"Not all threats roar. Some arrive in silence—and unmake the meaning of everything."
Skyfall Ruins – Dawn
The wind didn't blow.
The shadows didn't move.
Even the broken time around Jiwoon had stopped ticking.
[System Alert: Time distortion detected.]
[Source: Interference from external layer – 'Unknown Nullborne Entity']
Eri stumbled as the light warped. "Something's breaking through the boundaries."
Jiwoon stood still, claws forming around his hands unconsciously.
And then—
It appeared.
The Nullborne
It had no true form.
One moment it looked like a Tribunal judge—robed, calm, divine.
Next, a shadow with wings made of rules collapsing inwards.
Its voice didn't echo in sound, but in meaning:
"Codebreaker Jiwoon.
Your existence threatens foundational truth.
All rewritten laws must be cleansed."
Jiwoon didn't flinch. "I didn't rewrite laws to rule. I did it to save lives."
"Intention is irrelevant.
Correction is absolute."
Combat Begins
[Initiating Defensive Protocol: Dread Sovereign Form – 48% Synch]
[Warning: Nullborne presence weakens all domain-based abilities.]
As Jiwoon launched forward, claws blazing with cursed light, the Nullborne stood motionless.
His attacks… passed through it.
"Damn it—!" Jiwoon gritted his teeth. "It's not fully physical."
The Nullborne extended a single finger.
[Skill Activated: Concept Erasure – "Erase: Justice"]
A wave of distortion rushed at Jiwoon—aimed not at his body, but at the idea of what he stood for.
He staggered.
[Status Effect: Conceptual Destabilization]
[Side Effect: Emotional dissonance – 24%]
Jiwoon's Defiance
Jiwoon forced his breath steady.
He closed his eyes—ignored the broken system notifications—and focused.
Not on the system.
Not on the laws.
But on the faces of the people he fought for.
He raised his hand.
[Emergency Override: Soul Code Invocation]
[Ability Triggered: "Remnant Flame – Echo of the First Sin"]
A crimson spark ignited—pulled not from the system, but from within himself.
The Nullborne paused.
For the first time, it watched Jiwoon with something like… curiosity.
End Scene
The attack didn't destroy the Nullborne.
But it pushed it back.
And in that space of hesitation, a single message flickered:
[New Tree Unlocked: Sin Beyond Systems]
Jiwoon exhaled, trembling.
"This fight isn't just mine anymore…"