"Rudy, let's go!"

  Jin's shout tore through the distant roars echoing across burning Vienna as both of them broke into a dead sprint toward the nearest intact building—a two-story residential structure maybe two hundred yards away across broken pavement and debris-strewn streets.

  Two hundred yards. Might as well be two miles with what's coming.

  ? Alert! First wave incoming ?

  ? 7 hostiles detected—approaching at high velocity ?

  ? ETA: 12 seconds ?

  "Shit!" Jin's sight tracked movement in the darkness, multiple abominations converging from different vectors. Too fast, too coordinated.

  "They are here, Jin!" Rudy panted, sword still smoldering with residual Asura flames that left embers trailing in their wake. "Three o'clock and ten o'clock! Moving fast!"

  "I see them! Keep running—don't slow down!"

  We're not going to make it to cover before they intercept. Need to buy time. Need—

  An idea formed with Overdrive's enhanced processing speed.

  Illusions. Make them chase ghosts while we slip away…

  Jin flicked his wrist, Astral Essence twisting through patterns his new skill helpfully provided. The incantation came automatically, words flowing like he'd known them forever.

  ? “Essence of mirage, echo of motion—project the shadow of our flight and lead all eyes astray!” ?

  His essence flared outward—more than he wanted to spend but less than the spell would normally cost thanks to enhanced efficiency—and two perfect duplicates of him and Rudy materialized beside them mid-sprint.

  The illusions were good. Not perfect under close scrutiny, but good enough to fool sensors that weren't looking too hard, carrying appropriate heat signatures and movement patterns that mimicked their originals.

  "Rudy, grab on!" Jin commanded without slowing.

  "What—"

  Jin grabbed Rudy's forearm and called Reduvia, darkness flooding outward, wrapping them both in concealing night.

  Their illusory duplicates kept running straight ahead toward the building at full speed, footsteps echoing authentically off broken concrete. Jin and Rudy veered left sharply, movements hidden by Darkness Born's cloak, making for different cover—a partially collapsed office building with better sight lines and multiple exits.

  "Oh, that's clever," Rudy muttered, understanding immediately. "But will it work?"

  "Ask me in ten seconds."

  The first wave burst into the street with horrifying speed.

  Four Flesh Amalgams—similar variants to what they'd just killed—charged after the illusions with mindless aggression, claws extended, multiple mouths screaming challenges that echoed off ruined buildings. Pure bestial fury, no tactics, just raw hunger.

  But three different creatures paused at the street's edge, scanning methodically rather than charging blindly.

  ? Target Classification: Bio-Mech-Flesh Hybrids ?

  ? Performing appraisal ?

  Jin's skill analyzed them automatically. These new variants were nightmares of stitched biology and technological augmentation that shouldn't be possible—sensors mounted where eyes should be, mechanical limbs integrated seamlessly with corrupted flesh, movements precise rather than bestial, scanning patterns that spoke to shared intelligence.

  ? Analysis Complete ?

  ? Mech-Flesh Hybrids: Enhanced perception systems detected ?

  ? Sensors actively scanning for: life signs, essence signatures, heat patterns, movement anomalies ?

  ? Alert: Active connection to veil network found ?

  ? Estimated time before detection: 12.7 seconds ?

  Damn it.

  Jin watched as the hybrid creatures' sensor arrays—mounted like grotesque third eyes in their foreheads—flashed red once, twice, sweeping across the area in coordinated triangulation patterns.

  The sensors flashed red again, focusing.

  ? Warning: Detection imminent ?

  ? Probability of discovery: 87% and rising ?

  "They're gonna find us," Jin hissed through clenched teeth. "Those sensors are too good. Shadow cloaking won't fool them, not when they are connected to the fucking Veil."

  "Then we better hit them first!" Rudy started to move forward, muscles tensing for a charge, but Jin's hand on his arm stopped him cold.

