chapter 127 binding chains

K's breaths were ragged now. His wounds were deep. His vision blurred, yet his grin never faltered. His daggers dripped with fresh blood, and his clothes were soaked in crimson.

> K (panting, staggering, yet still grinning): "I can still fight… heh… I can still—"

But his legs felt heavy.

His HP was dropping fast.

> K's HP: 25% → 20% → 15%

The battle had raged for too long. His body had endured too much. He had cut through hundreds, but even he had limits.

And yet—

> Sophie (clenching her sword, fury burning in her eyes): "He's still standing?! WHY WON'T YOU JUST DIE!?"

Her scream echoed across the battlefield.

Her forces were falling apart. Half of them were still scrambling after Frost Eye, but the assassin was toying with them, leading them in circles, striking from the shadows, picking them off one by one.

Her frontline was battered, their morale shattered.

And K?

He wasn't supposed to last this long.

She had thrown everything at him. An entire army.

And still—he was there.

Bleeding.

Smirking.

Mocking her.

> K (grinning weakly, spitting blood): "You had… one job, Sophie…"

Her hands trembled. They should have won.

They had the numbers. The power. The strategy.

But none of it mattered.

Because K wasn't normal.

Because Frost Eye had already dismantled her advantage.

Because her forces were crumbling.

And K?

> K (chuckling, barely able to stand): "I think I can kill… a few more…"

Sophie's face twisted with rage.

She refused to let him win.

> Sophie (raising her sword, voice trembling): "EVERYONE! FINAL PUSH! WE END HIM NOW!"

The remaining Dark Solution members gathered together.

It was now or never.

> K's HP: 15% → 10% → 5%

His vision darkened.

His fingers numbed.

But he could still fight.

And as the final charge began, K and Frost Eye shared a glance.

A knowing look.

A silent agreement.

The final bloodbath was about to begin.

K staggered, barely able to keep himself upright. His breath was ragged, his body covered in deep cuts, burns, and bruises. His daggers felt heavier in his grip.

> K (panting, blood dripping from his lips): "Hah… still standing…"

But his HP was dangerously low.

> K's HP: 10% → 5%

And Sophie saw her chance.

She couldn't let him continue.

She couldn't let him kill any more of her people.

She couldn't let him escape.

Her fingers trembled as she gripped the hilt of her sword. Then, without hesitation, she raised her free hand.

> Sophie (gritting her teeth, eyes flashing): "I won't let you win!"

A soft, golden glow gathered at her fingertips.

> System Notification: Sophie has activated [Binding Chains – Tier 1 Spell].

Chains of pure golden energy erupted from the ground, twisting like snakes, moving faster than K could react.

> K (eyes widening): "Tch—what?!"

Before he could dodge—they struck.

The glowing chains wrapped around his arms, legs, and torso in an instant, locking him in place. His daggers froze mid-swing. His body refused to move.

A heavy weight crushed down on him.

> K (gritting his teeth, struggling): "The hell is this!?"

A binding spell.

Not an attack. Not a direct hit. A trap.

And he had walked right into it.

> System Notification:

You have been inflicted with [Paralysis: 5 seconds]. You cannot move.

Sophie smiled, victorious.

> Sophie (breathing heavily, laughing slightly): "You… finally stopped moving."

She took a deep breath, raising her sword high.

> Sophie (yelling, voice filled with fury): "ALL UNITS—KILL HIM NOW!"

Her remaining forces rushed forward, weapons drawn.

K's eyes burned with frustration.

5 seconds.

That was all it would take for them to finish him.

But K?

> K (grinning, sweat dripping down his face): "Five seconds, huh…?"

His daggers trembled in his hands.

Because he wasn't done yet.

K struggled, his body locked in place by the golden chains of Sophie's [Binding Chains] spell. The weight pressing down on him felt suffocating.

His instincts screamed at him to move—to dodge, to counter, to kill.

But his body refused to obey.

> System Notification:

You have been inflicted with [Paralysis: 5 seconds]. You cannot move.

> K (gritting his teeth, struggling against the chains): "Tch… you bastards…"

Five seconds.

It sounded short.

But on the battlefield?

It was an eternity.

Sophie's eyes gleamed with triumph.

> Sophie (shouting, voice sharp as a blade): "NOW! FINISH HIM!"

Dark Solution members surged forward, weapons raised.

Swords gleamed.

Spells ignited.

