Soulbound Ascension

"What the hell is that?" Oner's voice was sharp, but beneath his frustration lay fear as he witnessed a thick dark smoke easily penetrated the barrier and slithered towards the unconscious floating body of his captain then latched on it like a parasite to its prey. He tightened his fists, the faint gold in his earth-brown eyes flickering as his latent power stirred. "How did it even get in? My shadows didn't sense anything."

Zeus' cerulean eyes glowed faintly as he scanned the barrier, his wings partially unfurled, radiating a golden aura. "I don't know," he admitted, his tone grim. "This shouldn't be possible. The barrier was designed to block anything that belongs to the Korean pantheon."

Keria clutched the charm bag at his side, the faint golden light leaking from its seams dimmer now, as though struggling to counter the dark force. His gaze darted between Faker and the smoke, the weight of his failure pressing heavily on his chest. He'd tried to help his captain for weeks, soothing his fraying emotions and holding the team together. But now, watching the living LoL Legend reduced to this, Keria's faith in his abilities wavered.

"Minseok."

He stiffened, recognizing the telepathic call. It was Deft, a fellow Mudang.

"That entity is something you cannot fight—not yet. Explanations will come later. Someone from outside the barrier will assist you. Let them in."

Keria's brow furrowed. "How will I know who?"

"You'll know," Deft replied before disconnecting, leaving only a faint echo in his mind.

Zeus' gaze snapped to the barrier as a ripple disturbed its surface. His wings flared wider as he tracked the source. "Something's trying to breach," he announced.

The ripple coalesced into a figure, and Zeus' breath hitched. A familiar tall figure stood outside, his fists pounding against the barrier with desperate force. But his eyes…

Crimson.

Bright enough to light the shadows within the dome.

Zeus stepped forward, his hand lifting to strengthen the barrier, but Keria grabbed his wrist. "Wait," he said, his voice trembling but resolute. "Hyukkyu-hyung just spoke to me. Someone's coming to help us. This might be it."

"Might be?" Oner snapped, his gaze locking onto it's unnatural eyes. "Look at him! That's possession if I've ever seen it."

Keria's grip tightened on Zeus. "We don't have time to debate this. Sanghyeok-hyung can't hold on much longer. Hyukkyu-hyung said to trust whoever shows up. We need to act now."

Oner let out an expletive, his frustration palpable. But as Zeus hesitated, Oner raised his hand. "I should be asking how Deft got rolled into this first, but fine," he growled. "If this goes wrong, Minseok, it's on you."

The barrier flickered and dropped momentarily, just enough to let the unkillable demon prince step through. His presence was immediate, his body rigid, his gaze locked onto Faker. The dark smoke hissed in response, recoiling slightly at his arrival.

"Why did you take so long?" he asked, his voice eerily calm, though his crimson eyes burned with intensity. "Sanghyeok-hyung needs us."

"We had to be sure it was you," Zeus replied cautiously. "But those eyes…"

"Ignore my eyes," Gumayusi interrupted, his tone sharp. "Focus on the problem."

Oner's frustration boiled over. He took a step forward, his fist raised. "You expect us to ignore the fact that you're clearly possessed? Who the hell is with you?"

Before Oner could swing, a voice—gentle yet commanding—echoed in their minds.

"Keep your cool, Justice Sentinel. I'm not your enemy."

All three froze as the voice continued, calm and unyielding.

"As I have said to your teammate here earlier, I'm a friend and your team leader's steward. And I am borrowing your teammate's body to intervene. The seal on your captain's memories is cracking. If it breaks completely, his present life will be destroyed, and something far worse will emerge."

The team exchanged stunned glances.

"You mean that thing's after his… seal?" Keria asked, his voice barely a whisper.

"Yes," she replied. "But I can stabilize and temporarily patch the cracks. You, however, must stop the smoke from consuming him. I will channel my power to boost yours so that thing will be driven away."

Zeus nodded first, his celestial instincts aligning with her presence. "All right. What do we do?"

