NOVEL NEXT Chapter 18: The Witch's Inferno
Crash!
The rusted service door flew inward as Raze's boot connected. They were inside.
His Combat Reflex activated immediately, enhanced perception tracking every detail in the darkness. Two guards at the hallway's end, already turning toward the sound.
Aslan moved without hesitation. His footsteps thundered against stone as he closed the distance. The first guard raised a club.
Crack.
Aslan caught the guard's wrist and twisted. The man crumpled with a scream. The second guard stabbed forward desperately with a knife. Aslan sidestepped and delivered a palm strike to the solar plexus.
Thump.
Both guards down in seconds. No transformation needed.
"The basement." Raze drew Azure Edge, the blue steel gleaming faintly. "We need to reach the extraction equipment."
They descended stairs into growing purple light. The air tasted wrong. Chemical. Sharp. Corrupted mana saturated everything.
Kael's voice was tight. "The concentration down here is worse than the samples I collected. This equipment has been running for months."
The stairs opened into a vast chamber. Machinery dominated the space. Tubes and pipes connected to massive tanks. Purple liquid pulsed through glass conduits like poisoned blood. The corruption was visible, a miasma hanging in the air.
Five technicians worked the equipment. Two Adept rank guards stood watch.
One of the guards turned. His eyes widened.
"Intruders! Eastern entrance!"
Combat erupted.
The guards charged. Raze activated Scarlet Leap, his body blurring forward. Azure Edge sang as he engaged the first guard. Steel met steel.
Clang clang clang.
The guard was skilled. Adept rank strength behind each strike. But Raze's Combat Reflex tracked every movement. Predicted trajectories. His blade deflected and countered.
Slash.
Azure Edge bit into the guard's shoulder. Mana conducted through the blade, the wound cauterizing instantly. The guard stumbled back.
Aslan engaged the second guard. His silver eyes flickered. Twenty percent transformation. Just enough.
His punch shattered the guard's sword.
Crack!
The guard's eyes went wide. Aslan's follow up caught him in the chest. The man flew backward into the machinery.
Crash.
Glass tubes shattered. Purple liquid sprayed. The technicians scattered, screaming.
Kael moved to the main console. His alchemist training parsing the equipment. "This is directly tapping the ley line! The extraction rate is insane!"
Raze dispatched his opponent with a mana enhanced strike. The guard collapsed. He turned to the machinery, understanding clicking into place.
"Can we shut it down safely?"
"No. The ley line is under too much pressure. We need to destroy it completely or it'll restart itself." Kael's hands flew across controls. "But if we just smash it, the backlash could level the building."
"Then we evacuate and smash it anyway."
A technician lunged at Kael from behind. Knife raised.
Whoosh.
Kael's Iron Flesh activated instinctively. The blade struck his shoulder. Instead of penetrating, it scraped against hardened skin.
Clang.
Kael spun. His enhanced strength, courtesy of the skill cores, caught the technician off guard. He grabbed the man's wrist and slammed him into the console.
Crack.
The technician went limp.
"Thanks for the upgrade," Kael muttered.
Outside, the sound of Mariabel's assault intensified. Explosions. Screams. The roar of flames.
Boom boom boom.
"We need to hurry!" Raze channeled mana through Azure Edge. The blade glowed brilliant blue. "Everyone back!"
He struck the main extraction pipe.
Slash!
The metal parted like paper. Purple corruption erupted like arterial spray.
Hiss!
The machinery screamed. Metal warping. Pressure building. The tanks began to crack.
"RUN!"
They sprinted for the stairs. Behind them, the equipment convulsed. Pipes burst. Glass shattered everywhere.
Boom!
The explosion caught them halfway up. Corrupted mana flooded the basement like a toxic wave. Raze activated Instant Transmission.
Blink.
Reality shifted. He materialized at the top of the stairs. Disorientation crashed over him but he forced through it.
