The Latin player moved cautiously, each footstep calculated and quiet as he stepped between the small, tightly packed desks scattered across the first floor. His weapons were gripped tightly in both hands—his war hammer heavy and ready, his shield lifted just enough to guard his chest.
His eyes darted left and right, scanning every inch of the shadowy floor. Though his face was composed, the rising pace of his heartbeat betrayed the pressure he was under.
His body tensed as adrenaline slowly surged through his bloodstream. No matter how many times he had been in situations like this before—tracking a hostile in tight corridors, not knowing when or where the attack might come—there was always a flicker of primal fear that remained. The fear of the unknown. Of what could be lurking just beyond the edge of his vision.
And then it happened.
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
Without warning, the sound of ripping energy tore through the air above him. A massive, swirling black portal opened directly overhead in a flash, like a wound tearing through the fabric of reality. His eyes went wide with shock, his body reacting on instinct alone as every trained muscle screamed to move.
CRACK
His skin began hardening rapidly, shifting in colour and texture as a rocky layer coated his body in response to danger. It was a defensive skill, a reflex honed through countless battles. But it was far too late.
A searing flash of red light moved faster than anything he could track. It sliced clean through the air and found its mark.
A single, silent moment passed.
'Huh? Why is everything upside down?'
That was his final thought. His last realisation before consciousness left him—just as his head, cleanly separated from his body, fell to the floor. Ali's crimson lightsaber had already returned to his side, humming softly as the Latin player's decapitated corpse collapsed in a heap beneath the desks.
At that exact moment—precise and calculated—Ali turned his attention upward. His dark eyes narrowed with focus as he sent out a mental command to the shadowed portal still suspended in the air above.
'Bite.'
The black dragon he had summoned surged forward through the portal, its gaping maw open and lined with jagged, sword-sized teeth. With a low growl and an explosive rush of air, the beast's jaws descended on the second floor where the Asian Rock Guild member was advancing.
The player saw it—just in time. The massive, terrifying mouth filled his vision as he raised his hammer and shield in front of him. His skin was already transformed into solid rock, completely fortified. Unlike his comrade, he had managed to harden in time.
The blue necklace around his neck glowed intensely, reacting to the incoming telekinetic force trying to disrupt his balance. It shimmered with enchanted energy, helping him maintain his stance even as the dragon's fangs came crashing down around him like the collapsing ceiling of a cave.
Above, on the third floor, Jamie didn't hesitate for a second.
BOOM!
With a roar of effort, he clenched his fists and slammed one of them into the floor with all the strength his earth-based abilities could channel.
Time slowed in that instant.
It all happened at once—the Latin player's lifeless body still warm, the Asian fighter on the verge of being swallowed whole, and Jamie launching into action to reach his teammates in time.
BANG!
CRACK!
CRACK!
The floor beneath Jamie shattered under his enhanced strength, and with a thunderous crash, he dropped through the destroyed tiles and debris, landing in the chaos of the second floor.
What met him was a nightmare.
The snout of a colossal black dragon burst through the floor's structure, ripping steel beams apart like twigs. Blood—thick, dark red and glistening—dripped from its jagged teeth and spilled onto the ground.
There was no sign of his comrade.
Jamie's eyes widened in shock, pupils dilating as the reality hit him. His throat tightened with fury.
"AAAAAAAH!" he screamed, raw emotion flooding his voice. Without thinking, he raised his shotgun and aimed at the dragon's face. With the other hand, he pointed two fingers toward the beast and focused his magic.
"STONE SPIKE!"
The words echoed like a battle cry through the hollow building.
BANG!
He pulled the trigger just as a three-meter-long spike of stone erupted into existence. It launched like a missile from his outstretched hand and collided with the dragon in perfect tandem with the blast from his shotgun.
STAB!
The shotgun's heavy metal pellets ripped into the side of the dragon's maw, tearing open shallow craters in its flesh. At the same time, the sharpened stone spike drove into its lower jaw, shattering several of its massive teeth before bursting apart from the force.
The creature roared, reeling backward into the shadows with blood and broken bone falling in its wake.
BOOM!
