THE RISE OF SYSTEM OVERlORD

CHAPTER 11

The moment I sensed the presence, I knew something was wrong. Too quiet. Too still.

Then—the attack came.

A whisper of movement. A blur of silver.

I twisted, barely avoiding the blade as it whizzed past my face. The knife embedded itself in the wall, an inch from my skull.

I didn’t get a chance to breathe. A second blade was already flying toward me.

I dropped low, rolling across the ground as it slammed into the metal floor, sparks flickering on impact.

I spun to my feet—but she was already there.

Moving like a shadow, a woman stepped into the dim emergency lights with a predatory grace. A sleek black combat suit hugged her athletic frame, the dark fabric shifting with every calculated step.

But it was her eyes that stopped me. A deep, piercing violet, glowing faintly in the low light. Sharp. Dangerous. Unwavering.

She wasn’t here to fight. She was here to kill.

“Caden Kelly,” she murmured, her voice like silk laced with poison. “You're more trouble than I expected.”

Her fingers danced over another hidden knife at her thigh. Effortless. Precise. She was measuring me.

I clenched my fists, my breath coming quickly. “And you are?”

She tilted her head, amusement flickering in those eerie violet eyes. “You won't live long enough to care.”

Then she moved. A flash of black—then pain. A boot slammed into my ribs, launching me backward.

I barely caught myself before she struck again. I dodged left, narrowly avoiding her blade. She followed instantly, faster than anyone I’d faced before.

I swung—she wasn’t there. I kicked—she was already moving.

She was too fast. Faster than the operative. Faster than the Revenant. I was losing.

My body screamed in protest as I dodged another strike, sweat stinging my eyes. Every instinct told me to get the hell out.

But then—something changed. The system reacted.

A cold, mechanical voice whispered in my mind.

[New Combat Signature Detected: Compatibility Match Identified]

My vision blurred. A flood of data streamed through my interface, analyzing her, mapping her movements, breaking them down into a pattern. A name appeared.

[Lyra Nightshade – Rank: Assassin – Threat Level: Lethal]

My stomach twisted. Nightshade. The name alone sent a chill through me. Assassins were ghosts. Killers are trained from childhood. Their names were whispered in the dark, never spoken aloud. And one had just been sent for me.

She lunged, her next strike aimed directly at my throat. But this time—I moved first.

Our bodies blurred as we clashed in the dimly lit corridor, every attack met with a counter. Every dodge was followed by a near-lethal strike. It was a dance of death.

Metal clashed against metal as I deflected a blade with my forearm. My instincts sharpened, my muscles reacting before my mind could process. I saw the slightest flicker of her weight shifting—an attack from my right.

I blocked. She adjusted instantly, twisting mid-motion, using my own movement against me. I barely ducked in time. She was perfect.

Her precision. Her control. Every movement was calculated and deliberate. It was like she already knew what I would do before I did it.

And yet—something felt off.

She should have killed me by now. I’d left openings. More than once. Enough that a trained assassin should have already driven a blade into my throat.

But she wasn’t finishing the job. She was testing me. Why?

I grabbed her wrist mid-strike, stopping her blade inches from my face. Her breath hitched. Just slightly. For the first time, a flicker of surprise passed through those violet eyes.

We were close. Too close. Our faces were inches apart, locked in a lethal stalemate. Her skin glistened with sweat, her chest rising and falling in controlled breaths. I could feel the heat of her pulse against my fingertips.

Then—the system locked onto her.

[New Bond Established: Assassin’s Dilemma]

A pulse of energy shot through me. Not pain. Not an attack. Something else.

Lyra stiffened—then ripped herself away. She staggered back, not in exhaustion or fear. But in disbelief.

Her hand went to her temple, as if something had just sparked in her mind, her fingers trembling.

“What the hell did you just do?” she whispered.

I didn’t have an answer. But the system did. A new notification flashed across my vision, cold and calculated.

[Combat Synchronization: 45%]

[Bond Compatibility: 72%]

Bond? I swallowed, my heart hammering. I had bonded with an assassin?

Lyra exhaled sharply, her expression unreadable. Her fingers curled into fists, her jaw tightening.

“This isn't possible,” she muttered. “The system shouldn’t—”

She cut herself off. Her posture changed. No longer predatory. No longer aggressive. Something was wrong.

She was breathing too evenly, her shoulders too rigid. It wasn’t the stance of a killer about to finish her target. It was the stance of someone at war with themselves.

I took a slow step forward. “You hesitated.”

Her head snapped up. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.” Her voice was sharp, but there was a c***k in it. I could see it now—the flicker of doubt in her eyes. The way her grip on her blade had loosened.

She was fighting something. I just didn’t know what.

She stepped back, shaking her head like she could physically shove whatever had just happened out of her mind. Her voice was quieter this time. Almost too quiet.

“You shouldn’t have survived.” She sounded almost… tired. As if this fight was no longer about me.

I swallowed, my throat dry. “Then why am I still alive?”

For a second, just a second, I saw something in her expression. A hesitation. A choice. A path she had been forced onto.

Then her lips curved into a smirk. It didn’t reach her eyes.

“I’ll give you one chance, Caden.” Her violet gaze locked onto mine. “Run.”

A shiver ran down my spine. Not from fear. But from the implication. She wasn’t telling me to run because she would kill me. She was telling me to run because someone else would.

I didn’t get the chance to ask. The lights flickered—and Lyra vanished.