​I ran back down the prison block, moving so fast the cages blurred into a single line. The golden energy was eating me alive, but right now, it was the only thing keeping me moving.​I hit the end of the hallway and burst through the double doors leading to the facility's main sector.​The room was lined with computer servers. And standing right in the middle of it were twenty corporate guards. They were wearing full tactical riot gear, black helmets and holding heavy assault rifles pointed directly at the doorway.​"Fire! Put him down!" the squad leader screamed.​The room erupted into deafening noise. The muzzle flashes lit up the dark space like a strobe light. Hundreds of bullets tore through the air, screaming straight toward my chest and head.​Let them see the wrath of a ruler, the ancient voice commanded in my mind.​I swung my Black Iron Blade in a horizontal arc. A shockwave of pure golden energy exploded from the edge of the sword. It hit the incoming storm of bullets, mel

King Arj laughed. ​"You call yourself a god," I looked up at his horrific face. "But you are just a leech."​I pushed back with all my strength, throwing his arm off me. I rolled backward dodging a sweeping kick that shattered a pillar next to my head.Ajin roared.​He sent five more skinwalkers at me. They surrounded me, their stolen voices begging.​"It hurts..." one whispered.​I closed my eyes for a second. The real people were upstairs, bleeding out into those red threads.​"System," I spoke inside my mind. "Analyze the thread frequency."​[ANALYSIS COMPLETE.][Target: Necro-Vitae Threads.][Composition: Biological energy tethered by corrupted matter.][Solution: Target the anchor points at the base of the host's spine to sever connection.]​I opened my eyes. The cold dark energy flared around me like a black flame.​I charged.​The skinwalkers jumped at me all at once. I threw my sword like a spear.​The Black Iron Blade spun through the air, tearing right through the chest o

The wind finally settled. There was no hum from the destroyed servers, no dripping from the broken pipes. The suffocating presence of Ajin’s mutated dark energy was entirely gone.​I remained on my knees for a long time, staring at the empty space where the man had evaporated. The memories of a little boy trapped in a barrel still clawed at the inside of my skull. ​[Mission Accomplished.][Status: Sovereign Cleansing Protocol executed flawlessly.]​The system's screen hovered in the air before me.​"Congratulations, Host, for completing the mission," the System’s voice spoke in my mind. "The anomaly has been eradicated. The karmic loop is closed. Now, give me the required blood.""Blood? What are you talking about? I just erased a man from existence."​"The pact remains," the System replied coldly. "To channel the Sovereign Cleansing Protocol, a biological anchor must be sacrificed to the void. The toll is unpaid. Find the required blood, Host."​I groaned, pushing myself up from t

The climb up the elevator shaft took everything I had left. Every agonizing pull on the greasy steel cables felt like I was dragging a mountain chained to my ankles. ​When I finally kicked open the dented emergency doors at the surface, the blinding light of a new dawn hit my face.​I raised a blistered arm to shield my eyes, stumbling out onto the cracked pavement.​The world had fundamentally changed.​The toxic smog that had choked this city for months was gone. The sky was an uninterrupted canvas of pale morning blue. The sun was cresting over the eastern skyline, casting long, warm rays across the city ruins.​The twisted bark of the necro-flora was completely gone. Massive oak trees stood proudly in the center of shattered intersections, their leaves a vibrant, healthy green. Pine needles blanketed the hoods of abandoned cars. The Sovereign Cleansing Protocol had healed the earth itself.​I took a slow step forward. My boot crunched against a patch of leaves.​That was the onl

The interface didn't even flicker. The absolute silence in my head was infuriating. Back in the Red Zone, when I needed to sacrifice pieces of my soul to trigger apocalyptic weapons, the System was awfully talkative. Now that I needed a bridge, I got the silent treatment.​"Useless," I cursed aloud, kicking a small stone into the water. "It's ignoring me."​"So what's the plan?" Midnight called from his dry rock. He was casually grooming his whiskers, entirely unbothered by my frustration. "Because if the plan involves me getting wet, I am formally requesting a new contract. Or a very sturdy boat."​I rubbed the bridge of my nose, feeling the phantom ache of my missing friends. ​"We need to cross the river," I said firmly, looking at the distant, snow-capped peaks on the other side. "Gulp, your body is in the Frostpeak Mountains. How far are we?"​The skeleton tilted his skull, as if listening to something I couldn't hear. "Close. I can feel the resonance. When my physical body w