The four mercenaries stepped forward in unison. Their heavy broadswords scraped against the stone walls of the narrow corridor. Golden Aether hummed along the sharp edges of their weapons. They were all Bronze Tier veterans hired specifically to act as executioners in the dark.
Lord Valerius stood safely behind them. His bruised wrist was wrapped in a silk bandage, but his arrogant smile had returned in full force.
"Tear his arms off," Valerius commanded. "I want to watch the parasite bleed out. Leave the girl alone. Her overload will kill her soon enough."
Kaelen kept his eyes locked on the advancing killers. He calculated the distance. Ten yards. Five yards. He gripped the Vanguard dagger tightly, but the purple aura of his Aether Slash refused to ignite. His mana reserves were completely drained from destroying the mechanical spider. He had raw physical stats, but trying to block four enchanted broadswords with a chipped dagger was absolute suicide.
Lyra convulsed on the floor beside him. Blinding white light poured from the cracks in her silver chestplate. She was seconds away from detonating.
Kaelen dropped to one knee and grabbed her armored shoulder.
"Don't touch me," Lyra gasped in agony. The searing heat blistered his palm instantly.
"Shut up and feed me," Kaelen growled.
He forced his Void Core to awaken. Shadowy black tendrils burst from his skin and plunged directly into the fractured crystal on her chest. The reaction was explosive. Pure, overcharged light flooded into Kaelen's dark system. The agonizing burn in his veins transformed into a tidal wave of raw, violent power.
[Siphoning Overcharged Aether.]
[Host Mana Capacity temporarily maximized.]
Kaelen ripped his hand away just as the first mercenary swung a heavy broadsword toward his neck.
He did not dodge. He channeled the stolen, explosive mana directly into his dagger. A massive, roaring blade of purple light ignited around the rusted metal. It was three times larger than his normal Aether Slash.
Kaelen swung the dagger upward.
The purple light shattered the mercenary's golden broadsword into pieces. The kinetic wave did not stop. It tore straight through the man's heavy chestplate, severing bone and armor with terrifying ease.
The mercenary collapsed backward, dead before he hit the ground.
Kaelen stepped forward. Black tendrils lashed out from his boots, sinking into the fresh corpse and draining the Bronze Tier essence in a heartbeat.
[Target Devoured. Moderate density essence absorbed.]
[Strength +3. Agility +2.]
The remaining three mercenaries froze in absolute shock. A slum rat had just obliterated their vanguard in a single strike.
Valerius stumbled backward, his arrogant smile vanishing instantly. "What are you doing? Kill him!"
The second and third mercenaries roared and charged together. They swung their weapons in a coordinated, deadly cross pattern designed to trap their target.
Kaelen activated Street Stealth. His center of gravity dropped. His footsteps silenced entirely. The stolen agility flooded his muscles, making him unnaturally fast. He slid directly under the crossing blades, feeling the heat of their magic scorch his hair.
He drove his dagger straight up into the exposed armpit of the mercenary on the left. The blade pierced deep into the joint. Kaelen twisted his wrist violently, shattering the shoulder socket. The man shrieked and dropped his sword.
Kaelen grabbed the screaming man by the collar and used him as a human shield.
The third mercenary tried to halt his swing, but momentum betrayed him. His broadsword buried itself deep into his own partner's back.
Blood sprayed across the stone floor. Kaelen shoved the dying human shield forward, pinning the attacker against the wall. Without hesitation, Kaelen plunged his free hand directly into the third mercenary's chest.
"Feed," Kaelen whispered.
The shadowy tendrils ripped through the man's flesh, devouring both mercenaries simultaneously. The horrific slurping sound filled the narrow corridor. The two heavily armored men withered into gray ash, their armor clattering emptily to the stone floor.
[Multiple Targets Devoured.]
[Agility +4. Strength +5. Stamina +3.]
[Mana Capacity expanding.]
Kaelen stood up slowly. The dark Aether rolled off his shoulders like thick smoke. He wiped a streak of blood from his cheek and turned his glowing, abyssal black eyes toward the final mercenary.
The man dropped his sword. He turned around and sprinted frantically back up the corridor, completely abandoning his employer.
"Coward," Valerius screamed, watching his last guard flee into the shadows.
The blonde noble turned back to face Kaelen. Pure terror drained the color from his aristocratic face. He backed away until his shoulders hit a solid stone wall. There was nowhere left to run.
Kaelen twirled the Vanguard dagger in his hand. The borrowed magic from Lyra still burned like a furnace inside him. He took a slow, deliberate step toward the trembling noble.
"You nobles always talk about how power is everything," Kaelen said coldly. "Let us see how much power you actually have."
Valerius fell to his knees. He raised his uninjured hand in a desperate plea. "Wait. I am the heir to the Valerius House. My family controls the upper trade routes. I can give you gold. I can make you a Vanguard Captain tomorrow."
Kaelen raised his dagger. "I don't care about your gold."
Before Kaelen could bring the blade down, the entire labyrinth shuddered violently.
The stone floor beneath their feet cracked open with a deafening boom. Kaelen stumbled backward to avoid falling into the sudden fissure. Thick, noxious green mist poured out of the chasm, filling the corridor with the stench of ancient decay.
A massive, skeletal hand erupted from the mist. It was the size of a carriage, composed of jagged bone and glowing blue crystals. The hand slammed onto the edge of the chasm, crushing the dropped mercenary swords into powder.
A colossal, serpentine skull slowly rose from the darkness. Empty eye sockets burned with an unnatural, freezing blue fire. The mechanical traps of the labyrinth had merely been a warmup. The blood of the mercenaries had awakened the true guardian of the lower depths.
The system interface flashed violently with a dark, suffocating purple light.
[Warning. Abyssal Undead detected.]
[Threat Level: Silver Rank.]