Nero moved swiftly through the twisted ruins, his Imperiused Talon trailing behind him like a living shadow.
The second outpost fell even more easily than the first. By now, the pattern felt almost routine.
Slip in, quietly corrupt the anchor, invert the amplifiers, siphon off the conduits, then stage the aftermath to look like another monster attack.
The fight had been almost too easy.
The guards at the second outpost were fewer in number and sloppier in discipline.
He had dispatched them quickly, his Imperiused Talon executing them with a flick of his wand.
None had provided new information.
It had been a clean, but ultimately uneventful operation.
But this time... the air felt different.
The third outpost loomed in the distance, a crumbled tower veiled in shadows, twisted vines crawling up its ancient stone walls.
The runic barriers flickered, the faint glow more vibrant than the others.
Stronger. Reinforced.
Nero's Raven Eyes glinted as he studied the magical web surrounding the outpost.
It was denser, thicker, and the magic pulsed in rhythmic waves, flowing to the fortress like blood through veins.
This outpost seemed critical to Malrik's network.
Too critical to be left unprotected.
Nero's fingers tightened around his wand. "What's the guard rotation here?" he asked, his voice low.
The Talon's eyes were blank, voice monotone. "Eight guards. Two patrol the perimeter. Six inside. Shift changes every four hours."
Nero's gaze narrowed. "Any commanders?"
The Talon's jaw twitched, as if the words were scraping against the edges of the curse. "Two. Black Talon Commanders. Elite. They don't leave the outpost. They watch the anchor."
Nero's heartbeat quickened. He had known it wouldn't be this easy.
He'd expected more resistance eventually.
The commanders weren't just powerful, they were true survivors, men and women who'd thrived on the Shatterveil's cruelty. They were stronger, faster, and heartless.
They had risen through the ranks by surviving Shatterveil's brutality, wielding magic that scarred the land.
But he had to cripple this outpost.
If the network held, Malrik would continue feeding the creature, and the cursed clan would lose everything.
Ultimately, this could also pose a threat to the outside world of the Shatterveil.
He looked to his Imperiused Talon. "Go. Same as before, tell them you barely escaped the last outpost, keep them talking, distract the commanders if you can."
The Talon obeyed at once, shuffling into the dark with stiff, unnatural steps.
Nero followed, shrouded by a disillusionment charm, moving like a ghost through the ruins.
He positioned himself behind a broken pillar, eyes trained on the gate.
The guards snapped to attention. Two moved forward, wands raised.
"Identify yourself!" one of them barked.
The Imperiused Talon coughed, voice hoarse. "Commander... sent me. The outpost... destroyed... monster attack... everyone's dead."
The guards exchanged wary glances. "A monster attack?"
The gate opened.
The air shifted.
Nero's eyes widened as the shadows coiled behind the gate, solidifying into figures cloaked in darkness.
Two Black Talon Commanders.
Their faces were hidden behind masks engraved with dark runes, their armor layered with enchantments.
A cold aura radiated from them, a suffocating presence that made the air grow heavy.
They didn't hesitate one second.
"Fiendfyre!"
A serpent of cursed fire erupted from one of the Commander's wands, spiraling toward the Imperiused Talon.
The man didn't even have time to scream before the flames devoured him, his body crumbling to ashes in an instant.
Nero's heart raced.
They knew.
It was a trap.
The second Commander's head snapped toward the pillar. "You think we didn't notice the anchors?"
Nero's cover shattered, the disillusionment charm collapsing in a cascade of sparks as the Commander's wand sliced the air.
"Diffindo!"
Stone erupted in a thunderclap.
The pillar exploded, rubble crashing down like a hailstorm.
Nero reacted instantly, Apparating five meters to the left.
He landed low, boots scraping on shattered flagstones just as black lightning carved a molten trench where he'd stood a moment before.
Curses snapped and screamed after him, painting the air with jagged streaks of red and green.
One missed by inches, slicing a lock of his hair.
Another grazed his shield, scattering sparks.
He countered, flicking his wand in a sharp arc.
A trio of ice spears shot forward, gleaming as they spiraled toward the Commanders.
