Chapter 2 – The Chains of Fate

Kael gritted his teeth as Raius raised his hand. The black chains twisted and coiled, their ends lined with jagged spikes. The temple walls trembled under their crushing force.

“You’re too late, Kael,” Raius said, his voice layered with something unnatural. “The Demon God already owns this world.”

Kael’s mind raced. He had no cultivation, no energy reserves—but he wasn’t powerless. He had fought battles like this before.

The binding talisman beneath Raius flickered. It wouldn’t hold him for long. Kael had to act.

He dove forward, retrieving a soul-threading dagger from his system. The blade shimmered with an eerie blue light—one of the few weapons capable of piercing through soul corruption. If he could just land a hit—

But Raius was faster.

With a flick of his wrist, the chains shot forward. Kael barely twisted away as one lashed across his arm, searing his skin with cold energy. He stumbled, rolling behind a shattered pillar. His breathing was ragged, but his mind was sharp.

Think, Kael. You don’t have power, but you have knowledge. Use it.

Raius stepped forward, his corrupted eyes narrowing. “Still relying on tricks?” He swung his sword in a slow arc, dragging it against the stone floor. The runes on his blade pulsed—dark energy coiling like living shadows.

Kael knew that sword. The Abyss Fang. A weapon forged from the soul of a fallen saint. One clean hit, and it would rip him apart.

He needed to turn the tide.

Slipping a hand into his inventory, Kael retrieved a small silver coin engraved with ancient symbols. It was a one-time-use artifact, one he had saved across lifetimes.

A Flash Seal.

He grinned. This should buy me a few seconds.

Raius lunged. Kael tossed the coin at his feet. A burst of blinding silver light exploded outward, forcing Raius to recoil, covering his eyes.

Kael moved.

He dashed through the opening, slicing the soul-threading dagger across Raius’s shoulder. The blade hummed, drawing out the corrupted essence within. A faint whisper of Raius’s real soul flickered in the air—just for a moment.

Kael saw it. He’s still in there.

Raius staggered, clutching his shoulder. His face twisted—not in pain, but confusion. The corruption wavered for the briefest second.

Kael took a deep breath. “You’re not gone yet, Raius. I can save you.”

But Raius laughed—a cold, hollow sound. “Save me? Kael, you still don’t understand.”

The shadows surged. The temple’s ruins trembled as the presence of the Ten Saints grew stronger. Faint, ghostly figures loomed in the air above them, watching with piercing, otherworldly eyes.

Kael’s chest tightened. He had fought against impossible odds before. He had faced death more times than he could count.

But for the first time in this life… he felt truly small.

This wasn’t just a fight for survival anymore.

It was a war.

And he wasn’t ready.

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