The God's Peak Check-In

Chapter 12: Broken Toys

​The silver bolt didn't just fly; it screamed. Through his Mana Pulse Detection, Adler saw the projectile as a streak of violet lightning aimed at Lyra’s heart.

​"Brace yourself!" Adler roared.

​He didn't reach for his sword. Instead, he channeled the kinetic energy stored from the Archive’s collapse into his gauntlets. He thrust his palm forward, meeting the bolt mid-air. The collision was deafening. A shockwave of redirected force shattered the projectile into glowing dust, the resulting blast wave knocking the lead Sentinel off his feet.

​"Go! Now!" Adler hoisted Lyra up and ignited Void Step.

​For three seconds, the world became a grey, soundless blur. They sprinted through the solid masonry of a nearby apothecary, passing through stone like ghosts. When they solidified in a damp back alley two blocks away, the thick, sulfurous fog of the industrial border shrouded them.

​Lyra collapsed against a pile of rusted crates. "Adler... your hand... it’s smoking."

​"It’ll heal," he said flatly. The silver light of Abnormal Regeneration was already knitting his fractured radius back together. "We can't stay. Valtier’s dogs have the scent."

​"Well, well, look what the cat dragged in," a raspy voice echoed from the gloom.

​Three men stepped out—Kael’s personal 'enforcement' crew. The leader, Mick, was a scarred brute who had spent years making Adler’s life a living hell. He tossed a heavy iron pipe, his eyes landing greedily on Lyra’s expensive cloak.

​"Wings?" Mick sneered. "Mandor Kael said you were out here playing hero. That cloak? It’s worth more than your life, kuli."

​Adler stepped in front of Lyra, his shadow jagged against the brick. "Move, Mick. You don't want to do this."

​"One day you're scrubbing toilets, the next you think you're a king?" Mick laughed, stepping into Adler’s space. He reached out to grab Adler’s collar. "Hand it over, you useless—"

​He never finished. Adler’s movement was a blur. He caught Mick’s wrist and elbow.

​Snap.

​The sound of bone shearing through muscle was like a dry branch breaking. Mick didn't even scream at first; his brain couldn't process his arm bending at a ninety-degree angle in the wrong direction.

​"You like breaking things, Mick?" Adler whispered, his eyes glowing with a terrifying gold. "I learned a lot about anatomy in the dungeon. Want to know which bone hurts the most?"

​He slammed Mick into the ground and shattered his shoulder with a brutal shove of his heel. A kick to the jaw silenced the resulting scream. The other two lackeys froze, pipes trembling.

​"Kill him!" one shrieked, lunging.

​Adler parried the pipe with his forearm, the metal denting against his mesh. Before the man could recoil, Adler seized both his wrists.

​Crunch. Crunch.

​He pulverized the joints. The thug collapsed, wailing over his limp, useless hands. Adler blurred to the third man, hoisting him into the air by his throat.

​"Adler! Stop!" Lyra’s voice was a terrified plea.

​Adler paused, his fingers digging into the man's windpipe. He felt the power of the Divine Check-in pulsing in his veins—a dark, addictive heat whispering for him to finish it. He saw the horror in Lyra’s eyes. She wasn't afraid of the thugs; she was afraid of him.

​He released his grip. "Go," Adler rasped. "Tell Kael the kuli is dead. Tell him if I see his face again, I won't stop at arms."

​The man scrambled away into the fog, dragging his broken companions.

​"Adler..." Lyra stepped forward. "You... you looked like you enjoyed it."

​Adler turned away, pulling his hood low. "The world doesn't reward mercy, Lyra. It only respects the foot on its neck."

​Before she could respond, a massive crimson wave of energy erupted from the rooftops. The fog was sucked away by a localized vacuum. Standing at the end of the alley, silhouetted by the searchlights of an Association gunship, was a figure in a tailored white suit.

​It was Zephyr.

​He was clapping slowly, an arrogant smile on his handsome face. "Impressive, Adler. Truly. I thought I’d find you in a bio-vat, but here you are, breaking toys in the dark."

​Zephyr stepped into the light, his mana-signature making the air sizzle. "But we’re done playing in the dirt. Hand over the girl and the system, and maybe I’ll let you die with your dignity this time."

​Adler felt his rusted sword hum with violent, desperate vibration.

​[Warning: Level 90 Hunter detected.]

[The Constellation 'The Betrayed King' is demanding a sacrifice.]

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