The ground still shook beneath his feet, reverberating with the aftershock of the beast's destruction. The boy's heart pounded, each beat a reminder that something inside him had changed. He could feel it—the pull of something ancient, a force beyond his control. It was the power of the Throne System, awakening inside him.
He tried to focus, but the world around him kept slipping, twisting like a mirage. His body was alive with energy, his senses heightened to the point that the air itself felt dense, thick with power. Raw power, like a primal instinct.
The voice of the Throne System echoed in his mind again.
❖ Power surge detected.
❖ Authority: Thronebreaker — Level 1.
❖ Unlocking system abilities.
A strange glow pulsed in his vision, as though the world was filtering through a new lens. Suddenly, lines of codeappeared, visible to him alone. His mind quickly processed the information.
**Throne System - Interface:
Command: Conquer.
Function: Power acquisition.
Target: High-value enemy entities.
Status: Engaged.**
"Are you seeing this?" the man gasped, stepping back slowly. "What... is that? It's like you're... connected to everything. No one's ever seen a system like this before."
"I don't understand," the boy muttered. "What is this? What am I supposed to do?"
The man opened his mouth to answer but froze as a strange shadow appeared on the horizon, blotting out the already dimmed moon. A shape, humanoid and vast, was descending from the rift in the sky. It moved slowly, like a dark, inevitable force.
The man's face paled. "They've found us."
The boy turned his gaze to the figure as it landed, causing the ground to crack beneath its weight. A ripple of dark energyradiated out from it, disturbing the very air. The silhouette before him took shape—cloaked in black robes, its face hidden by a mask that seemed to consume the light around it. Its eyes, glowing a hellish red, bore into him, as if judging his very existence.
This was no ordinary enemy.
It was one of them—the Covenant of Crows.
A low, guttural voice broke the silence. "So, the boy has awakened. The last of the Thronebearers."
The boy's eyes widened. The name—Thronebearer—struck a chord deep within him. He didn't know what it meant, but there was a clarity in that moment. This being—this creature—knew him. And he knew it. He had been marked, somehow. His destiny was tied to this being's presence.
"I am Voxar, the shadow of the Crows," the figure continued, its voice deep and commanding. "I come to collect what is ours. The throne you wear is not meant for you. Surrender, and your suffering will be brief."
The boy's blood ran cold. Voxar wasn't just here to fight. He was here for control. And that wasn't something he was willing to give up.
The air grew heavier. The power within the boy surged once more, and without thinking, he reached out. His hand trembled, but as it extended, something inside him reacted—The Throne System acknowledged his desire for control, for power. The glow in his vision intensified.
❖ Command: Eliminate Threat — Voxar
❖ Execution Mode: Engaged.
The beast that had attacked him moments earlier had been nothing compared to this figure. Voxar exuded a dark, suffocating aura, his very presence a threat to the boy's sanity. But the boy felt it—he was no longer helpless. The Throne System had empowered him. And he would use it.
With a scream of defiance, the boy raised his hand toward Voxar. Energy pulsed from his core, coursing through his body and exploding outward in a torrent of destructive force. The very ground beneath him buckled under the intensity of his attack.
Voxar barely flinched. He raised a hand, and the energy surged against an invisible barrier, his power effortlessly absorbing the boy's attack.
"You are a mere tool, boy," Voxar spat. "Nothing more than a shard of the past, a failure waiting to happen."
The boy's jaw clenched. Failure?
Voxar lunged, a blur of speed that would have overwhelmed any ordinary shinobi. He collided with the boy, sending him skidding across the ground, his body grinding against the cracked earth. The force of the impact was enough to make the boy's vision blur. He gasped for air as his body screamed in protest, but he refused to give in.
"Not like this," the boy muttered under his breath, barely able to focus.
A surge of rage built up inside him, and the system responded once again, its voice urgent.
❖ Authority: Thronebreaker — Activating Unique Skill.
❖ Skill: Oblivion Lash.
Suddenly, the boy's arms flared with power, a tendril of pure destructive force wrapping around his body like a whip. He swung it wildly, sending it crashing into Voxar's barrier. The power exploded, shattering the barrier and sending shockwaves across the battlefield.
Voxar recoiled, surprise flashing across his masked face. For a brief moment, the boy saw the crack in his opponent's façade, the hint of vulnerability.
"You think this is over?" Voxar sneered, charging again with renewed fury.
The boy, however, was already on his feet, his body humming with energy. His eyes, glowing faintly with the power of the Throne System, locked onto the shadowy figure. This was just the beginning.
"You've mistaken me for someone else," the boy said, voice cold and filled with purpose.
The system activated again, its power filling him.
"I'm here to destroy this throne. All thrones."