Five figures stood out against the golden horizon, a handful of administrators chosen by Sylene for a crucial mission. Sting, with his enigmatic gaze; Rick, always ready for action; Ken, taciturn but lethal; Rabajen, the fiery soul of the group; and Grimborg, the wise strategist. Their destination: the Desert of the Sands of Death, an inhospitable place where they would have to face a mini-boss, a necessary diversion to protect the three teams heading to the real objectives.
The hot desert wind whipped their faces as they ventured among the dunes. "A long time ago I was here," Sting's hoarse voice broke the silence, "with Saland and Haytham. But this desert... it wasn't this vast, this turbulent." An omen? A shiver ran down the others' spines.
"The important thing now is to reach the point marked on the map," Grimborg replied, his voice firm despite the hostile environment. "We'll find the boss there."
"Let's keep our eyes open," Rabajen warned, his hand tight on his sword hilt. "We don't know what enemies await us."
And so, the five administrators continued their march, the sandstorm intensifying, enveloping everything in an ochre veil. Finally, they reached the heart of the desert, the point indicated by the map. But there... there was nothing. No imposing structure, no shimmering portal. Just sand, as far as the eye could see.
"But there's no mini-boss here!" the disbelief in Ken's voice was palpable.
"Could Sylene have been wrong?" doubt crept into Rick's words.
"Impossible," Grimborg shook his head, his expression serious. "She wouldn't have brought us here without a reason. The mini-boss must be somewhere."
At that precise moment, an unsettling sound broke the silence. Laughter. Not a single laugh, but a chorus, coming from every direction. Rabajen, Grimborg, Ken, Rick, and Sting moved in unison, back to back, forming a defensive circle.
From the surrounding dunes, like shadows taking shape, countless figures emerged. Hunters. They were everywhere, a menacing horde.
"It's impossible they followed us!" the anguish in Grimborg's voice was evident. "I thought that, besides Sylene, no one knew about our presence!"
A figure stepped forward, detaching itself from the mass. A muscular man, with a blond tuft of hair defying gravity and three white lines shaved on the sides of his head. His golden eyes gleamed with a sinister light. He wore a dark ochre-yellow jacket, grey pants, and golden gloves with sharp claws. A powerful golden aura enveloped him.
"Did you really think that with auras of your caliber you would go unnoticed?" his voice was filled with cold sarcasm. "We followed you all the way here, waiting for you to lead us to the right spot. All we had to do was conceal our auras so as not to be discovered. I am Canwyn, one of the five commanders of Sayler's army."
A cruel smile spread across Canwyn's lips. "Kill them!"
Before the order could fully resonate in the air, the countless hunters lunged forward. But right in the space between the five administrators, the sand began to give way. And from the depths of the desert emerged a monstrous creature: an enormous black scorpion.
"Sting, Ken, Rick, you take care of the mini-boss!" Grimborg roared, his voice full of determination. "I'll face all the hunters alone! Rabajen, you'll have to deal with the commander!"
A silent agreement passed between them. Everyone knew their role. The battle had just begun.
Grimborg didn't hesitate. With a primal roar, he lunged at the horde of hunters standing before him. Thousands of enemies, each with their Fragment activated, ready to unleash their power. But Grimborg was no less prepared.
"Admin mode: instal, lightning of blinding light!"
The clear sky above them was torn apart by an enormous green lightning bolt that struck Grimborg. On his blindfolded face, the symbol of a green energy eye materialized. His azure electricity mutated, turning into a brilliant green, and behind his back six wings of pure electric energy unfurled. His sword transformed, lengthening, sharpening, now emanating a pulsating green aura.
The initial lightning bolt incinerated some hunters, but Grimborg was already in motion. He dashed at supersonic speed, his sword flashing, tracing trails of green electricity in the air. Each of his slashes was a lightning strike that fell upon the enemies. The hunters tried to react, to hit him with their powers, but Grimborg was too fast, his movements unpredictable.
