My SSS-Rank Grim Reaper System-Chapter 45: The King Who Never Died (2)

The ten Elite Death Knights charged from multiple directions, black armor gleaming with necrotic energy.

"DEFENSIVE FORMATION!" Seraph roared, her spectral scythe spinning to block the first assault.

CLANG. CLANG. CLANG.

Three Death Knights attacked her simultaneously. She blocked two, but the third connected—its sword cutting through her shoulder armor.

[Seraph HP: 990 → 850/1,400]

"Too many!" she panted, retreating.

Grim intercepted four others, his massive scythe cutting in a wide arc.

[Reaper’s Strike - Area]

Two Death Knights were decapitated instantly.

[2 Elite Death Knights: DESTROYED]

[Souls Collected: +10.0] → 462.6/1,000

But the other two flanked him, swords cutting in coordinated tandem.

[Grim HP: 1,100 → 900/1,200]

Maya and Akari handled three more, [Flame Dance] keeping them at a distance, but they were being pushed back constantly.

And the last Death Knight—the largest, obviously the leader—charged directly toward Raven.

"SHIT!" Raven barely had MP to defend herself.

She created a [Blood Whip] with her last reserves—

[Raven MP: 50 → 0/650]

The whip entangled the Death Knight’s sword, but with no MP to maintain it, it dissipated almost immediately.

The Death Knight raised his sword for the final blow—

Alex appeared, using [Shadow Step] despite his low MP.

[Alex MP: 220 → 200/440]

[Blood Weapon - Sword] blocked the strike.

CLANG.

But the Death Knight was level 60—much stronger than Alex.

He pushed down, forcing Alex onto one knee.

"I... can’t... hold it..." Alex gasped.

And all the while, the Lich King’s [Necromantic Domain] continued draining their HP.

[Alex HP: 390 → 380 → 370...]

The Lich King watched from his throne, his scepter resting casually in his lap, like a spectator enjoying a show.

"Brave... effort... But... insufficient... As... I said... You are... not... ready..."

He stood up, beginning to walk toward the battle.

"Now... let’s... end this... properly..."

He raised his scepter—

Alex felt despair washing over him. They were losing. Everyone was going to die. Raven would be taken. Grim would be destroyed.

No. NO. I can’t let this happen.

His eyes fell on the Soul Dominion Necklace around his neck.

The cursed necklace. The one that drained 1 Vitality per hour. The one he had been wearing for weeks.

But it also had another property—one he had never used because the cost was too high.

[Soul Dominion Necklace - Special Ability]

[Vital Sacrifice:] Transfers Vitality from user to summoned companion, temporarily empowering

Cost: 10 Vitality = +200% stats to companion for 5 minutes

Warning: Vitality reduced below 20 may cause permanent collapse

Alex currently had 40/50 Vitality.

If he used 10... he’d be left with 30. Dangerous but survivable.

If he used 20... he’d be left with 20. Critical zone.

But Grim needs the power. We NEED the power.

"Grim," Alex said, his voice steady despite the fear. "Do you trust me?"

Grim, fighting two Death Knights, briefly turned his skull.

"Always. Master."

"Good. Because this is going to hurt."

Alex grabbed the necklace with both hands.

"[VITAL SACRIFICE - MAXIMUM]"

[Vitality: 40 → 20/50]

[WARNING: CRITICAL ZONE]

EXPLOSIVE pain tore through Alex—as if his life force were being ripped directly from his soul.

He screamed, falling to his knees.

But the energy—bright crimson, pulsing with vital power—flowed from the necklace directly into Grim.

[Grim - Vital Sacrifice Received]

[ALL STATS: +200%]

[Duration: 5 minutes]

Grim froze for half a second as the power flooded his form.

Then—

EXPLOSION.

His death aura exploded outward with such force that the two Death Knights attacking him were thrown backward.

Grim grew—not just to Awakened form, but beyond.

[Awakened Form - OVERCHARGED]

Three meters tall now. Obsidian armor blazing with crimson runes so bright they illuminated the entire room. His scythe growing to three meters in length, the blade vibrating with power that distorted the air around it.

And his eyes—no longer just red lights in empty sockets.

Crimson flames burning like miniature suns.

"POWER... RECEIVED... THANK... YOU... MASTER..."

His voice had changed—deeper, resonant, as if multiple voices spoke in unison.

The Lich King stopped walking, genuinely surprised for the first time.

"That... is... Vital... Sacrifice? An ancient... ritual... Dangerous... Very... dangerous... for... the... user..."

Grim turned toward the remaining Death Knights—six still standing.

"THEY. THREATENED. MY. MASTER."

"UNFORGIVABLE."

He charged—speed so fast he was a blur.

[Reaper’s Strike - Overcharged]

One strike.

Three Death Knights exploded into fragments of armor and bone.

[3 Elite Death Knights: DESTROYED INSTANTLY]

[Souls Collected: +15.0] → 477.6/1,000

Second strike.

