The first sign of trouble was the crunch of boots on dry grass.
Dozens of figures emerged from the morning mist, their black-and-silver robes marked with the jagged crest of the Cloudpiercer Sect.
They didn't march—they prowled, each step measured, like hunters closing in on trapped prey.
At their front strode a man with a long spear strapped to his back, his hair tied high in a war knot. His eyes swept over the humble village with open disdain.
"So this," he sneered, "is where the so-called 'Dawn Warrior' hides. I expected more than mud huts and weaklings."
Kel stood at the edge of the central square, hands clasped loosely behind his back. His white robe swayed gently in the wind, his expression unreadable.
> [Dawn Approaches In: 00:12:47]
The translucent timer hovered in the corner of his vision. The system's calm blue glow was a stark contrast to the murderous aura closing in on him.
"You have ten seconds to kneel," the spear-wielding scout said. "If you don't… we'll start by taking the heads of every child here."
Several villagers gasped, clutching their loved ones. Kel's gaze flicked toward them for only a heartbeat, then back to the man.
"Ten seconds," Kel replied softly, "is more than enough to kill a man. But not yet."
The scouts exchanged puzzled looks. The spear-wielder laughed.
"Not yet? Do you think you control the time of your death?"
>[Dawn Approaches In: 00:10:03]
Kel didn't answer. He simply shifted his footing, planting himself between the scouts and the villagers.
The first attack came without warning—a flicker of movement, a blade slicing toward his neck. Kel ducked, feeling the wind of steel pass over his head, then pivoted sharply, shoving his attacker away.
The crowd roared in surprise. This "mortal" had just evaded a killing blow from a trained Cloudpiercer disciple.
Two more came at him, one from the front, one from the side. Kel stepped back, letting them collide in their own momentum, then sidestepped again.
> [00:08:45]
He wasn't fighting to win. Not yet.
Every movement was a calculation: spend the least energy possible, buy more seconds.
A spear tip grazed his ribs, tearing fabric but not flesh. Kel's breath came slower than his heart would have liked.
"Why do you run, coward?!" one scout snarled.
"Because I like living," Kel said, voice even. "Don't you?"
> [00:05:00]
The timer glowed brighter. The final stretch.
Five minutes until dawn's first light touched the earth.
They came harder now, sensing his stamina must be waning.
Blades whistled past his ears, fists hammered against his guard, and every deflection sent shocks through his arms.
A kick slammed into his side, forcing him to his knees. Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth.
The villagers' screams rang in his ears, but behind the pain, a smile began to form.
> [00:00:12]
[00:00:05]
[00:00:03]
[00:00:02]
[00:00:01]
The horizon blazed.
A shard of gold split the darkness, spilling over the rooftops and bathing the square in light.
> [Dawn Power Activation: ONLINE]
[All Attributes ×100]
Kel rose slowly, the air around him shimmering. His torn robe fluttered in a wind that hadn't been there a moment ago.
"Your time," he said, eyes burning like molten gold, "is up."
The first scout lunged—and was gone. Kel's hand had closed around his throat, lifting him effortlessly before slamming him into the ground with bone-cracking force.
A second came screaming with a blade, only for Kel to sidestep and snap his weapon in half with two fingers. A knee to the chest sent the man flying into a hut wall.
The rest froze, the confidence draining from their faces.
Kel stepped forward.
"Come. One by one. Let me test something."
What followed was not a battle—it was a demonstration.
Each scout came, and each was dismantled in a different way: a single punch that cratered the earth, a palm strike that silenced a heartbeat, a throw that left ribs shattered.
When the last one fell, silence swallowed the square.
Kel looked at the bodies, then at the villagers—wide-eyed, trembling, alive.
"This will not happen again," he said.
"From today, this village will have a shield… and a sword."
He turned toward the rising sun.
> [New System Function Unlocked: Monarch Mode]
[Sect Creation Available]
"The Dawn Sect," Kel murmured. "And this is where it begins."
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