Executioner's League-Chapter 88: The Old Darkness!

Rin stood in the wreckage

of the downtown facility, breathing heavily, the last traces of enemy flux

still dissolving in the air. The Vanguards had been relentless—but not enough.

He turned to leave, ready to report back, when a sudden wave of enemy reinforcements

surged into the corridor.

Dozens of operatives

closed in, attempting to overwhelm and capture him. But Rin didn't flinch. His

expression remained cold, focused.

He gripped his

scythe, Cosmavyr Eclipsebound, and whispered, "Dimensional Surge."

In an instant, his body

flickered like a blur across space itself, moving between rifts in reality. The

room exploded in shimmering arcs of cosmic energy as he passed through each

enemy with surgical precision. When the light faded, the entire force collapsed

behind him, defeated in a single sweep.

Among the fallen, a barely

conscious Vanguard lifted his head and muttered, "What... what did that move?"

Rin glanced back over his

shoulder. "Just one of many tricks," he said quietly, before walking away.

He hailed a cab from the

edge of the district and returned to the hover rail station. As the skyline of

Lumina Spire vanished behind him, his thoughts churned—not with pride, but with

urgency.

Back at the base, the

halls buzzed with energy. He stepped through the entrance when suddenly, a

dagger cut through the air—fast and precise, curving mid-flight toward his eye.

Without blinking, Rin

caught it with two fingers just before impact.

He looked up. "Blaze,

seriously? Look where you throw that thing."

Kyrin emerged from behind

a nearby column, raising a brow. "Relax, Rin. I was testing a new move—you

caught it, didn't you?"

"Try it in the arena next

time," Rin muttered, tossing the blade back. Kyrin and Blaze shrugged and

headed toward the training chambers.

Rin turned and made his

way to Shaeryn's command room. The older warrior stood reviewing holographic

maps when Rin entered.

"Sir," Rin said, "I need

to speak with you. It's important."

Shaeryn looked up, eyes

sharp. "Go on."

"When I infiltrated the

Vanguard stronghold in downtown Lumina Spire," Rin began, "I discovered a

hidden lab. Inside, I encountered a man—Dr. Zephyrus. A scientist. He wasn't

just another researcher—he was tampering with flux resonance and dimensional energy.

Aureva was involved too. I found her data. They were working on a

project—Project Eclipse. It was intended to open gateways between dimensions."

Shaeryn's eyes narrowed.

"That's not possible... unless—"

"It wasn't just about

travel between worlds," Rin interrupted. "It was something worse. They were

trying to merge dimensions. Bring something from the other side.

But it doesn't make sense... until I realized—it's not about dimensions. It's

about control."

Rin turned and began

walking away, heading toward the arena. Just as he stepped through the door, a

voice echoed in his mind—soft, feminine, but commanding:

"Rin, the failures of the

past shape the chaos of the present."

The words struck him like

lightning. His eyes widened. A sudden connection sparked in his mind.

Without hesitating, he

sprinted back toward Shaeryn's chamber. He burst in, urgency etched on his

face.

"Sir Shaeryn! I've figured

it out."

Shaeryn turned, surprised.

"What is it?"

"During my early assassin

days, Segrito attempted to take over Vortex," Rin said. "Senjuro, I, and our

team stopped them—but that wasn't the end of it. Vortex isn't just a nation.

It's the central transportation hub of the continent. It houses multiple

interconnected gateways for instant travel across the world. If someone were to

gain full control over Vortex, they could move armies anywhere, raid cities,

and disrupt entire nations in minutes."

Shaeryn's expression

turned grim. "So, you believe Segrito's original failure was only the

beginning?"

"Yes. Even though the

operation failed, Segrito's influence never left the infrastructure. The

company that manages Vortex is still riddled with their agents. If they're

working with Zephyrus now, they're not just trying to recreate Project Eclipse...

they're using Vortex's architecture to build something worse."

