"Impossible... truly, impossible..."
Henji, creator of the Sin of Greed, stood choked with disbelief.
Trembling, the man stared at the results of his experiment, his masterpiece, defeated in a single strike.
He'd been certain Mayuri would die once corrupted by Mammon, but... fate had said otherwise.
"Ha... hahaha..."
His laughter broke free.
Not laughter of despair, but laughter overflowing with relief and profound gratitude.
Finally... he'd found it.
A being truly pure of sin, in this corrupted world...
For Henji, who'd always lived with the conviction that the world would be destroyed at the hands of hypocritical gods... the existence of the Spirit named Mayuri was a glimmer of hope he'd never dared imagine.
"She..." his voice trembled with newfound conviction, "will bring salvation to humanity."
His eyes gleamed with fresh determination. "I must help her, no! I must dedicate my entire life to making her the Savior!" he exclaimed, his voice echoing through the silent laboratory.
The thought of helping someone reach a lofty position had never crossed Henji's mind before.
To him, this world had always been destined for destruction.
But now, everything had changed. With this Spirit's existence, perhaps there was still hope to save the world...
Perhaps... they could...
"An interesting thought. But unfortunately, your dream must end here."
A woman's gentle voice broke the silence.
Calm yet lethal, like a blade wrapped in silk.
"?!!!"
Henji flinched, his heart seeming to stop beating.
He turned sharply.
Impossible! No one should have been able to find his hideout!
"Whoโ"
๐ฝ๐๐ผ๐ผ๐ผ๐ผ๐๐๐!!
His words drowned in a tremendous explosion.
His body was hurled from the research chamber as his rare collection and the strange creatures from his experiments vanished instantly.
But Henji wasn't hurt.
His entire body was shielded by a black energy barrier that appeared automatically, an emergency defense system he'd implanted in his own body.
Brow furrowed, he studied the figure before him.
A young woman of striking beauty.
Blond hair cascaded like liquid gold beneath the dim light, a pair of sharp, brilliant blue eyes observing him closely.
Her skin was pure white, contrasting against a tight-fitting outfit open in several places, a design unlike anything Henji had ever seen in any region he knew.
What was even more astonishing was the equipment she wore.
'Has some kingdom or empire developed technology this advanced without my knowledge?'
Henji's brow furrowed even deeper.
The woman gripped a shimmering blue sword, its blade resembling a lightsaber, radiating pure energy that cut through the air.
On her back, bluish and purple neon structures floated, forming astonishing mechanical wings.
Her appearance carried mecha elements, but Henji was certain this wasn't technology he recognized.
This world did have mechs and robots, but none had developed a combat exoskeleton this advanced.
And most importantly...
'Powerful.'
Regardless of whether that power came from technology or personal ability, this woman was at a level far beyond Henji's current reach.
"Professor Henji," the woman said with an intonation like reading from a document.
"One of the foremost scientists in the field of biology. No marriage history and severed all ties with relatives. For reasons unknown to the public, resigned from your academic position and chose to vanish from society."
After pausing briefly, she then posed a question.
"Am I correct?"
Her blue eyes pierced sharply. And...
Henji's expression turned as cold as ice.
"What organization are you from?"
He didn't bother asking for a name. With an opening attack like that, identity was irrelevant.
What he needed was information about who had sent this woman and how they'd managed to track him.
Even the most powerful empire actively hunting him didn't know his hideout's location.
So what kind of organization possessed an information network this extensive?
The woman narrowed her eyes.
"My apologies, answering that isn't my obligation."
"I see," Henji stared at her coldly, then... his expression turned terrifying.
"In that case... die."
Instantly, the laboratory floor shook violently.
Terrifying monsters emerged from underground, surging like a savage tidal wave.
Dozens, no, hundreds of creatures from Henji's failed experiments, ones he'd kept in reserve as his final trump card.
Meanwhile, Henji used the chaos to flee.
He might have hoped the woman would be killed, but his instincts told him that was impossible.
By his estimation, the woman was at least equivalent to a Rank A+ or even Rank S Hunter. Meanwhile, most of his monsters were only Rank C and B level.
But with such an absurd number, even a Rank S Hunter would be overwhelmed and gravely wounded.
Previously, Henji would never have fled like a coward.
With Mammon, the Sin of Greed, in his hands, he'd have dared face even an entire imperial fleet.
But now was different.
Without Mammon, even a Rank B Hunter posed a threat to him.
