Roy and Kevin advanced deeper into the Shadow Enclave, the tension palpable as they prepared for the inevitable confrontation. The hallways grew wider, the echoes of their footsteps reverberating off the stone walls. They were close to their objective, and they knew they would likely encounter guards soon, even if the guards weren't ready for them. Every muscle in Roy's body was coiled like a spring, prepared for the chaos that was about to unfold.
Suddenly, they heard hurried footsteps approaching from the other end of the hallway. Roy gestured to Kevin, who nodded, taking a defensive stance. The guards burst into view—a group of six, all of them muscle-forging cultivators ranging from the 4th to the 8th stage. The moment they saw Roy and Kevin, they drew their weapons and rushed forward.
Roy's eyes narrowed, his fury simmering just beneath the surface. Without a word, he lunged forward, his killing intent exploding in the form of black energy. He moved like a phantom, his daggers flashing as he met the first guard head-on. The impact of their clash sent shockwaves through the stone floor, small cracks forming where they stood.
The guard—a 5th-stage muscle-forging cultivator—grunted in surprise as Roy's dagger sliced through his defense, finding a gap in his armor. Roy twisted the blade, his face an emotionless mask as the guard let out a strangled cry before collapsing to the ground. Blood spattered across the stone, but Roy did not slow down. He spun around, his eyes locking onto his next target.
Kevin, meanwhile, was taking on two guards at once. Though he was blind, his heightened senses allowed him to move with precision. He wielded his sword with expert skill, sidestepping a heavy swing from one of the guards and parrying another's attack. The blade flashed as he countered, delivering a swift strike to disarm his opponent before following up with a powerful slash across the guard's chest. The force of the blow sent the guard flying back, crashing into the wall with enough force to leave an indentation.
"Don't let them escape!" one of the higher-ranking guards shouted, his voice filled with urgency. He swung his massive mace towards Roy, the weapon whistling through the air. Roy ducked beneath the swing, his muscles rippling as he launched himself upwards, driving his dagger into the guard's exposed throat. The guard's eyes went wide with shock, his mace slipping from his grasp as he crumpled to the ground.
The remaining guards hesitated, their confidence wavering as they watched Roy and Kevin tear through their comrades with brutal efficiency. Roy's movements were relentless—each strike aimed to kill, each step forward a statement of his unwavering resolve. He drove his knee into another guard's stomach, the force of the impact doubling the man over before Roy finished him off with a swift slash across the throat.
Kevin, too, fought with ruthless determination. He could sense the fear in the guards, their uncertainty growing as they realized they were outmatched. One of the guards tried to attack from Kevin's *blind* side, but Kevin moved instinctively, catching the guard's wrist and twisting it with a sickening crack. The guard screamed, but Kevin silenced him with a crushing blow to the chest, the guard's ribs shattering under the force.
Roy's eyes blazed as he turned to the final guard—a man who was visibly trembling, his weapon shaking in his hands. "P-please..." the guard stammered, his eyes wide with fear. But there was no mercy in Roy's gaze. He closed the distance between them in an instant, his dagger flashing as he ended the man's life without hesitation.
The hallway fell silent, the only sound the labored breathing of Roy and Kevin. The bodies of the guards lay scattered around them, blood pooling on the stone floor. Roy stood there for a moment, his chest heaving as the adrenaline slowly began to fade. He glanced over at Kevin, who gave a slight nod, his face set in grim determination.
"They're stronger," Kevin said, his voice steady despite the intensity of the battle.
Roy nodded, his eyes darkening. "We need to keep moving. There's more of them."
The two pressed on, making their way deeper into the fortress. The corridors twisted and turned, opening up into larger rooms filled with more guards. It wasn't long before they encountered another group—larger this time, with at least a dozen guards waiting in the dim light of a broad chamber.
Roy's fury reignited, a black energy radiating from him—his killing intent palpable. The black energy seemed to seep into the very air around him, intimidating all who dared to stand in his path. He lunged forward, his daggers moving in a blur of steel. He met the first guard head-on, his blade cutting through the man's defenses with ruthless precision. The guard barely had time to raise his weapon before Roy's dagger pierced his chest, the force of the blow sending him sprawling to the ground.
