Chapter 64: The Vultures of Marrath
The massive blue energy tube in the center of the plaza hummed violently. The sheer amount of magical weight ascending from the lower city made the entire marble floor vibrate. Kanos stood perfectly still in the middle of his newly drawn courtyard. He had completely transformed the pristine white plaza into a deadly, highly camouflaged kill box. The thick black lines he drew earlier had sunk completely into the stone, hiding their lethal potential underneath a layer of fake marble texture.
Behind Kanos, eighty Null Hounds sat obediently in the shadows of the grand pillars. The dark violet beasts did not growl. They did not move. They waited for their creator’s absolute command.
The blue energy shield of the main elevator finally slid open with a loud chime.
Fifty elite adventurers stepped out onto the plaza in perfect, highly disciplined military formation. They looked absolutely ridiculous. They were covered from head to toe in glittering, heavily enchanted gear. Glowing red swords, massive shields radiating blue frost auras, and staffs sparking with chaotic lightning. They looked exactly like walking jewelry stores. These were the absolute top predators of the surface world. People who had spent their entire lives grinding levels and hoarding legendary loot.
The leader of the raid party stepped forward. He was a tall, incredibly arrogant looking man wearing highly polished golden armor. He carried a massive broadsword that literally dripped liquid fire onto the marble floor. Kanos instantly recognized the emblem on the man’s chestplate. The Crimson Lions.
The golden knight stopped ten meters away from Kanos. He looked around the plaza, clearly deeply confused. He expected to find a horde of giant demons tearing the palace apart. Instead, he only saw one pale, tired looking young man wearing a torn gray cloak and sporting a pitch black right arm. Belida and Papuyu were standing quietly on the far flanks, completely ignoring the massive army in front of them.
"Where is the anomaly?" the golden knight yelled loudly. His voice dripped with condescending authority. "I am Vorn, Guild Master of the Crimson Lions. We are here to claim the bounty placed by the High Elders. Tell me where the demon is hiding, rat, and I might let you live."
Kanos did not answer immediately. He slowly pulled his left hand out of his pocket. He looked at Vorn with an expression of pure, unadulterated boredom. It was the exact same look a senior artist gave to a completely clueless client requesting a stupid revision.
"You guys really love wearing loud, shiny garbage," Kanos finally spoke. His voice was quiet, but it carried perfectly across the open plaza. "Do you think glowing armor makes you invincible? Do you think your levels mean anything up here?"
Vorn sneered in disgust. He raised his blazing fire sword, pointing the burning tip directly at Kanos’s face. "Kill this arrogant trash. Secure the palace doors. We loot the vaults first, then we hunt the demon."
Three heavily armored vanguard knights charged forward simultaneously. They lowered their massive shields, preparing to smash Kanos into a bloody paste against the marble floor. Their boots pounded loudly. They crossed the ten meter distance in exactly two seconds.
Kanos did not even flinch. He simply snapped the fingers of his black right hand.
The marble floor directly underneath the three charging knights exploded violently upward. It was not a magical spell. It was pure, highly compressed physical matter. Three massive, razor sharp spikes made of solid mythril shot out from the hidden lines Kanos had drawn earlier.
The spikes tore straight through the knights’ enchanted heavy armor like hot knives cutting through cheap butter. The three elite vanguard fighters did not even get the chance to scream. They were instantly impaled, lifted entirely off the ground, and left hanging dead in the air. Fresh blood dripped rapidly down the shiny silver spikes, pooling onto the white marble floor.
The entire raid party froze in absolute horror. The confident, arrogant smirks on their faces vanished completely. They just watched three of their highest level tanks get slaughtered in less than a second by a trap they could not even sense.
"He is a trap master! Fall back!" one of the backline mages screamed in pure panic.
"Do not step back!" Vorn roared furiously. The golden knight swung his fire sword, unleashing a massive wave of blazing heat toward Kanos. "Burn the entire floor! Melt his traps!"
Twenty mages in the backline instantly raised their staffs. They began chanting rapidly. The air above the plaza distorted heavily as they gathered enough raw magical energy to turn the entire courtyard into a literal lake of fire.
Kanos raised his obsidian arm toward the sky. He did not draw a shield. He did not try to block. He opened his black palm and issued a cold, silent command through his mental link.
The shadows behind the grand pillars instantly erupted. Eighty Null Hounds launched themselves into the air like a massive wave of bruised violet terror. They moved with absolute, blinding speed. The beasts completely ignored the front line fighters. They leaped directly over Vorn’s head and crashed violently into the backline mages.
The magical chanting stopped instantly, replaced by horrific screams of pure agony.
The anti magic auras radiating from the hounds completely neutralized the mages’ defensive shields. The dark violet beasts tore through the fragile spellcasters ruthlessly. They bit into throats, crushed skulls, and violently swallowed the gathered magical energy before it could even ignite. The backline was completely decimated in exactly six seconds.
Vorn spun around in sheer disbelief. His ultimate raid party was falling apart before the battle had even properly started. He turned back to Kanos, his face twisting into a mask of pure rage.
"I will cut you to pieces!" Vorn screamed. He charged forward, completely abandoning any tactical formation. His fire sword blazed twice as bright, trailing a massive wave of destructive heat.
Belida stepped smoothly into Vorn’s path. The giant knight did not say a word. He simply swung his black greatsword upward. The heavy void stone blade crashed directly into Vorn’s blazing weapon.
The moment the two swords connected, the legendary fire magic on Vorn’s blade instantly died. The void stone completely sucked the enchantment dry, leaving Vorn holding nothing but a dull, ordinary piece of hot steel. Belida followed up immediately. He kicked Vorn squarely in the chest. The golden knight was thrown backward, crashing heavily onto his back and sliding across the bloody marble floor.
Kanos walked slowly toward the struggling Guild Master. He casually drew a long, slender black spear in the empty air using his obsidian arm. The spear materialized instantly, solid and deadly. Kanos grabbed the weapon from the air and pointed the sharp tip directly at Vorn’s throat.
"Your armor is too loud," Kanos said coldly. "And your tactics are garbage. Let me show you how a real professional cleans up a messy canvas."