Arrows filled the air.

K couldn't move.

K couldn't dodge.

K couldn't fight back.

For the first time—

K was completely vulnerable.

But…

A soft chuckle echoed across the battlefield.

Not from K.

But from the shadows.

---

Frost Eye Strikes – The Butcher in the Dark

> Frost Eye (smirking, voice soft as death): "Tch, tch, tch… You idiots never learn, do you?"

The moment Sophie's forces turned their attention to K—

Frost Eye moved.

And his first target?

Liam.

A once confident swordsman who had fought beside Alex in Dark Solution.

> Liam (grinning, gripping his sword, looking at K): "He's finally down! We got—"

He never finished his sentence.

Because a cold dagger slid across his throat.

> SLASH.

His eyes widened as warm blood gushed from his neck.

> Liam (choking, whispering): "H-How…?"

His body collapsed.

His sword fell from his limp hands.

> System Notification:

You have slain [Liam].

Frost Eye grinned, watching Liam's body hit the ground.

> Frost Eye (mockingly): "One down."

His eyes snapped to the next target—

Alex.

The man who had betrayed Raven for money.

The man who had foolishly believed Sophie would protect him.

And now?

He was standing in the open.

> Alex (panicked, looking around): "W-Where are our healers!? W-We need—"

> Frost Eye (grinning, whispering): "Too bad they're all dead."

Alex barely had time to react.

> SLASH.

A dagger plunged into his chest—right through his heart.

> System Notification:

You have slain [Alex].

Alex's eyes widened in horror.

He stumbled, gasping for air.

> Alex (whispering, blood dripping from his lips): "S-Sophie…"

But Sophie wasn't looking at him.

She was still focused on K.

And so—Alex died alone.

His body hit the ground.

> Frost Eye (mockingly, stepping over Alex's corpse): "Two down."

And he wasn't done yet.

---

Vance's Last Stand – A Futile Fight

Frost Eye's next target was Vance.

Unlike Liam and Alex, Vance actually noticed him.

His eyes narrowed as he raised his sword.

> Vance (gripping his weapon, voice steady): "You're not getting another easy kill."

Frost Eye grinned.

> Frost Eye (tilting his head, amused): "Oh? Finally, someone with a spine."

Vance moved fast.

His blade slashed through the air, forcing Frost Eye to dodge.

Unlike the others—Vance actually knew how to fight.

But it didn't matter.

Because Frost Eye wasn't fighting fair.

> Frost Eye (chuckling): "Too bad you didn't bring an army, huh?"

A small glass vial slipped into Frost Eye's fingers.

Before Vance could react—

> CRASH.

A cloud of purple smoke erupted between them.

> Vance (coughing, stumbling back): "What the hell—!?"

His vision blurred.

His limbs felt heavy.

> System Notification:

You have been inflicted with [Minor Paralysis: 3 seconds].

> Frost Eye (grinning, stepping through the smoke): "Oops. You slowed down."

Vance tried to lift his sword.

But it was too late.

> SLASH.

Frost Eye's dagger plunged into his side.

Vance staggered, coughing up blood.

> Vance (gritting his teeth, glaring): "D-Damn you…"

> Frost Eye (mockingly, twisting the blade): "Thanks for the fun, though."

> SLASH.

With one final cut to the throat, Vance fell.

> System Notification:

You have slain [Vance].

Frost Eye sighed, shaking the blood off his blade.

> Frost Eye (grinning, glancing at K): "Alright, your turn now, buddy."

And just like that—

The battlefield had changed.

---

K Breaks Free – The Carnage Resumes

The five seconds of K's paralysis were finally over.

> System Notification:

[Paralysis] has worn off. You can move again.

K's grin returned.

> K (rolling his shoulders, cracking his neck): "Well… that was annoying."

The moment he moved again—

Sophie's forces hesitated.

Liam? Dead.

Alex? Dead.

Vance? Dead.

And their healers were gone.

The advantage they had was gone in an instant.

> K (grinning, gripping his daggers tighter): "Now, where were we?"

Dark Solution panicked.

The ones who had charged in confidently moments ago—

Now backed away.

Sophie's hands trembled as she saw her army losing morale.

> Sophie (furious, voice shaking): "DON'T BACK DOWN! HE'S STILL LOW ON HEALTH!"

> K (mocking, pointing his dagger at her): "Yeah? And you're out of backup."