  "Wait. No. Different plan… give me a sec." Jin's mind raced faster than heartbeats, Narrator and overdrive burning essence, but providing solutions.

  o______________________o

  ? Target: Bio-Mech-Flesh Hybrid

  ? Rank: Low Overmortal

  ? Threat Level: Medium

  ? Origin: Artificial bio-mechanical construct—necrotic tissue fused with adaptive alloy frame.

  ? Traits: Rapid regeneration, integrated mana cannons, predictive targeting.

  ? Weakness: Fire and light essence; concentrated strikes to sternum plating expose core.

  ? Behavior: Calculated aggression. Prioritizes the highest essence signature. Coordinated.

  o______________________o

  ? Recommended Action: Maintain distance—disable joints first—overheat to disrupt regeneration ?

  ?Analysis complete ?

  Rudy's asked. "Jin, what are you planning?"

  "Something probably stupid." Jin pulled out potions from his spatial storage—two essence boost, one healing, and the single scroll of divine blessing they'd been saving. "Drink your potions. Use the scroll for protection. Then, when I give the signal, you drop everything, pick me up, and run to that building. Don't stop for anything. Don't look back. Just run."

  "What do you mean, 'drop everything'?!" Rudy's whisper carried genuine fear—not for himself, but for Jin. "That's what you said before passing out last time! What the hell are you planning?!"

  Jin didn't answer.

  Rudy stared at him for three long heartbeats, purple eyes searching Jin's face for signs of suicidal insanity.

  Then Rudy sighed—deep and long-suffering—and took the items.

  "Are you about to do something incredibly stupid that might kill you?" Rudy asked flatly.

  "Probably," Jin admitted with brutal honesty.

  "And you need me to just trust you on this?"

  "Yeah."

  Rudy stared at him for another moment, jaw working like he wanted to argue, to demand explanations, to maybe punch Jin for being an idiot… but he was the smart one.

  Then he nodded once—sharp, decisive, absolute trust despite reasonable concerns.

  "Alright."

  Jin couldn't help the small grin that pulled at his lips. "That's the spirit. Now go make yourself a big target. Biggest, loudest target you can manage. I need every single one of those things focused entirely on you."

  "Great. I get to play bait again." Rudy downed both potions in quick succession—healing first, then essence boost—and crushed the divine blessing scroll against his chest. Golden light flared briefly before settling into his skin like protective armor. "You owe me for a lifetime already for sticking with you in this madness."

  "Bro… the alternative was quite literally death…"

  "Hmm. Sorry, can’t hear ya…"

  Jin chuckled and took a deep breath, falling into the breathing pattern of his Eternal Sovereign cultivation path. The world sharpened around him, coldness spreading through his mind and focusing his thoughts to crystal clarity. His essence reserves sat at comfortable levels—not full after the earlier fights, but healthy enough.

  For what I'm planning, I don't need much in reserve. Just need to commit everything at once.

  They quickly circled around the Mech-Flesh Hybrids carefully, staying low, using rubble for cover.

  “Wait for my mark before activating your skills…”

  “Hmm”

  ? Warning: Detection imminent ?

  ? Probability of discovery: 98% and rising ?

  Okay, it’s time.

  When they were close enough—when all seven hostiles were perfectly positioned—Jin gave a sharp nod.

  Rudy nodded back and exploded.

  Asura Hell Flames erupted outward in a massive wave of crimson-black fire that lit up the entire street like noon.

  "COME ON, YOU UGLY BASTARDS!" Rudy's battle cry echoed off ruined buildings. "Is that all you got?! I've seen scarier things in my grandma's basement!"

  The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

  Every single monster's attention snapped to Rudy as he activated Warrior's Call simultaneously. The projection of a greater warrior flashed behind him—towering and imposing.

  The four Flesh Amalgams charged immediately, mindless aggression overriding any semblance of tactics, all converging with murderous intent.

  The three Mech-Flesh Hybrids moved with terrifying coordination, sensors locking onto the massive essence spike, mana cannons activating along their arms with high-pitched whines.

