Seren stepped out of the light, sword glowing in his hand.
He wasn't just strong. He was something else—like a walking storm dressed in gold and white. His voice echoed across the cave, calm but deadly.
"You should not exist."
His gaze burned into me. Not like heat—like judgment.
System alert:
Seren – First Blade of the Holy Empire
Class: Divine Executioner
Level: ???
Status: Cleansing Protocol Active
Estimated survival chance: 0.001%
I was already tired. My body still hurt from fighting the Warden. My Eclipse Core hadn't fully cooled down yet.
But running? That wasn't happening.
Not here.
Not in the place I'd claimed as my own.
"Rin," I said quietly. "Get back. Don't run. Just hide."
She hesitated, but then nodded. She ducked behind a rock pillar and held her breath.
Seren raised his blade.
A line of golden fire followed the motion.
I summoned my strength. "Hellflame Surge!"
The black-red fire blasted from my hand and rushed toward him.
He didn't flinch.
With one casual swing, his sword sliced through the attack like it was smoke. The fire broke apart and vanished.
"Cheap tricks," he said. "You carry cursed power. Demon filth. You're a stain on this world."
He charged.
I barely had time to react.
He moved faster than anything I'd seen. His blade came down—straight for my head.
I raised my arms to block. The impact knocked me back across the floor.
Pain shot through my body. My arms went numb.
System warning:
Damage received – 64%
Left arm fractured
Internal bleeding detected
He didn't stop. Seren was already on me again. His sword moved like light—swing after swing. I dodged two, blocked one, took the fourth.
Each hit felt like getting struck by lightning.
I tried to fight back—swung a fist, shot a burst of fire. But he danced around it. Perfect, precise. Like he'd done this a thousand times before.
I coughed blood and fell to one knee.
"You're not even trying to kill me," I said. "You're playing."
Seren smiled, calm and cold. "Of course. The condemned must feel despair before death."
That smile made something snap inside me.
Wrath boiled in my chest.
I had been thrown into this world. Buried in corpses. Hunted. Hated. Even now, when I finally claimed something of my own, someone came to take it away.
No.
Not again.
Never again.
"Eclipse Core—force override."
System override accepted
Warning: Core Overdrive will cause cellular damage
Proceed?
"Yes."
Activating Core Overdrive: Eclipse Phase I – Burnout Mode
All stats increased massively for 3 minutes
After-effect: System Lock for 6 hours
Time slowed.
My heartbeat echoed in my ears.
Seren raised his sword again. But now—I could see him.
Really see him.
I moved.
Faster than ever before. I dodged left, circled behind him, and slammed a flaming punch into his side. He stumbled. I followed with a spinning kick to his back.
He flew across the cave and crashed into the far wall.
Rocks fell.
I charged. Fire swirled around my fists. Every punch burned brighter. My vision blurred, but I didn't stop.
Seren roared and blocked with his sword. The two of us clashed again and again—blades against fire, speed against rage.
"You dare?" he shouted. "You, a half-demon nobody?!"
I grinned through bloody teeth.
"I dare because this is mine now."
He stabbed forward. I caught the blade between my palms, screaming as it cut through my hands. Blood sprayed. But I didn't let go.
"Hellflame—Pulse!"
A wave of fire exploded point-blank between us.
Seren flew backward again, sliding across the stone. He coughed—his armor cracked, gold paint blackened by flame.
He stood slowly.
"No wonder the Church labeled you an error. You are not a demon. You are a mistake."
He raised his sword with both hands.
"Then correct me," I said.
He charged.
I met him in the center of the Sanctum.
His sword and my fist struck at the same time.
The shockwave split the cave in two. The ground shattered. The platform cracked beneath us. Crystals fell from the ceiling. Rin screamed from somewhere behind.
Everything went white.
Then—silence.
Dust filled the air.
I staggered back. My arms hung limp. My knees trembled.
Seren stood across from me, one hand gripping his sword.
Then—
Crack.
His blade split down the middle.
He blinked.
His hand dropped the pieces.
He took a step back.
"You… actually—"
He didn't finish the sentence.
Because something else happened.
The cave ceiling exploded.
A second figure dropped down, landing hard between us. A tall man with skin like ash and hair like molten fire. Two curved horns curled from his forehead.
His eyes—pitch black with glowing red pupils—looked from me to Seren.
He smiled.
"Well, well," the man said. "Looks like I came just in time."
System alert:
??? Detected
Race: True Demon
Class: Sovereign of Embers
Threat Level: Unknown
Intent: Observation
Seren cursed and stepped back.
"You…"
"Oh don't worry, holy boy," the demon said. "I'm not here for you."
He looked at me.
"I'm here for him."