The descent from the ridge was silent, but they could feel the tension in the air
Nathan led the way, Moonlight in his grip, the Tyrant’s Eye swirling with anticipation. The Obsidian Keep rose before them like a black monolith against the sky, its jagged spires clawing at the crimson clouds.
Grey banners with the Nemesis Court’s broken-eye symbol waved in the hot wind, while the fires along the walls cast moving shadows across the burned ground. Mutated creatures guarded the area—Corrupted Hounds with too many legs, Giant Hawks with too many eyes, and strange beasts with no name but plenty of teeth.
The party moved quietly through the ash fields, using the broken ground as cover. Garrett and Red took the left side, while Volcan’s molten veins to stay hidden. Dillon and Cloudy moved through the smoke without making a sound, their static power suppressed. Elise walked with the Frost Golem behind her, its crystal body compressed to make it harder to spot. Nathan’s summons—Mirko, with Dragon’s Fang glowing faintly; Kuro, with Silence and Stillness ready; and Shiro, with her golden eyes watching for danger—moved as if they were part of Nathan himself.
They reached the outer wall without raising an alarm. The fortress was old, its obsidian stones cracked and weathered by centuries of neglect. The Court had fortified it hastily—barricades of scrap metal, crude watchtowers, the occasional grey-robed sentry peering into the darkness.
Nathan signaled for everyone to stop. [Hunter’s Insight] activated, showing him the patrol routes.
"Two guards on the east wall. Three more on the wall above the gate. The main entrance is blocked, but there’s a hole in the western wall. It looks like an old collapse the Court never fixed."
"We go through the hole," Elise said. "Quietly. Take out the guards before they can raise the alarm."
Nathan nodded. "Kuro."
’Understood, Summoner.’ Kuro activated [Invisibility] and vanished. A heartbeat later, she materialized behind the nearest sentry—a grey-robed man with a Corrupted Hound at his feet. Silence and Stillness flashed, and both sentry and summon collapsed without a sound, the Imoogi Scale’s paralytic energy freezing them in place.
She moved to the second sentry. Then a third. By the time Nathan’s party reached the breach in the western wall, the outer perimeter was clear.
"Nice work," Dillon whispered. Cloudy crackled quietly in agreement.
"The outer area is secure. But the inner fortress is heavily guarded. I can see at least twelve operatives, along with mutated summons. Clamour should be in the center."
"Then we go straight to the center," Nathan said. "Take down the leader, and the others will scatter. Mirko—lead the way. Shiro—take the side. Garrett, Dillon, Elise—provide support. Kuro—mark the targets and take them out quietly. We move fast and don’t stop until Clamour is dead or captured."
"Hmph! This Knight has been waiting for this moment!" Mirko raised Dragon’s Fang, the blade’s flame edge flaring. "The Court’s eastern sector will fall tonight!"
"Keep the fire low," Nathan warned. "We don’t want to announce ourselves until we’re inside."
"I can be subtle!"
’No, you cannot,’ Kuro said.
"I can be subtler than usual!"
Nathan shook his head and led the party through the breach.
---
The inside of the Obsidian Keep was a maze of dark corridors and large halls where every sound echoed. The Court had turned the ancient fortress into a command center. Maps of the outer regions covered the walls, supplies were stacked in the corners, and communication crystals hummed with static. Grey-robed operatives moved through the halls with their mutated summons.
The party moved quietly like ghosts. Kuro took out the guards with great precision. Shiro used [Dragon King’s Ascension] to move through the shadows, leaving only fading images behind. Mirko’s barrier kept their footsteps silent. Garrett and Red stayed at the back, ready to cover any opening.
They reached the inner sanctum—a vast, circular hall at the fortress’s heart. A massive throne of black stone dominated the center, and on it, surrounded by a dozen operatives and their mutated summons, sat Clamour.
He looked exactly as Nathan remembered from the Iron Horde—tall and lean, with sharp features twisted into a cold, proud smile. His grey robes had crimson edges, showing that he was the Eastern Sector Commander. Behind him stood his Treant. Its black bark pulsed with the Court’s mutation magic, and its hollow eyes glowed with a faint green light. It was even bigger than before. The mutation had made it stronger.
"Clamour," Nathan said as he stepped into the light.
The operative’s eyes widened in excitement.
"The Bunny King. You actually came. I was starting to think you had lost your nerve after all those villages."
He stood from the throne as his Treant moved behind him.
"I’ve been tracking you since Thornfield, you know. Watching you run from village to village, saving people who will never even know your name. It’s almost touching. Pointless, but touching."
"The Cleansing ends here," Nathan said. "Your operation in the this sector is over. Give up, and I’ll let the TCA take you alive."
Clamour laughed, a sharp sound that echoed through the hall.
"Stand down? You’re standing in the middle of my fortress, surrounded by my operatives, and facing a mutated Treant Summon that could crush your entire group without even slowing down. And you’re telling me to surrender?"
His grin grew wider.
"I’ve been waiting for this, Cross. Waiting for the chance to finally kill you. The Lord will be pleased."
"Your Lord isn’t here," Nathan said. "It’s just you and me. And I brought friends."
Clamour’s smile didn’t waver. "So have I."
He raised his hand. The operatives surged forward, their mutated summons howling. The battle for the Obsidian Keep began.
The first wave of mutated summons rushed at the party like a tidal wave.
Nathan’s party met them head-on. Mirko activated [Impenetrable Fortress] and charged forward, Dragon’s Fang burning brightly. His sword cut through the skull of a Corrupted Hound, and the creature turned to ash.
"Hmph! There are many of you, but you are weak! This Knight has fought true dragons! You are nothing but insects who think you are powerful!"
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter
