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[Arthur… it seems my time has come…]
The voice was not loud, nor sharp, nor did it carry any deliberate drama.
It was simple… terrifyingly calm, like someone stating an unavoidable truth.
Arthur stopped breathing for a moment.
He did not feel danger, he did not feel pain, but he felt that void that only appears when a person realizes that something stable in their life is about to vanish.
He spoke with a voice that came late, hesitant, as if he did not want to hear the answer:
"What do you mean…?"
The voice did not answer immediately.
Instead, the red window appeared before his eyes, more unstable than ever, its edges cracked, the data inside flickering as if it were being written and erased at the same time.
[Warning: System functions are severely damaged.]
[Error: World balance has been altered. An overwhelming force intervention has been detected. The world's resistance against this force caused massive damage to the core structure.]
Arthur's eyes widened.
These were not ordinary warning messages… this was a collapse report.
[Initiating temporary system hibernation to repair damaged functions.]
[The host is still able to use Storage Space and Status Interface only.]
Then the sentence that suddenly weighed down his chest appeared:
[System shutdown… in 60 seconds.]
A heavy silence fell.
Arthur did not move, did not scream, did not object.
Only his mind began to spin… one thought dragging another, possibilities, scenarios, questions without answers.
Shutdown?
Hibernation?
Temporary?
The system finally spoke, but its voice was no longer the same.
It was not the confident mechanical tone, nor the familiar sarcastic nuance…
It was broken, fragmented, as if every word was being torn out by force.
[A… Arthur… you must know that the success of your awakening… was not the result of your strength alone…]
Arthur swallowed.
[I intervened… and an external entity intervened as well… and because of this intervention…]
The voice paused for a fraction of a second, as if the system itself were trying to reorganize its damaged data.
[The external world suffered from phenomena and environmental disasters.]
This was not a confession… it was an admission of guilt.
[Do not worry… they are not lethal, but they are still dangerous. These phenomena do not appear… except when a higher lord of the Abyss is awakened.]
Arthur clenched his fist without realizing it.
"But… how?"
His voice came out charged with confusion.
"I am still here… in my body. How can something like that be awakened if I did not die?"
A flicker of instability appeared in the window.
[The secret… e… entered through the tattoo… a part of the entity's soul… fused with your soul… and with the remnants of the original Arthur's soul.]
Something trembled inside his chest.
[Remaining time until system hibernation: 40 seconds.]
Arthur slowly lowered his gaze.
His hand was covered by the Royal Scale Armor, the armor that had saved him countless times.
But…
The armor began to disintegrate.
It was not destruction, but an organized dismantling, as if it were performing its final duty.
The scales retreated, unraveled, and disappeared into his skin, revealing what had been hidden beneath.
A tattoo.
Raging flames, not taking the shape of a single fire…
But three overlapping faces, each staring in a different direction, each possessing a different eye in shape, color, and sensation.
The tattoo was not static.
It was pulsing…
Breathing…
Watching him.
Arthur whispered, his voice filled with disgust and suspicion:
"What is this…?"
"Did that entity… give me a monster?"
[It is… not the soul of your lineage. You succeeded in awakening… but not completely. Only half an awakening.]
A brief silence followed.
[The world's interference… destroyed most of my functions. But fortunately… the world sealed that entity back into its void.]
Arthur did not feel relieved.
Sealed?
That meant it had been free for a moment…
And a single touch was enough to change everything.
[Remaining time until system shutdown: 20 seconds.]
The feeling of pressure began to seep into his chest.
Not the pressure of power… but the pressure of loss.
[Arthur… take Behemoth. It will help you greatly.]
The spiritual weapon appeared beside him, motionless, yet its presence felt different… deeper.
[Do not forget to bind it to your soul. You still possess the skill "Essence Binding." With this… its form will change. It will be freed from the presence of the Abyss.]
[Remaining time: 10 seconds.]
Arthur's breathing quickened.
[Arthur… I left everything on your phone. The story of your disappearance, the reason for your appearance in the place you will be transferred to, a complete scenario… made for you.]
He reached out unconsciously.
"No… wait—"
[Arthur… remember one thing. No matter what happens… do not use instantaneous teleportation until I return to operation. That entity… is still watching you.]
[5… 4… 3…]
Then…
The system's voice dropped lower, weaker, yet painfully sincere.
[Just… do not forget me. No matter how long my shutdown lasts… I will return. And when I do, I will annoy you more than before.]
Arthur clenched his fist tightly.
A sharp pain passed through his chest, unrelated to the body.
He will go…
Just like the others…
Because of me.
An old memory tried to surface…
But the system cut in first.
[Arthur… do not think that way. If you continue to blame yourself for everything… you will truly lose everything. Live for yourself… Arthur.]
A golden light spread across the void.
It enveloped Arthur…
And enveloped Behemoth.
The last thing Arthur saw…
Was a small purple screen, unexpectedly stable, with words written on it:
[Do not forget your great brother :).]
Arthur said nothing.
He just kept staring…
Until the screen disappeared.
And his vision disappeared with it.
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What do you think of this chapter?