The Black Talons didn't hold back.
The moment they realized Nero wasn't falling like an easy target, their strategy shifted.
The spells came faster, sharper.
The kind meant to kill, not subdue.
"Avada Kedavra!"
The green flash streaked toward him.
Nero didn't bother trying to block it with a shield.
He flicked his wand at a jagged chunk of rubble.
The stone twisted and contorted, reshaping itself into a thick wall.
The Killing Curse slammed into the transfigured barrier, cracking it apart instantly, but by then, Nero had already moved, circling around to counterattack.
They didn't let up.
Another Talon surged forward, slashing his wand through the air.
Blades of fire erupted toward Nero, slicing through the air with searing heat.
Nero raised his wand.
A thin, shimmering barrier formed in front of him, but instead of blocking the flames, it transformed them.
The fire unraveled into droplets of water, hissing as they fell to the ground, soaking the stone.
The Talons hesitated for a split second.
It cost them.
Two Talons tried to flank him. One from the side, another charging head-on.
Nero swerved low, his wand cutting a sharp arc.
"Shatter."
The ground beneath their feet fractured like glass, splintering in jagged, violent cracks.
The Talons lost their footing, one slammed hard against the stone, the other barely rolled away in time, scrambling to stand.
They couldn't Apparate.
But Nero could. He could now reach 5 meters in a single apparition.
He flickered out of sight, reappearing above them, already casting.
"Ice World."
A storm of ice exploded from his wand, freezing the air itself.
Razor-sharp shards of ice rained down like daggers, forcing the Talons to raise shields or get shredded.
One wasn't fast enough.
The ice pierced through his chest.
Four left.
They regrouped, panting, their faces contorted with rage, blood dripping from their wounds.
But Nero wasn't breathing hard.
He adjusted his grip, flicking his wrist.
"Come out" he whispered mentally.
From above, three shikigami eagles unfolded, paper wings gleaming in the faint moonlight.
It circled high, barely noticeable against the sky.
The Talons moved in again, and Nero let them.
He deflected curses, weaving through their attacks, a relentless dance of magic and movement.
The black streaks of Cruciatus spells tore through the air, missing him by inches.
One Talon, more desperate than the others, cast Diffindo in rapid succession, slashing through stone like butter, but Nero simply flowed around it, a ghost in the battlefield.
Then he saw it, an opening.
He raised his wand to the sky.
Lightning cracked through the heavens.
The shikigami eagles, acting as magical beacons, absorbed the energy, their paper bodies burning up in an instant.
And from that point in the sky, lightning descended.
It struck three of the remaining Talons directly.
The men didn't even have time to scream.
The smell of burnt flesh filled the air as their body collapsed, smoke rising from the scorched remains of their armor.
There was only one Talon left.
The man dropped his wand.
His face twisted in horror. "Wh-what are you?" he whispered, stepping back. "How the fuck can you summon a mana storm?"
Nero turned toward him, blue frost eyes glinting in the dim light.
"It's actually quite simple," he said, voice quiet, almost mocking. "I…am…magical."
The Talon paled.
Nero's wand barely moved.
"Impero"
The Talon froze, his body stiffening as the spell latched onto his mind like cold iron.
His breathing slowed, eyes glazing over.
Nero walked toward the man he had captured earlier, the one still bound by the golden chains of Magna Vinctura.
The Talon thrashed, struggling against the bindings, his eyes wild with terror.
"Please," he gasped. "You don't understand! Malrik will kill me!"
Nero crouched, tilting his head. "I know." he said. "The last guy I caught tried to talk, and Malrik snuffed him out."
He leaned closer, his gaze like ice. "I know about the curse. So tell me what you can say. Or I'll make your death slow."
The Talon's breathing hitched, sweat dripping down his face.
He swallowed hard, eyes darting around as if searching for an escape that didn't exist.
"I... I can't tell you where the ritual is, or what it is." he whispered. "It'll trigger the curse. But... I can tell you about the outposts."
Nero's expression didn't change. "Go on."
"Malrik has outposts," the Talon continued, voice trembling. "Places where they keep enchanted relics and magical conduits. They use them to stabilize the fortress's defenses. Without them... the barriers weaken."
Nero's mind raced, piecing it together like a puzzle.
"So if I hit the outposts, I cripple the fortress."
The Talon nodded, tears streaking down his face. "Please... I told you what I could. Let me go."
Nero stood, wiping the blood from his sleeve.
"Thank you," he said.
The Talon almost relaxed.
Then Nero raised his wand.
"Avada Kedavra."
The green light flared.
The Talon collapsed.
Nero turned, staring at his new ephemeral sidekick, the Talon he had Imperiused.
"Shall we go?" he said, voice dripping with cold detachment.
The enchanted Talon, face blank, nodded silently.
Nero smiled, and together, they walked into the dark.
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50 chapters ahead on Patreon (Suiijin): Chapter 202: A Change of Course