"You pretend to sleep while processing all the information... but maybe that's still a bit better than waking up on the sidewalk with amnesia."
A cloaked military drone for infiltration and espionage. An execution, right? Executing an "Executor"? Sounded dramatic.
— So... how's this gonna work? We just land where this freak is and start shooting?
Igyris asked, eyes closed, head tilted back — pretending to sleep. A painfully obvious disguise.
Mana remained silent, arms crossed. Distant. She had no desire to even acknowledge the one supposedly in "the same boat."
— Oh, come on! Gonna act like a little bitch with a sour face? Fuck off.
Igyris raised his voice, pushing her.
Mana stared at him. A dark, cold gaze. She clearly despised him. He wasn't a comrade — he was a weapon. And right now, an annoying one.
— Naxel, you read me? We're flying over the site. Beginning the operation. Be ready in case of escape or failure.
Igyris watched as Mana continued:
— Listen, street vermin. We're here to execute a target — and you're not to interfere. You're just backup. Firepower. Nothing else. And if you go off-script... you know damn well what'll happen to that head of yours.
She looked down on him — literally and figuratively. A soul-crushing stare.
— Hah... alright, so that's how it is, bitch? Heh. Don't worry. I'll do my best to stay under your control.
Igyris replied, eyes lighting up with something fierce. Maybe not so disinterested anymore. But why?
Mana suited up. Cutting-edge tactical gear. A nanotech membrane covered her skin like a second layer — a carapace. Robotic chants echoed, runes flickering as holograms — Arcane simulated by tech. The ultimate blasphemy to old religions. She gave the command.
Igyris followed. But his version didn't simulate Arcane. No magic. Just a plain cybernetic suit.
Mana moved toward the drone's main gun — a multi-barrelled minigun, explosive rounds, raw destruction. No trace of Arcane. Undetectable. They hovered above a Powermagi facility. The mission wasn't stealth. Not yet. It was all about maximum damage.
And so the attack began.
Mana opened fire, unleashing hell across the facility — a weapon factory. The target was there for inspection. Weapons everywhere. The assault was loud, direct.
EMP bursts surged from the drone, scrambling the base's tech systems. An opening formed. Time to land. The drone dropped spike-like devices into the ground, unleashing further pulses. The base started collapsing. Alarms glitched. Interference was working.
Igyris watched, stunned. He'd never seen such destruction. It wasn't Gullbriser level, but the way Mana handled the weapon? She was a pro.
— Hey, sweetheart... you really know your stuff, huh? Heheh. I'm dying to see your Arcane tricks. I'm... quite curious.
Mana didn't reply. She walked over to the gear storage.
— Grab your equipment. We're going in.
Her voice seethed. "Now... you'll pay." she thought.
— Okay... let's go.
They both prepped their gear. Time to drop. Mana tossed a small device onto the ground.
— This'll come in handy.
She activated her nanotech helmet and jumped into the chaos.
— JUMP, YOU SON OF A BITCH!
She shouted as she noticed the panic on the "vermin's" face.
— LOOK, THIS IS MY FIRST TIME, ALRIGHT?! DON'T OVERDO IT!
Igyris shouted, terrified.
— Fuck's sake... don't push me.
Mana tapped a device on her wrist — it shocked Igyris, making him fall out of the drone.
— AH COME ON, FUCKING HELL!
He screamed in full panic.
— Damn it... don't screw this up...
Mana ignored him. Eyes forward.
"I have to kill that bastard."
A burning rage. Kill... for a reason.
She activated her suit's boosters — the landing would be fine. Guards were gathering to intercept her. She shot first. They shot back — but her defense was superior. The same one that had saved her from Khaelis.
— FALL BACK! FALL BACK NOW!
— NO FUCKING WAY!
Mana drew the weapon from her back — EdelZerar. The God of Destruction. Designed and built for slaughter. It was massacre time. No one would be spared. She fired. No blood, no bodies — they were devoured by a blast so massive, it exploded in the opposite direction. That whole sector was gone.
— EAT THAT, HAHAHAHAHA! YOU'RE NEXT, BASTARD!
While Mana advanced, Igyris was passed out somewhere else in the massive facility. But soon enough, he woke up — surrounded.
— Ah... fuck... what luck, huh? Hey guys, look... I'm not even here by choice, alright? Got kidnapped and all... I'm the victim here.
— SHUT THE FUCK UP! HANDS ON YOUR HEAD, SCUMBAG!
One of the men shouted.
— Heheh... well then... you leave me no choice.
He awkwardly reached for a pistol strapped to his thigh — a dumb move. One of the men shot his hand, the gun flying away. A hole tore through his wrist.
— AH FUCK!
Igyris screamed. Adrenaline surged.
— You made me do this... heheh...
It was a bluff. He was scared shitless.
Shit... I need to stall. Fuck... that chick's gonna come save me, right? Ah, fuck it... who am I kidding... she's not coming. I gotta un-fuck myself...
He slowly kneeled.
— What the hell is he doing?
