The notification in Aris's vision had been flashing for three hours, pulsing with an urgent, red rhythm.
[Warning: Anomaly Detected.]
[Signature: Heavenly Solar Energy (Grade: Divine).]
[Target Classification: Protagonist-Tier Entity.]
[Distance: 2.4 km (Approaching Capital Central Square).]
Aris stood on the highest spire of the Thorne Estate, his black robes whipping in the wind. He activated the Abyssal Eye, zooming in through the smog and haze of the capital city.
He saw him.
Lin Chen did not look like the weary travelers or the gritty soldiers of the Qin Empire. He looked like he was carved from a single block of sun-bleached marble. He was tall, with a posture so straight it seemed to mock the very idea of gravity or burden. His hair was a deep, burnt copper, tied back with a simple white ribbon that fluttered like a banner of purity.
His features were almost irritatingly perfect: a sharp, straight nose, a jawline that could cut glass, and eyes the color of molten gold that radiated a terrifying, blinding "Righteous Sincerity."
He wore the stark white and gold robes of the Heavenly Sword Sect. Strapped to his back was 'Solstice', a heavy broadsword wrapped in linen that leaked warmth even while sheathed.
[Target Analysis]
[Name: Lin Chen]
[Level: 35 (Core Formation - Peak)]
[Luck Stat: 85 (Divine Favor)]
[Note: High probability of accidental power-ups and surviving fatal falls.]
"Level 35," Aris muttered, his porcelain mask reflecting the distant golden glow. "With a Luck stat of 85. He's the kind of person who trips over a rock and finds a legendary manual underneath it."
Lin Chen had come because his Master, the Sect Leader, had felt the "darkness" in the Qin Emperor's recent edicts. He was here to investigate, to heal, and—if necessary—to "cleanse."
"A hero comes to save the day," Aris sneered. "Nox, it's time to show him that in this world, light only makes the shadows darker."
The Mirror Match: The Assassination of Character
Aris understood the mechanics of this world better than anyone. A Hero's power wasn't just Qi; it was tied to their Moral Standing. The "Heavenly Dao" protected those who were righteous. But if the world believed the hero was a monster? The Dao would hesitate.
"Nox," Aris commanded.
Beside him, the shadow-beast rippled. It detached from the floor, rising up like a column of black smoke.
"Become him. Every hair. Every golden spark of his aura. Replicate it all."
[Skill Activated: Shadow Mimicry - Divine Rank]
[Processing Target: Lin Chen...]
[100% Replication Achieved.]
The smoke solidified. Color bled into the darkness.
Within seconds, a second Lin Chen stood on the roof. It was flawless. The same copper hair, the same white robes, the same handsome face. But where the real Lin Chen's eyes held warmth, this mimic's eyes held a hidden, rotting violet void deep within the iris.
"Tonight," Aris said, handing the mimic a sword made of solidified shadow-glass, "the capital will learn to fear the white robes."
The Night of White Robes
While the real Lin Chen was resting at the Heavenly Peace Inn, meditating on how to politely approach the Emperor, his shadow was busy.
Nox, in the form of Lin Chen, began a systematic demolition of the capital's order.
First was the Minister of Justice. Nox burst into the Minister's banquet hall, glowing with a fake but convincing "Solar Flame." He didn't just kill the guards; he tortured them with "Light," cauterizing their wounds instantly to prolong the pain, making it look like a righteous execution gone wrong.
"The corruption of Qin ends tonight!" the mimic shouted, his voice a perfect match for Lin Chen's youthful baritone. "The Heavenly Sword Sect no longer recognizes this puppet Emperor! We are the new law!"
The mimic then moved to the High Priest's Temple.
He kicked down the doors. He didn't burn it down—he desecrated it. He used "Solar Strikes" to shatter the statues of the Sun God, urinating on the altar while screaming that he was the only true sun.
By 3:00 AM, the capital was in an uproar. Every survivor told the same story: A golden-eyed youth in white robes was purging the city, claiming a "Holy Revolution."
The Trap Closes
The real Lin Chen woke up to the sound of thunder.
It wasn't from the sky. It was the synchronized stomp of ten thousand boots.
He stepped onto his balcony, rubbing sleep from his eyes. His golden eyes went wide with confusion. The Imperial Black Jade Guards surrounded his inn, a sea of black armor and leveled crossbows.
