Chapter 35 – The Core Breaks
The enforcer stepped forward first.
Not rushing. Not hesitating. Just… certain.
The others followed his lead without needing to be told. That alone told Jack everything he needed to know. This wasn’t like the earlier fights where people panicked the moment things went wrong. These ones were used to this. Used to control. Used to being the ones on the winning side.
Good.
That just made the breaking part cleaner.
Jack adjusted his grip on the scythe and took a slow breath, letting his awareness settle fully across the group. Eight of them total, with the enforcer slightly ahead, the rest forming a loose but intentional structure behind him.
Not bad.
Still not enough.
He could feel the difference now at level 20. It wasn’t some huge explosion of power, but everything just… worked better. Movements lined up faster. Decisions came easier. Skills flowed into each other without that slight delay he used to feel.
Fights weren’t something he reacted to anymore.
He shaped them.
“Stay back,” he said quietly.
Hanna didn’t argue this time.
The enforcer moved.
Fast.
Faster than the others.
Jack activated Sanguine Surge the moment the distance started to close, the familiar shift snapping everything into focus. The man’s movement sharpened, but at the same time, it slowed in Jack’s perception just enough to make it readable.
He’s good.
Not better.
Just good.
The strike came in clean, aimed to force Jack onto the defensive.
Jack didn’t give it that.
Blood Shield.
The impact hit the barrier and stopped, the force dispersing instead of driving through. The cost bit deeper than before, a noticeable pull, but it gave him exactly what he needed.
An opening.
Jack stepped forward instead of back.
The scythe cut low.
The enforcer adjusted—barely.
The strike didn’t end him.
But it disrupted him.
That was enough.
The rest of the group closed in.
Jack didn’t let them form.
He raised his hand.
Sanguine Grasp.
The tendrils snapped out fast, catching two of them mid-step and dragging them just far enough out of position to break the structure before it could fully settle.
There it is.
That was the difference.
They weren’t fighting as a group anymore.
They were just… individuals again.
Jack moved immediately, stepping into the first one he had pulled. The scythe cut through him cleanly, the motion carrying straight into the second before he could recover.
[You have defeated: Human Guard (Lv.8)]
[Experience Gained]
[You have defeated: Human Guard (Lv.8)]
[Experience Gained]
Blood Draw kicked in from the damage, the familiar feedback settling into his body, reinforcing him just enough to keep everything smooth.
Sustain’s holding.
Good.
The enforcer came back in.
No hesitation.
No backing off.
Jack liked that.
He met him directly this time, no grasp, no setup.
Just timing.
The clash hit harder than before, the enforcer pushing through the exchange instead of being stopped outright. Jack felt the force travel through his arms, not breaking his stance, but reminding him this wasn’t just another guard.
Still manageable.
He shifted, let the pressure slide instead of meeting it head-on, then stepped back in with a tighter angle.
The scythe caught.
This time—
It landed properly.
The enforcer staggered.
Behind him, the remaining guards tried to close again.
Jack didn’t even look.
Sanguine Grasp.
One got yanked sideways.
Another stumbled forward.
That was all it took.
Jack finished the enforcer before the structure could recover.
[You have defeated: Human Enforcer (Lv.12)]
[Experience Gained]
The rest broke.
Not in some dramatic way.
Just… hesitation.
That moment where they realized things weren’t going to go their way.
Jack didn’t give them time to decide what that meant.
He moved through them one by one, each fight shorter than the last, each kill cleaner than it needed to be.
[You have defeated: Human Guard (Lv.7)]
[Experience Gained]
[You have defeated: Human Guard (Lv.6)]
[Experience Gained]
[You have defeated: Human Guard (Lv.7)]
[Experience Gained]
When it was done, the space opened up in a way that felt different from before.
Not quiet.
Just… empty.
Jack let Sanguine Surge fade, rolling his shoulders slightly as the strain settled and then faded. He checked himself quickly out of habit.
No major damage.
Energy still holding.
Skills cycling clean.
Yeah.
He was fine.
Better than fine.
Hanna stepped up beside him, her eyes moving over the bodies before shifting toward the central building again.
“That was… different,” she said.
Jack nodded slightly.
“Control,” he said.
She glanced at him.
“That new skill?”
“Yeah.”
She looked back at the building.
“…Good timing.”
Jack followed her gaze.
The path ahead was open now.
No patrols.
No outer layers.
Just the center.
And whatever waited inside it.
His family.
The thought hit harder than anything in the fight had.
For a second, just a second, something tightened in his chest. Not fear. Not doubt.
Something sharper.
What if I’m too late?
The thought came uninvited.
He shut it down just as quickly.
Doesn’t matter.
Move.
Fix it.
He adjusted his grip on the scythe and started forward.
Hanna didn’t hesitate this time.
She moved with him.
The sounds from inside the building were clearer now.
Not distant anymore.
Not something he could ignore.
Jack’s expression didn’t change.
But his pace did.
Just slightly faster.
This ends now.
And for the first time since entering the town—
There was nothing left in front of him that could slow him down.