Chapter 133 - Divine Mark of Madness

  When Arianka’s voice became a chorus of screams, the world around them collapsed into chaos. Euphemia was the first to bolt, her wings flaring with sudden panic, leaving behind the broken walls of the grand hall like shreds of paper in a storm. Kazue followed close behind, gripping Adam’s arm momentarily as they tore down the corridor. Meera, still shaken but recovered enough to keep pace, ran just behind them. The entire palace trembled under the weight of a divine presence unraveling itself.

  Cracks split the pristine marble beneath their feet. The golden inlays shimmered once—then shattered as if rejecting the world they once adorned. Behind them came the sound of something massive scraping and crushing everything in its path. Arianka, or whatever was left of her. The goddess no longer moved with the grace of a divine being—she now skittered like a beast of light.

  They didn’t stop running, not even when the halls around them began to collapse. Euphemia hovered beside them, her breathing ragged despite her flight. Between gasps, she shouted down at Kazue.

  “I told you not to touch her!”

  Kazue, red-faced and almost tripping on her own steps, shouted back.

  “But it was an accident!”

  Their voices rose over the chaos thundering behind them. The halls of the palace shook with each step of the goddess, and debris rained from the ceiling, cracks splitting across the marble like lightning as sections of the upper floors collapsed in cascading waves. Dust filled the air, and chunks of stone the size of boulders slammed into the floor, missing them by seconds.

  Kazue yelped as a shattered arch fell dangerously close, her feet slipping on the polished tiles as she ducked. Adam kept moving forward, his eyes darting between paths of falling rubble, while Meera adjusted her movements with sharp instinct, weaving through collapsing beams and ruptured walls without hesitation. Together, the group pushed toward the exit at full speed, and in one final burst, they emerged past the main doors.

  The golden gates, once pristine and shimmering, were now twisted ruins—bent and cracked under the sheer pressure of Arianka’s awakening. Behind them, the palace groaned, no longer a sacred haven, but a crumbling tomb under the wrath of a mad goddess.

  And even so, what waited outside was no better.

  The radiant landscape they’d once admired—so perfect and peaceful—was no longer intact. The sky had dimmed, as if mourning its own sanctity. The rivers of light surged wildly, flooding paths and uprooting glowing trees. But most of all, the goddess herself… she had left the castle. And now her form was fully visible.

  The upper half of Arianka’s body still resembled her statues: flawless skin, celestial robes, and the blindfold soaked in black blood now pouring like ink. But below her torso, everything devolved into horror. Dozens of spidery limbs made of light, metallic and organic at once, reached out in all directions. Her lower half resembled a hybrid between a predator and a divine beast, twisted and shifting like it couldn’t decide what it was. The worst part was her face—while still beautiful in form, the agony that screamed from her silent lips twisted every inch of her into something unrecognizable.

  The city beneath the palace, a radiant sanctuary built of floating marble bridges, crystal towers, and glowing soul-clouds drifting between divine lanterns, now trembled under the weight of disaster. Arianka's massive limbs, each one formed from luminous energy and shaped like elongated claws of celestial light, crashed down indiscriminately. Buildings shattered like glass, golden roads cracked apart, and statues crumbled into dust.

  The decorative rivers of light that once flowed peacefully through the streets burst upward like geysers as the ground heaved and broke beneath them. The clouds of souls—those gentle, drifting puffs of luminous memory—panicked like birds fleeing a storm. They scattered in all directions, screaming in high-pitched tones that barely registered to human ears. They passed through walls, through towers, through each other, dissolving like mist, yet Arianka paid them no attention. Her movements were erratic, jagged, and unnatural. Her gaze, though hidden beneath that grotesque blood-soaked band of divine silk, remained locked on one thing only: the four figures running across her city.

  Adam shouted over the rising roar of divine fury.

  “Scatter! Don’t clump together!”

  His voice was nearly lost beneath the quake of Arianka’s descent. One of the goddess’s radiant appendages smashed into the plaza behind them, vaporizing a street corner and sending shattered stone in every direction. Adam threw himself to the left, rolling across the broken tiles and rising in a crouch before sprinting again. Another limb whipped across his path, and he ducked beneath it just in time, the blast of light singeing the air above his head.

