A few days later…
Night had swallowed the world whole, wrapping the Northern Fortress in a suffocating veil of darkness. Thick storm clouds churned overhead like a restless black ocean, occasionally split apart by violent flashes of lightning.
Every distant rumble of thunder rolled across the frozen wilderness, shaking the air and briefly illuminating the colossal fortress perched beside the lake. For a heartbeat at a time, the jagged icy mountain ranges beyond the fortress emerged from the darkness like the fangs of some slumbering beast before vanishing again into the storm.
The freezing wind howled across the water, carrying the scent of rain, wet stone, and pine from the distant forests. Tiny ripples spread across the lake as droplets of icy rain began to fall, pattering softly against wood, cloaks, and steel.
Shin sat silently among the Iron Bandits, his figure concealed beneath a pitch-black cloak soaked by the drizzle. Around him, the larger and more muscular bandits rowed in perfect rhythm, their oars slicing through the dark water with barely a sound. The boat creaked quietly beneath their shifting weight while cold mist drifted over the lake’s surface, brushing against Shin’s cheeks like ghostly fingers.
Shin pulled out his pocket watch and flipped it open. The silver hands glimmered faintly under a flash of lightning.
A few minutes before midnight.
The steady ticking sounded unnaturally loud in the tense silence.
This entire operation had been built around Shin’s calculations. Days earlier, he had gathered weather reports predicting a starless sky and heavy thunderstorms—perfect cover for infiltration. He had also secured a detailed blueprint of the Northern Fortress from the Librarium and spent sleepless nights studying every hallway, wall, and underground chamber. After hours of planning, he concluded that the frozen lake behind the fortress offered the safest route inside: a blind spot few guards would ever expect enemies to use.
The bandits wore complete black from head to toe, their cloaks blending seamlessly with the stormy night until they looked less like men and more like moving shadows drifting across an endless abyss. The darkness over the lake was so absolute that Shin could barely see his own hands. Without guidance, they could have easily drifted off course into the freezing void.
Fortunately, the scout party moved ahead of them in smaller boats. Every few moments, brief flashes of reflected lightning glimmered against their pocket watches, creating tiny bursts of silver light in the darkness. Those intermittent flashes acted like distant lighthouses, silently guiding the rest of the group through the deadly waters.
Eventually, the boat scraped softly against frozen shorelines hidden beneath the cliffside of the fortress.
The moment Shin and the other bandits stepped onto land, icy mud crunched beneath their boots. They immediately crouched beneath the towering fortress wall, pressing themselves against the cold stone to avoid detection. Rainwater trickled down the ancient bricks while the wind whistled through cracks overhead.
Adzeel raised a hand signal.
Without hesitation, the bandits reached beneath their cloaks and pulled out grappling hooks attached to thick ropes. Metal softly clinked against metal as they prepared themselves. Then, one after another, the hooks shot upward through the darkness with muted whistles before catching firmly onto the top of the wall.
The ropes tightened.
Slowly and carefully, they began their ascent.
Shin’s gloves scraped against the wet stone as he climbed. Rainwater dripped from his hood into his eyes while distant thunder continued to rumble overhead. Every movement had to be precise. One mistake, one loose stone, one careless sound could alert the guards.
Twice, patrolmen nearly discovered them.
The first guard barely managed to open his mouth before one of the bandits covered it and struck the back of his neck. Another guard rounding the corner was silently dragged into the shadows before he could even draw his weapon. Their unconscious bodies were quickly hidden away from sight.
After reaching the upper level, Shin quietly unfolded the blueprint he borrowed from the Librarium. The damp parchment fluttered slightly in the cold wind while flashes of lightning briefly illuminated the maze-like corridors drawn across its surface.
“So far, so good,” Shin whispered, keeping his voice low. “We’re halfway there. Honestly, I expected we would’ve already been spotted by now, but you guys are incredible.”
Adzeel let out a quiet chuckle beneath his hood.
“Don’t underestimate us, Mister Smarty Pants,” he muttered. “I was once a captain of the Holy Knights. I trained my men with brutal standards until perfection became instinct. This operation is nothing compared to what we endured back then.” He smirked faintly. “Besides, this should prove how we managed to steal the armor you’re proudly carrying around.”
“Okay, okay, sorry, boss,” Shin replied with a restrained grin.
