Silence. The word "Golden Core" hung in the room, an oppressive weight. This was a cultivator
who could, with a thought, level a city. A being beyond "leagues." Lin Yue was terrified. Not for
herself. She looked at Kael, at this mortal man who had Vowed to protect her, and her heart
ached. This was not a fight he could "tank." "Kael," she said, her voice shaking. "We... we have
to run. Not for us. For you. This is not your fight. It is..." "It is my fight," he said. His voice was
calm. So calm, it scared her.
He looked around their small, simple courtyard. He looked at the closed door of the blacksmith,
and the window of the family whose child he'd saved last month. He looked at her, at the woman who was his entire world. "I Vowed to be your shield," he said. "I Vowed to protect this... our...
home." "He is right," he continued, as if thinking aloud. "A shield that only blocks... it isn't
enough. Not now. The storm is here. And a shield... a shield must also be the end of the storm.
It must break the sword that strikes it."
He closed his eyes. Lin Yue felt it again—that deep, resonant DOOM in her soul, but this time, it
was not a single chime. It was a symphony. A light, not bronze, but a pure, blinding platinum,
erupted from his body. "I am Kael. I am a Knight," he said, his voice echoing with the power of
his own soul. "I have been a shield. I have been a protector. I will not let this world... his
madness... touch what I guard. I Vow... to be the Aegis. The shield that ends the war. I Vow... to
be the Knight-Protector."
[ULTIMATE VOW OF CONVICTION (SELF & OTHERS) REGISTERED!] [VOW (Ultimate): "I
will be the Aegis. I will end the storm."] [Path Evolving... PROTECTOR PATH ->
KNIGHT-PROTECTOR PATH (Legendary)] [All Vows Consumed and Reforged into the
Ultimate Vow!]
[LEVEL UP! Level 7 -> Level 10!] [System Core Shattered and Rebuilt... MORTAL LIMITS
TRANSCENDED!] [Max HP: 350 -> 1000] [Max Stamina: 350 -> 1000]
[All Skills Evolved to (MAX)!] [Guardian's Stance (Active) Lvl 5 (MAX)] [Aura of Protection
(Passive) Lvl 5 (MAX): Mitigates 99%... now mitigates all passive Qi/Elemental pressure.]
[Iron Will (Passive) Lvl 5 (MAX): Immune to all mental/curse/poison effects below
(Legendary) tier.] [Knight's Charge (Active) Lvl 5 (MAX)]
[Skill [Sacred Shield] Consumed!] [Ultimate Skill Unlocked: [AEGIS OF RETRIBUTION
(Active)]] [Aegis of Retribution (Active) - Lvl 1: Summon the ultimate shield of pure
Conviction. The Aegis will completely absorb the next attack, regardless of power. The
total absorbed damage is stored. The Aegis can then be unleashed as a single,
devastating beam of pure, Vow-based, non-elemental light. Cost: 500 Stamina. Cooldown:
One (1) use per day.]
Name: Kael Path: The Knight-Protector (Legendary) Level: 10 (MAX) Vows: (1) The Ultimate
Vow Stats: HP: 1000/1000 Stamina: 1000/1000 Title: The Aegis
Kael opened his eyes. They were glowing with a soft, platinum light. He looked... the same. But
Lin Yue, a cultivator who saw the world in its true form, saw that he was not. He was no longer a
"void." He was an anchor. He was a fundamental law of reality, a walking, breathing Vow that
said "Here, I stand. And nothing shall pass." He was, in his own, impossible way... beautiful. He
looked at her, his power receding into his heart. He smiled. "Well," he said, his voice just...
Kael's voice. "I think... I'm finally ready."