Deep Beneath Wizard City
The chamber was more crowded than before.
More cloaks.
More whispers.
More tension.
A faint ripple of magic lingered in the air.. unstable, unsettled.
One cultist stepped forward, voice tight.
"…the earth hunter is gone."
Another replied immediately:
"No trace. His signature vanished completely."
Silence followed.
Then the leader spoke, slower this time.
"…confirmed?"
A third cultist nodded.
"Yes. He engaged the lightning wielder."
"…and lost."
The room shifted uneasily.
The earlier confidence was gone.
One of the older cultists exhaled sharply.
"We underestimated him."
Another added:
"Direct confrontation is inefficient."
The leader's glowing eyes dimmed slightly in thought.
"…then we change strategy."
A circle of runes lit up beneath their feet.
Ancient.
Heavy.
Not meant for combat
but containment.
One cultist unrolled a worn scroll.
Inside were diagrams of a cube-shaped prison, layered with sealing glyphs, temporal anchors, and mana suppression arrays.
"…a stasis seal," he whispered.
Another nodded.
"If completed… he won't die."
"He won't age."
"He won't escape."
The leader finished:
"…he will be removed."
The chamber darkened.
"…begin preparations."
"…this will take time."
"And when it is ready…"
"…we will bury the storm."
Three Days Later
The air smelled different now.
Burning.
Metal.
Death.
Sam walked through the outskirts of a ruined metropolitan city, the skeletal remains of skyscrapers rising like blackened teeth against the sky. Fires still burned in distant buildings, slow and endless.
The trail had led him here.
Toward the coast.
Toward Elena.
His body had fully healed.
His steps were steady again.
Stronger.
Faster.
Sharper.
But something felt off.
His perception flickered.
Then
Gunshots.
Distant.
Echoing through empty streets.
Sam stopped.
Listened.
More shots.
Short bursts.
Controlled.
Humans.
"…still alive…"
He changed direction immediately.
Moving through broken alleyways, stepping over debris, avoiding open sightlines. His movements were quieter now, more cautious.
The sounds grew louder.
Then
He saw them.
A group of soldiers.
Around eight of them.
Dirty.
Exhausted.
Uniforms torn.
They were positioned behind a makeshift barricade of overturned vehicles, firing relentlessly at a swarm.
Mutants.
Dozens.
Humans in early stages of oozification.. their skin partially melted, movements erratic, eyes empty.
Feral.
Fast.
Dangerous.
One soldier shouted:
"Reload! Reload... !"
Another screamed as a mutant nearly reached him before being shot down.
The line was breaking.
Sam watched for a second.
Analyzing.
Then
He moved.
Lightning flickered.
He burst forward.
A blur.
The first mutant lunged
Sam's blade cut clean through it.
Another came from the side
A lightning-enhanced kick shattered its torso.
He didn't stop.
He moved through them like a storm.
Precise.
Efficient.
Deadly.
Mana beams fired into clusters.
Lightning bursts exploded groups apart.
The soldiers froze for a moment.
Watching.
"…what the hell is that…?"
"…a wizard…?"
"…no… something else…"
Within minutes
The swarm was gone.
The last mutant collapsed, twitching before going still.
Silence returned.
Only the crackling of distant fires remained.
Sam stood among the bodies, breathing calm.
Then
He turned to the soldiers.
They stared at him.
Relief.
Shock.
…something else.
One of them stepped forward.
A tall man with a scar across his face.
"…you just saved our lives," he said.
His voice sounded grateful.
But Sam's perception… twitched.
Something didn't align.
The way they held their weapons.
The way two of them subtly shifted behind him.
The way their eyes… lingered too long.
Not fear.
Not respect.
Calculation.
Sam didn't lower his guard.
"…what happened here?" he asked calmly.
The leader smiled faintly.
"Mutant outbreak. We've been clearing zones."
Another soldier added quickly:
"Yeah…just protecting survivors."
Sam's eyes flicked across them.
Weapons.
Gear.
Blood stains.
Some of it… not from mutants.
The leader stepped closer.
"You're strong. We could use someone like you in this chaotic time.. ."
A pause.
Then
"…join us my friend ."
Sam didn't answer immediately.
The wind blew ash across the street.
Somewhere far off…
Thunder rolled softly.
And beneath the surface
Something felt wrong.
The wind carried ash between them.
Sam didn't answer immediately.
His eyes moved... slow, deliberate, taking everything in.
The soldiers.
Their spacing.
Their weapons.
Their breathing.
Too controlled for men who had just "barely survived."
Too calm.
His Perception pressed harder.
Something beneath the surface…
Off.
But he didn't show it.
Instead, he relaxed his shoulders slightly.
"…fine," Sam said.
A pause.
"Temporarily."
The leader's smile widened just a little too quickly.
"Good choice."
Behind him, one of the soldiers subtly exhaled in relief.
Another adjusted his grip on his rifle..
loosening it.
Not preparing.
Standing down.
That told Sam everything he needed.
They weren't expecting a fight from him.
Good.
He stepped closer to the barricade, resting the Demon Eye Sword casually against his shoulder.
"I'm not staying long," he added.
The leader nodded.
"Fair enough. We're moving out anyway."
He gestured down the street.
"Base isn't far."
Moving Through the City
They traveled in a loose formation.
Two in front.
Three behind.
Sam stayed in the middle.
Exactly where they wanted him.
Exactly where he wanted to be.
The ruined city groaned around them... burning buildings, shattered glass crunching under boots, distant echoes of collapsing structures.
No civilians.
No survivors.
Just silence.
Too silent.
Sam's gaze drifted to the soldiers again.
Their gear wasn't standard.
