The safe zone burned.
Not in flames—yet. But the tension, the air, the way everyone gripped their weapons as if war would erupt at any second... it all stank of violence.
Crimson Fangs stood at the southern barricade in full gear—fifteen players strong, armed to the teeth, armor gleaming with recent upgrades. They moved like a unit. Coordinated. Controlled.
The Shadow Syndicate? Shadows. Gone from view. Not a single one in sight, but their presence was everywhere. Watching. Waiting.
And Justin?
He stood dead center between the two.
"I don't like this," Bruno said, shouldering his rifle. "You stand there too long, someone's going to take it as an invitation."
"Let them," Justin said coldly. "I'm done playing by other people's rules."
Matilda gritted her teeth. "They're not rules anymore. They're ultimatums."
[System Notification]
Faction War Detected: Crimson Fangs vs. Shadow Syndicate
Neutral players may choose to:
– Join a side
– Observe and loot
– Flee to Floor 3 (once gate opens)
Warning: War zones ignore Safe Zone restrictions.
The system had just flipped the kill switch.
Neutrality was a fantasy now.
Justin stared at the two forces. Blood on one side. Silence on the other.
Then his name lit up in system chat.
[Crimson Fang Officer – Krail]: "Lethal Assassin. You have potential. Join us. We can offer protection, upgrades, power."
[Shadow Syndicate – Lysaria]: "Come home. We both know where your talent thrives."
Bruno glanced at the messages. "They're pulling you from both ends. You thinking of picking one?"
Justin didn't answer.
Because the truth was—
He didn't want to pick a side.
He wanted to burn both to the ground.
The decision was made for him when the first arrow flew.
It came from a Crimson Fang sniper perched high on the archway wall—meant for a cloaked Syndicate scout that had appeared too close to their line.
But the Syndicate didn't scatter.
They emerged.
All at once.
Dozens of them, unmasked, cloaked in shifting black armor. No warnings. No speeches. Just war.
Crimson Fang roared as they charged.
And chaos exploded.
Justin moved.
Fast.
Matilda beside him, Bruno providing cover fire from behind.
No sides. No allegiance.
Just survival.
He weaved through the storm of blades and blood, dodging a warhammer swing, slipping behind a Syndicate killer and slicing the back of their knee in one fluid motion. As they fell, he plunged his dagger into their neck.
Blood sprayed his coat. He didn't even blink.
Matilda danced like her codename: The Ballerina. Her chain-dagger whipped through the air, slicing across a Fang's cheek before she spun and kicked another in the ribs, launching them into a wall.
Bruno shouted from behind a crumbled wall, unloading round after round with pinpoint precision. "We're in the middle of a f***ing raid!"
"Focus!" Justin shouted, ducking under a polearm swing. His blade flicked up, severing tendons. The player screamed before collapsing.
[You have killed: Fanged_Lancer]
[XP gained: 450]
[Combo Chain: 3 – Precision Bonus Active]
Then the bosses showed up.
Not monsters.
Leaders.
From the Crimson Fangs came Krail, massive in red-gold armor, wielding a double-bladed axe nearly his height. Every swing shattered the ground.
From the Syndicate came Lysaria.
No longer smiling.
Now dressed in full void-black gear, her daggers pulsing with violet energy, eyes glowing like a nightmare.
And then…
They both looked at Justin.
"KILL HIM FIRST!" Krail roared.
"HE BELONGS TO ME!" Lysaria snarled.
Well. That was new.
Justin didn't wait.
He activated Shadow Step.
The world blurred as he zipped backward ten meters, just in time for Krail's axe to cleave through the space he'd just stood.
He reappeared behind a Syndicate twinblade. One slash to the spine, another across the throat. Down they went.
Matilda fought her way to him, bloodied and panting.
"Do they want you dead or adopted?!"
"Both!"
Bruno's voice crackled over the voice party chat: "Gate's opening in twenty! Floor 3. North end! Go now or we're screwed!"
Justin glanced across the battlefield.
No way they'd make it without drawing attention.
Unless…
He turned to Matilda. "You trust me?"
"Less with every second!"
He smirked. Then took her hand.
"Good. Hold on."
He activated Shadow Chain: Burst Dash.
A new technique he'd secretly unlocked from Hakuda the night before.
Time slowed.
Then collapsed.
Justin surged forward, dragging Matilda with him in a dark trail of speed and smoke. They zigzagged between fighting bodies, Syndicate and Fang alike. Sparks flew from blades that missed them by inches. Blood stained the air like red mist.
One player tried to grab Matilda—Justin's elbow snapped their wrist.
Another swung at Justin—Matilda's dagger silenced them mid-strike.
They didn't stop.
Not until the gate was in sight—tall, bronze, beginning to glow.
[FLOOR 3 ACCESS UNLOCKED – Time Left: 2:00]
Bruno appeared beside them, half-limping, bleeding from his side. "Thought you left me behind."
"You're ugly, not forgettable," Justin grinned.
Together, the three of them leapt through the gate—
—and everything vanished.
[FLOOR 3 – THE COLD BRIDGE]
A freezing wind hit them instantly.
Snow.
Everywhere.
Jagged cliffs. Frozen lakes. Ruined towers of ice.
No enemies yet. Just silence.
The kind that felt… earned.
Bruno collapsed onto the snow, breathing heavily. "We made it. Holy hell."
Matilda fell to her knees, arms shaking.
Justin stood. Blade still in hand. Breathing like he'd run through a hurricane.
Then he saw it.
A message scratched into the snow in black ash:
You Run Fast, Assassin. But Not Forever. – L
He stared at it.
Then looked up at the sky.
And whispered to himself:
"I'm not running."
(To Be Continued....)