Chapter 88 — The Broken Chain

The black tree stood motionless.

Its enormous branches disappeared into the darkness above.

Three ancient chains surrounded its territory.

Two remained intact.

The third—

was cracked.

Kael stood beneath it, staring upward.

The crack wasn't large.

Only a thin line across the black metallic surface.

But every few seconds, the chain trembled.

A faint pulse moved through it.

Then—

CRACK.

Another tiny fragment broke away.

Kael's expression became serious.

The System displayed the objective again.

[Shadow Lion Trial — Stage Two]

Objective: Stabilize the damaged Shadow Prison Chain.

Current Chain Integrity: 61%

Estimated time before structural failure: Unknown

Failure Condition: Chain destruction

Consequence: Premature Legendary Beast Release

Kael stared at the number.

“Sixty-one percent.”

The system couldn't provide a time estimate.

That meant the chain wasn't weakening at a constant rate.

Something was accelerating the damage.

Kael immediately activated every detection ability.

Mana Detection.

Spatial Detection.

Network Sense.

Administrator Authority.

The results appeared one after another.

The chain was connected to the ground.

The ground was connected to the Shadow Domain.

The domain was connected to the black tree.

And the black tree—

was connected to something deeper.

Kael frowned.

“The chain isn't failing by itself.”

He stepped closer.

A dark pulse traveled along its length.

At first, he thought it was ordinary shadow energy.

Then he noticed something else.

A second energy was moving against it.

Like corrosion.

Kael's eyes narrowed.

“Foreign energy.”

He placed his hand against the chain.

A wave of information entered his mind.

The Chain's Memory

Kael suddenly saw a battlefield.

Thousands of years ago.

The Shadow Domain had looked different.

The black tree was younger.

The three prison chains had been newly forged.

Several ancient figures stood around the Legendary Beast.

The Shadow Lion was restrained.

But it wasn't alone.

Something else was being sealed.

Kael couldn't see what.

The vision shifted.

The figures began arguing.

One pointed toward the central prison.

Another pointed toward the Lion.

Then—

a strange black substance appeared along the chain.

Not shadow.

Not mana.

Something else.

It spread slowly.

One ancient figure touched it.

The moment they did—

their body disappeared.

The vision ended.

Kael pulled his hand away.

His breathing became heavier.

“What was that?”

The System answered.

[Historical residue detected.]

[Source classification incomplete.]

[Foreign energy is older than current prison architecture.]

Kael's expression changed.

Older than the prison?

That was impossible.

Unless—

the prison hadn't been built first.

Perhaps the foreign energy already existed.

And the prison had been built around it.

Kael looked toward the central tower.

A cold sensation entered his chest.

He wrote in his notebook:

Foreign energy present in Shadow Prison Chain.

May predate prison construction.

Potential connection to central unknown entity.

Do not assume chain damage is caused by Shadow Lion.

The last line was important.

The Lion might not be the one weakening its own prison.

Something else could be.

Kael stepped backward.

The chain had several anchor points.

One near the black tree.

One embedded inside the ground.

And one—

somewhere beyond the visible territory.

He activated Spatial Detection.

A faint line appeared beneath the forest.

Kael followed it.

The line led underground.

He looked at the soil.

Then at the chain.

The damaged section wasn't the source.

It was a symptom.

The actual corruption was farther below.

Kael knelt.

Metal Control spread through the earth.

The soil separated.

Roots moved aside.

A stone chamber was revealed.

Kael stared.

Inside sat an ancient metallic structure.

A small black object was attached to it.

The System immediately reacted.

[Unknown foreign device detected.]

[Classification: Severance-type.]

[Origin: Unknown.]

[Purpose: Chain interference.]

[Danger: High]

Kael's eyes narrowed.

“The Severance Order.”

But how?

The pocket world was isolated.

At least, it was supposed to be.

If the Severance Order had somehow inserted a device into the prison—

then someone outside had already reached inside.

Kael approached carefully.

The device pulsed.

Each pulse matched the crack in the chain.

So that was it.

The device wasn't destroying the chain directly.

It was introducing a tiny disruption into the prison's energy circulation.

Over thousands of pulses—

the chain weakened.

Kael's eyes hardened.

“Someone has been sabotaging the prison.”

