The stench of rotting garbage and stagnant chemical water hit Kanos’s nose the moment he kicked the heavy iron sewer grate open. The pouring rain of Marrath’s lower district instantly soaked his hair and gray cloak. Kanos climbed out of the dark hole, stepping onto the muddy cobblestone alleyway. The sky above was pitch black, lit only by the occasional flash of lightning and the dim red glow of the city’s scattered oil lamps.
The familiar transparent blue system panel suddenly flickered back to life in front of Kanos’s eyes. The Yomalvara algorithm finally managed to reconnect with his status after being completely blind in the Dead Zone. His HP and Mana bars showed up clearly, both sitting at full capacity. The system was functioning perfectly again.
Belida climbed out right after him. The giant knight drew his black greatsword immediately, his sharp eyes scanning the dark, rain soaked alleyway for any sudden movements. Papuyu followed silently, her twin daggers already securely gripped in her hands. Sili was the last one to scramble out, hugging his leather bag tightly and shivering violently from the freezing rain.
"They are close," Papuyu whispered so quietly her voice barely cut through the sound of the heavy rain. She pointed her dagger toward a dilapidated wooden warehouse about thirty meters down the alley. "I purposely left a clear blood trail leading straight to the front of that building. The two Executioners should be waiting inside to ambush us."
Kanos wiped the rainwater from his eyes. He did not say a word. He just gave a small hand gesture.
From the dark, gaping sewer hole behind them, three massive dark violet shadows leaped out effortlessly. The Null Hounds landed perfectly on the muddy street without making a single sound. The rain that fell on their bodies instantly evaporated, sucked completely dry by their terrifying anti magic aura. The three beasts stood firmly beside Kanos, their empty gray eye sockets staring dead ahead toward the wooden warehouse.
"Sili, stay behind me," Belida ordered gruffly. The knight took a heavy step forward, positioning his massive body as a physical shield for Kanos and the skinny broker.
Kanos walked slowly down the middle of the alleyway. He did not try to hide his footsteps. He deliberately splashed through the muddy puddles, making his presence absolutely clear to anyone hiding inside the warehouse. This was not a stealth mission. This was an execution.
The moment Kanos reached the halfway point of the alley, the decayed wooden double doors of the warehouse violently exploded outward.
A massive blast of pure golden lightning tore through the rainy night, illuminating the entire alleyway in blinding light. The magical attack was incredibly fast and packed enough destructive force to instantly vaporize a normal human being. The two Sensor Bureau Executioners stepped out from the burning doorway. Their silver armor gleamed brightly under the lightning aura.
"Target anomaly locked. You cannot escape the system’s reach up here," the lead Executioner spoke with his chillingly robotic voice.
The golden lightning bolt shot straight for Kanos’s chest. Belida roared and was about to swing his greatsword to deflect it, but Kanos simply stood his ground. He did not even flinch.
The Null Hound positioned on Kanos’s right side leaped forward with explosive speed. The dark violet beast intercepted the lightning bolt in mid air. The moment the blinding golden magic struck the hound’s dense smoke body, the lightning did not explode. It simply vanished. A loud, sharp fizzling sound echoed through the alley as the hound literally swallowed the high tier spell without a single drop of leftover energy escaping.
The two Executioners froze completely. Their robotic posture broke for a fraction of a second, clearly displaying pure, unfiltered shock. The system interface inside their helmets definitely failed to compute what had just happened to their ultimate attack.
"What is that creature?" the second Executioner muttered in a panicked tone. "System analysis returns zero data. Magic absorption rate is absolute."
"Tear them apart," Kanos ordered flatly. His voice was freezing cold.
The three Null Hounds bolted forward simultaneously. They moved so fast they looked like blurring violet streaks against the rainy backdrop. The sheer kinetic force of their sprint kicked up a massive wave of mud and water behind them.
The lead Executioner desperately raised both his gauntlets, trying to cast a defensive barrier made of solid ice magic. A thick, glowing blue ice wall materialized rapidly in front of him.
It was utterly useless. The first Null Hound slammed headfirst into the ice barrier. The anti magic aura coating the beast’s body instantly neutralized the spell’s structural integrity. The thick ice wall shattered into tiny, harmless snowflakes upon contact. The hound did not lose any momentum. It crashed directly into the Executioner’s chest, pinning the heavy armored man brutally to the muddy ground.
The sound of twisting metal and snapping ribs echoed sickeningly loud. The Executioner screamed in agony as the hound’s dual hinged jaws clamped down hard on his silver helmet, instantly crushing the reinforced steel like a cheap tin can.
The second Executioner panicked. He completely abandoned his magical attacks and drew a long silver broadsword from his waist. He swung wildly, trying to slash the second Null Hound leaping toward his blind spot. The silver blade connected cleanly with the hound’s neck.
CLANG!
The sharp broadsword violently bounced off the beast’s smoke body, unable to cut through the incredibly dense, void infused material. The impact only managed to send a painful vibration up the Executioner’s arm. Before the man could recover his stance, the third Null Hound swept in from below, its razor sharp shadow claws tearing ruthlessly through the weak joints of the Executioner’s knee armor.
The man collapsed screaming, his leg completely destroyed. The second hound instantly pounced on his chest, its heavy paws pinning his arms tightly to the ground.
The entire brutal skirmish was over in less than twelve seconds.
Kanos walked slowly toward the two defeated men. Belida lowered his greatsword, shaking his head in sheer disbelief at the overwhelming onesided slaughter. Papuyu stood silently in the rain, her dead eyes observing the terrifying efficiency of Kanos’s new creations. Sili was practically hyperventilating, clutching his bag while staring at the scene in absolute awe.
Kanos stopped right next to the second Executioner who was currently pinned helplessly to the mud by the Null Hound. The man’s silver helmet was heavily dented, his breathing shallow and erratic. The dark violet beast growled softly, waiting for Kanos’s final command to finish the job.
Kanos crouched down slowly. He stared directly into the cracked visor of the Executioner’s helmet. The pouring rain washed the mud off Kanos’s pale, exhausted face, revealing a deeply chilling, emotionless expression.
"Your system is flawed," Kanos spoke quietly. His voice carried clearly over the sound of the rain. "You built a world based on absolute rules, and you thought you could just delete anyone who did not fit into your neat little boxes."
The Executioner coughed up blood inside his helmet. He tried to struggle, but the hound’s weight was absolute. "You... you will be formatted... the Bureau will send the Grand Inquisitors..." the man gasped out stubbornly.
Kanos smiled faintly. He stood up straight and looked down at the dying royal dog.
"Let them come," Kanos said coldly. He turned his back on the man and began walking away down the dark alley. "I have enough ink to redraw this entire city."
Without needing Kanos to say another word, the Null Hound’s jaws clamped down violently. A sharp crunch echoed one last time, followed by total silence. The hunter had truly become the prey, and Kanos was just getting started.