  Meera ran parallel to him; her speed and balance were very precise, her body twisted mid-air to avoid a claw that split the path in front of her like a blade. She landed in a slide and jumped again with perfect grace, the look in her eyes sharp and focused.

  Kazue, on the other hand, was struggling to keep up. Her breathing was ragged, her jacket torn open at the shoulder where a sliver of divine light had grazed her. One of Arianka’s clawed limbs dropped down toward her like a guillotine. She screamed and dove forward, rolling over a collapsing ledge and nearly tumbling headfirst into a chasm, barely managing to catch herself with trembling arms.

  Above them, Euphemia’s wings were faltering. The once-proud gatekeeper of the divine realm was clearly exhausted. Her breaths came in frantic bursts, and her altitude wavered with each flap. A tendril of light slashed up from below, catching one of her ankles and pulling her downward. She cried out in alarm, but just before the limb could close around her entirely, Adam launched himself upward using a burst of strength from his legs and yanked her free mid-air. They crashed down together hard, the boy grunting as he rolled over the ground with Euphemia clutched awkwardly in his arms. He winced and stood, helping her to her feet.

  “You alright? What happened?”

  He panted. Euphemia nodded with a gasp, one hand clutching her ribs.

  “Eh, It… It was… fine. All of it was fine before this! She was quiet, distant, yes, but not violent. She just… didn’t want to speak with anyone at first. Your friend talked to her, and they seemed to get along.”

  Kazue, still dodging and sliding through divine carnage, shouted back, still red-faced with guilt.

  “It was an accident!”

  “What did you do?!”

  Adam demanded, running beside her now as another divine limb carved the path behind them into a glowing trench. Kazue bit her lip, her eyes wide, frantic.

  “I just… I touched her! I was trying to comfort her, she seemed really sad, I didn’t think it would—! My [Synchrony] activated the second my hand brushed hers!”

  Adam’s mind raced as his feet did. [Synchrony]—That was Kazue’s weirder skill, the one that reacted to emotional or energetic resonance. She’d used it before to form incredible bonds with other team members. But with Arianka… a divine mind as frayed and bound by a literal plague… that kind of sudden, it was clear that it reacted poorly to the interaction. Adam didn’t need more explanation. He could see it in the way Arianka moved, how her face—still eerily human, still beautiful—was twisted in an endless, silent scream. The cloth over her eyes pulsed as if alive, leaking trails of dark blood. Her limbs flailed, each movement powerful enough to level a district, yet they only followed one path. She wasn’t targeting the garden, the palace, or even the souls fleeing in terror.

  She was targeting them. Or, specifically speaking, Kazue.

  Adam cursed under his breath and pulled Euphemia along, scanning the distance ahead. They were still within the sacred capital, and with every second, the divine structures around them cracked and buckled under Arianka’s fury. Pillars collapsed in waves, fountains of divine water twisted upward before detonating, and temples that had stood for who-knows-how-many centuries dissolved into rivers of molten gold.

  The group burst free of the collapsing city at last, racing toward the only visible path forward—the massive Crystal Bridge that arched like a translucent rainbow over the endless glowing sea. The thunderous roars of destruction echoed behind them as Arianka’s twisted form pursued without pause, tearing down everything that once symbolized peace and divinity. Adam could feel the ground shake beneath every desperate step, the shattered echoes of the sacred city collapsing into itself.

  While running across the shimmering surface of the bridge, Adam turned his head slightly, shouting over the roar of devastation.

  "Euphemia! You said that any violence here would get us expelled! Why the hell are we still inside this place?!"

  His voice cracked slightly under the strain of panic and exertion. Euphemia, struggling to maintain her flight while darting between floating shards of broken crystal, shouted back.

  "I don't know! I don't know! The power that governs that rule comes directly from Lady Arianka herself! If she's lost her mind like that, maybe... maybe the expulsion isn't working anymore!"

