Blood pooled beneath him, seeping through the fractured plating of his GODWAR suit. Each stab had left its mark. Rio's limbs trembled, breath shallow, vision swimming in and out of darkness.
(This pressure… I can't even lift my arm. She's not a warrior. She's a TIER-8 monster. I didn't stand a chance.)
He clenched his jaw, the taste of blood thick in his mouth.
(So this is it? The fate of being weak… I accept it.)
Above him, Nyxara knelt beside the glowing crystalline monolith. Her crimson eyes shimmered with cruel satisfaction as she let his blood drip steadily onto its surface. The crystal pulsed with eerie light—but it didn't break.
Her expression twisted into a scowl.
With effortless grace, she seized his limp arm and pressed his hand against the crystal directly. Blood now flowed freely, soaking into the radiant stone.
Still—nothing.
Rio hovered at the edge of unconsciousness.
(Why… why am I not dead yet?)
Nyxara let go, rising with a scoff.
"Why won't it break…?" she murmured, frustrated. "Flashy, check his vitals. Bring him back to the castle. And don't damage that suit—it may yet be useful."
The male twin—sarcastically nicknamed Flashy—strode over with a grin.
"Yes, my Lady. I'll secure the site first. But if I may… grant me the honor of ending his miserable life myself."
Nyxara barely looked back. "Hmm… I'll consider it. For now, come with me."
Her twin, Nazza, winked playfully. "Yes, Nyxara."
Nyxara froze. Her gaze turned cold.
"I've told you a thousand times. Do not call me by name."
"Okie dokie, dear~ I won't call you Nyxara anymore."
"Shut up and follow me. Silently."
"Yes, my Lady," Nazza replied mockingly, then glanced over her shoulder. "But are you sure it's wise to leave that weakling with my dumbass brother? He might accidentally kill him for fun."
Nyxara turned slightly, brushing it off with a flick of her silvery braid.
"I don't care. All I wanted was his blood… or something entertaining. He couldn't even hold me properly. Couldn't shatter the crystal. But—" she licked her lips faintly, "his blood was surprisingly sweet."
"My Lady!" Nazza gasped. "What if someone hears us? This plateau isn't… normal."
"No one is near. Within a thousand Yt, none escape my telepathy. Not even your brother." Her voice turned darker. "Besides, I know how they fantasize about tasting me… your brother included. But my body would annihilate anyone foolish enough to try."
Nazza stiffened.
"Even… I didn't know that."
"Of course you didn't," Nyxara said coldly. "Now be quiet. Or I'll silence you myself."
"…Understood, my Lady."
With a silent blink, both vanished into folding shadows, returning to the castle.
---
Back at the crystalline site, Flashy crouched beside Rio's near-lifeless body. His obsidian armor gleamed, his eyes full of disdain.
"So weak… yet she let you live?" he sneered. "Pathetic."
He summoned his spear. Its jagged edge hummed with dark power as he aimed it directly for Rio's heart.
But then—Rio twitched.
Just a flick of his fingers.
The spear descended.
And in that instant, Rio's body ignited with light.
A wild, multicolored aura erupted from him, engulfing the air in a spiral of violent energy. His blood boiled. His bones surged with unfamiliar strength. The world bent around him.
His eyes opened—glowing with an unnatural blue-grey flame.
A voice came—not entirely his.
> "[Temporary Skill: Rampage of Death]"
Before Flashy could react, his arm exploded in a burst of ash and gore. His wings followed, disintegrating midair like scorched leaves.
"WHAT DID YOU DO?! Don't come any closer! [Ability: Gluttony Parasite]!"
The grotesque tendrils burst from Flashy's back—but Rio kept walking. Each step heavier, more primal.
"You call that a skill?" Rio said, voice layered with something ancient. "You're not even worthy of fear."
"STAY BACK! PLEASE—LADY NYXARA!!"
But no one came.
Rio reached him.
With a single hand, he gripped the warrior's hair—and tore the head clean from his body. No hesitation. No mercy.
Silence fell.
The aura slowly receded.
Rio stood amid blood and death, his chest heaving. His eyes dimmed to their natural color. The light faded.
(What… just happened? Shittt.... How the hell he is dead ...?)
His body still bled. Pain still wracked every nerve. But…
He was awake.
And something inside him had changed.