Kaelen returned to the locker room. He needed to leave. He needed to forfeit and run.
"Rix," he spoke into his comms. "Get the exit ready. I blew my cover."
"I can't," Rix's voice was shaky. "They locked the exits. Kaelen, the whole stadium is on lockdown. They're scanning everyone."
The locker room door opened. Three Silver Masks walked in. But these weren't normal Inquisitors. They wore Gold Stripes. Paladins. Level 40+.
"Candidate Kael," the lead Paladin said, drawing a sword that hummed with white light. "Your combat data contains... irregularities. The High Priest requests an immediate audit of your soul."
Kaelen stepped back. He was trapped in a small room with three elites.
"Audit this," Kaelen growled.
He didn't hide anymore. He released the Spores. A thick yellow fog filled the room. The Paladins' helmets filtered it out instantly. "Biological attacks are useless," the Paladin scoffed.
"It wasn't an attack," Kaelen said, his voice overlapping with Umbra's. "It was a smokescreen."
Kaelen sank into his own shadow. [Shadow Jump.]
He appeared behind the lead Paladin. He grabbed the Paladin's helmet. [Aspect of Heavy Strength (Active).]
Kaelen slammed the Paladin's head into the wall. The wall cracked. The helmet dented. But the Paladin didn't go down. He spun and backhanded Kaelen.
CRACK. Kaelen flew across the room, smashing through a locker. [HP: 200/450]
"Fast," the Paladin said. "But weak. You are a glass cannon, boy."
The three Paladins advanced. Kaelen wiped blood from his mouth. He reached into his inventory. He pulled out the Black Box (The Void Key).
"Guide," Kaelen thought. "If I open this fully... what happens?"
[Guide: The Void Steel will resonate with the Sanctum above. It will trigger a structural collapse. You will fall. They will fall. Everyone dies.]
"Good," Kaelen grinned. "I like falling."
He held the box up. "Hey, shiny! Catch!"
He didn't throw the box. He unlocked the Core Seal on it. A pulse of Anti-Mana exploded from the box. The Paladins' light-swords flickered and died. The lights in the stadium went out. The gravity stabilizers in the floor failed.
CREAAAK.
The floor of the locker room tilted. Sector 1 was beginning to de-stabilize.
[End of Volume 3]