The sky above Elarion burned crimson.It wasn't just thunder this time — it was divine wrath descending.
From the torn clouds, streaks of light fell one after another, each one landing with the force of a meteor. The ground trembled as the dust cleared, revealing silhouettes in armor that shimmered with sacred fire.
There were six of them.Each stood taller than a man, their faces hidden behind helms of gold and light.The air around them warped — divine energy so dense that even the System flickered.
[System Warning: Celestial Presence Detected.][Threat Level: Omega-Class.]
Astraea's voice was low, cold.
"The Celestial Executioners... The gods' living weapons. Each one forged from the remains of a fallen saint."
Kael's expression hardened. "They sent all six? That's overkill even for the gods."
Selene trembled slightly as her aura flared. "Then we'll make them regret coming here."
The Descent of Judgement
The Executioner at the front stepped forward, dragging a massive blade that burned with white flames.
"Revenant Monarch — you stand accused of defiling the Blood of Saints," a deep voice echoed, mechanical and divine all at once."By order of the Celestial Council, you are sentenced to annihilation."
Hayate raised his hand slowly.The mark on his arm pulsed, glowing faintly crimson. "You talk like gods, but you're just their puppets."
"Then we'll show you the mercy of your creators."
With that, the six moved as one.
The first Executioner vanished in a flash, reappearing behind Hayate.The second raised a spear, calling down a column of light from the heavens.The third extended its wings, feathers turning into blades of energy that rained down in a deadly storm.
The Revenant's Counterattack
The dungeon erupted with chaos.Kael's sword met the spear of light, sparks flying as the shockwave split the ground.Selene's hands weaved ancient seals, summoning barriers of moonlight to block the feather storm.
Hayate didn't move at first — he simply closed his eyes, letting the System sync with his pulse.The world slowed. Every sound warped into silence.
[Skill Activated: Saint Devourer.][Effect: Converts Divine Energy into Void Essence.]
He opened his eyes — and the world darkened.A crimson void surged from his arm, swallowing the nearest Executioner whole. Its golden armor melted into black mist as its screams echoed through the ruins.
Astraea shouted, "Hayate! You can't absorb too much—your body isn't ready!"
He ignored her. "Then I'll force it to be."
Another Executioner lunged — he parried with the corrupted blade, the clash sending black lightning across the field.Each strike felt like a collision of heaven and hell.
The Fall of One
Finally, the sixth Executioner — taller than the rest, wielding a spear of molten gold — descended. Its voice was cold, inhuman.
"You cannot defy eternity, mortal. The gods wrote your ending long before you were born."
Hayate grinned, blood dripping from his lips.
"Then I'll rewrite it."
He raised his arm — the black sigil blazed, merging the powers of the saints and the void.A red-black halo formed around him as he roared, thrusting his blade forward.
[Skill Fusion: Abyssal Saint – Active.]
The energy burst through the Executioner, shredding its divine armor and turning its light into shadows. The explosion that followed ripped through the ruins, tearing a crater into the land itself.
When the dust cleared, only one Executioner remained — kneeling, armor shattered, golden blood spilling onto the stones.
The remaining five retreated, their forms vanishing back into the heavens.But the last one... lingered.
It lifted its faceplate — revealing a young woman's face, pale and faintly glowing.
"Why... why do you fight them?" she asked weakly. "Don't you see? The gods will always return…"
Hayate's expression softened slightly.
"Then I'll keep killing them until they don't."
He turned away as her body dissolved into light, leaving behind only a fragment of her spear — still burning faintly with divine essence.
Aftermath
Silence returned to the ruins.The rain began to fall — not crimson this time, but silver, almost pure.
Astraea approached him carefully. "You've awakened something far greater than you realize. That power... it's not just yours anymore."
Hayate stared at his arm. The mark now pulsed like a second heartbeat.
"Then I'll make it mine," he said quietly. "Every last drop."
The System chimed, echoing like the voice of fate itself.
[Quest Updated: Path of the Revenant – The First Executioners Defeated.][New Objective: Ascend to the Lost City of Aetherion.][Optional Quest: Investigate the Spear Fragment (Divine Resonance Detected).]
Hayate sheathed his blade and looked up at the storming sky.
"Let them come. I'm not done yet."