Mixed equipment.
Different insignias scratched out.
One carried restraints... not for mutants.
For people.
Another had a bag… faintly stained.
Not fresh.
Old.
Repeated use.
Sam's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…you said you protect survivors," he said casually.
The leader didn't turn.
"We do."
A beat.
"Anyone we find."
Not a lie.
But not the truth either.
Sam noted it.
They turned into a narrower street.
Buildings leaned inward, blocking most of the light.
It grew darker.
More enclosed.
A perfect ambush point.
Sam's lightning flickered faintly... barely visible.
The soldier behind him noticed.
"…you always spark like that?" he asked.
Sam didn't look back.
"Only when I'm bored."
A few of them chuckled.
But the tension didn't drop.
If anything
It thickened.
After several minutes, they reached a partially intact structure... a large, collapsed office building with a reinforced underground entrance.
A base.
Or something pretending to be one.
The leader turned to Sam.
"We set up here."
He gestured inside.
"Safe. Secure."
Sam looked at the entrance.
Dark.
Quiet.
No visible guards.
But his perception caught faint movement inside.
More people.
Watching.
Waiting.
He stepped forward anyway.
"…after you," he said.
The leader chuckled.
"Careful type, huh?"
He entered first.
The others followed.
Sam stepped in last.
The moment he crossed the threshold...
The door behind him slammed shut.
Heavy metal locks clicked into place.
Inside, the darkness shifted.
Figures emerged from the shadows.
More soldiers.
Weapons raised.
Not at the door.
At him.
The leader's voice changed.
Cold.
Flat.
"…welcome to base."
No more pretending.
Sam didn't move.
Lightning began to crawl slowly across his skin.
Soft.
Quiet.
Dangerous.
"…yeah," he said calmly.
"I figured this was a set up.. ."
The room fell silent.
Guns aimed.
Magic flickered faintly among some of them.
And in that still moment
The storm waited..... until I didn't....
The silence snapped.
The moment the moment all locks sealed
They attacked.
Gunfire erupted first.
Sam moved instantly.
Lightning Enhancement surged through his body..his form blurring as bullets tore through the space where he had been a heartbeat ago.
He didn't retreat.
He advanced.
A mana beam fired point-blank, blasting one soldier backward into a wall
But instead of collapsing…
The "man" twisted mid-air.
His body stretched.
Cracked.
Split.
Skin peeled away like a mask.
What landed wasn't human.
Blue skin.
Long limbs.
Three-jointed arms.
Eyes too wide.
Too many teeth.
A distorted, goblin-like creature hissed, its voice layered and unnatural.
Around the room
The rest changed.
Bones shifted.
Faces melted.
Uniforms tore as their true forms emerged.
A group of shapeshifting goblin creatures, each radiating low-level magic.
Their leader stepped forward.
Larger.
Bulkier.
Eyes glowing faintly.
He grinned.
"…finally."
"Masking gets tiring."
Sam stared at them.
Then smirked.
"…wow."
A pause.
"You guys are even uglier than the oozers."
The room went still.
Then
The leader laughed.
Low.
Mocking.
"You've got guts, lightning boy."
He tilted his head.
"…we're here for your bounty."
Sam rolled his shoulder, lightning beginning to intensify around his body.
"…figured.. It's not surprising... Much ."
The leader stepped forward.
"Kill him."
They rushed him all at once.
Fast.
Too fast.
Sam's perception flared
These weren't weak.
Not even close.
Equal.
Every one of them.
Speed.
Strength.
Reaction.
All near his level.
"…seriously?"
He ducked under a claw swipe, countering with a lightning-covered slash
CLANG
The blade struck hardened skin and was deflected.
"What the.. ?!"
Another came from the side.
Sam blocked
The impact sent him sliding back.
They were strong.
Really strong.
A third lunged
He jumped, flipping backward, firing two mana beams mid-air
One hit.
The creature staggered
But didn't fall.
Regeneration.
Not like oozers
Faster.
Cleaner.
Controlled.
Sam landed, lightning crackling louder now.
"…okay…"
He tightened his grip on the sword.
"…you're not fodder."
The leader grinned wider.
"Now you understand."
They moved again.
This time coordinated.
Two attacked from the front.
One from above.
One circled behind.
Sam activated Static Field
Electricity burst outward, slowing them slightly
Just enough.
He stepped in.
Lightning surged along his blade.
SLASH
He cut deep into one creature's shoulder
It screamed
But another slammed into him from the side.
BOOM
He crashed into a wall, the structure cracking under impact.
He rolled immediately as claws tore through where his head had been.
Blood dripped from his lip.
His eyes sharpened.
No more testing.
No more holding back.
"…fine then... You guys asked for it.. So don't complain.. ."
Lightning exploded around him.
Full output.
The room lit up in blue-white arcs.
The creatures hesitated for the first time.
Sam vanished.
Speed pushed beyond his usual bursts.
He appeared behind one
Point-blank discharge
CRACK
It convulsed violently.
He followed with a decapitating slash.
The head hit the ground.
Didn't regenerate.
First kill.
The others roared.
The leader stepped forward, aura flaring.
"Good!"
"This is worth it!"
They charged again
Faster.
Stronger.
Sam met them head-on.
Lightning vs claws.
Steel vs flesh.
Mana vs magic.
Each clash shook the room.
Each exchange pushed him harder.
He blocked a strike
Countered
Dodged another
Barely.
They were adapting.
Learning.
Just like him.
Blood splattered the ground.
Some theirs.
Some his.
His breathing deepened.
His movements sharpened further.
This wasn't a hunt.
This was a battle of equals.
And Sam
Was finally serious.
The storm roared inside him.