I Level Up by Killing Gods

Chapter 13: The Truth That Binds



Kael stood at the circular chamber center, legs shook under the weight of something that felt heavier than just his nerves.

The air was suffocating, like a force that pushed on him from every direction. Above him, seated in an arc on elevated thrones, the seven members of the High Council of Light gazed down like gods surveying a mere mortal.

Their combined auras made it hard to even breathe, let alone think.

He clenched his fists, forcing his legs to stay steady. They couldn't see him falter. Not at this moment.

One of the Council members, a sharp-faced woman with silver hair and piercing golden eyes, leaned forward. Her voice was icy, clinical.

"Kael, do you understand why you're here?"

"Yes," Kael managed.

"Good. Then tell us—how did you survive an A-rank Void Breach? A situation that should've been fatal for anyone, let alone an untrained random from the outskirts."

Kael's throat felt dry. He glanced toward Dr. Levi, standing silently to the side of the room. Her expression was calm, but her eyes urged him to stick to the script.

He took a breath.

"Squad 164… they fought bravely," Kael said, his voice hush but carried through the chamber. "They gave it everything they had to protect me. But in the end…" He paused, forcing himself to look up at the Council. "In the end, only I survived."

The chamber became silent. Kael could feel their heavy stares, each one probing him for any sign of a lie.

The silver-haired woman narrowed her eyes.

"Dawnbringer Veyros was leading that squad. He was a young prodigy, a warrior who survived dozens of breaches far below A-rank. Are you saying that such an experienced team—all of them Lightforged—perished, while you, a street urchin with no formal training, walked out alive?"

Kael bit back the urge to flinch. He couldn't look weak. "Yes," he said quietly. "That's what happened."

Another voice cut through the tension, a deep rumbling. "And why were you in the breach to begin with? Unauthorized entry is a punishable offense. What were you doing there?"

Kael looked down, pretending to wrestle with the memory. "I wasn't trying to enter it. I was just… there, on the outskirts, when it destabilized. I don't know how, but I got pulled in."

The Council exchanged glances, their murmurs too soft for Kael to make out. Finally, a man with a scar running down the side of his face spoke, his tone dripping skepticism.

"You were simply there. And yet here you are, alive and Lightforged. Tell me, boy, if you've never even set foot inside a force-field city, how did you come to wield Etherion?"

Kael hesitated. This was the question he dreaded most, the one he had no real answer for, except the truth, and that was something no one would believe. He squared his shoulders, forcing himself to meet the man's gaze.

"I don't know," he admitted. "But I've agreed for Dr. Levi to run her tests. She promises to look into it. Maybe she can explain."

Silence. The Council's scrutiny was unbearable, their gazes like knives carving into him. Then the scarred man let out a low chuckle.

"This boy," he said, his voice laced with mockery, "is full of shit."

Kael bristled, but before he could say anything, the man rose from his seat. His presence was choking, his aura pressing down on Kael like a wave. The man took a step forward, his eyes glowing faintly with power.

"Enough of this nonsense," he said, his tone sharp and commanding. "Let's get to the truth."

Kael's vision blurred as the air around him shifted. Something intangible reached into his mind, it pryed at his thoughts, forcing its way past his defenses.

He tried to resist, but it was like trying to stop a flood with his bare hands.

"What really happened to Squad 164?" the man demanded.

The words spilled from Kael's lips before he could stop them. "They died," he said flatly, the emotion drained from his voice. "Like the pathetic cowards they were."

The chamber erupted in murmurs. Kael's eyes widened in horror. He hadn't meant to say that. He hadn't even thought it.

The man's gaze sharpened. "Did you kill them?"

"No," Kael spat, his voice dry and unguarded. "I didn't have to."

The murmurs grew louder, but the man silenced them with a raised hand. He stepped closer, his eyes boring into Kael's.

"Then tell me—how was the breach cleared?"

Kael's chest tightened. He tried to hold the words back, but the pressure in his mind was unbearable.

"By finding what needed to be found," he said through gritted teeth.

"And what was that?"

Kael hesitated. The stirring in his chest was made stronger, deep and clawing its way to the surface. His voice dropped to a whisper.

"Myself."

The man's expression darkened. "Who exactly are you?"

Kael's lips moved, the words forming before he could stop them.

"I am Kai—"

He clenched his fists, fighting with everything he had to take back control. Pain lanced through his skull, blood trickling from his nose as he fell to one knee.

"I am Kael," he gasped, his voice strained. "A beggar from the outskirts. That's what I've always been. That's all I am."

The pressure vanished instantly, and Kael collapsed forward, catching himself with one hand. His body shook, his breaths ragged.

The scarred man stared at him, his face dissolving to utter shock and disbelief.

"This child…" he muttered. "He resisted my ability."

Gasps echoed through the chamber. Kael didn't care. He was too exhausted to process what had just happened.

One of the Council members leaned forward, their expression blank.

"Are we done here?"

The scarred man hesitated before nodding.

"For now."

Kael didn't wait for permission to leave. He pushed himself to his feet, his legs barely holding him, and turned toward the exit. As he passed Dr. Levi, she reached out, briefly touching his arm.

Her voice was soft but firm. "Don't go far."

Kael didn't answer and stumbled out of the chamber, his mind spinning. What had just happened? What was happening to him?


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