He lowered his gaze back to the map, tracing several routes with his finger before stopping at a thick section of wall blocking their path.
“There’s a problem,” Shin said quietly. “This wall cuts off the shortest route to the underground levels. We can take a detour, but it’ll waste too much time. Worse, we’ll probably run into more patrols.”
Adzeel crossed his arms. “What’s your call?”
Shin stepped closer to the wall and tapped four separate points across the stone surface.
“We place detonation charges here… here… here… and here,” he explained. “The storm is our advantage. We wait for thunder loud enough to mask the blast.”
Adzeel nodded immediately.
Together with Risha, they carefully planted sticks of dynamite along the weak structural points Shin identified. The sharp scent of gunpowder mixed with the damp smell of rain and stone as they worked swiftly in near-total darkness.
Once the charges were set, everyone retreated to a safe distance.
Then came the waiting.
The storm intensified overhead. Wind roared through the fortress corridors while rain battered the stone walls. Seconds stretched endlessly as everyone remained perfectly still, listening for the right moment.
Then—
A blinding flash of lightning tore across the heavens.
CRAAACK!!!
The thunder exploded through the mountains with deafening force.
“Now!” Adzeel hissed.
Mana surged through his hand as he forcefully detonated the charges.
BOOOOM!!!
The explosion merged seamlessly with the thunder’s echo, disguising the blast beneath nature’s fury. Stone walls violently ruptured outward as chunks of rock and dust erupted into the air. The shockwave rattled the ground beneath their feet while fragments tumbled endlessly into the darkness below.
When the dust finally settled, a massive jagged hole had been carved through the wall, revealing a deep abyss descending into the underground levels of the fortress.
Cold air rushed upward from the darkness beneath them.
Shin carefully stepped closer to the edge and peered downward, his crimson purple eyes narrowing thoughtfully.
“If my calculations are correct,” Shin said, “this shaft should lead directly to the second underground level—the widest section beneath the fortress.” He folded the map carefully. “And if they’re hiding the Halochassis anywhere… that’s the most likely place.”
“This is where we part ways then,” Adzeel said with a faint grin beneath his soaked hood. Rainwater dripped from the edge of his cloak while distant lightning briefly illuminated the sharp lines of his face. He extended his armored fist toward Shin. “Be careful on your mission… and stay alive.”
“You too.” Shin returned the fist bump firmly, the metal of their gauntlets clinking softly. “And don’t forget the names of the fallen angels. They’re the activation codes. Once someone equips the Halochassis, they become the only one capable of operating it.”
“Roger that.”
Without wasting another second, Adzeel grabbed the rope tied near the shattered opening and descended into the abyss below. His figure disappeared into darkness almost immediately. One by one, the Iron Bandits followed after him, their ropes creaking softly as they rappelled downward into the underground levels of the fortress.
But one person remained behind.
Risha stood silently near the edge of the hole, the cold wind tugging at her dark cloak. For a moment, she simply stared at Shin while rain droplets shimmered across her hair and cheeks beneath the occasional flashes of lightning.
Shin tilted his head slightly. “Something wrong?”
Risha hesitated before speaking.
“Please be careful, Mister Shin.”
Unlike Adzeel’s confident farewell, her voice carried genuine worry. The distant thunder almost drowned it out, but Shin still heard the concern hidden beneath her calm expression.
A small smile formed on Shin’s face.
“You too,” he replied softly.
Risha nodded once before gripping the rope tightly. Then she pushed herself backward and disappeared into the darkness below, descending after the others.
Silence returned.
Now Shin stood alone on the surface.
The storm above had grown even fiercer. Thick clouds churned violently overhead while cold drizzle fell steadily across the fortress. Thunder no longer sounded distant—it cracked much closer now, rattling the walls and vibrating through the ground itself. Jagged streaks of lightning occasionally tore across the heavens, bathing the fortress in blinding white light for split seconds.
Shin slowly lifted his gaze toward the starless sky.
Cold rain tapped against his face.
The wind whipped violently against his black cloak.
Then he stretched both arms outward, rolling his shoulders as though preparing for a performance rather than a battle. A grin slowly spread across his face, sharp and excited.
“It’s showtime.”
And then—
He stepped off the fifty-meter wall.