One Commander conjured a shield of churning smoke, the spears disintegrating as they hit.
The other swept his arm wide.
"Fulminis Vis!"
Lightning erupted from his palm, coiling into a blinding white spear.
He hurled it, the bolt screaming through the air.
Nero's Raven Eyes barely tracked the movement in time.
He Apparated again, but not fast enough.
Agony lanced through his shoulder as the bolt grazed him, the scent of scorched flesh filling his nose.
He staggered, biting back a curse, and ducked behind a crumbling wall, blood soaking through his sleeve.
The burned flesh throbbed with each heartbeat. He pressed a hand to the wound, forcing his breathing steady.
The Commanders advanced, boots ringing on stone, their movements in eerie, perfect unison.
Layers of enchantments wrapped them, boosting speed and strength beyond human limits.
They split, flanking him from both sides.
Nero's mind raced. He was outnumbered and cornered.
Two elites, and still more guards nearby, pain dragging at his body.
His left arm hung heavy, blood soaking his sleeve.
But he'd planned for worse.
His shikigami eagles, already circling high above, shifted formation at a silent command.
Lightning crackled in the clouds above, drawn to the glowing paper sigils.
Nero had deployed them the moment he arrived, using them as reconnaissance, watching the guards' movements from above.
The Commanders laughed, the sound hollow and distorted by their masks.
"Parlor tricks? That's all you brought?"
They raised their wands, readying a joint barrage.
Nero didn't answer.
He thrust his wand to the sky.
The shikigami blazed. Lightning roared.
The sky shattered as bolts of electricity descended, guided by the shikigami beacons.
The outpost shook.
One Commander was flung backward, crashing through two walls, armor sparking and body limp.
He didn't rise.
The second Commander staggered, his shield flickering, cracks veining the magic.
Blood dripped from his side, staining the earth, rage twisted his eyes above the mask.
He stumbled, but refused to fall.
"You... can control the storm?"
Nero's voice was cold. "I don't need to control it. I just need to guide it."
The Commander's eyes twisted with fury. "You... you're just a kid!"
Nero's eyes gleamed, frost blue and unyielding. "Yes, the one tearing down your master's web."
The Commander's shield shattered.
Nero pressed his advantage.
He slashed his wand. "Ice Age."
A sphere of frigid blue shot from his wand, expanding as it hit the ground. Frost spread in wild, creeping patterns, roots of ice wrapping the Commander's legs, climbing his torso, sapping the strength from his muscles.
The man tried to dodge, but while he was still stunned by the lightning shock, the ice expanded.
The Commander fought, voice hoarse as he spat curses and shattered pieces of his own shield.
Then he raised his wand, voice hoarse. "Black Talons! Reinforcements! To me!"
Nero's expression was cold.
"Your mistake was staying loyal to a monster."
He twisted his wand, tightening the ice.
The armor cracked, the frost crawling over flesh and bone.
The Commander's scream rose, echoing through the ruins, then cut off abruptly as the ice sealed his throat, encasing him in silent, frozen agony.
For a moment, the only sound was the storm above, still rumbling at Nero's command.
Nero stood amidst the shattered outpost, his chest heaving, pain radiating from his shoulder.
His body screamed with exhaustion, blood dripping from his wounds.
But his eyes remained cold, calculating.
The Commander's shout echoed through the ruins, and shadows moved in the distance.
More Black Talons were coming. Dozens of them.
Nero's eyes flicked to his remaining Shikigami eagle, still circling above.
He was out of time.
But before he could start healing himself, an inhuman scream tore through the air, raw and feral, shaking the stones beneath his feet.
The Black Talons in the distance shifted, but not toward him.
They turned, weapons raised, eyes wide with fear.
The beasts of the Shatterveil had been drawn by the blood. By the magical clash.
A monstrous silhouette appeared at the edge of the ruins, its eyes gleaming with hunger.
Nero's lips twisted into a grim smile.
He wasn't the only predator here.
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50 chapters ahead on Patreon (Suiijin): Chapter 204: Prelude to the Black Vow