Aslan shielded Kael with his body. The corruption wave struck him full force. His silver aura flared, burning away the toxin. But the impact sent both men tumbling.
The basement collapsed. Stone and metal crushing inward. The extraction equipment buried under tons of rubble.
Silence fell. Then the corrupted mana began spreading up the stairs like fog.
"Out! The whole basement is flooding with that stuff!"
They burst through a side door into the main factory floor.
And into chaos.
---
Mariabel faced seventeen Syndicate members in the courtyard. A mix of Initiate and Adept ranks. They'd formed a semi circle around her, trying to use numbers to overwhelm.
She smiled.
Her flames danced higher. Testing. Experimenting. Her Authority hummed in her chest like a second heartbeat.
Grand Fireball.
The spell formed without conscious thought. No memorization needed. No formula to recall. She simply understood what she wanted. The flames responded.
The fireball was massive. Ten feet across. Compressed heat that made the air shimmer and warp.
Whoooosh!
It struck the ground between the Syndicate members.
BOOM!
The explosion was devastating. Bodies flew. Stone shattered. An entire section of the mill's outer wall collapsed. Dust and debris filled the air.
Mariabel stood at the center of the destruction, flames wreathing her body. Something was different. The more she fought, the more she understood.
"It's like..." She spoke to herself, wonder in her voice. "I don't need to remember the formula. I am the flame."
The Authority wasn't just permission to use fire. It was deeper. Fundamental. She was fire incarnate. Every spell ever created, she could access. Spells that didn't exist yet, she could invent.
Three Adepts charged through the smoke. Coordinated. Professional.
Mariabel didn't panic. Her flames shifted. Condensed into three precise lances.
Flame Lance times three.
The spells launched simultaneously. Dual casting. No, triple casting. Her Authority made it effortless.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh.
Two Adepts dodged. The third took a lance through his shoulder. He went down screaming.
The other two closed the distance. Blades gleaming.
Mariabel created a wall of fire between them. Not to harm. To force them to reveal their next move.
Her mana reserves dropped. Twenty percent gone already. Authority didn't make spells free. Just possible.
She needed to be smarter. More efficient.
The Adepts came through the flames, clothing smoking but pressing forward. Brave. Stupid. Same thing.
Mariabel switched tactics. Instead of area destruction, precision.
Fire Whip.
The flame formed in her hand. She lashed out. The whip wrapped around the first Adept's sword and yanked.
Clang.
The weapon tore free and clattered away. Her second strike caught him across the chest. He fell back, clutching burns.
The second Adept lunged. Fast. Too fast.
His blade scored her side. Pain exploded. Blood welled.
Mariabel gritted her teeth. Used the pain. Channeled it into rage.
Her flames turned blue. Hotter. More concentrated.
She grabbed the Adept's arm. Her hand wreathed in blue fire.
Sizzle.
The man screamed. His arm cooked in seconds. Mariabel shoved him away. He collapsed, unconscious from shock.
More Syndicate members poured from the building. Ten. Fifteen. Twenty.
"How many of you bastards are there?"
Her answer came in a deep voice from the mill's main entrance.
"Sixty three. Well, forty six now."
A man emerged. Older. Scarred face. Gray hair tied back. He moved with the confidence of someone who'd survived a thousand fights.
Power radiated from him. Undeniable. Overwhelming.
Mariabel's flames flickered. Her Perception skill screamed danger.
The man smiled. Not friendly. Predatory.
"Impressive. You've killed seventeen of my men. Destroyed the front of my operation. Made me come down here personally." He drew his sword. Plain steel. Well maintained. "I'm Viktor Ashborne. Commander of this facility. And you've just made a very expensive mistake, girl."
"Well. This complicates things."
---
Raze emerged onto the main factory floor just in time to see Viktor appear. His enhanced perception immediately analyzed the situation.
Mariabel facing someone strong. Her mana reserves already depleted. Exhaustion visible in her stance.
Raze's Inspect skill activated automatically.
