The Masked Virtuoso-Chapter 98: The Riftborn’s New Path

The Rewrite War Begins

Ethan stood at the center of a golden storm.

His flames weren’t just golden anymore.

They weren’t just shadowed.

They were shifting. Changing.

A war was happening within him—two rewrites clashing at the fundamental level of existence.

One was the Creator’s rewrite.

A slow, careful erosion of who Ethan was, designed to make him accept his fate.

The other—

Was his own.

Ethan clenched his fists, golden flames pulsing violently. The city skyline around him blurred, as if the world itself was struggling to comprehend what he was doing.

And standing across from him, the Riftborn King smirked.

"Well," his alternate self murmured. "That’s new."

Mia tensed beside Ethan, daggers flickering with golden energy. "Ethan, you sure about this?"

"No," Kieran muttered. "He’s never sure. He just does things and somehow doesn’t die."

Selene’s silver eyes remained locked on Ethan’s burning aura. "This isn’t like before. He’s rewriting himself while another rewrite is actively resisting him."

Orion’s visor flickered, scanning the waves of golden energy rippling around Ethan. "If he doesn’t stabilize it, this whole area might collapse into a paradox."

Nefera folded her arms, golden flames rising. "Then we stop the paradox."

Mia gave her a look. "And how do we do that?"

Nefera’s golden eyes gleamed.

"We trust Ethan."

Silence.

Then—

Ethan exhaled.

And suddenly, the chaos in his flames stabilized.

---

Breaking the Creator’s Influence

The world trembled as Ethan forced his will against the Creator’s rewrite.

The Riftborn King watched closely. His own golden-black flames flickered slightly, responding to the presence of Ethan’s new power.

Then—Ethan’s golden eyes met his.

And the Riftborn King felt it.

A shift.

A deviation.

Ethan wasn’t just countering the Creator’s rewrite.

He was rejecting it entirely.

"...Huh," the Riftborn King murmured.

Mia glanced between them. "Okay, someone explain what’s happening before the sky collapses."

Orion’s visor buzzed rapidly. "It’s not just a resistance."

Selene’s grip tightened on her spear. "He’s going beyond that."

Nefera’s golden flames flared. "He’s rewriting himself into something even the Creator can’t touch."

Kieran let out a low whistle. "Of course he is."

Ethan’s golden-shadow flames roared.

Then, for the first time since this battle began—

The Creator’s rewrite hesitated.

---

A God’s First Reaction

The universe pulsed.

It wasn’t just reality shaking.

It was something else.

Something watching.

Ethan knew what it was.

The Creator.

The being who had shaped the Obsidian Shard. The one who had tested Riftborn for centuries. The one who had been waiting for Ethan to accept his fate.

And now—

Ethan wasn’t playing by his rules.

The Creator had expected him to resist.

The Creator had expected him to fight.

But he had not expected this.

Mia swallowed. "Uh... is it just me, or does it feel like the universe is—"

"Watching us?" Kieran muttered. "Yeah."

Orion frowned. "It’s more than that."

Ethan exhaled. His golden flames flickered, perfectly controlled now.

He could feel it.

For the first time, the Creator was reacting.

Not through force.

Not through threats.

Through acknowledgment.

The Riftborn King studied him carefully. "You do realize what this means, don’t you?"

Ethan met his gaze. "Yes."

Mia frowned. "Care to share with the class?"

Ethan’s voice was calm. Absolute.

"The Creator just realized I’m not going to lose."

Silence.

Then—

The world cracked.

---

The First Counterattack

The air split apart.

Not like a portal.

Not like the Rift.

Like something far beyond it.

Ethan’s golden flames flared as he turned toward the distortion.

Then—

A golden chain lashed out from the void.

Straight toward him.

BOOM!

Ethan caught it mid-air. The impact sent a shockwave through the city, shattering the space around them.

Mia flinched. "Okay. Ow. What the hell was that?"

Orion scanned the energy signature. "It’s the same energy that took the Old Riftborn."

Selene’s silver eyes gleamed. "Then the Creator is getting serious."

Kieran cracked his knuckles. "About damn time."

Nefera’s golden flames erupted. "Then we fight." 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

The Riftborn King exhaled, stepping back slightly. "I’d love to help."

He smirked.

"But this part’s on you, Ethan."

Ethan didn’t answer.

His golden flames flared.

And then—

The chains of the Creator attacked.

---

Ethan vs. The Chains of Fate

BOOM!

A dozen golden chains erupted from the void, twisting toward Ethan at impossible speeds. They didn’t just move through space.

They moved through existence itself.

Ethan moved faster.

His golden-shadow flames burned, tearing through the chains as they struck. But they didn’t stop.

For every chain he destroyed—

Two more replaced it.

Mia leapt forward, her daggers glowing. "Oh no, you’re not doing this alone!"

She slashed—

And her attack phased through the chains.

Mia’s eyes widened. "What—?"

Ethan’s expression darkened. "They’re only targeting me."

Kieran threw a punch at one of the chains. Nothing.

Selene launched her spear. Nothing.

Orion fired a shot. Nothing.

Nefera’s flames surged. Nothing.

Ethan exhaled.

Of course.

This wasn’t just an attack.

This was an execution.

These chains weren’t meant to be dodged.

They weren’t meant to be broken.

They were meant to bind him.

To pull him into something beyond this world.

To finish what the rewrite started.

But Ethan wasn’t going anywhere.

His golden flames flared.

Then—he raised his hand.

And stopped resisting.

---

A Power That Even the Creator Didn’t Predict

The chains lunged forward—and wrapped around him.

For a moment—

Everything was still.

Mia’s breath hitched. "Ethan—?!"

Selene’s grip tightened on her spear. "No..."

Nefera’s golden flames surged. "Get him out of there—!"

The Riftborn King smiled.

Then—

BOOM.

The chains shattered.

Not from struggle.

Not from force.

From acceptance.

Ethan hadn’t fought back.

He had embraced the chains—

And rewritten them from the inside.

His golden flames surged higher, devouring the Creator’s will.

The air cracked.

And then—

Ethan spoke.

"Your mistake—"

His golden eyes burned.

"—was thinking I’d play by your rules."

The sky split apart.

And for the first time in the history of universe—

The Creator’s voice echoed with the word that

He don’t say from the beginning of everything

"...Impossible- Imposible"

Ethan’s golden flames roared.

And the battle truly began.

---

To Be Continued...