CHAPTER 25: THE SIN OF SURVIVAL

The moment my words left my lips, my vision dissolved like smoke, the world before me curling inward in slow, red spirals. The air thickened, glowing faintly, the edges of it burning like fire yet folding around me with the warmth of a mother’s embrace: gentle, protective, almost tender. It was strange, comforting, and terrifying all at once.

Then, without warning, information that didn’t belong in any mortal mind poured into me, cold and endless, each word a whisper clawing at my thoughts:

[When the tenth star explodes in the wide cosmos, the true ruler shall emerge. Only the chosen one will be able to challenge it for the throne. Yet it has not been born... we are still seeking, still searching. One day, we shall return. One day, we shall serve the master promised by the forgotten ones.]

I didn’t understand. This information didn’t match the story’s plot, didn’t fit anything I knew from the book. Still, I didn’t linger on it. For now, I let it settle in the back of my mind. One day, I’d look for it myself. Somehow, it felt like a challenge from the system, like a call to find this so-called ruler.

The swirling deepened, tightening until I felt a sudden pull strong enough to tear me apart. My eyes snapped open. I was flying through the air, faster than thought, the world streaking past in a blur. A sharp, tearing pain ripped through my neck as my head slammed back into place, snapping onto my shoulders like a coiled spring. It happened so quickly that no one around had noticed yet, and that was my advantage.

Cold flooded my veins, and I felt the blood begin to move again, the pulse of life crawling back through me. The dizziness refused to fade, my vision still shaking, but I was back.

[Dodge the Death in Process. Reconstruction: 97%...]

I exhaled, the sound rough and uneven, my gaze locking on the heroine. That hateful creature. Twice now she had taken something from my body.

A sharp pain flared across my back, followed by a sudden, wet snap. Something burst free, something Hera had taken from me once before, now returned by the system. How pleasant... My wings. They were back. The air felt lighter already; with them, my speed would multiply beyond anything human.

[Dodge the Death Complete. Reconstruction: 100%...]

Power flooded through me, hot and intoxicating. It wasn’t just about the strength; it felt forbidden, like something sinful and electric, something that made the pulse quicken for reasons that had nothing to do with battle.

[You have received a new reward: {New Skill — Crimson Stillness} - A forbidden surgical art that alters the electrical charge of iron within the blood. By shifting the polarity of hemoglobin, the user halts peripheral circulation while keeping the heart beating. Muscles lose response, nerves dull, and within seconds, consciousness collapses. The victim remains alive: still breathing, heart pulsing slowly, but completely immobilized for one minute.]

A smile curled at my lips. I didn’t need time to think. While Hera’s guard hung slack, I flapped my wings and the air tore under me. Blood along my veins coalesced into a scalpel, its cold edge sliding free and plunging into the wide-eyed woman’s shoulder, finding the wound I’d already marked. A surprised gasp slipped from her, those perfect eyes staring at me, full of shock and confusion.

"Hi," I whispered, the word a soft, mocking blade I couldn’t keep off my tongue. Power rolled down my arm into the scalpel, and as it drove into her bloodstream, Crimson Stillness took hold. Her limbs went slow, her breath shallowed; the light in her eyes dimmed toward blankness. "Sweet dreams," I told her. "Wake up and hunt me if you want, but you’ll never get rid of me." My face hovered by hers, our lips nearly touching; intimate only in the violence of it. I wanted to be better than her, and breaking the heroine tasted like victory.

I felt her body slump, yet those eyes still burned with hate. Good. I liked it that way. She didn’t speak, just closed her eyes slowly as her body went limp. I caught her before she hit the ground, lowering her gently, like a surgeon laying a patient to rest. She looked almost peaceful, a sleeping beauty in blood and ash. Whether she lived or died didn’t matter; main characters always survive. That’s just how stories work.

The heat around me thickened, the hot wind carrying the scent of burning wood and smoke. Another problem. I turned left and saw a young woman fighting the flames, her hands trembling as she struggled to summon enough water to drown the fire. Sofia. Poor thing looked exhausted. I could help her relax a little.

My wings stirred the air as I rose. Passing over Elira, I caught her tear-filled eyes. She sat frozen on the ground, still staring at the spot where my head had fallen moments ago. Shock. Understandable. I left her there: she was in the quiet center of the chaos, the eye of the storm.

The heat grew harsher as I approached Sofia. With a flick of my wrist, precise and steady, my scalpel slid into her flesh like a needle into a vein. My blood followed, spreading through her system, triggering the new skill’s effect. It was over in a heartbeat. No one saw. Not even her.

Pain stabbed through my temples. Nausea followed.

[Warning! Overuse of the skill may result in backlash. You have exceeded the recommended daily usage. Next attempt may be fatal.]

Shit. A little late for that warning. The system loved to play silent until it hurt. Still, I had to use it. Without it, this party would have been trouble later.

Sofia’s body collapsed at my feet. I didn’t care if she hit the ground hard. I turned to Beelzebub, who was still locked in combat with a massive wolf.

Pressing my lips together, I let out a sharp whistle. "Beelzebub, that’s enough!"

The little creature looked up, fur matted, eyes bright. So small, so cute, and somehow still calm. It tore one last bite from the monster before flying to me.

Strange. Shouldn’t it have sensed my death? Or does it only feel true death, not a borrowed one? I shook the thought off. No time for useless questions.

[Quest Updated: {Eliminate all humans in the city}]

[Time Remaining: {1 minute}]

I sighed, blood still humming in my veins. "I’ll hate myself for this," I muttered, my wings stretching wide. "But let’s do it."