Nero's body spun around as the spear in his grip shot out faster than a viper's strike.

The darkness behind him exploded with movement.

Three more pale figures lunged from the shadows, their mouths already split wide, the ridges of their throats undulating as they let out that same accursed sound as the first one, their white eyes reflecting nothing. Gungnir's tip caught the first one in the chest, punching through sternum and spine with a wet crunch before Nero yanked it free in a spray of black blood.

The corpse collapsed to the ground, struggling and twitching for a moment before going still.

The other two didn't slow down, instead dropping onto all fours as they skittered towards him.

Nero twisted, bringing Gungnir around in a wide low arc that forced them back momentarily. His heart hammered in his chest as he registered what was happening.

No matter how he wanted to look at it, this was clearly a trap. One he had clearly foolishly walked into with his own two legs.

'Damn it!'

These things had been waiting, hiding in the darkness of the alley, and he had walked right into their trap.

The thing at the dead end, the one he'd been chasing, let out another of those wheezing screeches, and suddenly the walls themselves seemed to come alive.

Hands erupted from the brickwork, pale and bloodless, gripping the edges of windows and doorframes as more figures pulled themselves free. They moved like insects, their limbs bending impossibly, their bodies contorting and cracking as they climbed down the walls and dropped into the alley.

Nero's eyes widened as he counted them, his grip tightening on Gungnir.

"What the fuck—"

One of them lunged.

Nero drove his spear forward, catching it through the throat. The thing gurgled, black blood pouring from the wound, but it kept coming, clawing at the shaft of the spear even as its life drained away. Nero kicked it off, wrenching Gungnir free, and immediately had to pivot to block another attack.

Their movements were incredibly fast, but also chaotic. However, with so many abnormally strong human bodies coming at him from all sides in a narrow alley, he was slightly unsure of what to do.

He activated Shadow Shift, his form blurring as he slipped between two attackers and drove Gungnir through the spine of a third. The shadows clung to him, making him harder to track and to hit, but there were so many of them that it didn't matter much.

A hand raked across his back, nails like claws tearing through his cloth and into flesh. Nero hissed in pain and spun, bringing the butt of Gungnir up into the attacker's jaw with enough force to snap its head back.

Its jaw snapped and a piece of the bone shot right up into its brain, impaling it and killing it on the spot.

Another one grabbed his left arm, its grip terrifyingly strong. Nero felt his bones grind together as it pulled, trying to drag him down. He reversed his grip on Gungnir and stabbed backward blindly, felt the spear sink into something soft, and the grip released.

He couldn't keep this up.

There were too many of them, with more still emerging from over the walls. The alley had become a killing floor, and he was surrounded.

Nero's mind raced even as his body moved on pure instinct, dodging and striking and trying desperately not to get overwhelmed.

"Oracle!" he shouted internally, his thoughts a desperate plea. "What the hell is happening?!"

The response came immediately,

{The Heretic is currently engaged in battle with Thralls of Corruption}.

"Thralls of Corruption?" Nero responded in surprise, ducking under a swipe that would have taken his head off. "Are they some kind of Abomination? What are Abominations doing inside a city?!"

It made no sense. There were Templars here. The Church. The walls were tall and protected. How had they gotten in?! How had no one noticed these things?!

{This section of the world is currently being cut off from the rest of the city you know as Liedenstorm. These Thralls are not Abominations. They are something much different. They are humans that have sold their souls to a higher being. Now, that entity has come to collect the dues in the form of possession of their worldly bodies. These are not Abominations. However, they are well on their way to becoming one as a human's body cannot sustain the presence of a higher spirit for too long}.

Nero gritted his teeth as he continued fighting, driving Gungnir through another chest, feeling ribs crack and organs rupture. The thing didn't scream. It just kept clawing at him even as it died.

"What entity is controlling them?" he demanded, kicking the corpse away. "Why am I being targeted? How do I get out of this?!"

{It is unclear the intentions of the being behind this. However, one thing is for certain. Until all the Thralls of Corruption are killed, the Heretic is in grave danger}.

"No shit!" Nero snarled aloud.

His back hit the wall. He was being pushed toward the dead end, surrounded on three sides. His breathing was ragged, his coat torn and bloody, and his Ein Sof reserves were dropping fast from the repeated use of Shadow Shift.

He looked around desperately.

The alley stretched before him, filled with pale figures that moved with that horrible fluidity. Their mouths gaped wide, black teeth gleaming. Their white eyes stared at nothing and everything.

And beyond them, where the alley opened back onto the street, Nero saw something that made his blood freeze.

The city was empty.

Completely, utterly empty.

There were no people or carriages.

There was no sound.

The buildings stood dark and silent, their windows like hollow eyes. The street lamps still burned, however, their radiance was swiftly ebbing away.

It was as though this realm absolutely despised the light.

Liedenstorm had become a ghost city.

This wasn't real. This wasn't the actual city. This was something else... somewhere else. A space carved out of reality itself and filled with nothing but him and these things.

"Fuck," Nero whispered.

The Thralls surged forward as one.

Nero roared and met them head-on.

Gungnir became a whirlwind of silver and crimson as he threw himself into the mass of bodies.

He couldn't afford to hold back anymore.

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