Chapter 155: Chapter 155: The Traitor’s Descent
Chapter 155: The Traitor’s Descent
Gunther Stillbane knelt on the cracked pavement.
The physical agony was blinding. The Widow’s Kiss pumped liquid fire through his veins, completely locking his massive muscles in place. He could not move his arms. He could not stand up. Blood dripped slowly from his lips, pooling on the concrete beneath him.
Tharzek Noctis floated a few feet away. The Dark Priest smiled, reveling in the sight of the fallen king.
"Look at you," Tharzek mocked smoothly.
"The greatest physical force in Bastion Six, brought low by a simple beverage. Where is your arrogance now, Lord Commander?"
Gunther slowly lifted his head. His golden eyes burned with an unbroken, defiant fire.
Gunther spat a glob of bloody saliva onto the ground. He let out a strained, mocking laugh.
"Y’all so obsessed with my greatness," Gunther rasped, his voice vibrating with pure hood swagger despite the crushing pain.
"You could not handle me on a fair stage. You had to sneak poison into my cup like some jealous groupie. You think this makes you a god? Man, this just proves you my biggest fan."
Tharzek’s smile twitched slightly.
"You literally had to shut down my entire nervous system just to stand in my presence," Gunther continued, shaking his head in disgust.
"You a fraud. Just another hater with a cheap trick. I am a legend. My name rings out. What is your name? Dust?"
Tharzek’s eyes darkened with sheer fury. He raised his pale hand, preparing to crush Gunther’s skull with his corrupted Edict.
The artificial sky suddenly turned pitch black.
A colossal shadow eclipsed the purple clouds. Something massive was plummeting from the highest VIP tower of the Vanguard headquarters.
BOOM!
The creature cratered into the center of the plaza. The immense kinetic impact shattered the pavement, sending a shockwave of dust and debris washing over the paralyzed Vanguard Knights.
The dust cleared. A collective gasp of pure terror echoed across the ruined square.
It was an abomination. The beast stood twelve feet tall. Its skeleton had erupted completely outward.
Thick white bone spikes formed a jagged crown around its hunched shoulders. Its ribs were splayed open, creating a horrifying external cage around its pulsating organs.
GRIND.
The beast took a step forward. The sickening sound of bone scraping against bone replaced normal footsteps. A long tail made entirely of thick vertebrae whipped violently behind it. Its arms ended in massive, flattened bone scythes capable of cleaving steel.
Gunther stared at the faceless monster.
Tharzek Noctis let out a cold, highly amused laugh. The Elder floated higher into the air, looking down at the paralyzed Lord Commander.
"You speak of legends and legacy," Tharzek sneered, pointing a pale finger at the beast.
"Allow me to introduce the new Lord of Bastion Six. He was quite eager to claim your throne."
Gunther narrowed his eyes. He scanned the hulking monster.
Caught between the jagged spikes of the external ribcage was a torn piece of fabric. It was expensive, custom-tailored silk. It was the exact color of the suit Cassian had worn in the VIP suite.
The crushing realization hit Gunther like a physical blow.
Cassian had not just betrayed him. The Cult had betrayed Cassian. The weak, ambitious younger brother had been fed a lie, mutated into a mindless biological weapon just to clear the board.
"Damn, Cassian," Gunther whispered, his voice cracking with deep, genuine tragedy.
"They played you worse than a cheap hustle."
Tharzek closed his eyes. He connected his corrupted mana directly to the beast’s hollow mind. The Edict of Entropy did not affect the monster because the creature did not use elemental magic. It was a product of pure biological horror.
"Clear the trash," Tharzek commanded mentally.
The beast shrieked. It was a horrifying, metallic sound.
The mutated Cassian launched itself toward the huddled Vanguard Knights. It did not swing its weapons with any martial skill. It relied entirely on overwhelming, savage momentum.
[Bone Cyclone]
The beast spun violently. Its massive bone scythes and vertebra tail turned into a localized whirlwind of pale death.
The slaughter was instantaneous. The exhausted Vanguard Knights raised their dull swords, but the bone blades cleaved through their steel weapons and their armor without a single ounce of resistance.
Limbs flew into the air. Blood sprayed across the gray zone. The beast tore through the defensive formation like a lawnmower running through dry grass.
"No!" Lieutenant Vinicius screamed, trying to pull his wounded men backward.
The beast heard the shout. It whipped its heavy tail, launching Vinicius across the plaza. The young Knight slammed into a broken pillar, collapsing unconscious into the rubble.
In less than twenty seconds, the surviving Vanguard platoon was decimated. The plaza was painted entirely in fresh red blood.
The beast stopped spinning. It stood in the center of the carnage, dripping with gore.
Tharzek floated gracefully over the ruined bodies. He turned his attention back to Gunther. The Lord Commander was still paralyzed on his knees, forced to watch his men die by his own brother’s mutated hands.
"The board is clear," Tharzek announced smoothly. "Execute the fallen king."
The beast turned its faceless head toward Gunther. It lumbered forward, its heavy bones grinding with every single step.
It stood directly over the paralyzed giant. The monster raised its right bone scythe high into the dark sky, preparing to decapitate him.
Gunther did not close his eyes. He stared death directly in the face.
The massive bone blade swung downward.
CRASH!
A colossal slab of hyper-compressed physical rock violently slid across the plaza. The stone wall did not materialize out of thin air.
It was physically pushed from the very outer edge of the square, moving with immense kinetic velocity.
The rock slab slammed perfectly between Gunther and the beast.
CLANG!
The bone scythe struck the physical stone. The impact sent a shockwave through the air, but the rock did not break. The beast was pushed backward, its weapon vibrating violently from the heavy collision.
Tharzek Noctis frowned. He looked toward the outer boundary of his anti-magic domain.
Two figures stood perfectly still at the very edge of the gray zone.
Bram had his heavy gauntlets pressed firmly into the ground. He had bypassed the Elder’s Edict entirely. He did not cast a spell inside the rotting zone.
He had uprooted a massive tectonic plate from outside the perimeter and shoved it into the plaza using pure physical leverage.
Aegon stood beside him. The spearman held his dark metal weapon casually over his shoulder. The two Eclipse Hunters wore their featureless white masks.
"Who dares interfere?" Tharzek demanded, his voice dropping into a dangerous hiss.
Aegon did not answer the Dark Priest. He looked past the Elder, locking his eyes onto the hulking bone beast.
Aegon tapped his earpiece.
"Captain," Aegon reported coldly.
"We have located the target. We are in deep shit!"
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