The air trembled with the roar of collapsing stone.
Flames licked across the shattered cathedral floor as Rengoku Hayate stood amidst the wreckage, his crimson hair whipping wildly in the storm of mana. His right arm—now wrapped in faint black tendrils of energy—throbbed with every heartbeat, and his blade hummed, eager for blood.
Across from him hovered the creature that had once been an angel. Its broken wings dripped with corrupted light, and its eyes, once golden, now bled crimson tears.
The Wingless Seraph.
It was supposed to be a guardian of heaven. Now, it was the executioner of fallen heroes.
"How ironic," Hayate muttered, tightening his grip on his sword. "You've fallen just like me."
The Seraph screeched, a sound that split the air like glass. Holy light erupted from its body, flooding the chamber. The blast threw Hayate backward, slamming him into a cracked pillar. His ribs screamed in pain—but he didn't fall.
Not anymore.
He'd been beaten, betrayed, abandoned in the dungeon of despair. Yet here he stood, against a being that once commanded armies of angels.
Because the weak boy from another world… no longer existed.
The Seraph's halo spun, scattering shards of divine energy like burning feathers. Hayate dashed forward, leaving afterimages in his wake. His sword ignited in black fire, cutting through the Seraph's light with raw, defiant will.
Clang!Clash!
Each collision was thunder. Each step left cracks spiderwebbing through the marble beneath them.
The Wingless Seraph raised its staff, light gathering at the tip. "Unworthy mortal… You defy the divine order!"
"Divine order?" Hayate spat, blocking the blow. "You're just another pawn who lost its wings!"
He countered with a sweeping slash—Crimson Slash: Rebellion—sending an arc of black-red flame slicing through the air. The Seraph twisted aside, its golden chains deflecting the strike, but Hayate followed with a second slash, then a third, pushing forward like a storm that refused to fade.
Each movement was instinct—no hesitation, no doubt.
He'd learned that the moment you stop doubting, power becomes real.
The battle raged upward, shattering the cathedral roof. Light and darkness spiraled into the sky like twin dragons. From afar, it must have looked divine. Up close—it was hell.
Hayate's breathing quickened. His blade vibrated violently. The corrupted mana inside him burned hotter, whispering promises in a voice only he could hear.
"Let go. You'll never defeat her unless you surrender… completely."
He clenched his jaw. That voice—the System's shadow—always appeared in moments like this, offering power at a cost.
"No," he hissed through gritted teeth. "I'll win on my own terms."
The Seraph shrieked and dove, wings of flame unfurling. Her lance plunged down like judgment itself. Hayate braced his sword horizontally and met it head-on.
The explosion was instant—white and black energy clashing, tearing the very air apart.
BOOM!
The shockwave rippled for miles, scattering ash and light.
Hayate's armor cracked. Blood dripped from his lips. But the Seraph's right arm was gone—obliterated by his last strike.
"Why… won't you… fall?" she rasped, voice trembling like a broken hymn.
"Because I already did," Hayate said quietly, stepping forward through the smoke. "And I climbed back up."
The Seraph trembled. For the first time, there was fear in her eyes. "No one… rises from the Abyss."
"Then look closely," he whispered, his crimson eyes glowing. "Because you're witnessing the impossible."
He raised his blade. The corrupted energy condensed into pure, radiant destruction—half black, half gold.
"Skill Activated: Abyssal Ascension."
He swung.
The slash tore through the angel's body and the heavens themselves. Her final scream echoed across the ruins, then dissolved into silence.
Ash drifted like snow.
Hayate stood among it all, his sword dimming, the glow fading from his arm. The System window flickered faintly beside him, translucent and eerie.
He looked down at his reflection in the cracked marble—a boy who once had nothing. Now, even the gods feared his name.
But there was no smile. No victory.
Only emptiness.
He turned his gaze toward the shattered sky, where the light of the Goddess Realm shimmered faintly beyond the clouds. Somewhere up there, she was watching—the one who had summoned and betrayed them all.
"You're next," he whispered.
And somewhere, in the depths of his mind, the System purred approvingly.
"Path of Vengeance: Stage Two — Unlocked."
Suddenly, a faint cry reached his ears. He froze. It was coming from the shadows of the collapsed chamber.
"P-please… help…"
He turned, blade still raised. A figure crawled into view—a girl in torn armor, one of his classmates. Her face was pale, her arm broken, her eyes filled with terror.
Hayate's breath caught.
"You…"
She flinched at his voice. "H-Hayate? I thought you were dead—"
He took a slow step toward her. His aura was cold, almost suffocating.
"I was."
Her lips trembled. "I didn't mean to—"
"Save it." His voice was quiet, deadly calm. "You left me to die. Remember?"
Tears streamed down her cheeks. "I-I'm sorry! The Goddess—she said you were cursed! We had no choice!"
Hayate stopped inches from her. His blade hovered at her neck, the air trembling with pressure.
"Execute her.""Let her live."
Two options blinked on the System window.
He stared at them for a long, silent moment.
Then he closed his eyes.
"I'll decide when I stop feeling human," he muttered.
He sheathed his sword and turned away.
The girl gasped in disbelief. "You're… sparing me?"
"Don't thank me," Hayate said without looking back. "This mercy has a price."
And as he walked toward the burning horizon, the shadows of fallen wings scattered behind him like dying embers.
Hours later…
In the dark ruins of the cathedral, the girl lay trembling, staring up at the sky. The wind carried whispers—ancient, heavy, divine.
From the halo of shattered light above, a silhouette descended—slender, radiant, and terrifyingly familiar.
The Evil Goddess smiled.
"So, he's alive after all," she murmured. "Perfect."
She lifted a single finger, and the girl's eyes turned glassy, her body twitching unnaturally.
"Be my eyes… my puppet," the Goddess whispered. "Watch him for me until the day he realizes… even vengeance has a master."
The wind howled. The girl's screams faded. And somewhere far away, Hayate's System pulsed with a new alert—one he didn't see.
[Quest Updated: The Fallen Angel Defeated][New Mission Unlocked: Shadow of the Goddess – Unknown Entity Detected][Optional Objective Added: Protect or Eliminate the Survivor.]
To be continued in Chapter 35 – "The Goddess' Whisper."