The attack came at night.
Twelve shadows descended through the stormclouds over the Vaelthorn compound—each cloaked in spatial concealment, each bearing the insignia of forbidden sects from the Dark Quadrants.
Fedrick didn't sleep. He never slept anymore.
Inside his warship's central observatory, he stared at the stars as they shifted. He could feel the tremble in the ley lines.
"They're here," he whispered.
[Threat Detected: Tier 9 Assassination Squad]
Targets: Fedrick Vaelthorn, Serenya Nyelle
Initiating Defense Protocols: Denied by Host
He deactivated the warship's automated defenses.
This was personal.
He walked out into the courtyard barefoot, robe fluttering in the wind. Rain struck his skin and evaporated before contact. The air was charged.
The assassins appeared like phantoms—some midair, some emerging from the stone, some splitting from shadows.
Fedrick raised his hand.
"Who sent you?" he asked.
A masked figure stepped forward. "Your birth was a mistake."
Fedrick smiled. "That's funny. Because your death won't be."
He moved.
To the outside world, he vanished. To the assassins, reality collapsed. One man turned to mist. Another folded into a blade. The third screamed as his blood boiled from within.
[Skill Activated: Internal Combustion]
[Technique: Breathless Execution]
Enemies Defeated: 7
Remaining: 5
They regrouped, forming a penta-seal formation.
"Formation won't save you," Fedrick said, walking through lightning.
[Absorbing Formation Core]
+Spatial Law Fragment
+Technique: Gravity Implosion
He clenched his fist.
Space folded inward. The formation imploded. Bones snapped like twigs under divine pressure. The last assassin leapt at him, blade poised for Serenya—who had stepped into the courtyard.
"NO!"
Fedrick snapped.
[Law Breaker Protocol: Engaged]
[System Override: Limitless Expansion]
Power Output: 4000%
Time stopped.
He was behind the assassin before the strike landed. Fingers glowing. Heart roaring.
"Touch her," he whispered, "and I'll erase your entire bloodline."
One punch.
The assassin exploded into pure light.
Silence.
Serenya ran to him. "You're bleeding—"
"I'm not." He collapsed. Knees hitting wet stone.
[System Damage: 4% Core Strain]
Emotional Anchor: Stabilizing…
She caught him before he hit the ground.
For once, he let someone hold him.