Kaiser moved.
He didn't think, he moved. His body responded to something deeper than instinct now. The blue markings crawling up his arm glowed brighter, feeding into the blade of Vow breaker. The weapon pulsed in sync with his heartbeat.
Then the Executioner struck.
It was faster this time and more precise. Like it had recalibrated after seeing the awakening. Its blade slashed down, aiming to cleave him from shoulder to hip.
Kaiser parried.
The clash rang out like a crack of thunder.
Stone cracked beneath his feet. The vault's metal lining buckled.
The force of the hit didn't send him flying like before. This time, he stood his ground.
Lira stared from behind the smoke, stunned. "You're matching it."
Kaiser didn't answer. His focus was absolute.
The Echo watched in silence, expression unreadable.
[System Breach Stabilizing…]
[Unbound Status Confirmed]
[Rebellion Seed: Phase 1-INCOMPLETE]
New Skill Unlocked: Waking Pulse
Duration: 180 seconds
Cost: Memory Burn
His thoughts felt… cleaner. Sharper. He saw the Executioner's movements before they happened, like the world had slowed down just for him.
But there was something else, something wrong.
Each second that passed burned something inside him. Like memories were being peeled away.
He staggered for a breath. A face flashed through his mind. A girl… maybe from Kaelthorn. He couldn't remember her name.
Lira noticed. "You're burning yourself."
"I know," Kaiser said quietly. "But we don't have a choice."
The Executioner raised its arm, and the mirrored mask split, cracks spreading across the surface. For the first time, Kaiser saw what lay beneath:
Nothing.
No face. No eyes. Just a void hollow, infinite.
And then it shrieked.
A sound like metal tearing through flesh and thought. Lira fell to her knees, clutching her ears.
Kaiser stepped forward.
Vow breaker, now glowing blue-white, struck again this time, leaving a deep gouge in the Executioner's armor.
The thing recoiled.
The System flared:
[WARNING:]
Relic Unit Integrity: 92%
Unbound Threat Level: ESCALATING
Deploying Countermeasure…
A second signal entered the vault.
Another presence.
Kaiser turned just in time to see a tear in space, a thin slit of red light open behind them.
From it stepped a second figure. Taller. Bulkier. Carrying a war-hammer shaped like a collapsing star.
The Echo's eyes widened. "That's not a System construct."
"Then what is it?" Lira asked, getting to her feet.
The Echo's voice was grim. "It's a warden of the Architects. It's
The Anchor."
Kaiser grimaced. "I thought those were myths."
"They were," the Echo replied. "Until you awakened."
[Primordial Enforcement Unit Detected]
Identity: Anchor-Class Observer
Protocol: Contain the Unbound
System Priority Level: Unknown
The vault trembled. The Anchor raised its hammer. Time around the edges of the room warped, bending in unnatural ways.
Kaiser took a shaky breath. He had enough energy left for one more move before the seed's pulse faded.
Lira looked at him. "You're not going to make it."
"I know."
She grabbed his shoulder. "Then let me buy time."
Before he could argue, she rushed forward straight at the Anchor.
Kaiser's eyes widened. "Lira, nooo!"
The Anchor swung.
Lira vanished into the light.
The Vault exploded in static and fire. Kaiser flew back, crashing through the broken vault door into the hallway beyond.
Smoke and dust filled the air. The Executioner still stood. The Anchor turned toward him.
The seed inside Kaiser dimmed, its power fading.
But something else flickered beneath it. Something darker.
Deeper.
Older than the System.
[ERROR: UNIDENTIFIED PROTOCOL BREACH DETECTED]
[QUERY: Is this user truly "unbound"...?]
Kaiser coughed, struggling to stand. His fingers closed around Vow breaker again.
"I'm still here."
The mask of the Executioner tilted.
And both enforcers moved at once.