The world shook with the force of his steps.
Ikaros advanced, each movement echoing like drumbeats through the hollow bones of the village's boundary.
Before him stood the three Candidates—summoners, tyrants, manipulators of innocents.
They had expected a soft defense. They found death given form.
The warrior-type Candidate roared and lunged first, sword igniting with crimson energy, aiming for Ikaros's neck.
CLANG!
His weapon didn't reach.
Ikaros raised a single hand, catching the blade with his halberd's shaft. Without moving his legs, he twisted his torso slightly—and snapped the sword in half.
[Passive Triggered: Mythic Bone Layer]→ Negates first physical attack every 20 seconds.
[Counter: Sunder Cleave]→ Delivers 3x multiplier damage to melee assailants.
Ikaros cleaved through the warrior's shoulder. Blood sprayed like mist. The warrior screamed and dropped to one knee, gasping.
The mage-type Candidate stepped back and summoned six ethereal lances, all aimed directly at Ikaros's joints.
"He's strong, but slow!" she shouted. "Focus on—"
Too late.
Ikaros raised his shield and swept the air horizontally.
[Skill: Soul Veil Shatter]→ Dispels active enemy spells within radius and reflects 50% of mana cost as backlash.
The lances shattered mid-air. The mage shrieked as her core pulsed violently in response, backlash searing her mana veins.
She collapsed, smoke rising from her wrists.
The last Candidate—beast-type—didn't hesitate.
"This is madness. We've walked into a trap. I'm leaving!"
He turned and dashed toward the hidden treeline, activating a pre-buried escape scroll.
[Trap Triggered: Burial Net – Grave Spines]→ Activates a skeletal snare laced with immobilization glyphs.
From beneath the soil, bone-chains erupted, wrapping around his legs and dragging him into the air.
His screams were pitiful.
System Notification (Hidden)
[Mindlink Active – Bone General: Ikaros]
→ Target status: Three Hostile Candidates immobilized. Executing purge.
But before Ikaros could strike the final blow, a voice echoed in his mind.
Iden.
"Stop."
Ikaros paused mid-motion, halberd raised above the prone mage's chest.
"Do not draw it out. Execute all three—now. No pain. No glory. Just silence."
"Understood."
In one fluid motion, he turned his halberd in a spiral flourish and—
THUNK. THUNK. THUNK.
Three bodies.
Three clean kills.
Three problems—gone.
By the time Rael's patrol circled back toward the opposite gate, the village looked peaceful.
Builders had already repaired the damaged entry. Bone reinforcements clicked back into place. Civilians chatted near the hearth on the opposite side, none the wiser.
In the shadows near the old storehouse, Ikaros and two Sentinels dragged the bodies inward, silently.
"Store them," Iden instructed. "We'll extract their cores later. Make use of what they brought."
Ikaros bowed his helm. "It shall be done."
The village thrived, unaware of the execution that had taken place just beyond their gates.
But beneath the peace, the message had been carved in blood:
This is Iden's domain.Trespassers die quietly.