Chapter 357 — The Flame That Erases Promises
Zahkariel charged at Ethan again.
Ethan charged too.
Neither slowed.
Fist and sword collided.
**BAAAAAAAAAAM.**
A colossal blast erupted.
The ground caved in a circle.
Windows of nearby buildings shattered all at once.
A shockwave swept the street like an invisible hurricane.
Brakk clung to a wall.
— DID THEY SIGN A CONTRACT WITH THE GROUND OR WHAT?!
**The Brutal Exchange**
Ethan immediately followed up.
A flurry of punches.
Ultra fast.
Ultra heavy.
Each strike created a dull bang, as if the air exploded inside itself.
Zahkariel blocked.
Sword raised.
**Impact 1**
The clash bent space around the blade.
A circular wave hurled dust and debris for meters.
**Impact 2**
The ground beneath Zahkariel cracked into a star pattern.
His feet sank slightly.
**Impact 3**
The air compressed so tightly a sharp noise rang out… then burst into a mini sonic boom.
**Impact 4**
A wall behind Zahkariel shattered… though the punch hadn't touched it.
**Impact 5**
The sky above vibrated, clouds ripped apart as if struck.
Zahkariel slid half a step.
Ethan smiled.
— Ah… you're holding up.
Zahkariel replied calmly:
— I could say the same.
**Zero Strike**
Ethan deflected the sword with a sharp motion.
— Zero Strike.
His fist flew.
The world seemed to freeze for a fraction of a second.
**IMPACT.**
The blow was so violent Zahkariel seemed… disconnected.
His eyes went blank for an instant.
Blood burst from his mouth.
The shock bent space behind him, as if reality itself absorbed the hit.
Brakk screamed:
— OH NO HE LAGGED! THE JINN LAGGED!!
But immediately…
Fissures opened around Ethan.
Several new creatures emerged.
Shapeless masses of burned contracts, chains of ink, and whispering faces.
They all rushed him.
Ethan had to step back to avoid being overwhelmed.
Brakk panicked.
— Oh what did he just do…
— If this keeps up we're doomed!!
A henchman muttered:
— I told you we should've stayed home today…
**Anath‑Zereth, the Flame of the Abolished Oath**
Zahkariel slowly raised his hand.
A flame appeared.
But it was neither heat… nor light.
It was a black‑gold fire, silent, almost unreal.
— Anath‑Zereth… the Flame of the Abolished Oath.
When it burned something:
- The promise was erased from past, present, and future.
- The memory of the oath vanished from all minds.
- The destiny tied to that oath ceased to have ever existed.
He covered his blade with this flame.
The sword changed.
Broken symbols appeared along the edge.
The air around it disintegrated into particles.
**Now the blade could:**
👉 Erase a technique forever with a single cut.
👉 Suppress a bond, a pact, or divine protection with a wound.
👉 Cancel past training as if it had never happened.
👉 Even erase a victory achieved through determination.
In short:
If the blade touched Ethan… some things might never have been true.
Brakk shouted:
— GO GO JINN!!
**Storm of Torn Contracts**
Zahkariel exhaled.
— Storm of Torn Contracts.
The sky ripped open.
Thousands of fragments of scrolls appeared.
Each bore signatures, seals, erased oaths.
Then…
They began to spin.
A monstrous cyclone formed.
The wind wasn't wind: it was conceptual force.
Each fragment tore away:
- The stability of space
- The coherence of movement
- The memory of actions
Ethan, busy repelling the creatures, was caught in the pull.
The ground cracked beneath him.
Nearby buildings twisted toward the storm like sucked into an invisible black hole.
**Power of the attack:**
👉 Can disorient an opponent by erasing the logic of their movements.
👉 Can break attack chains.
👉 Can drag them into a space where their actions are "no longer recognized."
👉 The more the target relies on will or technique… the more destabilized they become.
Brakk raised his fist.
— THAT'S HOW IT'S DONE JINN!!
— SHOW HIM WHO'S BOSS HERE!!
A henchman replied:
— Boss… I think the boss still isn't us.
— SHUT UP AND SUPPORT THE TEAM!!
Inside the storm…
Ethan planted his feet.
His coat whipped in the conceptual wind.
He lifted his head.
And smiled.
The fight…
Was moving to the next level.
Chapter 358 — The Broken Vows and the Narrator Who Butts In
Zahkariel slowly raised his hand.
His smile widened, and the air around him grew… heavy.
As if reality itself was holding its breath.
