The bandits poured in like a tide—yelling, blades drawn, confusion twisting into anger.
Zero didn't move.
His stance lowered. The chain in his hand snapped tight with tension.
"You bastard! YOU FREED THE SLAVES?" one of the rogues barked, voice raw with disbelief. "Do you have any idea how much money we could've made!?"
Those words hit harder than any weapon.
Zero froze. From pure fury.
Money?
A low growl slipped from his throat.
"Money…?" His voice cracked.
"Is that all you see them as?" His tone rose, venom lacing every word. "Just weight in gold to you?! Just things?!"
His heart thundered. The Astral energy in his chest surged. But this wasn't calm—wasn't control.
It was rage.
Oathlink pulsed once—then again. The usual blue light around the chain flickered… then darkened.
Orange bled from the metal like fire. The hue deepened. Turned red.
Then burst.
CRACK—
The very air snapped as pressure poured out of Zero's body.
Chains erupted from the ground around him. Born from him. Dozens—no, more. Each one moved like a living creature, writhing and coiling mid-air.
They didn't need commands.
All of them pointed outward—toward the bandits.
Zero stood at the center of it all. Eyes shadowed beneath his brow, hair pushed back by the force around him. His voice came low.
"Run."
The closest rogue took a step back, stumbling. "What… what the hell is that…?!"
One of the Stardust cultivators shouted, "Get him! Now!"
But even they hesitated. The chains moved like snakes. Like vipers. One twitched—and four bandits flinched.
[System Alert: Variant Unlock]
[Oathlink Form – Chainwake Variant Activated]
[Oathlink: Chainwake – Passive Manifestation Achieved]
[Effect: Chain duplicates now persist in combat range. Independent motion. Enhanced strike power, speed, and intuition. Attunement to the user's emotional state: HIGH.]
Zero didn't smile.
He walked forward.
And the chains followed.
Zero burst forward. He didn't rely on the chains. Not this time. Not yet. His hands moved on instinct—something he hadn't trusted in years
He grabbed one by the neck before he knew what was happening, lifted him and immediately slammed him head first into the ground.
The man's skull hit the earth with a sickening crack, soil bursting up around the point of impact
The other bandits saw this and almost instantly froze. Mistake.
The ones that froze were instantly tangled, the chains attacked on their own, diving straight into flesh, wrapping around limbs, joints, causing them to lose balance.
They moved with precision and speed, Zero would pass by delivering the final blow to each bandit caught off guard.
He didn't stop to check who could still breathe
Then the first one arrived.
"So you're the reason the slaves are missing. Hope you made it worth the trouble" The man asked almost jokingly.
A burly man, crimson hair, light stubble, and a gaze that could kill.
'Which one is this?'
"Peak Comet Soul"
'Great'
Zero turned to face him, his gaze dead focused.
They stared at each other for a moment.
"Not much of a talker eh?" The man asked, scratching the back of his head.
"Oh well." The man cracked his neck.
That was all that was said before the man moved, already in front of Zero.
'ZERO, DODGE' The systems chime came with urgency
The chains automatically went to wrap around his wrist and hand, attempting to slow down the punch as much as possible.
With a deft tilt of his head, Zero narrowly avoided the blow, the pressure from the punch alone knocked a tree down, a shockwave blasted out.
"Oh?"
"You actually dodged that?"
The ground trembled slightly beneath them.
" *ZERO, GET OUT. YOU CANNOT WIN THIS FIGHT* "
The system's chime was full of worry.
Zero shot backward, boots tearing into the dirt. Sweat clung to his brow as his eyes stayed locked ahead
As he landed, his shirt rode up—just enough for the mark to show. Just enough to shatter him.
"HAHA. So that's what this is? You're just another branded mutt, thinking your a person?"
Zero's heart dropped.
His mind raced, he looked to his side where his slave mark was, eyes widened.
Panic. Shame. Rage. Sorrow. Doubt. All crashing in, twisting inside him like knives.
"You came to save your little worthless friends?" The man continued teasing.
"A combat slave, eh? You'll fetch a fine price. Hope they brand you somewhere more visible next time." The man said, stroking his chin as if watching an antique.
Zero's heart darkened.
'No. No. No No No No No'
'I can't go back…'
'System how am I supposed to run away'
" *...I don't know.* "
It was too late. The man rushed forward again, this time a kick, aimed at his ribs.
Zero couldn't dodge this. He put his arms across his chest, countless layers of chains wrapping his hands, and stacking layers for extra defense.
BOOM.
He was blasted backwards, traveling meters before his back crashed against a tree, knocking the wind out of him.
His arms trembled, and dropped to the ground.
'System we're in the same rank! Why is he so much stronger than me?'
'I didn't have this much of a difference between lesser shardweaver and peak'
" *The difference is, in Comet Soul and above, each breakthrough tier is a massive increase in Astral energy, far more than what Shardweaver and stardust could provide* "
Zero couldn't do anything now, he couldn't even stand back up without difficulty, his hands were useless.
And before he could even catch his breath. Another came.
"I'm… going to die."
"Was he right?"
"I'm not even a person…"
Zero's mind froze, his head dropped instantly.
The system's chimes came incessantly, telling him something, but he couldn't hear it.
Thud. WOOOSH.