E-Rank or SSS-Rank: I Awakened a Skill That Shouldn't Exist-Chapter 293: Destroy The Cursed (108)

Chapter 293: The Weight of a Promise

Defense: 40%.

Han’s eyes flicked over the warning. His energy bar was dropping fast .... too fast. He could pull the barrier back, make it smaller, focus its power only on him and his team. But that would leave hundreds to die. He clenched his fists.

"Not happening."

He forced more power into the system. His energy plummeted as the armor drained everything it could to reinforce the shield. The numbers climbed again.

Defense: 60%.

Then dropped.

45%. 55%. 48%.

Back and forth, like a heartbeat on the edge of failure.

The battle dragged on for minutes.... long, suffocating minutes. The Emissary’s screams grew weaker

Her aura flickered, the once-terrifying darkness now dim and cracked. But Han was fading too .... his vision blurring, his breathing uneven. The Living Bulwark’s timer flashed red in his HUD.

[Warning: Duration limit approaching.]

He looked up one last time. The sky was a churning storm of black and light. The Emissary’s body trembled, her cocoon collapsing inward. With a guttural, broken roar, she threw everything she had left.

The sound tore the clouds apart.

Then silence.

The cocoon shattered into dust. The eerie wails vanished, leaving only the hollow echo of her collapse.

At that same moment, Han’s Living Bulwark hit its limit.

The dome flickered once. Twice.

Then burst into fading shards of light, scattering like glass across the battlefield.

Han dropped to one knee, his armor cracked and glowing faintly. Blood dripped from his mouth as the world rang with the aftermath of two titans’ wills colliding.

Across the ruin, the Dark Emissary fell from the sky .... slamming into the ground, one knee down, breath ragged. Her once boundless darkness was gone, leaving only a flickering aura clinging to her frame.

Her dark gaze showed nothing but exhaustion .... deep, soul-draining exhaustion.

Han took a few shaky breaths. He was almost certain they wouldn’t survive that last clash. But somehow... they did.

"I lose..." the Dark Emissary muttered under her breath.

Then she heard it.... footsteps.

Looking up, she saw the white-and-black-haired hero walking toward her through the smoke.

She let out a bitter chuckle.

"Why... why must it always be the lower rankers who suffer? Why do the high rankers hold all the power... yet never bear the cost?"

Her eerie, distorted voice softened, turning almost human .... a woman’s voice filled with pain.

Han stopped, his expression calm but solemn. He could guess what had happened to her ..... another low-ranked warrior twisted by Drake’s experiments. Victim turned monster.

The world they lived in had never been kind to the weak.

And Han swore that would change.

"I’ll fix this world," he said quietly. "I promise."

The Dark Emissary’s eyes softened at his words. For the first time, she smiled.... faint but real.

"At least... there’s one decent hero left," she whispered. "Then... one last request."

Han nodded. "What is it?"

"Help Morwark City," she said weakly. "Help them. They were my family..."

Her body convulsed, the black veins crawling across her skin surging toward her heart. Her eyes went lifeless before Han could move, and she crumpled to the ground.

Han stared down at her. His gaze was cold, steady.

That made two people.... two victims... he’d promised to help.

Two faces out of countless others who’d died because of him.

Because of Drake.

The self-proclaimed righteous.

The monster who called himself a savior.

Han’s blue eyes shifted, narrowing as he turned toward the red throne in the distance. Drake sat there, pale now, his confidence gone.

So many lives... all because of you.

Han raised his hand. Fiery lightning, the fused state of his flames and thunder... crackled into existence, distorting the air itself. Notifications blinked in his vision, rewards, level-ups, system prompts. He ignored them all.

Right now, there was only one thing he wanted .... Drake death.

Han vanished in a blur, appearing before Drake in an instant, his hand thrusting forward. The blazing strike shot straight for Drake’s head....

But before it landed, a figure stepped in front of him.

A shockwave erupted outward as the newcomer’s fist collided with Han’s attack, dispersing it into fragments of crackling light.

Han’s eyes darkened.

"...LightRunner?"

The older hero stood before Drake, his face calm, voice soft.

"Hey... calm down, kid. Killing him now will do more harm than good," LightRunner said gently. "We need information from him. I promise... he’ll be punished."

Han lowered his head slightly, shadows covering his face. When he spoke again, his voice wasn’t calm anymore .... it was ice-cold, trembling with rage.

"Why should he be treated differently?"

He raised his gaze, eyes sharp and burning red beneath the fading light.

"He caused all this chaos. He created the Cursed. He turned her into that monster."

Han pointed at the fallen Dark Emissary, his voice shaking with fury.

"He deserves nothing but death."

LightRunner’s expression hardened.

"I know. And trust me .... he’ll get what he deserves."

Han let out a low, bitter laugh.

"Oh, I know what he’ll get. This world you helped build? It favors the powerful.... the status, the influence. He won’t get justice. He’ll get protection."

His voice dropped, every word heavy.

"What he deserves isn’t punishment. It’s death."

Han’s aura ignited.... red lightning flaring into crimson flame.

"If you’re going to stand between me and him..."

He tilted his head slightly, his tone deadly calm.

"Then you’ll face my wrath as well."

The blue in his eyes flickered .... then burned blood-red.

To be continued...

AUTHOR’S NOTE

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– Ultra.