"No... no, no, no... don't leave me..."

  Ryo's voice broke as he cradled his sister's lifeless body in his arms. His hands trembled, blood seeping between his fingers — her blood. Her skin was cold, her face pale, yet she looked peaceful... as if she might wake up at any moment.

  "Please..." he whispered, his breath hitching. "Please wake up... you can't leave me..."

  But there was no answer — only silence.

  Grief twisted inside him, sharp and suffocating. His chest tightened, his vision blurred with tears. Behind him, footsteps echoed — cold, heavy steps that belonged to the ones who had done this.

  His parents.

  The ones who were supposed to protect her... protect both of them.

  And in that moment, something inside Ryo snapped. The sorrow turned to rage — burning, all-consuming rage — and with it came something else. Something dark. Something powerful.

  "Why?" Ryo whispered, his voice trembling. "Just... why?"

  His mother's gaze was cold, her words colder.

  "She was a stain on our family," she said calmly. "A weak god like her was never meant to exist. The Celestial Court does not tolerate such weakness."

  Ryo's breath faltered. His voice thinned, barely a whisper.

  "She... she was just a child." His words faded into the stillness of the temple, fragile and broken.

  His mother's eyes narrowed.

  "And you're just like her," she sneered. "A weakling who should never have existed in the first place."

  Her hand rose, and with it, a spear materialized — gleaming silver and wreathed in a dark aura. Power surged from it, heavy and oppressive. The torches lining the temple walls flickered violently, their flames dancing on the brink of extinction.

  "You should die too," she said coldly.

  His father stepped forward, summoning a gleaming sword that pulsed with divine energy. He leveled its tip at Ryo's chest.

  "You should die now," his father growled. "You are not worthy to live as a god."

  He lunged.

  Ryo didn't move — couldn't move. His fingers still clutched his sister's lifeless body, her fragile frame cradled in his lap. His nails dug into his palms, blood dripping from his clenched fists. His grief twisted and swelled, unbearable and suffocating... until something inside him snapped.

  A dark power surged through him — raw, violent, and ancient.

  The air thickened. A cold, dense fog coiled around the temple, swallowing the room in a choking haze. His parents froze, unable to move, unable to see.

  And when the fog cleared...

  Their bodies lay motionless on the cold stone floor — heads severed, cradled in Ryo's bloodied hands.

  "You should have taken better care of us," he muttered, his voice hollow as he stared at their lifeless faces.

  The temple trembled beneath him, stone walls groaning as cracks spread like veins across the floor. Statues of the gods quivered, their once-mighty forms reduced to silent observers. The torches, flickering moments before, now lay smothered in darkness.

  Ryo lifted his gaze to the statues — cold, unfeeling, unmoving.

  "You watched her die..." his voice trembled, low and cold. "And you did nothing."

  His lips curled into a bitter smile.

  "Oh? Still no answer?" A dry, humorless laugh escaped him — sharp and empty.

  His hand clenched, and the power within him roared to life once more. Stone cracked, pillars crumbled, and the temple itself began to break apart.

  "Very well," he muttered. "If you won't answer me... I'll make you answer."

  With a final surge of power, Ryo unleashed his rage — shattering the temple into jagged ruins.

  As the temple stood on the brink of collapse, a mysterious figure emerged from the shadows behind Ryo.

  "And who might you be?" Ryo asked, his voice hollow. "I've lost everyone I cared about. What more could you possibly want?"

  "I come from the Celestial Court," the figure declared. "You dared to desecrate this temple, and now you've invited the wrath of the gods upon yourself."

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  "God's wrath?" Ryo scoffed, a bitter laugh escaping his lips. "Those so-called gods couldn't even save a single girl. And you think I should fear them?"

  "You know nothing of the gods' power, fool!" the figure snapped. With a swift motion, he summoned his weapon — the Eternal Whip.

  The whip ignited with a sacred energy, sprouting jagged thorns that lashed violently toward Ryo.

  "Wha—?" The figure's eyes widened as Ryo effortlessly sidestepped the attack.

  Before the whip could strike again, Ryo's blade — the Night Sword — sliced cleanly through it. Sparks danced through the air as the severed weapon writhed and fell lifeless to the ground.

  Suddenly, the air split open — a jagged rift tearing across reality itself. From within, a spectral hand reached out, seizing the mysterious figure in an iron grip. The man let out a strangled cry before the hand crushed him, leaving nothing behind.

  A woman emerged from the rift, her presence commanding and serene.

  "I apologize for the inconvenience," she said casually. "That pawn of mine, Zheong... well, he got a little too greedy. I decided to deal with him myself."

  "And who exactly are you supposed to be?" Ryo asked, unfazed by the sudden chaos.

  The woman smiled, her gaze lingering on him with curious amusement.

  "Hmm... you're different. I like that," she mused. Then, with a soft chuckle, she added, "Fate will bring us together again, I'm sure. But for now..."

  The rift swirled behind her, pulling her back into the void. As she vanished, her parting words echoed:

  "You can play with this pawn."

  In her place, a monstrous figure materialized behind Ryo.

  Before he could react, the creature lunged, slamming him into the stone wall.

  "Who are you, weakling?" the monster sneered, its voice cold and guttural.

