The world inside the isolation dome didn't just turn dark; it turned wrong.
Under the effect of [Sovereign's Last Audit: Bankruptcy], the fundamental laws of the System—the very foundation the World-Rankers relied on—began to liquidate. Mana didn't flow; it leaked. Skills didn't activate; they glitched.
"My sensors... they're reporting negative mass!" Henderson roared, his power armor sparking as the high-frequency isolation field inverted, crushing inward instead of pushing out.
Takagi, the Sword Saint, tried to sheath his blade, but the scabbard had turned into a liquid shadow. "He isn't just fighting us," Takagi realized, his calm mask finally shattering. "He's attacking the logic of the world!"
In the center of this collapsing reality, Kang-woo held Seol-ah close. His skin was no longer pale; it was a translucent gray, the 'War-Form' consuming his vitality at a terrifying rate.
"We have thirty seconds," Kang-woo whispered, his voice vibrating in Seol-ah's mind. "The void I created is a tunnel to the Busan Protectorate. But I can't keep the exit open while the Slayers are still anchored to this space."
"What do I need to do?" Seol-ah asked. She could feel the 1-year lifespan debt Kang-woo had just paid. It felt like a cold hollow in the center of her soul.
"Give them a reason to look up."
Kang-woo let go of her and turned toward the three legends. Even with their powers glitching, they were World-Rankers. Valery, the Phoenix, forced her blue flames to ignite, the fire turning a sickly, necrotic green as it fought against the 'Bankruptcy' field.
"You think a little distortion can stop a World-Ranker?" Valery screamed, diving from the sky like a falling emerald. "I've burned through hell-gates deeper than this!"
Kang-woo met her in mid-air. He didn't use a weapon. He grabbed her flaming wrist, and the black crown on his chest flared with a blinding, monochromatic light.
[Skill: 'Debt Transfer' activated.][Target: Valery (The Phoenix).][Effect: Redirecting 'Bankruptcy' penalty to the target.]
"The cost of your flight," Kang-woo hissed, "is overdue."
Valery's scream was cut short. The blue flames didn't just go out; they were sucked into her own mana-circuitry, causing a magical backfire that shattered her wings. She plummeted into the iron-hard ground, her Rank-S+ defense bypassed by the sheer logic of the 'Audit.'
"Valery!" Henderson turned, raising his heavy railgun-arm.
But before he could fire, the sky over the Blue House actually tore.
Seol-ah, standing atop a pile of rubble, had unleashed the last of the 'Goddess Protocol' energy she had reclaimed. She didn't fire an arrow at the hunters. She fired a silver flare straight into the Pale King's Citadel that was still crumbling above them.
The impact triggered a chain reaction. The thousands of tons of falling skeletal stone didn't just drop; they were accelerated by her silver mana, turning into a rain of meteors aimed directly at the plaza.
"The sky is falling!" Master Oh, watching from the distance, stammered.
"Now!" Kang-woo yelled.
He grabbed the air in front of him and ripped it open. A jagged, black rift appeared—the tunnel to Busan.
Takagi saw the opening. He moved with a speed that defied the 'Bankruptcy' field, his blade glowing with a desperate, white light. "You are not leaving this city, Anomaly!"
The Sword Saint's blade reached Kang-woo's neck.
Clang.
It wasn't a shield that stopped him. It was the Abyssal Knight-Commander, manifesting for a single microsecond with its Rank-A armor reinforced by the 'Bankruptcy' ink. The spear snapped, the armor pulverized, but it bought Kang-woo the half-second he needed.
Kang-woo kicked Takagi back and grabbed Seol-ah, pulling her into the rift.
"See you at the next audit," Kang-woo's voice echoed as the rift snapped shut.
[Escape Successful.][Location: Busan Protectorate — Safe Zone.][System Warning: Critical Lifespan Depletion. 7 Years, 11 Months remaining.]
The Blue House plaza was consumed by the falling Citadel and the collapsing 'Bankruptcy' field. When the dust finally cleared, the three World-Rankers were left standing in a crater of gray ash. They weren't dead—their Rank-S+ status had saved them—but they were broken.
Henderson's armor was scrap. Valery was unconscious. Takagi looked at his notched blade, his hands trembling.
Director Kim's voice came through their comms, shaking with rage. "Where are they? Where is the Anomaly?"
Takagi didn't answer immediately. He looked at the mark Kang-woo had left on the ground—a charred, black crown burned into the very foundation of the Blue House.
"He didn't just run," Takagi whispered. "He took the system's authority with him. Director... we aren't the hunters anymore."
Back in Busan, Kang-woo collapsed onto the cold floor of the Crow's Nest. Madame Blood and Yeon-hee rushed toward him, but he held up a hand.
He looked at Seol-ah, who was kneeling beside him, her hands glowing with healing mana.
"We have the city," Kang-woo gasped, a dark, triumphant smile crossing his blood-stained lips. "And we have the girl. Now... tell the Seven Hells to start the mass-production. We're going to need more than just ink for what's coming next."