WARRIOR OF LIBERATION

"You broke the sky, Sei… but something older broke first."

– Unknown

Three days had passed.

Sei hadn't woken up.

He lay inside the stone heart of the ruined temple, breathing slow, wrapped in flickering flames that refused to die.

Not fire.

Not magic.

Something older.

Something watching.

Outside, the slums had changed.

People stood straighter.

They walked in groups, no longer hiding.

The Empire hadn't sent anyone since the skyfire failed.

Rumors ran wild:

"He struck down divine flame with his fist."

"He wears a crown of broken chains."

"He's the chosen flame of the First Forge."

They didn't call him "Sei" anymore.

They called him…

The Ash-Crowned King.

But he wasn't the only one changing.

🌀 Mina – Side POV

Mina stood on a rooftop overlooking the outer zone.

Her fists were wrapped in cloth soaked in ash.

Soulfire flickered at her fingertips, small but steady.

Her system window hovered nearby:

System: Ember Veil (Rare)

Support-Class – Focus: Protection / Soul-Link / AOE Buffs

Level: 3

Soul Link Target: Sei (Locked while unconscious)

New Skill: Flame Pulse (Unlocked)

Release a burst of protective heat. Absorbs one incoming hit per ally.

But today, something felt… off.

She saw smoke in the distance—too clean. Too purposeful.

Someone was burning a district—and not in rebellion.

She dropped into the street and ran.

She reached the gates of District 7.

Her blood ran cold.

Bodies.

Everywhere.

People shackled in glowing red soul-binders.

And standing in the middle of the destruction—

A tall man in a coat of white fire.

He wore black chains like a crown and held a cracked torch staff.

[Liberator] – Class Confirmed

System Type: Unknown Variant – Status: Unregistered

Name: ???

Alias: "The White Flame Prophet"

Mina stepped forward, fists clenched.

"You're not one of us."

The man smiled beneath his mask.

"Oh, I am. I liberate through flame. I free the soul from pain."

He gestured around him.

"Isn't that what he taught you?"

She gritted her teeth. "Sei frees people to live. Not burn."

He chuckled. "Then he's weak. And weak sparks go out."

Mina activated her system.

Skill: Flame Pulse – READY

Status Buff: Fear Resistance – Active

Target Locked: White Flame Prophet (Level 12)

🔥 Battle Begins: Mina vs. False Flamebearer 🔥

The Prophet moved fast—staff swinging like a serpent.

Mina ducked low, countered with a burst-punch to his ribs—he blocked, barely.

"You're faster than expected," he sneered.

"And you're a fraud," she snapped.

He thrust his staff forward—flames surged out in a wave.

She raised her hands—

FLAME PULSE!

A pulse of warm light shielded her and the nearby wounded.

The flames parted like water.

Then she struck.

One. Two. Three rapid hits.

A kick to the knee.

A punch to the gut.

BOOM!

He flew back into a wall.

For the first time—he looked angry.

"You think you've won? You're nothing without your Ash King."

Mina stepped forward.

Eyes glowing.

Voice steady.

"I'm not his shadow. I'm his flame."

Liberation Target Detected: 17 civilians bound by soul-binders

Mina's Flame Pulse has synchronized with localized belief

Liberation System Mutation Triggered…

NEW TRAIT: Soulkeeper (Rare+)

Your protection liberates. Allies healed by you gain 10% flame resistance and 5% stat boost for 5 minutes.

The Prophet cursed.

He looked at the crowd behind her—alive, awake, unbroken.

He vanished into smoke.

"Your flame will burn out… eventually."

Mina didn't answer.

She turned to the survivors.

They didn't cheer.

They simply followed her.

Like they'd chosen a second fire to believe in.

Back at the temple…

Sei stirred.

For a second, he opened his eyes.

The system flared.

First Forge Coordinates Unlocked.

Time Remaining: 48 Hours until Core Ignition

If ignored: Soul collapse likely. Liberation Class Path ends prematurely.

He whispered:

"I have to go underground."

Then he passed out again.

TO BE CONTINUED…