Ironic, a genius scientist who'd created a being as powerful as Mammon possessed combat ability equivalent only to a Rank D Hunter.
So fleeing was the onlyโ
๐๐๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ฝ!
A sword pierced through his chest from behind, tearing through his heart without mercy.
Henji's eyes widened in terror, his head slowly turning to face his attacker.
"H-how..."
Then he saw it.
A staggering sight.
Hundreds of his monsters, which should have bought him time to escape, now lay lifeless, their bodies torn apart in a disgusting pool of blood.
The woman stood behind him, her expression not changing in the slightest.
"A fairly strong force," she said flatly, "but that's all it amounts to." Her blue eyes gleamed coldly. "Now, you may die peacefully."
"Heh... heheheh... IN THAT CASE, LET'S DIE TOGETHER!"
With a mad laugh, Henji activated something within his body, a final self-destruct mechanism he'd prepared!
The woman's expression finally shifted, a split second before a layered green energy shield appeared, protecting her.
๐ฝ๐๐ผ๐ผ๐ผ๐ผ๐ผ๐ผ๐ผ๐๐๐๐...!!
An explosion equivalent to a mini nuclear bomb struck the area, destroying everything within a vast radius.
A pillar of light shot high into the sky, a bright signal certain to draw attention from various forces.
"Hah..."
The sound of an exhale could be heard from behind the swirling smoke and dust.
But this time it wasn't a feminine voice, but a younger one.
Amid the destruction stood a figure protected not just by the green shield from before, but also by a dome of ice that had neutralized Henji's suicide explosion.
And that figure had changed.
No longer the graceful blond woman, but a child with white hair and a pair of shimmering heterochromatic eyes behind a skull mask and a billowing dark cloak.
Lux.
"The Artemisia template isn't bad... but it only excels in speed, and even that thanks to the CR-Unit technology," they murmured to themselves.
Artemisia Bell Ashcroft.
That was the identity and Template they'd just used.
Rather surprising since... this Template came from the same world as Takamiya Mayuri.
But after experiencing Mayuri's power firsthand, Lux had realized Artemisia wasn't particularly special.
The only thing that made her stand out was her ability to create shields capable of neutralizing energy pressure up to a certain threshold.
Lux shook their head and turned their gaze westward.
From where they stood, even an ordinary person could feel the terrifying energy remaining from Mayuri's battle against Mammon.
A chaotic cloud formation and wildly turbulent mana stretched across the sky, mixing with Mayuri's faintly lingering reiryoku energy.
"...Time to go home," they decided. Every goal and mission had been completed.
The chaos they'd triggered, both Mayuri's battle and other destruction, let the empire deal with it.
But one thing was certain... this event would be etched into the world's history.
***
Several weeks later...
"Is everyone present?"
A commanding voice broke the silence.
A middle-aged man opened his eyes, his sturdy hands folded atop a magnificent round table filling the room.
Around that table sat the most influential figures from various guilds, kingdoms, and empires.
On the walls, dozens of sophisticated monitors displayed the silhouettes of other important figures unable to attend physically.
The room's atmosphere was so tense it felt suffocating, a combined aura from the world's rulers gathered in one place.
"You've surely all felt it," John van Mighty, Chairman of the global Hunter Association, began in a deep voice.
"It would be stranger if any of you hadn't noticed it yet."
His sharp eyes swept across the entire room, looking at the kings, guild leaders, family heads, and emperors sitting in tense silence.
"A few weeks ago, at the harbor of Blue Sea City, a devastating battle occurred between a High Spirit and one of the Seven Deadly Sins."
John pressed a button on the control panel, and a satellite image appeared on the main screen.
A terrifying figure appeared, its body towering beyond the tallest mountain.
Mammon, one of the strongest Demons in the world.
Facing it was... a beautiful girl glowing like an angel, behind her a giant drill-shaped creature floating obediently, gathering energy at an intensity never before seen.
"That creature," one of the Guild Chairmen pointed at the girl on the screen, his voice choked. "You're certain that's a Spirit? What I see is a bringer of the world's apocalypse."
No one blamed that doubt.
Even now, weeks after the incident, the drill creature's energy still felt like it lingered in the atmosphere.
"She is indeed a Spirit," John affirmed. "The energy wave she emits is identical to the Spirit race. But indeed... we've never seen a Spirit with power this terrifying."
"How can you be so certain?"
