Seventeen seconds.
That's all he had.
Sei could feel it.
The weight of death pressing in.
The Reaper of Order wasn't human.
It was a machine in flesh—cold, precise, unbreakable.
Liberation Feasibility: 0.01%
Warning: Incoming Oppression Surge in 10s.
Sei stood his ground anyway.
Mina was watching.
The others were too.
If he ran—hope would die with him.
"You're just a weapon," he growled. "I'm a spark. And sparks… ignite fires."
The Reaper vanished.
BOOM!
The shockwave flattened the street.
Stone exploded. Dust filled the air.
But Sei was already moving—Ash Step!
His body blurred sideways, just missing the Reaper's massive blade as it slammed into the ground.
CRACK!
The impact split the earth like an earthquake.
-3 Soul Energy
Ash Step Cooldown: 10s
Sei gasped—his ribs hurt just from dodging.
"Fast," he muttered. "Too fast."
The Reaper turned without a word.
Its blade dragged against the stone, sparks flying.
Countdown: 14 seconds remaining…
"Screw it."
Sei lunged forward, fist glowing.
"CHAIN BREAKER—!"
His punch connected—
CLANG!
It was like hitting steel. The Reaper didn't even flinch.
Sei was thrown back by the rebound, crashing into a wall.
"Ghh—!"
-40 HP
Current HP: 20/100
His vision blurred. Blood dripped from his nose.
He could barely move.
WARNING: Lethal threat confirmed. Unlocking Emergency Protocol.
System Message: Liberation Burst – Available
Trigger: Will to Free > Fear of Death
[ACTIVATE LIBERATION BURST?]
Sei coughed, smiling through the blood.
"Hell yes."
Liberation Burst – Level 1 Activated
Temporary Buff: +200% Speed | +150% Strength | Skill Amplification x2
Duration: 12 seconds
Warning: Soul Burn – Severe damage after effect ends.
Suddenly, everything slowed down.
The world turned blue.
Even the Reaper… was moving like molasses.
Sei stood.
His wounds still bled, but they felt distant.
The flame in his chest now roared like a storm.
"My chains are gone," he whispered. "Time to break yours."
He vanished.
WHOOSH!
Sei reappeared behind the Reaper and unleashed a spinning kick to the back of its mask.
CRACK!
It staggered.
Sei didn't stop.
He struck again.
CHAIN BREAKER!
His fists glowed. He drove them into the joints of the Reaper's arms, its knees, its chest—
BANG! CRASH! CRACK!
Blue sparks exploded with every hit.
Armor Integrity: 74% → 51% → 39%…
The Reaper roared—not in pain, but in surprise.
It had never been hit this hard by a Level 2.
Liberation Burst Timer: 5 seconds remaining…
Sei's heart pounded like a war drum.
The fire inside was turning wild. Too wild.
His vision flickered.
Blood poured from his eyes.
But he wasn't done.
"LAST ONE!!"
He leapt into the air, twisting—
"BREAK!!"
Both fists crashed into the Reaper's chest.
BOOOOM!!
The explosion of soul fire lit up the sky.
A crater formed beneath them.
Smoke filled the battlefield.
Silence.
Then—
CLANK.
The Reaper fell to one knee, sparks bursting from its chest.
"Unauthorized power… unacceptable…"
Liberation Feasibility: 31%… 54%… 78%…
It raised its blade again—
But Sei collapsed.
His knees hit the ground.
His eyes rolled back.
He passed out.
LIBERATION BURST COMPLETE
System Damage: 37%
Status: Unconscious
LEVEL UP: 2 → 4
+6 Stat Points | +2 Skill Points
New Trait Acquired: Fireborn Soul (Passive)
Fireborn Soul – When you fight for others, your strength rises with their belief. +10% to all stats per liberated soul nearby.
Darkness took him.
But just before he blacked out… he heard something.
A voice.
Not from the Reaper. Not from the system.
Something older. Deeper.
"Break more chains… and find me."
To Be Continued…