Word travels faster than light in the underworld.
Before Ezra and Rei had made it halfway back to Sector 9, his name was already passing through whispers, encrypted channels, and ash-soaked streets.
"The Hollowborn walks again."
"The scythe has returned."
"Nyra's heir is alive."
And somewhere in the ruins of a cathedral turned underground auction hall, a screen flickered to life. A woman in silver armor, her lips painted with blood, leaned forward to watch the footage.
A blur of images—Ezra fighting Nyra's Remnant. The scythe. The Gate collapse.
"Bring him to me," she said to the men behind her. "Dead or dying. I want the weapon."
Sector 9, Ezra's Safehouse – Midnight
Rei was pacing.
Ezra sat calmly, sharpening Hollow Mercy—not with a stone, but with magic. The blade hummed with each pull. The edge gleamed black and red like it remembered every soul it had tasted.
"You're too calm," Rei muttered.
"I've already died once," Ezra said. "What's there to panic about?"
"You're being hunted. You wield a weapon forged from a world-ending bloodline. And the biggest black-market Gate syndicate in the city just announced an arena auction—for a living Guardian Echo."
Ezra looked up. "Where?"
"Sector 3. The old Coliseum ruins."
That made him pause.
Sector 3 was Guild-owned. Any syndicate operating there either had powerful allies… or a death wish.
"What's the catch?" Ezra asked.
"You want access to the auction?" Rei said. "You don't buy a ticket. You earn it. Through blood."
Ezra stood, sliding the scythe over his shoulder.
"Then we'll give them blood."
Sector 3 – The Coliseum
The Coliseum had once been a concert arena. Now it was encased in mana shielding and guarded by armored mercs bearing the mark of The Black Coil—a Gate syndicate infamous for trading illegal summons, dungeon cores, and slave-bound Awakened.
Ezra and Rei stepped into the crowd of masked fighters, each bearing a number scrawled in mana-ink across their arm.
The Bone Rat curled around Ezra's neck like a scarf.
[Gate-Synced Arena Detected]
Entry Fee Paid (Blood)
Round 1 Assigned: Ezra Vale vs. Cael the Binder
Rules: 1v1, No Summon Restrictions, Fatality Permitted
Rei swore. "They put you up against a Binder?"
"What's that mean?"
"It means he doesn't summon monsters. He binds people."
Ezra cracked his neck. "Then I'll unbind him."
Arena Floor
The circular pit buzzed with energy. Dozens of masked onlookers sat in makeshift bleachers above, watching as gates opened on both ends.
From one end, Ezra entered, scythe in hand, shadowed by a Ghoul and the Bone Rat.
From the other, Cael stepped forward—a gaunt man with silver tattoos running from chin to fingertips, carrying a chain that dripped with runes. Behind him, three chained fighters—Awakened, trembling, eyes blank.
Cael's voice rang out. "I take no pleasure in breaking souls."
Then he smiled.
"But it does pay well."
He snapped his fingers. The slaves charged—fast, brutal, their moves perfect, mechanical.
Ezra didn't hesitate.
[Skill Activated: Strength Surge]
[Bone Armament: Scythe Mode Enhanced]
[Soul Drain (Gem Slot 1) Engaged]
He met them head-on.
The first slave swung with an axe. Ezra parried, deflected, and used Hollow Mercy's hook to tear the weapon away.
The second darted forward with daggers. The Bone Rat intercepted, biting deep into his leg.
The third—a woman with a claymore—let out a cry that sounded like a memory.
Ezra stepped in, elbowed her jaw, then reversed his grip and swept the scythe's blade across her chain.
It shattered.
Her eyes cleared.
She gasped, collapsing to her knees.
Ezra turned on Cael.
"You enslave minds."
Cael laughed. "They begged to be saved. I offered purpose."
Ezra surged forward.
Cael unleashed his chain—spikes erupting from it mid-flight.
Ezra took the hit to his shoulder, grunted, then pulled Cael forward using his own weapon's curve.
[Soul Drain – Triggered]
Hollow Mercy pulsed.
Cael screamed.
His own soul was dragged toward Ezra's Ghoul, which swelled, growing claws and armor in real-time.
Then—
Ezra swung.
The scythe carved through Cael's chest like silk.
He crumpled to the floor. Dead.
[Victory – Ezra Vale]
[Arena Credit Earned: 1]
[Round 2 Unlocked]
Special Access Offer: Optional Bid – Guardian Echo (SEALED)
Item Location: Vault Tier Alpha. Access Cost: 3 Arena Credits or 1 Blood Offer.
Ezra turned and walked out.
Backstage – 20 Minutes Later
Rei pressed a cloth to the wound in Ezra's shoulder.
"You're lucky it didn't go deeper," she muttered. "Those soulbind chains are illegal for a reason."
Ezra grunted. "He won't be using them again."
She paused. "You freed one of the Awakened he enslaved."
"Wasn't a favor," Ezra said. "She just didn't deserve to die in chains."
Rei leaned closer. "And when that's you? When the next Binder sees Hollow Mercy and decides you're the real prize?"
Ezra didn't answer.
Instead, he pulled up the auction log.
[Auction Item #77 – Guardian Echo (SEALED)]
Status: Passive. Soulbound Compatibility: Unknown. Tier: B+]
Gem Affinity Detected: TIME.
Ezra's heart stopped.
Gem Slot 2.
One of the Five.
Rei read over his shoulder. "You're going for it, aren't you?"
"I have to."
"That's three Arena Credits. Two more fights. You're already bleeding."
Ezra's eyes locked on hers.
"Then I bleed again."
Round 2 – Arena Floor
This time, it wasn't a human.
It was a Gate Beast—a mutated chimera from an E-rank dungeon gone rogue. Slime-coated fur, tentacles for ribs, and a head that screamed in two voices.
Ezra didn't flinch.
He summoned his newest undead: the mutated Ghoul enhanced with Cael's drained soul, now dubbed Gravetusk.
Rei watched from the stands, eyes wide.
Ezra and Gravetusk fought in perfect tandem—dodge, distract, disembowel. The scythe cleaved through rib-tentacles. Soul Drain fed the undead. Strength Surge sent Ezra through the chimera's skull in a final, brutal upward arc.
Blood and slime rained across the floor.
[Victory – Ezra Vale]
[Arena Credit Earned: 2]
[Access Granted – Vault Alpha]
Ezra barely stood upright as the system message flickered.
Vault Alpha – Thirty Minutes Later
The vault was silent. Cold. Covered in iron runes that hissed when he approached.
In the center floated a glass capsule, inside which lay a figure made of starlight.
A child? A woman? It shifted. Eyes closed. Hands folded over a timepiece that pulsed in sync with Ezra's scythe.
[Guardian Echo: The Watcher of Hours]
Status: Dormant]
Gem Affinity: TIME
Bind this Echo to unlock Gem Slot 2 – "Chrono Rift"
Ezra stepped forward.
[Warning: Echo Requires Consent.]
Soul Link Attempt Will Initiate a Trial of Memory.]
Rei grabbed his arm. "You don't have to keep going."
He looked down at her.
"I'm not doing this because I have to. I'm doing this because I was meant to."
He placed his hand on the glass.