**Chapter 55: The Blood Debt**

The Celestial League's disciplinary chamber was a cold, circular room lined with holographic jurors—faceless projections of the League's High Council. At the center stood General Krazith, his augmented jaw clenched tight enough to crack steel.

Ibukun sat in the witness gallery, his ribs still knitting together under the med-drone's care. Nyx hovered nearby, her gold eyes tracking every flicker of the holograms.

**"Evidence confirms Referee Dolgruk's bias,"** intoned the chief juror. **"Match logs show seventeen uncalled fouls against Obsidian Throne. This violates Celestial Code 9.4."**

Krazith's fist slammed the table. **"That *boy* is the real cheat! His reflexes are impossible! I demand a full neural—"**

**>> SYSTEM ALERT: PSIONIC PROBE DETECTED (ORIGIN: KRAZITH)

>> COUNTERMEASURES: GHOSTWALK PROTOCOL REENGAGED <<**

Ibukun's vision blurred momentarily as the System repelled the intrusion.

Nyx's nails dug into his wrist. **"He's desperate,"** she whispered. **"The League's cutting his funding over this scandal."**

The chief juror's hologram flickered. **"General Krazith. Your football privileges are suspended for twelve lunar cycles. Any further interference will void your Warlord Pact with the League."**

Krazith's remaining organic eye locked onto Ibukun. **"This isn't over."**

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### **The Gift**

Nyx's safehouse was a dim-lit orbital pod overlooking Jupiter's storms. She tossed Ibukun a data-chip that glowed faintly crimson.

**"Project Ascension,"** she said. **"Krazith's been hunting it for decades."**

The moment Ibukun touched the chip, his System *screamed* to life:

**>> CLASSIFIED DATA DETECTED: "PROJECT ASCENSION"

>> ACCESSING...

>> ERROR: USER AUTHORIZATION INSUFFICIENT

>> WARNING: REQUIRES BLOOD AUTHENTICATION <<**

Jay-Jay's hologram materialized, his usual swagger gone. *"Kid... that's League black ops shit. Don't—"**

Ibukun sliced his palm open on the chip's edge.

The room *warped*.

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### **The Vision**

A starless void. A floating football pitch where faceless players moved in perfect, inhuman synchrony. At the center stood a figure clad in Obsidian Throne's colors—*Ibukun's* colors—except the jersey bore no number.

The figure turned.

Its face was a mirror.

**>> SYSTEM OVERRIDE: ORIGIN POINT IDENTIFIED

>> PROJECT ASCENSION: CELESTIAL LEAGUE'S ULTIMATE WEAPON PROGRAM

>> OBJECTIVE: CREATE THE PERFECT FOOTBALLER THROUGH [REDACTED]

>> USER STATUS: [SOULBIND ACCEPTANCE: 12%] <<**

The vision shattered.

Ibukun gasped awake on Nyx's floor, his nose bleeding.

She crouched over him, her gold eyes wide. **"What did you *see*?"**

The System's final message pulsed behind his eyes:

**>> WARNING: PROJECT ASCENSION TIED TO SYSTEM'S ORIGIN

>> PRIMARY DIRECTIVE UPDATED: "ASCEND OR BE ERASED" <<**

Jay-Jay's hologram flickered weakly. *"Oh hell... we're not the first, kid. We're just the *latest*."*

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