The chains shattered.
Not all of them—
just enough.
The sound wasn't loud, but it echoed inside my skull like thunder.
"Temporary Release authorized."
"Synchronization forcibly increased: 30%."
"Warning: Soul strain critical."
The world slowed.
No—
it obeyed.
Black light exploded from the blade, tearing through the fog like a violent storm. The pressure rolling off my body crushed the ground beneath my feet, cracking stone and uprooting grass in a perfect circle.
The candidates watching from afar dropped to their knees.
They couldn't breathe.
They couldn't look away.
"What… is he?" someone whispered.
I exhaled.
The pain was gone.
So was fear.
My heartbeat steadied, each pulse heavy and absolute. I could see everything—the monster's movements before it made them, the flow of corrupted mana twisting inside its armor, the weakness at its core.
The Corrupted Guardian hesitated.
For the first time—
It stepped back.
I smiled.
"So even you understand," I said calmly.
"You shouldn't exist."
The monster roared and charged, rage shaking the forest.
I vanished.
One step.
That was all it took.
I reappeared above its head, blade already descending. Black lightning followed the swing, ripping through the air as if reality itself were being torn open.
The impact drove the Guardian into the ground.
The shockwave flattened trees.
Cracks spread across its armor as the corrupted core in its eye flickered wildly.
The monster thrashed, swinging blindly.
I walked through the attacks.
Claws passed inches from my face, unable to touch me.
This power wasn't strength.
It was authority.
I drove the blade into the core.
The Guardian screamed—a sound filled with rage, pain, and despair.
"Despair consumed."
"Temporary Release nearing limit."
The black light surged one last time.
Then—
Everything collapsed.
The Guardian froze.
Its massive body crumbled into dark dust, dispersing into the air like ash.
Silence returned to the forest.
I stood there, sword planted in the ground, breathing slowly.
The power faded.
Fast.
Too fast.
My legs gave out.
I dropped to one knee, then both.
Pain slammed back into my body all at once—sharp, overwhelming, merciless. My vision darkened, and blood trickled from the corner of my mouth.
"Temporary Release ended."
"Backlash applied."
"Synchronization reduced: 18%."
"…Tch," I muttered.
Worth it.
Around me, the candidates stared in stunned silence.
The monster that had terrified them—
was gone.
No cheers.
No applause.
Only fear.
I forced myself to stand.
Their gazes followed me instinctively, some stepping back without realizing it.
Good.
Let them remember this.
High above the Survival Zone, alarms rang out.
Instructors rushed toward the observation platform, faces pale.
"That power just now—"
"That wasn't a student!"
One of them swallowed hard.
"…Was it?"
I sheathed the blade, hiding the cracked chains once more.
"This time," I whispered, as the forest slowly began to calm,
"I survived."
But I knew the truth.
Using that power again—
Might kill me.