[Syndicate Commander]
Name: Viktor Ashborne
Age: 58
Rank: Master (Low)
Core: Crystalline (Low)
Bloodline: None
Authority: None
Talent: [Sword Saint's Intuition]
Strength: S
Agility: A
Endurance: A
Mana: A
Mana Well: B
Will: S
Perception: S
Charm: D
Skills:
[Advanced Swordsmanship S]
[Battle Aura A]
[Killing Intent A]
[Pressure Step B]
[Blade Sense S]
[Counter Flow A]
[Vital Strike S]
Status: Enraged, Calculating, Lethal
Master rank. S rank in Strength, Perception, and Will. Advanced Swordsmanship at S rank.
No Authority. But decades of refined skill. A lifetime of combat distilled into pure technique.
Raze's throat went dry.
Behind Viktor, thirty more Syndicate members. This was their main base. They'd been hiding their real numbers.
"Damn it." Raze looked at Aslan. "We need to help her."
"I'll need to transform. Partial won't be enough against this." Aslan's silver eyes glowed. "But if I push past fifty percent..."
"I know. Do what you can. We'll handle the rest."
Aslan's silver aura exploded outward. Fifty percent transformation. His body surged with power. Strength jumping to S rank. Speed increasing. But his eyes began to glaze slightly. Consciousness fading at the edges.
The thirty Syndicate members turned. Saw three figures emerging from the building.
"More intruders! Kill them!"
Twenty broke off to engage Raze's group. Ten stayed with Viktor to handle Mariabel.
Aslan launched forward like a silver missile. His first punch took an Adept's head clean off his shoulders.
Crack.
The body collapsed. Blood sprayed.
The Syndicate members hesitated. Seeing true power for the first time. Seeing death made manifest.
Aslan didn't slow. He tore through their ranks like paper. Limbs separated from bodies. Bones shattered. Screams filled the air.
But Raze could see it. Aslan's movements becoming more erratic. Less controlled. The mindless state creeping in.
"Kael, stay back! Support range only!"
"On it!" Kael pulled vials from his pack. Threw one at a charging Initiate.
Splash.
The vial shattered. Acid ate through the man's face. He went down screaming.
Raze engaged three Adepts simultaneously. His Combat Reflex tracked all of them. Azure Edge parried and struck in perfect rhythm.
Clang clang clang.
But they were coordinated. Pressing him. His Strength was only C rank. Against multiple Adepts, he was outmatched.
One blade got through. Scored his arm.
Pain. Blood. His Endurance kept him fighting.
Scarlet Leap.
His body blurred backward. Distance created. He reassessed.
Meanwhile, Mariabel faced Viktor.
The Master rank moved. Pressure Step.
Whoosh.
He covered twenty feet instantly. His blade struck.
Mariabel barely dodged. Her flames scorched where he'd been. But he was already moving. His Advanced Swordsmanship evident in every motion. Decades of experience versus months of Authority awakening.
She threw up a flame wall. He cut through it like mist.
His blade scored her shoulder. Deep. Blood flowed.
Mariabel screamed. More from rage than pain. Her flames turned white hot.
"You're strong," Viktor said calmly. "But sloppy. Authority without discipline is just raw power waiting to fail."
He was right. She knew it. Her area attacks burned massive mana. She needed precision.
Flame Lance times five.
The spells launched simultaneously. Her Authority allowing what should be impossible. Five concentrated lances of flame converging on Viktor from different angles.
His Blade Sense activated. His sword moved in a blur.
Clang clang clang clang clang.
Four lances deflected. The fifth caught his shoulder. Burning through his aura. Through his clothes. Into flesh.
Sizzle.
First blood.
Viktor's expression darkened. "Better. But not enough."
His Killing Intent activated. Master rank pressure.
The air itself seemed to press down. Crushing. Suffocating. The intent to kill made manifest through sheer Will.
Mariabel's knees buckled. Her flames flickered. Fear crawled up her spine like ice.