Suddenly, the floor behind Jamie exploded upward as another figure launched through it like a missile. Ali flew up from below, his body spinning mid-air as his glowing red lightsaber arced downward for a decisive strike.
Jamie barely managed to react.
"ROCK SLIDE!" he yelled.
The ground around him answered immediately. Massive chunks of stone formed and shot outward in all directions. Dozens of thick slabs erupted around him like a stone explosion, meant to shield and destroy in every direction.
Ali used the Force to halt the first large rock in its path. The debris trembled mid-air, but after a brief moment, Ali let it go.
'It'd cost too much,' he thought quickly, analysing his Spirit reserves. It wasn't worth burning that much energy on defence—not now.
The rocks resumed their devastating trajectory, smashing through walls, staircases, and floors indiscriminately.
Outside the building, Japanese citizens watched in horror. From a distance, it seemed as if a nightmare had breached reality. The dragon's massive head crashed out through the side of the building, snarling and wounded, covered in black blood and glistening gore that poured from its torn mouth.
Behind the dragon, a storm of stone followed—huge slabs and boulders tore through the structure, obliterating walls, sending shattered glass and support beams into the air. The debris spread across nearby buildings, shattering windows and collapsing sections of adjacent rooftops.
From the sky, Ali came crashing down, using his quinque as a makeshift shield to absorb and deflect the rocks that followed him. He flipped mid-air, landing in a crouch between the rubble and twisted steel like a phantom descending from above.
[You killed a Player: 20 Paradise Coins]
[You killed a Player: 20 Paradise Coins]
[PC: 40]
'Damn, that dinner was expensive,' Ali thought, sighing as he glanced at the notification and saw his low coin total. He dismissed the interface, mentally storing the reward tally. With a casual motion, he returned his quinque to his inventory.
Dust coated the front of his mask. He lifted his hand and wiped it clean.
Then, he froze.
Click.
His black eyes immediately focused on the source of the noise. Just a few feet away, the cold end of a shotgun barrel was pointed directly at his face.
Jamie stood, battered but very much alive, with his enchanted shotgun aimed and ready. His skin was no longer flesh but entirely covered in thick, hardened stone, each segment of armour reflecting the light with a dull, deadly sheen.
"An enchanted shotgun. Very useful," Ali remarked aloud, coolly observing the weapon. He'd already noticed earlier how its damage output exceeded what was normal. The proof was clear: his dragon summon now lay slumped on the ground some distance away, its mouth torn open, with a massive wound still slowly healing.
Jamie's body trembled with fury. His black hair, now partially covering his wild eyes, dripped with sweat. The rage in his voice was unmistakable.
"Be ready to die for what you did!" he shouted, voice raw and laced with grief.
Ali tilted his head slightly, expression unreadable behind his mask. He turned just enough to glance sideways.
There, to his left, stood a Japanese family—a father, a mother, and two young boys. They huddled together amidst the rubble, wide-eyed and frozen in fear. They looked up at him with terror.
Ali's dark gaze lingered on them for a moment.
"What I did?" he said softly, repeating Jamie's words with quiet emphasis.
'Better not waste any time,' Ali thought as his gaze returned to Jamie, his expression cold and unreadable behind the mask. The intense blackness of his eyes narrowed with purpose.
In an instant, his red lightsaber disengaged from his grip and flew into the air, twisting rapidly like a spinning blade as it hovered with deadly precision.
Jamie's instincts kicked in. His eyes snapped to the movement, quickly realising the weapon was moving toward him in a controlled arc. Without hesitation, he pivoted slightly and aimed his shotgun at the flying lightsaber handle, ready to blast it out of the air.
But that was only the setup.
With a sudden burst of speed, Ali disappeared from his spot entirely and lunged directly toward Jamie. The movement was so fast it left a faint blur in the dust.
Jamie grinned with confidence, not the least bit shaken. He had baited enemies like this before. Seeing Ali charging so close didn't faze him.
"You thought!" Jamie shouted triumphantly as he spun his shotgun around mid-motion, pointing the barrel directly at Ali's chest. His finger was already pulling the trigger before Ali could close the gap.
BANG!
Jamie fired.
But there was nothing.