— Invocation of Broken Pacts…
— Creatures born of abandoned vows.
The ground trembled.
Space cracked like a mirror.
Silhouettes emerged… one, two… then six.
And each of them was… profoundly disturbing.
**The Creatures of Abandoned Vows**
1. **The Faceless Child**
A frail body covered in glowing scars.
Instead of a face: a smooth surface… upon which erased words appeared.
Each step echoed children's voices whispering: *"I wanted to become…"* *"I should have…"*
**Power:**
👉 Can erase an opponent's will.
👉 The more one doubts, the stronger it becomes.
👉 Can trap a target in eternal hesitation.
2. **The King Without a Crown**
A giant in broken armor, dragging a cape made of torn contracts.
His chest was open, revealing a black void that swallowed light.
**Power:**
👉 Cancels abilities activated by oath, promise, or determination.
👉 Can force an opponent to "renounce" a technique.
👉 The stronger someone swore to be… the easier he can break them.
3. **The Bride of Mist**
A feminine silhouette made of silver smoke, holding a withered bouquet.
Each falling petal turned into a blade.
**Power:**
👉 Can turn emotions into weapons.
👉 Can materialize regrets into physical attacks.
👉 If someone feels remorse… she can cut them with it.
4. **The Hound of Dead Promises**
A massive beast of chains and bones, its jaws dripping violet light.
Each bark distorted space.
**Power:**
👉 Can bind an opponent to past decisions.
👉 Can slow someone by invoking their past.
👉 The more mistakes someone made… the slower they become.
5. **The Monk of the Last Oath**
A levitating figure wrapped in burned scrolls.
His eyes were sewn shut.
**Power:**
👉 Can temporarily seal any ability.
👉 Can reduce a fight to pure brute force.
👉 Can impose magical silence.
6. **The Shadow of Unchosen Paths**
A shifting black mass, constantly changing form.
Each second, it took Ethan's shape… then other possible versions of him.
**Power:**
👉 Can create hostile alternate futures.
👉 Can anticipate movements.
👉 Can simulate possibilities and strike before they happen.
Zahkariel spread his arms.
— Go, my kittens… tear this man apart.
Ethan stared at the creatures.
Silence.
— …
— …
— What the hell is this now?!
**The Battle Explodes**
The Shadow of Unchosen Paths charged first.
Ethan sighed.
— Fine… let's start slow.
**Zero Strike**
His fist flew.
The air vanished around him.
BOOM.
Half the creature disintegrated, as if reality forgot it was supposed to exist.
Brakk shouted from afar:
— THAT'S NOT LEGAL!!
The Hound of Dead Promises leapt.
Ethan extended his hand.
Gravity flipped.
The beast was pulled toward him like into a black hole.
— Bad dog.
Then…
**Barrage of Punches.**
Each blow unleashed a silent shockwave.
The monster's body cracked… then shattered into fragments of energy.
The Bride of Mist attacked.
Hundreds of blades of regret flew.
Ethan vanished.
Reappeared before her.
A single kick.
BOOM.
The creature exploded like a cloud scattered by a storm.
The others attacked together.
Ethan kept his hands in his pockets.
— Seriously… is that all?
He advanced.
Each punch shattered a creature.
Each impact bent space.
Each step shook the ground.
In seconds…
Nothing remained.
Silence.
Ethan looked at Zahkariel.
— Don't tell me that's all you've got.
— I hope you'll let me cut loose a bit, Mister Zahkariel.
Zahkariel smiled.
— I must admit… you're rather strong, Ethan.
Then he vanished.
**The Blade of Forgotten Words**
He reappeared above Ethan.
— Invocation of Broken Pacts…
— Blade of Forgotten Words.
A sword appeared.
It looked like cracked black glass, inside which erased phrases floated.
Each time it moved, voices whispered:
*"I promise you…"*
*"I'll always…"*
*"I'll never give up…"*
**Power:**
👉 Cuts anything based on intention.
👉 Can cancel a technique before it's executed.
👉 Can break the link between thought and action.
👉 A wound from this blade erases a capacity for a time.
Zahkariel struck.
Ethan leapt back.
Zahkariel was already in front of him.
He struck again.
Ethan threw a punch.
**IMPACT.**
A titanic shockwave exploded.
The ground split for dozens of meters.
Nearby buildings shook.
An entire wall cracked.
Both stepped back.
Ethan exhaled.
— … So it's like… principle of ending commitments?
Zahkariel smiled.
— How perceptive.
