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Chapter 133: The Fall of General Bastian Krayne
Chapter 133: The Fall of General Bastian Krayne
The hunt never stopped.
Seraphis and her crew moved like shadows in the dead of night, their target already marked for death—General Bastian Krayne, a warlord whose name alone struck fear into the hearts of rebels and assassins alike.
He was not a man of magic like the Glass Alchemist.
He was not a scheming mastermind like the Council members they had slain before.
Bastian Krayne was a warrior. A titan in human flesh. A battlefield legend.
This would not be a fight of illusions, poisons, or tricks.
This would be war.
A Fortress of Iron and Fire
The general resided in Fort Blackthorn, a fortress carved into the side of a mountain, reinforced with layers upon layers of steel walls, watchtowers, and siege weapons.
It was not a place one could infiltrate easily.
Seraphis had no intention of sneaking in.
Tonight, they would bring the entire fort crumbling down.
The Assault Begins
The first move was a diversion.
Theia, hidden in the treetops, released a single black-feathered arrow from her bow. It whistled through the air, striking a wooden watchtower with silent precision.
A heartbeat later, the entire tower exploded—a chain reaction from volatile explosives planted earlier.
The explosion sent flaming debris flying into the air. Guards screamed, rushing toward the destruction, unaware of what lurked in the shadows.
Seraphis grinned. "That should keep them occupied. Now we go in."
They descended from the ridges above, using grappling hooks to scale the fortress walls, landing soundlessly on the ramparts.
The first guards never even saw them coming.
A flash of steel—Sylvaine’s dagger slit a throat.
A whisper of shadows—Theia disappeared, reappearing behind another guard, driving her blade into his spine.
Seraphis’ metal playing cards flew, cutting down sentries before they could sound the alarm.
One by one, the outer defenses crumbled.
But this was just the beginning.
Bastian Krayne Enters the Fray
As they moved deeper into the fortress, the ground began to tremble.
Heavy footsteps echoed through the corridors.
Then, the massive iron doors leading to the war room swung open—and there he stood.
Bastian Krayne was a monument of flesh and armor, standing nearly seven feet tall, his muscular frame encased in enchanted plate armor, each plate engraved with runes of fortification.
A greatsword as tall as a man rested on his back, its edge blackened from years of bloodshed.
His eyes were like cold steel, his expression unreadable.
He studied them, then let out a low chuckle.
"So, you’re the assassins who think they can kill a warlord?"
Seraphis smirked. "You say that like it hasn’t already been done before."
Krayne slowly unsheathed his sword, its edge gleaming in the torchlight.
"You’ll find I’m not like the others. I don’t hide behind magic. I don’t cower behind tricks. You came looking for war—so let me show you what war truly means."
Then, he charged.
A Titan’s Wrath
The sheer force of his attack was overwhelming.
Seraphis barely had time to dodge as his greatsword came crashing down, carving a deep scar into the stone floor, sending chunks of rock flying in all directions.
The air howled from the sheer weight behind his strike.
Theia moved to flank him, her daggers flashing—but Krayne spun with terrifying speed, his armored elbow slamming into her midsection, sending her crashing into a stone pillar.
Sylvaine lunged from behind, her dagger aiming for the gaps in his armor—
—but Krayne’s gauntleted fist snatched her by the throat.
He lifted her off the ground, his grip like iron jaws, before hurling her across the room.
Seraphis grimaced. "He’s not just strong—he’s fast."
Krayne rolled his shoulders, his armor groaning under the pressure of his movements.
"Is this all the underworld can send? Assassins who can’t even scratch me?"
Seraphis clenched her fists.
Fine. If he wanted war, she would give it to him.
A Fight of Blades and Steel
The battle escalated, steel clashing against steel, magic flaring in bursts of deadly force.
Elowen threw an alchemical vial, the liquid inside igniting on impact, setting Krayne’s armor ablaze—
—but the general shrugged off the flames, his runed armor absorbing the heat, glowing like molten metal.
Sylvaine tried to get behind him again—only for Krayne to predict her movement, turning at the last second and smashing her into the ground.
Seraphis’ playing cards sliced through the air, their edges enhanced with her mind’s intent, but Krayne deflected them with his sword, shattering several on impact.
The fortress trembled with every blow, pillars collapsing, torches snuffed out by the wind of their movements.
The warlord was relentless, his sword carving arcs of death, forcing them on the defensive.
Seraphis gritted her teeth.
If this kept up, they would be overpowered.
They needed to change the tide.
Turning the Battle
"Theia—now!"
In an instant, Theia disappeared into shadows, vanishing completely.
Krayne smirked. "Coward."
Seraphis kept him occupied, clashing daggers against his armor, dodging each devastating swing of his greatsword by mere inches.
Then—a whisper of wind.
Theia reappeared directly behind him, her dagger buried into the back of his knee, severing tendons.
Krayne roared in pain, staggering for the first time.
Seraphis didn’t let the moment go to waste.
She dashed forward, jumping onto his broad shoulders, her twin daggers finding the gaps in his armor at his throat.
With a brutal twist, she drove them deep, piercing through flesh and windpipe.
Krayne stiffened, his greatsword slipping from his grasp, clattering against the stone.
A final breath—then silence.
The warlord collapsed, his lifeless eyes staring at the ceiling, the weight of his fall causing the ground to shudder.
Seraphis stood over his corpse, breathing heavily, blood dripping from her blades.
"Another one down."
She turned to the others. "We burn this place to the ground."
And so, Fort Blackthorn became nothing more than ruins, its walls reduced to ash, its legend erased from history.
But the war wasn’t over yet.
There were still more names on the list.