  Perfect. Now comes the hard part.

  Jin reached deep into his Essence Heart.

  Past the comfortable surface layers. Past the reserves he normally tapped for skills. Down into the fundamental core where his Chains of Harvest resided in their most primal, dangerous form.

  Overdrive ramped to maximum capacity—triple processing speed, burning essence like wildfire consumed dry grass, his consciousness accelerating to speeds that made the

  world freeze around him.

  ? Warning: Cognitive acceleration at peak capacity ?

  ? Current essence expenditure: 8% per second ?

  ? Estimated time to complete depletion: 45 seconds ?

  More than enough. This only needs thirty. Maybe forty if I'm unlucky.

  This probably won't kill me. Probably.

  Pain spiked immediately as Jin pushed past safety limiters he'd never breached before, forcing his Mantle to manifest.

  Blood ran hot from his nose, copper taste filling his mouth. His vision blurred at the edges, threatening to grey out. His Essence Heart screamed protests through pathways that felt like they were being scoured with acid.

  Not done yet. Need one more thing. The most important thing.

  Deep within his Mantle—so deep Jin had to dig through layers of essence to find it—he located the microscopic wisps of Darkened One's blessing he'd harvested earlier.

  Faint echoes of divine power, barely perceptible, almost completely faded but still there, still carrying authority that corrupted creatures recognized as master's touch.

  Carefully, so carefully, Jin reached out with essence tendrils and began imbuing that divine wisp into his Chains of Harvest.

  The chains changed immediately.

  Taking on qualities that made Jin's Insight stat scream warnings, becoming something that carried the Darkened One's authority—not much, barely a whisper, but enough to fool corrupted creatures into thinking the chains belonged to their master.

  Okay. Phase one complete. Now for the really stupid part.

  Jin's hands shook from strain and pain, but the technique held.

  Every monster was aggro'd to Rudy now, circling him like wolves around wounded prey, closing distance with coordinated precision that suggested shared intelligence.

  Four Flesh Amalgams. Three Mech-Flesh Hybrids. Seven total targets, all within range.

  Perfect positioning for mass harvest.

  Jin waited—Overdrive making seconds feel like minutes—until all seven were close enough, weapons raised, claws extended, preparing to strike Rudy simultaneously from multiple angles.

  Now.

  Jin released his chains.

  Seven spectral links erupted from Jin simultaneously—more than he'd ever manifested at once, more than should be possible for someone at his rank—each one seeking a different target with unerring accuracy.

  The chains wrapped around each monster gently, non-threateningly, carrying the Darkened One's faint divine blessing that made corrupted creatures recognize them as not-enemy, as something belonging to their master's domain.

  The monsters paid the chains no attention whatsoever, focused entirely on the burning threat directly in front of them, ignoring the gentle restraints as irrelevant.

  "Sorry about this, bro," Jin muttered through blood-stained teeth that felt like they might shatter from grinding pressure.

  Then he shot one more chain—the eighth, the most dangerous—directly at Rudy's chest, wrapping around his friend's torso with spectral links that pulsed with harvest intent.

  "What the—Jin?!" Rudy's confusion and alarm were immediate, his head whipping around to find Jin's position.

  Three. Two. One.

  "Harvest"

  The chains bit deep simultaneously into all eight targets—seven monsters and one very surprised, very angry best friend.

  Essence flooded back through the connections in torrents, eight different sources all feeding into him at once.

  From the monsters: corrupted power trying to poison his system, darkened essence that tasted of wrong and death and things that shouldn't exist, all of it screaming through his consciousness like broken glass dragged across raw nerves.

  From Rudy: a carefully controlled wisp of pure Asura Hell Flames—Jin made absolutely sure to only harvest the minimum necessary, just the pattern, just the concept, not enough to actually hurt his friend.

  Focus.

  Now, I need to direct this.

  Jin focused, sharpening to a single point of purpose as he directed the star's conversion process.