"I verified it myself." A sturdily built man spoke up, Klein, a Rank SS Hunter renowned for his Talent capable of seeing detailed information about any being.
"And this isn't an ordinary Spirit. She is a Pure Spirit... a being born from the crystallization of pure feeling. An abstract existence made manifest."
A suffocating silence filled the room.
Several exchanged tense glances.
A being born from feeling? They'd certainly heard of abnormal births in history before, but this was something new, beyond their understanding.
Worried whispers began, several guild leaders discussing in low voices.
"Calm down, everyone," John raised his hand. "Let's return to the main topic. Though the resurrected Mammon hadn't fully recovered, the fact that this Spirit defeated one of the Seven Deadly Sins remains an extraordinary achievement."
He looked at every face in the room with profound seriousness. "Which is why I firmly state... whatever the means, we must bring this Spirit to our side."
"Speaking of this matter," the Sky Order Guild Chairman cut in coldly, his gaze directed at one of the screens, "I heard Frost Assassin was involved in the incident. What's your response, Shadow Order Chairman?"
The screen he was looking at didn't display a face, only the silhouette of a woman with alluring yet lethal curves.
Though not clearly visible, everyone knew the identity behind that shadow, a Rank SSS Hunter whose guild housed some of the strongest Rank SS Hunters.
It might seem strange to see an illegal organization considered evil present at this high-level meeting.
But in a dire situation like now, the line between good and evil had blurred for humanity's survival.
Of course, not all participants trusted the good intentions of these organizations.
Who knew when they'd thrust a dagger into someone's back?
"Fufu..." A gentle yet cold laugh sounded from the screen. "Honestly, even though Frost Assassin is a member of my guild, that doesn't mean I monitor every one of his movements. So, no comment."
"Don't play foolish, you whore."
A heavy voice full of fury shook the room.
The Emperor of the Lightsun Empire rose from his seat, his eyes gleaming with pure rage.
"Thanks to your dog's reckless actions, not only was my son permanently disabled, but most of the Rank S Hunters from my empire were killed." His voice rose to a roar, "HOW WILL YOU EXPLAIN ALL THIS?!"
Even hindered by distance and a screen, the pressure of the emperor's fury felt suffocating even to the farthest corner of the room.
No one dared interrupt because they understood the emperor's anger.
Attacked by Frost Assassin without warning, Third Prince Vian had been left permanently disabled, and several of their best Rank S Hunters had fallen.
This news had shocked everyone.
Frost Assassin was indeed known to be dangerous, but not to this level.
The conclusion was clear, it wasn't that Frost Assassin was too powerful, but that the victims had been in their weakest state after the Mammon incident.
"How terrifying," the Shadow Order Chairman replied leisurely, "then what do you want as compensation?"
"Hand over Frost Assassin and that Spirit to me."
"Pfft... Hahaha..." Mocking laughter filled the room before turning into a dangerous tone. "Don't make foolish requests. You think I'm afraid of you? Frost Assassin belongs to me alone. As for that Spirit? Do I look like I care?"
Every participant felt the room's air seem to freeze. The emperor's expression darkened further. "I consider this a declaration of war."
"War?" The woman chuckled with an unconcealed madness in her tone. "Go ahead. I'm not afraid of you."
A suffocating silence blanketed the room.
In just a few short exchanges, humanity's two greatest powers now stood on the brink of open conflict.
"Enough of this," John cut in firmly, his brow furrowed deeply. "We didn't gather for this."
He let out a heavy sigh before turning back to the Shadow Order Chairman's screen. "Shadow Order Chairman, please, could you direct Frost Assassin? Ask him to attend the next meeting along with that Spirit."
"Hmm... I can't promise anything..."
"That's enough for now." John massaged his throbbing temples. "And there's another matter more urgent..."
He pressed another button, and a horrifying sight projected across every screen.
Gasps of held breath could be heard from several corners of the room.
"This is the primary matter I wanted to address..."
The screen showed footage from a helicopter hovering over the area once known as Life Forest.
...
"๐-๐ต๐ณ๐ถ๐ญ๐บ ๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ๐ณ๐ช๐ง๐บ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ! ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ฆ๐ข๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ช๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐๐ช๐ง๐ฆ ๐๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ด๐ต ๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ต๐ฆ๐ญ๐บ ๐ค๐ฉ๐ข๐ฐ๐ต๐ช๐ค! ๐๐ฐ ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฆ ๐ฌ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ด ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ฉ๐ข๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ฅ, ๐ฃ๐ถ๐ตโ"
๐ ๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐ผ๐!!
