The courtyard was a graveyard of ash and silence, the first Reaver's black mist still curling into the air.
Kael's chest heaved, his Lawcraft Interface flickering with residual static from the override.
The two remaining Reavers stood motionless, their sewn masks glinting under the fractured sky. Their limbs twitched — as if recalibrating.
Veera staggered to her feet, wiping blood from her face.
"They're not attacking," she said, voice tight. "Why?"
Kael's screen pulsed:
[INSTINCTIVE REWRITE ACTIVATED: 5-SECOND LAW DETECTION]
[REAVER-CLASS UNITS: ADAPTING TO LAW #3]
[LAW RESISTANCE: 22% AND RISING]
"They're learning," Kael muttered. "My Law hit them, but they're rewriting themselves."
The Ashbound Veteran raised his obsidian blade, standing between Veera and the Reavers.
His red glow pulsed faintly, as if sensing the threat's weight.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: RESOURCE CACHE DISCOVERED]
[LOCATION: RUINED TEMPLE, 200 METERS EAST]
[CONTENTS: STONE x30, IRON x15, WORKER SOUL x1]
Kael's eyes flicked to the notification.
A chance to rebuild.
He opened the construction menu, scanning options.
[WATCHTOWER BLUEPRINT UNLOCKED]
[COST: STONE x25, IRON x10, WORKER SOUL x1]
[EFFECT: +20% DETECTION RANGE, +10% RANGED UNIT ACCURACY]
"Build it," Kael ordered.
Ghostly Worker Souls materialized, darting toward the temple ruins. The ground rumbled as the Watchtower's foundation began to form.
One Reaver lunged — faster than before, claws slicing air.Veera dodged, her spear grazing its side, but the creature's mask didn't crack.
The second Reaver circled, testing the edges of the Shadow Trenches.
[LAW #1 TRIGGERED: NO INVADER SHALL LEAVE]
[LAW #3 TRIGGERED: UNWRITTEN SHATTER]
The circling Reaver shuddered, cracks forming along its limbs — but it didn't collapse. Instead, it roared — a sound that made Kael's screen glitch — and charged him directly.
Kael dove, rolling across ash as claws grazed his shoulder.
Pain flared — but his mind stayed sharp.
The Ash Throne's whisper echoed:
Write what they fear.
He opened the Lawcraft Interface, fingers trembling.
[EMERGENCY LAW SLOT: AVAILABLE]
[THREAD INSTABILITY: 48%]
"I bind the unwritten to my will," Kael typed. "Their strength is mine to claim."
[LAW RECORDED: LAW OF SUBJUGATION]
[EFFECT: UNWRITTEN ENTITIES IN TERRITORY LOSE 20% COMBAT POWER, TRANSFERRED TO FRIENDLY UNITS.]
The Reavers froze.
Blue light pulsed from Kael's sigil, wrapping their forms in chains of code.
The Veteran surged forward, his blade now glowing brighter, cutting deep into the first Reaver's chest.
Veera's spear followed — piercing the second's mask.
Both collapsed. Masks shattered into dust.
[BATTLE COMPLETE]
[REAVER-CLASS UNITS ELIMINATED: 2]
[LAW OF THE FIRST SOVEREIGN: 4/10]
[REWARD: SYSTEM SHARD (RARE)]
Kael exhaled, blood dripping from his shoulder.
Veera met his gaze, her expression unreadable.
"You're rewriting reality itself," she said.
"That's not power. That's dangerous."
Above, the sky flickered.
A new presence loomed — not a Reaver.
Colder. Mechanical.
[WATCHER CLASS ARRIVAL: 12 HOURS]
The Ash Throne pulsed, its whisper louder:
They fear you now.
°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°
[END OF CHAPTER 9]
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