The giant red eye was as big as a house. It burned like a star made of blood.Commander Oliver stood at the edge of the broken tunnel. He looked directly into the eye of the Overlord. The heat coming from the deep pit was incredible. It melted the edges of Oliver’s heavy combat boots. It made the air warp and bend."I see you, little mathematician," the Overlord’s voice echoed. It did not come from the air. It came directly into Oliver’s brain. The voice was heavy, ancient, and full of endless hunger.Oliver raised his heavy black pistol. He had exactly two bullets left.His mind, cold and sharp as a diamond, ran the math.Variable A: The mass of the Overlord's eye is approximately forty tons. The mass of a standard plasma bullet is two ounces.Variable B: The Overlord is protected by an aura of pure Rift magic. The bullet relies on simple kinetic force.Result: Firing the gun has a zero percent chance of inflicting damage. It has a one hundred percent chance of causing the Overlord t

"What is in Zone Seven?" Jax asked, picking up his heavy combat knife."A rock," Oliver said simply. "We are going to break it. Follow me."Oliver began to walk. His steps were slightly slower than normal, but they were still perfectly measured. He did not waste an inch of movement.Jax followed close behind. "Commander, my rifle is empty. You only have two bullets left in your pistol. We cannot fight an army. If we meet monsters, we are dead.""We will not meet them," Oliver said. "I have their patrol routes memorized. We will move through the blind spots."They walked in silence for forty-five minutes.Oliver’s mind was incredible. He remembered the exact layout of the massive blue hologram. He knew exactly when to turn left, when to turn right, and when to stop."Halt," Oliver whispered suddenly. He raised his left fist.Jax stopped breathing.They stood in total darkness. Ten feet ahead of them, the tunnel crossed another large cave.Click. Clack. Click. Clack.The sound of sharp

The dark tunnel was completely silent. Commander Oliver walked alone. His heavy combat boots made soft sounds on the stone floor. The air was cold and smelled like ancient dust. Oliver did not use his bright white helmet light. He only used the dim red light on his shoulder. He did not want to be seen. He wanted to blend into the shadows.He stopped walking. He raised his right hand. His right hand was no longer human. The flesh and bone had burned away. It was now made of smooth, heavy black metal. Tiny, glowing purple lines ran across the dark metal like veins. It was Wraithborn magic. The alien coin, the Key of Echoes, had fused with his body.Oliver looked at the metal hand. He opened the fingers. He closed the fingers. The metal moved smoothly. There was no pain. There was no blood. There was only cold, hard strength.Oliver reached out and grabbed a solid piece of rock from the tunnel wall. He squeezed his black metal fingers.CRUNCH.The hard rock shattered into gray dust. I

The human soldiers fired their bright blue plasma rifles straight down the gap. The monsters could not dodge. They could not move left or right. The lasers tore through the straight line of monsters. Black ash exploded into the air. Dozens of monsters died in the first three seconds.In the middle tunnel, the charging monsters saw the bright blue energy barrier standing in the center of their path. Just as Oliver predicted, the monsters did not try to break the shield. They split into two groups, running around the left and right edges of the barrier."Middle flank, crossfire!" Oliver ordered smoothly.The human soldiers hidden on the sides opened fire. The monsters were running blindly around the shield, straight into the traps. The crossfire was brutal. The lasers cut them down from both sides. The monsters fell, tripping over each other, creating a mountain of black, smoking bodies.In the right tunnel, the biggest monsters emerged. The Armored Goliaths roared and charged forward.

The cavern was hot and filled with the smell of burning dust. Captain Jax stood in the center of the giant room. But he was not the brave, loyal soldier anymore. His skin was pale white. Black, sick veins crawled up his neck like dark spider webs. His eyes burned with bright, glowing purple fire. The Overlord, the ancient Wraithborn god, had taken control of his body.Corrupted Jax raised his massive plasma machine gun. He pointed the heavy barrel directly at the corner of the room. He pointed it at Foreman Cole, the young boy Sam, and the terrified miners."Hello, Commander," Jax’s mouth moved, but the voice was deep, twisted, and ancient. It was the voice of the Overlord. "Your math is very good. But let us see how you calculate the death of a friend."Commander Oliver stood ten feet away. He did not show any surprise. He did not show any fear. He held his sharp combat knife in his left hand."Captain Jax is dead," Oliver said smoothly. His voice was completely flat. "This is just