The din of war surrounds me as I slip through General Lyon’s front lines. If I were in Kono Zemsu form, I could have ploughed through them all like a cannon ball, but now I need to rely on my stealth abilities more than ever. With only half stats, even my evasion is nowhere near what I’m used to and I have to take extra care to avoid stray swings of swords and halberds as I sprint through the masses of soldiers and giants to find Braxus.

I head towards the rear guard and spot him far easier than I thought.

True to form, Braxus has erected a tent for himself with all the amenities––comfort in the middle of combat. What a joke. A small platoon of elite guards surrounds him as he lounges in a plush throne that’s elevated on a dais, giving him a panoramic view of the entire battlefield. Just the sight of his smug face irritates me, but I need to remember that this isn’t the true him.

But I need to make him think that I’m desperate enough to believe that it is.

To make one last desperate attack.

And it’s not far from the truth. I am desperate now. We have maybe fifteen minutes before the walls fall and Brookrun, along with over a hundred people, include all my friends perish.

I rebuff my Shadow Cloak spell and buff my blades to head in for the kill. I purposely go for one of the guards instead of directly for him, even though I could probably manage it. I get about halfway to my target when a lance of crystal shoots up from out of the ground. Were I at full stats, I probably could have avoided it, or maybe even detected the trap before it sprang, but the crystal shoots straight through my leg, impaling me with white hot pain as it lances through my thigh.

I cry out as I become visible and the guards turn in unison to face me.

Damn it!

They’re all just about to attack when Braxus turns to me with a mixture of surprised and elation on his face.

“Ah, about time you showed up,” he says with a laugh. “I was thinking maybe you were just going to die like a dog with the rest of your trash friends. But true to form, and predictable as always… you come trying to win a whole war with your own two fists. Well done, try hard. Well done.”

Finally, I think as I breathe a sigh of relief inwardly.

It’s the moment I had hoped for: a chance for us to dialogue while he basks in his own superiority. I was worried he’d become too paranoid or too vengeful to enter any kind of conversation with me, but it seems he was simply expecting an attack of some kind first and had even set up the battlefield to his advantage. Traps and all. My lack of HP makes an excellent addition to the authenticity of my desperation. I’m down to 50% Health from that trap alone.

Now all I need to do is sell this with all my heart. To make him believe he’s beat me and then lure him out of his cage back in Stormwall. I glare at him with what I hope is a mixture of pain and resentment. And it’s not far from the truth.

“Look, you’ve won okay,” I say with a wince for extra effect. “We’re no longer a threat to you. The town is yours. Just stop attacking us.”

“Town?” he says incredulously. “You think I want that pathetic excuse for a domain? I own whole regions, Reece. I have no interest in your stupid little village other than seeing it burn to the ground.”

At least that much was confirmed. Braxus has no regard for Brookrun or how much it means to us whatsoever. “Please…I’ll do anything. Just withdraw your troops. I don’t want all my friends do die.”

“You think I’m stupid?” he says. “Think I’m just waiting for you to pull some more of your hax ninja crap again? What the hell was that move anyway? I can’t even find it in the archives.” His eyes then flick to the side as if regretting what he just said. “No matter. You wouldn’t beat me if you used it again anyway. Not this time.” He then grins in a way that makes my stomach uneasy. “You tried calling me out. Wanted me to show up in person? Well, be careful what you wish for, idiot. Because I’m a whole lot more dangerous when my abilities aren’t split four ways.”

Four ways? Then it hits me like a ton of bricks. Had I not used the Imposter ability myself, and known its limitations, his statement problem wouldn’t have meant anything to me. But now it strikes me with far too much clarity.

This isn’t an imposter. This is his true form.

And he’s four times as powerful as he used to be.

I examine him and his stats appear on my HUD.

Name: Braxus

Race: Human

Class: Ruler

Level: 99

Guild: Era of Empire

Holy crap! Level 99??How did he level so fast?

“You know,” he says. “We could have all been friends. I could have provided an easy life for you all. But you had to go and stab me in the back. I guess it’s true what they say. The weak and stupid always envy the intelligent and strong.”

“I envy nothing of you,” I spit back at him. “And the only weak on here is you.”

“That’s right. Keep thinking you’re superior, Reece.” Braxus then raises his hand and lightning crackles from an abruptly darkening sky. “Allow me to demonstrate to you…just how weak I am”

Braxus uses Stormfront!

Abilities of minions are increased by 20% while enemies suffer -10% debuff to all attacks!

Rain and hail pour from the sky in an instant. The troops behind me howl with renewed vigor as they charge towards Brookrun and on my HUD I see the walls lose another 2% Health.

“It’s over for you now, Reece,” Braxus says with a murderous glint in his eye. “And I’m not going to go all flashy like you. And neither am I going to drag this out for sport. Not this time.” He stops for a little chuckle. “Even though I’d love to make you suffer, I’m not about to take that risk. You’ve revealed yourself to be far too dangerous for that. This is going to be quick and decisive. I’ll save the torture for your little girlfriend and your meathead brother. Rest in peace knowing they’ll be suffering double for what I’m about to skip on you.”

My heart thunders as all my cool evaporates and I’m suddenly reminded why I truly hate this guy. “You sick prick! You’ll die before you ever lay a hand on any of them.”

“Ah that’s the spirit,” he says with a smirk. “That’s what I’m looking for. Show me that undying hero angst.”

I grit my teeth and pop an escape, breaking out of the trap with a Backflip.

I leap forward again with Charge Strike, but it’s nowhere near as fast as I’m used to.

Braxus holds his hand towards me and shouts with a voice like thunder.

“DIE!”

Braxus uses Power Word: Kill!

You fail to resist!

My body suddenly freezes like I’m being controlled by the green clothes again. But it’s ten times worse this time. I can’t move. Can’t breathe. Panic spikes my blood as I think my heart stops.

Literally.

The last thing I see is my HP immediately fall to Zero before the world goes dark.

* * *

I come to with a gasp for air, my consciousness violently thrown back into my true body.

Aiko looks towards me startled. “Hey, are you okay?”

It takes me a moment to respond to her, my senses still stabilizing amongst my new surroundings. We’re still in Braxus’s bed chamber, just outside the magically locked vault door to his inner sanctum.

“No,” I say finally, shaking my head. “No, I’m not okay.”

“What happened?”

“Braxus just killed me.”

“Oh good!” Aiko says. “That means he should be coming out of there soon, right?”

“No. He’s not in there.”

“What?”

The reality of the last few moment replay in my mind and I realize I’ve just underestimated Braxus terribly.

“He came, Aiko. He actually came himself. And he’s more powerful than I ever knew he could become.”

The elf looks at me with a confused stare. “What?”

“We need to get back to Brookrun somehow,” I say as I struggle to my feet. “Like right now!”