Chapter 24 · Bound to the Executioner: Leveling Up With My Enemy - Chapter 24: Overclocked Extraction

"Five minutes, Vesp. That’s all we have before this whole damn mountain becomes a crater," Soren barked, his voice strained. He slammed his back against the reinforced alloy wall, his chest heaving.

I didn't look at him. I couldn't. My hands were shaking as I scrolled through the holographic system interface floating in my retinas. A bright red timer was bleeding down: 04:52.

"I know the time, Soren! Stop breathing down my neck!" I snapped, my fingers blurring as I tapped into the illegal mana-boost sequence. "The extraction point is locked behind a Class-S kinetic barrier. I can't break it with a standard surge. I have to overclock the bond."

Soren stiffened. He knew what that meant. The soul-bond wasn't just a leash; it was a conductor. To push more power into the barrier, I had to pump raw, unfiltered mana through *him*.

"Do it," he grunted. He stepped closer, his presence suddenly overwhelming. He didn't just stand near me; he crowded me, pinning me between the vibrating wall and the heat of his body. "Just get us out of here before Malakar's little firework show starts."

I swallowed hard. My pulse was hammering against my ribs.