"๐๐บ๐ข๐ข!!"
....
"What the hell..."
Expressions of disbelief spread across every face.
Some suspected a large-scale dungeon break, but...
Everyone's attention was fixed on the sight below.
Life Forest... once one of the most beautiful places in the world, was now nothing but shapeless ruins!
The giant trees that should have been green and glowing with life now withered and dead.
The clear weather that had always blessed that forest had been replaced by an unending electrical storm and acid rain.
Once majestic mountains that had stood elegantly were now split as if cut by a giant sword, creating irregular chasms and plains.
Most concerning of all was the purple lightning automatically striking anything that approached, and a massive dimensional crack with a pulsing three-windmill-point symbol at the center of the area.
...
"No, this isn't a dungeon break," John shook his head, his expression grim.
"Huh? It isn't?"
"No." John let out a heavy sigh, his eyes radiating deep concern.
"This is... the result of a battle between the Goddess of Life and her enemy. And in that battle... the Goddess of Life nearly died."
"..."
Total silence.
No one dared speak, as if those words carried a curse that would spread if uttered aloud.
With this, the world now faced a new threat that even the gods couldn't escape.
***
"Master, did you see this?"
The spirit within the necklace fell silent for a moment before snorting.
"A foolish question. Of course I saw it. This old spirit's eyes are still sharper than any human's."
"Then..." The young man swallowed hard, his voice trembling.
His trembling fingers pointed toward the destruction before them.
Fallen giant trees, cracked earth, and flashes of purple energy striking through the air.
"Do you think I could cause damage like this?"
The spirit residing in the crystal necklace around the young man's neck fell silent. His silvery gaze betrayed deep concern.
Chen Ye, a young man with jet-black hair and eyes as blue as the deep ocean, appeared ordinary at first glance, wearing a gray tunic and worn leather pants.
But the necklace around his neck radiated a mystical aura that shimmered faintly, as if it had a life of its own.
The pale blue crystal hanging at its center occasionally shimmered with unnatural light whenever the spirit spoke.
He now stood at the border of Life Forest, the forest said to be the center of this continent's life energy flow.
Initially, he'd only intended to rest briefly from his intensive training within the forest, but he'd never imagined...
Something terrifying had happened while he'd been training.
Before him, a wall of magical energy rippled like a transparent purple curtain, containing an extraordinary explosion of power raging within the forest.
Rumbling and booming sounds could be heard from behind that wall, along with faint screams of forest creatures.
Driven by blinding curiosity, Chen Ye extended his hand, trying to touch that energy wall to sense the nature of its power.
"Ugh?!"
His body was instantly thrown backward as a flash of purple energy struck his hand.
Extraordinary pain spread from his fingertips throughout his entire body, as if his blood had turned to lava flowing through his veins.
"YOU FOOL! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING TOUCHING IT?!"
The spirit within the necklace manifested in full form.
An old man with a long silver beard and a pure white robe billowing without wind.
His wrinkled face flushed red with anger as his translucent hand struck Chen Ye's head.
"Sorry, Master!" Chen Ye winced, rubbing his head though the blow hadn't truly hurt him physically.
"I thought the energy would be stable like an ordinary barrier, but this... this feels alive and... hungry."
The old spirit's hand, which had touched that energy, was now covered in purple lines like cracked glass, slowly spreading up his arm.
"HEY! What are you doing there?!"
A voice thundered from the distance.
A Hunter in a dark green cloak with the Guardian Forest Guild emblem on his chest ran closer, an arrow already nocked on his bow.
Chen Ye glanced at his master in panic.
"Run, fool!" the spirit whispered.
"This energy is too dangerous. We need to find out what happened before they imprison you for thinking this was your doing!"
Without needing to be told twice, Chen Ye shot off.
Blue energy shimmered around his feet, making him move as fast as an autumn wind. Leaves scattered behind him as he split through the forest to escape.
"STOP! Don't run! Damn it!"
The guard could only curse, lowering his bow in frustration.
He knew it was pointless chasing someone with that kind of speed, clearly no ordinary Hunter.
What Chen Ye didn't notice as he fled was a mysterious figure watching him from a high tree branch.
A woman with long blond hair shimmering like gold and cold, bright blue eyes.
The woman's eyes gleamed strangely, for a moment, before returning to clear blue.