CHAPTER 96: CHAPTER 96 - HEART BIND

From the creature’s elbow, a jagged extension of bone began to grow, resembling the curved claws of a monstrous mantis. The inhuman figure gripped the protruding bone with its other hand and, with a violent yank, tore it free.

CRACK!

A chilling sound echoed as the bone ripped out, and immediately, the flesh from the creature’s gripping hand was absorbed into the weapon. The bone twisted and morphed into a grotesque, otherworldly staff.

"Arghhh..."

The inhuman figure let out an incomprehensible roar and slammed the weapon into the ground.

BOOM!

The earth split apart with a deafening explosion, shockwaves tearing through the entire ruined kingdom. Cracks spiderwebbed outward, ripping the very land to pieces. Buildings that had survived the first attack now crumbled into the gaping fissures.

"Ugh!"

"Run!"

"Help me!"

"This is the end!"

Panic erupted as the ground split beneath people’s feet. Some tried to flee, but many fell screaming into the widening chasms.

Auran and his group clung desperately to a fragment of earth as the kingdom fractured around them. Even some Protectors managed to hold on, their faces grim, while the slab of land where the inhuman figure stood drifted away, tearing the kingdom into floating, fragmented pieces.

"Don’t let go! Please!"

Henry looked down to see the injured man he had been helping, still trapped beneath debris, clutching Henry’s hand with all his strength. The ground beneath them trembled violently, tilting toward the abyss as chaos swallowed the kingdom.

"I won’t let go!" Henry called out, trying to reassure the man. But then, with a violent CRACK, the ground split directly between them. The half where the trapped man lay began to crumble, tilting toward the abyss along with the pile of rubble pinning him down.

"Please! Don’t let me gooo!" the man screamed, his voice raw with terror.

Henry held on with all his strength, but the combined weight of the man and the debris dragged his arm downward. His grip slipped, and the man’s hand tore free.

"Nooo!" Henry cried as the man fell, his screams fading into the darkness below. Henry could only watch helplessly, guilt gnawing at his chest.

I’m sorry... I couldn’t save you. But I swear... I’ll avenge you.

His sorrow quickly hardened into resolve as his eyes turned upward, locking onto the towering inhuman figure.

"W-Wait! Help me!" another voice cried out.

Henry turned sharply and spotted one of the noblemen who had appeared with them through the space rift. The man was dangling from the edge of a fragmenting cliff, his fingers barely clinging to the earth as the chasm widened beneath him.

"Hold on!" Henry’s instincts took over. He sprinted, leaping from one floating slab of land to another, until he reached the edge where the nobleman hung.

"Grab my hand!" Henry extended his arm.

The nobleman’s face lit with desperate relief. "Save me, please! I’ll give you anything! My father is the City Lord of the Awakeners’ City!"

Henry’s eyes narrowed.

The City Lord’s son...

He muttered under his breath, "So... you’re the one in charge..."

"What are you talking about?!" the nobleman shouted in confusion, panic rising in his voice.

"Hey! Lift me up! Why are you just holding me like this?!" he begged, his grip trembling on Henry’s arm.

But Henry did not pull him up. His face was dark with a storm of conflicting thoughts.

If I let this man fall, will it solve the problems in the underground city?

Henry’s thoughts raced. Hardly. The city is already in ruins because of this disaster. His death won’t change that. But... maybe if he’s gone, the kidnappings and secret mining operations won’t happen in future.

He clenched his teeth. Or maybe not. Someone else could take his place and continue the same crimes. If I want this to end, I have to make sure he stops himself.

Henry’s eyes hardened as he looked down at the dangling nobleman.

"You said you’d give me anything," Henry said coldly. "There’s something I want you to do. Will you agree to it? Your answer will decide whether I save you or not."

At that moment, another section of the shattered ground collapsed, sending several screaming people plummeting into the abyss. They had been safe just a second ago, and now they were gone.

The nobleman’s face went pale, his body trembling. "Whatever you say! I’ll do it! Just please, save me!" he screamed.

"Then tell me," Henry said, his voice firm, "who is responsible for the child kidnappings in the Awakeners’ City?"

The nobleman froze, his wide eyes meeting Henry’s. He hesitated, his lips quivering.

"I... I don’t know..." he stammered.

"But I do," Henry replied sharply, cutting him off. The nobleman flinched, his words stuck in his throat.

"You... you know?" he asked, panic and disbelief mingling in his voice.

"Yes," Henry said coldly. "I know it’s you. I want you to stop—everything. The kidnappings, the illegal mining, the fake arena crystal schemes... all of it ends, right now."

The nobleman’s face twisted with frustration and fear. "What?! That’s absurd! Do you know how much money I make from all this? Even my father doesn’t earn that much!" he shouted, his voice cracking under the strain.

"Fine, have it your way," Henry said coldly, loosening his grip on the nobleman’s hand.

"Wait! Wait! I agree! I agree!" the nobleman screamed, panic flooding his face as his fingers slipped.

Hah... I’ll just agree now, and once I’m safe, I’ll crush this fool, the nobleman thought with venom.

But unexpectedly, a glow flared around Henry’s hand—and then around the nobleman’s.

{Heart-Binding Curse}

Henry’s voice was calm but firm. "There. Now the two of us are bound by the curse. I fulfill my part by saving you... and you’ll fulfill yours by never engaging in your shady dealings again." He gave the nobleman a sharp smile.

The man’s face instantly twisted into horror. "He’s... a curse master! Damn it!" he thought, his expression darkening.

He knew curses—at least by reputation. He was an ice magician with no knowledge of curse-breaking. And this particular curse was infamous. The Heart-Binding Curse tied two lives together. Any attempt to cheat the vow—or even a minor violation—would first destroy the one bound against the curse master.

"For the gods’ sake... there’s no way out," the nobleman realized bitterly, gritting his teeth.

Henry hauled him up to solid ground. The nobleman didn’t thank him, and Henry didn’t care—he had already secured what he wanted.

Henry’s gaze immediately shifted toward the inhuman figure, who still gripped his strange weapon, shattering the ground with every movement.

Suddenly, the earth beneath them quaked violently. Henry’s instincts screamed danger. He grabbed the nobleman and leapt, landing hard on a sturdier piece of ground where Auran and the others were holding out.

"Auran," Henry said urgently, his face grim, "we need to do something."