  There was no time to question further. The only thing that mattered now was survival. They sprinted across the bridge, hearts hammering, and lungs burning. But just as they cleared the first third of the span, a new, deafening crash tore through the air. Behind them, the monstrous form of Arianka reached the base of the bridge. Her limbs—those grotesque, light-formed extensions of her madness—thrashed out wildly, smashing into the crystal structure. The bridge shattered under the assault, a chain reaction of explosions traveling toward them like a living wave of glass and energy.

  The shockwave hit them before any of them could react. The world spun violently as Adam, Meera, and Kazue were launched into the air like ragdolls, torn from the collapsing bridge by the force of the explosion. Reflexes screaming, Adam gritted his teeth and forced his battered body to act. Trasluscent, spectral wings erupted from his back with a burst of ghostly energy, snapping open in midair to stabilize his wild spin. He caught himself a few meters above the glowing sea, panting heavily.

  Meera was not far from him, but she was handling it in her own way. With an almost mocking ease, she summoned one of her chakrams mid-flight, pouring energy into it until it grew and solidified, hovering beneath her feet like a floating platform. She balanced atop it gracefully, one knee bent, looking almost amused despite the circumstances.

  Euphemia, being a natural flyer, managed to stay airborne as well, though it was clear she was tiring rapidly.

  But Kazue… She was falling fast. Her scream ripped through the air.

  "I can’t fly!!"

  She shrieked, flailing helplessly as gravity dragged her downward toward the luminous, viscous sea below. Adam didn't even hesitate. He folded his wings and dived headfirst after her, cutting through the air like a missile. The distance closed in a heartbeat. At the last second, he caught Kazue in a firm grip, cradling her in his arms in a perfect princess carry. The force of the interception almost knocked the air from his lungs, but he held on tight, spreading his wings wide again to arrest their fall.

  Kazue clung to him, wide-eyed and gasping.

  "T-thank you!"

  She stammered, cheeks flushing furiously even in the middle of their frantic escape. Adam didn't answer. He beat his wings hard, lifting them both higher into the air and flying back toward Meera and Euphemia, who were circling just above the shattered remnants of the bridge.

  Below them, the sea of light rippled ominously. And then, from beneath the glowing waters, Arianka's form began to submerge. Her massive frame, once towering and unstoppable, sank with slow, horrifying grace, her head disappearing beneath the surface last. Euphemia turned back in midair, her face crumpling in anguish as she saw her goddess sink into the glowing abyss.

  "Lady Arianka!"

  She screamed, reaching out instinctively even though there was no hope of reaching her… But the horror wasn't over.

  Without warning, dozens of long, thin arms of light burst out of the water’s surface, writhing and grasping like monstrous vines. One lashed out toward Euphemia, aiming to snatch her from the sky. But before it could wrap around her, Meera reacted. She surged forward on her floating chakram, grabbed Euphemia by the collar of her tunic, and yanked her backward with a rough, almost sisterly force.

  "Stay focused!"

  Meera shouted, her voice snapping through the chaos. Adam adjusted his grip on Kazue, feeling the girl trembling slightly against his chest, and flapped his wings harder. The four of them rose higher, fleeing across the sky while the monstrous goddess writhed beneath the water, her many arms reaching in fury but failing to catch them.

  The distorted silhouette of Arianka continued to move beneath the luminous waters, an endless shadow of rage and madness. Adam, still carrying Kazue in his arms, flew at full speed alongside Meera and Euphemia, their group darting toward the distant outline of Eternal Garden. The once-idyllic expanse of the garden, with its floating trees, singing waters, and pristine crystalline towers, now loomed ahead under a different light. The tranquility it once radiated had evaporated, replaced by an ominous stillness that seemed to brace itself for the impending destruction.

  Behind them, Arianka did not relent. From the surface of the glowing sea, the tendrils of light multiplied, growing in number and intensity. Like spectral spears, they reached upward, clawing at the air in frantic pursuit of the fleeing mortals. Each movement of the goddess under the water sent ripples that cracked and fractured the very skies above the sea, as if reality itself were weakening around her rage.

  Adam shouted over the roaring winds as they neared the outer edge of the garden.

  "Keep going! Head for the highest ground!"