  Monster essence—strip it down. Purified base fuel. Nothing more.

  Asura Hell Flames—isolate the pattern. Use it as a template.

  Combine them through the star. Convert everything into Asura Flames.

  The star's Essence Conversion Engine shifted modes instantly, responding to his conscious direction. What had been chaotic feedback suddenly organized into precise channels.

  The feedback created something magnificent and terrifying.

  Pure Asura Hell Flames, converted and refined through Jin's Harvest abilities, merged with purified monster essence at his core, and his Synthesis Matrix transformed it all into concentrated fire that carried both destruction and a whisper of divinity.

  Jin felt it building in his Essence Heart—power that wanted to explode, that needed release before it tore him apart from the inside.

  Harvest is always meant to be shared!

  Through the chains still connecting him to every target, Jin pushed the converted Asura flames back out, sharing his harvest with all eight recipients simultaneously.

  Asura flames erupted along every chain connection like someone had lit fuses on eight different bombs at once.

  The seven monsters shrieked in unified, agonized harmony as the flames burned through their cores from the inside out, flames they couldn't resist because the chains carried not only the concept of harvest but also the Darkened One's blessing that prevented them from rejecting what they perceived as their master's "gift."

  Flesh melted off bones that weren't properly real. Mechanical components fused together into useless slag. Cores incinerated one by one with the sound of reality cracking.

  Rudy's entire body turned ashen—literally ashen, like volcanic rock given human shape—and his power skyrocketed beyond anything Jin had ever felt from him before.

  The shared Asura flames fed back into Rudy's cultivation, amplified beyond normal limits, enhanced by harvest principles that defied conventional understanding.

  "Holy SHIT!" Rudy's laugh was manic, half-drunk on a sudden power surge that made his purple eyes glow. "WHAT DID YOU DO?! I feel like I could punch through a mountain!"

  His flames burned brighter, hotter, deadlier than anything Jin had seen,

  The monsters collapsed—some dead, some incapacitated beyond recovery, all thoroughly neutralized and no longer a threat.

  ? 5 Target Eliminated ?

  ? 2 Target Incapacited ?

  ? Harvested Resources: ?

  └─ +108.3 units of Vitality restored.

  └─ +198.3 units of essence.

  └─ +48.3 units of Astral Essence stored in [Essence Edge].

  └─ +0.0101 wisps Darkened One Aura

  └─ +0.0212 fragments Blessing of the Darkened One

  └─ +0.516 units Latent Aura

  └─ +0.115 affinity fragments (Darkness element)

  └─+0.81 fragments Convoluted Skill (insufficient data for reconstruction)

  └─+0.31 Corrupted commands stored. (insufficient data for reconstruction)

  ? Note: Need more conscious direction and proper commands for Harvest to gain targeted items.?

  ? RECOMMENDATION: Assign an Echo construct fragment for autonomous harvest optimization ?

  ? WARNING: USER APPROACHING CRITICAL THRESHOLD ?

  ? Extreme mental strain ?

  ? Recommendation: IMMEDIATE DISENGAGEMENT AND RECOVERY ?

  Jin caught himself from stumbling as the chains snapped back into his being like rubber bands released, dissolving under his skin with sensation like swallowing broken glass.

  Everything hurt.

  His pathways felt like someone had scoured them with wire brushes dipped in acid. His Essence Heart throbbed with exhaustion that went bone-deep. Blood ran freely from his nose, ears, and the corners of his eyes in warm rivulets that tasted of copper and failure.

  But they were alive. The monsters were dead or dying. Rudy was temporarily enhanced beyond normal limits.

  Worth it. Totally, completely worth it. We're alive. That's all that matters.

  "Rudy," Jin's voice came out weak and strained, words slurring together. "Pick me up. Building. Now. Can't... can't walk right now."

  "On it!" Rudy moved with speed enhanced by the power surge, scooping Jin up in a princess carry—surprisingly gentle despite enhanced strength that could probably bend steel. "Don't you dare pass out on me! You gotta stay awake!"