A voice answered from behind him.

“Yes.”

Kael turned.

The Shadow Lion was standing at the edge of the chamber.

It hadn't made a sound.

Kael immediately drew the Origin Blade.

The Lion didn't attack.

Its crimson eyes focused on the device.

“That was not there when I was first imprisoned.”

Kael's expression changed.

“How old is this device?”

The Lion slowly approached.

“Younger than me.”

Kael looked at it.

“You know who placed it?”

The Lion shook its head.

“No.”

Kael frowned.

“Then how do you know it wasn't part of the original prison?”

The Lion's eyes narrowed.

“Because I remember every link in these chains.”

It moved closer.

The ground darkened beneath its paws.

Kael remained cautious.

The Lion looked at the device.

“Someone has been trying to free me.”

Kael was surprised.

“Free you?”

The Lion gave a strange smile.

“You sound surprised.”

“You're a Legendary Beast. I assumed everyone who knows you exists would want you sealed.”

The Lion laughed.

“Not everyone fears what I can become.”

Kael's expression hardened.

“Who wants you free?”

The Lion's smile disappeared.

“That is what I want you to discover.”

Kael looked at the device.

“So this is another test.”

“No.”

The Lion's voice became colder.

“This time, it is real.”

Kael inspected the foreign mechanism.

It was compact.

Black metallic frame.

Four narrow spikes embedded into the ancient chamber floor.

Each spike carried a faint Severance signature.

The device had been designed with one purpose.

Disconnect.

Kael remembered the Severance technology he'd encountered outside.

Black anchors.

Network severance.

Foreign relay systems.

This device was similar.

But far older.

That worried him.

“Your enemies have advanced technology.”

The Lion didn't answer.

Kael looked at the four spikes.

“I need to remove these.”

“Yes.”

“And if I damage the chain?”

“You may break it.”

Kael frowned.

“So I need to dismantle the device without disturbing the original structure.”

“Yes.”

Kael smiled slightly.

“That's actually difficult.”

The Lion said nothing.

Kael crouched beside the first spike.

He didn't touch it.

Instead, he activated Network Sense.

The device wasn't connected to the ordinary network.

It was connected directly to the prison architecture.

He changed detection methods.

Spatial Detection.

Mana Detection.

Administrator Authority.

Nothing.

Then—

he used Metal Control.

A faint response came.

The metal was ancient.

Extremely resistant.

But it was still metal.

Kael could feel its structure.

He smiled.

“I can work with this.”

He created a thin metal thread.

It entered the mechanism.

The moment it touched the inner structure—

BOOM!

A pulse exploded outward.

Kael was thrown across the chamber.

He rolled and stood.

The Lion watched silently.

The System displayed:

[Foreign device has defensive countermeasure.]

[Countermeasure: Resonance backlash.]

[Warning: Repeated direct manipulation may cause chain destabilization.]

Kael frowned.

“So I can't just pull it apart.”

He approached again.

This time, he didn't use Metal Control directly.

He examined the resonance.

The device had three layers.

Outer shell.

Severance core.

Power conduit.

If he disabled the conduit first—

the device might become harmless.

But the conduit was connected directly to the chain.

Cutting it incorrectly could transfer the backlash into the prison.

Kael thought.

He needed to isolate the conduit.

He took out several small Void Crystal pieces.

He embedded them around the device.

The crystals stabilized the local space.

Then Kael activated the V-01X.

Configuration II.

Mana Disruption.

He fired a low-power round.

BANG!

The projectile struck the device.

The Severance energy flickered.

Kael immediately moved.

Metal Control.

He created a temporary cage around the power conduit.

The cage absorbed the backlash.

The chain trembled.

CRACK.

Kael froze.

The crack in the chain widened.

The Lion's eyes became sharper.

“Careful.”

“I know.”

Kael increased his mana.

The cage compressed.

The Severance current had nowhere to go.

It began circulating inside the device.

Kael's eyes widened.

“The core is overloaded.”

The device started shaking.

The System warned him.

[Foreign device approaching critical failure.]

[Possible detonation.]

[Estimated radius: Extreme.]

Kael's expression changed.

If it exploded—

the chain could break.

He needed to shut it down immediately.

Kael reached into his Space Ring.

He pulled out the Darven Reclaim Rounds.

