The night was growing deeper.
From above, Jaipur looked calm—streets washed in soft lights, people returning to their homes, unaware. But Aryan knew better. This peace existed only on the surface. Beneath it lay the real city, buried in shadows, where names carried prices and survival was never guaranteed.
He stood on the rooftop of an old apartment building, his gaze fixed on his phone. Against the dark screen, crimson letters glowed clearly.
BLACK VEIL BOARD
This was no rumor. It was the assassination network hunters spoke of only in whispers. A place where contracts were written in blood, and once a name appeared, only two outcomes existed—either the target vanished, or the board itself was dismantled.
Aryan scrolled.
His name was there.
TARGET: Aryan
PRIORITY: High
STATUS: Open Contract
NOTE: Unknown Void Entity
He didn't turn the screen off. He simply stared.
"So this is it," he thought. "Rahul put me in front of the entire underworld."
There was no anger in him. No shock. Just clarity.
This was a warning.
---
First Wave — Three Attackers
The Void sensed them before his eyes did.
A subtle distortion passed through the air. The rooftop's edge darkened as a figure moved. The first attacker emerged head-on—a close-combat specialist. The second approached from the right. The third slipped in from behind.
Aryan did not draw Vedna.
He didn't fully release the Void either—only the bare minimum required.
The first man's throat collapsed under precise pressure. The second dropped in a single motion. The third never completed his strike, crumpling to the ground before impact.
Three bodies.
Aryan remained standing.
[Void Energy: 92% → 84%]
"This is only the beginning," he thought.
---
Second Wave — Five Attackers
He abandoned the rooftop.
Below, within an unfinished construction site, the next team was already in position. These were better trained. Two snipers controlled elevated angles while three moved at ground level.
Aryan took cover.
A bullet grazed his shoulder—just a scratch, but enough to remind him this was no longer a test.
He used a restrained application of Void Step.
One sniper fell from above. The second lost footing while retreating and crashed down the stairwell. The three on the ground followed shortly after.
[Void Energy: 84% → 63%]
His breathing quickened.
"They won't stop," he realized.
---
Third Wave — Seven Attackers
This assault was planned.
A pincer formation. A feint. Then an ambush.
For the first time, Aryan was genuinely hurt. Pain flared through his ribs, sharp and unforgiving. Every breath sent needles through his chest. He braced himself against a wall—but he didn't stop.
One by one, seven attackers fell.
When the last body hit the ground, Aryan noticed his hands trembling.
[Void Energy: 63% → 38%]
---
Fourth Wave — Five More
They came without hesitation.
Aryan was no longer fast. He was precise.
Every strike was calculated. Every movement conserved.
When the final attacker collapsed, Aryan slid down the wall and sat there, head lowered, back pressed against cold concrete.
[Void Energy: 38% → 18%]
"Enough…"
The word never left his lips.
Vedna remained sealed within his inventory.
Not because he couldn't draw it.
But because once he did, there would be no return. The city wouldn't survive the consequences.
---
The Name Had Spread
Aryan checked his phone again.
The Black Veil Board had transformed.
His contract had climbed rapidly up the priority feed. New symbols appeared beside it—markers reserved for veteran assassins, individuals who had survived long enough to earn reputations instead of numbers.
The comments were no longer casual.
"This isn't a normal hunt."
"Void-related targets don't stay cheap."
"Raise the minimum. Significantly."
The contract value surged again.
Aryan felt it—not through mana, not through sight, but through intent. The city itself was beginning to lean toward him. Every shadow felt heavier. Every passing second carried the expectation of violence.
He steadied himself against a concrete pillar, forcing his breathing to slow.
Eighteen percent.
That number mattered.
His fingers trembled slightly before he clenched them into a fist. His vision blurred for a brief moment—the world tilting just enough to remind him that exhaustion was no longer theoretical.
He could still fight.
But not cleanly.
Not endlessly.
Vedna remained silent.
"Not yet," he thought. "If I cross that line now, I won't be choosing the battlefield anymore."
He pushed himself upright and moved again, ignoring the dull ache spreading through his ribs. A presence flickered at the edge of his awareness—then vanished.
A scout.
Measuring distance. Testing weakness.
Good.
Let them hesitate.
High above the city, concealed cameras adjusted angles automatically. Threat-evaluation systems recalibrated without alarms or intervention. Data accumulated quietly—patterns logged, anomalies flagged, probabilities rewritten.
Something unknown was moving through Jaipur.
And it wasn't behaving like prey.
---
Kabir's Call
The phone vibrated.
Kabir.
Aryan answered after a brief pause.
"You alive?" Kabir asked.
Aryan exhaled slowly. "Barely."
"My sensors are acting strange," Kabir said. "No clear spike. No surge. But the pattern is wrong."
He suggested Aryan come to his safe house—for now.
Aryan refused.
Kabir didn't argue immediately. When he spoke again, his tone was calmer, firmer.
"How long do you think you can keep fighting like this? Bodies will keep piling up. And sooner or later, someone faster than you will arrive."
Aryan closed his eyes.
"Send the coordinates," he said.
A second later, the phone vibrated.
"Come straight here," Kabir added. "No detours."
The call ended.
---
Toward the Safe House
The coordinates led into the city's VIP district—territory ordinary hunters never entered.
Security intensified with every step.
Surveillance drones.
Silent scanners.
Automated barriers.
When Aryan reached the gate, he paused.
High walls reinforced with energy mesh.
Hidden turrets—careful, disciplined.
A place built to endure sieges, not visitors.
"So this is your definition of safe," he thought.
The gate opened anyway.
---
Inside the Fortress
This wasn't merely a safe house.
It was a private fortress.
Luxury was minimal, but everything was high-grade—silent flooring, adaptive lighting, AI-controlled systems. This wasn't the residence of a wealthy hunter.
It belonged to a top-tier bloodline.
Aryan understood immediately.
Kabir wasn't just a tech-fighter.
He was the son of the Number One Guild Leader.
Kabir studied him—bloodstained, exhausted, yet with eyes still steady.
"You're thinking this is excessive," Kabir said.
Aryan nodded slightly. "I'm thinking you're not alone."
Kabir said nothing. He simply closed the door.
The outside world stopped there.
---
Death Trial
The moment Aryan fully stepped inside, something shifted within him.
No sound.
No screen.
The system descended directly into his consciousness.
[Death Trial Confirmed]
[Countdown Initiated: 21:59:59]
Aryan leaned back against the wall.
For the first time, the exhaustion was undeniable.
"One after another…" he murmured. "Troubles have started lining up."
Vedna was silent.
The Void was awake.
And the Death Trial had begun.