DECEPTION

Morning sunlight poured gently over the courtyard of the Mythic Base. The day had started peacefully.

Arslan sat quietly at the breakfast table with the other Mythics—Ravik, Yuna, Elyra, Tharion, and Nirela—enjoying the warmth of spiced tea and soft bread. Their casual talk floated through the air, mixed with laughter.

Ravik chuckled, "I swear Caelis tried to freeze my boots again this morning."

Caelis grinned from across the table. "Just building your resistance."

But before Arslan could sip from his cup, the calm shattered—

WAILING SIRENS blared across Lumisgrave.

The ground trembled faintly. The air changed.

Everyone froze.

"Another breach..." Nirela said under her breath, already rising from her seat.

Camero's voice echoed through the intercoms across the city.

"All Echelon Knights report to the northern perimeter. A new Gate has opened."

Arslan's eyes narrowed. He didn't even need to wait for Kar'Thæl's voice—it was already whispering in his mind.

> "They've returned… but this time, not just Goblins and Imps…"

As Arslan and the Mythics reached the outskirts of the city—joined by Alpha, Omega, Apex, and even Zenith units—crimson lightning cracked above the newly formed Gate. It churned with oily smoke and pulsing heat, distorting the very air around it.

From the swirling vortex, hundreds of devils emerged.

First came the Goblins, snarling and foaming.

Then the Imps, flapping wildly with venomous claws.

But behind them—something worse.

Hellhounds.

Snarling beasts with charred skin, glowing red eyes, and black flames licking off their spines.

Kar'Thæl's tone darkened.

> "Hellhounds. They are faster, more coordinated than Goblins and Imps. They do not just chase—they hunt."

But even they were not the worst.

From the far end of the gate, five humanoid figures stepped through. But they had no faces—only black, glassy skin and long fingers like blades. Their presence bent the light around them.

Kar'Thæl muttered, almost disturbed:

> "Shadow Stripes..."

Arslan's brows furrowed. "What are they?"

> "Creatures of pure void. If they even graze your skin, your stamina and power will drain like sand through your fingers. You won't even feel it… until you collapse."

The air thickened. Explosions rang as squads tried to hold them off, but screams echoed across the field. A few Alpha-ranked knights had already fallen to the sheer number of Hellhounds.

"We're losing ground!" shouted one Omega Knight.

Vaelith Ren pushed forward with his Life Restoration aura, shielding a group of wounded. "Form tighter lines!"

Yuna Solthrae rushed with a healing pulse, keeping the defenders on their feet.

Meanwhile, Arslan's eyes locked onto the Shadow Stripes.

"They're not attacking," he muttered. "They're... watching."

Kar'Thæl's voice replied solemnly,

> "They're not here to fight... they're here to observe. Possibly to retrieve."

Arslan glanced toward the satchel slung under his cloak—the one that carried the fake stones they had recently crafted.

"May be the time has come," Arslan whispered to Kar'Thæl, "to hand over the fake stones."

Kar'Thæl's voice answered quietly but confidently,

> "Of course… The timing is ideal. But today... we focus on saving people, not provoking demons."

Arslan turned to the Mythic team. "Cover the civilians. Get them out. We'll thin out the hounds, but don't confront the Shadow Stripes."

Tharion Vale slammed his palms on the earth, sending a seismic wave toward the hounds, disrupting their path.

Zhalya Neris used Blood Sight, sensing hidden enemies hiding behind the flames.

Elyra Thorne froze a large group with her Emotion Freeze, locking their movements in mid-charge.

Amid the chaos, Arslan moved like a shadow.

He activated his Shadow Merge, gliding from one flank to another, covering retreating fighters.

He raised his Dark Bow, launching charged arrows into the path of rampaging imps.

Then, as one Hellhound lunged toward an unarmed Alpha knight, Arslan leapt across rubble and summoned Shadow Blades, slicing into the beast mid-air.

From behind, Kar'Thæl urged him:

> "Don't use the Combination Skill yet. Observe. Measure. Let them overextend first."

Arslan replied aloud, "We're not trying to win today, right?"

> "Correct. Only to survive. To plant seeds. Let them think they're dominant."

Suddenly, the five Shadow Stripes moved.

Not attacking—but drifting ominously toward the center of the city.

They stopped… directly where the Vault of Sundusk would have been if it wasn't sealed

Kar'Thæl spoke again.

> "It's now, Arslan. They're too busy. They won't suspect a thing."

Arslan nodded, heart pounding.

He moved through the battlefield, fighting and maneuvering—not toward the center of danger, but toward a ruined temple where one Shadow Stripe had begun silently watching the battle.

> "Place the fake stone where they can find it naturally," Kar'Thæl instructed. "But make it look like it was dropped by accident."

As Arslan reached the crumbled column, he activated Phantom Rift, momentarily teleporting into the shadows behind the temple ruins. His eyes scanned the area—imps above, hounds on the edge, but no direct threat. Good.

From inside his armored cloak, he took out the fake stone, crafted carefully the night before by Kar'Thæl's sword enchantment. It shimmered with false magic—identical to the real ones.

Arslan dropped the stone—intentionally—just beside the body of a fallen Alpha Knight, making it look like it had slipped out of the satchel during the struggle.

Then he turned, ran back into the battlefield.

Minutes later, a Shadow Stripe glided silently toward the location. It knelt near the fallen knight and picked up the stone.

It held it… paused… and without any reaction, disappeared into the shadows.

> "It worked," Kar'Thæl said. "No suspicion. They think it's real."

Back in the heart of the battle, Arslan fought fiercely—he used his Shadow Blades, launching piercing slashes into three goblins in one stroke.

Then Dark Shield to block a wide explosive strike from a Hellhound.

"Arslan, right!" shouted Elyra.

He spun and drew his Crimson Verge, slashing through a charging imp with a streak of burning red energy.

But just as Arslan began to summon more power, Kar'Thæl warned:

> "Do not use any advanced combination skills. Today, you are a soldier—not a threat. Let them underestimate you."

"Understood," Arslan muttered, wiping sweat from his brow.

The battle raged for another hour—but the devils didn't overstay.

The Shadow Stripes disappeared one by one, likely returning to their demon lords—with the fake stone in hand.

The gate began to fade.

Only smoke, blood, and heavy breathing remained.

---

As the Echelon Knights regathered, the losses were tallied. Injured were many. But fewer lives were lost this time.

Among lost people 2 Alpha Knights has been killed...

Vaelith nodded at Arslan, "You were everywhere today. Good work."

Deep inside his mind, Kar'Thæl whispered again.

> "We've given them the poison. Now we wait for it to spread."

Arslan exhaled slowly, thinking of the war ahead.

The real battle hadn't started yet.