THE LAST EXECUTOR SYSTEM OF FINAL JUDGMENT

Chapter Five: The Weight of Chains

The rain washed down in sheets as Liam staggered out of the tunnel into the deserted street. Neon lights flickered weakly against the storm, colors bleeding across puddles, the city shivering as thunder rolled. His body felt hollow, bones made of glass, soul torn and fraying. The System’s silence was worse than its commands; every moment without its voice left him stranded in the dark, unsure if he was still its chosen or already condemned. He pulled the hood tighter around his face and forced himself onward, each step an act of defiance.

The alleys of Hollow Veil stretched endlessly, twisting like veins, carrying him toward the crumbling apartment he still called home. The door screeched as he pushed it open, the smell of damp wood and cheap noodles hitting him instantly. His room was barely four walls and a mattress, but tonight it felt like sanctuary. He collapsed onto the bed, not bothering to remove his soaked jacket, and stared at the cracked ceiling. The silence gnawed. His hands trembled as the memory of Darius’s crimson chains replayed again and again. He had faced gangsters, killers, liars, men drowning in sin. But Darius was something else something that should not exist.

Hours passed. Sleep refused him. When dawn finally cracked, pale light slipping through broken blinds, the System stirred. [Executor status stabilized.] [Soul Integrity 61%. Critical level remains.] [Task generated.] The words seared across his mind, and his stomach twisted with dread. Another judgment. Already. He pushed himself upright, clutching his throbbing ribs. “You don’t care if I break,” he muttered, voice hoarse. The scales appeared, hovering faintly before him, tipping slowly, awaiting a name.

The System whispered: [Target Carson Reaves.] [Occupation Judge.] [AccusationCorruption, bribery, obstruction of justice.] Liam froze. A judge. The irony burned. Carson Reaves had been a name on whispers for months, a man who sold verdicts to the highest bidder while criminals walked free. He remembered the victims who had come begging for fairness, only to be turned away. Fury licked at his veins. But beneath it, fear. This was not a street thug. This was a man with power, connections, protection. The city would notice if he fell. The System did not care. [Proceed.]

By evening, Liam stood across the street from the courthouse, raincoat masking his face as he watched the building glow beneath sterile lights. Security cameras scanned the lot, armed guards patrolled the entrance, and expensive cars rolled into the underground garage. Carson Reaves was inside, sipping whiskey in his office, untouched by the lives he had ruined. Liam clenched his fists. His chains trembled, itching to strike. But if he rushed in blind, it would be suicide. He needed precision. He needed to think like an executioner, not a soldier.

He slipped through alleys, scaled a fire escape, and slid silently through an unlocked window on the third floor. The corridors smelled of disinfectant and old paper. His footsteps made no sound, shadows cloaking him as the System guided him. [Target near.] The scales burned hotter, pulling him toward a heavy oak door lined with brass. Inside, Carson Reaves sat at a polished desk, his belly stretching his suit, his eyes small and cruel behind gold-rimmed glasses. A safe lay open beside him, bundles of cash stacked high. He was on the phone, voice smug. “Of course, I’ll handle it. Money talks louder than law. Consider it done.” He laughed, pouring himself another glass.

Liam’s blood boiled. His chains rattled faintly, fire licking their edges. But as he prepared to strike, the System whispered something new. [Choice: Execute or Redeem.] His breath caught. Redeem? He had never been given that option before. The scales shimmered, one side glowing faint blue, the other deep crimson. A test. Carson looked up suddenly, as though sensing the weight of judgment pressing against him. “Who’s there?” His voice wavered. Liam stepped from the shadows, blue fire glowing faintly at his back. Carson paled, his glass trembling in his grip. “W-what is this? Who sent you?”

Liam’s voice was cold, steady. “Your sins have reached their limit. The balance demands judgment.” Carson stumbled to his feet, sweat beading his forehead. “Wait, wait, I can pay! Whatever you want, it’s yours! Money, connections hell, I can make you untouchable!” The scales tipped wildly, his lies thick in the air. Liam felt the weight press into his chest, demanding finality. He raised his hand, blue fire spiraling around his fingers. But hesitation caught him. Redeem. Could a man like Carson truly be redeemed? Could he be forced into confession, stripped of his poison, made to kneel before those he had betrayed?

