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A crimson moon rose over Sector 13.
Li Tianming leaned against a broken column, eyes dull, body trembling. His wounds hadn't fully closed. His soul was still flickering with aftershocks of the Chaos Form.
But his blade—
The melted Valkyrie weapon—
Now pulsed faintly with black veins.
> [Weapon Status: Chaosbound Blade – Evolution Stage 1]
[Passive Effect: +10% Soul Drain on Kill]
He should've rested.
But something was moving again.
The wind was wrong.
Voices whispered beneath it — low, layered, and ritualistic.
> "Ash to ash, soul to soul…"
"The Ash-Born walks again."
He tensed.
Shadows moved between the ruins — robed figures with silver masks shaped like bird skulls. One by one, they emerged, silent as mist, surrounding the crater.
Then came the one in black.
Taller than the rest. Horns carved into his mask. His robes edged in glowing red.
He stepped forward and knelt.
> "Ash-Born Lord," he spoke, voice smooth like oil. "You have returned. As was written."
Tianming narrowed his eyes.
> "I don't know you. Get lost."
The man bowed lower. "We are the Raven Cult — keepers of the Last Prophecy. For a hundred years, we waited beneath the ruins. For you."
> [Warning: Unknown Faction Detected. Status: Worship-Oriented. Threat Level: Variable]
Tianming glanced around.
There were at least twelve of them. Maybe more in the shadows.
Weak auras, but something beneath them… pulsed. Something old.
> "You believe I'm some god?" Tianming asked.
> "No," the horned one said. "Gods died in the Collapse. But the Chaos Lord… was never born. Until now."
Suddenly, another voice shouted.
> "He's unstable! Look at his eyes!"
"He's just another freak — a false one!"
"We should kill him before he devours us!"
A younger cultist stepped forward, drawing a curved bone-dagger, his mask cracked. His aura — tinged with hate.
> "Chaos doesn't need kings. It needs consumption."
Tianming didn't move.
> "You want to test me?" he said coldly.
The cultist lunged.
But before the blade could reach him—
> [Skill: Shadow Echo – Activated]
Tianming disappeared in a blink, reappearing behind the attacker.
With one swift slash, his Chaosbound Blade sliced through the man's back, soul and all.
The cultist screamed — then froze.
His body dropped.
His soul didn't.
It floated — briefly — before dissolving into Tianming's mark.
> [Soul Count: 4 / 999999]
[New Trait: Blood Memory (I) – Recall one skill from consumed opponent]
[Option Unlocked: "Echo Dagger – Tier 0"]
Tianming turned to the rest.
> "If you bow to power, then remember who holds the blade."
"If not — kneel… or leave in pieces."
The cult didn't move.
Then—one by one—they dropped to their knees.
> "Ash-Born Lord… we serve."
---
Later that night, Tianming sat near a bonfire deep in the ruins beneath Sector 13 — a hidden chamber lit by crimson candles and bone-carved runes.
The horned priest approached.
> "We have something that belongs to you."
He held out a sealed scroll, bound in metal.
Tianming opened it.
Inside: a map.
But not of the city — of the sealed zones left after the Collapse. Mutant lands. Forbidden regions. Places where no human survived…
Except for Chaos Seeds.
At the center, marked in black flame ink, was a name:
> The Tomb of the First Chaos Lord.
And beneath it:
> "One must consume what they were… to become what they must."
Tianming's eyes narrowed.
> "Then that's where I go next."
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