  Their group tightened instinctively, weaving through the fragmented pieces of floating architecture and broken platforms. For a moment, it seemed they might gain some distance—but that illusion shattered when Arianka erupted from beneath the waves with monstrous speed, launching herself into the sky in a grotesque surge of divine energy. Her form now towered, blinding and terrible, her screaming face turned upward, her endless arms lashing out with impossible reach.

  Adam gritted his teeth and pushed his wings harder, but evasion was no longer enough.

  The gnarled claws of light shot toward them faster than before. Meera cursed under her breath, summoning her second chakram in a desperate bid to defend herself. She poured energy into the weapon, creating a protective disc of burning force in front of her, but the moment Arianka’s claws touched it, the chakram’s defenses dissolved like mist under the sun. Meera twisted her body at the last second, managing to avoid being impaled, but shallow cuts opened across her arms and legs where the intangible claws brushed too close. She hissed in pain but closed the distance to Adam’s side, floating beside him with a grimace.

  The boy’s mind raced. Clutching Kazue close, he shouted to Meera.

  "Any ideas?!"

  His voice was strained, every muscle in his body protesting the effort of carrying her while flying at full speed. Meera shook her head, gritting her teeth.

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  "I’ve been trying to contact Zha’vrin this whole time! But that bastard’s ignoring me!"

  She shouted back. From the depths of Adam’s mind, Malzaphir’s amused chuckle resonated.

  "Bahahaha! Vile human, of course Zha’vrin's ignoring her. He’s always been a sore loser. No way he's going to lend a hand now that his precious contractor is flying next to mine."

  Adam barely spared a thought to roll his eyes internally; there was no time to argue with the Archdevil's twisted sense of humor. Another claw slashed past them, slicing a floating garden spire into rubble with a single stroke. Adam veered sharply, wings screaming from the effort, while Euphemia, who was barely keeping up, shrieked as she narrowly dodged another grasping limb.

  The Eternal Garden itself was collapsing piece by piece beneath Arianka’s wrath. The floating rivers burst and poured radiant streams onto the crumbling platforms, the translucent towers shattered into shards, and the once-soothing sky darkened with fractures of corrupted light.

  Desperation flaring, Adam conjured several long, spectral limbs from his back, sharp like the legs of some insect, hoping to bat away the incoming claws, but it was useless. The moment they touched the glowing appendages of the goddess, his spectral limbs disintegrated instantly, scattering like ashes on the wind. He cursed under his breath and tightened his grip on Kazue.

  "Malzaphir, I need the synchronization again. Now!"

  Adam growled mentally, banking sharply as another claw nearly sheared off one of his wings. The only response he got was a disinterested, almost amused murmur.

  "I don’t want to."

  Adam’s blood boiled.

  "What do you mean you don't want to?!"

  He snapped mentally, narrowly ducking another blow that could have split him in half.

  "I mean exactly what I said, vile human, this is far more entertaining. Your struggle… Mmm. Amusing. Besides, you look like you’re doing fine."

  Malzaphir replied lazily, his voice a slow, curling laugh. Adam bit down a curse, his fury almost making him lose focus mid-flight. He gritted his teeth and powered through, weaving through the ruin of the collapsing garden, while the monstrous Arianka continued to pursue, faster, stronger, more relentless with each passing second. His arms ached from holding Kazue, but letting her go was not an option.

  All around them, the once-peaceful paradise was dying. The gardens had turned into a wasteland of broken glass and ash. Sacred pools boiled away into clouds of steam. The very land trembled under the violent birth of the goddess’s madness. As they dove beneath a crumbling archway, barely avoiding a swipe that splintered the structure to dust, Adam heard Kazue’s small, trembling voice against his chest.

  "I… I have an idea."

  She said suddenly. Adam didn’t even hesitate to reply, keeping his eyes locked on the chaos ahead.

  "If you’ve got anything, now’s the time to say it!"

  Kazue swallowed hard, her hands clutching the front of his shirt tighter. Her voice, barely audible over the roaring devastation, pressed urgently against Adam’s ear.