— Who cares? Let's just kill the bastard and move on.
— HAHAHAHA, YOU GUYS ARE FUCKED NOW!
He pulled out a heavy grenade — strong enough to break medium-grade Arcane shields. Everyone was going down.
— HOLY SHIT, THE MOTHERFUCKER'S CRAZY!
— SHOOT HIM!
Suddenly — an explosion. A massive tremor. Flames roared. The blast knocked everyone down. The grenade slipped from Igyris and detonated near a structure, sending debris flying and toppling the base segment.
— HAHAHAHA, FUCKING AWESOME!
In the chaos, Igyris drew twin plasma Uzis — Uzi-Xc7s — and launched into a gunfight.
— HAHAHA, THIS JUST KEEPS GETTING BETTER! I'VE NEVER FELT SO ALIVE! THIS IS MY ESSENCE! VIOLENCE! I FUCKING LOVE VIOLENCE!
Then — something shifted.
He holstered the guns.
Something was awakening.
The Plague.
A sinister aura poured from his body. He charged forward. Green flames bled from his hands. The ground burned beneath him. His cybernetic gear fried away. Only the weapons remained intact.
— HAHAHAHA, I AM DEATH, YOU FUCKERS!
Like a demon — but now, fully aware. He touched a guard's head. Flames surged. But the flesh didn't burn — it rotted. Rapid decay. Flesh melting into black sludge.
He smiled. And moved.
Bullets whizzed — he dodged. Some hit — didn't matter. He wasn't human anymore. To them — he was death itself.
One by one, he slaughtered them. Burning. Exploding. Tearing.
— WHERE ARE THEY?! THE STRONGEST ONES?! I WANT TO KILL THE ARCANE USERS, MOTHERFUCKERS!
— They'll be here soon... you filth... you're just rats... what you do isn't Arcane... when the purebloods arrive, you'll be—
Crack.
Igyris crushed his skull.
He kept moving — following Mana's destruction. Found Arcane users. Energy shields rose — useless. His energy was death. A single touch snuffed life out instantly.
Elsewhere, Mana encountered Arcane users too. It could've been a dangerous fight... maybe she'd use her own Arcane now? No.
— Fuck, I was so hyped for you guys to show up. Heheh. Been wanting to test something... me and Naxel broke our backs making this... It's just a copy of the original, but it'll do for now.
Her EdelZerar began absorbing the Arcane energy from items and constructs nearby. Like draining life itself. Three shots. Just three. All enemies were left lifeless, scattered across the floor.
— HAHAHAHA, THERE YOU ARE!
Igyris burst into view, aflame, charging.
— Damn... still alive.
Mana looked up, smiling angrily — but satisfied.
Side by side, the slaughter continued.
— HAHAHA, YOU'RE ACTUALLY PRETTY FUN! THIS IS GETTING GOOD!
— HEHEHEH, I DON'T KNOW... YOU SEEM LIKE YOU'VE GOT EXPERIENCE, BUT THIS ISN'T REALLY YOUR NATURE, IS IT?
— YOU DON'T KNOW SHIT ABOUT ME, IDIOT... BUT YEAH, IT IS KINDA FUN.
Mana grinned honestly, programming an interference grenade to jam Arcane artifacts.
— HAHAHA, KNEW YOU WEREN'T THAT BORING.
— Heh... maybe.
She shot the last enemies. Until...
BZZZZZZZZ...
A sound. A saw?
No way...
Was it... him?
Mana froze. Her breath grew heavy. Eyes trembling.
The last soldiers noticed her hesitation and opened fire. Igyris protected her, returning fire. She snapped back into focus. Took them down. One by one. No more playing. Mission came first.
— Damn, what a change in attitude. Something wrong, miss?
— Shut the fuck up, vermin...
Her stare was chilling.
— Just shut the fuck up... keep going. You hear that? Follow the sound of the saw...
Igyris didn't answer. Just nodded.
They moved into a blinking red section of the facility — panic mode.
— COME OUT, YOU FUCKING BASTARD! WE'VE HEARD YOU FOR A WHILE NOW!
Then — a laugh.
— HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
A twisted, mechanical cackle. Deafening.
— Hahahah... so these are the little bitches Naxel sent to kill me? Guess I'll have to start playing sooner than I thought.
The sound of the saw grew louder. Piercing. Infernal.
From the rubble... he jumped out.
The Executor.
Terrifyingly tall. Lanky. A cyborg. More machine than man. Twin saws embedded in his left arm. A real demon.
Igyris and Mana stood frozen in pure terror.
It wasn't just the fear of death.
It was the fear of dying in the most horrific way imaginable.
The man took three slow steps forward.
— Well, well... didn't know Naxel was working with such filthy trash. Hahahah... the little Reixys freak... and a nobody. Not very fun — but hey, I'm an artist, you know? I make beautiful things... even outta shit.
He grinned, deranged.
— You're gonna look gorgeous once I tear you apart... and put you back together again. LET'S PLAY.