The Box: Fate
Chapter 48 — The Colliding Worlds
The air in front of the hotel didn't just feel heavy; it felt like it was being crushed into a vacuum Vahn the Iron-Heart stopped ten paces from the entrance, his grey cloak fluttering despite the lack of wind He didn't say a word, but the obsidian pressure of his Level 65 aura caused the stone pavement beneath his feet to spider-web with cracks
"That's far enough, 'Star-Rank'" Axel Hatanaki shouted, leaping from the balcony and landing with a heavy thud The golden light of his Aurelian Prison flared, creating a ten-foot barrier of shimmering solar energy
Sharky Bee dropped silently from the shadows of a nearby roof, his green-tinted daggers spinning in a blur "We don't care about your rank You want the Zenith card? You go through the wall first"
Vahn looked at them, his eyes cold and uninterested "Level 38? Level 36? You are brave, but you are playthings"
Vahn moved It wasn't speed—it was a distortion of space He appeared in front of Axel instantly, his palm striking the golden barrier The sound was like a sledgehammer hitting a bell. Axel' teeth rattled, but he didn't move
"I told you!" Axel roared, his metallic skin glowing red-hot "TITAN SOUL: ABSOLUTE DEFENSE!"
The shockwave blew out the windows of the neighboring shops While Vahn was focused on Axel' unbreakable shield, Sharky Bee vanished into a Shadow Flicker. He reappeared behind Vahn' neck, his daggers lunging for the gaps in the hunter' cloak. "EMERALD END: PHANTOM STRIKE!"
Vahn tilted his head by a fraction of an inch, the daggers whistling past his ear He caught Sharky Bee' wrist with his left hand while simultaneously kicking Axel's shield with his right. The power was immense—Axel was sent skidding back twenty feet, his boots carving deep trenches in the street
"Impressive coordination" Vahn muttered, his obsidian aura suddenly expanding into the shape of a towering, faceless knight "But coordination cannot bridge a thirty-level gap"
Just as Vahn raised his hand to unleash a crushing blow that would have leveled the entire street, a cold, sharp chill swept through the city It wasn't the heat of a dragon or the glow of gold—it was the silence of a grave
"DOMAIN OF THE FALLEN: ANGEL OF DEATH,
The silver light of the Zenith card erupted from the hotel doorway. Kataki stepped out, his twin daggers unsheathed and glowing with a ghostly, ethereal mist Behind him, the rest of the squad—Zanaki, Murasaki, Akira, and the others—stood in a perfect battle line, their combined mana creating a storm that rivaled Vahn's pressure
The "Angel of Death" skill began to manifest—a massive, winged shadow with a scythe appeared behind Kataki, its blade hovering right over Vahn' head The entire street turned grayscale, the color draining out as the skill began to drain the life-force of everyone within its radius
Vahn's obsidian knight collided with the Angel' scythe, creating a stalemate of pure energy
"Stop" Kataki said, his silver eyes locking onto Vahn's
With a flick of his wrist, Kataki deactivated the skill just before the lethal "Soul Reaper" phase could trigger The color returned to the world, and the suffocating pressure vanished
"We aren't here to play games with other hunters, Vahn," Kataki said, his twin fangs humming in his hands "A Monarch is in the sky If you want the Zenith card to save yourself, you're a coward If you want it to fight, then join us. But if you take one more step toward my team with a weapon drawn... I will show you why they call me the Angel"
Vahn stood still, his grey cloak settling He looked at Axel, who was still standing despite his cracked armor, and then at Sharky Bee, who was ready to strike even with a bruised wrist Finally, he looked at Kataki
A small, grim smile appeared on the Star-Rank' face "The Nameless Vanguards I thought the rumors were exaggerations I was wrong"
He lowered his hands, his crushing aura vanishing completely "The Monarch, Malakas, is already moving We don't have time for a civil war"
The standoff was over, but the message was clear: The Nameless Vanguards weren't just survivors anymore Even the strongest players in the world now had to acknowledge their bite