The streets of Aurum were eerily quiet. The liquified Great Gate was still rippling behind Caelum's group, a silver pool that no one dared to cross. As they marched toward the Royal Palace, the local militia and the remaining Royal Guards formed a desperate line of defense.
"Stay back, monster!" a young guard captain yelled, his voice cracking. "This is a holy city! Your glitches have no power here!"
Caelum didn't stop. He didn't even draw a weapon. He simply looked at the captain's steel sword.
[SYSTEM ANALYSIS: WEAPON_TYPE: STEEL_CLAYMORE]
[ACTION: REWRITE_COMBAT_LOGIC]
[NEW_RULE: DAMAGE == HEALING]
"Attack me," Caelum said, spreading his arms wide. "I'll give you a free hit."
The captain, blinded by fear and duty, roared and lunged forward. His massive claymore swung in a perfect arc, glowing with the golden light of a 'Power Strike'. It hit Caelum square in the chest.
There was a loud clack of metal against bone, but instead of blood, a brilliant green light erupted from the point of impact.
[NOTIFICATION: +5000 HEALTH_RESTORED]
[STATUS: OVERHEALED]
Caelum's pale skin seemed to glow with even more vitality. The small scar on his neck from a childhood accident simply vanished. He looked down at the sword still pressed against his chest and smirked.
"The more you hate me, the stronger I become," Caelum whispered. "Your world is built on the logic of 'Hit and Hurt'. My world... runs on whatever code I write."
The other guards, seeing their captain's strongest attack actually heal the enemy, dropped their weapons in horror. This wasn't a fight they could win. How do you kill someone when your very weapons are programmed to save them?
"Kira, take the left wing. Elara, the right," Caelum commanded. "Clear the path to the Royal Vault. I want every enchanted artifact in this city. If the King wants his 'World Core' back, he'll have to come and buy it from me."
As the Shadow Council moved like ghosts through the palace corridors, the walls began to shift. The geometry of the palace was failing. Doors led to ceilings, and windows opened into the void.
Caelum stood before the massive, magically sealed doors of the Royal Treasury. He didn't look for a key. He simply tapped the door three times, as if checking for a weak spot in a server's firewall.
"Knock, knock," he muttered. "The Admin is here."