The pull returned.
Stronger than before.
Not violent.
Not frantic.
It was calm.
Certain.
Like the world itself had decided where I belonged.
---
> [External Authority Lock: Active]
Source: Orthodox Exorcist Sect
Method: Spiritual Claim Protocol
"…Protocol?" I muttered.
> [Explanation: Formal subjugation process.]
"Of course they have paperwork for ghosts."
---
The sky above the city shifted.
Not clouds.
Symbols.
Golden lines etched across the air, invisible to normal eyes, forming a massive circular array that slowly descended.
The city didn't notice.
But every spirit did.
---
Residual wraiths fled.
Anchored spirits trembled.
Bound entities went silent.
And me?
I was targeted.
---
> [Threat Assessment:]
Authority Level: High
Direct Resistance: Not Recommended]
"…I figured."
---
The pressure settled on my core like a hand.
Not squeezing.
Testing.
Measuring.
---
A voice echoed—not through sound, but law.
> "Unregistered spirit."
"You are outside the cycle."
"Submit for purification and reassignment."
Reassignment?
"…What happens if I say no?"
> [Historical Data: Resistance leads to forceful exorcism.]
"Thought so."
---
I drifted backward, keeping altitude.
The array reacted immediately.
Lines shifted.
Adjusted.
Tracking me.
---
> [Hunter Pattern Recognition: Active]
Prediction: 2 seconds to containment zone closure]
"Too fast."
---
Golden chains manifested in midair.
Not like the hunter's tools.
These weren't weapons.
They were rules.
---
I dodged left.
The chains corrected.
I dropped.
They curved.
No blind spots.
No hesitation.
---
"…Okay," I breathed.
"So that's authority."
> [Observation: Correct.]
---
I gathered emotion.
Fear surged—too wild.
Anger—unstable.
I filtered.
Focused.
Defiance.
---
> [Skill Used: Emotional Pulse]
The shockwave hit the chains.
They rattled.
Shuddered.
Did not break.
---
> [Effectiveness Reduced: Authority Suppression Detected]
"…They nerfed me."
> [Clarification: Your power is being overwritten.]
That was worse.
---
The voice returned.
Closer.
> "Struggling increases karmic debt."
"I already died of illness," I snapped.
"My debt's paid."
---
The pressure intensified.
My core screamed.
Not from damage—
From denial.
---
> [Spirit Core Integrity: 71% → 63%]
This wasn't a fight I could win head-on.
Not yet.
---
I scanned.
Hunters weren't here.
This was clean.
Controlled.
Which meant—
Limited coverage.
---
> [Hunter Pattern Recognition: Extended Application]
Analyzing Array Gaps…
A flicker.
High above.
Between symbols.
A place where authority thinned.
---
"…There."
I compressed my core.
Not power.
Presence.
---
> [Prototype Technique:]
Emotional Camouflage → Authority Slipstream (Unstable)
The system paused.
Then—
> [Warning: High Risk Adaptation.]
"Story of my afterlife."
---
I moved.
Straight up.
No tricks.
No resistance.
Just alignment.
---
The chains snapped shut—
Missed.
Barely.
---
Pain ripped through my core.
> [Spirit Core Integrity: 55%]
But I was through.
---
Above the array, the pressure dropped sharply.
The voice cut off mid-command.
Silence rushed in.
---
I didn't stop.
Didn't slow.
Didn't look back.
---
Far below, the golden symbols flickered.
Collapsed inward.
---
> [Authority Lock: Failed]
> [System Notice:]
You have resisted formal subjugation.
Status Updated: Free Spirit (Minor)
"…That sounds important."
> [Assessment: Extremely.]
---
The city stretched beneath me.
Smaller.
Farther away.
---
I hovered in the cold air, core aching, existence ragged—
But intact.
---
Somewhere far below—
Exorcists would report.
Records would be updated.
A new category added.
---
Not prey.
Not rogue.
---
A problem.
---
> [Path of Return: Diverged]
New Route Unlocked: Independent Ascension
I steadied myself.
Breathing out of habit.
Smiling despite the pain.
---
"…Guess I just offended another faction."
> [Conclusion: Yes.]
---