  "Turn around! We need to face her directly! Hold me up and get me close!"

  She shouted, her words tumbling over themselves with frantic determination. Adam nearly tripped midair at the absurdity of it.

  "Are you insane?! Do you even realize what you're saying?!"

  He barked, weaving sharply to avoid a swipe of golden claws that nearly tore through them. His mind raced. Was she asking him to bring her closer to the rampaging goddess that was tearing the entire realm apart? It sounded suicidal.

  "Trust me!"

  Kazue screamed again, her face determined even as tears formed from the biting winds. There was no time to argue. Another swipe, faster and sharper than before, grazed one of Adam’s spectral wings, burning through it like acid. He winced as the wing flickered, momentarily destabilizing his flight path. There was no choice, it was the girl’s plan or death.

  Grinding his teeth, Adam cursed under his breath and shut his eyes tightly for a second, his entire body bracing against every instinct screaming that this was madness. Every logical calculation in his mind, and the most basic common sense, told him that flying toward a rampaging divine monstrosity was suicide. But he forced himself to stop thinking in absolutes.

  Over and over again, Kazue had proven herself more cunning and sharper than he had first believed, surprising him with her instincts, her timing, and her strange way of turning impossibilities into real options. Against all better judgment, against every fiber of his rational being, Adam chose to trust her. With a frustrated shout, he pivoted mid-flight, holding her tightly in his arms, and hurled them both directly toward the monstrous figure that had once been Arianka. Meera’s scream rang out immediately from behind.

  "Big bro, what are you doing?!"

  Her voice cracked, filled with a desperation Adam had never heard from her. She darted forward on her floating chakram without hesitation, fully intending to reach him no matter what. But before she could get close, one of Arianka’s massive limbs of light slammed down between them, throwing up a wave of force that pushed Meera back and severed her path.

  She stumbled mid-air, barely regaining her balance on her glowing platform, her face twisting in frustration and panic. Euphemia, hovering nearby, could only stare at the scene unfolding, her wings faltering as her mouth opened in shock, yet no words found their way out.

  Adam, however, didn’t look back. He tightened his hold on Kazue and dove directly toward the source of the chaos.

  Arianka loomed before them like a living nightmare, her massive arms writhing, her blindfolded face bleeding rivers of black ichor. Each movement of her light-forged limbs splintered the air and shattered the ruins of the Eternal Garden below. Adam weaved left and right, moving through the gaps between the lashes of death, feeling the heat and pressure of each near miss. He could feel Kazue trembling against him, but she never faltered, her resolve etched into every line of her face. Through gritted teeth, Adam shouted.

  "Whatever you're planning, do it now!"

  Kazue nodded quickly, her cheeks burning red. Her voice cracked slightly, but she managed to scream toward the twisted form of Arianka.

  "Lady Arianka! Listen to me! It's me, Kazue! Remember what we talked about! You said... you said that if I wanted to make a change, I had to show it!"

  The roaring chaos nearly drowned out her words, but Adam could hear her raw and genuine pleading, although he didn't understand what she was referring to. None of this made sense. But he focused only on evading, giving her every second he could buy.

  The goddess didn’t react. She kept lashing, kept screaming, her ruined beauty now the face of an ancient, unstoppable disaster.

  Kazue’s face twisted in panic, but she suddenly clenched her fists. She stretched out one hand desperately toward the divine monstrosity. In response to her will, a faint shimmer appeared in front of her—a translucent window of the system.

  Adam had no time to register what she wanted to do with it. All he knew was that the moment the notification faded, the air around them changed.

  Kazue swallowed hard. Her face turned a shade of red that even Adam, through all the madness, couldn’t ignore. She squeezed her eyes shut, then screamed at the top of her lungs.

  "Adam!"

  For a split second, everything froze. Even Arianka’s monstrous limbs hung in the air, motionless. Adam, still holding her, blinked in confusion.

  Kazue’s entire body was trembling in his friend’s arms, her face so red it looked like she might actually explode. She clutched at his jacket with both fists, drawing in a shaky breath as if preparing for the end of the world itself. Adam, mid-flight, holding her awkwardly, could only stare at her in confusion, half-expecting some secret plan to unfold. Meera floated nearby on her glowing chakram, eyes wide with horror and hope all at once, while Euphemia hovered stiffly, her hands clutched over her heart.