The freezing air roared past Shin’s ears as he plummeted toward the courtyard below. His cloak flapped wildly behind him while gravity dragged him downward at terrifying speed. The stone ground rushed closer and closer beneath the flashes of lightning.
Just moments before impact, Shin glanced at the black glove on his hand and whispered:
“Awaken… Azazel.”
Instantly, crimson-violet magical circles erupted around his arm.
A glowing holographic frame materialized across his body, assembling piece by piece in midair. Black-and-gold armor plates formed around him with mechanical precision while streams of mana pulsed like veins of light beneath the metallic surface. Massive armored boots locked onto his legs, gauntlets sealed around his arms, and a horned helmet enclosed his face completely.
Three black horns curved menacingly from the helmet.
The Halochassis awakened.
Its crimson violet eyes ignited like demonic flames in the darkness.
BOOM!
Shin slammed into the center of the main courtyard in a superhero landing, cracking the stone beneath him. Dust and rainwater exploded outward from the impact while lightning flashed overhead, silhouetting the monstrous armor against the storm.
For a brief second, the entire fortress froze.
Then chaos erupted.
“Intruder!”
The alarm echoed across the fortress walls.
Bells immediately rang from every watchtower while guards scrambled into position. Torches flared to life despite the rain as soldiers flooded the battlements and courtyard entrances. Steel rang loudly as swords were drawn from scabbards. Lances lowered. Archers pulled arrows onto bowstrings while riflemen aimed their barrels downward from elevated positions.
Nearby military mages rapidly opened grimoires, their pages fluttering violently in the storm while glowing magic circles formed around their wands.
“It’s the Demon Prince!” the guard captain roared, his voice filled with fury and panic. “Kill him!”
The fortress unleashed hell.
Arrows darkened the sky.
Fireballs streaked through the rain like blazing meteors.
Bullets screamed through the storm.
Yet Shin did not move from his position.
A translucent crimson energy shield instantly unfolded around him, humming violently as projectiles collided against it. Arrows shattered upon impact. Fireballs burst into sparks and smoke. Bullets ricocheted uselessly away. A few attacks managed to strike the Halochassis directly, but the Hybrid Armor absorbed the impacts effortlessly without leaving even a scratch.
Shin slowly rose from his crouched position.
Then he laughed. Not nervously. Not fearfully. But with pure exhilaration.
The Halochassis thrummed with power around him, amplifying every heartbeat coursing through his veins.
Then Shin sprinted forward.
The stone courtyard cracked beneath each armored step as he accelerated with terrifying speed. Rain exploded around him while soldiers shouted in panic at the approaching black-and-gold demon charging directly toward them.
As he ran, Shin drew a massive magnum from his waist.
The weapon looked oversized even for a normal soldier, but within the Halochassis’ armored grip, it felt like an extension of his arm.
“Let’s see if I can fight like my goddess!” Shin shouted excitedly.
He aimed toward an archer stationed atop a distant watchtower. Then fired.
BOOOOM!
The gunshot sounded less like a firearm and more like artillery. The bullet itself barely touched the tower.
Instead, the compressed shockwave generated by the Halochassis-enhanced shot obliterated the entire upper section of the structure instantly. Stone, wood, and flesh exploded outward in all directions. The archer vanished alongside the tower’s peak as blood sprayed violently across the rain-soaked courtyard below.
The surviving guards stared in horror.
“That thing didn’t even hit!” the guard captain screamed, his eyes wide with disbelief. “Was that just the shockwave!?”
“Shock and awe, my son!” Shin laughed maniacally.
He charged directly into the soldiers.
At close range, the Halochassis turned him into a living catastrophe.
Every pull of the trigger unleashed devastating shockwaves powerful enough to tear armored soldiers apart even without direct hits. Bodies were hurled backward like ragdolls. Shields shattered into splinters. Entire lines of troops collapsed under the sheer force of the impacts.
Shin’s aim was far from perfect, but it no longer mattered.
The Halochassis amplified the magnum’s destructive power to monstrous levels, making every shot feel like a miniature cannon blast. Blood mixed with rainwater across the courtyard as terrified screams echoed beneath the thunderstorm.
Lightning flashed overhead once more.
And in that brief white glow, Shin looked less like a human— and more like a demon of war unleashed upon the fortress.