Two more vaporized.

[2 Elite Death Knights: DESTROYED]

[Souls Collected: +10.0] → 487.6/1,000

The last Death Knight—the leader—tried to retreat.

Grim appeared behind him.

"No. Escape."

[Death’s Reaping Strike - Maximum Power]

The scythe cut—not horizontally, but vertically.

The Death Knight was split into two perfect halves.

[Elite Death Knight Leader: DESTROYED]

[Souls Collected: +7.0] → 494.6/1,000

[ALL DEATH KNIGHTS: ELIMINATED]

Absolute silence in the room.

Everyone—Seraph, Maya, Raven, even the Lich King—stared at Grim with a mixture of awe and terror.

"That was..." Maya struggled for words. "...incredible."

"And terrifying," added Raven. "Mostly terrifying."

The Lich King slowly began to clap—a strange sound coming from skeletal hands.

"Impressive... Truly... impressive... Fragment... One... when... properly... empowered... is... formidable..."

He raised his scepter.

"But... five... minutes... is... limited... And... afterward? When... the power... fades... What... then?"

Alex, still on his knees, breathing heavily, forced a smile.

"Then... we improvise."

He stood up—unsteady, weakened, but still functional.

"Everyone... focus the phylactery... We have... five minutes... Use them."

---

[ASSAULT ON THE PHYLACTERY - 4 MINUTES REMAINING]

The team reorganized instantly.

"Grim, keep the Lich King busy!" Seraph ordered. "The rest, with me to the phylactery!"

Grim needed no further instructions.

He charged directly at the Lich King.

The Lich King met him, scepter against scythe.

BOOM.

The shockwave shook the entire castle.

"Strong... Very... strong... But... still... not... enough... to... defeat... me..."

The Lich King pushed back.

Grim held his ground—something he HAD NOT been able to do before the power-up.

"No. Need. Defeat. You. Just. Delay. You."

"Ah... Strategy... Intelligent..."

While they fought—exchanging blows that shattered the marble floor—Seraph, Maya, and Raven ran toward the phylactery.

The barrier glowed intensely, protecting it.

[Phylactery Barrier: 10,000/10,000 HP]

"Attack with everything!" Seraph shouted.

[Soul Reaper Mode]

[Seraph MP: 300 → 100/700]

Her spectral scythe blazed blue-white, cutting against the barrier.

[Barrier: 10,000 → 8,500/10,000] 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Maya joined in, Akari growing to full form.

[Nine-Tails Inferno - Reduced]

[Maya MP: 750 → 550/850]

A multi-colored fire lance struck the barrier.

[Barrier: 8,500 → 7,200/10,000]

Raven, with no MP, could only watch in frustration.

"Damn it! I can’t help!"

Alex, staggering toward them, extended his hand.

"Use... my blood... I still have that..."

He cut his palm with a knife, blood dripping.

"[Blood Weapon - Transfer]"

[Alex MP: 200 → 100/440]

The blood flowed toward Raven, materializing as a whip in her hand.

"Thanks!" Raven charged, the blood whip wrapping around the barrier, squeezing.

[Barrier: 7,200 → 6,500/10,000]

[3 MINUTES REMAINING]

Behind them, Grim and the Lich King continued their duel.

CLANG. CLANG. CLANG.

Each exchange fiercer than the last.

The Lich King launched [Death Bolt] × 5.

Grim cut through them all with his spinning scythe.

"Impossible... Level... thirty... one... cutting... through... my... magic..."

"No. Am. Level. Thirty. One. Am. Fragment. Of. The. Reaper."

Grim counterattacked—[Shadow Scythe] , an ability that allowed his scythe to cut not just physically but spatially.

The scythe passed through space, appearing directly beside the Lich King’s neck—

The Lich King blocked just in time with his scepter.

"Close... Very... close... Enjoying... this... fight... truly..."

[2 MINUTES REMAINING]

[Phylactery Barrier: 6,500 → 4,000/10,000]

"Almost there!" Seraph panted.

But then the Lich King, seeing that the phylactery was in real danger, changed tactics.

"Enough... games..."

He activated [Spell: Time Dilation].

Time around the phylactery slowed down.

Seraph, Maya, and Raven suddenly moved as if underwater—each movement taking ten times longer.

"NO!" Seraph shouted, but even her voice was slowed, distorted.

[1 MINUTE REMAINING]

Grim’s power began to fade.

[Vital Sacrifice: 60 seconds remaining]

[Grim’s Stats: +200% → +150%]

He was weakening.

And the Lich King knew it.

"One... minute... more... Then... power... fades... Then... I win..."

Alex, watching from behind, felt despair.

We can’t reach the phylactery in time. The time field is blocking it. And Grim is weakening.

We need... we need something. Anything.

Then he remembered—something Viktor had mentioned during their briefing before entering Fallen Citadel.

Something about Viktor being the previous bearer of Fragment 3.

