EPISODE 5: THE BATTLE COMMANDER ## CHAPTER 1: THE AMBUSH Elena Voss's convoy left the Guardian Guild headquarters at precisely 11:47 PM. Three armored vehicles, twelve Awakened guards ranging from Level 15 to Level 22, and the Battle Commander herself—Level 20, the most dangerous human being Marcus had ever prepared to fight. They'd chosen the ambush point carefully: a tunnel beneath the financial district, where the convoy would be forced to slow and where Voss's superior numbers would be compressed into a disadvantageous position. "Convoy entering the kill zone," Kira reported through the comms. "Thirty seconds." Marcus crouched on a maintenance catwalk above the tunnel road, his Skill Sight active, tracking every Awakened in the approaching vehicles. [CONVOY SCAN][VEHICLES: 3][HOSTILES: 13][PRIMARY TARGET: ELENA VOSS - LEVEL 20] His heart hammered. His skills hummed with readied energy. "Remember the plan," Kira continued. "Disable the vehicles. Separate Voss from her guards. Get close enough to drain." "And if it goes wrong?" "Gust Step out. Regroup. Try again." The first vehicle entered the tunnel. Marcus activated Paralysis Gaze. --- ## CHAPTER 2: THE ATTACK The lead vehicle's driver froze mid-turn, the golden light of Marcus's stolen skill piercing through the windshield. The vehicle slammed into the tunnel wall at forty miles per hour. Kira was already moving, her Shadow...