Reborn with the Devil's system-Chapter 33: The First Flame

The rain hadn’t stopped since midnight.

It drummed against the rooftops of Noxshade like a funeral beat, constant and heavy. The skies above remained bruised, clouds churning with something unnatural,

Elias’s boots slid backward, trenching two long scars through the broken street as the Executioner’s sword—taller than most men—ground into his palm.

He should’ve been crushed.

Split open like fruit.

But something had changed.

The glyphs from the scroll still pulsed across his chest, threading through his veins like fire-laced runes. His eyes no longer glowed red... but violet, burning with something deeper than rage.

Will.

> [System Error Detected: Interference from Forbidden Source]

User has triggered a Proto-Soul Independence Path.

Forceful reset no longer viable.

Secondary directive initiated: Terminate with full force.

The Executioner reeled back. For the first time, it hesitated.

Elias grinned through clenched teeth.

"You’re afraid."

The blade came down again—but Elias moved like lightning now, faster than ever before. He ducked, slipped beneath the Enforcer’s legs, and slammed his palm into the earth.

> [Skill Fusion Activated – Shadow Reap + Soul Extraction = Abyssal Rupture]

Drag enemies into soul-space for 3 seconds. Opponent’s resistance: High.

The street cracked open into a yawning pit of shadow. Chains—inky, demonic—rose from it and latched onto the Executioner’s legs, pulling it halfway into the darkness.

"Three seconds," Elias muttered.

He didn’t waste them.

> [Infernal Leap]

Cooldown bypassed due to Soul Surge.

He soared into the air and came down with a blade of compressed demonic energy, landing a direct hit to the Executioner’s shoulder.

Cracks spread. The armor didn’t break—but the glyphs flickered.

The creature shrieked—a machine-noise mixed with rage—and flung Elias away.

He slammed into a wall with bone-rattling force, coughed blood, but stood again.

He could barely breathe. His ribs were cracked. Energy drained.

But he laughed.

"You’re strong," Elias coughed, "but I’m not playing your game anymore."

---

The Oracle’s Return

Thunder cracked the sky.

From the rooftops, a bolt of red light shot downward—exploding against the Enforcer’s helmet. The creature staggered.

Ceryn—the masked Oracle—landed beside Elias, twin daggers gleaming with sigil-laced poison.

"You really pissed it off," she said.

"I have that effect on people."

She slid a potion into his hand. It bubbled dark violet.

"Demonic Core Extract," she said. "Costs more than a kingdom. Drink it."

Elias didn’t hesitate. He downed it, and warmth flooded his chest. Bones knitted. Wounds closed. His mind snapped into focus.

> [Demonic Essence Absorbed – +1 Evolution Point Earned]

Temporary Boost: +25% Attack Speed, +30% Soul Vision

The Executioner rose, now glowing. Its entire body vibrated like a tuning fork for hell itself.

"You distract it," Ceryn said. "I’ll bind it."

"Deal."

---

The Final Clash – Rebellion Ignited

Elias lunged again, faster this time, dodging the wide arc of the blade. He didn’t aim for power—just precision. Strike, retreat. Cut tendons. Fracture joints.

Ceryn leapt into the air, chanting ancient words. Red chains formed in the air above her, descending like celestial punishment. The Enforcer swung—but too late. The chains wrapped its torso, snapping it downward.

Elias seized his chance.

He launched himself forward, fist glowing black with compressed soul energy.

> [New Skill Unlocked – Reaper’s Blow]

A single punch that converts stored soul energy into destructive force.

He roared and drove his fist into the Executioner’s exposed chestplate.

CRACK.

The metal shattered.

The core beneath it—beating like a heart—was exposed, glowing white-hot.

He stabbed it.

Not with a blade—but his own hand, fingers buried deep in energy and hatred.

> [Core Impaled – Executioner Weakening]

The creature screeched, spasmed—and then exploded in a burst of black-red energy that blasted the block for half a mile.

---

Aftermath – 4:17 AM

Smoke. Rubble. The scent of ozone and burning metal.

Elias lay on his back, barely conscious.

But the System’s voice was... quiet.

Then:

> [You have killed a Class-S System Enforcer]

Title Gained: "Defier of Chains"

New Passive Unlocked – Soul Independence (Lv. 1)

The System can no longer override your thoughts or quests.

Path Split Approaching...

You are diverging from the standard Devil’s System route.

"Damn right I am," Elias whispered.

He sat up slowly, eyes scanning the scorched skyline of Noxshade.

Ceryn knelt nearby, breathing hard. Her mask was gone, her expression exhausted but satisfied.

"That... was the first step," she said.

"First?" Elias asked. "You mean there’s more?"

She nodded. "You’ve wounded the System. But it will heal. Worse things are coming. You need allies. A faction. A safe haven."

He gritted his teeth.

"I don’t need safety. I need to burn it down."

She looked at him for a moment, then smiled faintly.

"You’re more dangerous than I thought."

