Midnight settled like a suffocating blanket over the hospital.
The VIP floor, once guarded and bustling, now stood eerily silent. Lights flickered occasionally, casting unstable shadows across the long, empty corridor. The usual hum of machines and distant footsteps was gone.
Too quiet.
Unnaturally quiet.
The elevator doors slid open with a soft ping.
Five figures stepped out.
Black tactical suits. Masked faces. Movements so precise they barely made a sound.
Red Vipers.
Elite assassins.
Predators of the night.
The leader stepped forward first, his eyes scanning the corridor with practiced sharpness.
"Floor's clear," he whispered. "No guards."
Behind him, one of the assassins casually spun his dagger between his fingers.
"That's weird," he muttered. "Vikram said there'd be resistance."
The leader pulled out a small device. It emitted a faint glow as it scanned the surroundings.
"Target is in Room 402," he said. "Two individuals. One injured."
He paused.
"Easy job."
Another assassin smirked behind his mask.
"Good. I hate complications."
They moved forward.
Silent.
Fluid.
Their footsteps made no sound — stealth skills active, mana suppressed, presence erased.
But something was wrong.
Subtle.
Barely noticeable.
The last assassin in line slowed slightly.
He frowned.
For a brief moment—
He felt something.
A shift.
He glanced upward.
The ceiling above him looked darker than the rest of the corridor.
Not shadow.
Not exactly.
Just—
Wrong.
He stared at it for a second longer.
"…Probably nothing," he muttered under his breath.
He turned his head back forward.
And that's when it happened.
Something dropped.
Fast.
A long, black tongue shot down from the darkness above—
Wrapping tightly around his throat.
His eyes widened instantly.
No sound came out.
No scream.
No warning.
He was yanked upward into the ceiling darkness—
And disappeared.
Silence returned.
The remaining assassins didn't notice.
They kept walking.
Four now.
Not five.
Room 402 stood ahead.
The leader raised his hand.
Stop.
The team froze instantly.
He signaled.
Prepare.
Weapons drawn.
Breathing controlled.
Then—
He pointed.
Go.
The door exploded inward.
BANG.
The assassins rushed in with lethal precision.
The room was pitch black.
Only faint outlines visible.
On the bed—
A figure lay under a blanket.
Still.
Unmoving.
One of the assassins stepped forward without hesitation.
"Target confirmed."
He raised his blade.
"Goodbye."
STAB.
The blade pierced through the blanket.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Then—
He froze.
"…What?"
He pulled the blanket away.
Pillows.
Only pillows.
No body.
No blood.
Nothing.
"Trap—!"
CLICK.
The door behind them slammed shut.
Locked.
Sealed.
Darkness deepened.
And then—
A faint glow appeared in the corner of the room.
A phone screen.
Illuminating a calm, sitting figure.
Arav.
Relaxed.
Waiting.
Watching.
"You're late," he said casually.
His voice cut through the silence like a blade.
"I expected you ten minutes earlier."
The leader turned instantly.
"Kill him!"
But Arav didn't move.
Didn't flinch.
He simply smiled.
Behind him—
His shadow began to stretch.
Twist.
Grow.
"Gorge," Arav said softly.
"Dinner time."
The shadow behind Arav split open.
Not like darkness.
Not like light.
But like something alive forcing its way into reality.
Then—
Gorge emerged.
Full size.
Massive.
Monstrous.
The room instantly felt too small to contain it. Its head nearly scraped the ceiling, its body pressing against the walls as it stepped forward. Chains dragged faintly from its limbs, clinking softly like echoes of something once restrained.
Its red eyes locked onto the assassins.
And it smiled.
"GRAAAAAH!!"
The roar shook the entire room.
The assassins reacted instantly.
Professional.
Trained.
Deadly.
One jumped back, activating a speed skill. Another formed a mana barrier. The leader stepped forward, blades glowing with sharp killing intent.
"Split!" he ordered.
Too late.
Gorge moved.
In a blink—
Its massive hand grabbed one assassin mid-step.
And slammed him into the wall.
CRACK.
The wall shattered.
The assassin didn't move again.
Another assassin rushed Arav from the side.
Fast.
Precise.
A perfect kill angle.
"Die!"
But Arav vanished.
Shadow Cloak.
The blade cut through empty air.
The assassin's eyes widened.
"Wha—"
A presence appeared behind him.
Cold.
Silent.
Final.
Arav.
His dagger glowed faint green.
"Naga's Fang."
SLASH.
The cut was clean.
Too clean.
The assassin froze.
His body stiffened instantly.
He dropped his weapon.
Then collapsed.
Foam forming at his lips.
Arav didn't even look back.
"S-Rank poison," he said calmly. "Three seconds paralysis. Five seconds death."
The room fell quieter.
Only two left.
The leader—
And one more.
The last assassin hesitated.
That was his mistake.
Gorge grabbed him.
Lifted him.
And slammed him repeatedly into the ground like a broken toy.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Then dropped him.
Silence.
Now only the leader remained.
He stepped back slowly.
For the first time—
Fear entered his eyes.
"This… this isn't possible…"
His voice trembled.
"You're not E-Rank…"
His gaze shifted between Arav and Gorge.
"What… are you?"
Arav didn't answer.
He simply walked forward.
Slow.
Measured.
Controlled.
Gorge moved to follow—
But Arav raised his hand.
"Stop."
Gorge froze instantly.
Obedient.