One modified projectile.

He inserted it into V-01X.

Configuration III.

Spatial Anchor.

He fired.

BANG!

A spatial field locked the device in place.

The vibration stopped.

Kael exhaled.

“Now.”

He used Metal Control.

The outer shell separated.

The Severance core became visible.

It was tiny.

Black.

Cracked.

Still active.

Kael needed to destroy it.

But directly destroying it could cause the same problem.

So he did something else.

He used the Origin Blade.

The sword's Adaptive Edge changed.

The blade became extremely thin.

Kael touched it against the Severance core.

The system responded.

[Adaptive Edge analyzing material.]

Kael waited.

Then—

the blade changed.

Its edge aligned with the structure.

Kael pushed.

CRACK.

The core split.

The Severance energy disappeared.

Silence.

Kael remained still.

Then the System appeared.

[Foreign device disabled.]

[Shadow Prison interference reduced.]

[Chain stability increasing.]

The percentage changed.

[Shadow Prison Chain Integrity: 61% → 68%]

Kael smiled.

“We actually repaired it.”

The Shadow Lion watched him.

Its expression was difficult to read.

Then—

the Lion spoke.

“You did not destroy the prison.”

Kael looked at it.

“No.”

“Why?”

Kael frowned.

“Because you haven't done anything to me.”

The Lion stared.

Kael continued.

“And because I need the prison intact until I understand what is inside the central tower.”

The Lion's eyes narrowed.

For several seconds, it said nothing.

Then—

“You are beginning to think like a Darven.”

Kael smiled faintly.

“I'll take that as a compliment.”

The moment Kael said those words—

the forest changed.

The Lion's head snapped toward the surface.

Kael felt it.

A foreign presence.

The System reacted.

[Foreign intrusion detected.]

[Multiple signatures.]

[Origin: External spatial breach.]

[Warning.]

[Severance-altered entities entering Shadow Domain.]

Kael's expression became serious.

“Someone came through.”

The Lion's body became tense.

Its crimson energy intensified.

“They found the prison.”

Kael immediately activated V-01X.

“How many?”

[Estimated: 18.]

[Levels: 44–49.]

[Grade: Commander/Lord variants.]

Kael's eyes narrowed.

Eighteen.

All high-level.

The Lion looked toward the surface.

“They are not here for you.”

Kael raised an eyebrow.

“Then what?”

The Lion's gaze hardened.

“They are here for me.”

A distant explosion shook the forest.

BOOM!

Then another.

BOOM!

Kael heard something that hadn't been present before.

Voices.

Machines.

Metal.

A foreign force was entering the territory.

Kael smiled.

“This is convenient.”

The Lion looked at him.

Kael lifted the V-01X.

“I wanted combat data anyway.”

“You are not ready to fight my enemies.”

Kael looked at the Lion.

“Then I'll learn.”

The Lion's eyes narrowed.

A faint smile appeared.

“Good.”

Kael reached the surface first.

The Shadow Domain was no longer quiet.

Black armored figures were moving through the trees.

Their weapons were unfamiliar.

Some carried long ranged devices.

Others carried compact energy weapons.

Several deployed black anchors.

Kael's System analyzed them.

[Severance Hunter]

Level: 44

Grade: Commander

Traits: Foreign Technology, Severance Equipment, Mana Shield

Classification: External Faction

[Severance Executioner]

Level: 49

Grade: Lord

Traits: Severance Authority, Anti-Beast Weaponry, Spatial Anchor Breaker

Threat: Extreme

Kael's expression changed.

The hunters were prepared specifically for Legendary Beasts.

That meant this wasn't random.

They had come knowing the Shadow Lion's weaknesses.

One of the hunters raised a black device.

A beam shot toward the forest.

BOOM!

The Shadow Domain flickered.

Kael's eyes narrowed.

“They're attacking the prison.”

The Shadow Lion emerged beside him.

Its aura exploded.

The entire forest became darker.

The hunters stopped.

Their leader slowly raised its weapon.

A distorted voice came from the helmet.

“Legendary Beast confirmed.”

The Executioner stepped forward.

“Begin extraction.”

Kael smiled.

“Extraction?”

The Lion's crimson eyes narrowed.

“They intend to force my release.”

Kael immediately understood.

