Chapter 10 — Betrayal in the Smoke

Chapter 10 — Betrayal in the Smoke

After two long days, we finally made it back.

Even though it had only been a short trip, it felt like we’d crossed half the world. My shoulders ached from the weight of the resource bags — food, wood, and fragments of energy cores we’d scavenged from the ruins of Rimscape.

The sun-less sky was already dimming, and the Void’s horizon shimmered with the usual glitching orange haze that signaled nightfall.

“Man,” I sighed, setting the bags down beside the wall, “I forgot how heavy this stuff gets.”

Bl4ze was busy sorting through metal scraps and crystals on the table. “Good haul. This should keep us supplied for weeks.”

I nodded. “Yeah. I’ll start organizing the food stock.”

When I first woke up in this house, the place had been a complete mess — dust everywhere, shelves overturned, old books scattered across the floor. But now, it looked almost clean. The armor and shields were polished, the weapons neatly lined along the wall, and the bookshelves were perfectly organized by size and color.

It was honestly shocking.

“Who knew she could clean this well…” I murmured under my breath.

As if on cue, SK appeared from the back room, holding a broom and glaring at me. “Oh, so you’ve returned too,” she said flatly.

Her tone was so unenthusiastic I couldn’t tell if she was annoyed or just pretending not to care.

“Well, I’ll admit,” I said, crossing my arms, “I didn’t expect you to know how to clean.”

She flicked her long blonde hair back and gave me a sharp look. “Of course I can clean. You think all Empire soldiers are barbarians?”

I smirked. “Pretty much, yeah.”

“Tch.” She turned away, muttering something I couldn’t quite hear, and walked off toward the kitchen.

As I watched her go, I couldn’t help thinking how strange all this was. Me — a Resistance sniper — now living with an Empire soldier and a mysterious Void-walker. The whole situation felt unreal.

I paused, staring at the warm light flickering against the walls.

I wonder how the others are doing.

Are they still fighting? Still alive?

Bl4ze’s voice broke my thoughts.

“Ryze, can you carry the resources to the back?”

“On it,” I replied, lifting a crate of crystals.

Let’s just hope everyone’s still safe out there…

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“Captain! The enemy’s surrounded us from every direction!”

Gunfire and explosions echoed across the shattered ruins. Red tracers tore through the air as the Resistance squad scrambled for cover behind broken walls.

“Reinforcements aren’t responding! I can’t get a signal out!” shouted a soldier, sweat streaking down his dusty face.

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“Damn it!” the squad leader cursed, slamming his fist against the wall. “Why did the Empire have to show up now?”

Moments earlier, their evac helicopter had been shot down by Empire airships. Now, three of those massive vessels hovered above, cannons glowing as they scanned the area for survivors.

Another soldier ducked under a burst of plasma fire. “Sir! What should we do?”

“For now—protect the girls!” the captain ordered.

The captain’s jaw tightened. “What the hell are those bastards even after her for? Sending three airships just to capture the six girls… something’s not right.”

“Captain! We can’t hold them for much longer!” another soldier yelled from the barricade.

The captain scanned the area quickly. “Right. We need to find a way out of here—fast!”

A purple-haired girl stepped forward, clutching a staff etched with glowing runes. “Captain, I can use a teleportation spell! It’ll take a lot of mana, but it’s our only chance!”

“Are you sure?” asked a red-haired girl beside her, worry filling her eyes. “That kind of spell could drain you dry!”

The mage smiled weakly. “It’s fine. I can handle it. Everyone, get close to the circle!”

She slammed her staff into the ground. The air around them shimmered as a massive glowing magic circle spread beneath their feet.

“Everyone ready—?”

BANG!

The sound of a gunshot silenced everything.

The purple-haired girl froze, a crimson bloom spreading across her arm. She dropped to one knee, clutching the wound in disbelief.

“W-what the—?!”

Everyone turned toward the source.

The pink-haired girl — the one they had rescued just hours ago — was standing there, holding a smoking pistol. A cold smile crept across her face.

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” the red-haired girl shouted. “What are you doing?!”

The captain raised a hand, his voice calm but stern. “Lower your weapon. Now.”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that, Captain,” the girl said, her voice laced with a strange calmness.

The soldiers froze, realizing in horror what was happening. One of the unconscious guards near her had been knock out cold — likely by her.

The ground shook as one of the Empire’s airships descended nearby, its massive form blotting out what remained of the sun. A loading ramp lowered, and several armored figures emerged. At their head was a man — no, a player — dressed in sleek black armor with a hooded cloak, his movements fluid and silent like a shadow. Twin daggers hung from his belt.

A Skyrealm assassin-type.

The captain gritted his teeth. “Everyone! Take positions! Don’t let him get close!”

The soldiers aimed their rifles. The captain recognized the emblem on the stranger’s shoulder — the mark of Skyrealm. The Empire’s Symbol

“You’re a Skyrealm player,” the captain said grimly. “So What’s are you after?.”

The assassin smirked, ignoring the captain. “Don’t worry, I’m not here for a fight. Just to pick up something.”

He turned his gaze to the pink-haired girl. “Sorry for taking so long, Cass3.”

The girl’s cold smile widened. “That’s all you can say after keeping me waiting for a year?” Her voice dripped with irritation. “One whole year to come fetch me from Countless Star.”

The Resistance soldiers froze. The name hit them like a thunderbolt.

“Cass3…” the captain whispered. “No way… the Cass3? The guildmaster who disappeared from Skyrealm after the Great Collapse?”

The red-haired girl trembled, realization dawning on her face. “So you’re the one who sold us out…”

Cass3 tilted her head slightly. “Oh, don’t sound so dramatic. It’s not betrayal. It’s business. My plan was to get myself ‘kidnapped’ by some low-level mercs and have them deliver me to Skyrealm. You people just happened to get in the way.”

“You… used us,” the red-haired girl said, her voice breaking.

Cass3 smiled again. “Exactly. And you should’ve just stayed in your own game.”

The red-haired mage clenched her fists, rage replacing shock. “So that’s why the kidnappers never harmed us… it was all part of your plan!”

She raised her staff, tears in her eyes. “You’ll pay for this!”

“Hey, what are you doing?!” a nearby soldier shouted, realizing the spell she was about to unleash.

“Captain, take cover!” she yelled, ignoring the pain in her chest. “I’ll handle this!”

A massive crimson magic circle spread beneath her feet, glowing so bright that even the airships above began to waver in the heat.

“Don’t underestimate us, Starborn!” she shouted, her voice echoing across the battlefield. “You’ll regret betraying us!”

Flames roared upward, swirling into the shape of a colossal dragon. Its scales shimmered like molten glass, eyes burning with fury.

“Come forth, my companion—Israt!”

The ground erupted. The dragon’s roar shook the ruins, scattering dust and debris in every direction.

The red-haired girl stood proudly beneath it, staff raised high. “I am AbyssRose, the Red Summer — Elite player of Countless Star!”

The assassin whistled softly, clearly impressed. “Well… this just got interesting.”