Vega stood frozen for a second, stunned by what he'd just witnessed.
Then he exploded.
"I told you to eliminate the enemies—not blow yourselves up! Who gave you the idea to rush in with grenades and self-destruct?!"
He slapped his forehead in frustration, staring at the three remaining Black Shadow Warriors standing motionless in front of him.Strong? Absolutely.Smart? Debatable.
They've got power, but they clearly need better judgment algorithms, Vega thought bitterly.
He glanced toward the faint black mist still lingering where the fourth warrior had vanished.
How long does it take to bring that one back? Or is he... gone for good?
Focusing his aura on the Ghost Mask, he quickly sensed the current state of the conjured units.Three active Shadow Warriors... and several others in a weakened state.
A message surfaced in his mind:
[Notice] – Summoned Shadow Warrior has entered recovery.Cooldown: 24 hours before next use.
At least they don't vanish forever.Still… If I get into two or three back-to-back fights, I'll burn through my forces fast. That could be a problem.
Right now, though, he still had six warriors available. More than enough for a small assault.
He glanced at the system overlay in the corner of his vision—13 experience points earned from the last fight.
His gaze shifted back to the Ghost Mask.
Enhance it again?At +3, it's already powerful. But +4 would help me wipe out the Shelby family faster. No use hoarding exp now—I need strength.
Without hesitation, he confirmed the upgrade.
[Enhancement Successful: +4]
Instantly, the aura within the mask shifted again. It now housed twelve Shadow Warriors, each pulsing with stronger Nen signatures than before.
A grin crept across Vega's face.
He took control through the mask, issuing a mental order.
"Gather all undamaged weapons from the battlefield. Move."
The warriors obeyed without a sound, spreading out to loot the fallen.
Once armed, they regrouped, and Vega set out again.
Meanwhile, deeper in the compound…
"MONSTERS! MONSTERS!!"Several Shelby gang members—suited, armed, and formerly battle-hardened—ran for their lives.
Terror twisted their faces.
They'd fought in dozens of gang wars. Seen limbs blown off. Buried comrades.But they had never seen anything like this.
They thought this was just a hunt for Vega and his ally, Pengele.Instead, an army of shadowy entities had emerged from the dark—dozens of them, weaponized and relentless.
Blurry, inhuman faces. Jet-black bodies. Crimson eyes glowing like hellfire.
At first, the Shelby fighters scoffed, confident in their training and guns.But the black figures were precise. Fearless. Efficient.Some even rushed forward with primed grenades, exploding mid-assault.
What truly broke their morale was what happened after.
When the shadow warriors were killed, they didn't bleed.They evaporated into black mist—vanishing without a trace.And worse... for every one that vanished, two more seemed to rise from the shadows.
It felt endless.
One by one, Shelby's fifth combat team fell apart.
Discipline gave way to panic. Cohesion collapsed.They dropped weapons and fled—stumbling, screaming, praying for a way out.
In the darkness, Vega remained calm.His mask pulsed with power as he directed the Shadow Warriors, silently issuing kill commands.
"Hunt down the last of them. Leave no survivors."
The remaining enemies were picked off one by one.
When the final shots died down, Vega stepped into the open, surrounded by a sea of victorious shadows.
He estimated forty to fifty Shadow Warriors active—his conjured army.
Tonight's operation had been a total success.
He hadn't just wiped out the Shelby family's fifth combat team—he'd overrun their nearby strongholds and eliminated every guard stationed there.
In total, six to seven hundred Shelby members had been killed.
Vega had expected resistance. He hadn't expected a massacre.
I underestimated how powerful enhancement really is…
After each skirmish, he fed his experience gains directly into the Ghost Mask.
By the time it reached +10, he could summon over a hundred Black Shadow Warriors.Each one was faster, smarter, stronger.
Their formations were fluid. Their marksmanship? Deadly.And their coordination made them nearly impossible to counter.
The Shelby family hadn't stood a chance.
Even better—after all that upgrading—Vega still had around 300 experience points left in the system.
Should I keep going? One more enhancement wouldn't hurt—
But the system interrupted him.
[Enhancement Cap Reached: +10]Next upgrade requires: Advancement Phase.
Vega narrowed his eyes.
Advancement phase?
So the system had stages. It wasn't just about stacking numbers anymore.
He exhaled slowly and looked at the battlefield, now eerily silent except for the faint whir of smoke and blood in the air.
Looks like things are only just beginning.