This wasn't just power. This was the accumulated weight of hundreds of deaths. Every person Viktor had killed, their ghost pressed against her.
"Feel that?" Viktor advanced slowly. "That's what real power looks like. Not flashy spells. Not divine gifts. Just decades of killing until murder becomes effortless."
---
Raze felt the Killing Intent from across the battlefield. His Combat Reflex screamed danger. His entire body wanted to run.
But Mariabel was dying. He could see it. The pressure crushing her. Viktor raising his blade for the final strike.
"Aslan! Mariabel needs help!"
But Aslan didn't respond. His eyes were completely silver now. Vacant. The fifty percent transformation had been too much. Too long. He was operating on pure instinct.
He grabbed a Syndicate member and ripped the man in half.
Tear.
Blood and organs spilled. The other members scattered, terrified.
Aslan pursued. Mindless. Unstoppable.
"Damn it!" Raze made a choice. Used Instant Transmission.
Blink.
Reality shifted. He materialized between Mariabel and Viktor. Azure Edge raised in desperate defense.
Viktor's blade struck.
CLANG!
The impact sent shockwaves through Raze's arms. His C rank Strength meant nothing against S rank. Azure Edge cracked. The self repair tried to activate but the damage was too severe.
"Brave." Viktor's voice was almost respectful. "Stupid, but brave."
His second strike came faster than Raze could track. Even with Combat Reflex. Even with enhanced perception.
The blade struck Raze's chest. His Iron Flesh wasn't active. The steel bit deep.
Pain exploded. Ribs cracked. Blood sprayed.
Raze's vision went white.
His Endurance was B rank. It kept him alive. Barely.
He stumbled backward. Gasping. Blood running down his chest.
Viktor raised his sword for the finishing blow.
Then Mariabel's flames erupted.
She'd used those precious seconds Raze bought her. Gathered her Authority. Pushed past the Killing Intent through sheer rage.
Cataclysmic Inferno.
The spell was massive. Area of effect destruction. A dome of flame fifty feet across. Everything inside would burn.
Including her. Including Raze.
But she controlled it. Her Authority giving her precision within the chaos. The flames parted around Raze like water around a stone. Flowed toward Viktor instead.
Viktor's Battle Aura flared. Trying to defend.
The flames struck.
BOOM!
The explosion shook the entire factory. Stone melted. Metal ran like water. The heat was apocalyptic.
When the flames cleared, Viktor stood. His clothes were gone. His skin was burned. But alive. His aura had held.
"Impressive." He coughed blood. "But I've survived worse."
Mariabel collapsed to one knee. Mana at five percent. That spell had nearly emptied her completely.
Viktor advanced. Injured but functional.
Then Aslan arrived.
Crash!
The Mercurian slammed into Viktor like a silver meteor. A hundred percent transformation at full power. S rank Strength meeting S rank Strength.
They grappled. Viktor's technique against Aslan's mindless fury. Two forces of nature colliding.
Crack crack crack.
Stone beneath them shattered. Their struggle carved furrows in the ground.
Viktor's blade came up. Stabbed into Aslan's side.
The Mercurian didn't even flinch. Pain didn't exist in this state. He grabbed Viktor's sword arm.
Snap.
The bone broke. Viktor screamed. His first real sound of pain.
Aslan headbutted him. Once. Twice. Three times.
Crack crack crack.
Viktor's nose shattered. His cheekbone cracked. Blood poured from his face.
But his unbroken arm came up. Vital Strike activated. He struck Aslan's throat with two fingers.
The technique was perfect. Targeted the exact pressure point. Would kill a normal person instantly.
Aslan's windpipe collapsed. He should have died.
He didn't. The Mercurian transformation didn't care about mortal wounds. Kept fighting even as consciousness faded. Even as the body broke.
His hands found Viktor's throat.
Squeezed.
Viktor's eyes bulged. He struggled. His S rank Strength meant nothing. Aslan's was higher in this state. Augmented beyond human limits.
