Eclipse Protocol

Chapter Two: The Eclipse Unleashed

Umbros whispered with unrestrained glee: "Oh, this is going to be fun. Really, really fun. Let's ruin some Wardens."

And then, with a roar that shook the remnants of the city, the battle began.

The first strike came from the shadows. Selina materialized behind one of Voryx's massive legs, her daggers slicing through the air with lethal precision. Sparks flew as her Neurotoxin-coated blades grazed the armor.

Voryx barely flinched. With a mechanical snarl, he swung his armored arm, the motion sending a gust of wind that slammed Selina against a crumbling wall. She landed gracefully, rolling to her feet, crimson cloak fluttering like liquid shadow.

"Cute," she muttered, brushing dust from her gloves. "But you're going to need more than a bad attitude and a shiny suit to keep up."

From above, Nyctarion dropped silently, landing on the shoulder of the Warden. The Shadow-Core Armor hissed as he activated kinetic spikes, digging into the indestructible plating.

Umbros whispered sarcastically. "Do you want me to leave him a surprise? Maybe a little data turd?"

"Do it," Kalen said. "Now."

A flicker of violet shimmer shot through Voryx's circuits. Systems blinked erratically. Small but deliberate, Umbros had inserted a trace virus, leaving a literal "calling card" in the Warden's processing nodes. Voryx's sensors flared, and he roared - the first real reaction he had shown.

Lucien stepped forward, Energy Blades humming, after-images darting like fractured lightning. He slashed at Voryx's joints, precise strikes designed to exploit weaknesses only an intimate knowledge of Eos armor could reveal.

"You're fast," Voryx said, voice grinding against the armor like metal on stone. "But you... all of you... are expendable."

Selina darted between debris and shattered steel, daggers slicing at energy conduits, triggering controlled short-circuits that rattled the Warden. "Expendable? Cute. I prefer 'entertaining'."

The trio moved with deadly synchronicity, shadows and after-images blending in a dance of precision and chaos. Yet, for every strike, Voryx countered, his immense strength sending shockwaves that cracked the streets, forcing the trio to retreat and reposition constantly.

Umbros, riding along with Nyctarion, hissed and growled through the comms. "I told you this would be fun. I'm having so much fun. Also, someone should tell him I'm inside his circuits. He smells terrible."

Kalen ignored the AI's commentary, his focus razor-sharp. He twisted, leaping off the Warden's shoulder mid-strike, landing behind Selina.

"Watch your back," he growled.

She smirked, flipping backward, daggers flashing. "Always do, Shadow Ghost. Always do."

A pulse of energy erupted from Voryx's chest core, sending the trio flying backward. Concrete splintered, neon lights fractured, and the city screamed.

Nyctarion hit the ground, knees bent, shadow tendrils of the armor latching to the surrounding steel to stabilize him. Lucien recovered faster, flickering into multiple after-images, blades tracing arcs of blue lightning. Selina disappeared into the folds of shadow, leaving only two crimson streaks in her wake.

Voryx advanced, boots smashing through rubble. "This city is mine. You... are nothing but insects in the light of true order."

Kalen's visor flared violet, Umbros whispering conspiratorially. "Oh, I like insects. Especially when I get to ruin their day. Ready?"

"Always," Kalen said, voice low.

With a synchronized burst, the trio converged. Nyctarion struck the Warden's blind spots, Lucien targeted joints and exposed circuits, and Selina struck from unpredictable angles, daggers coated in neurotoxin and shadow energy.

Voryx staggered for the first time, the coordinated assault finally breaching his otherwise impenetrable armor. Sparks rained down, and the pulse of his systems faltered.

Umbros purred through the comms. "Yes! Oh, I love chaos! Keep going, idiots."

But the Eternal Warden roared, recovering with terrifying speed. Energy radiated outward, a shockwave that threw the trio apart, slamming them into separate ruins across the city.

Kalen's visor cracked under the force, Lucien's after-images flickered violently, and Selina's cloak was shredded in the impact.

From the horizon, the blood-red moon hung like a warning. The city groaned, a beast straining under the weight of the storm.

And in that moment, the trio realized one thing: this was no ordinary battle. Voryx was evolving with every strike, learning, adapting. The Eclipse Protocol was no longer just a plan-it was a war, and the true test had only just begun.

Umbros whispered, almost gleeful. "Oh, I love a challenge. This is going to be deliciously... messy."

The city burned around them, and above it all, the Eternal Warden's glowing eyes promised one terrifying truth: the shadow had met its storm.

The streets of Noxhaven bore the scars of the first clash, shadows dancing like sentinels of the coming war. Selina's eyes glimmered with a secret the others hadn't yet uncovered. She wasn't just a wildcard-she had her own game, and this battle was only the first move.

The trio regrouped in the smoke-filled alleys, battered but alive. Kalen's Shadow-Core Armor hissed warnings, Lucien's after-images shivered violently, and Selina adjusted her wrist device, energy rippling faintly across the Warden's unstable armor.

The blood-red moon hung like a warning, casting its eerie glow on the ruined cityscape. The battle was far from over-but for now, the storm had shifted, and the Eclipse Protocol's first true strike had landed.

Voryx's eyes flared white-hot, his armor's energy cores screaming in protest. The Eternal Warden stood amidst the ruin, ready to evolve further, promising that the war-and the real test-had only just begun.