Yet, the numerical superiority of the hunters was overwhelming. Grimborg mowed down enemy after enemy, but they seemed endless. Fatigue began to set in, despite his incredible speed.
A scream tore through the air. A hunter, hidden in the crowd, had created a spear of flames and hurled it at Grimborg, caught off guard by the multitude of opponents. Grimborg saw the fiery projectile at the last instant, turned sharply to parry it, but it was too late. An explosion of fire engulfed him, swallowing him in a hell of flames.
But Grimborg was not a man easily defeated. He emerged from the blast at an impressive speed, his body marked by wounds, but his gaze still fierce. With a supersonic dash, he reached the hunter who had attacked him and, with a horizontal slash, cleanly severed his head.
The blow had exhausted him. Grimborg fell to his knees, his breath ragged. The hunters surrounded him, ready to deliver the final blow. But a serene smile appeared on Grimborg's face.
"Guys," he whispered, his voice faint but full of hope. "I believe in you. Make this game a better place. I will pray in the real world for your victory."
With a final effort, Grimborg planted his sword in the sand. An immense wave of green electricity spread from the weapon, illuminating the desert. Grimborg smiled one last time, his eyes fixed on Rick, Ken, Sting, and Rabajen, who continued to fight. Then, with a blinding explosion of green energy, Grimborg blew himself up, taking all the surrounding hunters with him into oblivion.
Rabajen, Sting, Ken, and Rick saw the enormous column of green electricity rising towards the sky. They understood. Grimborg had fallen, but he had annihilated his enemies with his sacrifice. A dull ache gripped their hearts, but their determination grew even stronger. They had to honor his sacrifice.
The column of green light dissolved, leaving behind only the memory of Grimborg's sacrifice. Sting, Ken, and Rick exchanged glances, a silent vow of vengeance against the remaining enemies passing between them. Now, their attention focused on the enormous black scorpion awaiting them.
The three figures moved cautiously, trying to surround the beast. Suddenly, Sting darted forward, his sword enveloped in a dark aura, and delivered a swift slash against the scorpion's carapace. But the chitinous armor was too thick; the blade couldn't penetrate it.
Immediately after, Ken and Rick launched their attack. Ken attempted a precise thrust at the stinger, while Rick delivered a powerful punch to the creature's head. The mini-boss roared, a shrill sound that made the sand tremble, and with a sharp movement of its claws, it swept the three administrators away.
It was like facing a living tank. The scorpion's armor was impenetrable, its entire body protected. It wasn't particularly fast, but its endurance seemed endless. From the tip of its stinger, the creature charged a sphere of red energy and hurled it at the three, who launched into a series of acrobatic dodges, responding with flurries of slashes and punches. But it was all useless.
The scorpion tried to hit Ken with a lunge of its left claw, but the administrator parried the blow with his sword. Sting took advantage of the moment to unleash a series of shadow slashes, but even his power couldn't scratch the boss's defense. Ken dove under the creature's body, trying to hit it from below, but even there he found only the hard shell.
The three administrators exchanged a look. It was time to get serious.
"Admin mode: instal!"
A dark energy enveloped Sting, transforming into an armor of shadows that covered his entire body, leaving only his eyes uncovered, which now glowed with an intense purple light. His white sword emanated a pulsating dark aura.
Ken was enveloped in a purplish aura, his muscles bulged, and his eyes transformed into two demonic slits, emitting a sinister light. His machete vibrated with a purple energy.
Rick was surrounded by a brilliant yellow aura, his muscles defined, and his eyes ignited with a golden light.
Now they were ready.
Sting was the first to attack, launching himself at the scorpion with a storm of enhanced shadow slashes. This time, the blades managed to penetrate the armor, wounding the creature, which roared in pain. The boss tried to hit Ken with another claw, but the administrator parried the blow and managed to damage the appendage with a precise slash.
Rick adopted the fighting stance of the mantis and, with a series of rapid blows, wounded the scorpion's head, then made a swift dash and blocked its right claw. Sting lunged towards the stinger, which was charging another sphere of red energy. With a horizontal shadow slash, Sting cleanly severed both the energy beam and the stinger, which fell to the ground in two pieces.