And how he had abandoned it here fifteen years ago.

Wait.

Alex looked at the Lich King—specifically his right arm, where a bright green mark glowed.

Viktor said Fragment 3 was fused with the Lich King’s core. That’s why he was immortal.

But Viktor also said he GAVE UP the Fragment. Left it sealed.

What if...?

Alex’s eyes widened with realization.

"It’s not the Lich King who controls the Fragment!" he shouted. "It’s the Fragment that controls the Lich King!"

Everyone froze—even the Lich King.

"What... did... you say?"

"Viktor told you he abandoned the Fragment," Alex continued, pieces clicking into place. "But he didn’t say YOU took it. He said the Fragment was sealed here. What if the Fragment FOUND you? Forced you to fuse with it?"

The Lich King hesitated—just for half a second.

But it was enough confirmation.

"You are... more... perceptive... than... you... appear..."

His voice changed slightly—as if he were fighting against something.

"Yes... Fragment... found... me... Nine hundred... years... ago... When... I was... a simple... guardian... of... this... place... It... offered me... power... I foolishly... accepted..."

"And... ever... since... I have... been... a prisoner... in... my... own... body..."

The green mark on his arm pulsed brightly.

And for a moment—just a moment—the Lich King’s eyes glowed differently.

Not necrotic green.

Blue. Human.

"Please... free me..." The voice was different—younger, desperate. "The Fragment... controls... everything... I just... want... to rest..."

Then the green returned.

"NO. ENOUGH. TALKING."

This voice was COMPLETELY different—deeper, resonant, ancient.

It wasn’t the Lich King speaking.

It was Fragment 3 itself.

[FRAGMENT 3 - CONSCIOUSNESS REVEALED]

The Lich King’s right hand—where the mark glowed—suddenly moved independently.

It grabbed the scepter, tearing it from his left hand’s grip.

"THIS. BODY. IS. MINE. THESE. BEARERS. WILL BE. MINE."

The right arm pointed the scepter—not at Grim.

At Raven.

"THAT. ONE. WILL BE. NEW. HOST. BLOOD. POWER. COMPATIBLE."

[Death Bolt - Overcharged] × 10

Ten necrotic bolts shot toward Raven—

[30 SECONDS OF GRIM’S POWER-UP REMAINING]

Grim threw himself in the way, intercepting.

All ten bolts struck his body.

[Grim HP: 900 → 200/1,200]

Nearly destroyed.

But still standing.

"WILL. NOT. TOUCH. RAVEN."

Fragment 3—controlling the Lich King’s right arm—detached itself.

The right hand literally tore itself from the body, falling to the floor.

Then it began to move.

Five skeletal fingers running like a spider toward Raven.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" Raven shouted, retreating.

The hand was fast—incredibly fast.

It leaped, aiming for her chest where it would fuse—

Seraph appeared from the side, her scythe cutting—

MISS.

The hand dodged mid-air, landing and continuing its charge.

Maya launched [Fox Fire] —

The hand zigzagged, avoiding all projectiles.

Alex tried [Blood Weapon] —

The hand leaped over the blades.

It was a meter from Raven. Half a meter. Thirty centimeters—

SMACK!

Raven KICKED the hand with all her strength.

The hand flew through the air, hitting the wall with a THUD.

"DON’T TOUCH ME, CREEPY HAND!" Raven shouted.

The hand recovered, beginning to run again—

"RUN!" Seraph shouted. "We can’t fight this thing!"

The Lich King—now missing his right arm, green energy bleeding from the stump—collapsed onto one knee.

Without the Fragment directly controlling him, his true consciousness emerged.

"Go... Flee... while... you can... The... Fragment... is... unstoppable... when... released..."

[10 SECONDS REMAINING]

Grim’s power was fading rapidly.

[Stats: +150% → +50%]

He began to shrink, dropping from 3 meters to 2.5 meters, his armor dimming.

"TO THE DOOR!" Alex ordered.

Everyone ran toward the entrance double doors.

The hand chased them—its fingers hitting the floor in a creepy tap-tap-tap-tap-tap pattern.

[5 SECONDS]

They reached the doors.

Seraph pushed them—

LOCKED.

"Sealed!" she panted.

Maya used her last MP.

[Nine-Tails Inferno - Final Shot]

[Maya MP: 550 → 0/850]

Fire exploded against the doors.

BOOM.

They burst open.

[GRIM’S POWER-UP: ENDED]

Grim collapsed back to his 1.5-meter form, then forcibly to 80 centimeters.

[Grim HP: 200/1,200]

[Grim: Extremely Weakened]

Alex grabbed him, carrying him.

They ran through the doors—

The hand still chasing, now only three meters behind—

They went down the hallway, turned a corner—

"KEEP RUNNING!" Seraph shouted.

They ran for two full minutes.

Finally—they reached a larger room, far from the throne room.

They stopped, gasping, checking behind them.

The hand was gone.

They had escaped.

For now.