Hitman with a Badass System
chapter-1328

As Michael made his way through the corridor, the portraits hanging on the walls whispered among themselves, their voices a low murmur filled with urgency.

"Is this the one they speak of?" one portrait hissed to another.

"Yes, the God of Darkness. The mortal realm won't know what hit it," another old man in the portrait replied, his eyes following Michael's every step.

Michael ignored them, his eyes fixed ahead, his mind racing with plans and possibilities.

Meanwhile, Elidyr, with his memory fully unlocked, felt an eerie familiarity with every corner of Mazeroth. It was as if the castle was an extension of himself. He remembered being young, and the countless days he spent with Wulfric running around the castle, causing mischief, their laughter echoing through the halls. They had explored every nook and cranny, masters of their own little world.

Now, those memories stung with a bittersweetness. He longed for those carefree days, the simplicity of youth when the heaviest burden was which game to play next. He sighed, feeling the weight of his regained memories and the current reality pressing down on him. The joy of those childish days seemed like a distant dream, overshadowed by the looming war.

As Michael and his party moved through the corridor, they came across students of Mazeroth who had managed to sneak out of their dormitories and dungeons. Their eyes were a mix of fear, anger, and the reckless impulse to attack the Dark Lord.

"That's him, the Dark Lord," one student whispered with a mix of terror and hatred.

"We can't just let him walk through here!" another hissed, clenching his fists.

Michael glanced at them, feeling a wave of pity. These kids had no idea about the true face of the Skyhall they worshipped as the embodiment of good. To them, he was the villain, and they were the heroes in a story they didn't fully understand.

A few older students, braver or perhaps more foolish, stepped forward, raising their hands to cast spells.

"Stop right there!" one of them shouted, his voice cracking with tension.

Before they could complete their incantations, the dark army soldiers reacted swiftly. One soldier flicked his wrist, and a shimmering blue spell shot out, hitting the first student square on the forehead. The student was lifted off his feet and sent flying, landing softly on a cushion of air a few feet away.

"Nice try, kid," the soldier muttered, already turning his attention to the next.

Seeing the students' futile bravery, Elidyr felt a pang of nostalgia for the days when he and Wulfric were carefree. But Michael, on the other hand, knew these students were just pawns, manipulated by the lies of the Skyhall.

"We're not here to hurt you. You'll understand the truth soon enough," Michael said with a surprising gentleness that caught many students off guard. A while later, the corridor grew silent with no students present neat them. "This way," Elidyr said, pointing towards another empty corridor.

Michael followed, noting that he hadn't come to this part of the castle when he was a student. He watched Elidyr lead confidently, his eyes occasionally drifting to each portrait and decoration with a touch of longing. It was clear that Elidyr had once roamed every corner of this place as his eyes betrayed his inner turmoil.

They walked in silence until they stood before a large, imposing oak door. Even from a few meters away, Michael could feel the energy pulsating from the invisible runes engraved on its surface. On top of that, he could also sense a distortion in the space around him, a clear indication that the portal gateway was just beyond this barrier.

"Go on," Michael prompted, his voice steady, betraying none of the tension he felt.

Elidyr took a deep breath and stepped forward, his hands moving deftly as he began to engrave several runes onto the door. As he worked, the invisible runes on the door lit up and hummed, resisting his attempts. But Elidyr was undeterred. He continued to etch his runes, each one designed to counteract the array already in place on the door.

The humming grew louder, the resistance palpable in the air as the two sets of runes interacted. Elidyr's brow furrowed in concentration, and sweat beads formed on his forehead. But despite the pushback, Elidyr felt from the door, he continued to engrave runes to the point he bled through his nostrils.

While Elidyr was attempting to break the runes, Lenora fiddled impatiently. Her fingers twitched at her sides as she thought about the upcoming confrontation with the Skyhall. Adrenaline rushed through her veins, yet her pride still smarted from the fact that she'd been knocked out cold by an alchemy professor.