Crunch.
Viktor's windpipe collapsed. His struggling slowed. Stopped.
Master rank Viktor Ashborne died with his hands clawing uselessly at silver light.
Aslan released the corpse. Stood. Swayed.
Then collapsed.
Thud.
The silver aura extinguished like a snuffed candle. He hit the ground unconscious. Alive but completely spent. His throat was destroyed. His body covered in wounds.
But breathing.
The remaining Syndicate members saw their commander dead. Saw the silver monster that killed him. Saw Mariabel wreathed in flames despite her exhaustion.
They ran.
The battle was over.
---
Raze lay on his back. Staring at the pre dawn sky. His chest screamed agony with every breath. Blood pooled beneath him.
Kael appeared. His face pale. "Don't move. Your ribs are broken. Lung might be punctured."
His Regeneration activated. Green light spreading across Raze's chest. The wounds began to close. Slowly. Painfully. But closing.
"Aslan?" Raze managed.
"Alive. Unconscious. His transformation burned out." Kael checked Aslan's pulse. "He pushed himself past safe limits. He'll need days to recover."
"Mariabel?"
"I'm here, darling." Her voice was weak. She crawled over. Collapsed beside Raze. Her clothes were scorched. Her hair singed. Burns covered her arms. "We won. Somehow we actually won."
Dawn broke fully. Pale light illuminating the destroyed factory. The courtyard was a crater. Bodies everywhere. At least fifty dead. Maybe more.
The mill itself was collapsing. Fires still burning. The extraction equipment buried under tons of rubble.
Footsteps approached. Many of them.
Thud thud thud thud.
City guards. Dozens. Drawn by the explosions and flames. Too late to help. Just in time to witness the aftermath.
The captain stared. His face pale. "What... what happened here?"
Mariabel managed a tired smile. "We killed a Master. Destroyed a criminal operation. Stopped a plague." She coughed blood. "You're welcome."
More guards poured in. Some carried healing supplies. Others began examining the scene.
One guard approached Viktor's corpse. Checked for vitals. Looked up at the captain.
"He's dead, sir. Master rank cultivator. Dead."
The captain's eyes went to the four survivors. Three barely conscious. One completely unconscious. All covered in blood and wounds.
"Get healers. Real ones. Now!" He knelt beside Raze. "Who are you people?"
"Just concerned citizens." Raze's voice was barely a whisper. His consciousness fading. "The extraction equipment is destroyed. The corruption stops now. But forty three children still need treatment."
Kael pulled out his remaining cure vials. Twenty doses. "I have these. We need to produce more immediately. The children can't wait."
"Someone get this man to the Mage Guild. Whatever resources he needs." The captain stood. Barked more orders. "Secure the area! Search for documents! I want evidence of everything that happened here!"
Raze's vision was dimming. Blood loss. Exhaustion. His reconstructed core had kept him alive through the fight but now the adrenaline was fading. Reality crashing in.
He'd been stabbed by a Master rank. Should be dead. His Endurance was the only reason he wasn't.
Kael's Regeneration was working. But slowly. The wound was severe.
"Stay with us, Raze." Kael's voice was tight with worry. "Don't you dare die after we won."
"Not planning to." Raze managed. "Just resting my eyes."
"Keep them open!"
But darkness pulled at him. Sweet unconsciousness. His body demanding rest.
He fought it. Thought about Sophie. About forty two other children. About the plot he'd just swallowed.
Viktor was dead. The extraction equipment destroyed. The Syndicate's main operation in Thornwick eliminated.
When Alex Dawnsblade arrived in two weeks, he'd find a completely different situation. The corruption already stopped. The villain already dead. The evidence already secured.
The hero's story already stolen by someone who refused to wait.
Raze's lips curved in a smile.
"We did it," he whispered.
Then darkness took him.
---
Hours passed. The sun climbed higher.
Healers worked frantically. Raze stabilized. Aslan stabilized. Mariabel's burns treated. Kael exhausted but functional.
