The cavern floor didn't just turn dark. It turned into a liquid abyss.
Gorgon blinked, his brain struggling to process the visual data. One second, he was looking at a terrified Porter. The next, he was staring into the mouth of hell.
ROAAAR!
The first thing to emerge was Fang.
The D+ Rank Twin-Headed Naga erupted from the shadow pool like a submarine breaching the surface. Its massive bulk smashed two of the D-Rank Fighters aside like bowling pins. They hit the cavern wall with a sickening crunch.
"Monster! Ambush!"
"Where did it come from?!"
Panic. Pure, unadulterated panic exploded among the squad.
"Intel said he was a Porter!" The Healer screamed, dropping his cigarette. "What the fuck is this?!"
He turned to run, but a hand reached out from his own shadow.
Shadow Jack.
The Assassin didn't emerge fully. He just extended his torso from the floor, grabbing the Healer's ankle.
YANK.
"No! Help—!"
The Healer was dragged down into the darkness. A second later, a geyser of blood sprayed up from the floor.
[Healer Eliminated.]
"Formation! Defensive circle!" Gorgon roared, swinging his meat cleaver. "It's a Necromancer! Kill the summoner! Kill Kai!"
The two Rangers snapped out of their shock. They were professionals.
"Target acquired!"
They drew their bows, aiming directly at Kai, who was standing still in the center of the chaos.
Twang. Twang.
Two steel-tipped arrows flew through the air, aimed straight at Kai's heart.
There was no way to dodge.
Kai looked at the arrows. He smiled.
"Too slow."
[Skill: Shadow Exchange]
VWOOM.
Kai's body dissolved into black mist.
In his place, the Shadow Alpha Wolf appeared instantly, snarling. The arrows bounced harmlessly off the Alpha's silver fur.
"He... he teleported?!" One Ranger gasped.
"Behind you," a whisper came from right next to his ear.
The Ranger froze.
Kai stepped out of the shadow where the Alpha Wolf had been standing just a second ago—right in the middle of the Rangers' backline.
[Active Skill: Vital Strike]
Kai's Enchanted Dagger flashed.
SLASH.
The Ranger's throat opened up.
The second Ranger tried to draw a knife, but the Shadow Wolf Pack descended on him.
Four E+ Rank wolves and the Alpha. It wasn't a fight; it was a feeding frenzy.
Screams echoed in the cavern, mixed with the wet sounds of tearing flesh.
Within thirty seconds, the "Hit Squad" was decimated.
The Healer was dead.
The Rangers were dog food.
The two Fighters were being crushed to death by Fang's coils.
Only Gorgon remained standing.
The C-Rank Tank was tough. His skin had turned to solid stone [Skill: Stone Skin], and he was swinging his massive cleaver wildly, keeping Shadow Jack at bay.
"Come on! Come at me!" Gorgon bellowed, his eyes wide with adrenaline and terror. "I am The Butcher! I don't die to ghosts!"
He swung his cleaver, chopping Shadow Jack's arm off.
But Jack just stared at him blankly. The arm turned to smoke and reattached itself instantly.
Gorgon panted, backing away until his back hit the cold limestone wall.
He looked around.
His elite squad was gone.
The cavern was silent, save for the dripping of blood and the low growls of the wolves.
The shadows stopped attacking. They pulled back, forming a perfect semi-circle around him.
Fang hissed from the ceiling.
The Alpha Wolf licked its blood-stained paws.
Jack sharpened his blade.
And in the center of them all walked Kai.
His hoodie was spotless. Not a drop of blood on him.
"You said you wanted to know where I got the goods," Kai said, his voice echoing in the silence.
He stepped closer, his eyes glowing blue.
"You asked who I sold the info to."
Kai stopped five meters from Gorgon. He tilted his head.
"I didn't sell it, Gorgon. I became it."
Gorgon's grip on his cleaver trembled. For the first time in his life, The Butcher felt like the meat.
"What... what are you?" Gorgon whispered.
Kai raised his hand.
"I am the danger."
"Kill him."