Vance froze, his entire body trembling as though his bones had been hollowed out.

His eyes widened until the whites showed, his pupils trembling, reflecting the faint red glow still pulsing on Vonjo's fingertip.

He stumbled backward, boots scraping against the cracked marble floor, the sound loud in the suffocating silence of the hall. His words spilled out in fragmented stutters, his once-confident tongue betraying him.

"Y-Y-You… you… that… t-that's… Crimson D-Doom… y-you… b-but…" His voice faltered, catching in his dry throat. He scrambled back another step, his heel catching on a fragment of debris, and he nearly fell before flailing to catch his balance. "Y-You—h-h-how… Vonjo… big b-b-brother… you…"

Every attempt at a sentence died halfway, strangled by terror. His breath came in ragged bursts, and beads of sweat slid down his pale forehead.

Each time Vonjo took a deliberate, unhurried step forward, the sound of his boots echoed like the tolling of a doom bell in Vance's chest. He kept pointing with a shaking finger, his mouth opening and closing like a fish gasping for air.

The bullet comments with their internet names, however, were far less shocked.

CultivatorStan: "Called it. We already figured he had Crimson Doom the moment he devoured all those hell beasts."

MCWatcher88: "Facts. This guy is 100% MC mentor material. He's basically pulling a Lorthran-level flex right now."

WebnovelJunkie: "He's just showing off! Same energy as when Eugene first met Lorthran. Remember that scene? Guy walked in like, 'I own this place.'"

TheoryCrafter9000: "Vonjo's ability is insane. Like, S-tier busted. But Lorthran's regen is still ridiculous. Can Vonjo really outlast THAT?"

LightningEmperor4Life: "Not saying he can beat Lorthran, but bro… man tanked Crimson Doom AND he can also use it. Respect."

DebateTeamLeader: "After this? He's officially top-tier. He bodied his brother who has BOTH Crimson Doom and Reverse Blessing. If that's not protagonist-tier, idk what is."

The scrolling wave of commentary flickered at the edge of Vonjo's awareness. And while many praised him, every time the name Lorthran appeared, a tiny flicker of irritation coiled in his chest.

He could read every single one of their smug little lines.

They spoke of him like he was a character in their story, and even when they marveled at him, they weighed him against their idol. His jaw tensed for a fraction of a second, but he exhaled slowly, rolling the tension off his shoulders.

He smiled, wide and unbothered, turning his eyes back to his quivering younger brother. "What's the matter, little brother?" His voice was calm, playful even, but every syllable dripped with predatory dominance.

He began walking forward, step by slow step, until the space between them seemed to shrink to nothing.

Vance shook his head violently, scrambling backward until his back almost hit the fractured pillar behind him.

Vonjo's hand lifted, the faint remnants of Crimson Doom glowing at his fingertip. Then, with a dramatic flick of his wrist, the energy dissolved into harmless sparks, vanishing as though it had never existed. He grinned. "Oh… it's gone!"

Vance blinked, frozen in place, then began nodding desperately, his head jerking like a doll on strings.

"Killing you now would be… boring," Vonjo continued, voice silk over steel. He leaned down, the shadow of his grin falling over Vance's terrified face. "And honestly… it's too easy and too much."

Vance swallowed hard, nodding frantically again. "Y-Yes… y-yeah… t-too much… too much…!"

Then, in an instant, Vonjo's hand lashed forward.

Vance panicked, conjuring a shimmering barrier of curse energy—a desperate shield. But Vonjo's hand smashed through it like it was paper, shards of energy dispersing into the air. His fingers closed around Vance's neck, the grip firm but controlled, lifting him slightly as his boots scraped against the floor.

Vance's hands clawed at Vonjo's wrist, panic rising as he struggled to breathe.

"Tell me," Vonjo said quietly, his voice low and dangerous. "Do you know the most fitting punishment… for trying to kill me?"

Vance wheezed, his eyes bulging. "K-Kuh… hhh…!"

Vonjo's gaze darkened, his thoughts drifting to memories he had long tried to bury.

His little brother, arrogant and cruel, a predator who preyed on the weak.

He remembered the way Vance laughed when a child without a bloodline was thrown to the hell hounds during their clan's twisted games.

He remembered the second incident, worse than the first: the night Vance cornered a young servant girl who had spilled tea, binding her with cursed chains and feeding her terror to a minor curse spirit for entertainment. And the third memory… the worst of all…

It came like a knife twisting in his chest. The boy—a kind boy, a friend to Vonjo—who had once defended him when the family mocked him for being an unawakened failure.