The city guard searched the ruins. Found everything. Documents proving Syndicate operations. Account books showing payments. Correspondence with corrupt nobles.
Lord Thornwell's name appeared frequently. Head Healer Mortens. A dozen other officials.
The captain read through documents with mounting horror.
"This goes deeper than we thought. The Syndicate wasn't just poisoning the district. They had the entire system corrupted."
His second in command nodded grimly. "What do we do?"
"Arrests. Immediately. Everyone named in these documents." The captain looked at the four survivors being loaded onto stretchers. "And we protect these four. They just destroyed the most powerful criminal organization in the city. There will be retaliation."
"From who? We just killed their commander."
"From whoever runs the Syndicate above him. This was one operation. Viktor mentioned they have others." The captain's jaw set. "We've won a battle. But the war is just beginning."
---
Raze woke in a hospital bed. White walls. Clean sheets. Sunlight streaming through windows.
His Status window flickered to life unbidden.
```
[Status Window]
Name: Raze Dragonheart
Age: 17
Rank: Initiate (Peak)
Core: Blooming (Low)
Bloodline: [Dormant]
Authority: [Dormant]
Talent: [Absolute Genius]
Strength: C
Agility: C
Endurance: B (+)
Mana: A (+)
Mana Well: S
Will: A
Perception: D
Charm: A (+)
Skills:
[Swordsmanship D+ → C-] (Increased through combat)
[Mana Manipulation C]
[Inspect D]
[Combat Reflex C]
[Scarlet Leap C]
[Instant Transmission D]
Combat Experience: Significant
Condition: Recovering, Stable
```
His Swordsmanship had jumped. Combat experience accelerating growth. Fighting a Master rank had pushed him beyond normal limits.
The door opened. Kael entered. He looked exhausted but alive.
"You're awake. Good. You've been unconscious for sixteen hours."
"Aslan? Mariabel?"
"Both alive. Both recovering. Aslan's throat is healing thanks to his Mercurian regeneration. Mariabel's burns will scar but she'll live." Kael sat in a chair beside the bed. "We did it, Raze. We actually did it."
"Viktor?"
"Dead. Confirmed. Master rank cultivator killed by four Initiates and one Expert." Kael laughed. Slightly manic. "The city guard can't believe it. They're calling it impossible."
"What about the Syndicate?"
"The operation here is destroyed. Completely. But Viktor was right. They have other locations. Other operations." Kael's expression darkened. "The guard is investigating. Making arrests. But it's bigger than one city."
Raze absorbed this. He'd known. The game had shown multiple Syndicate bases. Thornwick was just one.
But they'd crippled it here. Stopped the corruption. Saved the children.
That was enough. For now.
"Sophie?"
"Visiting you later. Miss Helen is bringing her." Kael smiled. "The other children are being treated now. The guard commandeered the Healing Hall's resources. Mortens has been arrested for corruption. The cure is being mass produced."
Relief flooded through Raze. Forty three children. Saved.
"What happens now?"
"Now we recover. Now the city processes what happened. Now we deal with the consequences." Kael stood. "Elena Corvus visited while you were unconscious. Left another note."
He handed over a folded paper. Raze opened it.
"Impressive work. A Master rank killed. The Syndicate crippled. Children saved. You're making quite a name for yourself. Which means you're also making enemies. Watch your back. Also, I'm calling in my favor soon. Be ready. Elena."
Raze folded the note. Filed it away mentally.
Another complication. Another debt.
But tomorrow's problem.
Today, they'd won. Against impossible odds. Against a Master rank commander. Against systematic corruption.
They'd changed the story. Swallowed the plot. Made the impossible possible.
The door opened again. Sophie rushed in. Miss Helen behind her.
"Raze!" Sophie threw herself at him. Careful of his bandages but desperate for contact. "You came back! You promised and you came back!"
He hugged her. His little sister. Alive. Healthy. Her black veins completely gone.