Leashed.
The leader noticed that.
And it terrified him even more.
A monster like that—
Listening.
Obeying.
The leader stumbled backward.
His foot slipped.
He fell.
"No… stay back…"
He tried crawling toward the door.
Pointless.
Locked.
Trapped.
Arav crouched in front of him.
Calm.
Emotionless.
"Don't bother running," he said quietly.
"Outside, Elara is waiting."
The leader froze.
"Ice magic."
A pause.
"She won't be gentle."
The man's breathing broke.
He grabbed Arav's leg.
"Please… please let me go…"
"I was paid… I didn't choose this…"
"I was just doing my job…"
Arav looked down at him.
No anger.
No sympathy.
Nothing.
Just calculation.
"I'll let you go."
The leader froze.
Hope exploded in his eyes.
"R-Really?"
Arav leaned closer.
"Yes."
A small pause.
"Because I need a messenger."
The leader didn't understand.
Not yet.
But he would.
Very soon.
Arav grabbed his collar.
Pulled him closer.
Then—
His dagger moved.
Not to kill.
To carve.
The scream that followed echoed through the sealed room.
The scream didn't last long.
Not because the pain stopped—
But because the will to scream broke.
The leader's body trembled violently as Arav finished carving into his chest. Blood soaked through his torn uniform, dripping onto the floor in uneven patterns.
Arav pulled the dagger away slowly.
Clean.
Precise.
Intentional.
The leader gasped, his breath broken and uneven.
"P-Please… I'll go… I won't come back…"
Arav stood.
"Good."
He grabbed the man by the collar and dragged him toward the door. With a soft flick of his fingers, the lock released.
CLICK.
The door opened.
The cold air of the corridor rushed in.
Arav threw him forward.
"Run."
The leader didn't hesitate.
He stumbled to his feet and ran.
Barely able to stand.
Barely able to breathe.
But driven by pure survival instinct.
Behind him—
The room fell silent again.
Gorge stepped forward slowly, looking at Arav.
Almost… expectant.
Arav glanced at the remaining bodies.
"Leave them."
Gorge tilted its head.
Confused.
Arav's voice stayed calm.
"We don't need more noise."
The monster understood.
It slowly shrank, its massive form folding back into shadow. Within seconds, it disappeared completely, returning to its compact state inside Arav's shadow.
The room felt empty again.
Like nothing had happened.
Except for the blood.
Arav wiped his dagger clean.
Then turned—
And walked out.
Hospital Entrance — Ten Minutes Later
The rain had stopped.
But the air still felt heavy.
Elara stood near the entrance, her arms crossed, eyes fixed on the main door.
The silence was unsettling.
Too clean.
Too still.
"Something's wrong…" she murmured.
Then—
The doors burst open.
A figure stumbled out.
The assassin leader.
Covered in blood.
Eyes wide.
Broken.
He collapsed to his knees.
"Monster…"
His voice cracked.
"He's a monster…"
Elara instinctively stepped forward.
But before she could act—
A hand gently stopped her.
Arav.
He stood behind her.
Calm.
Untouched.
"Let him go."
Elara frowned.
"He'll report everything."
"Exactly."
Arav's gaze didn't leave the fleeing man.
The leader forced himself back up and ran into the darkness, disappearing into the empty street.
Elara turned back to Arav.
"You let him live?"
"Yes."
"He'll come back."
Arav shook his head.
"No."
A slight pause.
"He'll go to Vikram."
Elara studied him carefully.
"And?"
Arav cleaned the last drop of blood from his dagger.
"I sent a message."
Flashback — Room 402
The blade carving slowly into flesh.
Letters forming.
Precise.
Deliberate.
Not random.
A message.
YOUR TURN
Back to Present
Elara exhaled slowly.
"You're escalating this."
Arav didn't deny it.
"He already escalated it."
Silence followed.
Heavy.
Then—
They walked back inside.
Rohan's Room — Later
The atmosphere was completely different now.
Calm.
Almost normal.
Rohan sat upright on the bed, stretching his arm slowly. A faint golden vapor still rose from his body, the lingering effect of the Titan's Heart integrating into his system.
He looked toward the corner.
And froze.
Gorge.
Small form.
Sitting quietly.
Chewing on something metallic.
CRUNCH.
Rohan blinked.
"…Okay."
He rubbed his eyes.
"No way."
He looked again.
Still there.
"…Bhai," he muttered slowly.
"I dreamed this… right?"
Another crunch echoed.
Gorge tilted its head slightly at him.
Rohan leaned back instantly.
"Nope. Not a dream."
Arav stood near the window, looking out at the city.
Completely unfazed.
"Get used to it."
Rohan stared at him.
"You brought a monster… into a hospital…"
"Temporary."
"That thing looks like it eats tanks."
"It would."
Rohan paused.
"…I'm not asking further."
He leaned back.
Then looked at Arav again.
"So… what now?"
Arav's gaze shifted toward the distant skyline.
Where Golden Lion's tower stood.
Untouched.
For now.
"Now…"
His voice dropped slightly.
"We wait."
Rohan frowned.
"For what?"
Arav's eyes darkened.
"For Vikram to make a mistake."
A faint wind moved the curtains.
The city lights flickered in the distance.
And somewhere far away—
A man was already losing control.
Arav's grip tightened slightly.
"When he does…"
His voice turned colder.
"We erase Golden Lion."
Chapter 16 End.