The System pulsed impatiently. [Decision required.] [Integrity deteriorating 59%.] Carson fell to his knees, weeping, clutching at his chest. “Don’t kill me! Please, II have a family! A daughter she needs me!” Liam’s jaw tightened. He had heard this before, every criminal begging, pleading, hiding behind family, behind excuses. But the System would know if he lied. He reached deeper, searching. The scales flickered, revealing truth. A daughter. Innocent. The man himself was rotten, but the bond was real. Liam’s fire dimmed slightly. Could he destroy a life and leave a child fatherless, or would that mercy create greater rot?

He clenched his fist. “Stand up.” Carson whimpered, struggling to his feet. Liam’s chains coiled, wrapping around him, burning faintly against his skin. “You will confess. Every bribe, every crime. You will return what you stole. You will stand before the city and bleed out your corruption for all to see. If you don’t, the flames will return for you.” Carson sobbed, nodding frantically, terror etched across his face. The System pulsed. [Judgment: Redeem.] [Outcome: Pending.] The scales balanced, glowing evenly, the weight lifting from Liam’s chest. His soul steadied slightly. [Integrity stabilized: 62%.]

Relief shuddered through him. He had chosen mercy, not obliteration. The System had accepted it. Carson collapsed in tears, chains fading from his body, the smell of scorched cloth lingering. Liam turned, disappearing back into the shadows as security footsteps thundered down the hall. By the time they burst into the office, guns raised, Liam was gone, and Carson Reaves lay on the floor, broken and trembling, muttering names, dates, crimes. The first thread of corruption unraveled.

Liam returned home with exhaustion heavier than stone. But for the first time since the System had claimed him, he felt something other than despair. There was choice. There was a sliver of control. Yet even as he collapsed into sleep, crimson chains haunted his dreams. Darius’s words echoed, mocking, taunting. “Every soul you execute feeds me.” If redemption strengthened him, who was Darius feeding on? The question gnawed like rust, and the night offered no answers.

The following week turned into a blur of whispers and unrest. News spread like wildfire Judge Carson Reaves had confessed to years of corruption, names spilling out that dragged powerful men into the light. Protests erupted, offices raided, foundations crumbled. Liam watched from rooftops as the city seethed, his heart heavy. The System had wanted balance. Now chaos had taken root. Perhaps they were the same.

The System stirred again. [Task generated.] [Target Selena Veyron.] Liam froze. The name struck like lightning. Veyron. The same blood as Marcus. The man he had judged, burned, destroyed. His chest tightened painfully, memories of Marcus’s screams clawing at him. He whispered hoarsely, “You want me to break them all, don’t you?” The scales glowed. [Proceed.] His fists shook. Was this justice, or was the System weaving some twisted design, forcing him into war with a family whose sins ran deeper than he could yet see?

Night fell heavy, darker than usual, clouds swallowing the moon. Liam moved through alleys like a ghost, his coat trailing, his steps silent. The Veyron estate rose ahead like a fortress, steel gates glinting, guards pacing with rifles, lights cutting across manicured lawns. Selena Veyron businesswoman, philanthropist, smiling face of countless charities. But the System whispered her truth: laundering, trafficking, blood disguised as gold.

Liam scaled the wall, chains whispering around him, slipping into shadows as the patrols passed. He pressed against the glass of the main hall, watching her. Selena sat poised in a velvet chair, speaking calmly into her phone, diamonds glinting on her neck, her beauty sharp as a blade. Beside her, a young boy played quietly with toy soldiers, his innocence stark against the cruelty around him. Liam’s chest twisted. Another child. Another family. Another chain to bind his conscience.

The System pulsed with demand. [Judgment required.] The scales flared, tipping violently, the weight pressing harder than ever before. His hands trembled, blue fire flickering weakly. He stepped closer, eyes fixed on Selena, his heart torn between mercy and duty. Her gaze lifted suddenly, meeting his through the glass. For the briefest moment, surprise flickered in her eyes. And then recognition. Her lips curved into the faintest smile.

“Executor,” she whispered, though the glass muted her voice. Liam froze. She knew. Somehow, she knew. The boy looked up, confused, clutching his toy tighter. Liam’s pulse hammered, chains rattling violently, the scales spinning out of control. The choice loomed again, heavier than before. Execute. Redeem.

And as thunder roared above, Liam realized the city itself was watching, waiting, holding its breath for the judgment that would either shatter him or forge him anew.