Chapter 13 - The Audit Begins
The sleek brushed steel and marble of the penthouse began to decay in real-time. The floorboards warped into dark, damp oak. The modern LED chandeliers twisted into dripping iron candelabras. The Manor wasn't just arriving; it was overwriting reality, consuming the skyscraper to process the massive audit Victoria had initiated.
The mind-controlled high-society guests screamed as the crimson threads connecting them to Arthur were violently severed. They collapsed to the floor, gasping for air, their stolen years returning to them in a rush of wind.
"Kill her!" Arthur screamed, his youthful face twisting with rage as he felt his stolen vitality draining away.
The mercenaries opened fire with their disruption rifles, sending beams of destructive blue plasma straight at Victoria. But in the presence of an active audit, time was entirely at the Actuary’s mercy. Victoria raised her bleeding left hand. The plasma beams froze in mid-air, suspended like glowing glass rods between her and the shooters.
She walked casually around the frozen beams, her silver stylus dripping with black ink and blood. She approached the mercenary holding Elena, tapped the man on the forehead with her stylus, and whispered, "Balance due."
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The mercenary turned to stone and crumbled into fine dust. Elena dropped to the floor, coughing violently, her Immunity Token glowing hot in her fist.
"Get up," Victoria commanded, grabbing Elena by the coat collar and pulling her toward the stairwell leading to the roof. "The audit is tearing the building apart. We need to corner him before he aborts the transfer."
