Breaking the Chains

The underground arena roared with excitement as Sorin was forced to his feet, his body battered and chained. Across from him, the massive Behemoth—a grotesque, mutated Forsaken twice his size—stomped forward, saliva dripping from its jagged maw.

Kairo and his team crouched on the upper levels, watching the fight begin.

"We need to move now," Lena hissed.

"Not yet," Kairo said, eyes locked on Sorin. "If we rush in, we'll be swarmed. We wait for an opening."

Ronan clenched his fists. "That thing will tear him apart before we get the chance."

Sorin stood tall despite his injuries. His restraints were glowing with suppression runes, blocking his full strength. The crowd cheered as the Behemoth charged forward.

BOOM!

The ground shook as the creature swung a massive clawed fist.

Sorin barely dodged, rolling to the side, but the chains restricted his movement.

Kairo's jaw tightened.

The Forsaken had been breaking Sorin's body and mind, forcing him to fight for survival. They wanted to break his will.

But Kairo knew one thing.

Sorin didn't break.

The Behemoth roared, rushing again. This time, Sorin had no choice but to meet the attack head-on.

He blocked with both arms, the force nearly knocking him off his feet.

His system flashed warnings.

[ Vitality Dropping ]

[ Strength Restricted: -60% ]

Sorin gritted his teeth. He wasn't at full power—but he wasn't dead yet.

He twisted his grip, yanking one of his chains and wrapping it around the Behemoth's arm. Then, with sheer force, he pulled—forcing the creature off balance.

The crowd gasped as Sorin countered with a brutal headbutt to the Behemoth's face.

CRACK!

The creature stumbled, enraged.

Kairo's team watched with clenched fists.

"He's still fighting," Darius muttered.

"But he won't last long," Arin said.

Kairo exhaled. "That's our cue."

The team moved.

Lena sniped the first guard from the shadows, his body crumpling before he could react.

Arin disabled the security barriers, opening a path to the arena floor.

Kairo, Darius, and Ronan jumped in, moving fast.

The crowd was too focused on the fight to realize what was happening—until it was too late.

By the time the guards noticed them, it was chaos.

Darius bulldozed through enemies, his enhanced strength allowing him to crush them effortlessly.

Ronan moved like a ghost, his blade flashing as he cut down anyone who stood in his way.

Kairo sprinted towards Sorin, activating his system.

[ Skill Activated: Phantom Step ]

In a blink, he was behind Sorin—just as the Behemoth swung again.

BOOM!

The shockwave sent dust flying as Kairo barely pulled Sorin away in time.

"Kairo?" Sorin's eyes widened in disbelief.

Kairo smirked. "Took us a while to find you."

Sorin exhaled, relief washing over his face. "Thought I was gonna have to kill this thing on my own."

Kairo looked at the Behemoth. "You still might."

The Forsaken guards realized what was happening.

"Stop them!" someone shouted.

Alarms blared. More enemies poured into the arena.

But Kairo had only one priority—freeing Sorin.

"Hold still," he said, placing his hand on Sorin's chains.

[ Skill Activated: System Override ]

Sparks flew. The suppression runes flickered—then shattered.

Sorin took a deep breath—then clenched his fists.

[ Suppression Lifted ]

[ Power Restored: 100% ]

He looked at the Behemoth again—his eyes burning with fury.

The crowd fell silent.

Then—Sorin moved.

The Behemoth roared, raising its massive arms for another attack.

But this time—Sorin was faster.

He ducked low and drove his fist straight into the creature's gut.

BOOM!

The force sent shockwaves through the arena, the Behemoth's body caving inward.

The monster stumbled, choking on its own blood.

Sorin wasn't done.

He grabbed the Behemoth by the throat—lifting it off the ground.

The arena erupted in panic.

Kairo's system flashed an alert.

[ WARNING: Threat Neutralized. ]

Sorin snapped the Behemoth's neck.

CRACK!

The creature collapsed, lifeless.

For a moment, there was only silence.

Then—the Forsaken guards panicked.

"Kill them all!" one shouted.

The team braced for a fight—until explosions tore through the arena walls.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The entire arena began collapsing.

Kairo's team looked at each other.

Lena smirked. "Time to go."

The team raced through the crumbling arena, dodging falling debris and gunfire.

Arin hacked the exit gates, forcing them open.

Darius covered their retreat, smashing anyone who got close.

Sorin, still catching his breath, ran beside Kairo.

"You really pulled me out of this mess," Sorin muttered.

Kairo grinned. "Can't leave a teammate behind."

They burst into the open streets, escaping just as the entire arena collapsed into rubble.

The Forsaken were in disarray, their leaders scrambling to recover.

And Kairo's team?

They were whole again.

As they caught their breath in the alleyway, Kairo pulled up his system notifications.

[ New Mission Completed: Team Reunited. ]

[ New Mission Unlocked: The Final War with the Eclipse Syndicate. ]

Kairo exhaled. One war had ended—but another was just beginning.

He looked at his team. "We need to prepare."

Lena nodded. "We took out one of their biggest arenas. They're going to retaliate."

Sorin cracked his knuckles. "Let them come."

Kairo smirked.

This fight wasn't over.

It was just getting started.