The three golden pillars of light above Oakhaven didn’t just illuminate the night sky—they turned the rain into glowing, golden mist.
BOOM!
A massive explosion echoed from the city’s northern gates. The iron walls, built to withstand dragonfire, blew inward in a shower of molten metal.
"HEAR ME, OUTLAWS OF OAKHAVEN!" a voice echoed across the city, amplified by holy magic. "HAND OVER THE HERETIC KAELEN CROSS! SURRENDER HIM IN FIVE MINUTES, OR THIS CITY WILL BE REDUCED TO ASH!"
Shouts, screams, and clashing steel instantly erupted in the streets below Room Thirteen. Mercenaries and cutthroats who usually ran Oakhaven were fleeing in every direction like rats from a burning barn.
I grabbed my jacket off the chair and picked up a rusty dagger from the table. "Looks like the Imperial Archons aren’t waiting for a formal greeting."
Valeska stood by the cracked window, her six-foot-two obsidian frame radiating black, crackling heat. Her featureless visor burned a deadly, dark crimson. "Let them shout. I will carve the tongue out of whoever speaks next."
Before Valeska could step toward the window, the heavy oak door of Room Thirteen unlocked with a soft click.
The door swung open, and Raven walked in.
She still wore her dark leather trench coat, her broad-brimmed hat tilted slightly forward, and that glowing blue alchemical cigar resting between her lips. She didn’t look like someone whose city was about to be incinerated. She looked like she was strolling in for a morning coffee.
Valeska’s greatsword ignited in black flames. "You... shadow-dweller. How did you bypass my barrier?"
Raven didn’t even flinch at Valeska’s SSS-tier pressure. She blew a ring of blue smoke toward the ceiling, her sharp blue eyes flicking toward Valeska with an eerie, knowing calm.
"Put the blade away, Ashen Monarch," Raven said, her voice smooth and unhurried. "Your soul-tether is barely stabilized. If you unleash a full Calamity-rank wave inside this guild, you’ll collapse the entire lower district."
I froze, staring at Raven.
’Wait a minute... how does she know Valeska’s soul-tether isn’t fully stabilized yet? We just finished the first stage of Soul Synchronization two minutes ago!’
Raven turned her gaze toward me. Her blue eyes seemed to pierce right through my chest, looking directly into my soul sanctum.
"Not bad, kid," Raven murmured, taking the cigar from her lips. "Your essence flow is much cleaner than it was an hour ago. You’re adapting to her soul remarkably fast."
She took a slow step into the room, her boots making no sound on the wooden floorboards.
"You’re at 720 now, aren’t you?" Raven added, her voice dropping into a low, quiet murmur meant only for my ears. "Still a long way from what you actually need... but impressive for a mortal who was at 100 Aether yesterday."
My jaw almost hit the floor.
’She knows?!’
I hadn’t spoken a single word about my System, my numbers, or the unlock requirements to anyone—not even to Valeska! But Raven had just casually read my soul state like a open textbook.
"Who the hell are you?" I demanded, my hand tightening on the dagger. "I am sure you’re not just an Underworld broker."
Raven let out a short, husky laugh, leaning her hip against the wooden table. "Who I am isn’t important right now, kid. What’s important is that the High Empire brought three Grand Archons and two hundred Holy Paladins to my doorstep. And I don’t like uninvited guests in my city."
Valeska stepped forward, her armor clinking, her visor narrowed at Raven. "You speak with the authority of someone who commands this realm, shadow-dweller."
"Stay observant, Ashen Monarch" Raven replied coolly, flicking her cigar ash into a nearby clay cup.
Raven reached inside her leather coat and pulled out two objects, tossing them onto the bed.
The first was a heavy, silver-plated gauntlet etched with glowing blue runes.
The second was a small, crystal vial filled with swirling, starlike liquid.
"What’s this?" I asked, looking at the items.
"The gauntlet is a Soul-Channeler," Raven explained. "It bridges the gap between your vessel and Valeska’s Ashen Flame. It’ll let you use her kinetic power through your own arms without draining your Soul Essence to zero every five seconds."
She pointed to the crystal vial.
"That’s Starlight Essence. Drink it when the fight starts. It’ll temporarily stabilize your soul-channels so you don’t disintegrate when you tap into her true power."
I looked from the items back to Raven. "Are stuff like these common?"
"Guess?... whatever, these are not common and I borrowed them from the High Inquisitor’s private vault three years ago," Raven smirked, her blue eyes glinting under her hat. "He still hasn’t noticed they’re missing."
BOOM!
The cathedral roof above us shuddered. Golden light poured through the cracks in the ceiling as the Imperial Archons began their descent into the central plaza.
"They’re funneled into the Grand Plaza below," Raven said, pulling twin enchanted revolvers from her hip holsters. The barrels glowed with a terrifying, dark blue Aether. "I’ve activated the Guild’s anti-magic suppression array over the upper district. Their holy barriers won’t work down there."
Raven walked toward the door, stopping at the threshold. She turned her head, looking at me over her shoulder.
"Take the gauntlet, drink the essence, and go show those holy hypocrites what happens when they invade Oakhaven," Raven said, a dangerous, razor-sharp smile appearing on her lips. "I’ll be watching from the shadows, kid. Don’t disappoint me."
She stepped into the dark hallway, and before the door even closed, her presence completely vanished—as if she had merged with the shadows themselves.
Valeska stared at the doorway where Raven had been standing, her visor burning with a complex, dangerous crimson light.
"That woman..." Valeska growled, her greatsword humming. "Her soul carries no rank. Yet she possesses unnatural power."
I grabbed the silver Soul-Channeler gauntlet and strapped it onto my right arm. The blue runes instantly flared to life, linking directly with my Aether flow. Then, I uncorked the crystal vial and downed the Starlight Essence in one gulp.
BUZZ!
[System Notice: Foreign Substance Detected]
[Initiating analysis...]
[Analysis Complete]
[Starlight Essence Absorbed!]
[Soul-Channel Stabilization Active (15 Minutes)!]
[Innate Skill Unlocked via Gauntlet: [Ashen Cleave Lv. 1]]
A rush of cold, pristine energy flooded my soul, perfectly balancing the burning heat of Valeska’s tether. My body felt lighter, stronger, and completely synchronized.
I looked at Valeska, drawing my rusty dagger with my left hand while my right hand glowed with black, kinetic flames.
Walking toward the window, I smirked. "Let’s go crash their holy party."