Barrion had risen from ashes.Once scarred by war and crumbling under economic decay, the city now gleamed like a gem reborn. Its stone streets had been repaved with intricate brickwork, lanterns lighting every path at dusk with soft golden hues. New marketplaces bustled with color and life—barrels of citrus fruit, woven baskets of rice and millet, exotic silks from western traders fluttering like banners in the wind.The countryside thrived too. Fields once left fallow now shimmered with gold and green—wheat swaying in the breeze, canals brimming with clean water. The farmers who had once despaired were now singing in unison during harvest, carts overflowing. Children ran barefoot through open fields, their laughter carrying across the hills. Barrion’s ports, once empty and rusted, now thrived with trade, ships from distant lands anchoring beside local vessels, exchanging spices, medicine, and knowledge.It was a miracle.And Calvin Hudson had helped spark it.Standing atop the balco

The war drums of Han Xin fell silent.At least, for now.President Lee reclined in his obsidian chair, fingers tapping against the carved armrest in measured fury. His eyes, dark and sunken, flicked to the man standing before him—the same shadow-cloaked assassin who had failed him once, and nearly paid for it with his life.“I want results,” Lee said coldly. “Not sparks in the sky. You saw what he did. His city swallowed our entire attack without a scratch. If we strike again and fail—”“We won’t fail,” the assassin interrupted, voice like steel dragged across stone.Lee’s lip curled, but he didn’t stop him.The assassin stepped forward, a scroll unfurling from his gloved hand—etched with diagrams, magical runes, and patterns of sigil energy. “I’ve studied it. That barrier Calvin summoned—it’s not divine. It’s not perfect. It’s magic,

[System Alert: Critical Threat Detected.][Warning: Recovery protocol compromised. Healing rate slowed by 73%. Cause: User’s energy reserves critically depleted.]A sharp chime echoed through Calvin’s mind—a cold, metallic sound that felt like a countdown toward death.He winced.Every breath dragged fire through his ribs. His body was still trying to seal the stab wound from earlier, but the process had stalled. The magical serum, the regenerative field, even the emergency stasis infusion—it wasn’t enough.He was running on fumes.His vision wavered.Then… the fog parted.A silhouette emerged from the mist, slow and deliberate—like a predator savoring the moment before the pounce. The man wore a new mask now—another face, another false identity molded perfectly to hide the truth beneath. But Calvin recognized the posture, the gait, the glint of steel-ready motion in his every step

The sky above the coastline trembled as the roar of rotor blades shattered the quiet.A black helicopter—sleek, armored, and engineered with the finest military-grade enchantments—descended onto the battered cliffs near the sea. The air rippled with distortion magic, shielding its arrival from distant eyes. As the blades slowed, wind whipped dust and broken petals of fallen energy into the air, circling the man who waited below.The masked assassin stood alone at the water’s edge.Before him, embedded in the cragged stone of the pier, was the crystal sphere—the translucent, indestructible bubble conjured by Calvin in his final moment of consciousness. Inside, Calvin’s body remained slumped, still pierced by the silver sword, surrounded by his own drying blood. His chest rose and fell, barely.Still alive.Still untouchable.The assassin didn’t move as the helicopter’s side door opened and a voice bar