: Brother of the Glitch – Yurei Ren
The light faded. Kai Ren emerged onto the third floor of the Realm Tower, but it was no longer stairs and sky. It was a field of obsidian grass, stretching to infinity beneath a black sun. Floating above were fractured constellations, and each star whispered with voices he could not understand.
At the center stood a single tree—a twisted, dark thing with no leaves. Hanging from its branches were broken mirrors, all vibrating with corrupted energy.
Kai walked forward, every step sinking slightly into the soft, living ground. The System buzzed urgently.
> Realm Tower Floor Three: Encounter Trial Unique Anomaly Present External Hack Detected
Then came the voice.
"So, you finally caught up, little brother."
Kai froze. The air around him dropped ten degrees. A ripple of memory ran through him. Ten years ago, in the outskirts of Darkveil, his older brother Yurei disappeared during a dungeon raid. The family never found his body. Rumors claimed he had died in the breach. Others said he was devoured.
But here he was.
Yurei Ren stood at the base of the dead tree, dressed in torn robes etched with corrupted glyphs. His hair was long and silver-white, and his eyes... his eyes were glitching, shifting colors with every second.
Kai took a step forward. "Yurei... it's really you."
Yurei tilted his head. "What's left of me." He raised one hand. Fragments of reality bent around his palm. "I hacked too far. I reached where the System gods said no man should reach. And they tried to delete me."
Kai's heart sank. "You're... you're like me."
Yurei laughed. It was cold, hollow. "Like you? No. You're still clinging to the rules. I shattered them. I consumed the entire hack framework of a dead world. I am no longer a user, Kai. I am the anomaly."
> [System Alert: Yurei Ren is a corrupted Divine Hack Host. Warning: Power Levels Incalculable.]
> Trial Initiated: Survive the Encounter or Submit
Kai drew breath. He summoned Echo Merge.
> Echo Merge: Kai Ren of the Crimson Path – Activated Skill: Crimson God Step + Soul Severing Palm
A crimson aura exploded from Kai as a phantom version of a war god fused with him. Energy roared as he leapt forward.
Blades of light clashed with shadows of glitch. Each movement between the brothers created shockwaves that tore open the sky. Stars blinked out with each exchange. Kai's mind was assaulted with fragmented memories—his brother screaming in a void, hacking his body to survive, fusing with broken gods, and learning truths never meant for mortals.
Yurei countered effortlessly. "You're too soft. Too kind. That will be your end."
He unleashed a hacked technique: Absolute Rewrite – a reality-bending wave that erased Kai's position, resetting him five meters back in time.
> Warning: Temporal Desync Detected
Kai growled. He used Reversal Surge.
> Reversal Surge Activated: Cause and Effect Inverted Damage exchanged – Kai's injuries transferred to attacker
Yurei staggered. Blood leaked from his mouth. He wiped it, then smiled.
"Good. You're finally learning. But can you handle this?"
He pulled something from his robe—a shard of black glass, humming with compressed divinity.
> [Data Fragment: Origin Hack Core - God Tier Detected]
Yurei jammed it into his chest. His body distorted.
Feathers of code peeled from his back. His skin glitched and reset. His body split into three versions, each wielding a different reality: Fire, Void, and Time.
Kai fell to one knee. "That power... it's eating you alive!"
Yurei screamed. The ground shattered. The tree bled black ichor. Mirrors above them cracked and rained shards of memory.
Kai knew he couldn't match that power. Not yet.
But he remembered something Elder Wushen once said:
> "Glitches are errors... but the most dangerous ones evolve into new rules."
Kai looked inward.
> [System Synchronization Mode Enabled] Hack Alignment Requesting Connection...
> Found Target: Divine Hack User – Yurei Ren Attempt to Bridge Systems?
Kai gritted his teeth. "Do it."
> Bridge Initiated...
A shockwave of white light burst between the two brothers. Yurei screamed, "What are you doing?!"
Kai stood within the light, his eyes glowing. "I'm reminding you who you were. And I'm pulling you back."
> Synchronization Successful. New Dual Skill: Binary Soul Bind – Chain yourself to another hacker to suppress or share power.
Chains of light wrapped around Yurei, slowing his glitch storm. His three forms flickered. The fire self vanished. The time self collapsed. Only the core Yurei remained, on his knees.
He looked up, tears in his glitching eyes. "Kai... help me..."
Kai walked forward. Wrapped his arms around his brother.
The world began to stitch itself back together.
> Trial Cleared. Unique Outcome: Anomaly Rescued. New Timeline Created. Reward: Dual Hack Link Established – Yurei Ren added as System Ally Access Granted: Floor Four - The Clockwork Domain
But in the far void, something stirred. A council of glowing entities watched.
> Divine Systems Council Log: Subject Kai Ren continues to destabilize the hierarchy. Decision: Deploy Intervention Protocol. Send The Regulator.
The light faded. Kai stood, holding his brother.
And above, a red eye opened in the sky.