The monster stepped out of the ruined cathedral.
Its body was huge—at least five times taller than me. Made of black stone, glowing with cracks of red fire beneath the surface. Its arms were thick, its legs like tree trunks, and long wings of lava-stained bone spread wide behind its back.
But its face was the worst part.
No eyes. Just a jagged mouth that stretched too wide, filled with burning teeth. A crown of metal spikes floated above its head like it was mocking royalty.
The beast roared.
The ground shook. The broken walls trembled. Stones rolled off the edges of the pit.
The girl beside me clung to my arm.
"What is that?"
My mind answered before I could.
System message:
Infernal Warden – Guardian of the Judgment Chapel
Level: ???
Status: Awakened
Threat Level: Catastrophic
Survival Chance: 0.01%
Another message popped up:
Emergency Evolution Path: Available
Conditions met – First True Trial
Do you wish to activate Eclipse Phase I?
I clenched my fists.
The Warden charged.
Each step cracked the stone below its feet. It moved faster than it looked—like a burning mountain crashing forward. Its clawed arm raised, ready to crush me.
"Move!" I shouted at the girl.
She jumped to the side just as the monster's hand slammed into the ground where we stood.
I didn't run.
I faced it.
"Activate Eclipse Phase I."
System update…
Eclipse Core: Phase I – Unsealed
New ability unlocked: Abyss Pulse
All stats increased temporarily.
Sin Authority: Wrath – Evolved into Hellflame Surge
I felt it immediately.
Power rushed through me like a storm. My vision turned sharper. The air slowed around me. My body felt lighter. I jumped—higher than I should have. My foot touched the monster's arm, and I kicked off it, flipping above its head.
I landed behind it.
The Warden turned, slower than before.
I raised my hand. Fire sparked from my fingers.
"Hellflame Surge."
A wave of fire exploded outward, bright red and deep black, like a living storm. It struck the monster in the chest and burned deep into its rocky skin.
It staggered.
I pressed forward, attacking again and again. Fire. Kicks. Punches. Every hit cracked its shell a little more. Lava leaked out like blood.
But it wasn't enough.
The monster roared again, this time louder. Its wings folded around its body, then exploded outward with a wave of force. I flew backward and slammed into a broken pillar.
Pain.
Real pain.
System warning: Damage taken – Spine Fracture (50%). Healing begun.
I coughed blood and stood up.
The girl called out from behind a broken wall.
"Run! You can't win!"
"No," I said, wiping my mouth. "I have to."
She didn't understand, but I did.
This was the first test. My first trial in this cursed world.
If I ran now, I'd keep running forever.
The Warden raised its arm again. From its chest, a glowing red ball began to form—pulsing with heat and hate.
System message:
Skill detected: Infernal Judgment (Death-class)
Recommended Action: Immediate escape
Too late.
The monster fired.
A beam of fire and shadow shot straight toward me. I couldn't dodge it.
But I didn't need to.
I raised both hands.
"Absorb."
System ability activated: Abyss Pulse
Incoming mana absorbed – 72%
Eclipse Core Saturation increased
The beam hit me. It burned. It tore through my skin. But I stood my ground.
And then… it vanished.
I had taken it all.
I looked up, smoke rising from my body. My skin was cracked. My chest hurt.
But I was still standing.
The monster tilted its head, confused.
I smiled.
"Let me show you how that feels."
I jumped again, flying through the air like a spear.
My fist glowed with red light.
I slammed it into the Warden's chest.
Crack.
A hole burst open.
The monster screamed.
I followed with a second punch. Then a third. Each hit pushed me deeper into its body. I climbed into the hole I made, right into its burning core.
"Hellflame Surge!"
I released all the fire I had left.
The monster's body lit up from the inside.
It exploded.
Chunks of molten rock flew everywhere. Lava sprayed across the ruins. The heat was unbearable.
But when the light faded, I was still there, standing in the middle of the ruins. Smoke rose from my skin, but I didn't fall.
The Warden was gone.
System message:
Boss defeated: Infernal Warden
Reward: Cursed Flame Core
Eclipse Core evolution progress: 32%
Title earned: Graveborn Challenger
Level increased – Current Level: 6
I collapsed to one knee, breathing hard.
That fight had taken everything I had.
But I won.
The girl ran over, eyes wide.
"You… you beat it… You really beat it!"
I nodded.
"What's your name?" I asked.
She blinked.
"Rin. I'm… just Rin."
"Well, Rin," I said. "Let's get out of here."
---
We found a hidden stairwell behind the chapel ruins. It led underground, away from the pit and the judgment grounds. The air was cooler there. I leaned on the wall as we walked.
"What was that monster?" I asked.
"A guardian," Rin said. "The priests called it the Warden of the Chapel. It kills anything that survives judgment. No one ever makes it past that thing."
"They were wrong."
She looked at me with new eyes.
"You're not just cursed, are you?"
"No. I'm worse."
---
An hour later, we reached a stone gate buried beneath the ruins. Faded writing covered the door. Strange symbols. Old. Forgotten.
Rin stared at them.
"I can't read this," she said.
I could.
Somehow, I could understand the words.
System Trait Unlocked: Ancient Tongue
All lost languages can now be read and understood
I read the writing aloud.
"Beyond this gate lies the path of ash. Only those who have died and risen may pass."
A test.
A door only for the dead.
I placed my hand on the stone.
It glowed.
The gate opened with a deep rumble, revealing a wide cave lit by red crystals. At the far end stood a stone platform, and above it floated a burning crown of black fire.
System message:
Sanctum Core detected
Founding opportunity unlocked: Do you wish to create your own domain?
I froze.
Create… my own place?
My own power?
A home for the cursed?
I stepped forward.
"Yes."
System update:
New Domain Created – Sanctum of Ash
You are now the Lord of Ash
Begin construction: Sanctum Heart forming…
Resources required: Souls, Flame, Memory
I looked down at my hands.
Souls. Flame. Memory.
I already had those.
Rin stepped beside me.
"What is this place?"
"Our beginning," I said. "A home for those this world tried to throw away."
But before I could take another step, the platform shook.
A second flame appeared beside the crown. This one… white.
System alert:
Divine Presence detected.
Holy Empire Enforcer approaching.
Danger level: Extreme.
A flash of light exploded at the edge of the cave.
From the light stepped a man.
Tall. Silver hair. White armor with golden wings. His eyes glowed blue, and a halo of fire burned behind his head.
He looked at me like I was dirt.
"I see," he said. "So the half-breed still lives."
Rin stepped back in fear.
"Who… who is that?"
The man raised his sword.
"I am Seren, First Blade of the Holy Empire."
He pointed at me.
"And I have come to erase your mistake."