The Oathbound Eclipse

The bridge shook under the weight of clashing wills.

Chains of light and chains of shadow warred midair—twisting, cracking, shattering in bursts of arcane pressure. Each clash between Seo Joon and Crowe distorted the space around them, warping gravity, distorting time.

Seo Joon dodged another swipe of Crowe's scythe, barely ducking beneath a crescent of black flame.

"You're using an Oathbound skill," Seo Joon growled. "Where did you get it?"

Crowe's mask grinned, twisted by spite. "I stole it. Just like I'll take yours."

With a roar, he slammed the base of his scythe into the ground. The shadows beneath the bridge writhed, reaching up with skeletal hands. Figures began crawling out—twisted forms wrapped in the tattered symbols of ancient guilds.

> Forgotten warriors.

Tower-walkers devoured by the climb.

Their names erased. Their purposes stolen.

Seo Joon's expression darkened. Necromantic memory-binding? This isn't just illusion—it's desecration.

From across the bridge, Yu-ri was holding her own.

Her spear danced through the air, carving golden arcs through smoke and shadow. Each enemy she struck vanished with a scream that didn't come from a throat—but from somewhere deeper.

"Yu-ri! Focus on cleansing the field. I'll break his anchor!"

"Got it!"

---

Crowe launched again.

This time, faster. He blinked mid-step, leaving behind a black afterimage. His scythe curved toward Seo Joon's neck—

But Seo Joon caught it.

Chains erupted from his gauntlet, locking the blade midair. With a growl, he pulled Crowe forward and drove a knee into his ribs.

Crowe coughed blood, but retaliated by slamming his palm into Seo Joon's chest—corrupt mana flaring like a rotting flame.

Pain seared through Seo Joon's core.

> [Warning: Internal Disruption Detected – Binding Strain Imminent.]

His body faltered for a second.

Crowe grinned. "You're strong. But you're incomplete."

Seo Joon's mind flashed—not with fear, but clarity.

He remembered… the Oathbound Eclipse standing before a gate of stars. A vow made under celestial judgment. A symbol—a chained eclipse burning gold and silver.

> "I may be incomplete," he said slowly, "but I'm still rising."

He clenched his fist—and drove it into Crowe's chest.

The gauntlet flared—bright, blinding. The corrupted chains screamed, unraveling midair.

Crowe flew backward—slamming into the far wall of the shattered platform.

---

Meanwhile, Yu-ri had driven her spear into the center of a summoning glyph. Light erupted outward in a shockwave, shattering the remaining shadows.

The corrupted bridge began to collapse.

Seo Joon stumbled toward Yu-ri, catching her hand. "Jump!"

They leapt—just as the entire battleground fell into the void.

A moment later, the two landed on a new platform—one etched with old runes, untouched by the battle. Crowe did not follow.

Not yet.

---

Elsewhere…

A figure watched through a crystal mirror.

Female. Robed in black, her face obscured by veils woven with constellations. She tapped the air once, and the image faded.

> "So… the Eclipse awakens again."

"And the girl… she's begun to shine."

She turned to a kneeling subordinate.

"Send word to the Twelve Bound Rings. Tell them the Oathbound Eclipse is not a myth after all."