Vance had made a public spectacle of him, shattering his legs and feeding him to the low-grade beasts in the training pit.

The screams had echoed for hours, and Vonjo had been forced to watch, and powerless to anything.

Vonjo's grip tightened slightly on Vance's neck as the memories flooded him. His younger brother kicked weakly, his eyes full of fear and dawning horror.

Then, suddenly, Vonjo released him.

Vance stumbled back, clutching his throat, coughing violently. "W-Wh… W-Wha… wh-what…?! What… did… y-you…?" He staggered, looking down at his trembling hands, his breath heaving. His curse energy, that familiar pulsing aura, felt… distant. No—gone.

He gasped, stuttered, shook his head as if denial could bring it back. "Wh… wh… WHAT?! Wh… y-you… I… I… I c-can't—!"

His voice rose to a shriek of disbelief. "WHY CAN'T I FEEL MY FALLEN CURSE ENERGY?!"

Vonjo's wicked smile spread across his face like the edge of a blade catching light. He leaned slightly forward, voice cold and victorious. "Well… congratulations, little brother."

He chuckled, deep and resonant, the kind of laugh that promised both finality and humiliation.

"You are now… a normal human."

Vance's face contorted in raw horror.

Vonjo threw his head back and laughed.

"HAHAHAHA!"

Vance was on his knees, hands trembling as he slapped at his own chest and arms, his face a twisted mask of disbelief. His once-booming voice had turned into broken, stuttering gasps.

"W-What… wh… no… no, this… this c-can't… I… I c-can't feel… anything… I refuse to believe this, I refuse to believe I am now reduced to a lowly creatures…" His fingers scraped at his skin like he could pull the fallen curse energy out by force.

His shoulders heaved, his entire body trembling as if his blood had turned to ice water. His chest rose and fell in sharp, frantic jerks as the weight of realization crushed him.

Vonjo tilted his head back and laughed.

It wasn't a loud laugh, but it had the deep, resonant mockery of someone who had already won. "Hahaha… look at you. The mighty Vance, terror of the weak, heir to the House of Sutterfouse… reduced to a sniveling mortal crawling on the floor. It suits you perfectly."

Vance's teeth ground together, his face contorting with both fury and panic.

He tried again, gritting his teeth as he forced himself to focus inward, attempting to call up his curse energy, to summon even a spark of that familiar dark power. Nothing. Not even a flicker responded to his desperate call.

"N-No… no… NO!" he roared, slamming his fists on the floor.

Vonjo crouched slightly, his grin sharp as a dagger, his eyes glowing faintly as he looked down at his defeated brother. "Shall I explain, little brother? Since you've spent your life believing you were untouchable, it's only fair you understand how the strongest in our bloodline moves."

Vance froze, sweat dripping down his face, but he nodded slightly without even realizing it, fear compelling him to listen.

"First step," Vonjo said, his voice slow and deliberate, savoring each word. "I let your attacks hit me. All of them. I let your fallen curse energy touch my body, because Endless Doom thrives on contact. The moment your energy touches me, it's already marked for devouring."

Vance's eyes twitched, his face pale as he listened.

"Second step," Vonjo continued, leaning closer, his voice a dark whisper. "I break down your energy. Endless Doom dissects everything—curse energy, spiritual energy, even intent. It separates your strength into its core components, stripping it of any chance to resist me. While you thought you were burning me with Crimson Doom, all you did was feed me more fuel."

Vance's breath hitched, his jaw quivering.

"Third step," Vonjo said, raising a single finger. "I consume it. Every fragment, every pulse of your fallen curse energy, I devour it and make it my own. But I don't just take the energy—I take the connection. That link you had to the fallen curse energy? Gone. Severed. I wear it now like a cloak, and you… you're left with nothing but the shell of your flesh."

Vance shook his head violently, his voice cracking. "N-No… no… I… I can… I—"

"And finally," Vonjo said, his grin widening as he straightened his back. "Fourth step. I erase you from the world of sorcerers. With the energy devoured, with the link to the curse realm severed, you are no longer a fallen curse wielder. You, my little brother, are now… a normal human. Weak. Frail. Helpless."

Each step sank into Vance like a dagger. By the fourth, his eyes were wide with raw terror, his lips trembling as he realized he was exactly what Vonjo said—a mortal.

"How does it feel?" Vonjo asked softly, almost kindly, but the malice in his tone made Vance flinch like he had been struck.