The Last Hunter's Rise

"What's forged to end you, may end up setting you free."

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📍 Outskirts of Ember Citadel – Forbidden Ruins

The air trembled.

Kael stepped through the shattered archway of an old ritual chamber. The wind was unnaturally silent — the kind of silence that pressed on the eardrums like a threat.

> [Mana anomaly detected – Density: Extreme]

[Hostile presence cloaked – Class: Unknown]

The stone around him cracked slightly with every step he took.

Then it dropped.

From above — a figure wrapped in violet iron and black flames — Breaker of Chains.

Humanoid, but skeletal, with long chain-blades dangling from each arm. No eyes. Just a burning brand across its chest: ⛓

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📍 Vel'Zhara's Command Link

> "This one was not born. It was built to dismantle you."

> [Anti-System Core Active]

Effect: All Shadow Servants within 20m – Suppressed

Effect: Systemic Skills – 50% Efficiency Reduction

Kael staggered as his connection to his shadows dimmed.

> [Servant Link Interference Detected!]

[Shadowheart Disruption Imminent…]

Kael: "You want to tear me from what I've built…"

The Breaker responded with silence — and then violence.

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📍 Battle Initiated: Kael vs Breaker of Chains

The chains lashed out.

Kael dodged, barely. His usual precision dulled — like his instincts were fighting through mud.

He summoned his Guardian — but it flickered.

Still, Kael pushed forward. A blade of condensed dusk energy formed in his hand.

Clash.

Clash.

The Breaker twisted its own body mid-air, embedding one of its chains into Kael's shoulder and hurling him across the chamber.

> [Wound Severity: Moderate]

[Vitality: Stable]

[System Sync: Fluctuating]

Kael gasped.

And then…

He let go.

Of fear.

Of calculation.

Of hesitation.

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📍 New State Initiated: Partial Gateform

His body shimmered with Architect energy — skeletal lines forming along his arms like runes of design.

> [Partial Gateform: Active – 30 seconds max]

Effect: Immunity to suppression. Manual control over shadow-realm interface.

His Guardian snapped back online — roaring into full form behind him.

Kael: "My shadows… aren't chains. They're my will."

He moved faster than before — ducking, feinting, weaving.

He sliced off one of the Breaker's arms.

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📍 System Update – Tactical Override

The Breaker's form pulsed — chains wrapping around its core. It tried to self-repair…

Kael reached in.

His hand plunged into the being's heart.

And with a mental command—

> [Override Confirmed – Core Absorption]

New Passive: Resilience of Chainbane

Grants temporary resistance to suppression effects. One-time immunity to forced disconnection.

The Breaker screamed.

And shattered.

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📍 Aftermath

Kael knelt, breathing hard. His form flickered back to normal.

The chamber collapsed around him — but he stood unshaken.

> [Level Up]

[Trait Evolution Progress: 23%]

[Mission Branch: Survive All Creations of the Arcontes – 1/7 Complete]

Myrla's voice came through a crystal comm:

— "Are you alive?"

Kael: "Barely. But the thing they sent… it knew what I was."

Myrla: "Then this was just a warning."

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📍 Final Scene – Arconte Council

Vel'Zhara: "He survived."

Another Arconte: "Of course he did. You forged a destroyer… and gave it his name."

Vel'Zhara stared into the flames.

"He has a taste for defiance now. The next one will not be so merciful."

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