Chapter 7: 0.2 Seconds of Life
The air in the vault hadn't even settled from the Governor's explosion before the first strike arrived.
It wasn't a physical attack. It was a golden spear of pure intent that pierced through the ceiling, thirty floors of concrete and steel, as if they were made of mist. The spear slammed into the ground between David and Emily, erupting into a shockwave of holy pressure that threw them against opposite walls.
[Warning: Candidate Rank 3 'The Iron Monk' has entered the zone.]
[Status: Ambush.]
"Rank 11," a calm, resonant voice echoed through the vault. "You have performed a great service by harvesting that blessing for us. Now, be a good little ant and hand it over."
A man descended through the hole in the ceiling, floating down with impossible grace. He was dressed in simple saffron robes that shimmered with a metallic sheen. Every inch of his skin looked like burnished bronze. Above him, his rank shimmered like a miniature sun: [Rank 3].
"Emily, get to the trapdoor!" David yelled, his heart hammered against his ribs—not in a Rhythm of Fortune, but in a Thump of Dread so violent it felt like his chest would burst.
"I'm not leaving you with him!" Emily cried, raising her pulse-rifle, but her hands were shaking. The Iron Monk wasn't a Construct; the pressure coming off him was the weight of a soul that had already climbed halfway to the Eternity Realm.
"How touching," the Iron Monk smiled. He didn't use a weapon. He simply raised a hand and flicked a finger toward Emily.
A bead of golden energy shot toward her, moving at speeds David's eyes couldn't track.
Skip-Beat!
[Beat Sync: Overclocking to 0.2 Seconds...]
In that micro-second, the world froze. To Emily, the golden bead was certain death. To the Iron Monk, it was a finished chore. But to David, the world was a still life in shades of grey and silver.
He used Storm-Step.
With the Breath of the Wind infused into his legs, David didn't run; he translated through space. He appeared in front of Emily just as the 0.2-second window was closing. He couldn't dodge the bead—it was too wide. He did the only thing a "Void-Hardened" survivor could do.
He caught it.
CRACK.
The golden bead exploded in David's palm. The skin of his hand vanished, revealing the blackened, obsidian-infused bone beneath. He was sent skidding backward, his boots carving deep trenches into the vault floor.
[Integrity: 62%]
[Warning: Bone fracture detected. System compensation initiated.]
The Iron Monk's eyebrows shot up. "You caught a Soul-Piercer? At Rank 11?" He laughed, a dry, metallic sound. "Impressive. You really are a glitch in the Nursery."
"I've caught worse things in the dark," David panted, his hand smoking. The obsidian energy was already knitting his flesh back together, the black smoke weaving through his wounds. "Emily! THE DOOR!"
Emily realized that her rifle was useless here. She slammed her fist into the [Under-City Access] trapdoor, feeding it the Governor's key. The floor began to slide open, revealing a vertical drop into a world of flickering red static and rusted pipes.
"You aren't going anywhere," the Monk said, his bronze skin beginning to glow. He pulled back a fist, the air around it distorting. "Iron Fist of the Third Realm!"
The punch wasn't just a hit; it was a vacuum. It pulled David toward the Monk's fist.
Badum-tap! Badum-tap!
David's heart gave two sharp, rapid pulses. It wasn't a dodge command this time. It was a Sync-Strike.
As the Monk's fist connected with David's chest—right over the Primal Heart—David didn't try to block. He leaned into it.
BOOM.
The Monk's eyes widened. He felt his golden energy hit David's chest and... disappear. It was like punching a black hole.
[Skill Trigger: Ancestral Feedback - Overload]
David's heart absorbed the strike and sent it back twofold, mixed with the howling, jagged wind of the second blessing. A blast of black and silver energy erupted from David's chest, hitting the Monk point-blank.
The Rank 3 candidate was sent flying backward, his saffron robes scorching as he smashed through three gold-filled safety deposit boxes.
"Go!" David grabbed Emily by the collar and jumped into the trapdoor just as the Iron Monk let out a roar of absolute fury.
As they fell into the dark, David saw the Monk standing over the edge of the pit, his bronze face contorted into a mask of rage.
"I will find you, Nineteen!" the Monk screamed, his voice fading as they plummeted. "There is no place in the Under-City to hide from the Heavens!"
[Environment Change: The Under-City]
[Status: Rogue Candidates]
[Objective: Survive the Graveyard.]
David hit the bottom of the shaft with a heavy thud, his internal system flickering. He looked at his rank.
[Rank Update: 11 -> 10]
"We made it," Emily whispered, coughing in the dusty, oil-scented air. She looked around. They were in a cavernous basement that stretched for miles, filled with the "trash" of previous failed simulations—shattered buildings, broken Constructs, and the ghosts of candidates who hadn't been fast enough.
David sat up, clutching his chest. His heart was beating slowly now, a weary, rhythmic thrum.
"We aren't safe, Emily," David said, looking into the darkness where thousands of red eyes were slowly opening. "The Monk is the least of our problems down here."