The Archfiend System

CHAPTER 22: GUILD JUSTICE

Klein waited on the rooftop as emergency services arrived. Two police cars pulled up, followed by a black van with the System Bearer Response Unit insignia.

Four SBRU officers emerged, all wearing combat gear and carrying weapons designed to restrain System Bearers. Their leader, a woman with lieutenant bars, approached Klein first.

"Klein S'roar?" she asked, her hand resting on her sidearm.

"That's me."

"We need you to come with us. There's been a report of an illegal System Bearer altercation."

Klein nodded and extended his wrists. The lieutenant raised an eyebrow but didn't cuff him. She gestured for Klein to follow her to the van.

Medics were already treating Darius, who glared at Klein with unconcealed hatred as they loaded him onto a stretcher.

At SBRU headquarters, Klein was placed in an interrogation room...not a cell, which was a good sign. He sat at a metal table and waited.

Twenty minutes later, the door opened. Boomer entered, followed by Seris and a man Klein didn't recognize...middle-aged, wearing an expensive suit, with a System Bearer badge marking him as Council affiliated.

"This is Councilor Hayes," Boomer said, sitting down heavily. "He's here to take your statement."

Klein recounted everything: Darius's confrontation yesterday, the ambush today, the fight. He was careful to emphasize that Darius attacked first and Klein only defended himself.

Hayes took notes on a tablet, his expression neutral. When Klein finished, the Councilor set down his stylus.

"We have security footage from multiple cameras corroborating your account," Hayes said. "Darius initiated the attack in a public area, endangering civilians. You responded with appropriate force and stopped when he was incapacitated."

"So I'm not in trouble?" Klein asked.

"You're not," Hayes said. "However, there are... complications."

Seris spoke up. "Darius's family is wealthy. They have connections to high-ranking System Bearers, including his uncle...Drake Winters, ranked in the top fifty worldwide."

Klein's stomach sank. "Ranked how high?"

"Forty-seventh," Boomer said grimly. "Level sixteen, Frozen Abyss System. He's a legitimate powerhouse."

Hayes pulled up a holographic display showing Drake Winters...a tall man with silver hair and ice-blue eyes, his expression cold and aristocratic.

"The Winters family has already filed a complaint with the Council," Hayes continued. "They're claiming you attacked Darius without provocation and used excessive force. They want you charged with assault and attempted murder."

"That's insane!" Klein stood up. "You just said you have footage..."

"We do," Hayes said calmly. "And the charges won't stick. But the Winters family has money and influence. They'll drag this through the legal system for months, maybe years. It'll be expensive and exhausting."

Klein sat back down, feeling trapped. "What are my options?"

"Legally? Fight the charges and win eventually," Hayes said. "The truth is on your side."

"But?" Klein prompted.

"But the Winters family also has the right to invoke Honor Combat," Seris said quietly. "It's an old law, rarely used anymore, but it's still legal. A System Bearer can challenge another to a sanctioned duel to settle disputes."

Klein's hands clenched into fists. "Drake Winters wants to fight me."

"We don't know that yet," Boomer said. "But it's likely. If he does challenge you, you have the right to refuse, but it would be seen as cowardice. Your reputation would take a hit."

"And if I accept?"

"Then you fight a Level sixteen System Bearer with fifteen years of combat experience," Seris said bluntly. "You're Level fourteen with four months of experience. The gap is significant."

Klein thought about it. If he refused, he'd look weak. Other System Bearers would see him as someone who could be pushed around. Challengers would come out of the woodwork.

But if he accepted and lost, he could be seriously injured or killed.

"How long would I have to prepare?" Klein asked.

"Honor Combat rules allow the challenged party to set the date, within reasonable limits," Hayes said. "Usually three to six months."

Three months. Could Klein bridge a two-level gap in three months?

"I need time to think," Klein said.

"You have one week before the Winters family can formally issue the challenge," Hayes said. "Use it wisely."

Back at the guild hall, Klein found Mara waiting in his room. Her eyes were red from crying.

"I saw the news," she said, rushing to hug him. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Klein held her tight. "Darius is the one in the hospital."

"But they're saying you might have to fight his uncle." Mara pulled back, her face filled with worry. "Big brother, he's Level sixteen. You can't..."

"I can," Klein said, more confidently than he felt. "I have to."

"Why? Why do you always have to fight?"

Klein sat down on his bed, suddenly exhausted. "Because if I back down now, everyone will know I can be bullied. Every ambitious System Bearer will come after me. I'll spend the rest of my life running or fighting anyway."

"But you could die!"

"I won't," Klein said. "I promise, Mara. I'll train harder than ever. I'll get stronger. And I'll come back."

Mara was silent for a long moment. Then she wiped her eyes and nodded. "Okay. But you have to promise me you'll actually come back. Not just your body...all of you."

"I promise."

That night, Klein couldn't sleep. He lay in bed staring at the ceiling, thinking about Drake Winters.

Level sixteen. Two full levels above him. In System Bearer terms, that was a massive gap.

But Klein had advantages too. His chaos attribute was rare. His Divine Archfiend System was S-grade. And he'd already proven he could punch above his weight class.

Klein pulled up his system interface and reviewed his skills. He needed to get stronger, fast.

His fingers hovered over the Corrupted Dragon Scale in his completed quests section. The shopkeeper said one to two weeks for the gauntlets.

Klein also had the Elder Dragon's Heart Fragment, which he'd been saving. He selected it now.

CONSUME ELDER DRAGON'S HEART FRAGMENT?

WARNING: This will permanently increase maximum mana by 500.

Klein selected yes.

The fragment dissolved in his inventory, and warmth flooded through his chest. His mana pool expanded, settling at 2,500...a significant boost.

It wasn't enough. Not nearly enough.

But it was a start.

Klein closed his eyes and finally drifted off to sleep, dreaming of ice and fire, of battles won and lost, of a silver-haired man with eyes like frozen death.

In one week, his fate would be decided.

He needed to be ready.