Kevin moved with equal ferocity, his sword an extension of his body. He could hear the shifting of armor, the clinking of weapons, and used his heightened senses to predict the guards' movements. He ducked under a swinging axe, his sword flashing upwards in a precise arc, slicing through the guard's armor and dealing a fatal blow. The man crumpled to the ground, his weapon clattering uselessly beside him.
Roy fought like a force of nature, his strikes powerful enough to crack the stone beneath their feet. He swung his dagger in a wide arc, slicing through the necks of two guards who had tried to flank him. Blood sprayed across the room, and Roy's eyes blazed with unyielding fury. He could feel the walls tremble slightly with each heavy impact, the sheer force of their attacks reverberating through the fortress.
Kevin faced off against three guards at once, his movements fluid and calculated. His sword blocked a strike with a resounding clang. With a swift spin, Kevin parried an incoming attack and used his momentum to strike at another guard, the blade cutting through with lethal precision. The second guard's sword plunged into his comrade, and Kevin wasted no time in finishing them both off with swift, bone-crushing blows.
More guards rushed in, their faces a mix of fear and determination. They had clearly heard the commotion and were trying to overwhelm Roy and Kevin with sheer numbers. But Roy moved without hesitation, his daggers cutting through the chaos with deadly precision. He leaped forward, slamming his knee into a guard's chest with such force that the man was thrown backward, crashing into a group of his comrades.
The chamber echoed with the sounds of battle—metal clashing against metal, the cries of the wounded, and the heavy thuds of bodies hitting the ground. Roy and Kevin were unstoppable, their combined strength and skill leaving a path of destruction in their wake.
As the fight raged on, the two made their way through the fortress, systematically eliminating every guard they encountered. Each room they entered became a scene of carnage, the walls splattered with blood, the floors littered with the bodies of those who had dared to stand in their way. Their advance was relentless, and the air in the fortress seemed to grow colder with every guard they cut down.
In one chamber, they faced a particularly strong group of muscle-forging guards. These men were at the higher stages, and they fought with a level of coordination that required Roy and Kevin to use all of their skills. Roy's daggers moved like blurs, each strike calculated and lethal. He weaved through the guards, using his agility to evade their attacks while delivering fatal blows. The black energy of his killing intent radiated around him, casting an eerie aura that only seemed to intensify his presence.
Kevin, meanwhile, again found himself targeted by multiple guards who saw his blindness as a weakness. They assumed he would be the easier target and tried to bring him down first. Kevin's heightened senses guided him through the chaos, allowing him to anticipate the movements of his opponents despite their attempts to exploit his perceived vulnerability. His sword clashed with theirs, sparks flying with each parry and counterattack. At one point, he disarmed a guard, using the man's own weapon to strike him down before spinning to face the next adversary. His attacks were efficient, each blow aimed to incapacitate or kill, leaving no room for hesitation.
The guards tried to use their numbers to overwhelm them, but Roy and Kevin moved with an almost supernatural synchronicity. When Roy was momentarily surrounded, Kevin would step in, his sword striking with precision to clear Roy's flank. Likewise, when Kevin found himself at risk of being cornered, Roy's daggers would flash, carving a path through the attackers.
The destruction they left in their wake was staggering. The fortress, once a bastion of strength for the Shadow Enclave, was now marred with the aftermath of their onslaught. Blood stained the stone floors, and the walls bore the marks of their intense battle—gouges from sword strikes, cracks from powerful impacts, and the lingering, oppressive feeling of Roy's killing intent.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity of fighting, Roy and Kevin had defeated over five hundred guards, both outside and within the fortress. The toll of the battle was evident, their breathing heavy, each step feeling heavier as exhaustion began to creep in. Despite their fatigue, their resolve remained unbroken. They reached a large set of reinforced doors. The doors were slightly ajar, and from within, they could hear the voices of two men. The two men were clearly agitated, their voices rising in anger.
"What the hell is going on out there?" one of the men demanded, his frustration evident.
"It's those intruders," the other man replied, his tone cold. "They've managed to cut down almost all of our guards. I never imagined they'd get this far."
"We should have been prepared for something like this," the first man growled. "If they keep this up, they'll be at our door any minute."
The second man's voice dropped to a deadly whisper. "Let them come. They'll regret stepping foot in here."
Roy and Kevin exchanged a glance. The exhaustion was there, but so was their determination. They nodded at each other, silently reaffirming their resolve before pushing forward.