Sting landed on the sand, while Rick, with an incredible jump, swooped down on the scorpion's head and smashed it with a devastating punch. The creature fell to the ground, writhing in agony, until it lay still.
Rick, Sting, and Ken had won. They had honored Grimborg's sacrifice.
Rabajen watched the conclusion of the battle against the mini-boss with a sigh of relief and a pang of sadness for Grimborg's loss. Then, he turned to Canwyn, who was staring at him with an unreadable expression.
"Now it's just you left," Rabajen said, his voice firm.
"It doesn't matter," Canwyn replied with a mocking smile. "I alone am enough here."
Both took up fighting stances. "I know that in the past you were defeated by a mid-level glitch," Canwyn continued, his golden gaze piercing. "But then, in the war against the glitches, you eliminated a high-level glitch. I'm curious to discover your true power. Divine Touch: Finger of God!"
An intense yellow aura enveloped Canwyn, who closed his hands, leaving only his index fingers extended, pointed towards Rabajen. Immediately, both darted forward, initiating a flurry of rapid blows. Rabajen attacked with powerful punches, while Canwyn responded only with the tips of his index fingers, his fists clenched. They struck each other, testing each other's resistance. Canwyn's blows were precise and powerful, but Rabajen's brute force managed to bridge the gap.
Rabajen attempted a knee strike, but Canwyn parried it by crossing his index fingers and repelled him, then launched into a barrage of blows that Rabajen in turn parried, counterattacking with a series of punches. Their strength seemed equivalent, until Canwyn uttered: "Divine Touch: Two Fingers of God!"
The commander raised his middle fingers as well, emanating an even more intense yellow aura. His blows became more powerful, and Rabajen began to struggle to withstand them. He was forced to activate his Berserker armor mode.
A metallic bracelet on Rabajen's left wrist lit up with an orange light. From his wrist, a ferrous substance rapidly spread over his entire body, transforming into complete armor, crisscrossed by lines of orange energy. On the visor, two eyes glowed with an intense orange light. Rabajen immediately managed to block his opponent's blows, absorbing the damage thanks to his protection.
Without hesitation, Rabajen threw a powerful punch towards Canwyn's face, who dodged it by moving his head to the right. But the impact of Rabajen's punch created a shockwave so violent that it lifted a cloud of sand behind Canwyn, who exclaimed: "Divine Touch: Three Fingers of God!"
Canwyn raised his ring fingers as well, reaching three extended fingers on each hand, and his yellow aura intensified further. With both hands, he managed to hit Rabajen on the sides, shattering part of his armor that had failed to absorb the full power of the blows.
Rabajen, wounded, stepped back. "Not bad your power," he commented, "but it doesn't seem like the others."
"You're right," Canwyn replied with a smile. "All the other hunters have a crystal of corruption that enhances their innate abilities and then transforms them into an unprecedented form. I, instead, have a powerful one that manifests in degrees: each of my fingers is like a power indicator."
"Then I won't hold back," Rabajen declared, his voice full of determination. "Admin mode instal, armor of the sleeping demon!!"
A powerful red light emanated from Rabajen's body. His armor became almost completely black, now emanating an intense red aura, and all the energy lines turned red. Rabajen adopted a fighting stance.
"Now I have learned to control this armor," he explained. "Once, even a single movement would cause me injuries. Now my body has become accustomed to the excessive energy that my administrator mode makes me use!"
"Interesting," Canwyn replied. "Then I'll show you my true power too! Divine Touch: Spear of God!"
Canwyn raised his little fingers as well, creating a spear shape with the four extended fingers of each hand. A powerful golden aura enveloped him. "Let's begin!"
Both darted forward. Rabajen's right fist collided with Canwyn's four extended fingers, generating a thunderous shockwave. Immediately, a furious battle of rapid blows erupted. Rabajen continued to generate new energy, but Canwyn managed to keep up.