— Yet I haven't even shown it yet.
— How did you guess?
Ethan shrugged.
— I don't know. It just popped into my head.
**The Narrator Butts In**
The narrator's voice echoed:
— In reality, Zahkariel's power is based on the conceptual rupture of commitments. He can invalidate promises, contracts, decisions, and intentions. Which makes his attacks particularly dangerous against—
Ethan looked up.
— OI.
— You'd better explain this properly.
— And you'd better do it well.
The narrator raised an invisible hand.
— 👍 It'll be done, don't worry.
Zahkariel sighed.
— Better for you.
In the distance.
Brakk watched the scene.
— … Who's he talking to again?
A henchman replied:
— I almost thought I'd gone insane.
Brakk shook his head.
— No, no.
— They're the ones who've gone insane.
Zahkariel resumed his stance.
Ethan cracked his knuckles.
The air vibrated.
Both smiled.
The real fight…
Was about to begin.
Chapter 359 — The One Who Knows Too Much
At the heart of the conceptual storm…
Ethan straightened.
His feet anchored in the cracked ground.
His coat whipping under the fragments of torn pacts.
He smiled.
— That was pretty good.
Zahkariel replied, amused:
— Glad you enjoyed it.
Ethan shrugged.
— It was satisfying…
— but it's not enough.
**Invisible Blows**
Without raising his hands…
Several punches fired at a distance.
Invisible impacts compressed the air, creating muffled explosions rushing straight at Zahkariel.
The ground behind him was already caving under the pressure waves.
Zahkariel didn't even lift his hand.
Slashes appeared in space.
Not visible attacks.
Cuts in reality itself.
Ethan's blows were shredded mid‑flight, scattered like glass.
Then Zahkariel charged.
The slashes kept appearing around him, flying toward Ethan without him needing to move.
Ethan dodged.
No wasted gestures.
Just short, precise movements.
A step.
A pivot.
A slide.
One slash passed millimeters from his cheek, slicing a wall behind him as if it had never existed.
And suddenly…
A voice rang out.
— Ethan. Step back.
**Entrance of the Commander**
Ethan and Zahkariel turned.
Commander Liora stood there.
Straight.
Calm.
Arms crossed.
Her gaze swept the battlefield as if she were inspecting a meeting room.
Ethan sighed.
— Ah… smells like a work meeting.
He activated *Stride of Piercing Void*.
One step.
He reappeared beside her.
— What's going on?
Liora answered:
— I didn't know it was Zahkariel here.
Zahkariel raised a brow.
— Since when am I famous?
— How do you know my name?
Liora replied immediately:
— It doesn't matter in the slightest.
She fixed him.
Then declared calmly:
— He is the very principle of the end of commitments.
— He is the liberator of the irrevocable.
A heavy silence fell.
Even the conceptual wind seemed to slow.
**The Truth About Zahkariel**
Liora continued:
— In the order of the cosmos, Zahkariel exists for one reason only:
— to prevent anything from becoming absolutely eternal.
She raised her hand slightly, counting on her fingers.
— Without him:
divine pacts would be infinite prisons
curses could never be lifted
destiny would be frozen forever
She added, evenly:
— He is not just a jinn.
— He is a function.
Ethan raised his hand.
— Okay, no need to spell it all out.
— We'll end up giving him a cosmic Wikipedia page.
Brakk, in the distance:
— YES THANK YOU!
— EXPLAIN EVERYTHING TO HIM!
— MAYBE GIVE HIM HIS WEAKNESSES TOO WHILE YOU'RE AT IT!!
A henchman:
— Boss… I think she already knows.
— I KNOW AND THAT DOESN'T REASSURE ME!!
**The Jinn's Suspicion**
Zahkariel stared at Liora.
For the first time… his smile faded slightly.
— You… you're dangerous.
— How do you know all this about me?
Liora answered curtly:
— Why do you want to know?
— It's none of your concern.
She turned to Ethan.
— And you.
— Leave his men alone.
Ethan blinked.
— Huh?
— Well, we're leaving.
Silence.
Even the storm seemed to hesitate.
Ethan looked at Zahkariel.
Then Liora.
Then Zahkariel.
Then Liora.
— Wait…
— I get woken up, I come to work, I fight…
— and now we're leaving?
Liora:
— Yes.
— Just like that?
— Yes.
— Without a final spanking?
— Ethan.
— Fine, we're leaving.
**Reactions**
Brakk froze.
— …
— …
— …WHAT KIND OF SCENARIO IS THIS?!
