The Rift didn't spit Kael out into daylight.
It dragged him deeper.
One step through the flickering gate, and the world collapsed into itself — light, shape, sound all swallowed in silence. The pulse in his ears vanished. His breath didn't echo. Even the beat of his heart seemed muffled.
When it all stabilized, Kael stood in a place that felt… wrong.
A corridor of mirrored glass stretched endlessly around him. Each surface reflected countless versions of himself, each one a half-second behind the real. There was no sky. No floor. Just infinite reflections and a crimson haze that stained everything with a sense of finality.
His HUD struggled to adjust.
> [System Override Suspended – Unsafe Zone]
[Player: Kael Draven – Trial Arena: Severed Reflection]
[Solo Entry Locked – Sync Disabled]
[Warning: Adaptive Combatant Ahead – High Threat]
[Escape: Unavailable]
Kael exhaled slowly.
So this was it.
No horde. No trap. No chaotic swarm like before. The System was evolving the challenge again — not numbers, but mastery. No one to back him up. No one to heal.
Just him.
And whatever this place considered worthy of testing his limits.
---
His stats pulsed quietly at the edge of his vision:
---
📊 Kael Draven – Status Update
Level: 30
Class: Ronin (Unique)
Upgrade Eligibility: Achieved (Pending Final Trial Completion)
HP: 640 / 850
CP (Cut Potential): 70 / 160
Draw Cut Sync: 98.5%
Stamina Reserve: 21%
Ash Memory: 19%
Resolve: Hardened
Pain Inhibition: 72%
Blade Memory: +1
New Trait: Counter Step – Enables instant reposition after successful parry/block. Cooldown: 4s.
---
The temperature dropped.
Kael felt it before he saw anything — the way the light dimmed not from shadows, but presence. Pressure rose like deep-sea gravity against his chest.
Then the mirror across from him shimmered.
And stepped forward.
Him.
Or something that wore his skin.
---
At first glance, it was Kael — same stance, same lean musculature, even the same weathering on his armor. But where Kael's eyes were sharp and driven, this version's were dead glass. No flame. No thought. Just pure reaction.
His sword was… familiar too. Kureha, but altered. The hilt was jagged with memory shards, the blade veined with cold blue light. The same foundation. Different soul.
> [Enemy Identified: SEVERED KAEL – Phantom Construct]
[Class: Unbound Ronin+]
[Level: 34]
[Style: Adaptive Memory – Replicates and enhances opponent's techniques with progressive accuracy.]
Kael narrowed his eyes.
"This is how you test me?"
The construct didn't respond.
It raised its blade.
And attacked.
---
The first strike nearly split Kael's defenses.
He caught it — barely — shoulder shaking as steel screamed against steel. The clone moved like him. Not just mimicking. It knew his cadence. Anticipated feints. Punished hesitation.
They broke apart, circled.
Kael lunged with a sharp low thrust. The clone parried, reversed it, and delivered a vertical slice that Kael had used just days ago. But this version was tighter. Meaner.
Kael blocked again, only to feel his wrist numb from the impact.
> [HP: 812 ➤ 740]
[Warning: Adaptation Rate Increasing]
[Draw Cut Efficiency Dropped – 91.4%]
He gritted his teeth.
This wasn't going to be about strength.
This was about evolution.
---
The battle escalated fast.
Kael ducked, weaved, responded with draw cuts and mid-air feints — everything he had learned since Hollowmark. The Severed mirrored each form, but subtly improved.
Footwork smoother.
Transitions faster.
Where Kael was instinct, the clone was refinement.
And the mirror chamber didn't help. Every missed attack flashed back at him from ten different angles. Every mistake haunted him mid-motion.
Kael lunged forward, pretending to overcommit, then spun mid-swing to catch the construct's blind side.
It didn't take the bait.
It simply stepped out of range and countered with a slash that cut shallow across Kael's ribs.
> [HP: 650 ➤ 540]
[Bleed: Light – Duration 10s]
[Draw Cut Cooldown: 2.8s]
He hissed and retreated.
He needed a plan.
---
Kael adjusted his grip.
"Let's see how you handle chaos."