"Bloody hell, if I get my hands on that sneaky bastard," she muttered under her breath.

Michael, catching snippets of her grumbling, was slightly amused by the elder vampire's frustration. He watched her pace back and forth, radiating irritation and readiness.

"This is why you shouldn't underestimate anyone," Michael said, drawing the attention of the group. "We don't know what tricks they might pull, just like we can't underestimate the Skyhall we're about to challenge,"

Hearing Michael's words, Lenora shot him a sharp look, her annoyance momentarily redirected towards the wisdom in his warning. Although she was pissed off, even she couldn't ignore the truth in what Michael said. She noticed a rare flicker of seriousness in the Dark Lord's eyes. Usually, Michael was as calm and cool as a cucumber, showing no signs of worry. So, the seriousness in his gaze was a clear signal that things were serious indeed.

"My Lord, I know you said we should go in as a small group, but are we really not gonna sick our whole army on Skyhall's ass?" Lenora asked, her tone laced with a mix of frustration and disbelief. As soon as she spoke, the five dark army soldiers turned their gazes to Michael, clearly sharing Lenora's sentiment.

"We'll first force Skyhall to reveal all their tricks and destroy the Celestial Cannon… Then we'll bring our whole army to end them once and for all," Michael replied coldly, his killing intent intensifying. Of course, Michael would bring his army into the fray. Why wouldn't he? After all, he had invested massive resources and Gaya had spent considerable time training them. But Michael wasn't foolish enough to rush in while Skyhall still had the Celestial Cannon. First, he needed to locate the cannon and either destroy it or take it himself. But, now that Wulfric had revealed the cannon was built by Elidyr, Michael was aware that Elidyr might not approve of taking it and might urge him to destroy it once and for all.

Under the gazes of dark army soldiers and Michael, Elidyr worked meticulously on the runes. Instead of stepping in and using the system to disable the security arrays and runes himself, Michael chose to hold off. He had a couple of reasons for hanging back. First off, he wanted to save those badass points for when they were absolutely necessary. It wasn't time to pull out the big guns yet.

Secondly, Michael understood that Elidyr needed something to focus on. Diving into the technicalities of disabling runes gave Elidyr a way to keep his mind off the heavy stuff from his past. It was a sort of distraction, something to keep his hands and brain busy so the memories didn't drown him.

Besides, Michael knew that Elidyr's efforts weren't just busy work. Thanks to Elidyr's expertise, they hadn't triggered a single trap around them. He had quietly disabled many runes and arrays, clearing their path without making a big show of it. Watching Elidyr work, Michael felt a sense of appreciation for his friend's expertise. It was clear that Elidyr was more than capable, and his actions were taking them one step closer to ending the Skyhall.

As Elidyr's hands moved with practiced ease, the runes slowly ceased their resistance, growing dim one by one. Finally, a soft click echoed through the corridor, followed by a low humming sound. The door began to slowly creak open, revealing a spacious hall that stretched out before them. The hall was draped in dark blue banners, each one adorned with various logos ranging from swords to ravens, symbols of the myriad houses and factions within Skyhall.

In the center of the hall stood a colossal portal gate. It was a towering structure, its frame crafted from intertwining metal that shimmered with a silver sheen. The metalwork was intricate, featuring delicate patterns that seemed to pulse with a faint, ethereal glow. Enigmatic runes danced across the surface, their glow intensifying and fading in a rhythmic pattern that suggested they were alive with magical energy. "This is it," Lenora said, stepping forward. Her eyes were wide as she took in the sight of the gate. "The gateway to the Skyhall,"

Michael slowly approached the gateway and cracked his neck. This was it…All those years of suffering, everything he ednured and went through…He was still a few steps away from finally making the Skyhall pay. They had trapped him in earth, stripped him of his family but now, it was time for sweet payback.

"This is going to be epic," Michael mumbled.