Elaine gently pushed Ian behind her as the flaming sword threw out long, voracious shadows over the broken street. He quaked, striving to appear stalwart.
"I'm not leaving you," he said.
"You won't," she swore. "Just remain close."
The boss entity advanced, cracking the ground beneath each step. Is its armor forged from the night itself, with veins of molten red flowing across it as if they were exposed nerves?
🛑 BOSS: HELLBRAND KNIGHT — LVL ???
Status: Marked Target: Elaine Odili
So the system knew her past
Her username.
Her skills.
Her kill count.
The Knight leveled its burning blade.
"You were destined to die in-game," it growled. "Reality has only delayed the inevitable."
Elaine's scythe vanished—
then reappeared behind the knight's helmet in a blink.
CLANG!
The impact sent sparks busting the monster, as it spun, deflecting at the final moment.
Ian gasped.
"You… teleported?!"
Elaine shook her head, sliding into a low stance.
"No. Shadowstep, short range, cooldown long. Don't get excited yet."
The knight made a monstrous speed lunge.
Elaine's arms were trembling-Metal howled as she answered every blow.
She caught a glimpse of Ian—
frozen, terrified.
Her pulse spiked.
PASSIVE TRIGGERED: BLOOD GUARD
("Defend marked ally. Stats boosted. ")
She pushed forward—
a whirlwind of scythe and rage.
SLASH
SPIN
CUT
Each strike was heavier and quicker and stronger than the last.
But the knight didn't stagger.
Instead, it laughed.
"Remember how to fight when you remember the game!" it hissed, her throat gripped in a burning gauntlet.
Elaine gagged as the heat blistered her skin.
⚠ HP: -12
⚠ Burned status inflicted
The knight raised its sword—
aiming for Ian.
Elaine's vision tunnelled.
No.
Not him.
They were huge eyes, and they met hers.
"Elai…"
Something ripped loose, she thought as she ran, something very dark and very fierce.
Shadows erupted from her spine—
sharp, winged, monstrous.
NEW SKILL UNLOCKED: REAPER ASCENT Duration: Short. Cost: Your sanity.
She wrenched away, shadows howling around her.
The knight stumbled backward, finally surprised.
Elaine's voice was a whisper of iron:
"I don't care who your king is…"
Her wings curled, ready to strike.
"… if he wants my brother - he'll have to kill me first."
---
POV — Hellbrand Knight
The shadows…
They were not in the script.
He looked through his system:
ERROR. ERROR. ERROR.
TARGET CLASS: UNKNOWN EXPANSION
AUTHORITY: ABOVE GAME MASTER
Impossible.
Who gave a mortal such power?
The Knight recalculated.
This "Night Reaper" was no player.
She was a threat to the King.
Mission priority changed:
NEW DIRECTIVE:
Catch and hold. Deliver to Shadow Crown.
He lifted his sword—
But she was already gone.
---
Back to Elaine
Ian clutched her arm as she came down hard on a roof, wings crumbling to dust.
His eyes brimmed as he touched her burnt neck.
"You saved me…"
She managed a small, fierce smile.
"I said I would."
Her screen beeped:
⚠ WORLD MERGE: 98%
❗SAFE ZONES NOT IN ACCESS
QUEST UPDATED:
Get to a Shelter by Midnight
Punishment = Permanent Death.
Ian swallowed. "Where are we going?"
Elaine squeezed her hand around her scythe.
"There's only one place that could possibly still be…"
She gazed toward the fragmented skyline — where a floating citadel pulsated like a stuttering sun.
"The Shadow Guild," she murmured.
"My old base."
The knight's roar rattled the streets underneath.
Time was fading.
"Run now," she said.
"Rest later."
They took off across the rooftops
—two specks against a broken world.
But for the first time…
the predators were afraid.