Rapture.

Not just any Rapture—it was a Lord-class Rapture: the Spook.

Two enormous rotating machine guns flashed with a chilling metallic gleam.

Mo Chen spun around immediately. In an instant, the boltgun materialized from his system inventory into his hands. Without hesitation, he pulled the trigger.

"Boom—!"

The .75-caliber high-power round ignited in a burst of flame as it shot from the barrel.

The bullet struck directly at Spook's pincers.

"Bang—!"

The explosion erupted across the pincers.

Flames roared as a shockwave rippled through the room.

The pincers splintered apart like a smashed watermelon, blasted into two pieces, with the leg-mounted machine gun also destroyed in the explosion.

Mo Chen waved his hand to clear the dust, his eyes fixed on the dismembered pincer, marveling at the power of the explosive gun.

Even though the Spook was an attack-oriented Rapture, its armor was still incredibly thick.

Yet, a single round had severed its leg.

"Roar—!"

The Rapture unleashed an ear-splitting howl. Its remaining machine gun spat a torrent of fiery bullets, sweeping toward Mo Chen.

Syuen, frozen in terror, stood directly in the line of fire.

Mo Chen darted forward, grabbing Syuen around the waist with one arm as he sidestepped the hail of bullets. With his other hand, he raised the explosive gun, pulling the trigger repeatedly.

"Boom! Boom! Boom—!"

Rounds erupted from the barrel, each carrying a fiery promise of destruction.

Several rounds struck the pincers, the machine gun, and the frontal armor of the Rapture.

The Lord-class Rapture staggered under the bombardment, explosions rippling across its body. Its massive form reeled backward under the force, its machine gun firing wildly into the air. The ceiling of the building was riddled with holes as bullets tore through.

Mo Chen leaped back to create distance, his eyes narrowing as his grip on the gun tightened.

His gamer instincts kicked in. From experience, he knew the Rapture's core lay in the center of its chest.

Activating the auto-aim function, he locked onto the core.

He pulled the trigger.

"Boom! Boom! Boom—!"

Three consecutive rounds struck the same spot on the Rapture's chest.

The first two pierced through its thick armor, while the final round penetrated and detonated inside.

"Boom—!"

A massive explosion erupted, engulfing the office building.

The resulting shockwave shattered every window, while fiery tongues of destruction swept through the structure, reducing the office to a charred ruin.

"Crash—!"

Mo Chen burst through the shattered window, Syuen screaming in terror as he plummeted to the ground.

"Thud!"

The impact left the ground beneath them cracked and cratered.

Mo Chen, cradling the trembling Syuen in his arms, looked up.

The iconic high-rise building of Missilis was now consumed by fire, billowing black smoke rising into the sky. Explosions echoed from multiple floors.

Even worse, countless Raptures were pouring out of the building.

The wail of alarms sliced through the Ark's fragile peace, shattering the eerie quiet.

It was spatial transmission.

Mo Chen stared at the swirling black void, his expression darkening.

The vortex resembled a spatial tunnel or warp conduit.

But there was no mention of spatial capabilities in Nikke's established lore.

That left only one possibility: it was tied to an unknown energy source.

The first thought that crossed his mind was the Punishing Virus. The virus itself was multi-dimensional, making spatial transmission entirely plausible.

However, the Punishing Virus was under his control, showing no signs of deviation.