A smile of approval was faintly felt by Gumayusi. "Haetae, attack the smoke. Cheonsin, strengthen the barrier. Mudang, soothe his heart and calm his mind. The pressures from stress weakens him further."

The three moved without hesitation. Zeus raised his hand, golden light radiating outward as he fortified the barrier. Keria knelt, his bells jingling softly as he whispered incantations, golden threads weaving toward Faker. Oner stepped forward, shadows rippling around him as he prepared to strike.

Her voice turned inward, addressing Gumayusi alone. "Fellow steward, I need your permission for the next step. This will forge a bond between us, one that cannot be undone easily."

He chuckled dryly. "Isn't it too late for formalities? You've already hijacked my body."

"Consent is sacred. I need to hear it."

His smirk softened, replaced by determination. "Do whatever it takes to save him. I consent."

He closed his eyes and they began to chant. Words alien and ancient filled the air, vibrating with power. Gumayusi felt a sharp sting on his lip, followed by the metallic taste. A sudden heat surged through his veins, igniting every nerve.

Blood!

"The bond is woven," she murmured. "You will feel what I feel. My hunger, my strength. We are linked now. Ignore the hunger by the way. I'm sure by now you already have an inkling what kind of creature I am, hmmm…"

"Whatever. As long as it's not contagious, I'm good."

A soft chuckle echoed in his mind that tickled his senses. But as the flames in his body roared higher, he couldn't help but gasp because his throat suddenly constricted with an unbearable thirst. His vision blurred but as her power merged with his own it disappeared.

Gumayusi's form stiffened, and the energy radiating from him shifted. The unfamiliar presence that had unnerved them earlier was replaced by something steady, comforting, but undeniably powerful. Ancient markings appeared across his skin, glowing faintly, and his eyes now golden hazel burned with purpose. Their mysterious ally, through him, amplified their powers further.

"Cheonsin, lend your light to the Mudang's threads and the Haetae's shadows. Together, we will drive it out," Valia's voice instructed, layered with calm authority.

Zeus adjusted his stance, his wings spreading wider as his right hand radiated a piercing beam of golden light. "Understood," he said, his voice steady but edged with strain. He directed the purifying energy toward Keria, whose golden threads glowed brighter, weaving a net of protection and calm around Faker's body.

Oner's shadows, now strengthened by her amplification, it multiplied, elongated and became enflamed, striking at the dark coils with relentless precision. Each slash forced the malevolent entity to recoil, its screeches echoing like nails on glass. Yet, it clung stubbornly to Faker, its tendrils burrowing deeper as though trying to anchor itself.

"Harder, Hyeonjun-hyung!" Zeus urged, his light intensifying. "It's resisting!"

"I know!" Oner gritted his teeth, his body trembling under the strain. "It's like it's multiplying every time I cut it!"

The woman's voice interrupted, calm but firm. "Mudang, focus your threads. Target his heart—soothe his fear. His distress is fueling the entity's grip."

Keria nodded, his brow furrowing in concentration as he knelt closer to Faker's floating form. His bells jingled softly, their sound mingling with the hum of ancient incantations spilling from his lips. The threads of golden light grew finer, more intricate, weaving into the core of Faker's chest. As they touched his heart, Faker's face, previously twisted in agony, began to relax.

"It's working," Keria whispered, though his voice trembled with exhaustion. "I can feel his emotions settling."

She, through Gumayusi, exhaled in relief but quickly refocused. "Haetae, do not stop with the strikes. While his heart is calmed, it weakens the entity's hold."

Oner didn't hesitate. Drawing every ounce of energy from his transformed shadows akin to nine tails, he unleashed a devastating attack, his strikes relentless and precise. The dark smoke let out a deafening shriek as his enflamed shadows pierced through its core, scattering its form into fragments.

"Cheonsin, finish it!" she commanded, her voice sharp with urgency. "The light—it must purify what remains."