He broke stance completely — wild, unpredictable swings, rapid foot changes, and sloppy pivots. The phantom blocked with confusion at first. Then recalibrated.
But Kael wasn't trying to hit it yet.
He was feeding it junk data.
He dipped under the next parry, swept dust upward with his boot and twisted mid-slide into a low sweep.
The construct dodged — just a hair late.
Kael rose.
Kureha snapped upward in a backward arc.
> [Manual Style Override Engaged]
[Custom Sequence Logged – Not Registered in Adaptive Memory]
[Critical Hit: 178% Efficiency]
The blade connected with the phantom's side. A visible glitch ran through its body — its stance staggered for the first time.
Kael pressed the advantage.
But it didn't last.
---
The Severed adapted again — this time to his chaos.
It copied the wild motions.
But cleaned them up.
Turned sloppy unpredictability into fluid assault. Kael caught two hits to the leg, one across the shoulder, and only narrowly avoided a disabling strike to the neck.
> [HP: 540 ➤ 390]
[Pain Inhibition: 50% Remaining]
[Blade Sync: Wavering]
He stumbled.
The construct didn't mock. Didn't chase.
Just waited.
Like it knew he'd fall on his own.
---
Kael closed his eyes.
He remembered the duel with the Colossus. The measured strength. The patience.
But this was different.
This opponent wasn't better.
It was him — refined, yes, but without hesitation. Without fear. Without the why.
Kael clenched Kureha tighter.
"You don't know what I've bled for."
He surged forward.
Blocked low.
Parried wide.
Then activated his trait.
> [Counter Step Activated]
Kael vanished from the clone's field of view — reappeared behind it in a pivot strike that curved with his full body.
The phantom twisted to block — a fraction too slow.
Kureha pierced its side.
But the phantom didn't fall.
It turned and roared.
For the first time, it made sound.
---
The next minute was chaos.
Steel blurred.
Glass cracked.
Light shattered.
Kael gave everything — blade, fists, boots, elbows. The construct responded in kind. Their movements created sonic booms across the chamber.
Kael took a blade through the thigh. Responded with a spinning cut to the clone's arm.
> [HP: 390 ➤ 200]
[Stamina: 9%]
[Draw Cut Sync: 99.1%]
He dropped to one knee.
The Severed raised its sword.
And Kael whispered:
"Let me show you the difference between memory and meaning."
He moved.
Not with technique.
But with intent.
Kureha became an extension of him. Not a weapon, but a decision.
He dodged the killing blow by centimeters, used the momentum to step past the Severed's back, and cut once.
Just once.
But perfectly.
---
> [Custom Draw Cut Executed]
[Blade Memory Finalization: 100%]
[Critical: Severance Threshold Passed]
[Enemy Defeated: Phantom Kael]
The Severed stood a moment longer.
Then cracked.
Like a mirror under pressure.
It fell in on itself and vanished into light.
---
Kael remained standing for all of three seconds before dropping to both knees, panting. His arms trembled. His right leg was going numb. But he had done it.
The reflections around the chamber shattered.
And the Rift dimmed.
A golden prompt appeared before him.
> [Trial Complete – Ascension Unlocked]
[Level Up: 30 ➤ 33]
[Trait Gained: Severance Instinct – Damage boosted on unpredictable attack chains (+30%)]
[Draw Cut Sync Maxed: 100%]
[Pain Inhibition Temporarily Increased]
[Class Evolution: Available – Choose Your Path]
He looked down at his reflection in the shards.
He was tired.
Bleeding.
But no longer uncertain.
The next step was clear.
---
📊 Kael Draven – Final Stats (Pre-Ascension)
Level: 33
Class: Ronin
CP: 120 / 180
HP: 200 / 850
Draw Cut Sync: 100%
Ash Memory: 22%
Pain Inhibition: 54%
Blade Memory: 2
Traits:
– Counter Step
– Severance Instinct
– Blade Memory: Enhanced
> A new window opened.
Class Upgrade Detected:
➤ Blade Master – The Sword-Saint of Pure Technique and Flow.
➤ Ronin+ – The Unbound Pathwalker Who Defies the System.
➤ Rageblade – The Blade That Grows Stronger With Every Wound.
Kael rose.
And walked toward destiny.