[Location: Central Plaza - The Execution Stage]
[Time: 11:55 AM]
[Status: Surrounded by the Army]
The Central Plaza, once a place of celebration, was now a fortress.
Thousands of heavily armed soldiers lined the perimeter. Tanks were parked at every exit. Anti-Air magic cannons pointed at the sky.
General Ironwood wasn't taking any chances.
On the raised execution platform, ten students from Class F were kneeling, their hands bound with magic-suppressing cuffs. They were crying.
Behind them stood executioners with axes.
Ironwood stood at the podium, addressing the cameras broadcasting to the entire nation.
"Citizens! Today, we cleanse the Academy of corruption! These students conspired with the traitor Ryan. They are accomplices to terrorism!"
The crowd murmured. Some cheered, but most looked terrified.
"Execution in 5 minutes!" Ironwood shouted.
Hidden in the crowd, disguised in civilians clothes, were Violet and Felix.
"Ryan is late," Violet whispered into her earpiece. "If he doesn't show up, they die."
"He'll show up," Felix said nervously. "Or something really unlucky will happen to Ironwood."
Suddenly, the massive digital billboards overlooking the plaza flickered.
Ironwood's face disappeared from the screens.
It was replaced by a Clown Mask.
"Testing... Testing... Is this thing on?"
Ryan's voice boomed from every speaker in the city.
Ironwood looked up, furious. "Cut the feed! Hack it back!"
"Hello, General!" Ryan's voice laughed. "Nice party. But you forgot to invite the Guest of Honor."
"Where are you, coward?!" Ironwood screamed. "Show yourself!"
"Look up."
Ironwood looked up. The soldiers looked up.
High above the plaza, the clouds parted.
A single black dot plummeted from the sky.
It wasn't a bomb. It wasn't a plane.
It was Ryan, riding on the back of his Shadow Dragon (Nero).
Nero had grown. Fed on the mana of the Lich King's castle, he was now the size of a fighter jet.
"ROOOOOOAAAAAAAR!"
Nero let out a dragon roar that shattered windows for blocks. The pressure forced the soldiers to their knees.
"FIRE! SHOOT HIM DOWN!" Ironwood commanded.
The Anti-Air cannons lit up. Blue beams of mana shot towards Ryan.
Ryan stood on Nero's back, his trench coat flapping. He didn't dodge.
He tapped his Pandora watch.
"Pandora... Form Change: Mirror Prism."
A web of floating mirrors appeared around Nero.
The mana beams hit the mirrors... and reflected right back at the cannons.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The cannons exploded in balls of fire.
"Oops," Ryan said over the speakers. "Stop hitting yourself."
Ryan jumped off Nero.
[Skill: Shadow Exchange]
He vanished in mid-air and reappeared instantly on the execution stage, right behind the executioners.
Slash.
He used his [Jester's Dagger].
The executioners collapsed, foaming at the mouth (Madness Poison).
Ryan cut the ropes binding his classmates.
"Class dismissed," Ryan winked. "Run to the sewers. Grog is waiting."
"Ryan!" The students cried. "You came back!"
"Go!"
As the students ran, Ironwood charged at Ryan. He pulled out a massive golden sword.
"I will kill you myself!"
Ironwood was an S-Rank Warrior. His speed was immense.
Ryan didn't move. He pointed a finger at the ground.
"Domain of the Dead."
WHOOSH.
Purple energy covered the plaza.
"General, do you know where we are standing?" Ryan asked calmly.
"This plaza... was built on an old battlefield from the First War."
Ironwood paused. "So what?"
"So," Ryan grinned. "There are a lot of dead soldiers under your feet."
"Arise."
CRACK. CRACK. CRACK.
The concrete of the plaza shattered.
Skeletal hands burst from the ground.
Hundreds. Thousands.
Ancient soldiers wearing rusted armor, holding broken spears.
The Undead Army.
They weren't fighting Ryan. They were grabbing the ankles of the living soldiers.
"AAAAGH! GET OFF ME!"
The plaza turned into chaos. The modern army was being swarmed by the ancient dead.
Ironwood swung his sword, cutting down ten skeletons.
"These weaklings can't stop me!"
"True," Ryan nodded. "But he can."
Ryan pointed behind Ironwood.
A shadow grew on the stage.
Kelly (The Shadow Lich) rose from the darkness.
He raised his staff.
[Spell: Gravity Crush (Learned from watching Leo Sterling).]
BOOM.
Ironwood was slammed face-first into the stage. He couldn't move.
Ryan walked up to the pinned General.
He crouched down, holding the camera drone.
"Say cheese, General."
Ironwood gritted his teeth, blood dripping from his nose. "The... Government... will not forgive this..."
"The Government works for the people," Ryan said coldly. "And right now, the people are watching my stream."
He turned to the camera.
"Chat, look at this. General Ironwood tried to execute innocent kids to hide his own corruption. I found documents in his office."
Ryan pulled out a stack of papers (stolen by Annabelle during the chaos).
"Illegal arms dealing. Working with Dark Guilds. Embezzlement."
Ryan threw the papers into the air. They rained down like confetti.
"You are finished, Ironwood. Not because I killed you. But because I cancelled you."
[System Notification: You have destroyed the reputation of a General.]
[Fear Points: +20,000]
[Reputation: 'The Rebel King' established.]
Sirens wailed in the distance. The real police (Internal Affairs) were coming.
Ryan stood up.
"Nero! Pickup!"
The Shadow Dragon swooped down. Ryan grabbed its leg.
His team (Violet, Felix, Grog) grabbed onto Nero's tail.
They flew off into the sunset, leaving behind a ruined plaza, a humiliated General, and a city in shock.
User_RichKid: "He exposed the corruption LIVE! This is history!"
User_Slayer69: "Ryan for President!"
As they flew towards their secret base, Ryan's phone buzzed.
[Message from Unknown Sender (Admin):]
"Impressive. You broke the rules. I like it. But be careful... Lord No. 5 is awake. And he doesn't like noise."
Ryan looked at the message.
"Lord No. 5? Is he the one who hates noise?"
Ryan smirked.
"Then let's buy some louder speakers."