The air inside the temple turned cold again.The victory had felt real — but Hayate's instincts screamed otherwise. The sand had gone still, the wind had died, and even the System interface flickered for a moment, as if uncertain.
Lyria frowned. "Hayate… do you feel that?"
He nodded slowly. "Yeah. It's too quiet."
Kael crouched beside the shattered altar, his eyes tracing the cracks in the stone.
"No," he muttered, "it's not over. Look at the pattern. These aren't random breaks — it's a seal."
Before anyone could respond, the ground shuddered. A burst of black mist erupted from the altar, swirling violently until it took shape — a tall, ghostly woman with chains running through her translucent body. Her eyes were hollow voids of sorrow.
"You dare steal the fragment… from the cursed city of Elarion…"
Her voice was neither human nor divine — it was the sound of grief given form.
Lyria stepped back, trembling. "She's… she's one of the saints…"
Kael drew his blades. "No. She's what's left of them."
[Warning: Hidden Boss Encounter – Saint Remnant: Seraphina of Elarion, Lv. 80.][Condition: Soul-Based Entity – Cannot Be Killed by Normal Attacks.]
Hayate's body tensed. He could still feel the power of the Fragment burning in his chest, but this presence… it was beyond anything he'd fought before.
"If she's a soul," Hayate muttered, "then I'll cut through her sorrow itself."
The Remnant shrieked. Shadows erupted from her chains, lashing toward them. Kael blocked the first strike, his armor cracking from the impact. Lyria's barrier shattered instantly under the next.
"She's too strong!" Lyria cried.
Hayate gritted his teeth. No… not again. I won't lose anyone again.
His mark flared to life.[Skill Activated: Divine Severance.]
A surge of red-and-gold light exploded around him, and his blade hummed with energy. The System voice echoed faintly in his head.
[Temporary Buff: Will of the Revenant – Soulstrike Enabled.]
"Seraphina," Hayate called out, voice firm. "Your people fought against her, didn't they? You don't have to guard her curse anymore!"
For a heartbeat, the shadow's chains trembled. Her voice broke.
"We… failed to protect our faith… we failed… everyone…"
"Then let me finish what you couldn't."
He leapt forward, his blade cutting through the darkness.Every strike tore away part of her sorrow — chains breaking one by one.
Lyria joined in, casting healing light that burned away the mist, while Kael's blades cut through the remnants of her curse.
Finally, Hayate plunged his sword into her chest.
A single tear fell from the spirit's eye.
"Thank you… warrior of the forsaken…"
She vanished — the chains dissolving into particles of golden dust that floated upward, finally free.
The temple was silent again.Only the faint hum of the Fragment remained, glowing faintly within Hayate's chest.
Kael exhaled heavily. "You freed her."
Hayate lowered his weapon. "No. She freed herself… we just gave her a reason."
Lyria looked at him quietly — something soft in her eyes. "You're not just fighting for revenge anymore, are you?"
Hayate smiled faintly. "Maybe revenge was just how it started."
[Quest Completed: Shadows of the Lost City.][Reward: Soul Resonance Unlocked.][Passive Skill: Whisper of the Lost – Communicate with Spirits of Fallen Realms.]
Outside, the red sun dipped below the dunes. The cursed city finally fell silent — its souls at peace for the first time in centuries.
But in the heavens above, unseen by them, the goddess Elythra opened her eyes.
"So… my little failure still lives," she whispered. "Then let's make his suffering divine."
A storm gathered on the horizon.
[Quest Updated: Path of the Revenant – Goddess's Attention Awakened.]