The cold, sterile data recovered from the lead vanguard’s core played behind Vik’s eyes like a high-definition projector.It wasn't a set of images, but a massive text-based directory of names, locations, and numbers. It was the regional ledger for the entire metropolitan area—the cosmic spreadsheet that the Arbiters used to track the city’s moral deficit.Vik stood under the shelter of the brick kiln, letting his breathing stabilize. The six thousand six hundred points humming in his core felt less like a reward and more like a heavy target on his back."The system isn’t just tracking individual crimes," Vik murmured, his analytical mind sorting through the mental data dump. "It’s tracking a network."One entry in the directory was flagged in a bright, shimmering gold that stood completely separate from the deep red of the Syndicate.[Account ID: 001-A-GLOBAL][Registered Holder: Julian Vance][Current Balance: +12,500 (Regulated)][Designation: Designated Market Maker / Regional Ove

The remaining three liquidators stood frozen within Vik’s Dominion of the Creditor, their limbs heavy, their system-engineered reflexes dulled by twenty percent. The dark-gold threads of Vik's Karma Siphon pulsed like glowing arteries, siphoning their negative points across the five-meter gap and feeding them straight into his core."Target is executing a macro-drain," one of the liquidators managed to choke out through his electronic vocal mic. He tried to raise a metallic, kinetic-charging gauntlet, but the energy wouldn't gather. It was being pulled out faster than his internal battery could generate it. "Requesting fire support from floor eleven—"Vik didn't give them the chance to establish a link.He didn't need to move forward; his five-meter range gave him total control of the terrace. With a sharp flick of his wrist, Vik manipulated the energetic threads. The pure kinetic force of his Asura Physique Level 3 traveled down the golden lines, yanking two of the liquidators off th

The shockwave from Vik’s kinetic blast left the elevator lobby in absolute ruin. Dust motes danced in the flickering emergency lights, and the shattered fragments of premium white marble clattered against the walls.The two remaining constructs groaned, their internal pneumatic stabilizers grinding as they fought to stand upright on the uneven, buckled floor.[Warning: 150 Karma points lost to 'Debt Trap' before destruction.][Current Balance: 9,960 Points.]"You're running a deficit," Vik muttered, his eyes cold and hyper-focused.Dropping below ten thousand points didn't deter him; it only made him more aggressive. With his Asura Physique Level 3 perfectly absorbing the vibratory feedback of his own blast, he surged through the settling dust cloud like a phantom.He closed the distance on the second construct before its automated targeting array could recalibrate.The construct tried to raise its remaining left arm to shield its chest, but Vik’s five-meter Karma Siphon threads were

Vik pulled himself up through the ruined maintenance hatch, stepping into the ultra-luxurious corridors of the fiftieth floor. The change in environment was jarring. The raw concrete and grease of the elevator shaft were instantly replaced by thick, plush navy carpets, walls lined with dark mahogany paneling, and soft, recessed warm lighting.There were no alarms blaring here. No sirens. Just a heavy, unnatural silence that felt like the calm inside the eye of a hurricane.Vik took a deep breath, his Iron Core passive filtering out the faint smell of burning wires and ozone trailing from the elevator shaft behind him. His internal ledger thrummed with a steady, high-frequency vibration.[Current Balance: 20,260 Points.][Warning: Spiritual pathway pressure climbing. Systemic evolution is highly critical.]"Just ten more floors," Vik muttered, his fingers lightly tracing the leather-wrapped hilt of the Cursed Karma Blade.He didn't need to check a map. The golden coordinates recovered

The Chief Financial Officer looked up from the ruined floor, her pristine corporate facade completely shattered. The cybernetic enhancements around her temples sparked with chaotic static as Vik’s Dominion of the Creditor pressed down on her like a physical weight. Behind her, the two remaining executive board members were pinned against the mahogany wall, gasping for air as their internal energy matrices systematically collapsed under the weight of a twenty-percent reduction in attributes.The heavy rain of the midnight storm lashed through the blown-out windows, spraying a fine mist across the plush navy carpet."You don't understand the mathematics of this world, Thorne," the CFO hissed, her voice glitching as she clutched her chest. A thin trickle of synthetic, black fluids leaked from the corner of her mouth. "You think you're clearing a debt. You think you're a righteous auditor. But Julian Vance is just a single branch manager. The system... the Arbiters... they don't want a ba