The blast tore through thin air, scattering dust and debris, but Ali had vanished—no trace, no sound, not even an echo. The only movement was the distant hum of the lightsaber still twisting in the air.
Jamie's breath caught in his throat. He snapped his head around, scanning the area.
'Where did he go?'
ZZZZZZZ
The sound returned—unnatural, warped, like reality being pulled apart.
A black portal opened directly in front of Jamie, a swirling vortex of shadow and void. Without thinking, he lunged forward and stabbed his sword into the portal, reacting on instinct before anything emerged.
SPLASH!
His blade met flesh. The unmistakable wet sound of steel piercing a body echoed from the portal. Blood sprayed out in a wide arc and splattered across Jamie's face and arms.
'I got him!' Jamie thought with elation, his eyes lighting up with hope.
But then he saw the face.
A middle-aged Asian man fell forward from the portal, a look of blank confusion frozen on his features as he collapsed, lifeless, onto Jamie's feet.
The realisation hit like a falling boulder.
It wasn't Ali.
Another portal opened just beside them. This one crackled with red lightning that arced out in jagged bursts. The air shimmered from the sheer heat of it.
Jamie yanked his sword free from the corpse—blood dripping from the blade—but he was a moment too slow.
Ali emerged like a missile, leaping from the second portal, his right hand engulfed in writhing red lightning. His entire arm glowed with raw destructive power, aimed straight at Jamie's chest.
Simultaneously, Ali's lightsaber twisted down from the sky toward Jamie's back like a silent executioner's blade. Its crimson edge flickered ominously in the air.
Jamie, realising the threat, opened his mouth and shouted, "ROCK SLI—"
But the spell was never finished.
A sharp white fang—thin and fast as a bullet—shot out from Jamie's shadow and stabbed him directly in the groin. It pierced through his rock-hard skin, punching deep into muscle and bone beneath. The pain was blinding. Jamie's breath caught mid-spell, his voice cutting off with a choked gasp.
BOOOOOM.
ZZZZZZ.
SPLASH.
Ali's lightning-covered hand crashed through Jamie's side. Red electricity exploded from his palm, burning through layers of enchanted rock, cracking it like fragile clay. His hand punched through Jamie's ribs and tore through his heart with clinical precision.
Jamie's body jerked once.
Then, Ali's lightsaber came down in a single, clean stroke and slashed across Jamie's neck, severing it instantly. His head tumbled to the floor as Ali let go and stepped back.
'Easy,' Ali thought, calm as ever, his arm still crackling with fading red lightning as Jamie's decapitated corpse slumped to the blood-soaked ground.
Ali exhaled quietly, then crouched beside the body. Without a word, he grabbed Jamie's limp corpse and hoisted it over his shoulder with ease. He turned toward the edge of the destroyed building and walked over to where his summon stood—his massive dragon head, still healing and licking blood from its jaws.
With a single movement, Ali tossed Jamie's body forward.
The dragon opened its mouth eagerly and swallowed the corpse whole, letting the energy fuel its healing. The wet crunch of bones echoed faintly across the ruined block.
"AAAAAAAAAAAH!"
The sharp, piercing scream of a woman cut through the fading chaos. Ali turned toward the sound.
A Japanese woman was on her knees beside the corpse of her husband—the man Jamie had killed moments earlier. She was sobbing uncontrollably, clutching his bloodied chest as if trying to wake him from a nightmare.
Just behind her, the two boys stood silent, frozen. They stared at their father's motionless body, confused and terrified, unable to understand why he wasn't moving.
And then they looked up.
Their small, tear-filled eyes met Ali's.
Their gazes locked on his face, or more accurately, on his eyes—black and unblinking, like deep wells with no bottom.
Ali didn't flinch. He turned away from the family, said nothing, and crouched low before leaping to the top of a nearby building with practiced ease. His body moved like shadow, vanishing across the rooftops as he began running again.
The dragon disappeared into his shadow, slipping beneath his feet, its body coiling and merging with the dark space there, still healing as they moved.
'I need to get stronger,' Ali thought, pulling up his map interface mid-sprint.
'It's pathetic that I took that much time killing three weaklings.'
[You killed a Player: 22 Paradise Coins]
[Paradise Coins: 62]
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