Chapter 16: Attack the mafia

Chapter 16: Attack the mafia

Silas hovered in the night sky above the warehouse, his massive, jet-black wings beating silently against the cool air. The full moon hung heavy and unblemished, casting a pale glow over the sprawling concrete structure below. His crimson eyes flared like twin infernos as he stared down, unblinking, the fury within him coiling tighter with every breath.

[Skill: Eye of Chaos (Activated)]

His vision pierced through the warehouse's walls, revealing the chaos within. Sixty armed thugs milled about, clutching M16A4s, MP5s, and sawed-off shotguns—ants scurrying in a nest of violence. In the center, he spotted his target: Dante Ombra, the blonde punk with a cruel smirk, chatting with an older man—Marco Ombra, his father, a grizzled mirror of his son's malice. Silas's lip curled in disgust. The beauty of the cloudless sky mocked the bloodshed he was about to unleash.

He descended like a vengeful specter, wings folding as his boots touched the cold concrete outside the warehouse gate. Kneeling, he pressed a hand to the ground, his voice a low growl.

[Barrier Magic: No Escape.]

A shimmering, invisible dome snapped into place around the compound, sealing every soul inside with him. No one would flee his wrath tonight.

Silas strode toward the main entrance, his black coat billowing behind him. The guards stationed at the gate—four burly men in tactical vests—snapped to attention, weapons raised.

"Hey! Who the hell are you? What're you doing here?" one barked, his M16 trained on Silas's chest. The others followed suit, fingers twitching on triggers.

Silas didn't answer. Didn't even glance at them. He kept walking, his glowing eyes fixed ahead, burning with unspoken rage.

"I said stop!" the guard roared, veins bulging in his neck. Ignored, their anger erupted, and they opened fire. Bullets screamed through the air, a storm of lead aimed to tear him apart.

[Skill: Telekinesis (Activated)]

The barrage halted mid-flight, inches from Silas's face, suspended in a rippling wall of force. The guards froze, eyes widening as their bullets hung like deadly ornaments. Silas tilted his head, his voice a chilling whisper.

"You shouldn't have bothered."

With a flick of his wrist, the bullets spun back toward their senders, accelerating to unnatural speeds. The guards didn't even have time to scream. Blood sprayed across the concrete as their bodies crumpled, shredded by their own ammunition, limbs twitching in the moonlight. Silas stepped over the carnage without a second glance.

The steel gate loomed before him. He raised a hand, and with a mere thought, the massive door buckled inward, screeching as it was ripped from its hinges and flung into the warehouse like a discarded toy. Shouts erupted inside as he entered, his boots echoing on the blood-streaked floor.

A dozen more thugs rushed forward, guns blazing. Bullets streaked toward him, only to halt and reverse course once more, tearing through flesh and bone with ruthless precision. One man's head exploded in a crimson mist; another's chest caved in as his own shotgun slug returned to greet him. Silas didn't flinch, his anger a cold, unyielding force driving him forward.

From the shadows, an ambusher lunged—a wiry man with a dagger gleaming in his hand. Silas sidestepped the thrust effortlessly, his wings flaring to steady him. The attacker snarled and stabbed again, slashing wildly. For five agonizing minutes, Silas toyed with him, dodging each strike with supernatural grace, his expression a mask of disdain. The man's breaths grew ragged, sweat dripping from his brow, until he staggered, exhausted.

"Is that it?" Silas spat, his voice dripping with contempt. "Pathetic."

**[Skill: Mind Domination (Activated)]**

The man's eyes widened in terror as his own hand jerked upward, trembling, the dagger turning toward his chest. "No—no, please—" he gasped, but Silas's will was iron. With a sickening crunch, the blade plunged into the man's heart, blood gushing as he collapsed, lifeless.

Silas pressed on, leaving a trail of bodies in his wake. Forty of the sixty were dead now, their screams silenced by his unrelenting power. Ahead, the elite guard—sixteen hardened men armed with advanced weaponry, including rocket launchers—barricaded the door to Dante and Marco's sanctum.

"Hold the line! Blast him!" one bellowed, hefting a bazooka.

Silas smirked, his lips curling into a feral grin.

[Skill: Flash Teleport (Activated)]

In a blink, he vanished, reappearing behind them. Before they could react, he thrust both hands forward, palms glowing with molten light.

[Spell: Inferno Shoot]

A torrent of white-hot flame erupted from his hands, engulfing the guards in a roaring blaze. Their screams were drowned by the crackle of fire as their armor melted into their flesh. One man's bazooka detonated in the heat, the explosion ripping through the group, scattering charred limbs across the warehouse. Silas stood unscathed, a shimmering barrier deflecting the blast's fury.

The door to the inner sanctum remained intact—reinforced, explosion-proof. Silas didn't care. With a snarl, he unleashed a telekinetic wave, and the door blasted inward, slamming against the far wall with a deafening crash.

Inside, Dante and Marco cowered behind a line of personal guards, their guns already firing. The bullets ricocheted harmlessly off Silas's invisible shield, rebounding to cut down the guards in a hail of their own lead. Blood pooled on the floor as the last of them fell, leaving father and son exposed.

Marco stumbled forward, hands shaking, his voice a desperate whimper. "What do you want? Money? I've got billions! Power? Half of Gotham's yours! Women? Take your pick—just let us live!"

Silas's eyes narrowed, his voice a low, guttural snarl. "I don't want your filth. I want your life. Can you give me that?"

Dante, trembling beside his father, shrank back. Silas loomed over him, grabbing him by the collar and yanking him up. "Where are they?" he roared, his voice shaking the room. "Your bastard friends who attacked her—where are they?!"

Dante's bruised face twisted in confusion. "W-what girl…?"

Silas's hand lashed out, striking Dante with a force that shattered his jaw. Blood sprayed as five teeth skittered across the floor, his cheek swelling grotesquely. "The girl you raped today!" Silas bellowed, his fury a living thing, crackling in the air. "Tell me, or I'll tear it from your skull!"

Dante gurgled, unable to speak, his mouth a ruined mess. Enraged, Silas plunged into his mind.

**[Skill: Mind Peel (Activated)]**

Images flashed—three of the attackers hiding in Gotham, their faces burned into Silas's memory. The other two were shadows, their locations veiled. He'd hunt the three down and rip the rest from their screams.

A gunshot rang out behind him. Marco, hands shaking, had fired a pistol at Silas's head. The bullet ricocheted off an unseen barrier, pinging uselessly into the wall. Silas turned slowly, his glowing eyes locking onto Marco, who dropped the gun and fell to his knees. "P-please, I didn't mean—"

Silas raised a hand, electricity arcing between his fingers. "You don't get to beg."

But then—

CLANG.

A metal object embedded itself into the floor where Silas had stood a second ago.

Bat-shaped throwing stars.

Silas slowly lifted his gaze.

A shadow loomed in the doorway. Tall. Imposing. Cloaked in darkness.

Batman.

The Dark Knight stood in front of Marco, his stance protective, his piercing gaze locked onto Silas.

Silas exhaled sharply. Of course.

"Batman," Silas hissed, his voice thick with defiance.

The Dark Knight stood protectively in front of Dante's crumpled form, his cape billowing, eyes narrowed beneath the cowl. "Stand down," Batman growled. "This ends now."

Silas's eyes flared, his magic pulsing through him, ready for war. But then, unnoticed by either, Dante's unconscious body twitched violently. A glowing magic seal flared beneath him, crimson runes spiraling outward. His limbs contorted, bones cracking as his form began to shift—skin darkening, eyes snapping open with an unholy light.

What was happening?

To Be Continued…

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