Shaeryn nodded slowly. "It

makes sense now. Aureva must have realized this too. She wasn't working with

them—she was taken. Jacob Bethelle captured her to extract her knowledge and

complete what Segrito started."

Rin stepped forward, his

tone softening. "Sir Shaeryn... is Senjuro alright?"

Shaeryn sighed, his

posture relaxing slightly. "He's fine now. Resting in the medical wing. The

corruption nearly overwhelmed his mind, but the healers stabilized him."

Without another word, Rin

turned and walked toward the medical wing. The sterile corridors were quiet,

the lights dimmed. As he entered, he saw Senjuro lying on the recovery bed,

pale but peaceful, his vitals stabilized, the darkness no longer present in his

aura.

Rin stood there for a

moment, silent. He clenched his fist slightly and whispered, "You're stronger

than this. You've always been. I'll fix what they started—and protect this

world for all of us."

As he turned and walked

out of the room, his resolve burned brighter than ever.

The storm was only

beginning.

Rin stepped quietly into

the medical wing and made his way to Senjuro's bedside. The light from the

ceiling cast a pale glow over the room, and the soft beeping of monitors filled

the silence. Senjuro stirred and opened his eyes just as Rin approached.

"You alright?" Rin asked,

his tone steady but concerned.

Senjuro gave a weak nod.

"Yeah... I'm fine now. I'm sorry for what happened."

Rin shook his head. "It

wasn't your fault. The Senjuro I know would never raise a hand against his

allies. That... thing wasn't you."

A small smile tugged at

Senjuro's lips. "You've gotten strong, Rin. Stronger than anyone else here. How

did you manage that?"

Rin gave a half-smile, but

there was no pride in his voice. "That's a story for another day. For now, you

need to rest. We'll get back to training soon."

Senjuro nodded and closed

his eyes. Within moments, he drifted back into a peaceful sleep.

Rin turned and walked out,

his boots echoing softly in the hallway. He headed straight for the training

arena, where Kyrin was already sparring with a combat drone. As Rin stepped in,

Kyrin noticed him and grinned.

"Yo, Rin. What's up?"

Rin smirked faintly.

"Wanna see something cool?"

Kyrin lowered his stance.

"Sure. Let's see it."

Rin reached into his coat

and pulled out a small, unassuming dagger. He walked up to a row of training

clones and, without warning, flicked the blade at one.

The moment the dagger made

contact, there was a pulse—a shimmering distortion in the air—and in a flash,

ten separate impact points appeared across the clones, each exploding in a

different flux signature. Fire, lightning, shadow, ice, and several others

rippled across the room like echoes of the original strike.

Kyrin blinked in

astonishment. "What... was that?"

"One of my tricks," Rin

replied casually, his tone cool and distant. "You'll see more of them in the

days ahead."

Just as he turned to

retrieve the dagger, Rin paused—his posture stiffening. His eyes glazed over

for a moment, and his expression shifted into something colder... distant.

"The show's not yet

begun," he whispered under his breath.

Blaze, who had just

entered the room, stepped forward. "Rin?"

Rin blinked rapidly, as if

snapping out of something. He glanced at Blaze, confused. "What... happened?"

Blaze smiled faintly,

trying to ease the tension. "Nothing. You're good."

Rin nodded slowly and

walked away without another word. Kyrin and Blaze watched him go, concern

creeping into their expressions.

Kyrin leaned closer to

Blaze and whispered, "What's going on with him?"

Blaze shook his head. "I

don't know. Ever since he got that new core... he's changed. He gets cold.

Distant. Sometimes it's like he's not even here."

Kyrin frowned, eyes

following Rin's retreating form. "He used to be the most upbeat out of all of

us... but now his energy feels like a void. Whatever that core gave him, it

wasn't just power."

Blaze nodded solemnly.

"Yeah. And the scary part? His power levels are off the charts. Whatever he's

becoming—it's something none of us have seen before."

Kyrin said nothing. Deep

down, he couldn't shake the feeling that the Rin they knew was drifting further

and further away—and something far more dangerous was taking his place.