Zeus raised both hands, his golden wings fully unfurled as his light blazed like the sun. With a roar, he directed a concentrated beam of celestial energy toward the remnants of the entity. The barrier pulsed with the impact, the air within vibrating with the sheer force of the attack.

The entity let out one final, earsplitting cry before disintegrating completely, its form dissolving into nothingness. The oppressive weight that had filled the barrier lifted, leaving an almost deafening silence in its wake.

As the dark smoke disappeared, Faker's body gently floated down to the ground, his chest rising and falling in steady, unconscious breaths. Gumayusi collapsed next to him, his energy spent and his body trembling.

Zeus and Oner immediately moved to check on their fallen teammates, their expressions a mixture of relief and lingering tension.

The woman's voice, faint now, echoed through the barrier. "The seal is temporarily mended. He will recover, but this is far from over. Be vigilant."

Keria, sweat dripping down his temples, looked toward Gumayusi's prone form. "And him? What about Minhyung?"

Her tone softened. "He will be fine. The bond between us has drained him, but his strength will return. Take care of each other. We will all meet again. Soon."

The crimson glow in Gumayusi's eyes dimmed as his body went slack, fully succumbing to unconsciousness. The markings on his skin faded, leaving no trace of the ancient power that had coursed through him moments before.

Zeus lowered the barrier, the frozen world outside resuming as though nothing had happened. The cheering roar of the crowd of BLG's win, the blinding lights of the stage—it all crashed back into focus.

But for the remaining members of T1, everything had changed.

They carried Faker and Gumayusi backstage, their minds heavy with unanswered questions. None of them spoke, their gazes filled with a mixture of awe, fear, and determination.

Who was this mysterious woman friend? What was the seal she spoke of? And most importantly, who—or what—was Lee Sanghyeok?

Meanwhile…

The void crackled with chaotic energy as the malevolent entity was wrenched from the mortal plane, its shadowy form twisting and writhing in defiance. The ancient magic that bound it tore through its essence, dragging it back toward the endless abyss of Jiok. Each pull felt like a thousand searing blades slicing into its being, the pain both foreign and infuriating.

"NO!" its voice roared, an amalgamation of rage and anguish that reverberated through the void. The sound was not one of fear but of unrelenting fury, a dark promise etched into the very air.

It clawed against the forces pulling it back, its smoky tendrils lashing out, trying to find purchase in the world it was being torn from. Faker's essence still lingered in its consciousness—a beacon of chaos and potential that said entity had nearly claimed. The taste of his torment, his fractured memories, and his buried power had been intoxicating, almost enough to break free from centuries of imprisonment.

Almost.

Through its haze of fury, the entity felt the sting of Valia's presence. Her power burned like divine fire, the bond she'd formed with the Korean preters masquerading as mortals amplifying her strength beyond what it had anticipated. Her light, though diminished from centuries of dormancy, had been enough to drive it back. And that enraged it more than anything.

"You think this is victory?" the entity spat, its voice a guttural snarl that echoed across dimensions. Its shadowy form writhed violently, trying to resist the pull of the seals reforming around it. The gods' prison loomed ahead, the jagged edges of Jiok's entrance swallowing it piece by piece.

The air within Jiok was suffocating, thick with the weight of despair and the lingering presence of countless imprisoned souls. The malevolent entity's formless body rippled with barely contained wrath, its energy crackling like a storm contained within a cage. It felt the oppressive weight of the Abyss of Shadows closing around it once more, the divine seals snapping shut like iron jaws.

But its rage would not be silenced.

As the final fragments of its essence were dragged back into Jiok, its voice reverberated, low and venomous, laced with an unshakable promise.

"You cannot keep me here forever," it hissed, its tone cold and venomous. The shadows of its prison seemed to writhe in response, feeding on its anger. "I will have him. The seal will break, and he will be mine."

The finality of the seal snapped into place, a blinding pulse of light that resonated through Jiok. Its last words echoed across the dimensions, dripping with malice and certainty.

"They will all pay."

And then, silence.