{Rel's POV}
[Gasan Digital Complex, Seoul - Nightshade's Warehouse, Underground: Main Production Room]
"Who the hell are you?"
A guard spat, more amused than threatened.
Others echoed the question, their weapons shifting from relaxed to ready.
My answer was to draw Axel.
Its familiar weight grounded me, even against these odds.
One attack. I'd put everything into it.
"Crazy bastard thinks he can take us all!"
There was nervous laughter, the tension of a cornered animal turning to aggression.
"Forget talking!" someone hissed. "Just end him!"
The first few charged, shouts turning the quiet warehouse into a sudden storm.
My grip tightened on the hilt. Aura flared, a searing flood of darkness that scorched through my hands.
I needed one clean swing... since this blade is so aura dependant.
"Let's see what you can do..."
The blade flashed as I moved, a blur of motion driven by pure instinct.
Their shouts fueled my charge, meaningless noise against the roar of power in my blood.
The blade pulsed in my hand, a power for the crackling aura.
Ready.
FWANG!
[Skill: Divine Severance Is Ready!]
The words left my mouth as the swing began, a single-honed movement.
"Divine Severance!"
A blinding flash of light. A deafening crack that seemed to split the air itself.
SLASH!!!!
The wave of power slammed into their ranks - not a clean sweep, but a brutal eruption that sent bodies flying.
Limbs twisted at unnatural angles, screams cut short.
BANG!!!!
Silence fell. Groans echoed in the sudden stillness.
Blinking in the dim aftermath, I took in the scene: bodies scattered like broken toys, a testament to the destructive power I wielded.
Then startled shouts echoed from the stairwell. "What the hell happened here?"
Bodies littered the floor, a proof to my earlier work.
I shifted my attention to the next group, their eyes wide with a mix of shock and fear.
I guess there was no time for words.
They charged, a mindless wave fueled by desperation.
"Intruder!" The cry rang out, a pathetic excuse for a battle cry.
[Passive Ability: Evasiveness Has Been Activated!]
[Special Passive Ability: Sixth Sense [Grade 8] Has Been Activated!]
SWING!!! SWING!!!
Their attacks were predictable thanks to sixth sense , clumsy slashes and elemental blasts
SLASH!.
My aura-imbued blade cut through them like air.
Another swing, and a body arced across the room, slamming into the wall with a sickening thud.
ACK!!!
They wouldn't break so easily. Reinforcements arrived, a lucky earth mage among them.
"Rising Rock!" he bellowed, a tremor running through the floor beneath me.
I tried to move out of the way, but it was too late.
A pillar of jagged rock erupted, catching me square in the chest.
"...!"
No elegant dodge this time, just the brute force of the impact sending me crashing through the ceiling.
I hit the floor above hard, the dust choking my breath.
Then A dozen shadows poured through the hole behind me, weapons shining in the dim light.
As each one charged I fought with a flurry of steel.
Shouts were cut short. Bodies crumpled, then another and another.
I moved on instinct, each strike precise and lethal.
"...?"
CRACK...CRACK...CRACH...
Just when I finished beating them all, a sudden silence passed through.
Then as I realised the floor beneath, the ground floor collapsed in a cloud of choking dust.
"AHHH!"
My eyes widened as I fell.
Thump!
"Ah, My ass..." I muttered.
As I swept off the dust on me, I saw a sight that no one wanted to see.
A boy, twisted and monstrous, his skin a sickly purple.
A girl huddled in the corner, her sobs a jagged counterpoint to the stillness.
The stench of blood hung heavy in the air.
Fuck... I was too late. My jaw clenched a useless lock against the anger and frustration.
I knew it, I should've just charged in, consequences be damned.
The boy twitched, his monstrous form grotesque.
A surge of pity washed over me.
The kid would die fighting the transformation... or lose himself entirely.
"Hey... wake up." My voice was barely a whisper. I gently shook his unresponsive body.
A surge of self-loathing.
Shit... I'm... a terrible author.
I should've known they'd pay the ultimate price for my failures.
"I'm sorry,"
I choked out, a useless apology to a broken child.
Jaxon Cain's words echoed in my mind, a bitter reminder: you can't save them all. Another failed hero, another innocent sacrificed.
My grip tightened on the boy, his feverishly hot skin burning my hands.
The moon shone overhead, a cold spotlight on my guilt. '
Then, a new sound – footsteps, rushing and purposeful.
tap...tap....tap...
[Special ability: Deadeye [Grade 9] Has Been Activated.]
As I saw someone walking down to this room, I felt a surge of grim satisfaction, I saw Lampard, holding another syringe in hand.
But something shifted in that moment. Violence wasn't the answer.
Fear... fear was the weapon I'd wield.
special
...
...
...
[Gasan Digital Complex, Seoul - Nightshade's Warehouse, Underground: The Experimentation Room]
Lampard entered the room, his gaze sweeping over the carnage of bodies that littered the floor.
Surprise flickered in his eyes, and then a cold sort of calculation replaced it.
Finally, his gaze settled on Rel, cradling the half-transformed boy.
"Who are you?" he asked, his voice an oily purr.
"I've never seen that mask before... You must be one of the intruders."
Rel remained silent, his focus unwavering on Lampard.
An almost irresistible urge to beat him senselessly pulsed through him.
Lampard's lips curled in a sneer.
"I don't know who you are, but if you're foolish enough to attack Nightshade Corps, then you clearly have no idea who you're dealing with."
A crackle of energy rippled through the air as aura flared around Lampard's knuckles,
He tore off his lab coat, revealing muscled arms beneath.
A typical thug, relying on brute force. A flicker of contempt shadowed Rel's simmering anger.
Still cradling the boy, Rel stood. His sword remained sheathed.
Lampard wasn't worth drawing it for.
tap...tap...tap...
The man stalked closer, a predator sizing up its prey.
__________
To Be Continued...
__________
Authors Notes:
- Lampard's main elemental attribute: Earth
- Lampard has Sensory Aura and Enhancement Aura.
- Enhancement Aura increases physical strength, speed, and durability
- Rel's sword 'Axel' has an extremely high aura output when Rel combines his aura with the sword, which is why the attack Divine Severance was strong enough to bring down countless members.