The crystal shards of the Gilded Rose crunched beneath Leo's boots as he stepped over the shattered remains of Marcus's golden shield. The heavy, artificial scent of the lounge was being replaced by the metallic tang of ionized mana.
[Stat Allocation Confirmed.] [Strength: 18 -> 23] [Agility: 14 -> 21] [Stamina: 8 -> 11] [Alert: Your Agility has surpassed the 'Mortal Threshold' (20). New Passive Unlocked: 'Phantom Step'.]
Leo felt his heart skip a beat—not from exhaustion, but from a sudden, terrifying lightness. His body felt as though it were made of smoke. When he moved his hand, it left a faint, black afterimage in the air. This was the true power of the Obsidian Monarch; he was no longer bound by the physics of the "Awakened" world.
"The Association's response time is roughly twelve minutes for a Tier-S incident," Seraphina whispered, her form flickering between physical flesh and ethereal shadow. She walked toward the center of the room, her eyes fixed on the massive, floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the city. "If we stay here, we'll be fighting in a fishbowl. Every news drone in Aethelgard will have your face on the front page before the first blood is spilled."
Leo looked at his reflection in the dark glass. The man staring back was a stranger. His jaw was sharper, his eyes a predatory violet, and a faint, dark mist seemed to cling to his skin. "Let them watch," Leo said, his voice cold. "I want them to see what happens when their 'Hero' system fails."
[System Warning: High-Level Mana Signatures Detected.] [A-Rank Rapid Response Team: 'The Valkyries' are approaching.] [ETA: 4 Minutes.]
"Valkyries," Leo muttered, recalling the name from his days of carrying their gear. They were an all-female squad known for their aerial mobility and light-element magic—the exact opposite of Leo's shadow-based powers. "They're fast, but they rely on the sun. In the dark, they're just birds with clipped wings."
"Then let's give them a proper cage," Seraphina purred. She reached out, her fingers lacing with Leo's. As their Shared Mana surged, she began to chant in a language that sounded like grinding stones and midnight winds.
[Skill Activation: Domain of the Night-Mother (Shared).] [Area of Effect: 500 Meters.] [Effect: Artificial light is extinguished. Shadow-element skills receive a 200% boost.]
Outside, the neon lights of the Upper District flickered once, twice, and then died. The massive holographic billboards that usually illuminated the plaza went black. A thick, ink-like fog began to roll through the streets, swallowing the streetlamps and plunging the world into a primordial darkness.
Leo felt his Phantom Step activate instinctively. He vanished from the center of the room and reappeared on the edge of the balcony, three hundred feet above the street. He didn't feel the wind; he felt the shadows.
A distant hum reached his ears. Three streaks of golden light were cutting through the black fog, heading straight for the Gilded Rose. They were the Valkyries, their armored wings glowing with high-intensity mana to pierce the gloom.
"There! On the balcony!" a voice echoed through the air, amplified by magic. "Target confirmed. Leo, former Class-D cleaner. Status: Highly Volatile. Authorized to use lethal force!"
Leo didn't flinch as the lead Valkyrie, a woman in silver plate-mail wielding a spear of pure light, charged toward him. Her speed was incredible, a literal bolt of lightning aimed at his chest.
[Perception Active: Time Dilation (0.5s).]
In the slowed-down world of his Agility stats, Leo could see the sweat on the woman's brow. He could see the vibration of the mana in her spear. He waited until the tip was inches from his throat before he moved.
Flicker.
He didn't dodge to the side. He used Phantom Step to move through the shadow cast by her own body. He reappeared behind her, his obsidian blade already unsheathed.
"Too slow," Leo whispered.
He didn't kill her instantly. Instead, he drove his blade through the mechanical joint of her wings. The silver metal shattered like glass.
"Gah!" The Valkyrie screamed as her flight stabilization failed. She plummeted toward the darkness of the streets below, her golden light extinguished.
[Enemy Neutralized: A-Rank Scout.] [Experience Gained: +1,500.]
The other two Valkyries screeched to a halt in mid-air, their formation broken. They looked down into the abyss where their leader had vanished, then back at Leo, who was standing on the railing, the shadows coiling around him like a royal cloak.
"What are you?" the second Valkyrie demanded, her voice trembling. "That wasn't a standard Awakening skill! That was... that was Forbidden!"
"The Association calls anything they can't control 'Forbidden'," Leo replied, his eyes glowing with a terrifying intensity. "I call it justice."
Seraphina appeared beside him, her wings now fully unfurled, spanning ten feet of iridescent black scales. She looked at the remaining two women with a look of pure, unadulterated hunger. "One for you, and one for me, my King?"
Leo's grip on his blade tightened. He could feel the Soul Siphon skill humming in his palm, hungry for the high-quality mana of the A-Rank warriors. If he could take them both, he would hit Level 15 before the sun came up.
"Leave the one on the left," Leo commanded, his gaze locking onto the Valkyrie with the largest mana signature. "She's the captain. Her soul belongs to the System."
[Quest Updated: The Fall of the Valkyries.] [Reward: Soul Essence (High-Grade) & Skill Upgrade: 'Shadow Step' -> 'Void Flicker'.]
Leo didn't wait for her to attack. He leaped into the open air, a predator diving into the sea. But he didn't fall. The shadows rose up to meet his feet, forming invisible platforms that allowed him to run through the sky.
The Valkyrie captain raised her hand, a massive circle of light-magic forming in front of her. "Solar Flare! Burn in the light of the righteous!"
The sky turned white. A pillar of concentrated heat, hot enough to melt steel, erupted from the circle, aimed directly at Leo.
But Leo didn't stop. He leaned into the heat, his Stamina stats and Monarch's Aura acting as a shield. The light scorched his clothes, revealing the intricate, glowing black tattoos of the Obsidian Bloodline that now covered his chest and arms.
He burst through the flames, his blade glowing with a purple fire of its own.
CLANG.
The obsidian steel met the light-shield in a shower of sparks that illuminated the entire district. For a moment, it was a stalemate of raw power. But then, Leo felt the Shared Mana from Seraphina surge into his arm.
"Break," Leo hissed.
The light-shield shattered. The Valkyrie captain's eyes widened as the obsidian blade sliced through her armor, carving a deep mark across her chest.
[Target 'Valkyrie Captain' Weakened.] [Condition Met: Soul Siphon (Rank 2) is now available.]
Leo grabbed her by the throat, the heat of her light-magic still burning against his skin. He didn't feel the pain. He only felt the rush of the hunt.
"Your 'Light' is a lie," Leo whispered as the purple vortex began to form in his hand. "Let me show you the truth of the dark."