The night pressed heavily over Lagos, but inside the hidden chambers of the Crimson Vault, time seemed to stretch and distort. Chike’s eyes lingered on the glowing seal etched into the wall an intricate web of symbols that pulsed like a living heartbeat. The vault’s silence wasn’t empty; it throbbed with secrets, each whisper threatening to unravel everything he thought he knew.“System,” he murmured under his breath, his voice steady but tight, “show me the truth behind the Red Ledger.”The digital interface in his mind flickered, streams of encrypted data unraveling like cascading waterfalls of light. But this time, instead of cold precision, the system’s voice came softer almost warning.[System Alert: Classified Protocol. Crimson Vault Access requires… sacrifice.]Chike’s jaw tightened. Sacrifice? His fingers brushed against the golden seal on the vault door, and the hum of power vibrated up his arm. Around him, his allies stood silent, watching him half in awe, half in fear. Ugo,

The night air in Lagos was heavy, laced with the acrid smoke of a city that never truly slept. Chike stood outside the safe house, his jacket thrown over his shoulders, bloodied knuckles bandaged but still throbbing. Ada hovered near the doorway, her arms crossed, her eyes scanning him like a physician unsure if her patient was fit to walk into battle or if he even had a choice.“You really think going back there will solve anything?” Ada’s voice broke through the silence.Chike’s jaw tightened. Ajegunle. The streets that made him, broke him, spat him out, and whispered his name only in curses. He hadn’t walked those alleys in years, not since the day he swore he’d never be poor, forgotten, or stepped on again.“It’s not about solving anything,” Chike muttered, his voice low. “It’s about starting something the Red Ledger can’t control.”Ada shook her head. “You’re chasing ghosts, Chike. You nearly died tonight. And now you want to walk into the fire blind?”He turned toward her then,

The chamber groaned as if the palace itself feared the power building inside. Marble pillars cracked, shadows warped unnaturally across the walls, and the reliquary’s fragments pulsed from within Chike’s veins.Oba lunged, chain trailing fire behind him like a comet. His strike carried enough force to split stone and it was aimed squarely at Chike’s chest.But Chike’s hand moved on instinct, glowing veins igniting with searing light. The chain struck his palmAnd stopped.The impact rattled the chamber. The floor beneath Chike’s feet shattered outward in a spiderweb of cracks, but his arm held firm. Sparks danced where Oba’s artifact and Chike’s new aura clashed, light grinding against flame.The Vault warriors gasped, murmuring in disbelief. Not even their commander had ever stopped Oba’s strike barehanded.Oba snarled, teeth bared. “You think a scrap of inheritance makes you my equal?”Chike’s grip tightened on the chain, veins glowing brighter. “No. It makes me something more.”Wit

The collision sent cracks crawling up the marble columns, chandeliers swinging wildly as dust poured from the ceiling.Wolves who had once come to spectate the Auction of Shadows were now caught between two titans.The Councilor’s crimson aura hissed like molten blood, pressing against Chike’s black flame. Each second their energies gnawed at each other, reality itself seemed to ripple.The masked Councilor leaned in, his voice dripping venom.“You were never supposed to exist outside the grave. The Red Ledger wrote your end.”Chike’s eyes burned, his smirk edged in defiance.“Then I’ll tear the page out of the book.”The system flared:[Overdrive Protocol: Adaptive Counter Initiated.][Warning: Extended usage will damage host’s cellular structure.]Chike didn’t care. He roared, letting the flame surge beyond control. The black fire spread across his arms, searing even the Councilor’s protective aura. Gasps erupted from the crowd as crimson energy faltered just for an instant.That in

The city trembled as if the earth itself sensed the gathering storm. For weeks, shadows had been tightening around Chike and the Crimson Vault, but now they had fully emerged from hiding. The Red Ledger was no longer content to pull strings in the dark they had chosen war.From the glass walls of his high rise headquarters, Chike looked down at Lagos, glittering in neon and restless traffic. Yet beyond the illusion of order, he saw the truth: Red Ledger operatives had begun their strikes. Underground networks were ablaze with reports bank collapses, assassinations of political allies, and coded warnings that spoke of a purge meant to cripple every system loyal to Chike.The system’s voice echoed in his mind, colder, sharper than before:[System Update: Crimson Endgame Protocol Activated.][Survival is no longer sufficient. Domination is mandatory.]Chike clenched his fist. So it begins.The Gathering of AlliesInside the boardroom, his closest circle had assembled. Aisha, her eyes bla