At their head stood General Thorne, his aura flaring with renewed (siphoned) strength, and a mysterious, masked figure in black robes—The Pale Alchemist.
"Lin Chen of the Heavenly Sword Sect!" the General's voice shook the buildings. "For the crimes of high treason, the murder of seventy-two Imperial officials, and the desecration of the Sun Temple—you are sentenced to immediate execution!"
"What?! I have been in this room all night!" Lin Chen shouted, his voice cracking with genuine shock.
He grabbed the hilt of Solstice. The divine sword flared with a brilliant, honest light, sensing its master's danger.
"This is some dark magic! Someone is framing me!"
Aris stepped forward, his featureless mask tilting slightly. "A classic excuse, Young Hero. But 'Solar Qi' cannot be faked. Your own energy has left its signature on the corpses of our brothers."
"I am innocent!" Lin Chen roared. "If you want war, I will give you war!"
He lunged. He leaped from the balcony, his sword raised, intending to break the encirclement and reach the Palace to explain himself. The air around him shimmered with massive, protagonist-tier power.
Aris watched him fly through the air.
He thinks this is a fight, Aris thought, his violet eye burning. He thinks stats matter.
"System," Aris commanded silently. "Initialize Root-Admin: Severance."
[Protocol: Severance Initiated.]
[Target: Lin Chen.]
[Action: Disconnecting Target from the World Tree Network.]
[Bandwidth: 0%.]
Click.
Lin Chen felt it instantly.
It was like his soul had been unplugged.
Cultivators draw power from the ambient Qi of the world to supplement their own reserves. But suddenly, the air around Lin Chen became a vacuum. The World Tree, which governed the flow of energy in the capital, simply refused to acknowledge him.
His brilliant Solar Sword flickered and died, the blade turning into a cold, heavy piece of inert metal. His flight faltered.
The world... it's not listening to me? Lin Chen thought, a primal terror seizing his heart. For a Hero, being rejected by the world's energy was like a fish being rejected by water. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't cycle his energy.
"He's losing control!" Aris shouted to the troops. "His 'Deviation' is complete! The Heavens have forsaken him! Strike him down!"
The General didn't hesitate.
"Die, traitor!"
General Thorne slammed his heavy spear into Lin Chen's chest.
CRACK.
Without his Qi-shield, Lin Chen was just a man. His ribs shattered. He was driven into the dirt of the street, his beautiful white robes instantly stained with the filth of the gutter.
"Gah... hhh..." Lin Chen gasped, coughing up blood. He tried to lift his sword, but a dozen Black Jade guards piled onto him, shackling him with "Void-Lock" chains.
The Hero was broken. Not by a stronger sword, but by an administrative command.
As the guards hauled the screaming, confused hero toward the deepest dungeons, Aris stood in the middle of the street. He looked at the spot where Lin Chen's golden blood had spilled.
[Target: Lin Chen]
[Reputation: -5,000 (Hated by the World).]
[Status: Protagonist Energy - Draining.]
"A hero is nothing but a story," Aris whispered to the empty air.
Nox returned to his shadow, licking the lingering taste of Solar Qi from its teeth.
"And I just wrote your final chapter."
[Abyssal Nexus: End of Chapter Status]
Host: Aris Thorne
Level: 31
Class: Forbidden Alchemist (Rank 3 - Ascendant)
[Attributes]
Strength: 130 (Peak Human Potential Exceeded) Agility: 115 Intelligence: 68 Qi Capacity: 4,500 / 4,500 (Early-Stage Core Formation Peak)
[Physique: Abyssal Sovereign Body (30% Awakened)]
Current Power: Fate-Thief (Active). Aris is currently siphoning 1% of Lin Chen's 'Protagonist Luck' every hour he remains in the dungeon.
[New Skill Unlocked: 'Echo of the Fallen']
Effect: You can now craft pills using the "Life Essence" of a Hero. These pills grant permanent stat boosts that never hit a plateau.
[Nox Progress]
Level: 18 Abilities: Shadow Mimicry, Void-Venom. New:Abyssal Armor (Nox can now coat Aris in a bio-organic suit that negates 50% of all Elemental damage).
[World Status]
Public Opinion: 98% of the Empire wants the Heavenly Sword Sect eradicated.
The Emperor: Fully reliant on the Pale Alchemist for "Solar Stabilization."