The Boy Who Walks Beyond The End-Chapter 83: A Kingdom of Cages and Bones (Rescue arc:Part 2)

The deeper they went, the louder the whispers became.

Zen and Diliya moved through the underground vaults of Gallows Hollow, guided only by System's eerie floating glyphs and the rattling footsteps of Zen's newly summoned Skeleton Mage—silent, ominous, and disturbingly obedient.

Diliya followed close, limping. Her mana core had been shattered months ago, her energy reduced to flickers. But she said nothing—just clutched her arms and stared at the shadows curling from Zen's back.

She had seen the truth.

And she had chosen to walk beside it.

---

[System: Alert – 16 life signs approaching from the west corridor. Hostile aura confirmed. Most are below Level 25. One at Level 31.]

Zen clicked his tongue. "They're hunting us."

He looked at Diliya. "You can walk?"

She nodded.

"Good. Let's end this quietly."

---

Phase 1: Underground Ambush – The Caged Rebellion

The hallway they entered was lined with cells. Dozens of them. Some were empty. Others held Demi-Human children, elders, or broken-eyed teenagers with collars and bite marks.

Diliya stumbled toward one cell and grabbed the bars. "Reya... Thali..."

Two girls inside looked up. One burst into tears.

"DILIYA! You're alive—!"

"System," Zen muttered, already sliding his blade free, "Map the cells. Track guards. i'm FREEING everyone."

[System: Calculating. Weak points detected. Recommending distraction – you want loud or biblical?]

"Biblical."

---

He turned to the Skeleton Mage.

"Slot 1—Detonate Mana Burst in the north hallway. Melt everything that moves."

The skeleton tilted its skull, staff glowing—then vanished into the shadows.

Three seconds later, the entire northern wing exploded in a spiraling inferno of black-blue fire.

Guards screamed.

Zen moved.

---

Phase 2: "Zen the Jailbreaker"

In less than a minute, Zen was cutting locks with swift, glowing slashes. Ice Bloom bloomed across metal and shattered them like glass.

"Go," he told each prisoner. "Stay quiet. Stick to the shadows. Follow the arrows."

System projected glowing lines across the walls—ghost paths leading to the outer exit KAEL had originally planned.

"Zen!" Diliya called, "There's one more wing! The worst one—they keep the hybrids there!"

Zen stopped. His brows furrowed.

"...Hybrids?"

"Half-beasts, broken ones, anyone they think can't fight back. They're used for blood rituals. You can't leave them..."

Zen's hand tightened around his sword.

"Show me."

---

Phase 3: The Forbidden Wing

This place reeked of pain.

Cells weren't made of iron—they were made of bones.

Literally.

Some cages were lined with enchanted ribs pulled from unknown beasts, bound in runes of suppression. One boy inside was missing an arm. A girl hissed at them, more fox than human. All of them had red tags over their cells: "Sold: Pending Ritual."

Zen's jaw clenched.

[System: Permission to initiate Target Slot 2 – summon eligible from new corpses?]

"Permission granted. And prep for Ember Form again if needed."

Suddenly—

BOOM!

From the shadows above, a figure landed hard, cracking the ground.

A woman in a black robe stepped forward, eyes glowing silver.

"So you're the Demon-born brat. I was hoping to catch you before the others ruined the fun."

She snapped her fingers.

Spells ignited around her.

She wasn't just a mage. She was an EXECUTIONER—elite bounty hunter from the central guild. And she looked hungry for blood.

---

Phase 4: The Unleashing – Ember of Wrath (Again)

Zen narrowed his eyes.

"I don't have time for this."

He stepped forward.

"Nex"

[System: Ember Of Wrath Unlocked]

Dark marks crawled down Zen's neck as a suffocating aura burst forth. The air trembled. Shadows bled from his body, writhing like they were alive. The ground cracked beneath him—each breath warping the space around him.

Diliya covered her mouth. The other captives crawled away in fear.

Zen vanished.

Abyssonox Style: Zero Sever – Dual Layer

One flash—nothing.

The Executioner grinned.

"Missed—"

Then blood poured from HER shoulder. Zen was already behind her.

She cursed, unleashing a vortex of fire bolts that tore through the air.

Zen tried to dodge—but a burst struck his left side, searing through his cloak and burning flesh beneath. He staggered, teeth clenched, the scent of scorched fabric clinging to him.

Before he could recover, a lightning arrow crackled through the smoke—fast, precise, deadly.

[System: Incoming projectile—recommend not dying.]

Zen's eyes flashed.

"Realmwalker's Step."

In a blink, he vanished—space distorting like heat waves.

He reappeared behind her, silent as a falling shadow.

One clean cut.

Her body froze mid-motion—then split, the sever precise, merciless.

---

[System: New Skill Activated: Bonebound Legion – Slot 2 Acquired]

Zen raised his hand.

"Slot 2. Summon."

Bones exploded from the Executioner's corpse, twisting into a spear-wielding skeleton in plated black armor.

Two skeletons now flanked him.

The children stared in awe.

And Diliya...

She shook her head slowly. "What are you?"

Zen looked at her.

"...Hope."

The source of this c𝐨ntent is freeweɓnovēl.coɱ.

He turned to the prisoners.

"Every one of you is walking out of here. Alive."