Realmshift: Triad Ascendancy.

The Purple Gate II.

[GREY]

As I pass through the swirling purple gate, I twist midair to land on my feet, bracing for the usual chaotic arrival. But when I glance around, my brow furrows. No one else is here.

"That's strange... We always enter together," I muse, my voice barely above a whisper. A flick of my wrist activates my rune, allowing me to scan for any mana signatures. Nothing immediate pings in my senses, but the eerie silence prickles at my skin.

Taking a cautious step forward, I finally take in my surroundings. The place resembles a grand castle, its architecture looming and ancient. The hall I stand in stretches far into the distance, lined with towering stone pillars carved with intricate, weathered patterns. Flickering torches rest in iron sconces along the walls, casting shifting shadows that make the engravings seem almost alive. The air is thick with the scent of old parchment and aged stone, as if this place has been sealed away from time itself. A crimson carpet runs the length of the corridor, its fabric worn yet still regal, leading toward a distant archway shrouded in darkness.

After what feels like an eternity of walking through the ominous corridor, my rune finally pings—a mana signature. My eyes narrow as I spot three figures emerging from the dim light. Knights.

Their builds are smaller than mine, but their presence is anything but weak. Clad in pitch-black armor with eerie crimson eyes glowing beneath their helmets, they each wield a short weapon and a shield. The moment they see me, one of them lunges forward at blinding speed.

Instinct kicks in. Eclipse Form—Activate. My chest hardens into jet-black armor just in time to absorb the impact. The force barely makes me budge. I smirk.

"Too slow."

I seize his arms before he can retreat, my grip like a vice. With one brutal motion, I rip them clean off, the metal screeching as it's torn apart like paper. The knight doesn't even get a chance to react before my foot slams into his body with monstrous force. His armor cracks, then shatters, and in the next instant, his entire form explodes into a cloud of debris.

The remaining two hesitate for only a second before they move. One flanks my left while the other charges head-on. The first swings his blade at my ribs, but I twist, letting it glance off my hardened skin before driving my fist into his chest. His armor caves inward with a sickening crunch, and I follow up by gripping his head and slamming it into the ground so hard the stone beneath us fractures.

The last of the three doesn't back down. He raises his shield and dashes in a zigzag pattern, trying to throw me off. But I see through it. The moment he gets close enough, I feint with a punch, forcing him to raise his shield. That's when I strike. I slam my knee into his stomach, lifting him off the ground before delivering a downward punch that sends him crashing to the floor like a broken puppet.

I exhale, rolling my shoulders—then I can see mana signs again.

Three more knights emerge from the darkness, their eyes burning brighter, their movements more aggressive. They don't hesitate, rushing me all at once.

I grin.

"Alright then... Let's see what you've got."

The three new knights waste no time. Their movements are sharper, faster, more precise than the ones before. As they charge, I brace myself, activating Eclipse Form fully—my skin turning jet-black as raw power surges through me.

The first knight leaps high, slashing downward with a short blade crackling with dark energy. I sidestep, raising my forearm to block. The moment his weapon makes contact, my hardened skin resists the impact like steel against steel. Before he can recover, I grab his leg midair and slam him into the ground with enough force to crater the stone beneath us.