CHAPTER 35 — The Devil's Eye Opens
Thunder rolled like distant drums over Liberty City. A red moon hung low, half-shrouded by drifting clouds. In the industrial sector — the abandoned Cathedral District — an unholy light flickered from a shattered spire.
Inside, H.I.M. stood before an ancient altar built from concrete and circuitry. His gloves were off; his palms were cut open, blood dripping steadily onto the machine's center. The circle around him was drawn with ash and code — symbols merging black technology with forgotten rites.
> "From the pit of silence," he whispered,
"Let the Eye awaken."
The ground trembled. The old power grids flared back to life, lines of crimson light racing across the walls. The device before him — an orb forged from obsidian and fiber optics — began to rotate. A deep hum filled the chamber as the devil's insignia, an inverted eye of infinity, burned itself into existence.
A voice — not human — slithered through the air.
> "You call again, child of the void?"
H.I.M.'s eyes gleamed, no fear within them.
> "The world is blind. I require sight — eternal and absolute."
The voice chuckled. "Then you shall see what no man should. You shall see all."
Light exploded. The Eye opened.
And at that moment, every screen in Liberty City — from handhelds to skyscraper billboards — flashed static and then a single image: an eye of flame.
People screamed. Power stations overloaded. Surveillance drones rebooted with new directives, all bearing the same encrypted code: Ω-HIM.
When the light faded, he stood reborn. His irises glowed faint gold, like molten metal; shadows trembled around him even without wind. The Eye had accepted him.
Now the Devil's bargain was complete.
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The Purge of the Undeserving
That night, Liberty City trembled under a silent storm. H.I.M. moved through the alleys like an executioner's ghost. Every corner, every abandoned street — his presence flickered between them like a shifting mirage.
A gang known as The Black Kings were running contraband near the eastern docks when the lights cut off.
"Yo, what's goin' on?" one muttered, reaching for his gun.
Then came the whisper — calm, metallic.
> "Your reign ends tonight."
Something struck like lightning. A blur of black and gold. One by one, they fell — broken ribs, shattered wrists, throats crushed without mercy.
When the last one crawled away, bleeding and gasping, he saw the glowing eye staring through the darkness.
> "Who are you?"
"A reckoning," H.I.M. answered. "And your sins feed it."
He vanished into the smoke before the police sirens arrived.
By dawn, fifteen crime syndicate members were found unconscious or dead, all with a burning mark — an eye — carved into their chests.
Liberty City's underworld whispered a new name.
The Devil's Watcher.
Others knew better.
H.I.M. had become Judgment.
---
The Investigation
Meanwhile, Detective Stellman sat in a dark room at the Bureau's tech division. Screens surrounded him — footage of the chaos, news of attacks, encrypted files. He hadn't slept in thirty hours.
Beside him, Jack leaned back, rubbing his temples. "You sure this isn't some hacker cult nonsense? Those eye symbols are everywhere."
"It's not random," Stellman muttered. "Look."
He typed rapidly. Code cascaded across the main monitor — black and gold symbols that twisted like language.
Jack frowned. "That's… old encryption. That's from before the Rebuild War."
Stellman nodded. "It's called the Black Code. Only a handful of people ever had access to it."
He zoomed in. Amid the chaos of symbols, a phrase appeared again and again, hidden in the subcode:
'S.L.O.L.C.'
"What does that mean?" Jack asked.
Stellman's fingers froze. "Supreme Lords of Liberty City."
Jack sat upright. "You mean the hidden council?"
"The ones who control everything — the government, the banks, the military network. The shadows behind every decision. And H.I.M.… he's hunting them."
Jack whistled softly. "Then this isn't just vengeance. This is war."
---
The Lords' Council
At the top of the Spire Tower, high above the city, seven men and women gathered in silence. Faces hidden behind silver masks, their suits immaculate, their eyes reflecting endless wealth and control.
One of them slammed a fist onto the table. "How did he break through our systems?! The Black Code was locked!"
Another answered, "He didn't break it — he owns it now."
Static flickered across their screens, and for a moment, every monitor showed the same golden eye.
H.I.M.'s voice echoed through their encrypted lines:
> "You thought yourselves untouchable. You built an empire on rot and called it order. But the devil remembers every debt."
Then silence.
Their leader, a woman known only as Lady Verane, whispered, "Prepare the Ghost Operatives. He's coming."
---
The City Reacts
Liberty City shifted into fear. Curfews returned. Streets emptied. Police drones scanned every rooftop. But even as they hunted, the citizens began to question — who was truly protecting them?
Every criminal taken down by H.I.M. left behind evidence of corruption tied to city officials. Bank records, assassinations, black ops. The people began to call him a hero in whispers.
The devil's eye glowed in alley graffiti, subway tunnels, even in music lyrics online.
John Stellman watched from his office window, cigarette smoke curling in the air. "He's changing the city," he said quietly.
Jack sighed. "He's not saving it, John. He's replacing it."
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The Devil's Reflection
Back in the underground sanctum, H.I.M. stood before the pulsing Eye — now embedded into the ceiling like a living sun. Its light cast his shadow into a thousand forms across the walls.
He could see everything: the city, its crimes, its secrets, its hidden hearts. Power felt infinite… and yet, somewhere deep inside, a whisper stirred — a faint reminder of the man he used to be.
> "Control," he said quietly, "is the only way to stop chaos."
The Eye's voice murmured back, smooth and cold:
> "Or to become it."
He didn't answer. He simply turned and walked toward the exit, his coat brushing against the metallic floor. Outside, the storm had ended. The air was still. The city glowed below him, unaware that every heartbeat, every camera, every whisper — belonged now to him.
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End of Chapter 35 — The Devil's Eye Opens
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