Yaku's eyes widened in fear.
Sitting beside him was a muscular man in a white robe, with golden hair and glowing golden eyes. He wore a calm, charming smile—completely opposite to Yaku's frozen, terrified expression.
"Judging from your face, I assume you know who I am," Sunsra said smoothly.
He leaned in and whispered, "And why I came."
Yaku flinched, paralyzed by fear.
"Whoa, my cart feels much heavier all of a sudden. Everything okay back there?" the driver called out.
"Maybe… take a look for yourself," Yaku muttered under his breath.
Before the driver could turn, Sunsra grabbed Yaku by the neck and vanished—taking him deep into the rice fields in a millionth of a second.
Yaku's body slammed into the watery ground. He thrashed as Sunsra held him underwater, drowning him with ease.
"My brother Nareem couldn't harm you because of his contract with that fucking devil," Sunsra said coldly, "but I have no such obligation."
He flung Yaku into the sky, then instantly appeared above him.
With a devastating punch, he sent Yaku crashing back down into the field—where his body exploded into blood and guts.
Landing beside the mess, Sunsra muttered, "Now, time to deal with that devil's lapdog."
But his expression shifted when Yaku's body regenerated in front of him.
"Oh… Fluttering Fate Bliss. So that's what you got from the devil. Well then—more suffering for you."
In a flash, he appeared in front of Yaku and punched. But Yaku's shadow rose like a black wall and blocked the blow.
The force of the impact still scattered crops across the field.
As Yaku stumbled back, Sunsra instantly appeared behind him and launched another punch. Again, Yaku's shadow intercepted it.
Sunsra stepped back and narrowed his eyes. "Hmph… how foolish of me to forget my own brother's Aether Bliss. Daedal Dusk. Your shadow becomes your guardian during the night, blocking any and all attacks."
"Please, try to understand!" Yaku cried. "I didn't mean to kill Nareem! I-I didn't even want the Bliss! I'm being forced to do this!"
"But you know what the weakness of Daedal Dusk is?"
Sunsra grinned.
"Your shadow can't block two attacks at the same time."
In a blur, he threw a punch that got blocked. But in that same breath, he circled behind Yaku and landed an uppercut—snapping Yaku's head clean off.
Yaku respawned, only to have Sunsra appear behind him again and crush his skull between his palms.
Again and again, Yaku resurrected—only to die within seconds.
"I-I can't react! He's faster than light!" Yaku thought in horror.
"Having fun yet, sinner?!" Sunsra roared, laughing maniacally.
Yaku tried to hold on. His shadow managed to block one kick, and he grabbed Sunsra's leg—but the second leg came around and got blocked too.
Yaku gritted his teeth, grabbed both legs, and spun—flinging Sunsra away.
The god flipped mid-air and landed gracefully.
"Hmph. Guess I attacked too late that time."
He blinked forward again. As his punch was blocked, Yaku struck back—but Sunsra was already gone.
He appeared behind Yaku, grabbed his head, and slammed his face into the ground, dragging him across the rice field and painting it with his blood.
When Sunsra raised him again, Yaku's face was completely degloved—but he still breathed.
"How about I keep you alive like this?" Sunsra whispered with a smile. "Maybe… chop off your limbs next?"
Suddenly, a meteor roared through the sky and slammed into them—blowing up the field.
Yaku's body evaporated entirely. Sunsra was thrown back, flames dancing on his robe.
As Yaku revived nearby, coughing and trembling, the voice of the white-haired girl rang in his ears again.
"Oops—sorry about the stray hit. Had to get you out of Sunsra's hands."
"You again! How do you keep doing that!? Every time you speak, something horrible happens!"
"Let's just say I bring some… unfortunate events with me," she replied with a nervous giggle.
"Who the hell are you talking to, you crazy son of a bitch?!" Sunsra barked, slapping off the flames from his robe.
"Yikes, that's some pretty ungodly language," the voice remarked. "Anyway, focus on getting out of there. Get back to the village—Larkwing can save you!"
"By running?! That guy's faster than light!"