If the hunters destroyed the chains—

the Lion would be free.

But that wasn't necessarily their objective.

Perhaps—

they wanted the Beast alive.

Kael looked at the black anchors.

“They're creating controlled chain failure.”

The Lion nodded.

“Yes.”

A hunter fired another black anchor.

It struck the ground.

The Shadow Domain began destabilizing.

The chain percentage fell.

[Shadow Prison Chain Integrity: 68% → 64%]

Kael's eyes sharpened.

“They're doing in seconds what that device did slowly.”

The Lion looked at him.

“Then stop them.”

Kael smiled.

“Gladly.”

The first Severance Hunter rushed him.

Kael fired.

BANG!

The bullet struck a mana shield.

The shield absorbed it.

Kael switched ammunition.

Mana Disruption.

BANG!

The shield flickered.

The hunter charged.

Its weapon transformed into a short blade.

Kael drew the Origin Blade.

CLANG!

Their weapons collided.

The hunter attacked twice.

Kael blocked.

Third strike.

Kael stepped aside.

The hunter activated a Severance field.

Kael's Metal Control weakened.

He immediately switched to the armor's Shadow Configuration.

The spatial field protected him.

He counterattacked.

SLASH!

The hunter's armor cracked.

Kael followed with V-01X.

BANG!

The hunter collapsed.

But—

three more arrived.

Kael moved.

One attacked from the left.

He blocked.

Another fired from behind.

The Lion's shadow moved.

A darkness wall blocked the projectile.

Kael glanced at the Beast.

The Lion was helping.

But it wasn't fighting yet.

It was watching.

Kael continued.

The battle intensified.

Four hunters.

Six.

Eight.

Their tactics were coordinated.

They deployed anchors.

Spatial traps.

Mana shields.

Anti-shadow weapons.

Kael was forced to constantly switch configurations.

Penetration.

Suppression.

Spatial Anchor.

Close Combat.

The enemies adapted.

Kael adapted.

He used the trees.

The shadows.

The ruined structures.

Even the prison chains.

A hunter deployed an anchor near the tree.

Kael used Metal Control to redirect it.

It struck another hunter.

The resulting Severance field disrupted their formation.

Kael rushed.

Origin Blade.

SLASH!

V-01X.

BANG!

Another fell.

A hunter activated an anti-beast weapon.

A massive beam struck toward the Shadow Lion.

Kael reacted.

Metal Control.

A massive metal wall appeared.

The beam struck.

BOOM!

The wall held for one second.

Then cracked.

Kael shouted:

“Move!”

The Lion disappeared.

The beam hit the ground.

The entire forest shook.

Kael looked at the chain.

Its integrity was falling.

[64% → 59%]

Kael's expression hardened.

The fight had become a race.

If the hunters destroyed the chain—

the Lion would be fully released.

And Kael wasn't ready for that.

He needed to stop the hunters.

Not defeat every one.

The anchors.

That was the target.

Kael activated Network Sense.

Ten black anchors.

Each connected to the same Severance field.

Destroy the anchors—

the hunters would lose their advantage.

Kael smiled.

“Found them.”

He began moving.

One anchor.

SLASH!

Destroyed.

Second.

BANG!

Destroyed.

Third.

Metal Control ripped it from the ground.

Fourth—

a hunter intercepted him.

Kael blocked.

The hunter attacked.

Kael countered.

CLANG!

SLASH!

The anchor behind them exploded.

Another.

Fifth.

Sixth.

The hunters realized what he was doing.

They began protecting the anchors.

That was exactly what Kael wanted.

Because now—

they had predictable positions.

Kael called toward the Lion.

“Can you hold them?”

The Lion's crimson eyes brightened.

“For how long?”

“Two minutes.”

The Lion smiled.

“That is more than enough.”

Darkness exploded outward.

For the first time—

the Shadow Lion entered the battle.

The entire forest became black.

The Severance Hunters froze.

And Kael finally understood the difference between a Legendary Beast—

and every monster he had fought before.

The Lion didn't simply move through darkness.

It became the darkness.

Kael watched as enormous shadow claws erupted from every direction.

The hunters scattered.

Kael turned toward the anchors.

The hunt had just become a war.

And the real battle with the Shadow Lion was now closer than ever.