Ascension: Shadow Protocol

Chapter 26: Data Overload

"WARNING: Shadow Protocol is entering unstable state. Memory threshold exceeded. Neural sync at 97%. Cognitive collapse imminent."

Ryo's body convulsed as streams of black-coded light surged through his veins. The hidden room beneath the old Guild Hall vibrated with an unnatural frequency — like a tuning fork struck by an unseen force. Symbols spun in the air, warping faster than his mind could track.

His scream was silent.

All around him, corrupted data flared. Images of his father—alive, battling something massive, shadows engulfing him—flashed like broken video frames in his vision. Then came the numbers. Endless, spiraling, incomprehensible numbers raining down like black snow.

[NEW PROTOCOL DATA UPLOADED: 78%… 92%… 99.9%… ERROR.]

[CONDITION: SHADOW OVERLOAD — CORE CAPACITY BREACHED]

[EMERGENCY BACKUP INITIATED… OVERRIDE UNAVAILABLE.]

Ryo gasped, finally regaining control of his limbs. His vision returned in pieces, like a loading screen finishing bootup. He collapsed onto one knee, steam rising off his skin.

"Wh-What the hell just happened…?"

He'd only touched the crystal — the one hidden in the vault his father sealed decades ago — and everything changed. It wasn't just a memory upload.

It was a soul imprint.

Elsewhere — Council Archive

The Overseer stared at the data stream. "The Shadow Core has begun assimilation." His expression tightened. "He found the Spire vault. That boy is accelerating far beyond projection."

One of the Councilmen looked nervous. "Should we engage the Reapers?"

The Overseer's eyes narrowed. "No. Let the overload consume him. If he survives, he's no longer a threat. If he doesn't…" A slow smirk formed. "Then the Shadow Protocol dies with him."

Back in the Vault

Ryo steadied himself, blinking away lines of fragmented code from his HUD.

[SHADOW MEMORY SYNCHRONIZED: KAEL KAZEN][Shadow Ghost Skill Acquired: "Echo of the First Wielder"][Unique Passive Unlocked: Shadow Neural Acceleration]

"Neural Acceleration…?"

He moved his fingers.

Faster.

Snapped a coin from mid-air without thinking.

It's like time's slowing down around me… no, my brain is processing everything faster. His breath caught. I'm evolving.

But it came at a cost.

Ryo staggered as pain ripped through his head again. His vision turned red. Behind his eyes, something was clawing to the surface — Kael's leftover will, buried deep inside the protocol.

"Ryo."

A voice. Not his.

"The Spire holds the key… but not salvation. You must choose your shadow."

"What does that mean?" Ryo demanded, spinning. But the voice was gone.

[QUEST UPDATED: Legacy of the First Wielder]

Objective 1: Survive the Overload (Complete)Objective 2: Seek the Three Echo NodesObjective 3: Rewrite the Protocol

Ryo stared at the quest log. "Rewrite… the Protocol?"

It was madness. A suicide mission. No one had ever tampered with the Shadow Protocol's core.

But if the Council truly controlled it…

Then they'd corrupted it.

And if his father had tried to rewrite it before—

"I have to finish what he started."

Suddenly, a roar shattered the silence. The vault door behind him bent inward as something slammed it from the outside.

"Target located. Shadow-bearing anomaly confirmed."

Three armored figures burst through — their bodies sleek with glowing crimson runes.

[ENEMY DETECTED: PROTOCOL REAPERS — RANK: S]

"Engaging extermination sequence."

Combat Initiated

Ryo leapt back, summoning two shadow blades, their forms flickering wildly from the data surge still corrupting his system.

He was fast.

Faster than ever.

But the Reapers were faster.

One blurred in and struck — Ryo barely dodged. Sparks erupted as blade met blade.

The second Reaper activated a reality spike, causing the ground beneath Ryo to phase out for half a second. He fell — just an inch — but it was enough for the third to land a punch to his ribs, sending him flying across the chamber.

Pain shot through his entire body.

[Health Critical: 22% Remaining][Emergency Skill Unlocked: "Shadow Chain Sync"]

A pulse erupted from Ryo's core.

Shadow tendrils burst out — piercing all three Reapers in unison. Time froze. Data strings linked them together.

[Chain Sync Established][Mirroring Combat Pattern… Calculating…]

The shadows moved before he did.

Each of the Reapers took a step back in surprise — too late.

Ryo dashed forward in perfect synchronicity with their own combat routines, slashing one in the throat, side-stepping the next, and stabbing the final one clean through the core.

Three kills. One move. One heartbeat.

The dust settled.

Ryo stood in the middle of the carnage, chest heaving.

His hands trembled — not from fear.

From exhilaration.

[Reapers Defeated: Protocol Keys Obtained x3][New System Branch Accessible: Shadow Protocol—Node Alteration]

Outside — A Pair of Eyes Watching

From atop a crumbling building overlooking the old district, a lone figure in a dark cloak watched through a scanning scope.

"Not bad, kid…" the figure muttered. "But if you keep this pace, you'll burn out before the real war begins."

To Be Continued...

Next up: Chapter 27 – The First Reaper