They moved like dancers in a death ceremony.
No screams. No words. No clashing war cries.
Just motion.
The first Keeper lunged with a curved blade, glowing with a flickering glyph that twisted mid-air like a coiling serpent. I ducked instinctively, the edge carving a line of burning air inches from my neck.
Too close.
The second Keeper flanked, gauntlets raised—not to punch, but to grasp. His fingers snapped shut like iron shackles where my arm had been a second ago.
I rolled back, using the slab where the girl was hiding as partial cover.
No time to think.
Only time to act.
"Clawing Swipe!" I snarled.
The sigil on my palm flared. I darted forward with a burst of speed unnatural for my level. My clawed strike caught the first Keeper across the ribs.
Metal rang. Bone cracked.
They weren't invincible.
[Clawing Swipe – Rank D | Lv. 2 → 3]Cooldown: 6 seconds
'Faster cooldown. Good.'
But I'd barely pulled back before the masked Keeper retaliated—swiping a spiral-inscribed talisman across his chest. It glowed red, and the wounds I'd just made sealed with a hiss.
'Self-healing glyphs. Great.'
One of them raised a staff. I ducked just in time as a spiral of crimson light lashed toward me like a whip. It sliced through the stone slab behind me, showering the girl with dust.
She screamed.
That did it.
I snapped my hand forward.
"Sigil Brand!"
The spiral flared outward, searing the nearest Keeper in the chest. The brand burned into his armor, and his movements staggered—his limbs twitching unnaturally.
[Sigil Brand – Rank C | Lv. 1 → 2]Defense Reduction: IncreasedSoul Echo Resonance: IntensifiedCooldown: 18 seconds
I seized the moment. "Devourer's Core!" I slammed my palm against the Keeper's wounded shoulder as he stumbled.
For a heartbeat, the cultist's mask flared with resistance. Then—his body withered, turning into mummified flesh before collapsing.
[Enemy Defeated – Spiral-Bound Keeper (Rite Tier)]+110 EXP[Soul Echo Triggered]+1 Strength+1 WillpowerSkill Fragment Acquired: Spiral Pulse (Lv. 1)
'That's one down.'
But four remained—and now they were angry.
They moved faster. Less ceremony. More fury.
Two closed in at once.
I blocked the twin blades of one with the shaft of a broken totem pole, while the clawed Keeper raked across my side.
Pain exploded.
[HP: 72 / 110 → 51 / 110]
I gritted my teeth and kicked the clawed one away.
"Fragment Memory!"
I activated the Rank B skill without hesitation—eyes flashing as I absorbed the half-destroyed glyphs still etched into the stone pillars.
My mind reeled.
Images flooded in—visions of the ritual. The chants. The meaning of the spirals. The binding of souls to fuel the flame.
Knowledge came with a price—but now I knew something vital:
They weren't just guards.
They were feeding the ritual with their own deaths.
'If I kill too many too fast, the ritual will complete anyway.'
I had to interrupt the focus points.
I scanned the crater. There—three spiral altars pulsing with dull red light.
I bolted toward the nearest one, dodging a lightning-fast blow. As I reached the altar, I slammed my palm against it, channeling Devourer's Core into the base.
The spiral shattered.
[Ritual Disruption: 1/3]
"Get the girl!" one of the Keepers finally shouted—breaking silence.
So they could speak.
Too late.
I dashed to the next point, weaving between glyphs glowing with unstable energy. A strike grazed my back—hot and sharp—but I didn't stop.
Another altar—another surge of Devourer's power.
[Ritual Disruption: 2/3]
They began to panic.
Their spiral masks twitched—flaring brighter. Their forms became unstable, flickering with overlapping shapes.
"Time to end this!"
I ran to the final altar. One Keeper tried to block me. I took the hit—his blade carving across my chest.
[HP: 32 / 110]
I ignored the pain.
Shoved my palm forward.
[Ritual Disruption: 3/3]Ritual Core destabilized.Hostile enhancement revoked.
The remaining Keepers faltered.
No more red light. No more spiral empowerment. They were… just men in masks now.
Weak.
I turned and attacked.
The next few moments were brutal—raw.
Stone against steel. Rage against ritual.
And when it ended…
I stood alone.
The five Keepers lay scattered—broken and emptied by Devourer's Core and Soul Echo. Their spiral masks shattered like glass.
[Multiple Enemies Defeated]+220 EXP[Soul Echo Triggered x3]Gained: +2 Strength, +1 Agility, +1 IntelligenceSkill Fragment Acquired: Spiral Pulse (Lv. 1 → 2)Level Up!Isaac is now Level 3 → 4
[STATUS UPDATE]
Level: 4
HP: 35 / 110 → 35 / 120MP: 10 / 55 → 10 / 60Strength: 8 → 11Agility: 4 → 5Endurance: 5 → 6Intelligence: 6 → 7Willpower: 6 → 7Charisma: 1Luck: ???
Recent Gains (Level 4):
+1 STR, +1 AGI, +1 END, +1 INT, +1 WIL (Architect's Insight)
+2 STR (Soul Echo)
I stood over the desecrated altar, panting.
The girl peered out from behind the stone slab, tears streaking her cheeks—but not from fear this time.
From hope.
"You came back," she whispered.
I turned to her.
"I told you. I'm not one of them."