  Kazue’s whole body quivered in Adam’s arms, her face burning so fiercely red it looked like she was about to combust from sheer embarrassment. She gripped his jacket tighter, her throat working frantically before she managed to shout over the chaos.

  "I... I... I always… I… I… L-Like... y-you… to... w-watch a marathon of all my favorite anime and movies with me!!"

  Kazue screamed, her voice cracking hopelessly, tumbling over the words in a frantic burst of desperation and pure chaos. The world froze. Adam’s mind went completely blank. Meera, still hovering on her glowing chakram, blinked rapidly in pure confusion, mouthing silently.

  "What is anime...?"

  Said Euphemia, faltering in midair and nearly dropping from the sky with a stunned look plastered across her face.

  The absurdity of the declaration hung thickly in the broken, trembling air, as if reality itself had hit a wall trying to process it. Adam, mouth hanging open, could do nothing but stare at her, caught between disbelief and a rising headache. A marathon? Of anime? Was this what she had been working herself up for? This was her grand, desperate move?

  And yet, against all reason, it worked… From deep within the monstrous, bleeding form of Arianka, a low, guttural sound rumbled out—strange at first, like a beast choking on its own rage. But it grew. Louder and richer. Until it erupted into full, earth-shaking laughter.

  The distorted goddess threw her head back, howling with laughter so pure, so genuine, that the clouds themselves cracked and rippled with its force. Her long arms of light, which had been so merciless, faltered and twitched erratically, as if her mind, fragmented and shattered, had been blindsided by the sheer stupidity and sweetness of what she had just heard.

  Adam could hardly believe what he was witnessing. The monstrous goddess Arianka, who moments ago had been the very embodiment of rage, was now convulsing with genuine laughter. It was absurd and impossible. And yet, it was happening right in front of him. Once again, he was reminded just how terrifying the true potential of Plot Devices could be.

  Maybe, just maybe, they could use this ridiculous miracle to escape. Adam began preparing to pivot away, his mind racing through possible routes, but before he could move, Kazue tugged violently at the collar of his hoodie, forcing him to look down at her desperate face.

  He turned his gaze to her, confused and tense, and saw her face flushed to a ridiculous shade of red, her eyes watery with embarrassment. She clutched his clothing tightly, practically trembling.

  "Answer me!"

  She cried out, her voice cracking slightly, full of urgency and mortification. Adam blinked, thrown completely off guard.

  "Answer you about what?"

  He asked, still keeping one eye warily on the laughing form of Arianka in the background. Kazue’s expression twisted in indignation.

  "About what I just asked you!"

  She shouted, as if it was obvious. Adam opened his mouth, ready to snap that this wasn’t the time for jokes—that her crazy plan had worked, but they needed to get the hell out of there before the goddess changed her mind—but the words froze on his tongue. He caught a full look into her eyes, and for the first time, he understood.

  It wasn’t a joke to her. It wasn’t just a Plot Device stunt. She had said all that ridiculousness seriously, from the bottom of her heart. Amid chaos and life-threatening danger, she had pulled from somewhere deep inside her the strength to shout something that mattered to her. And she had done it for him.

  Adam’s chest tightened. Without thinking, he smiled—a real, warm, genuine smile—and spoke, his voice cutting through the madness around them.

  "When we get through this, I’ll be happy to watch all your favorites with you and everyone. I want to see why they mean so much to you."

  He said softly. Kazue’s face lit up like a star, the kind of pure, overwhelming joy that seemed to make even the devastation around them momentarily blur away.

  Then, the system windows slammed into existence in front of their faces:

  Both of them stared at the screens in shock. Adam’s face drained of all color as he processed the notifications. His mind immediately screamed danger, because he knew exactly what skill had been copied over to Kazue.

  Mark of the Damned… Quite literally, the worst possible one.

