Chapter 5: Betrayal at Midnight

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The Oblivion Fortress was supposed to be impenetrable.

Towering walls, reinforced by magic barriers. Dozens of sentries stationed along the perimeter. Traps set at every possible entrance.

It was a fortress built for war.

But no fortress could survive an attack from within.

Inside the war tent, Raine, Kaiser, and the remaining leaders of Oblivion stood around a glowing map of the battlefield. Despite the chaos raging outside, the inside of the command room was eerily silent.

[Raine, arms crossed]: "The game is breaking apart. Dominion has the Godslayer Blade, and the system itself is changing its rules. We need to pull out before we lose more people."

[Kaiser, shaking his head]: "Retreat? And let those bastards claim victory? Hell no."

[Orion, cautious]: "We don't even know if victory means anything anymore. People are disappearing—deleted. If this game isn't functioning normally, then what are we even fighting for?"

Kaiser opened his mouth to argue—

CRACK.

The lights flickered.

A cold wind swept through the war tent.

And then—

The alarms went off.

[SYSTEM ALERT]: UNAUTHORIZED ENTRY DETECTED. FORTRESS SECURITY BREACHED.

[Raine, instincts flaring]: "We're under attack!"

The war tent exploded.

Fire and debris rained from above as Black Sun assassins and Dominion enforcers emerged from the shadows, weapons already swinging.

It wasn't a normal attack.

This was coordinated. Precise. Merciless.

[Oblivion Warrior, panicked]: "IT'S A TRAP!"

[Kaiser, drawing his sword]: "You think I don't see that? Get your asses moving!"

But it was too late.

Oblivion's own members turned against them.

They had been infiltrated.

Longtime allies—friends—drove daggers into each other's backs.

[Oblivion Mage, betrayed]: "Y-You… TRAITOR!"

[Black Sun Assassin, smirking]: "Nothing personal. Just business."

Blood soaked the floors.

Magic explosions tore through the halls.

The fortress was collapsing.

And in the middle of it all—

Kaiser stood his ground.

A massive figure emerged from the shadows.

Amon, the Highlord of Dominion.

In his hands, he held the Godslayer Blade.

[Kaiser, gripping his sword]: "So it's you."

[Amon, amused]: "You didn't really think we'd let Oblivion win, did you?"

Kaiser lunged, sword flashing—

But the Godslayer Blade moved first.

Amon swung once.

A massive shockwave erupted, tearing through the air like a cannon blast.

Kaiser's armor shattered. His sword cracked.

And then—

[Kaiser, eyes wide]: "Ah… so that's… how it is…"

Blood spilled from his mouth.

A deep, gaping wound tore through his chest.

And for the first time, Kaiser—The Unbreakable King—fell to one knee.

[Kaiser, grinning weakly]: "Don't… make that face, Raine. It's just a game, right?"

But they both knew.

This wasn't just a game anymore.

And then—

Kaiser vanished.

Deleted.

Gone.

Amon turned toward him, eyes gleaming.

[Amon, smirking]: "One leader down. One left to go."

[Raine, grabbing him]: "WE NEED TO RUN!"

With Oblivion's leader gone, they had no chance of winning this battle. Their forces were in chaos, their fortress was burning, and the Godslayer Blade had made Dominion unstoppable.

Survivors scattered.

Those who tried to fight were erased.

[Raine, running]: "Move! MOVE!"

He cut down enemies as they fled, but they were outnumbered.

[Oblivion Archer, screaming]: "THEY'RE RIGHT BEHIND US—!"

An assassin's blade slit his throat.

Gone.

Raine kept running.

They kept dying.

By the time they reached the outer walls, only six of them remained.

Oblivion was dead.

And Raine was now hunted.

They stopped near a crumbling watchtower, breathing heavily.

[Raine, gasping]: "Damn it… we lost everything."

[Orion, voice shaking]: "It's over. We can't win anymore."

But then—

A new system message flashed across Raine's interface.

[SYSTEM ALERT]: THE ECLIPSE EVENT HAS BEGUN.

[WARNING: WORLD REBIRTH IN PROGRESS.]

[Raine, frowning]: "The hell…?"

He quickly scanned the message—and his blood ran cold.

[Orion, noticing his face]: "Raine… what is it?"

Raine, whispering: "This world… it's being reset."

Orion froze.

[Raine, eyes narrowing]: "The Eclipse Event. It's been in the system since the beginning—but hidden. It's a protocol."

[Raine, looking at them]: "This world is about to be wiped."

And then—

The storm appeared.

The sky split apart.

Dark clouds swirled over the battlefield. The ground shook violently, cracks forming along the earth.

A countdown appeared at the top of everyone's screen.

[SYSTEM TIMER: 00:10:00]

Ten minutes.

The world was ending in ten minutes.

[Orion, panic rising]: "What the hell is happening?!"

[Raine, whispering]: "It's not just deleting players anymore."

[Raine, looking at the storm]: "It's deleting the entire game."

They weren't just fighting each other anymore.

They were now fighting against time itself.

And if they didn't figure out what was happening before the countdown reached zero…

Then there would be nothing left to wake up to.