The Box: Fate
Chapter 52 — The Puppeteer's Hand
While the sky inside the Box bled purple, the world outside remained cold, silent, and clinical
Deep in the heart of Tokyo, inside a skyscraper that didn't appear on any public map, a 19-year-old boy named Ren walked through a high-security vault door He was dressed in a simple black hoodie, but the armed guards bowed as he passed
Inside the main hub, the hum of liquid-cooled servers was deafening Hundreds of engineers sat at curved monitors, their faces illuminated by lines of green and red code These were the Architects—the creators of the nightmare
"Status report" Ren said, his voice devoid of emotion as he stared at a massive holographic map of the game world
"The Zenith card has been activated, sir" a lead programmer reported, tapping his screen "The Nameless Vanguards have reached Level 40 average They are moving toward the Eastern Plains"
Ren's lips curled into a thin, sharp smile "Good The soul-harvest is reaching its peak Trigger the Second Monarch' descent After the Ravager Malakas weakens them, we prepare for the final phase It's almost time for the Demon King to make his grand entry Let them think they are winning... it makes the deletion so much sweeter"
Back inside the world, the Nameless Vanguards marched toward the open plains
"Zanaki, wait up!" Murasaki called out, her staff glowing as she hurried to keep pace "You still haven't told us why we're walking five miles out of the city just to 'train' The Guild hall has a perfectly good practice arena"
Zanaki didn't turn around His eyes were fixed on the grey-cloaked figure of Vahn, who was walking ahead of them with a silence that was terrifying "The Guild hall is for children, Murasaki" Zanaki lied, his voice steady "Vahn says we need a place where we can release our full mana without blowing up the city Trust me, this is going to be the most important training session of your lives"
Axel and Sharky Bee exchanged a grim look They knew the truth—this wasn't just training; it was a test of survival
They reached a desolate valley, a giant crater surrounded by jagged rock walls Vahn stopped in the center He turned around, and as he lowered his hood, his obsidian aura exploded The grass for fifty meters turned to ash instantly
"The training is simple" Vahn said, his voice echoing like a death knell "If you can touch me within the next hour, you live If you cannot... I will delete you here, and the Monarch won't have to bother"
"Wait, what?!" Akira shouted, drawing his sword "Zanaki, what is he talking about?"
Zanaki didn't answer He lunged
"AZUREUS: STORM BURST!"
Zanaki' arm transformed into a claw of blue lightning, slamming into Vahn's position The impact created a shockwave that cracked the valley floor, but Vahn didn't even raise his hand He caught Zanaki' wrist with two fingers, the lightning dissipating as if it were a mere candle flame
"Too slow" Vahn whispered He flicked his fingers, and Zanaki was sent flying back like a ragdoll, crashing into a stone pillar
"ZANAKI!" Axel roared, his body erupting into a blinding gold light "TITAN SOUL: DIVINE CRUSH!"
Axel leaped high into the air, his fist becoming a falling meteor of solar energy At the same time, Sharky Bee split into three shadow clones, rushing Vahn from the blind spots with his poisoned daggers
Vahn simply exhaled A wave of pure, condensed obsidian pressure rippled outward, shattering Sharky's clones instantly and shifting gravity so violently that Axel was slammed down into the dirt before his fist could connect
"Is this the strength of the vanguard?" Vahn asked, his eyes glowing with an ancient, dark power "If you don't fight with everything you have, you will die here"
The ground trembled as the level 65 monster in human skin took his first step forward The battle for survival had begun, and Kataki' team was miles away, completely unaware of the trap