Since the birth of human civilization, we have been fighting against an invasive alien species called Crimsons.

 

We don't know who sends them to our planet or why they want to conquer it, but we know something about them. Crimsons are biologically improved creatures designed to attack and destroy planets by an unknown source.

 

From being small as an ant to towering skyscrapers, these creatures never missed a chance to cause problems for humanity.

 

Crimsons come to our world through red vortex-like portals that their name comes from, and until someone destroys the gate, a terrifying amount of monsters of every size and type rushes to our ground.

 

The oldest known records say the first portal opened in Eastern Asia around four thousand years ago. The tribes around China were the first ones to fight against them. Ancient tribes united as one to defeat the invaders, which they called the red ones.

 

And to leave a warning for future generations, they carved pictures on massive stones for future leaders to know about these dangerous creatures.

 

But it wasn't only the ancient Chinese, from records of Assyrians to hieroglyphics of Ancient Egyptians and even to tribe legends of Africa.

 

The first large-scale invasion happened in Europe. The force of forty thousand crimsons of many different sizes clashed with the armies of the roman empire. It was a bloody battle coming from the records, as the roman army, five times bigger in numbers, managed to defeat the invasion by losing more than half of its force.

Then this keeps happening throughout history, Mongols, Aztecs, Ottomans, Holy Romans, British, count every large civilization you learned about in history class. Everyone fought against them at one point.

 

But destruction wasn't the only thing they brought. A strange matter called anti-oxygen flowed to earth through and changed how it works. Humans gained superpowers through cellular mutation such as Controlling electricity, transforming into other creatures, super strength, telekinesis, literally magic, etc.

 

Yet, it wasn't only humans that changed. The world changed too, from flying islands to trees dwarfing mountains, and many other similar things began appearing as if laws of nature weren't a thing. Of course, it didn't happen in a single day, but who am I to tell the entire time-lapse?

 

So humanity took this to their advantage and raised powerful champions to fight against their common enemy. Some theorize people like King Arthur or Olympian gods are super powerful mutants who shaped the history of humans.

 

But coming to the modern modern world, things are a bit different. Crimson attacks are something normal in our daily life. All major cities have entire armies on watch, waiting for a portal to appear, and since we have missiles now, we can directly target the portal.

 

Well, that's easier said than done, so to fight against this threat, great powers of the world gathered and created a defensive pact in which every country got tasked to protect their sphere of influence. It is what we call United Defence Council, or UDC in short.

 

Ten cities were designated to be important headquarters of this organization. Beijing, Rio, Washington, Berlin, Istanbul, Kinshasa, Sydney, New Delhi, Cape Town, and Moscow. And twenty more cities that hold large UDC fortresses called keypoints.

 

Even though there are still some internal problems, humanity is now focusing on training its champions and strengthening its forces against the common enemy.

 

But who am I in this story?

 

My name is Leonardo. I go with the surname of Clock, which belongs to my adoptive father. I never met my actual family and spent my childhood in a research facility or an inside government facility.

 

While the government (UDC, to be more specific) tried to help me, it wasn't for the good of their heart. I spent my early childhood in an underground research facility working on children to create super mutants for their use.

 

One of the only things I remember from my early childhood is the screams of my friends dying because of their inhumane experiments.

 

One thousand and six hundred children were used in experiments to create a new generation of champions, which could surpass the legends of the past, like Hell Flame Iora or the famous Black Wing, who stood so high above humanity in terms of power, they rivaled entire nations. Their ways weren't good as their ideas.

 

First, they forcefully tried to implement anti-oxygen in our bodies when we were just two to cause mutations in our bodies. It resulted in the death of %86 percent of the children in the facility, but the rest gained abilities much more powerful than average.

But, it wasn't enough. When we became years old, they divided us into two groups. I was in the second group and watched my friends disappear. One after another until my time came. I learned why my friends vanished on my turn.