  "Trying... really trying..."

  Jin called on his strained essence channels one last time—last time, because after this he'd be napping for some time—forcing himself to focus through pain and exhaustion that made thinking feel like wading through tar.

  Just need to scramble and hide our tracks. Can't let anything pick up our trail for at least a couple of hours…

  ? O wandering wind that carries all scent and sound—scatter our passing and swallow our trace, until pursuit finds nothing but empty air. ?

  One more!

  ? Shadows twist where we have trod...essence scattered, prints unmade... let darkness claim what light once held...?

  The two sorceries were sloppy, half-formed, barely functional—lacking proper structure and efficient essence weaving—but they worked through sheer determination.

  Their footprints dissolved behind them into nothing, essence signatures scrambled into meaningless noise, thermal traces disrupted, tracking methods thrown into disarray.

  "There... got it..." Jin's words ran together as exhaustion crashed over him like a physical weight. "Concealment's... active... should buy us... time..."

  "Good! Now shut up and let me carry you before—SHIT!"

  Rudy charged through the building's entrance at full enhanced speed, too focused on checking behind them for pursuers to properly gauge the doorway height in the darkness.

  CLANG!

  Jin's head slammed into the top of the entrance gate with a sound like someone ringing a church bell with a sledgehammer.

  Stars exploded across Jin's vision—actual stars, not metaphorical ones, accompanied by pain that detonated through his skull like someone had set off fireworks inside his brain.

  "Oh SHIT! Jin! JIN!"

  "m'fine... jus'... little... ow..." Jin's words slurred as consciousness tried very hard to abandon ship.

  "Stay with me! Don't you dare pass out! Don't you fucking—"

  But Jin was already falling into darkness that had nothing to do with shadow essence or concealment spells, consciousness fleeing from pain and exhaustion, and one too many hits to an already abused head.

  The last thing he registered before everything went black was Rudy cursing creatively while carrying him deeper into the building, words fading into blessed unconsciousness.

  ~~~

  [Ten minutes later]

  Two figures emerged from the burning shadows that danced across destroyed Vienna like demons performing for an absent god.

  Both wore dark robes marked with symbols that seemed to drink ambient light.

  The first, a woman with eyes like burning coals set in porcelain features, surveyed the carnage with cold detachment that suggested she'd seen far worse.

  "Seven neutralized." Her voice carried disappointment like someone critiquing subpar artwork. "Four amalgams, three hybrid units. All bearing Grade-II corruption blessing from the Darkened One. Inefficient deployment. Wasteful."

  The second cultist, a man whose face was hidden behind a featureless white mask that reflected nothing, crouched beside the nearest corpse—or what remained of it after Jin's technique.

  He ran gloved fingers through ash and melted metal, examining burn patterns with professional interest.

  "Variant Essence… a high-ranked one at that." His voice was muffled behind the mask but carried certainty. "Could be them."

  "No... They haven’t used this essence variant when they fought against a Underlord," the woman cultist noted. "Underlord Xian, may his soul become a fuel to darkened one and birth the blood mother,"

  Turning her burning gaze toward the building, where concealment sorcery was already beginning to fade. "This is someone else… two entities who killed nine total abominations between initial contact and this ambush. Impressive."

  A roar split the night.

  Not the earlier distant roar, but close now—maybe a quarter-mile and closing fast—carrying power that made both Order III cultists actually tense despite their advanced ranks.

  "The Darkened One precious hunter is moving," the woman said, exchanging glances with her masked companion. "We should relocate our targets before it—"

  Another roar, closer still, accompanied by the sound of buildings collapsing under massive weight.

  "—before it finds them first and ruins everything," the man finished grimly. "Come. Quickly. This is going to be delicate."

  They moved toward the building with practiced stealth, shadows swallowing their passage.

  ~~~

  Bonus chapters drop when I hit the goal!

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  ?^>?<^ ?