  Out of all his abilities, it was the one he kept locked away for a reason. It was a curse in itself, a malignant mark that gnawed at the mind and soul over time. Adam could bear it only because of his racial traits as a Demi-Lich. However, Kazue, who had no such defenses, would be destroyed by it.

  Panic seized him. He looked at her urgently, and his fears were confirmed as he saw a dark, twisted mark begin to creep across Kazue’s arm, mirroring the cursed tattoo Adam bore himself. It was faint at first, but growing more defined by the second. Time was running out. Ideas rushed through his mind: Should he amputate her arm? Could that even work? Could he suppress the mark somehow?

  But before he could act, something else happened… Meera, who had managed to get close, suddenly vaulted through the air above them with a feral cry. In one hand, she gripped a silver dagger, its blade gleaming strangely even amidst the fractured light of Arianka’s laughter.

  "Perfect, Big Bro! You and your little girlfriend did it perfectly!"

  She shouted gleefully. Before Adam could even scream a warning, Meera hurled herself at the distracted, laughing goddess. With a precise, brutal motion, she plunged the dagger into Arianka’s forehead.

  Instantly, black and corrupted energy began to snake across Arianka’s divine form, coiling and twisting as she let out a terrible shriek, a sound of agony that shattered the fragile humor of moments ago. The energy flowed into the dagger, darkening its sheen until the once-silver blade turned obsidian black.

  Meera yanked the weapon free and, without hesitation, tossed it with all her might toward Adam.

  "Use it on her, hurry!"

  She yelled, not even knowing Kazue’s name, just pointing frantically. Adam didn’t think. He caught the blackened dagger midair, feeling its pulsing, corrupted power radiating into his palm. Kazue whimpered in his arms, the cursed mark on her skin growing darker and more pronounced. Without wasting a second, Adam reversed the blade and made a shallow, precise cut along Kazue’s forearm.

  The pain was already beginning to overwhelm the girl. And Adam could feel it in the way her body trembled against his chest, in the way her small hands clutched desperately at his hoodie, her breathing coming in ragged gasps. Her eyes, which moments ago had been shining with happiness and embarrassment, were now wide with agony, glassy and unfocused. The curse was eating her alive from the inside, the same way it would have destroyed anyone else who lacked his monstrous resistance.

  But then, the moment Adam made the shallow cut with the blackened dagger, the air around them shifted. A pulse of corrupted energy exploded from the wound, and a cascade of system windows burst to life in rapid succession.

  Adam read the notifications as they appeared in the corner of his vision, each one hammering another spike of worry into his gut. His mind raced to comprehend what had just happened. It wasn’t just a matter of suppressing the [Mark of the Damned] anymore—the accidental combination of the skills had given birth to something new, something infinitely more dangerous and unpredictable, and it was inside Kazue now.

  He lowered his gaze just in time to see the changes manifest physically. The faintly glowing veins that had once pulsed from the old wound on Kazue’s arm flared violently for an instant, their golden light twisting into sickly hues, merging and swirling with the black corruption of the mark. The dark tattoo along her forearm twisted and writhed, the ink reshaping itself into an intricate new sigil, one that throbbed with a terrible, beautiful power.

  Kazue whimpered softly, her entire body tense, but then—suddenly—the light faded.

  The newly transformed mark, now gleaming with an eerie, otherworldly shimmer, simply evaporated into thin air. One moment it was there, etched into her skin like a brand of doom, and the next it was gone, leaving behind only faint traces of warmth where it had been. Her body relaxed slightly, the unbearable pressure receding, though the exhaustion on her face was unmistakable.

  Adam remained frozen, utterly stunned. Something he hadn't even considered possible. The curse hadn't been removed, nor had it been purified. It had been sealed.

  The boy blinked, trying to grasp the absurdity of what he had just witnessed. Even with all the absurdities he had seen since entering the system, this was something he would have never believed possible if he hadn't seen it himself.

  And yet, Kazue had endured.

  He adjusted his hold around her, feeling the slight tremor still running through her exhausted body. Part of him was still trying to figure out what had just happened, what it would mean for her, and whether the sealed skill would stay quiet or eventually awaken. He didn’t have an answer.