First Light of a New Age

Chapter 85: The Dark Undertaking

In a research facility, it was currently in lockdown. Red lights blared from every corner and cast an ominous glow through the sterile white halls. An alarm droned in the background, but it did nothing to slow the figure sprinting through the corridors. His footsteps echoed sharply against the metallic floor and his breath remained unnervingly steady despite the chaos around him.

Ahead, three armed guards rounded a corner and raised their guns. Without hesitation, they opened fire. The bullets streaked toward the figure but stopped short as they were deflected by an invisible force mere inches from his skin. A shimmering magical shield pulsed around him, bending the light ever so slightly as it blocked the projectiles.

In response, the figure raised his hand, and with a thought, a blade of pure light materialized in his grasp, humming with raw energy. In an instant, he rushed forward in a flash of blinding light, and before the guards could react, they were cleaved in half, and their bodies crumpled to the floor as the light of his sword dimmed, leaving behind an eerie silence.

The surrounding glow from the blade illuminated the figure’s face, which revealed to be a human, with cold, determined eyes.

Without a second thought, the figure continued his run, cutting down any who crossed his path. More guards poured in from every direction, but they fell just as easily as he cut through them effortlessly, wielding not only the sword of light but other elemental forces. Fire erupted from his hands, engulfing entire squads. Winds howled as they tore apart obstacles in his path. With a mere gesture, beams of light pierced through armor and walls alike.

As he neared the surface, the air around him seemed to buzz with anticipation. The exit was in sight.

But one man stood in his way.

“Imperial Secret Police,” The figure muttered in venomous hatred as his eyes narrowed.

A massive fireball crackled to life in his hand, its heat distorting the air. With a fierce thrust, he threw it toward the man and the explosion engulfed the hallway in a fiery inferno. But when the smoke cleared, the man was still standing, untouched with a calm smile playing on his lips.

“What?”

"Test Subject 001," the officer said, "I know what you've endured in this project for months. I get it. But it's necessary for the progress of the Empire, and you should’ve stayed in your cage like the dog you are."

“You Imperial bastards,” the figure spat, eyes blazing with fury. “I never asked for this! All I want is my freedom, and you liars have taken that away!”

With a roar, he charged and the ground beneath his feet scorched by the searing heat radiating from his body. Any normal human would’ve been incinerated by now. But as he closed the distance, just seven meters from his target, the officer hadn’t moved an inch, probably he was frozen in fear.

But the officer of the Imperial Secret Police just wryly smiled while looking at the man.

A sudden flash of light seared through the air, accompanied by a deep, resonant hum, and the man's arm dropped to the ground, severed cleanly.

Pain exploded through his body, sapping his strength as he staggered. He glanced toward the officer, who hadn’t moved an inch, still standing there, smirking as if this were a game.

Another blinding flash sliced across his torso. The man grunted in pain and collapsed to one knee. His vision swam. How was this happening? How could this officer, who hadn’t even lifted a finger, be cutting him down so easily?

Then he saw it. Towering over two meters in height, a figure clad in gray armor materialized from the shadows. It was considerably odd, but now being mana sensitive, the man could feel the being radiating an aura that made his skin crawl, an unholy energy so intense it felt suffocating. In its right hand, it held a sword glowing with an ominous red light of energy. On its left, a sleek pistol with a design too advanced to comprehend.