"I promised, didn't I?"
"Miss Helen says the other children are getting better too. That you saved all of them."
"We saved them. As a team."
Sophie pulled back. Looked at his bandages. At the evidence of near death. Her eyes filled with tears.
"You almost died."
"But I didn't. I'm stubborn, remember?"
She laughed through tears. Hugged him again.
Miss Helen stood in the doorway. Her expression soft. "The city is in chaos. Arrests. Investigations. Revelations. You've changed everything."
"Was it worth it?" Raze asked quietly.
"Forty three children will live because of you. You tell me."
Worth it. Despite the pain. Despite nearly dying. Despite the complications to come.
Worth it.
---
That evening, Mariabel visited. She moved carefully, her burns still healing. But alive. Smiling.
"Hello, darling. You look terrible."
"So do you."
"We match." She sat on the edge of his bed. "I've been thinking. About the fight. About my Authority."
"What about it?"
"During the battle, something clicked. I understood." Her amber eyes were distant. Remembering. "Fire isn't just destruction. It's transformation. Every spell I've ever heard of, I could suddenly access. Spells I'd never learned. Never studied. They were just... there. Waiting."
Raze nodded. His Absolute Genius processing what she was describing.
Authorities were fundamentally different from normal cultivation. A fire mage learned specific spells. Fireball. Flame Lance. Inferno. Limited. Defined by what they'd been taught.
But someone with Flame Authority was fire itself. They were the incarnation of flame. Given divine permission to reshape reality through their element.
Every fire spell ever created, they could use. Spells that didn't exist yet, they could invent on the spot. Dual casting. Triple casting. The only limits were mana capacity and stamina.
They were incarnations. Not practitioners. Incarnations.
Nuclear weapons wrapped in human skin.
Mariabel was new to her Authority. Still learning. But even untrained, she'd matched a Master rank cultivator. Not won alone. But held him. Hurt him. Contributed to his death.
With training? With understanding? She'd be unstoppable.
"What will you do now?" Raze asked.
"Recover. Train. Learn to use this properly." Her flames flickered briefly on her fingertips. "And help you. Whatever comes next. We started this together. We finish it together."
"The Syndicate won't forgive what we did."
"Good. I'm not done burning them yet." Her smile was sharp. Eager. "They wanted to make me famous? Mission accomplished. The Witch of Annihilation. I like that title."
She stood. Stretched carefully. "Rest, darling. We both need it. But when you're healed? We hunt the rest of them."
She left. Fire in her wake. Literal scorch marks where she'd stood.
Raze lay back. Stared at the ceiling.
Two weeks until Alex Dawnsblade arrived. The protagonist. The hero. The Chosen of the Goddess of Light.
He'd arrive to find the Syndicate crippled. The corruption stopped. The villain dead. The children saved.
The plot he was supposed to stumble through? Already resolved.
What would he do? How would he react?
Raze didn't know. The game hadn't prepared him for this. For changing things so dramatically. For swallowing the story before the hero arrived.
But he'd find out soon.
For now, he rested. Recovered. Prepared for whatever came next.
The war wasn't over. Viktor had confirmed it. The Syndicate had other operations. Other bases. Other commanders.
But Raze had proven something crucial.
He could win. Against impossible odds. Against Master rank opponents. Against fate itself.
He could change the story.
And he was just getting started.
Outside his window, Thornwick City continued its daily rhythm. But changed. The Riverside District was celebrating. Children laughing. Families reunited. Hope returning to streets that had known only death.
Forty three lives saved.
One Master rank killed.
One criminal empire crippled.
Not bad for a gamer who'd been reincarnated three weeks ago.
Raze closed his eyes. Let exhaustion take him. Let his reconstructed core hum with power even in rest.
Tomorrow would bring new challenges. New complications. New enemies.
But tomorrow, he'd be stronger. More experienced. More dangerous.
Tomorrow, he'd continue swallowing the plot.
One impossible victory at a time.