But it was too late. In a flash, Carn sacrificed another silver mark of Aether, teleporting directly into the tank. Inside, the confined space offered no escape for the crew. In one swift motion, he crushed their throats.
Outside, Gawain sighed deeply, visibly frustrated by the carnage but unsurprised. As there was nothing he could do, he absorbed the lingering mana flas, extinguishing the inferno and replacing the suffocating heat with a sharp, dry chill. A vapor-like mist spread across the battlefield as the temperature plumted.
Gawain scanned the surroundings. His gaze fell on the dozen gargoyles, who perched on rooftops and traffic poles. Their stone appearance was soaked with human blood. So bore cracks and bullet holes from the battle, while others carried intact corpses slung over their shoulders.
The scene struck a chord of déjà vu in Gawain. mories of a past campaign against the undead surfaced.
He had once fought alongside Carn and these very gargoyles during an anti-undead coalition. Back then, Carn's brutal efficiency had turned the tide of battle, saving the dragoons from annihilation by a human army that sided with the Lich King.
Gawain exhaled, steeling his resolve. He had seen firsthand what Carn's power could achieve.
"I do need his strength."
His attention shifted as two fresh gargoyles crawled out of the now-destroyed tank, their stony forms still dripping with molten steel and human viscera.
Carn teleported back outside, appearing silently behind Gawain. The knight turned, and their gazes t once more.
"Let's get out of here first," Carn invited.
Gawain nodded. He gestured for Carn to lead the way, but the demon lord narrowed his glowing eyes in annoyance.
"Can you not look at for a second? I'd rather not waste my Aether just to move."
Gawain stared at him for a mont, then looked away with a long sigh. "…Fine."
Carn smirked. His figure vanished into the distance as he teleported away. Gawain looked back and followed. However, he had to constantly look away to allow Carn to move.
.
Amid the chaos, the man who had ignited it all, Arthur, sat grimly inside a communications van. His face was dark, listening to the radio crackling with frantic reports. Each new update tightened the noose around his composure.
Casualties had soared to over 200 in just two hours. Two attack helicopters were lost, and while most vehicles remained operational, the situation was spiraling out of control. Worse still, so of the fallen soldiers had been converted into gargoyles and now followed Carn out of town.
Arthur clenched his fists, but his control over the situation had long since slipped away.
*DRRRRR*
The sharp vibration of his phone broke his thoughts. Reaching into his suit, he retrieved the device and glanced at the caller ID.
Lt. Gen. Ferdinand.
With a sinking heart, Arthur accepted the call.
"General…"
Ferdinand's voice ca through, unnervingly calm. "Return your badge and your weapon. You're fired."
Arthur stiffened. "Sir, with all due respect, this was inevitable. Carn Yunho isn't just so doppelganger. He's a demon lord from another world. It's only a matter of ti before we have to face him. He hasn't fully regained his strength yet. If we act now—"
"SHUT YOUR 'KIDDY' MOUTH, YOU USELESS 'LOSER' DETECTIVE!" Ferdinand's voice erupted.
"…"
"I'VE PUT UP WITH YOUR CRAP FOR YEARS! I LET YOU INTO THE ECD BECAUSE OF YOUR INTERROGATION SUPERPOWER. AND THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY ? LOOK AT YOU NOW, POWER-TRIPPING LIKE SO KIND OF COP IN HOLLYWOOD! DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'VE DONE? YOU PROVOKED A SLEEPING DEMON AND GOT HUNDREDS OF MY N KILLED! GUESS WHAT, ARTHUR? YOU'RE CHARGED WITH TREASON! YOU'RE FINISHED!"
The line went dead, leaving only a cold, empty beep.
Arthur stared at the phone in his hand, and a bead of sweat rolled down his temple. His stomach churned with the weight of Ferdinand's words. Yet, deep within, he still clung to the belief that he had acted in the right.
As he stood there, frozen in his thoughts, an operator inside the van quietly drew his weapon and leveled it at Arthur's head. The man's voice was steady but firm.
"Detective, orders just ca in from HQ. You're under arrest. Please cuff yourself and preserve your dignity."
Arthur turned to et his colleague's gaze. For a mont, his expression softened, and with a slow nod, he raised his hands and offered no resistance as he cuffed himself.
The operator sighed in relief and holstered his gun. But the respite was short-lived.
*CRACK*
Arthur snapped the handcuffs with ease and lunged forward, delivering a brutal punch to the man's face and knocking him down. In a swift motion, he grabbed the operator's gun, whirling toward a second officer.
*BANG*
*BANG*
A bullet struck the first man's left knee, and the second operator took one in the elbow. Both cried out in pain, clutching their wounds as blood seeped between their fingers.
Arthur straightened and scoffed. Coldly, he stepped over the fallen n.
As he exited the van, his eyes imdiately locked on the distant black plus of smoke rising into the sky. The chaos he had unleashed was inescapable, and it damaged his pride.
"Kiddy Carn Yunho. This is all your fault," He muttered through gritted teeth.
The crunch of boots on gravel broke his focus. Arthur turned to find a squad of hunters in battlesuits approaching.
Their orders were clear. Ferdinand wanted him brought in, dead or alive.
Arthur sighed as he realized that he couldn't overpower the elite ECD squad like Carn. He let the gun slip from his hand and raised his arms in surrender, lowering himself onto the ground.
The lead hunter stepped forward, clamping a pair of reinforced handcuffs onto Arthur's wrists. A mana-sealing choker snapped around his neck, cutting off access to his abilities.
As they hoisted him to his feet, Arthur's gaze remained defiant. Sowhere in his heart, a spark of resolve still burned. He would find a way to prove he was right even if it ant going against the entire ECD.
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