Recap:
Kael Vire pulled Sel from the forgotten ruins of Serrat Hollow, narrowly escaping an elite assassin who wielded Mirror magic. His Edict of Oath has been upgraded, and the Hollow Market is now more powerful than ever. But the System is paying attention. Meanwhile, far from Draewyn, a long-lost protocol is starting to awaken—the Chainbreaker has come to life.
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Deep beneath the remnants of a shattered moon base, a place known only to the dust of history, a System Eye flickered open.
It hadn't seen the world in centuries.
[Autonomous Sovereign Protocol Online]
[Designation: Chainbreaker]
Status: Rogue // Rebooted
Prime Directive: Break the Chains of All Bound Power
The damaged AI core sputtered to life.
And then it laughed.
Kael didn't hear that laugh.
But he felt it.
Like a ripple in the very threads of power that held him.
Standing atop the Spire of Echoes, surveying his territory, he noticed the Hollow Crown flickering at the edges—unprovoked.
"Something's... off," he murmured.
Behind him, Joran grunted.
"Off like a traitor?"
Kael shook his head.
"No, it's worse. It's like a... sibling I never wanted just woke up."
Back in the Hollow Market, Sel was still on the mend.
Her hands shook when she touched Oathbound paper, and her voice wavered as she exchanged secrets.
But she was alive.
Elric remained close to her.
And Kael didn't intervene.
He realized that loyalty isn't built on fear.
It's earned through fire and blood.
[System Notification: Global Alert Triggered]
New Sovereign-Class Entity Detected – Designation: Unknown //
ID: Chainbreaker //
Class: ???
All Sovereigns are now advised to initiate observation or extermination protocols.
Kael narrowed his eyes.
"If the System is warning me," he muttered, "then this isn't just a glitch."
He turned to Ninefold, who was hovering nearby with a soft hum.
"Pull up any intel on 'Chainbreaker.'"
There was a brief pause, then static crackled to life, followed by words.
They referred to it as the First Rebellion—a Sovereign without a Crown, a being that rejected all ties.
It could nullify domains, sever systems, and traverse boundaries as if they were mere illusions.
The Guild believed it was gone, but it wasn't. Kael frowned.
"How long do I have?" Before it notices you? Ninefold clicked.
Maybe a week. Maybe just hours.
That night, Kael returned to the Throne of Silence.
It no longer offered him peace; instead, it brought clarity.
He issued a new command.
"Summon the Remnant Tithe." Joran blinked in surprise.
"You sure?" Kael nodded firmly.
"We'll need the forgotten monsters, the scars from the last war, and legends that even the Lords don't dare to whisper anymore."
He opened the map once more.
The Hollow Court expanded, revealing a new location that shimmered in the darkness: The Echo Maw.
[New Territory Available: Echo Maw – Requirements Met]
Perk: Can house bound monsters, extinct bloodlines, and controlled anomalies. Danger Level: Cataclysmic.
Kael smiled.
Let the System send its Chainbreaker.
He would respond with echoes of forgotten wrath.
In a distant realm, amidst the remnants of a battered sky-fortress, the Chainbreaker stood tall.
It didn't wear a crown or hold a title—just pure, unfiltered rage.
"Another false Sovereign rises," it murmured softly.
Then, with a decisive turn, it stepped through the fabric of space.
Reality twisted and warped around it.
Its next destination?
Draewyn.
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End of Chapter 10