> [Quest Unlocked – Foundation of Rebellion]

Objective: Begin forming your own faction. Name it. Recruit your first 3 members.

Reward: Domain Access, Leadership Trait (Unholy Charisma), Unique Sigil.

The ruins of the old cathedral still smoldered as morning crept over Noxshade.

Ash fell like snow.

Elias stood atop a pile of broken marble, the wind tugging at his coat, his eyes fixed on the horizon. What had started as a quest for vengeance... was quickly becoming something far larger.

He wasn’t just surviving anymore.

He was about to start a war.

> [System Notice – Unique Quest Initiated]

Quest: Foundation of Rebellion

Objective: Name and establish your faction.

Recruit your first three loyal members.

Protect your secret base.

Reward:

— Leadership Trait: Unholy Charisma (Lv. 1)

— Rebellion Domain Access

— Sigil of Command (Personalized)

A small grin tugged at Elias’s lips.

The System wanted control.

He’d give it chaos.

Hidden deep underground, beneath the shattered cathedral, Ceryn revealed a secret vault—a network of ancient tunnels abandoned for centuries. Most were half-collapsed, buried in bones and dust, but a few still led into old prayer chambers and forbidden archives.

"It’s not much," she said. "But it’s where I hid before the System tried to kill me. It’s off-grid. Untraceable. For now."

Elias nodded. "It’ll do."

The room echoed with silence—except for the low hum of residual magic in the air. The glow from Elias’s chest tattoo pulsed with a steady rhythm. He could feel it: this would be the heart of something new.

A movement flashed in his mind—then a prompt appeared.

> [Faction Creation In Progress...]

Please input name for your Faction.

He took a breath.

"Name it..." he whispered, "...The Crimson Rebellion."

> [Name Accepted – Crimson Rebellion]

Symbol: A broken crown wreathed in flame

Faction Alignment: Chaos / Vengeance / Freedom

Subdomain Activated: Veil of Shadows (Base is hidden from standard detection until breached or revealed)

> [Trait Unlocked: Unholy Charisma (Lv. 1)]

Your words now carry infernal weight. Recruits are more easily drawn to your cause.

Ceryn turned to him. "It’s official. You’ve crossed the line now."

"I was born on the other side of the line," Elias replied.

---

The rebellion needed more than a name.

It needed people.

The first was obvious—Ceryn herself. She had knowledge, skill, and a score to settle.

> [Member 1 Recruited – Ceryn Nightshade, Oracle of Ruin]

Role: Strategist / Assassin / Tracker

Loyalty: 91%

Next came a surprise.

That same evening, as Elias scouted the outer slums for possible allies, he was ambushed.

Not by enemies—but by a girl with silver hair, throwing knives, and a cocky grin.

"You’re the idiot who challenged the System and lived?" she said, perched on a rooftop. "I’ve been watching."

"Creepy," Elias muttered. "What do you want?"

"To join you," she smirked. "Name’s Myra. I’m a rogue vessel too. My System broke two weeks ago... and I want revenge."

He raised an eyebrow. "You have proof?"

She pulled up her sleeve. A mangled interface glitched just beneath her skin.

Broken. Cracked. But real.

> [Member 2 Recruited – Myra Vex, Rogue Vessel]

Role: Scout / Assassin / Explosives Expert

Loyalty: 74% (Mistrustful, but curious)

Elias nodded slowly.

One more.

Ceryn led him to a derelict mansion near the graveyards.

"There’s one more who might join us," she said. "But he’s... not normal."

In the basement, they found him.

A chained giant with molten veins and sharpened bones jutting from his back.

He was half-demon.

Eyes like burning coal.

"You’re not from here," Elias said.

"I’m from below," the creature rasped. "They call me Kael. I once served the Abyssal King."

"And now?"

"I serve no one. But I kill well."

"Join me. Kill for freedom."

Kael grinned, lips bloodstained. "Break my chains... and I’ll follow you to Hell."

Elias did.

> [Member 3 Recruited – Kael of the Abyss]

Role: Berserker / Frontline / Executioner

Loyalty: 61% (Blood-bound contract initiated)

> [Quest Update – First Three Members Recruited]

Reward Gained:

– Sigil of Command

– Leadership Trait Enhanced: Unholy Charisma (Lv. 2)

– Faction Domain Established: Crimson Sanctum

> New Faction Abilities Available.

Elias stood at the center of a newly constructed war table, crimson veins of magic threading through the stone. Maps lit by candlelight. Plans forming. War brewing.

He was no longer alone.

The System couldn’t predict this.

A rebellion, forged not from obedience—but resistance.

But something gnawed at him.

A vision, flashing in the back of his mind.

A throne of bones, with a crown floating above it. A man sat there.

And he looked... like Elias.

But older. Harsher. Empty.

> [System Glitch – Vision Fragment Downloaded]

Name: The Blood Monarch

Timeframe: Unknown Future

Stability: 16%

Elias clenched his fists.

"I won’t become that," he said.

The System didn’t answer.

But it was listening.

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