Inside a Guide Room, a room full of artifacts and energy weapons. The furnishing were of one that first class taste.
Standing near one of the void door, Lector folded his arms as his sharp gaze swept across the hall, observing the remaining players with quiet scrutiny. Beside him stood Heriot, his posture relaxed but his eyes alert, his presence carrying a subtle pressure that hinted at the depth of his power.
"They're different," Heriot said after a mont, his voice calm but thoughtful, as though he were piecing together sothing beyond surface observation.
"This batch… they adapt faster. They don't break as easily as the previous ones. Even the weaker ones hold on longer than expected." His gaze lingered on empty space.
Lector exhaled slowly, his expression unchanged but his mind clearly active. "Seventy teams wiped out," he replied in a low tone.
"Four hundred and thirty-five gone or missing. Yet the remaining ones are stabilizing faster than projected. That shouldn't be happening at this stage." His fingers tapped lightly against his arm, a habit that revealed his deep concentration.
"It's either coincidence… or sothing is pushing them harder than intended."
Heriot tilted his head slightly, a faint smile forming at the corner of his lips. "Pressure creates monsters," he said. "Maybe we're just witnessing the beginning of sothing interesting."
Before Lector could respond, the air shifted.
It was subtle at first—a faint tallic resonance, like distant iron grinding against itself but it grew rapidly, distorting the stillness of the Rift Hall as an unfamiliar presence pressed into the space without warning.
Both Guides reacted instantly, their expressions sharpening as their attention snapped toward the source and then—
A figure stepped forward from the far end of the hall. The haze he had clouded his face but in the end the person behind it was Enjin.
He walked calmly, almost casually, yet every step carried weight, the faint sound of tal shifting accompanying his movent as though his very presence influenced the structure of the world around him. His eyes were steady, focused, and completely devoid of hesitation as they locked onto the two Guides standing before him.
"So this is what a Guide's room looks like... hmm.. you guys do enjoy facilities we never get to lavish. Love the taste the room." Enjin said, his voice low and asured, carrying neither arrogance nor respect only intent.
"I expected sothing more… intimidating."
Heriot's expression didn't change, but his eyes narrowed slightly.
"You're not supposed to be here," he said, his tone calm but edged with authority. ¹"This isn't a place you just walk into."
Enjin stopped a few ters away, tilting his head slightly as if considering the words before dismissing them entirely.
"I wasn't invited," he replied. "I ca because I had sothing to confirm."
Lector stepped forward slightly, his presence shifting as a faint green aura began to form around him, subtle at first but steadily growing in density.
"And what exactly are you confirming?" he asked, his aavoice steady but carrying a quiet warning.
Enjin's gaze moved between them.
Then he smiled faintly.
"That the people running this place… are worth killing."
The mont the words left his mouth—
The attack began. A sharp tallic shriek tore through the air as dozens of thin, blade-like fragnts erupted from the ground around Enjin, shooting forward at impossible speed. The attack was instantaneous, leaving no room for hesitation, but both Guides reacted just as quickly.
Heriot moved first. The air around him distorted, alow-frequency vibration spread outward, invisible yet overwhelming, and in that instant, the incoming blades slowed not physically, but perceptually.
Their trajectories warped, their speed misjudged, their direction misread as Heriot's Sound System took effect, altering the very perception of reality within the battlefield.
"Don't rely on your eyes," Heriot said calmly. "They'll betray you."
At the sa ti, Lector raised his hand.
The ground beneath them responded instantly.
Massive roots burst forth from the floor, thick and powerful, forming a defensive barrier that intercepted the tallic projectiles with crushing force. The impact echoed loudly, tal grinding against reinforced wood as the roots absorbed and deflected the attack.
Enjin's eyes sharpened slightly.
"…Interesting."
In a single step, his body blurred forward, his speed cutting through the distorted perception as though he had already adjusted to Heriot's interference. His arm shifted, transforming into a sharpened tallic blade that swung toward Lector with lethal precision.
But Lector didn't retreat. The roots responded instantly. They surged forward, intercepting the strike mid-air, wrapping around Enjin's arm in an attempt to restrain him completely. For a brief mont, it worked the roots tightened, compressing with imnse force but then—
The tal expanded.
Enjin's arm reshaped instantly, spikes erupting outward and tearing through the roots in a violent burst of force that shattered the restraint completely.
Heriot stepped in. The sound shifted again.
This ti, it wasn't distortion it was intrusion.
A deep resonance vibrated through Enjin's mind, a powerful auditory illusion that bypassed physical defenses entirely. The world around him warped, twisted, fractured into overlapping layers of reality designed to disorient, confuse, and break his focus.
For a mont Enjin paused, his movent slowed.
"…So this is your trick," he muttered quietly.
Lector didn't waste the opportunity.
The ground exploded beneath Enjin as massive roots surged upward, wrapping around his legs, torso, and arms in a rapid, layered bind designed to crush him completely. The pressure intensified with each second tightening against him.
"This ends here," Lector said firmly.
Enjin smiled.
"…Not yet."
The tal around his body surged violently, expanding outward in a destructive wave that tore through the roots with raw force. The bindings shattered, fragnts scattering across the hall as he broke free with sheer power alone.
But this ti he staggered. Just slightly. His breathing had changed.bHis movents were no longer as smooth as before.
Heriot noticed imdiately.
"…He's reaching his limit."
Lector stepped forward again, his aura intensifying as more roots began to form around him, preparing to finish the fight.
Enjin straightened slowly, his expression calm but strained.
Blood ran faintly down the side of his face.
Yet his eyes still burned with intent.
"…You two are stronger than I expected, guess you are not half baked as I thought. " he admitted quietly.
The battle had turned and for the first ti Enjin was being pushed to the edge.
Reviews
All reviews (0)