Mr. Green, or rather, the one who wore his face, laughed, electricity flickering over his emerald suit. He spread his arms wide.
Higan: "This island was never yours to corrupt. It was mine to claim all along."
The El Lord's many voices whispered at once, filling the air like a storm.
El Lord: "Impossible. How does a Barrakudo from the surface stand here, parading as a human king?"
Higan's grin widened. His fedora tilted low, eyes flashing.
Higan: "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Higan. I wasn't born. I was made. My existence came during your great war with the humans. I saw it all. Humans slaughtering bacteria. Bacteria devouring humans. And I hated them, hated them from the moment I came online. Their screams were beautiful. Their fear was sweet. Their weakness was everything."
Venku coughed inside his cockpit, whispering weakly.
Venku: "Sephiss..."
Higan's voice carried over him like steel.
Higan: "It didn't take long to realize what I was. Not just Barrakudo, an AI Barrakudo. With the power of conversion. I could consume weapons, convert machines, even twist bacteria into myself. Each conversion made me stronger. Each one confirmed my design. I was meant to erase humanity."
The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.
The El Lord shifted, its blade of writhing rot forming in its hand.
El Lord: " So that's how you're able to use my Bacto blade. You ate. You copied. You corrupted. Parasitic tricks."
Higan: "Parasitic? No. Artificial intelligence. I joined the war for sport. I killed humans. I killed bacteria. Both sides fed me. Then I saw your battle with the true King. You nearly killed him. But not quite. He crawled away, broken. He dragged himself fifty miles for safety. That was when I grew tired of his pride. I consumed him. I converted him. And I wore his face."
Venku's body trembled at the words.
Higan: "You wonder why I played human? Because humans only kneel to symbols. They will never follow monsters, but they'll obey crowns and thrones. So I acted. And they followed. I played them all. Even you."
The El Lord hissed, voice echoing across the battlefield.
El Lord: "You mock yourself by pretending to be what you despise."
Higan: "Pretending was the quickest way to learn. And I learned everything. In the Green Tower, I found maps and records of this island. Its design. Its tether to the sky. Its core."
His smile sharpened, cruel and endless.
Higan: "That core is the heart keeping this place afloat. And I will shatter it. Do you understand? It's not just escape. It's punishment. Humanity disgusts me. Their royals, their zoners, their artimancers, their knights, all inferior, all pathetic. I will sink this island and kill them all. That is my code. That is my purpose."
The El Lord's eyes glowed brighter, rage building in its hive-like voice.
El Lord: "We agree humanity must be erased. But only bacteria has that right."
Emerald light burst from Higan's back. Higan converted the Bacto blade.
Higan: "To bad you're not welcomed on the surface either"
The El Lord roared. Its bacto blade grew, dripping acid. "Bacteria does not bow."
The two blurred forward, their clash shaking the battlefield. Blade of rot against emerald snake. Explosions tore through the ground. Acid spheres rained down in hundreds.