"Then use your damn brain!"
"ENOUGH!" Sunsra shouted. He blinked in front of Yaku and threw a punch. Blocked.
Then came a gut-punch from the side, not blocked.
Yaku coughed blood, shaking.
"You're dying again," the voice said. "Picture the village. Think about it. Go back."
Yaku clenched his eyes shut and remembered the temple. The fireworks. Larkwing's smile.
Sunsra grabbed him by the shoulders and tore him in half.
Yaku opened his eyes—and found himself standing at the temple's entrance.
His face lit up.
But then Sunsra appeared behind him and threw a punch.
Blocked.
Before Yaku could scream, his neck snapped.
He respawned nearby. Sunsra appeared again—ripping him to shreds before he could even breathe.
Again and again, Yaku resurrected—only to be torn apart.
Larkwing watched from a rooftop, arms folded.
"Maybe now he'll learn to follow simple instructions," he muttered coldly.
EARLY MORNING
As dawn broke, villagers emerged from their homes, smiling.
But near the temple, their faces twisted into horror.
The street was splattered with blood, organs, and viscera.
Kneeling in the center, Yaku stared blankly, soulless. Sunsra stood over him.
"Now that daylight is here, your shadow can't help you. I can kill you even faster," Sunsra said with a grin.
"What happened here?! What have you done?!" a villager cried.
Sunsra turned with a gentle smile.
"Don't you recognize me, my dear children?"
The villagers squinted at his glow.
"Such a majestic look… beautiful eyes… that aura..."
"Are you perhaps…"
"A model?!" they exclaimed.
"NO, YOU IDIOTS! I'm your god! The god of light! Sunsra!"
The crowd gasped.
"Prove it," a woman said nervously.
Sunsra sighed. He vanished—and returned a second later dragging a mountain of dead animals: lions, elephants, deer, wolves.
He threw them down with a thud. "Any more doubts?"
The villagers fell to their knees.
"Forgive us, my lord."
"I don't blame you," Sunsra said kindly. "It's my first visit."
"But… why come now, after millions of years?" someone asked.
"To deal with a problem."
Yaku suddenly stood and threw a punch at Sunsra's jaw. Sunsra didn't budge.
"And that's the problem."
He crushed Yaku's fist, making him scream.
Sunsra began hammering Yaku's face with blinding speed—50 punches a second.
Larkwing watched silently as teeth and blood sprayed the air.
After ten seconds, Sunsra lifted Yaku by the head, showing his mangled face to the villagers.
"This is no tourist. He's a hell breaker. He came here to kill me."
The crowd murmured in shock.
"He doesn't look dangerous," someone muttered. "Could you go easy on him?"
"Don't believe me?" Sunsra asked.
He ripped Yaku's shirt off, revealing the 2 halo marks on his chest.
The crowd froze.
"He's really… one of them," someone whispered.
Sunsra dropped him.
"I'm tired of punishing him. I'll let you decide what to do with a sinner who tried to kill your god."
Yaku barely lifted his head.
"I… I just wanted to stay here," he muttered, coughing blood.
One villager kicked him in the head.
Another threw a rock.
Soon, a mob surrounded Yaku—kicking, hitting, yelling:
"You filthy sinner!"
"We showed you kindness!"
"You should've stayed in hell!"
Larkwing watched, head resting in his hands.
"Because of him, I'll have to stay in hiding. Maybe now he's learned his lesson."
Suddenly, Larkwing's eyes glowed purple.
He stood, alarmed.
"Sunsra's over there. That means this presence… it's something else."
He looked up at the sky.
A giant black dragon soared toward the village—larger than half the village itself.
Riding it was a knight in shining blue and white armor, holding a long spear.
"No way… it can't be him…" Larkwing muttered.
Sunsra looked up, jaw clenched.
The villagers turned and screamed.
"They're from the Broodheim world," Sunsra said, irritated.
Larkwing began leaping across rooftops—getting as far away as possible.
"Oh no no no," Sunsra hissed.
The black dragon opened its mouth, smoke billowing out as it descended upon the village.