The void shattered.
Not cracked.
Not distorted.
Shattered.
Fragments of space floated around like broken glass, each piece reflecting a different version of reality.
Karam stood in the center.
Bleeding.
But smiling.
The Enforcement Unit didn't hesitate.
It pulled its arm back—
Then struck again.
Faster.
Sharper.
Deadlier.
Karam moved.
Barely.
The attack grazed his side, tearing through his clothes and skin.
"Tch…"
Pain surged again.
But this time—
He didn't slow down.
He stepped forward.
"If you're a failsafe…"
He clenched his fist.
"Then I'll break you first."
The Unit tilted its head.
Then—
It vanished.
Karam's eyes widened slightly.
"Behind—"
Too late.
A strike landed on his back.
BOOM—
He was slammed into the floating fragments of space, crashing through them like glass.
The man watched from a distance.
"He's still not fast enough…"
Karam pushed himself up.
Breathing heavier now.
Blood dripping steadily.
"It's not just strong…"
"It's reading me."
The Unit appeared again.
This time—
Right in front of him.
Its hand extended.
Reality around it twisted.
Karam froze for a split second.
"What… is that?"
The man shouted—
"Don't let it touch you!"
Too late.
The Unit's fingers brushed Karam's chest—
And suddenly—
Everything changed.
Karam's vision exploded into fragments.
Memories.
Scenes.
Moments.
Different lives.
Different versions of himself.
"What… is this…?"
He saw himself—
Dying.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Fighting.
Failing.
Breaking.
"...No."
The Unit's voice echoed—
"Previous… versions…"
Karam's breathing stopped.
"Versions…?"
"You… are… not… the first…"
The truth hit him.
Hard.
"So all of this…"
His voice dropped.
"Was repeated."
The Unit didn't respond.
But its silence was enough.
Karam clenched his fists.
His body trembled—
Not from fear.
From rage.
"Then I'll end it."
📊 [System Reaction]
Host Emotional Spike Detected
📊 [Hidden Condition Triggered]
Karam's body froze.
A deep pulse echoed inside him.
Not from the system.
From something deeper.
The man's eyes widened.
"...No way."
Karam's aura changed.
Dark.
Heavy.
Unstable.
"That's… not the system…"
Karam slowly raised his head.
His eyes—
No longer just glowing.
They were breaking.
Like cracks of purple light spreading through them.
"You think I'm just another version…?"
His voice echoed.
Distorted.
"Then watch carefully."
The Unit attacked again.
Faster than before.
But this time—
Karam didn't move.
The attack stopped.
Mid-air.
The Unit froze.
The man stepped back.
"He stopped it… without moving?"
Karam raised his hand slowly.
"I understand now…"
"The system…"
He clenched his fist—
"Is just a layer."
Everything trembled.
"And I'm going beyond it."
📊 [System Error]
Unknown Power Detected
The Unit tried to move—
But couldn't.
Karam stepped forward.
Each step cracked reality further.
"You showed me all those failures…"
"Now I'll show you something new."
He placed his hand on the Unit.
Silence.
Then—
CRACK—
The Unit's body shattered.
Not destroyed.
Erased.
Gone.
The void fell silent.
Karam stood alone.
Breathing slowly.
The system flickered violently.
📊 [Critical Error]
Core Instability Detected
Karam looked up.
"Core…?"
The man spoke quietly.
"You felt it too…"
"The real system…"
He looked into the distance.
"It's not here."
Karam's eyes sharpened.
"Then where is it?"
Silence.
Then—
The man answered:
"At the origin."
⚡ [End of Chapter 28 – Path to the Core begins]