Flames,Chain, and Evolution
Author: Amy Precious
last update2025-07-03 05:22:20

Chapter 6

The pit was closing in.

Blades protruded from the walls like jagged teeth. The very air shimmered with heat, thick with blood and desperation. Kiny stood with his back against a moss-stained wall, his breathing ragged. Beside him, Reyna gripped her staff in one hand, her other arm bleeding freely where a spike had sliced through flesh.

Above them, Gorvak grinned down, the Core Sigil pulsing like a beating heart in his hand. His flame-etched axe rested across one shoulder as his heavy boots stomped the edge of the crumbled floor.

"Thanks for doing all the work," he said with a rumble. "Now die screaming."

Then, without warning, Gorvak leapt.

The air cracked beneath his weight.

Kiny didn’t hesitate.

"Move!"

He shoved Reyna sideways just as the axe slammed into the ground where she’d stood. Stone shattered. Fire exploded outward in a wave.

[Shadow Step: On Cooldown – 13s Remaining]

Kiny dove behind a pillar, flames licking his heels.

Gorvak’s roar shook the pit. “Cowards!”

He turned, swinging his massive weapon in a wide arc. The heat scorched everything in its path. Reyna was fast—she vaulted off a broken wall and launched a bolt of purple energy at his chest.

It struck.

But Gorvak barely flinched.

Instead, the veins on his neck bulged, glowing red.

[SYSTEM ALERT: Target classified as “Rage-Bound”]

• Passive: Damage taken converts to strength

• Recommendation: Target weakness or stall until Berserk ends

• Warning: Next strike will be lethal

Kiny gritted his teeth.

They couldn’t out-muscle Gorvak. Not directly.

They needed a plan.

Reyna landed beside him, panting. “He’s fire-resistant. My runes aren’t even slowing him.”

“Then we go physical,” Kiny said. “You distract. I hit him where it counts.”

“Where?”

“Every man bleeds.”

Reyna smirked despite the pain. “Let’s make him bleed, then.”

They split.

Gorvak charged Reyna, his eyes wild and glowing. She danced back, launching flares of light into his face.

Kiny circled behind, crouched low, scooping up shards of obsidian scattered across the pit.

[SYSTEM BOOST: Improvised Weaponry – Activated]

• +10% Damage with non-standard weapons

• Precision boosted under pressure

As Reyna ducked under Gorvak’s axe, Kiny ran.

He launched off a crumbling statue.

[Shadow Step – Ready]

Activated.

He vanished—reappeared midair behind Gorvak—and jammed a shard of obsidian directly into the back of the brute’s thigh.

SLASH.

A geyser of blood erupted.

Gorvak howled, spinning wildly.

Kiny ducked, the flaming axe narrowly missing his head.

But a fiery punch caught him in the ribs and launched him into a wall.

CRACK.

Pain exploded in his chest.

[HP: 5/18]

[Internal bleeding detected. Fractured rib.]

[System: Adaptive Trigger Reached]

>> Conditions Met: Near-death + Tactical Strike + High-Priority Enemy

>> Initiating Evolution...

Time slowed.

The air warped.

The system’s voice deepened.

[Congratulations. You have unlocked a Legendary Skill.]

>> Skill: Abyssal Counter

• Effect: When struck while under 25% HP, user unleashes a shadow-infused retaliatory strike

• Cooldown: 1 hour

• Bonus: Can disrupt opponent’s active abilities for 5s

Kiny’s eyes widened as his vision cleared.

Shadow bled from his fingertips.

Gorvak stomped forward. “You think that little trick will save you?”

Kiny stood slowly, blood dripping from his lip. “No. But this might.”

Gorvak swung.

The axe moved like a comet.

Too fast. Too powerful.

It hit.

[ABYSSAL COUNTER: TRIGGERED]

A burst of shadow exploded from Kiny’s body.

It slammed into Gorvak like a wave of pressure and darkness, knocking him off his feet. His axe slipped from his grip.

His fire flickered.

His rune glow dimmed.

Gorvak’s eyes went wide. “Wha—?”

Kiny didn’t wait.

He ran and grabbed the axe.

Reyna screamed, “DO IT NOW!”

With a final cry, Kiny swung the heavy blade.

CRUNCH.

Gorvak’s neck snapped under the weight.

Blood gushed.

The brute collapsed.

Silence.

Then the system chimed.

[HIGH-VALUE TARGET ELIMINATED]

• XP Gained: +286

• Level Up! → LVL 5

• Strength +2, Speed +1, HP Max: 18 → 22

• Passive Gained: Flame Resistance I

• Ability Upgrade: Shadow Step → Shadow Blink

New Effect: Can now blink through magical barriers

[Core Sigil Claimed]

• Bonus Ability Unlocked: Sigil Burn

Absorb ambient energy to release a burst of elemental force

Current Element Stored: FIRE

Kiny collapsed to his knees, the axe falling from his hand.

Reyna limped over, face pale but eyes alive with fire. “That… was insane.”

He laughed, coughing. “We’re not dead. That’s insane.”

She knelt beside him. “We need to move. We just became top targets.”

He blinked. “Wait—what?”

[SYSTEM ALERT]

>> Ranking Broadcast Sent to All Participants

**Current Trial Leaders:

Kiny — 2 Eliminations + Core Sigil

Reyna Mordane — 1 Assist + High-Rank Spell Use**

All remaining contestants will now track top 2 for the Final Round.

Kiny stared at the message.

“Oh… great.”

Reyna chuckled. “We just painted bullseyes on our backs.”

Later – Hidden Alcove in the Labyrinth

They found shelter inside a hollowed-out alcove lined with abandoned bones. Reyna drew protective runes across the entrance while Kiny patched his side.

“How long have you had your system?” he asked.

She hesitated. “Two years. It came after I escaped the Mordane massacre.”

“…Your family?”

“Wiped out. Betrayed. I survived. And then... the voice started.”

Kiny nodded slowly. “Mine activated in the arena. When I almost died.”

Reyna glanced at him. “They’re alive, you know. The systems. Not just machines.”

“I’ve started to realize that,” Kiny murmured.

She turned to him. “There’s a war coming, Kiny. Not just in Ironcrest. The world. The systems are choosing sides.”

He frowned. “What side are we on?”

Reyna looked away. “I don’t know yet.”

Suddenly—

BOOM.

The wall beside them cracked.

A jagged spear burst through the stone.

Voices echoed beyond the alcove.

“THEY’RE HERE!”

Kiny’s pulse spiked.

They weren’t done.

Not yet.

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