For a moment, they separated. Rabajen attempted a powerful spinning kick, but Canwyn parried it with his right four fingers, which emanated an intense light. Canwyn attempted a lunge with his left four fingers, but Rabajen dodged and tried to hit Canwyn with a punch. Canwyn countered with his right four fingers, and the impact created another shockwave that repelled them both.
They were equal in speed and strength. But Canwyn had not yet shown his full potential. "To beat you," he said, "I won't have to hold back. I'll show you my true power. Divine Touch: Fist of God!"
An even more intense golden aura enveloped Canwyn, who closed his fingers one by one, forming two fists. He adopted a fighting stance and, with a supersonic dash, found himself in front of Rabajen, attempting to strike him with a devastating punch. Rabajen parried at the last instant, being thrown backward.
But Canwyn gave him no respite, launching into a series of rapid punches. Rabajen sought an opening in his opponent's defense, attempting to strike him in turn, but Canwyn moved at incredible speed. A powerful punch struck him under the chin, followed by a barrage of blows to the chest.
Rabajen fell to his knees, part of his armor was crumbling, and blood trickled from his face. But his gaze was serious, determined. "It's not over yet," he hissed, standing up with difficulty. He was visibly injured, but his expression was confident.
His armor began to disintegrate completely, and Rabajen's body emanated a powerful red aura. His skin grew darker, almost crimson. "Thanks to my armor," he explained, "I managed to adapt to the strength that my body continued to produce. If I had done it without it, I would have imploded. But now that my body is ready, I no longer need the armor. This is my true power."
Rabajen adopted a fighting stance, all his muscles contracted. In Canwyn's eyes, Rabajen had become a true demon, emanating a monstrous energy.
Canwyn prepared to attack, but Rabajen was faster. With a supersonic dash, he found himself in front of the commander and struck him with a punch so powerful that it sent him flying backward. Canwyn could barely see him.
Rabajen approached slowly, his voice filled with a new, unsettling power. "This power of mine was born thanks to the absorption of all the energy I received from my enemies, which I then transformed into my own. But with the administrator mode, my body couldn't handle all this power and I would injure myself. Now it's different. It's as if I was reborn. I'm still Rabajen, but a little stronger than before."
Rabajen began to move at supersonic speed around Canwyn, striking him with a series of rapid punches from every angle. Canwyn couldn't even parry, overwhelmed by the speed. A powerful punch pierced his stomach, sending him flying into the air, then another blow slammed him to the ground.
Canwyn got up with difficulty and darted in front of Rabajen, who remained still. The commander struck him with a flurry of punches to the chest, but for Canwyn it felt like hitting a mountain. Rabajen responded with a knee strike that repelled him, breaking all his teeth.
Canwyn stood up with difficulty, charging his right fist with golden energy. He lunged at full speed towards Rabajen, who did the same, delivering a powerful punch with his left arm. When the two fists collided, the force of Rabajen's fist was such that Canwyn's arm split in two. The commander screamed in pain, and Rabajen struck him with a spinning kick to the face, sending him flying into the air. Canwyn fell to the ground, and before losing consciousness, he whispered: "Sayler will win..." Then, his body began to disintegrate into pixels. Rabajen had triumphed.
With a final supersonic dash, Rabajen found himself in front of Rick, Sting, and Ken, who had watched the entire fight with a mixture of disbelief and admiration. Rabajen smiled, giving a thumbs-up. "Hahaha, did you see that strength?! Now I'm on par with my little ones!"
"Yes," replied Sting, a faint smile on his face. "You've definitely become very strong. But maybe it's time to go back to Sylene."
"Right," Rabajen nodded, his gaze turning serious at the memory of Grimborg. "We have to tell her about his defeat and my new power."
And so, the four administrators set off on the road back, leaving behind the Desert of the Sands of Death, carrying with them the weight of sacrifice and the knowledge of a new, unexpected strength. What would all this mean for the war against Sayler? Only time would tell.