A henchman:
— Boss… we just got saved by HR.
— I DON'T WANT TO BE SAVED BY HR!!
Zahkariel watched Liora leave with Ethan.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
— Interesting…
He murmured:
— So… she knows the truth.
A slow smile returned to his face.
— That makes things… much more entertaining.
Chapter 361 — Strategic Lies and Embarrassing Truths
Brakk punched the wall.
— Liora… you ruined my plan!
A chunk of plaster fell.
Another.
Then a third.
One underling looked up.
— Boss… you just hit a load‑bearing wall.
Brakk slowly turned.
— …if the building collapses, I'll say it was one of Ethan's spells.
He rubbed his face.
— Because of her I couldn't seize the jinn's powers…
Why did she show up…?
Did she figure out my plan…?
He shook his head.
— No… impossible… I played the game well… I didn't let anything slip…
The jinn burst out laughing.
— HAHAHAHA!
The underlings stepped back.
— …is he okay? whispered one.
— I think he's glitching, answered another.
Zahkariel slowly turned his head toward Brakk.
— What makes you laugh, human?
Brakk raised a hand.
— Nothing… I just realized the commander is sharper than I thought.
— How so?
Brakk took a deep breath.
Then lied with incredible confidence.
— She knew I was preparing something to bring down Ethan.
Zahkariel narrowed his eyes.
— Really?
Brakk nodded.
— Clearly… she's perceptive.
*(Narrator: Brakk was lying like a cosmic carpet salesman.)*
His real plan had never been about Ethan.
It was Zahkariel he wanted to absorb.
The jinn crossed his arms.
— And what had you planned for Ethan… my dear host?
Brakk smiled.
The smile of a man improvising… but improvising well.
### Brakk's Fake Plan
— It was simple, he explained.
Ethan is physically strong. Very strong. Too direct.
Zahkariel nodded.
— Continue.
— So I planned to exploit his only weakness: the way he thinks.
One underling muttered:
— He's implying he doesn't think?
— Shh, it's strategic.
Brakk went on:
— My idea was to provoke a long fight between you two.
While you fought, I would spread an unstable mirror aura in the area.
Zahkariel frowned.
— A mirror aura?
— Yes.
A twisted version of your principle:
it would make Ethan believe every strike he landed broke a sealed pact inside him.
— …and?
— Ethan would unconsciously reduce his own power to avoid destroying those "pacts."
He'd start holding back… doubting… analyzing…
Brakk spread his hands.
— And Ethan who overthinks… is Ethan who loses.
Silence.
Then Zahkariel slowly smiled.
— …not bad.
You planned to use his instinct against him.
Brakk nodded like a master strategist.
*(Narrator: He had just invented all of this in thirty seconds.)*
— But Liora intervened before I could set it up.
Zahkariel studied him.
— Hm… I see.
He nodded.
— You are more interesting than I thought.
Brakk, inwardly:
**OH SHIT HE BOUGHT IT.**
---
### Meanwhile — heading back to the guild
Ethan walked calmly beside Liora.
— Why did you stop my fight?
— Because sometimes you need to be wary of who you're facing.
— Honestly I was sure I'd win.
— That's not the point.
Ethan shrugged.
— If winning doesn't matter, I don't see the point of fighting.
Liora sighed.
— I think Brakk was scheming something.
— Yeah, no doubt, he's got a scheming face even when he sleeps.
— I don't know exactly what… but making Zahkariel disappear would be a mistake.
— Why?
— Because some beings have a cosmic role.
Ethan looked at her.
— So you stopped me from punching a principle of the universe?
— Yes.
— …
— …
— …can I punch him just a little next time?
Liora closed her eyes.
— Ethan…
— What, just a little. Not too much. Promise.
— You said the same with the lava dragon.
— He was touchy too.
Silence.
Then Ethan asked:
— So if I had kept going…?
Liora answered calmly:
— You would have won.
Ethan smiled.
— I knew it.
— But something worse could have happened.
Ethan thought.
— …like what?
Liora replied:
— Brakk.
Ethan stayed silent for two seconds.
— …yeah okay, him I really need to punch.
---
### Back to Brakk
Zahkariel looked at him.
— We shall see if your intelligence matches your tongue.
Brakk smiled.
— Give me a little time… and you'll see.
*(Narrator: Brakk had absolutely no plan.)*
One underling whispered:
— Boss… did you really plan something?
Brakk muttered:
— No… but now I have to come up with one.
— …
— …and fast.