Bagania could no longer be called a city.
It was a stage.
Half of its people knelt before the Chaos Crown. The other half had vanished, seeking the protection of temples, sects, or their own fragile beliefs.
The sky above the Golden Bamboo Inn no longer reflected daylight. At all hours, it shimmered in hues of purple and black, as if the realm itself bent to the presence of Rahul Saini.
He stood upon the rooftop of his inn, wrapped in silence.
But within him?
The Chaos Seed pulsed with rhythmic hunger.
[DING! Current Corruption Level: 15.9%]
[Warning: External Chaos Signature Detected nearby.]
[Chaos Alignment: Conflict Type | Hostile Intent: Confirmed]
Rahul's eyes narrowed. The air had changed again.
Someone like him… had entered the city.
And they weren't here to bow.
—
An hour earlier…
A young man walked into Bagania's western gate. His robes were crimson-black. His face beautiful, almost delicate, but his smile was off—too calm for someone surrounded by frightened cultivators and abandoned homes.
He paused beside a crying woman in an alley.
"Why weeping?" he asked gently.
She didn't answer.
He touched her cheek.
"Don't worry. Chaos will free you."
And then… he crushed her skull with a single twist of his fingers.
No scream. No mercy. Just a faint whisper:
"No freedom without suffering."
Back on the rooftop, Rahul felt it.
He knew instantly.
"A rival Chaos user. And he's… different."
That night, Bagania split open.
Light and darkness.
Order and madness.
Righteous sect members poured into the northern gates—disciples of the Pure Mind Sect, the Scarlet Hand Temple, and several rogue Daoists carrying relics meant to seal corruption.
They didn't come for justice.
They came because Chaos had grown too loud.
Meanwhile, in the south, the unknown man walked openly through the streets—chanting softly.
With every step, people screamed, laughed, or wept, overcome with raw emotion.
The city shook. The boundaries cracked.
Two forces of Chaos. Two ideologies.
One—Rahul, who wore chaos like a crown, shaping it with will, dominance, and control.
The other—Kalan, who wore chaos as liberation through madness.
And at the city's heart, the people began to choose.
[DING! New System Function Unlocked: Apostle of Chaos Ranking]
[The Apostle Ranking records the strongest Chaos-aligned entities in a world.]
[Current Murim Rankings]
Rahul Saini – Path of Discord – 15.9%
Kalan the Whisperer – Path of Ruin – 14.6%
No other users recorded…
[Apostle Perks Unlocked at 25%, 50%, and 75% Corruption]
[Apostle Title: The Crowned Flame]
Rahul scoffed.
"So… the game begins now."
Before facing Kalan, Rahul had something more important to do.
He walked through Bagania's ruins. The broken half. The burning half.
Here, his influence was strongest. His gaze drifted through alleys and shadows.
And soon, he found them.
Three souls. Each… fractured. Perfect vessels for Chaos cultivation.
The first was a girl.
Barely sixteen. Covered in blood. Her own. Her family's. She had slit her father's throat after he tried to sell her to a passing merchant. Her hands shook—but her eyes… were awake.
"Why didn't you run?" Rahul asked.
She looked up.
"I wanted them dead."
"Good," he said, and touched her forehead.
[Emotional Signature Linked: Wrath, Despair, Betrayal][Chaos Affinity: High]
[Recruit as Apostle?]
Yes.
[Apostle Accepted: Mira – Apostle of Red Grief]
The second was a former monk.
From the Jade Fang Temple. Cast out for stealing relics to heal his dying wife. Only to find her already gone.
Now, he sat drinking in a street of corpses, chanting prayers he no longer believed in.
"Still praying?" Rahul asked.
"I forgot how to stop."
Rahul offered him a silver flask filled with Chaos wine.
"Drink this. And remember how to break things."
He did.
[Emotional Signature Linked: Guilt, Obsession, Sorrow][Chaos Affinity: Very High]
[Apostle Accepted: Yashan – Apostle of Broken Faith]
The third was unexpected.
A child.
No older than ten. Silent. Watching as his village burned from the edge of Bagania. He didn't cry. He didn't blink.
Rahul crouched.
"Are you afraid?"
The boy shook his head.
"Why?"
"I liked it when it burned."
Rahul smiled.
[Emotional Signature Linked: Numbness, Curiosity, Hunger][Chaos Affinity: Unknown – Classified as Variable]
[Apostle Accepted: Riku – Apostle of Silent Fire]
—
And so it began.
Three Apostles. Three Flames. Three Faces of Chaos.
Rahul stood before them, his Chaos Crown glowing softly, his aura pulsing across the cracked stones of Bagania.
"You are not my soldiers," he said. "You are not followers. You are storms."
"You will burn what needs to be burned. Save what must be shattered. And never bow again."
They said nothing.
But he knew they had already changed.
Far across the city, Kalan watched from atop the Pure Mind Sect's broken tower.
He saw the three new Apostles.
He licked his lips.
"A rival king, hmm?"
He held out his hand.
A mirror formed in mid-air. Inside it, images of screaming people, melting faces, children laughing in madness.
"I like you, Rahul," he whispered. "Let's see who the world fears more."
[DING! Chaos System Message]
[Warning: Apostle Duel Challenge Incoming]
[Location: City Center – 24 Hours to Accept]
[Victory Rewards: Corruption Surge +10%, Unique Chaos Law Fragment, Territory Expansion Rights]
Rahul read the message, then looked at his three Apostles.
"Prepare yourselves," he said.
"This isn't about fighting."
"This is about who deserves to rewrite this world."