"When prayers die unanswered, even the devout begin to bleed."
---
Faith is not born in temples.
It is born in desperation.
In whispered cries. In trembling hands clutched together beneath bloodied skies.
And nothing kills faith faster than silence.
---
Tower Floor 7 – The Blood Market
Jin stood at the entrance of the seventh floor—a place the system had labeled "neutral."
But neutrality in the Tower meant something else: lawless.
Here, Chosen traded in relics and corpses. Souls could be sold. Favor could be bought. Betrayal wasn't just common—it was currency.
The Blood Market was a blackened sprawl of tents and bone towers. Flames crackled in barrels filled with teeth. Eyes watched from the shadows. And above all, the sound of commerce rang sharp:
> "Blessing shard, B-rank. Two hundred vitae!"
> "I'll trade you a god-fragment for that arm!"
> "Who wants to sell their faith? I'll pay in tongues!"
Stalls reeked of scorched organs. Skinned familiars hung like meat. A vendor wearing stitched human faces offered 'prophecies' scraped from tortured souls.
Jin walked past them like a ghost.
He didn't speak.
Didn't bargain.
But his mask turned heads.
And then—the whispers began.
> "That's him."
> "The one who killed Ariel."
> "Hollow…"
A merchant lunged forward, a dagger of blacklight and divine venom in hand. His mouth gurgled with half-spoken hexes.
Jin didn't pause.
He stared.
And the man's body began to twitch.
Bones shattered inward with a wet crunch. His flesh folded like origami under invisible pressure. Blood sprayed upward like a fountain, painting nearby tents in viscera. His heart burst through his ribcage, twitching mid-air before imploding into black dust.
> [Corruption: +4]
No one else moved after that.
The market shifted.
Even monsters crouched low.
Because something worse than gods had entered the floor.
---
Meanwhile – Sanctuary of Divine Enforcement
The gods did not argue now.
They prepared.
"Release the Seraph-Class Warden," the Sun God commanded.
The Hollow Watcher narrowed his eyes. "You would break your own laws?"
"He's not one of ours. He's not under our laws."
"And if this fails?"
"Then we send a Judgment Class."
The air warped. A silver lance emerged from the heavens.
The Warden awoke.
Wrapped in purity. Programmed for eradication. Bathed in the unlight of divine doctrine.
It spoke only once:
> "Name of target?"
> "Alias: Hollow."
> "Authorization?"
> "Absolute."
---
Blood Market – Later That Night
The moon above the Tower turned red.
The stars wept.
And the Warden descended.
Wings of burning silver. Eyes without pupils. A lance of divine judgment crackling with authority. Its scream broke glass and eardrums, announcing holy extermination.
> [WARNING: Hostile Seraph-Class Entity Detected]
Chosen scattered. Merchants fled. Even monsters bowed their heads in submission.
All except one.
Jin stood at the edge of a relic fountain, gazing into the reflection of his mask.
The Warden landed.
> "Anomaly. Submit for eradication."
Jin looked up.
"...No."
The Warden moved.
It struck in a flash—divine speed, perfect form. The lance cut the air where Jin had been.
But he wasn't there.
> [Passive – Reality Drift: Activated]
He appeared behind it. No weapon. No stance.
Just a breath.
And the air ruptured.
> [Soul Brand: Absolute Rejection]
The Warden froze mid-air.
Its wings tore as if peeled by unseen hands. Feathers disintegrated into embers.
Its eyes exploded in a splash of molten ichor, leaking divine sap like nectar from a cursed tree.
> "ERROR. FATE LOOP INCOMPLETE. PURPOSE UNSTABLE."
Jin reached forward.
Pressed two fingers to its chest.
> "Your god is next."
The Warden screamed.
Its scream sounded like a cathedral collapsing.
Its chest caved in with a sound like twisting steel.
Then it imploded.
Blood. Bone. Light. Soul.
Gone.
Not even ash remained—only a deep red smear on the air where it had once stood.
The fountain behind Jin boiled.
---
Hidden System Response
> [Seraph-Class Warden Eradicated]
> [System Strain: CRITICAL]
> [New Title Gained: Divine Breaker]
> [Corruption: +18]
> [Title Progress – "Godslayer"]: 20%
---
Temple of Theo – Floor 10
Theo sat before a shrine.
He tried to speak a prayer.
But the air felt wrong.
The shrine's flame had gone out.
And deep inside, he felt something unravel.
A cold whisper.
> "What if no one is listening?"
His hands trembled.
And for the first time since ascending the Tower… Theo felt alone.
He looked into the shallow pool of holy water before him and saw it darken.
His reflection faded.
And in its place, the white mask stared back.
---