The smell of blood hung heavy in the air.
Broken asphalt crumbled under their steps as Lian, Elyra, and Jayce made their way into a nearby shelter —
a half-collapsed subway station, hidden from the rising abyssal mist.
They didn't speak for a long time.
There was no need.
The System notifications still floated in front of them,
like grim reapers waiting for a signature.
This was the price of survival.
Lian's Vision:
He sat against a shattered pillar, staring at the Cycle of Destiny.
It sat there, cracked and trembling, its once-bright wheels dulled and rusted.
The Cycle…
his companion since the start of this nightmare…
was dying.
He thought about his options again:
Fate Diver would save him, but condemn him to slow, grinding hardship.
Coin Sovereign would flood him with riches, but tempt disaster with every coin.
Reckless Voyager would give him infinite power — at the cost of his mind and life.
Safe mediocrity. Dangerous fortune. Or mad, violent freedom.
His hand shook as he reached out.
He had already lost too much to play it safe.
"I… I won't be weak anymore."
His voice cracked, barely a whisper.
He slammed his fist onto the [Reckless Voyager] option.
System Evolution:
[ Cycle of Destiny has consumed your Soul Blood. ]
[ Evolution Path Selected: Reckless Voyager. ]
[ Warning: Soul Stabilizers Removed. Death Probability: 63%. ]
The pain hit instantly.
It was like someone drove burning knives into his spine,
twisting, tearing, ripping his very existence apart.
Lian screamed —
a raw, animal sound, echoing off the broken walls.
Jayce and Elyra rushed to hold him down as his body convulsed violently.
Black veins pulsed under his skin.
The Cycle of Destiny howled, its frame warping and expanding, growing chains and jagged new wheels forged from Lian's own soul.
It became something wild. Something furious.
A machine no longer bound by the laws of sanity.
New Vehicle Evolution: Reckless Voyager Cycle
Speed: Insane.
Maneuverability: Extreme.
Protection: Minimal.
Soul Link: Full Exposure (Mutual Damage Shared).
Special Ability: [Mad Dash] — temporary invincibility for 30 seconds, after which both Lian and the Cycle take backlash damage.
When it ended, Lian lay gasping, blood dripping from his mouth.
But he smiled.
He was free.
No more chains.
No more hesitation.
Only the road and the hunt.
Meanwhile — Elyra's Choice:
The elf girl sat alone in the shadows, trembling.
Her fingers grazed her cracked mana core, feeling the fractures spiderwebbing through her chest.
She thought about her options.
Soul-bind to Lian's reckless, half-broken Cycle?
Become a Chaos Witch with power but insanity?
Or fight with her broken core until she burned out and died?
Elyra closed her eyes.
She remembered her little brother's smile, the village that was devoured by the apocalypse.
"I can't afford to be sane anymore," she whispered.
Tears ran down her cheeks.
She chose Chaos Core Rebirth.
System Evolution:
[ Mana Core Shattered. Rebuilding in Progress... ]
[ New Core: Chaos Seed. ]
[ Warning: Mental Stability Severely Decreased. Risk of Madness: 45%. ]
The explosion of energy was violent.
Purple lightning cracked across the room as Elyra screamed, her magic tearing through the air like the howling of a furious storm.
When it calmed, she stood swaying,
her silver hair now streaked with black.
Her once-bright green eyes flickered with unstable purple light.
She was stronger now.
Much stronger.
But the price was stamped into her soul.
Every time she used magic now, the madness grew closer.
One day, she might no longer recognize her friends.
Jayce's Choice:
Jayce chuckled bitterly as he stared at his severed arm.
"Demon arm, huh?" he muttered.
"Guess I've always been a bit of a monster."
Without hesitation, he chose the Demon-Forged Arm.
If he was going to die, he'd rather die swinging.
System Evolution:
[ Demon-forged Arm Accepted. ]
[ Strength Increased Drastically. ]
[ Corruption Meter: 0% ➔ Will increase slowly with battle usage. If it reaches 100%, you lose yourself completely. ]
A torrent of black fire erupted around Jayce's stump,
twisting and forming into a sleek, vicious-looking arm of obsidian and crimson veins.
It looked powerful.
It felt powerful.
But in the back of his mind,
he could already hear the whispers.
They were changed now.
Each one had paid a terrible price.
And there was no going back.
71 Hours Remaining.
The abyssal mist outside thickened.
Strange, twisted figures began crawling from the ruins —
mockeries of what humans once were, their bodies warped into grotesque shapes by abyssal energy.
Their numbers swelled with every passing minute.
Lian gritted his teeth, blood still dripping from his lips.
"We move," he said.
"Now."
They weren't ready.
They were half-dead, half-mad.
But there was no time to heal.
No time to mourn.
Only war.
Only survival.
Only the road.
As they rolled out into the cursed streets once more,
the system sent one final, cold message:
[ New World Event: Demonic Invasion. ]
[ Objective: Survive Until the Abyssal King Fully Awakens... and Then Kill Him. ]
[ Rewards: Unknown. ]
[ Penalty for Failure: Permanent Erasure. ]
The war for existence had truly begun.
And this time...
there would be no second chances.
Chapter End
Summary of Chapter 43:
Lian chose Reckless Voyager — massive speed and power, but death chance greatly increased.
Elyra chose Chaos Core Rebirth — huge magic boost, but risks losing her mind permanently.
Jayce chose Demon Arm — strength massively increased, but slow corruption of sanity.
The Abyssal King is awakening.
The Demonic Invasion has begun.