The world narrowed to the space between the tip of Vane's spear and the center of Gareth's throat. The roar of the Hydra and the desperate shouts of the Captains became a distant, muffled hum. There was no glory in this moment. There was no epic music or divine intervention. There was only the wet sound of boots sliding in the mud and the frantic, shallow breathing of a man who realized his status was a lie.

Gareth lunged backward. His boots skidded through a pool of mercury. He swung his sword in a wide, panicked arc. The golden light of his mana flared with a desperate intensity.

[Target Analysis]

Name: Gareth

Rank: Mid Sentinel

Danger: Low

Authority: None

Skills: [Radiant Arc - Grade C]

"Stay back!" Gareth screamed. His voice was shrill. It was the sound of a nobleman realizing that his pedigree was not a shield. "I am a Knight-Lieutenant of the Third Division. I am a protector of the Crown. You are nothing but a gutter rat."

Vane did not answer. He initiated the Argent Horizon. His body sank into a low, predatory crouch. He used Spiral Circulation to surge mana through his skeletal structure. The internal friction of his power created a low, vibrating hum that made the silver rain dance on his shoulders. He was not a protector. He was not a knight. He was the consequence of Gareth's arrogance.

Gareth unleashed a final, massive Radiant Arc. The golden crescent was three feet wide. It was a searing wave of energy that sliced through the mercury fog with the intent to bisect anything in its path. It was the same skill that had leveled Vane's home. It was the same light that had been the last thing Helena saw before the world turned to ash.

Vane did not dodge. He moved forward. His spear was held in a tight, two-handed grip. He activated the Silver Fang.

A matte, silent layer of liquid silver mana coated the star-metal tip. It did not hum. It did not glow. As the Radiant Arc reached him, Vane thrust his spear directly into the center of the golden light. He utilized the 1st Form: Quicksilver Thrust.

The Silver Fang did not clash with the mana. It rejected it. The SS-Rank Authority utilized the law of Absolute Severance. It told the universe that the golden light had no right to occupy space. The Radiant Arc split around the spear-tip as if it had hit a diamond wedge. The golden energy dissipated into harmless sparks that vanished in the rain. Vane stepped through the remains of Gareth's greatest skill. His eyes were fixed on the man behind the sword.

"You said she was collateral damage," Vane said. His voice was flat. It was devoid of the rage Gareth expected. "You said she was just in the way."

Gareth tripped over a petrified root. He fell onto his back in the silver sludge. He scrambled backward on his elbows. His sword was shaking in his hand. "It was an order. The fugitive was high-priority. One commoner woman meant nothing in the face of Imperial security."

Vane was upon him in a single, fluid stride. He brought the spear down. The shaft struck Gareth's wrist with the force of a falling anvil. The Knight's sword flew into the mud. The golden light extinguished instantly. Vane pinned Gareth's shoulder to the earth with the tip of his spear. The Silver Fang bit just deep enough into the silver plate to draw blood.

"You think you are a giant, Gareth," Vane whispered. He leaned over the Knight. His shadow swallowed the man's terrified face. "But you are just a frog in a well. You looked up at the circle of sky and thought it was the whole universe."

Gareth let out a sob. His fingers clawed at the mud. "Please. I have a family. I have a name. I have a future in the capital."

"I am out of the well now, Mom," Vane said. His gaze shifted for a split second to the grey, soot-laden sky above. "I am standing in a palace."

He did not hesitate. He did not wait for Gareth to beg again. He drove the spear through Gareth's chest. The Silver Fang ignored the reinforced breastplate. The law of the Fang erased the silver steel as if it were a shadow. The blade passed through Gareth's heart and anchored itself three inches into the frozen earth beneath him.

Gareth's body gave a single, violent lurch. His eyes went wide. They reflected the bruised purple light of the groves. He tried to speak, but only a thick, dark slurry of blood and mercury vapor escaped his lips. The light in his eyes flickered once, and then it went out forever.

Vane stood over the body. He felt a cold, hollow sensation in his chest. He had imagined this moment for months. He had dreamed of the heat of the revenge. He thought it would be a fire that would finally burn away the smell of smoke and ozone from his memories. But as he looked at the cooling corpse of the man who had ruined his life, he felt only a profound silence. The debt was paid, but the ledger was still written in blood.

He wrenched his spear free from the earth. The star-metal tip emerged clean. The Silver Fang had rejected the blood as well. It left the blade as pristine as the day Senna had given it to him in the ruins of the Old Gymnasium.

"Vane." Valerica's voice broke the silence.

He turned. Valerica was standing twenty yards away. Her gravity wells were still flaring as she shielded Mara from a stray jet of mercury. She looked at Gareth's body. Then she looked back at Vane. Her expression was complicated. It was a mix of relief and a new, sharp wariness. She saw the man Vane had become in that one second. She saw the "King of Puddles" who had finally taken his throne.

In the background, a final, wet explosion of mana signaled the end of the Hydra. Captain Varkas had finally driven his blade through the beast's central neck. The Rank 5 monster collapsed into the mercury pool with a splash that shook the entire basin.

The two Captains stood among the wreckage. Their auras were flickering. Their bodies were battered and bleeding. They looked across the clearing. They saw the bodies of Sir Elian, Sir Marcus, and Sir Thorne. They saw Vane standing over the dead body of their Knight-Lieutenant.

Varkas's face twisted into a mask of pure, murderous intent. He spat a mouthful of blood and mercury into the dirt. "I will peel the skin from your bones, commoner. I will make you watch as I liquidate the girl."

Kaelen stepped forward beside him. He did not say a word. He simply raised his rapier. The blade hummed with a precision that promised a thousand cuts.

Vane looked at them. He felt the ache in his ribs. He felt the strain in his mana channels from the Silver Fang. He was at his limit. Valerica was exhausted. Mara was terrified. They were facing two Justiciars who no longer cared about a "Protected Admission" or a "Special Rank."

"Valerica," Vane said. He didn't look back at her. "Get Mara to the ridge. Now."

"Vane, you can't fight them both," Valerica hissed. Her hand was shaking on her own spear. "They're Justiciars."

"I know," Vane replied. He adjusted his grip on the star-metal shaft. He utilized Internal Pulse to force silver mana into his skeletal structure. He prepared for the impact. "But they're also just frogs. They just don't know it yet."

The two Captains launched themselves forward. They moved with a speed that made the Knights look like they were standing still. The real fight was about to begin.

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