The Box: Fate
Chapter 55 — The Emerald Execution
The shockwave from Azureus and Vahn' collision flattened the surrounding ridges, turning the crater into a basin of smooth, melted glass Vahn fought like a man possessed, his obsidian knight avatar delivering blows that cracked the sound barrier But the Dragon King was a wall of ancient, fluid majesty, deflecting the kinetic strikes with heavy bursts of sapphire lightning
Yet, the raw exhaustion of maintaining a humanoid manifestation was taking its toll on Zanaki' mortal vessel Azureus' form flickered, his blue flames dimming for a split second
Vahn saw the opening "Vortex Pierce!" his voice bellowed as his right fist concentrated all his obsidian mana into a single, drilling point, aiming directly for Azureus' chest core
He never reached it
From the absolute blind spot of Vahn' crushing gravity domain, a streak of toxic green light cut through the air The speed was completely abnormal—it bypassed the obsidian pressure field as if it didn't exist
[NEW SOUL FUNCTION UNLOCKED: PHANTOM VEIL — APEX PREY]
Sharky Bee' soul card had fully awakened, responding to the threat of permanent deletion The phantom lines of green light didn't just wrap around his arms; they embedded themselves into his daggers, turning the blades into pure, transparent energy that ignored physical armor
Swif—!
In a fraction of a second, Sharky Bee appeared directly above Vahn' shoulders His movements were no longer a human sprint; he was moving like a glitching frame in a broken program
"Emerald Execution: Zero Interval!"
Sharky Bee brought both daggers down The blades sliced through Vahn's steel-plated leather armor like paper, embedding themselves deep into the Star-Rank's shoulders The high-tier, soul-bound venom instantly paralyzed Vahn' mana pathways, causing his towering obsidian knight avatar to shatter into dust
"What...?" Vahn choked out, his knees buckling as the green toxin spread through his veins, turning his skin pale The level 65 giant fell to the dirt, completely immobilized, his status menu violently flickering inside his mind
Sharky Bee landed gracefully in front of him, his eyes glowing with a cold, predatory green light He reversed his grip on his right dagger, pointing the tip directly at Vahn's throat "Your level doesn't protect your soul, Star-Rank Goodbye"
He lunged for the kill
'CLANG!
A violent spark of silver and green light exploded between Sharky Bee' dagger and Vahn's throat
Kataki stood there, his sharp, silver eyes reflecting the toxic glow He had blocked Sharky Bee' execution strike using his left dagger, The Twin Fangs of the Eclipse while his right dagger remained sheathed Behind him, the rest of the vanguard group ran into the valley, panting from tracking the massive mana signatures all the way from the city
"Stand down, Sharky" Kataki commanded, his voice cold and flat
"Kataki! Get out of the way!" Sharky Bee hissed, his green aura flaring against Kataki' blade "He tried to delete us! He' a threat to the squad!"
"He was testing us, and we passed" Kataki said, not shifting his gaze With a swift flick of his wrist, he deflected Sharky' dagger away, forcing the younger player to step back
Zanaki collapsed to one knee as Azureus vanished back into his chest, his body steaming with fatigue "Kataki... you don't understand... Azureus said... the rift... it's not a demon lord It's something else"
"I know" Kataki said, walking over to the paralyzed Vahn He looked down at the scarred hunter, then reached into his inventory, pulling out a high-tier anti-venom potion and pouring it over Vahn's wounds The green lines on Vahn's skin slowly began to fade
Kataki turned to face his entire squad "My silver eyes can see the core code of that rift now Azureus is right What's waking up isn't a monster we can just fight with levels 'Crash' is a system-ending entity If we kill Vahn now, we lose the only player who has survived the Zero Zone—the only one who understands how to fight in environments where the system is corrupted"
Kataki sheathed his dagger, looking up at the swirling purple vortex in the sky "We don't have the luxury of killing our strongest allies If we want to survive Crash, we need the Iron-Heart"