SWISSH!
Void energy compressed along the blade's edge as I swung, the spatial tear slicing cleanly through the air toward Kharos' back, eting no aningful resistance as it tore through his reinforced blood armor, splitting him cleanly in two before continuing forward and crashing into the barrier beyond, sending another violent ripple across its surface.
I did not look at the aftermath.
The sound of the kill notification was enough to prove he was dead.
I redirected the montum and imdiately resud my assault on the barrier, sending another rift slash upward before the do could fully recover from the combined impacts.
The hum intensified.
The weakened point flickering violently.
I had already burned through nearly half my mana, forcing that weak point to appear, and at last it had begun to show results.
A faint crack ford again, thin and unstable, revealing a tiny gap in the barrier before sealing almost imdiately.
But I caught sight of it before it closed up.
And that gave hope.
The goblins atop the wall flinched when the fracture appeared, their confidence faltering as they realized the barrier was not absolute.
I did not hesitate.
Another rift slash tore upward and struck the sa location.
The crack returned.
This ti, it was more visible, the shimr splitting apart just enough to expose a narrow opening through the do.
And I was ready.
The instant the gap ford, I triggered [Warp].
There was resistance—like forcing myself through thickened air—but I slipped through before the barrier could reconstitute fully. The mont my body cleared the threshold, the opening snapped shut behind .
I was inside.
Standing on the wall.
Within the barrier.
The goblins nearest to froze where they stood, their expressions shifting from confusion to disbelief. They had just witnessed sothing they thought impossible—an intruder breaching the garnet-fortified do from the outside.
They snapped out of their daze and then attacked, but I stretched both hands outward, pointing in opposite directions along the walkway, and activated [Hellbrand].
Flas surged from my palms in twin torrents, not wild and uncontrolled, but focused streams of searing fire that rolled across the stone platform in opposite arcs. The goblins caught in their path had no ti to react; armor glowed red, weapons clattered to the ground, and their forms were swallowed in blazing heat.
The screams were brief.
When the flas subsided, charred remains and blackened stone marked where they had stood.
I stepped forward calmly, the heat dissipating behind , and approached the mounted ballistic device positioned along the wall. Up close, it was well constructed—reinforced wood fra, rune-inscribed stabilizers, tal fittings clearly salvaged and repurposed with care.
For a brief mont, I considered relocating it to my clan before returning to continue the assault.
But I dismissed the idea just as quickly.
The barrier had already rejected once. While I had breached it through a fracture, there was no guarantee it would allow re-entry from the outside a second ti, so it was better not to gamble on that.
I turned my attention inward.
Across the settlent, goblins were already mobilizing. Groups were forming, weapons drawn, horns sounding alarms from deeper within the base. The streets that had seed orderly from above were now filling with ard movent.
I reached into my storage, retrieved several mana potions, and uncorked them in quick succession, downing the contents without hesitation.
The familiar surge replenished my reserves, and I exhaled slowly, feeling the energy return.
Then I smiled.
It was ti for wreck havoc.
*
Inside the settlent.
A tall goblin stepped out from the chief's building, a single-edged blade resting calmly in his hand.
He wore armor forged from layered blackened iron, reinforced with deep crimson inlays that ran like veins across the matte plates fitted tightly to his fra. The craftsmanship was refined, built not just for durability but for mobility. His presence was composed, controlled.
His eyes glowed faint gold, steady and assessing, and a thin silver scar ran diagonally across his jaw and cheekbone, a mark that suggested experience rather than recklessness.
This was Caius, the chief of the clan.
The disturbance Eli had caused had not gone unnoticed. Through his system, Caius had already registered multiple alerts: One of his Chosen dead, and then multiple goblins fading off.
Monts later, two more chosen were gone.
This was not sothing that should be taken lightly.
So he was stepping out to see what was happening and deal with it.
But as he headed to the location of the disturbance, he saw two goblins approaching, their movents urgent, their expressions tight with concern.
"What is happening?" Caius asked imdiately, his voice calm but edged with authority.
"An intruder," Drel replied without delay. "He has the power to weaken the barrier and is far stronger than any goblin we've faced before. Kharos went out to hold him off, but..."
"Kharos is dead," Caius finished evenly.
And the two froze.
"What?!" Veyra blurted out before she could restrain herself.
Drel's composure faltered for the first ti, his eyes widening.
"That's not possible," he said, but hurriedly corrected himself. "No, I apologize chief. If anyone would know, it's you. I was just shocked."
Caius ignored him and calmly added.
"Two more have also been killed."
Drel's breath caught for half a second.
"aning he's gotten in," Veyra concluded quietly.
They exchanged a look.
"So quickly."
It hadn't even been that long since they had left the wall.
Caius did not react outwardly, but his grip on his blade tightened slightly.
"I'll go handle it," he said without raising his voice. "You two warn the others to stay away from him."
"There's no need for that," A voice interrupted, the owner appearing behind Veyra and Drel in a blink.
The two goblins froze instantly, their bodies locking up as the sudden shift in presence registered in their senses a fraction too late.
Caius turned sharply at the abrupt manifestation of the enemy, his golden eyes narrowing as they locked onto Eli's figure, now standing calmly behind his two subordinates, his hands on their shoulder.
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