The ground trembled with every step the Dungeon Lord took.
They hadn't even seen it yet—but they felt it. The weight of its presence, like an iron chain wrapping tighter around their lungs. Kael stood slowly, hand gripping his cracked blade. His aura sparked uncontrollably, dancing between flickering flames and choking ash.
Drayke swore under his breath. "Something's wrong. That aura's not normal."
"It's not just strong," Lyra said, her voice shaking. "It's… hungry."
Then came the message.
> Boss Room Unsealed.
Riftborn Executioner has become aware of your presence.
Stone structures around them disintegrated. The corrupted citadel, already crumbling from the inside, began twisting as if the entire Rift was folding inward. Their pathway forward morphed into a spiraling descent, dragging them toward a dome of pulsating light and obsidian pillars.
The Executioner was waiting.
Inside the Chamber of Chains
The chamber was a cathedral of screams.
Chains hung from every inch of the ceiling—each one dripping aura like blood. Cracked masks and bones floated in aura stasis around the massive black throne in the center. Sitting on it, head bowed, was the Riftborn Executioner.
Seven feet tall. Armor forged from voidsteel. A helmet shaped like a reaper's skull, glowing with violet veins. In its right hand: a massive guillotine blade, pulsing with captured aura. Its left arm was chained, bound to the throne—but twitching, as if trying to reach them.
When it stood, the chains snapped.
And the system stuttered.
> Warning: Aura Registration Failed. This entity does not follow Rank Guidelines.
Title: Riftborn Executioner
Trait: Aura Reaper – Can consume, corrupt, and override active aura states.
Lyra's Sunveil Feather dimmed.
Drayke's gauntlets sparked out.
Kael? His Ashen Wrath flared—but immediately flickered. His body jerked back involuntarily, like something tried to rip the aura from his spine.
"What the hell?" he gritted out, staggering.
The Executioner finally raised its head.
Its eyes were empty. Void within void.
Then it spoke.
"You bleed borrowed strength. Let me take it back."
Boss Battle Initiated – Riftborn Executioner
The Executioner didn't charge.
It appeared.
In a blink, its blade was at Kael's neck. He ducked on instinct, but blood still splattered across the floor. The tip had nicked his shoulder—and already, he felt it: the aura leeching, his soul draining.
> Status Effect: Aura Decay – Duration 20 sec. HP/Aura steadily drops.
Kael rolled, pushing back. "It's absorbing my damn aura!"
"I can't buff you!" Lyra shouted, hurling sigils that dissolved before touching Kael. "It's severing your resonance!"
Drayke screamed and lunged—his aura spiking as he went full beast-mode.
> Skill: Infernal Rampage – Temporarily sacrifices defense for raw power.
He collided with the Executioner—fist meeting steel.
For a moment, the room lit up in fire and fury.
Then Drayke was flung like a ragdoll, crashing into a stone pillar.
Kael caught him mid-bounce, knees buckling from the force. "You good?"
Drayke coughed up blood. "That thing just laughed at me…"
Kael placed him down gently, then stood.
His eyes locked on the Executioner.
It wasn't invincible.
But it was something else.
No aura technique worked. No relic responded.
Which meant—
"I have to beat it without them."
Lyra's eyes widened. "Kael—your aura's unstable! You can't—"
"I'm not asking it to behave," Kael muttered.
He stepped forward, slowly peeling off his coat, letting it fall. The Ember Sigil on his chest burned brighter, forcing the Executioner to pause.
Kael clenched his blade. The old one. Cracked, worn—but still his.
His aura surged again.
No enhancements. No relics. No fusion.
Just will.
And the will to kill.
Kael Arclight – Combat State: Zero Synchronization
> All buffs disabled. Skill enhancements locked. Raw stats only.
Ashen Wrath remains active due to willpower override.
Aura Trait Amplified: Adaptive Feedback – Learns enemy attack patterns at increased rate.
Kael exhaled once.
Then charged.
The Executioner moved faster—but Kael moved smarter. His body twisted mid-slide, narrowly avoiding the guillotine slash. A flick of his wrist redirected the blade's weight, letting momentum pull it just enough for him to stab upward.
Clang!
No penetration—but the echo reverberated through the room.
He was learning it.
Every time he survived, his aura adjusted.
Every cut dodged refined his movements.
Every near-death gave him more data.
The Executioner roared, swinging in wide arcs. Aura screams lashed at the walls—but Kael began dancing between them. His muscles screamed. Blood ran down his temple. But his blade never dropped.
Then—
> Aura Sync 2%... 4%... 7%...
Kael gritted his teeth.
"I don't need power."
10%.
"I just need…"
15%.
"…to understand you."
The Executioner swung again—but this time, Kael didn't dodge.
He stepped into it.
He timed the arc, parried at the elbow, and drove his blade through the gap in its armor.
A shockwave exploded outward.
For the first time, the Executioner staggered backward.
Kael gasped.
> Critical Hit. Armor Penetration Successful.
Ashen Wrath Mutation: Triggered.
New Skill Acquired – Echo Rend
> Echo Rend (Active) – Instantly replicates the last attack absorbed from an enemy using corrupted aura.
Kael raised his hand.
The guillotine slash he'd just endured—he copied it.
An aura mirage formed behind him. With a roar, he unleashed it, a black and crimson wave of corrupted power that ripped through the Executioner's chest.
It screamed—no, it wept—its voice no longer monstrous.
For a moment, Kael heard something human.
Then its body disintegrated into ashes.
And all was silent.
Dungeon Cleared
> Boss Defeated: Riftborn Executioner
Aura Gained: +12,400 (Ashen absorption bonus applied)
Ashen Wrath – Progression Unlocked: 34%
New Passive: Aura Reaper (Fragmented) – Chance to steal one skill from defeated S-Rank enemies.
Kael fell to one knee.
Lyra ran to him. "You did it—Kael, you did it!"
Drayke limped over, one eye swollen shut. "Holy hell, that was insane."
Kael just smiled.
His blade now glowed faintly with that same violet light.
One step closer.
One enemy down.
And the Eternals… still waited.