John staggered through the field of corpses, carefully placing each footstep as if unsure where to step next.
"We did it, Noah!"
"No… You didn't get that notification either, did you?"
"Now that you mention—"
Boom!
A deafening explosion erupted across the battlefield.
Suddenly, a pile of bodies shifted. Between the mutilated corpses, a figure forced its way through, first an arm, then another. Blood trickled down the figure's rusted armor, one of the two horns on its helm sheared clean off.
"Oourgh…"
The creature let out a guttural noise, a reddish aura slowly swirling to life around it, wrapping the entire figure in its glow.
"Kruaugh!"
The thin layer of aura exploded, morphing into a wild flame-like force.
"John… Be careful, this one's going to be—"
BOOM!
John whipped around, eyes wide. Where Noah had been standing a second ago, Irin now loomed.
But when did he move?!
_________
Isabelle's eyes fluttered open, heavy as if waking from a sleep far too long to even remember its beginning. A shiver raced down her spine.
"W-where am I?"
Her gaze took in the barren room. A stone ceiling, cold and rough, covered a small, cubic cell of the same material. The only feature was a small ashwood door set into one of the walls.
A strange scent filled the space, a familiar one that sent memories rushing back. The smell of dungeons, the smell of school.
The smell of death.
With shaky legs, Isabelle rose to her feet, struggling to gather her strength.
Something cold tugged at her ankle. A metal chain lay coiled near her feet, its links connecting to an iron shackle fastened tightly to her leg.
Clack
Clack
Clack
The lock on the door turned.
"Hello, Isabelle… I hope you've slept well."
A voice she knew all too well greeted her.
"Don't be afraid. You're not alone here."
Father Jeffrey set down a tray before slowly closing the door behind him.
_________
A shrill, piercing sound echoed through Noah's head.
What the hell was that?
Every muscle in his body screamed in agony, as though every fiber had been torn or shattered, making even moving his fingers unbearable.
Vision still blurry, Noah called up the system shop before him.
Who would've thought I'd blow 4,000 coins on a potion?
If only I'd reached level 20 by now…
High-Grade Recovery Potion.
That's what he'd bought.
The moment the liquid touched his throat, his injuries began to heal. Shattered bones knit themselves back together, and the open gashes across his skin sealed shut. The blood clouding his vision vanished, as if it had never been there at all.
Noah pushed himself up with a hand on the ground. A short distance away, John struggled to survive Irin's relentless assault.
_________
Unpredictable.
That was the only word to describe Irin's attacks.
Every slash, every strike came from an unexpected angle. Invidere had fought with speed and precision, Akedia with a slow, fluid grace. Irin's style was pure chaos—brutal and relentless, sacrificing technique for sheer destruction.
John dodged the swing of one of Irin's scythes, managing to put a few meters between himself and the monstrous knight.
Irin raised the scythe in his right hand and hurled it at John with terrifying force.
Shoom
John ducked, barely dodging the blade that whizzed past, so close it brushed the skin of his ear.
His eyes tracked the weapon for a split second before snapping back to Irin.
But all he saw was a massive fist rushing toward him.
John arched backward just in time, narrowly avoiding the punch.
Mana surged to his legs as he dashed toward Irin, slipping past the monster's arm by the thinnest margin. A fireball flared to life in John's palm, shooting straight for the knight's face.
Boom!
Dust and debris filled the air.
Slowly, the smoke cleared.
Nothing.
Irin stood motionless, one hand still pressed to his helmet, staring straight into John's eyes.
Cold sweat ran down John's forehead.
Without warning, Irin's remaining arm lashed out, grabbing John by the throat and lifting him off the ground. With terrifying strength, the knight squeezed, bones creaking as John's neck bent at a grotesque angle. His breath came in short, desperate gasps before it became impossible to breathe at all.
His vision blurred.
"Not so fast."
The voice cut through the chaos like a knife.
John's eyes widened.
A shadow, cloaked in black flames, approached.
"Blink."
The figure disappeared, leaving behind a cloud of thick, inky smoke, reappearing in front of John.
Splat
The pressure on John's throat vanished in an instant, and he fell to the ground, coughing and gasping for air.
In front of him, a severed arm lay in a pool of blood, pointing toward him as if accusing him.
Noah stood between John and Irin, hand raised lazily, not even looking at the monster.
"Death Flame."
The rest of Irin's body burst into flames.
The smell of burning flesh filled the air around Noah.
"Hm… Not dead yet, are you?"
Noah's cold gaze locked onto the writhing, flaming knight.
Irin screamed, thrashing in pain, but somehow, he still managed to raise his remaining scythe.
With a final, desperate attack, Irin slammed the weapon down on Noah with enough force to drive him several inches into the earth. But Noah, already prepared, blocked the strike with the shaft of his scythe, Lady of Death. The impact sent shockwaves through his body, bones creaking from the sheer power.
"John! Get back! If he touches you like that, you'll burn too!"
At Noah's command, John retreated, gathering his mana for one final attack.
Flames flickered to life, forming a series of fiery lances that hovered above him before launching straight for Irin.
But it wasn't enough.
Irin staggered, but he kept coming.
The scythe rose again, only to come crashing down toward Noah.
Predicting the attack, Noah sidestepped and countered with a sharp slash.
Splat
His blade pierced Irin's thigh, sending the knight crashing to one knee.
Gathering his strength, Noah yanked the weapon free and swung it down at Irin's neck.
Splat
The blade bit deep but didn't sever the head completely.
"How tough are you?!"
Noah gritted his teeth, pulling the scythe back for another swing.
Splat
Once again, Irin tried to rise, but Noah was faster. He drove the scythe into the cut again.
Splat!
Half of Irin's neck was now separated from the rest of his body, fibers and tendons dangling loosely.
In a final, pitiful attempt, the knight dragged himself forward, skin charred and crumbling to ash.
"Stay down, will you?!"
With a snarl, Noah stomped on the knight's back, pinning him in place.
He raised his scythe.
"YOU."
One.
"COST."
Two.
"ME."
Three.
"1000."
Four.
"COINS!"
SPLAT!
A fountain of blood splattered across the battlefield.
Irin's head rolled away, stopping a few feet from Noah.
The white jacket Noah had worn was now stained a deep, dark red.
_________
CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE DEFEATED IRIN, THE PRIMORDIAL SIN!
CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE EARNED THE TITLE "SIN SLAYER (3)"
CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE GAINED 10,000 EXPERIENCE POINTS!
CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE EARNED 10,000 COINS!
_________
I don't even know who I should be more afraid of anymore…
John thought, watching the grim scene unfold.