The Masked Virtuoso-Chapter 67: The Final War Begins

The Warpath to the Council’s City

The sky wasn’t the same anymore. It had been scarred by war, the air filled with remnants of shattered Rift energy that crackled and whispered as they faded into the atmosphere. Every step forward felt heavier—not just because of the gravity of what they were about to do, but because of what they had already lost.

Nathaniel.

Ethan’s boots pressed against fractured earth, the golden-shadow aura flickering around him like a storm barely contained. His body moved with controlled purpose, every motion carrying a weight beyond his years.

He didn’t just feel strong.

He felt inevitable.

The battlefield was behind them. The Council’s last stronghold lay ahead.

Mia walked beside him, shifting the grip on her dagger restlessly. "Alright, fearless leader. What’s the plan? Do we knock on their front door or blow it to hell?"

Ethan’s golden eyes remained locked on the horizon. "Neither."

Mia blinked. "Okay. Then what’s the—"

Ethan vanished.

Before anyone could react, he was already a mile ahead, his golden-shadow energy distorting reality itself as he moved. His presence alone sent shockwaves through the landscape, cracking the ground beneath him as if existence itself struggled to hold him.

The others exchanged looks.

Orion sighed, rolling his shoulders. "Guess we’re skipping the infiltration part."

Selene’s golden aura flared to life. "Then we move."

No hesitation.

They surged forward.

And the war truly began.

---

The Council’s Response

Far from the battlefield, deep within the Council’s hidden city, alarms blared. The halls of power—once untouched by war—were now bathed in red warning lights, their cold, sterile corridors vibrating with the tremors of an oncoming battle.

Inside the war chamber, the Council Leader sat on his throne-like chair, his fingers calmly drumming against the armrest. A god who had not yet been dethroned.

A massive holographic screen displayed the incoming army. Ethan’s energy signature alone was off the charts, distorting every reading.

The advisors whispered nervously.

One of them, a man in military garb, swallowed hard. "Sir, the defenses—"

The Leader lifted a hand. Silence.

A woman knelt before him—Council General Veyla. Her violet hair cascaded over armored shoulders, her emerald eyes like cold steel.

"They’ve come." Her voice was smooth, unwavering.

The Leader smiled, his fingers tracing the edge of an ancient artifact floating beside him—the Death Sea Scroll. Its cursed energy warped the air around it, whispering in a tongue older than time.

"Of course they have."

His eyes gleamed.

"Send out the artifact users."

Veyla smirked. "With pleasure."

She turned to the waiting warriors, each one infused with the power of a legendary artifact.

"Kill Ethan Cross."

The warriors bowed.

And the Council’s counterattack began.

---

The First Battle: The Artifact Wielders

The sky shattered with the force of the first attack.

A beam of razor-thin energy carved through the battlefield, slicing through mountains like paper. The air itself trembled, displaced by an unseen force.

Mia barely dodged, her body twisting mid-air as the ground beneath her melted into nothingness.

"Shit—contact!"

They came from the shadows. A dozen elite warriors, each one radiating Rift energy.

And their leader...

A towering figure clad in obsidian armor, his right arm fused with a Rift-blade that flickered in and out of existence. His presence alone warped the battlefield, distorting the space around him.

He stared directly at Ethan.

"You are unworthy."

Ethan’s golden aura exploded outward, golden-black energy shaking the battlefield as he stepped forward.

"And you," he said coldly, "are already dead."

And the first clash began.

---

Mia vs. The Phantom Blade

Mia’s opponent moved like a ghost, flickering in and out of reality. His dagger phased through existence itself, cutting through dimensions as easily as air.

Mia dodged left, but the blade followed. She twisted right—the dagger was already there.

She barely managed to block, gritting her teeth.

"Oh, you are annoying."

Her enemy didn’t respond. He didn’t need to.

He struck again—this time from behind.

Mia dropped low, sliding beneath the attack.

And then—she smiled.

Because she had already counted his movements.

In an instant, she twisted her dagger, reversing her grip—and drove it straight into his chest.

The masked warrior staggered, his form flickering.

But he didn’t die.

Mia narrowed her eyes. "Oh, come on."

---

Orion vs. The Titan Gauntlets

Orion’s target was a walking fortress.

A warrior twice his size, clad in Rift-infused armor, each fist encased in gauntlets that could crush mountains.

The ground shattered beneath him with every step.

Orion raised his rifle. One shot.

The warrior vanished.

Orion barely had time to react before a fist the size of a boulder slammed toward his head.

He dodged—barely. The air itself ruptured from the force.

"Oh, you’re strong."

The warrior charged again.

Orion smirked.

"But I’m faster."

He fired point-blank—and this time, the bullet didn’t just hit.

It exploded.

The warrior screamed as his own armor overloaded, Rift energy backfiring.

Orion lowered his rifle. "Guess you weren’t as tough as you thought."

---

Nefera vs. The Rift Serpent

Nefera’s opponent wasn’t human.

A spectral cobra, its body made of pure Rift energy, coiled around its master—a woman clad in serpent-like armor, eyes glowing with inhuman malice.

Nefera didn’t move.

The serpent struck.

And vanished.

A second later—Nefera reappeared behind its master, fingers tracing a sigil in the air.

The woman’s eyes widened.

Nefera exhaled.

"Die."

The serpent shattered—and so did its master.

---

Selene & Ethan: The Last Two Standing

Selene twirled her spear, golden flames searing through the air as she clashed against a Rift halberd. Sparks exploded, energy howling around them.

Ethan, meanwhile, faced the obsidian-armored warrior—their battle shaking the battlefield itself.

The warrior swung his Rift-blade.

Ethan didn’t dodge.

He caught it.

The warrior froze.

Ethan’s golden-shadow aura flared violently, twisting the very fabric of existence.

"You’re strong," Ethan admitted.

Then—he crushed the blade with his bare hands.

The warrior staggered back in horror.

Ethan moved—faster than thought.

BOOM.

One punch.

The warrior was erased.

And then—

The sky trembled.

---

The Council Leader Appears

A single clap echoed through the battlefield.

The Council Leader stepped forward, his silver eyes gleaming with power.

"You fought well," he said, amused. "But it ends here."

Ethan felt it.

The Death Sea Scroll.

The air froze.

Mia whispered, "That’s—"

Orion’s voice was grim. "Instant death."

The Leader smiled.

"Tell me, Ethan Cross."

He activated it.

"Are you ready to die?"

And Ethan’s heart stopped.

---

To Be Continued...