  Ryo coughed, blood trailing from his lips. Yet he grinned — a sharp, defiant smile.

  "Weakling?" he repeated with a chuckle.

  "You'll figure it out soon enough."

  Ryo's aura surged to life, a force so potent the earth beneath them trembled. The air thickened with power as the monster's expression shifted — from arrogance to fear.

  Ryo moved — a blur of motion — and in the blink of an eye, he stood before the monster.

  The creature barely had time to react before Ryo's hand plunged into its side. Flesh tore like paper as Ryo twisted his fingers deeper, the monster's agonized shriek echoing through the temple ruins.

  Far away, Noir sat in quiet meditation when a pulse — dark and suffocating — rippled through the air. It was cold and twisted, like fingers scraping down his spine. Noir's eyes shot open, beads of sweat trickling down his face.

  "What… what is this?" he whispered, his breath uneven.

  He reached out with his senses, only to recoil in horror.

  Ryo…

  "This power... what has he become?"

  With urgency tightening his chest, Noir opened a portal and stepped through.

  On arrival, Noir froze — his breath stolen by the scene before him.

  Ryo stood in the carnage, his back turned to Noir. The monster's body lay unrecognizable — torn, flayed, and twisted into a gory mess. Skin hung in shreds from Ryo's fingers, and blood dripped steadily from his clenched fists.

  "So... who was the weakling?" Ryo growled.

  The monster's faint, agonized breath sputtered from what remained of its body. Ryo raised his bloodstained fist and brought it down one final time. Bones crunched. The body twitched — then stopped.

  A sickening silence followed.

  "R-Ryo…" Noir stammered, his voice trembling.

  Ryo turned, his eyes dull and lifeless — save for the faint flicker of something... wrong.

  "Huh? Noir?" Ryo's voice was distant, like he hadn't quite returned to himself. He stepped closer, blood dripping from his fingers.

  Noir staggered back. "J-just... how powerful are you?"

  Ryo's face darkened, and his fingers twitched as if longing to strike again.

  "The gods…" he muttered. His voice was low, yet each word seemed to hang in the air like a curse. "They took my sister. Now I'll take everything from them."

  With a wave of his hand, a swirling portal cracked open in the air — jagged and unstable.

  "I'll start with the third realm," Ryo growled. "The nobles will burn first."

  The third realm was a place of twisted grandeur — towering palaces, streets paved in marble that gleamed beneath a blood-red sky. But beneath the splendor lay a cold, hollow air — a kingdom rotting from within.

  "So... this is where they hide?" Ryo muttered as he walked through the silent streets.

  "Hey! You there!"

  Ryo turned, eyes narrowing at the man before him — a finely dressed noble with jewels sparkling from his rings.

  "You don't belong here," the man sneered. "Who are you?"

  Ryo ignored him and walked past.

  "You dare ignore me?!" the noble barked. "Do you even know who I am?" He puffed out his chest. "I am Eldrie Covert Second, a third-level noble, and you—"

  Why is this fool still talking? Ryo wondered darkly.

  "You dare defy me?!" Eldrie spat, drawing his sword. "This is a crime against the sacred taboo! For this insult, I'll have your head!"

  The blade lashed out — but stopped mid-swing.

  Ryo hadn't even drawn his sword. He simply stared at Eldrie, cold and unblinking.

  Eldrie's hand trembled violently. His sword quivered in his grip as if an invisible hand were crushing it. Then, with a metallic snap, the blade shattered into dozens of jagged shards.

  "You…" Eldrie stammered.

  Ryo's blade whispered from its sheath. In one swift motion, Eldrie's head left his shoulders, rolling to the side with a dull thud.

  "You're quite impressive," a calm voice murmured.

  Ryo turned sharply. A man sat nearby, relaxed and smiling. But his presence was overwhelming — like standing before a raging inferno wrapped in human skin.

  Ryo felt the air tighten, heavy with pressure.

  This one… he's dangerous.

  "Don't look so tense," the man chuckled. "I'm just a plain ol' human."

  In a blur, the man vanished — then reappeared inches from Ryo, sword flashing like lightning.

  Ryo jerked back, but the blade bit deep across his arm. Blood spilled down his sleeve.

  "I aimed to cut you in two," the knight murmured. "Looks like you're tougher than I thought."

  Ryo glanced at his arm — the wound was already closing.

  "I don't want to fight you," Ryo said darkly. "I'd hate to ruin your reputation."

  The knight's eyes narrowed, his grin turning sharp.

  "Oh?" he whispered. "Then I'll make sure there's nothing left of you."

  Power erupted from the knight — a raging storm that turned the air cold and sent nearby structures quaking.

  Ryo smiled faintly, stepping forward.

  So... this is what a true fight feels like.

  The earth cracked beneath his feet as his own power surged forth, suffocating the air with its oppressive weight. The knight's grin faltered, replaced by something closer to fear.

  "Very well," the knight growled. "I'll come at you with everything I have."

  Both warriors moved — two streaks of shadow and flame hurtling toward each other. The ground split beneath them, their clash shattering the silence like thunder.

  For a moment, both grinned — a shared smile between two monsters who knew the other was capable of true destruction.