Akash felt the biting cold of the blade against his neck, but not a single muscle in his body twitched with fear. Scarlet, the red-haired girl with eyes reflecting a bottomless hunger, leaned in until her breath hitched against his ear.
"All those Golden Cores... and that delicious Black Lightning Qi... you are a feast I didn't expect to find so soon!" Scarlet whispered, her voice trembling with manic excitement.
[SYSTEM WARNING: SIN-EATER DETECTED]
[TRAIT: SOUL-CONSUMPTION]
[LEVEL: FOUNDATION ESTABLISHMENT 7]
"This feast is going to be very expensive," Akash's voice was as cold as a grave.
[SKILL ACTIVATED: THUNDERING SOVEREIGN STEP - BURST]
In a flash of black electricity, Akash vanished. Scarlet's eyes widened as her blade sliced through nothing but an afterimage. Akash was now standing ten feet away, his gaze fixed on her. "You're fast for a Level 2," she hissed, "but speed won't save you from a Level 7."
"Levels are just numbers when you have the power to kill gods," Akash replied, gripping the Broken Sovereign Blade.
Scarlet traced a bloody sigil in the air with her fingers. "Blood-Greed Domain!"
Suddenly, the air around Akash turned into a thick, crimson mist. He felt his vitality being sucked out through his pores, and his blood began to boil within his veins. The domain was designed to weaken the prey before the final kill.
[SYSTEM ALERT: VITALITY DRAIN DETECTED!]
[ADVICE: ACTIVATE DRAGON-SCALE MERIDIANS]
Akash took a deep breath. Inside his body, the Dragon Blood he had consumed roared to life. Faint, emerald-gold scales shimmered beneath his skin, creating an impenetrable barrier that sealed his energy inside.
"Dragon Power?" Scarlet's face went pale. "How can a brat from a lower sect possess the aura of an Ancient One?"
"Stop asking questions and start fighting," Akash said, stepping forward. With every step, the ground cracked under the pressure of his Black-Gold Foundation. "You talked about cores... now it's your turn to hand them over."
Akash launched himself forward, a trail of black lightning following his blade. Scarlet realized too late that she wasn't hunting a 'lucky lizard'—she was facing a prehistoric predator.Scarlet tried to retreat, her red hair fluttering as she stepped back into the shadows of her domain. "You think a few scales can stop a Sin-Eater? I've devoured geniuses stronger than you!"
She clapped her hands, and the crimson mist solidified into hundreds of blood-red spears, all pointed at Akash. "Die! Blood Rain Apocalypse!"
The spears shot forward, breaking the sound barrier.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: MULTIPLE PROJECTILES DETECTED]
[COUNTER-MEASURE: SOVEREIGN'S WRATH]
Akash didn't dodge. He swung the Broken Sovereign Blade in a wide arc. A wave of black lightning erupted from the blade, colliding with the blood spears. The moment the black lightning touched the blood, it didn't just break the spears—it consumed the Qi inside them.
"What?! You're absorbing my technique?" Scarlet screamed.
"I told you," Akash appeared right in front of her, his eyes glowing with a terrifying violet light. "This feast is going to be expensive. And the price... is your life."
He grabbed Scarlet's wrist. The Dragon-Scale Meridians in his arm pulsed, and Scarlet felt her own Level 7 Qi being sucked out of her body.
[SYSTEM: ABSORBING HOSTILE QI...]
[CONVERTING TO SOVEREIGN ENERGY...]
[FOUNDATION STABILITY: 100%]
"Stop! Please!" Scarlet's arrogance was gone, replaced by pure panic. "If you kill me, the other six Sin-Eaters will hunt you to the ends of the world! My brother is at Level 9 Foundation! He will tear you apart!"
Akash's grip tightened. "Let them come. I need more cores anyway."
With a final surge of black lightning, Akash sent a pulse of energy through her arm. Scarlet was sent flying across the rooftop, crashing through a golden statue. She didn't die, but her cultivation was shattered.
[LOOT ACQUIRED: 60 GOLDEN CORES]
[TOTAL CORES: 113/100]
[MISSION OBJECTIVE MET: PROCEED TO THE TOWER]
Akash looked down at the unconscious girl, then at the massive Golden Tower that was now glowing with an invitation. The Observer's Shadow was still watching from the clouds, his silence more telling than any words.
"The lucky lizard just bit back," Akash whispered.
He turned toward the tower. As he walked, the ground beneath him began to turn from gold to obsidian. The first stage was over, but the Tower of Greed was about to test something more than just his strength—it was going to test his soul.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: NEW AREA UNLOCKED - THE TOWER OF REFLECTIONS]
[REWARD PENDING: SOVEREIGN'S ARMOR (CHESTPIECE)] Akash stood before the gates of the Golden Tower. The 113 Golden Cores he had collected began to orbit around him, dissolving into pure light. The heavy obsidian doors groaned and slowly swung open.
[SYSTEM: MISSION COMPLETE - SURVIVE THE STAGE OF GREED]
[CLAIMING REWARD: SOVEREIGN'S ARMOR (CHESTPIECE)]
A flash of violet and gold erupted in front of Akash. A sleek, midnight-black chestplate emerged from the light. It wasn't bulky; it looked like liquid metal, etched with the same ancient runes that were on his skin. As soon as it touched his chest, it merged with his silk robes, disappearing underneath but making his aura feel as solid as a mountain.
[EQUIPMENT: SOVEREIGN'S EMBRACE (CHEST)]
[EFFECT: REDUCES SPIRITUAL DAMAGE BY 40% / AUTOMATIC QI RECOVERY]
"Let's go," Akash muttered, stepping into the darkness of the tower.
Chapter 14: The Tower of Reflections
The interior of the tower was a complete contrast to the golden city outside. It was silent, made of polished mirrors that reflected every movement Akash made. But as he walked, his reflections didn't follow him. They stayed behind, watching him with glowing red eyes.
[SYSTEM WARNING: PSYCHIC DOMAIN DETECTED]
[STAGE: THE TRIAL OF THE HEART]
Suddenly, a voice echoed through the hall. It wasn't the Observer or the System. It was Akash's own voice, but deeper and more sinister.
"You think you're a hero, Akash?"
From a massive mirror at the end of the hall, a figure stepped out. It was identical to Akash in every way, but his robes were white, and he held a complete, unbroken Sovereign Blade.
[BOSS DETECTED: THE HOLLOW SOVEREIGN]
[LEVEL: ??? (MIRROR OF SELF)]
[SPECIAL ABILITY: KNOWS EVERY MOVE YOU WILL MAKE]
"I am everything you wanted to be," the Hollow Sovereign said, pointing his shining blade at Akash. "You are just the broken version of a king. To enter the next stage, you must prove that the 'Broken' is stronger than the 'Perfect'."
The Hollow Sovereign moved. He didn't use the Thundering Step; he was simply there, his blade already swinging toward Akash's throat.
CLANG!
Akash barely blocked the strike with his broken blade. The shockwave cracked the mirrors around them.
"You're slow," the Hollow One whispered. "Because you're afraid. You're afraid that Lord Bai was right... that you're just a lucky lizard playing at being a dragon."
Akash's eyes narrowed. "I'm not afraid of being a lizard. I'm just waiting for the moment to bite your head off."
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: SOVEREIGN ARMOR ACTIVATED]
[NEW STRATEGY: UNPREDICTABLE CHAOS]