 

They were trying to implant a strange technology into our brains. It was a supercomputer (well, just a chip, but better than a supercomputer and can function as one) found by a research team sent into a crimson portal. The thing was little but more powerful than any computer on the earth, but there was a problem. If it rejected you after the implant, you would die horribly.

 

I was dragged into a room and tied into a dentist's chair, then a surgeon opened my skull with high-power lasers after giving me amnesiacs, enough for me to not scream and move but not enough for me to sleep, and began to plant the computer deep into my brain. I remember every second of it.

 

I was scared. I didn't feel anything at the time but remembering the screams of other children from the past was enough. The moment the computer connected to my brain, I felt something taking control of my body. Out of my control, my body burst out a large amount of electricity, which I never managed to do again, and fried all of the scientists inside the room next to facilities whole power system.

 

Their security program caused something to the computer. It stopped it from overwriting itself on my body, but I was too tired at that point and fainted.

 

Sometime later, special force units began swarming the facility. I heard guards killing kids and scientists to stop the possible leaking of information. I don't remember much about the raid, except the sound of gunshots and screams, but I opened my eyes in a UDC hospital in Berlin, and that was my happiest moment.

 

Doctors who weren't wearing bloodstained clothes or children who weren't screaming for mercy, my days at the UDC hospital felt like a rest in heaven. They even replaced the part of the skull of those butchers that call themselves scientists ripped apart from my head with mechanical parts connected with the computer and a synthetic skin with natural hair on top.

 

Later, some officers and detectives came to visit me. They were friendly and asked me several questions about the facility. In the end, one in a suit asked me if I remembered any faces. I didn't manage to answer the last question since all the guards and scientists were always wearing masks near us.

 

After learning what they could, the UDC transferred me and the remaining children (five people) into a new facility. Three of them died on the way, and the last survivor is someone I can now call my sibling, even though we haven't talked for some time.

 

In this new and safer place, they first used anesthetics and proper equipment to inspect the computer on my head but stopped their research after discovering removing it would end up in my death and chips self-destruction.

 

So, instead of trying to find a way to remove the computer, UDC decided to train me and use the abilities I gained through the cruel experiments for the good of humanity. 

 

To do that, they took us into a secret training facility. But we weren't alone there. Many different children were also part of our program. Children who fell victim to inhumane experiments, children who killed their parents in accidents using their powers, and amongst them, we two fit right through.

 

First, they trained our bodies and taught us the basics. Some examples are how to survive in the wilderness, weapon training, teamwork, and how to kill the enemy.

 

And in the end, everyone is required to kill one Crimson in a one-against-one fight. Not many managed to pass it, but the ones who did gain a right to advance further into their training by choosing a specialty.

 

I am a CTS (Combat-Tech-Specialist.) Thanks to the computer planted in my head. I can hack most electronic things, and outside of the battle, I can design and build weapons for future use. Giant robots, drone tanks, armies of machines, I only need enough budget and time. The computer will help when it comes to design and control.

 

Still, all of the things were not enough for me. I was the spoiled kid of the UDC. I had the chance to build my projects in the world's best weapon design facilities, from Europe to Asia and lastly America. I had a fat paycheck and access to technology (thanks to UDC's massive budget and power.) 

 

And I reached today. I am sixteen now, but I gained my freedom at fourteen. I think having a supercomputer and artificially increased superpowers helped me achieve that.

 

But why am I telling you all of that? Because the spoiled wonder boy of the UDC is bored with his life in the usual training facilities and wants to try something new.

 

Because of that, I am joining the trails of UDC's warfare academy entrance tests.

 

UDC judges will examine my abilities in one versus one duel that I will engage with other participants.

 

But that's not all I want. My main goal is to find different people like myself and push their abilities to their limits and beyond with my skills, so I can use them to take revenge.

 

I have little to no roadblocks on my way, and today's tournament for school entrance exams will be my first step toward the future I will shape.

 

"Participant number 2358, please move to the arena. Your first battle will start in four minutes."

 

It seems like my time has come. Don't forget to cheer on me.