Kenji stared at his freshly patched basement wall. The scorch marks vanished, revealing a smooth area of plaster that looked a bit off.
"There." He announced to no one, dusting his hands.
"Good as new. Now, about that threat to the city…"
His wry humour was a thin veil over a growing unease. The city was on edge on danger. He now checked news feeds obsessively on his cheap old phone.
Reports flooded in about:
"Unexplained phenomena."
Now, it wasn't just monster sightings. Whole city blocks faced strange energy surges. Plants withered overnight. People acted oddly, their eyes showing a dull, distant glaze.
The Enforcers, led by powerful Game Borns, seemed increasingly bewildered.
"This is it," Kenji murmured, translating another dire passage from Grima's journal.
"The Blight, once awakened, will seek its anchor points, drawing strength from despair until Noxius can once again walk amongst mortals."
He looked at the map, then at his system's quest log. [Main Quest: Neutralise Corrupted Node – Old Grand Plaza (Critical Threat!).]
The Old Grand Plaza. A bustling marketplace, a hub of daily life. This wasn't an abandoned industrial zone.
This was a direct threat to thousands. His heart raced in his chest, a wild mix of fear and strong resolve.
He could feel the Shadow Brand on his palm almost vibrating with urgency.
He knew he couldn't ignore this. Not now. He pulled on a dark, hooded jacket, adjusting the cap. This time, he added a simple black mask, something he'd found in an old costume box in the attic. It wouldn't hide him completely, but it would obscure his face.
He felt the familiar, weighty presence of Shadowfang in his inventory, a comforting coldness against his skin.
Today, you won't be just a shadow, Kenji.
He moved through the city utilizing every stealth trick he'd perfected. Shadow Step was his lifeline, allowing him to traverse rooftops and dense alleyways unseen.
The closer he got to the plaza, the stronger the sickening, metallic scent of the Corruption became, mixing with the rising screams of panic.
He emerged onto a rooftop overlooking the plaza.
"What the hell? " his breath hitched.
The scene below was chaos.
The grand fountain in the centre churned with dark, murky water. From its depths, huge, twisted figures emerged.
They were bigger than anything he had seen before. They were hunched behemoths made of twisted flesh and sharp bone.
Their eyes glowed with a sickly green light he recognized. People scattered as their shouts were drowned out by the creatures' guttural roars.
Enforcers, their powers flaring, were already engaging, but they were being pushed back. A Pyro-Enforcer fired a blast of fire at a creature, but the flames twisted and faded when they struck its odd hide. A Sylvian Weaver tried hard to trap one using thick vines.
But the creature tore through them easily and with disdain. These were stronger, more resilient. These were the true "Corrupted Beasts" that Grima had warned about.
Kenji's blood ran cold, then boiled. His family was in this city. Hana and Ren worked nearby. He wasn't just fighting monsters; he was fighting for his world.
"No more holding back," he snarled, a new, primal edge to his voice.
He leapt from the rooftop, a dark blur against the vibrant afternoon sky. He aimed for the largest creature, a hulking abomination tearing through a kiosk.
As he fell, he activated Shadowfang. The greatsword materialised in his hand, wreathed in a swirling aura of deep violet shadow. The air around him dropped several degrees.
[Death's Embrace activated!]
This was an ultimate skill, one he'd only tentatively practised in the basement. As he fell, a swirl of dark energy formed around him. It grew into a sphere of pure destruction.
He crashed into the Corrupted Beast. Death's Embrace cut through its twisted body like paper. The creature didn't even have time to shriek.
It simply disintegrated into a cloud of black dust, leaving a smoking crater in the plaza.
The plaza went silent. Every eye, both civilian and Enforcer, turned to the cloaked figure in the shadows. He held a massive, ethereal greatsword in his hand.
"What in the nine hells was that?!" a seasoned Enforcer shouted, his face pale.
Kenji ignored them. The other Corrupted Beasts, momentarily stunned, now turned their attention to him, their roars echoing with fury. He didn't wait. He moved.
Shadow Step! He flickered, appearing instantly behind one creature, its back to him. Before it could react, Dark Slash! A torrent of shadowy energy tore through its spine, sending it crashing to the ground.
He spun around, his Shadowfang an awesome part of his will. It blocked a hit from another beast. This was thanks to an Abyssal Shield that shimmered and remained strong.
He was a whirlwind of dark energy and impossible speed. He ducked, weaved, and struck, his movements fluid, precise, lethal.
He was no longer Kenji, the clumsy norm. He was Shadowbane, a living nightmare to the Corrupted.
He fired Void Bolts quickly, stunning enemies. Then he closed in with the mighty power of Shadowfang. He felt the rush of power, the thrill of combat, intoxicating and terrifying. His MP bar drained, but he didn't care. He was a force of nature.
A large creature, a hulking brute with extra limbs, cornered him by the damaged fountain. It roared, its mouth shining with a nasty green light. It was ready to unleash a corrupted breath attack.
"Not a chance!" Kenji roared back.
His voice was deep and strong, full of his inherited power. He activated Aura of Despair, the air around him growing heavy and oppressive. The creature hesitated, its glowing eyes flickering with confusion, its attack sputtering.
In that precious second, Kenji surged forward. He drove Shadowfang deep into its chest. He twisted the blade and poured all his remaining dark energy into the strike.
The creature spasmed and its roars changed to gurgles. Then, with a final, painful shriek, it turned into a thick cloud of shadow, leaving a stinky residue behind.
The last of the Corrupted Beasts, a smaller, quicker one, shrieked and turned to flee. Kenji let it go. He was out of MP, and his body, though stronger, was trembling from the sheer exertion.
He leaned on Shadowfang, planting its tip into the cracked pavement, breathing heavily.
He looked around. The plaza was devastated, but the immediate threat was gone. Civilians were slowly coming out from hiding.
They looked at him with fear and awe. The enforcers, faces grim, were slowly closing in on him. Their powers flared as they created a loose perimeter.
"Hey! You!" a gruff voice. It was Ren's squad leader, a grizzled Game Born with enhanced strength. "Who are you? Identify yourself!"
Kenji ignored him. He looked at the plaza, the relief washing over him, then at the Enforcers. He knew this was it. He had done too much. He had revealed too much.
He focused, gathering his remaining, scant MP. Shadow Step. Not to escape the city, but to disappear from this immediate confrontation. He flickered and vanished from the plaza.
Only a chill of his dark energy and the hushed gasps of onlookers remained.
He reappeared, disoriented, in a dark, narrow alleyway miles away, near his own neighbourhood.
His body screamed in protest, his MP completely depleted. He leaned against a grimy wall, sliding to the ground, his head spinning.
[Corrupted Node – Old Grand Plaza. Status: Cleansed!][Quest: Neutralise Corrupted Node – Old Grand Plaza (Complete!)]
A new notification flashed.
[New Quest Alert! Threat Level: EXTREME! Noxius's Presence Confirmed. Seek the Heart of the Eclipse Immediately.]
Kenji gritted his teeth, his vision swimming. Noxius. So he's real. And he's here. He pulled off his mask, letting it fall into the dust. He had saved the plaza, but he had exposed himself.
They would be looking for him. They would be hunting him.
He looked at the glowing Quests tab, the urgency of the new alert burning into his eyes.
"My secret's out," he whispered, his voice hoarse but laced with an unyielding resolve.
He thought of Hana and Ren, safe for now.
"They'll be coming for me. Both sides."
He pushed himself up, his muscles aching but his will unbroken.
"But they don't know what they're dealing with. And I'm not running anymore. This isn't just Shadowbane's war. This is my war now. And I'm going to end it."