Rakina stirred groggily. Something was wrong. Her arms—stretched. Stiff.
She pulled.
Pain exploded through her palms.
"AHHH!"
A scream tore from her throat.
"Ahh… the voice of a virgin witch. Music to my ears. Makes me want to… melt!"
A man stepped into view—white robes streaked with red, a sick smile curling on his lips. He snapped his own fingers with deliberate cruelty.
"Who are you?" Rakina gritted her teeth.
"I am Ordinal—the Fifty-Fifth Choir of The Else!
O young witch, your virgin blood shall open the path to welcome my kin.
Rejoice! Rejoice! The System shall fall, and justice will be rewritten.
Our existence marks His awakening. Rejoice!"
Rakina silently tried to summon ice—nothing happened.
"What's this? Trying to resist? You should feel honored."
He floated closer. Glitched. Pixelated. Then reformed.
Rakina's eyes widened. "Your body is glitching. Like a bugged game."
"Rejoice! Rejoice! I—"
He repeated himself like a broken NPC.
She ignored that. "Why did you bring me here? Are you sacrificing me to summon your god?"
Ordinal paused. "No. A ritual this small won't reach Him. Your blood can't summon Him.
"But it can open rifts to my world. I'll invite my kin.
Your body… your womb..."
He leaned in toward her lower abdomen.
"...will be used to birth Him."
Rakina's expression turned cold. "I'm definitely going to kill you."
"THEN TRY, O YOUNG WITCH!" he bellowed, his grin twisting unnaturally.
He raised his arms and looked to the sky—exultant, drunk on madness. Lost in the moment.
Until—
Brrring.
Something rang.
He clicked his tongue, annoyed.
The sound came from her pocket. Curious, he fished through it—and froze.
A book was flipping its own pages, emitting a catchy ringtone.
"What is this?" he asked. He turned to Rakina, who looked just as surprised.
Then the pages tore themselves loose—floating around him like petals in slow motion.
And he didn't expect what came next.
From one of the pages—right beside Ordinal—a fist exploded out. Blurred with speed. It slammed into his face, scrunching his cheek from the impact.
BOOM!
He flew across the room and crashed into the far wall. The ground shuddered. Dust filled the air.
From the same page, someone squeezed through and landed—elegantly.
It was Shun. Or… it looked like him.
"Is that you, Shun?" Rakina asked.
He looked different.
His hair was now long, spiky, white—reaching down to his waist. He wore a red robe over a white shirt.
Parts of his body had turned to metal. His eyes gleamed like golden camera lenses. The lower half of his face was steel-black. Arms and legs, too—metallic.
He looked like a cyborg.
"Yes. It's me," Shun nodded, smiling softly. "I've come to save you."
She stared at him, stunned. Her gaze slowly softened.
"Thank you."
Shun turned toward the cross. Her palms were nailed, her legs bound tight. His expression darkened.
"Who did this to you?"
"It's—" Rakina began, but—
"Me!"
A voice called out.
Then—vanished. Illusion? No. Movement faster than sight.
Before disappearing, though, Shun noticed—he was riding… a tiny goat.
"A welcome gift!" Ordinal shouted, reappearing before them. The goat bleated: "Baa!"
Shun's eyes narrowed. He tried to move back, but Ordinal was already there, staff raised.
A magic circle flared to life—and a giant, fur-covered fist shot out toward Shun's face.
But Shun was ready. He shifted his stance, lowered his center of gravity, heel braced.
The punch landed.
CRACK!
His head snapped back—but he didn't move.
"How the heck?! Aren't you only level seven?!" Ordinal growled.
[Ordinal - Lv. 50]
[Osamu Shun - Lv. 7]
Shun caught the hairy fist and crushed it. Blood splattered across his face—but he didn't flinch. He took a step forward.
"You're going to die. Slowly."
Ordinal was still reeling. That punch should've launched him.
When did I become so weak? he wondered.
Then he realized:
"This world weakens me…"
He looked up—
Only to see a fist lunging toward his face.
He dodged, barely. Then barked an order at his goat, retreating a few steps.
They faced each other. Ordinal grinned.
"And so it begins!"
At that moment, the books beneath Rakina glowed. Blood from her palms fed a magic circle drawn across them.
"What's happening?" Shun frowned.
[Commencing Ritual. 10:00 minutes remaining.]
"Stop this!" Shun turned to Ordinal.
"Ah, the iron puppet is begging.
Perhaps if you beg louder, I might change my mind."
"Begging?"
Shun's voice dropped low. Cold.
"That's an order, scumbag."
Ordinal cackled, raising his wolf-headed staff.
"Then make me, puppet!"
Magic circles spun. Canine beasts emerged—snarling, lunging.
Shun dashed forward. Their fangs scraped against his alloy body. Sparks flew. No damage.
He stopped. Too many of them.
[Skill: Echo of the Divine Forge activated.]
He snapped his fingers. Slammed his palm to the floor.
The earth erupted—stone spikes impaled the beasts. Screams echoed.
Shun advanced.
Ordinal's grin faded. He summoned again. Lightning cracked overhead. The air turned heavy, stinking of mercury and blood.
Even Shun felt it.
"You are nothing, iron puppet! You won't lay a hand on me!"
Shun's eyes narrowed. He ran. Every step crushed stone beneath him.
"We'll see."
The ritual surged toward its climax. A flash of blinding light. Then—
A four-tailed fox emerged beside Ordinal. Its black fur shimmered with white streaks. It roared.
[The roar of the Sacred Beast has instilled fear!]
[Status: Dizziness | -20 DEF | -20 RES]
Shun snapped his fingers again. Tapped the ground.
A slab of earth shot up—too fast to dodge.
CRACK!
The fox screamed. It retaliated, firing high-density magic and obliterating the slab. Dust clouded the air.
It scanned the haze—Shun was gone.
Then—pain. From below.
A fist struck its chin.
BOOM!
It crashed into the wall. Tremors rocked the room.
Ordinal stared, stunned.
"Impossible…!"
Then—
The air changed.
It grew cold. Sharpened. Inhuman.
All eyes turned to Rakina.
Her hair had turned frost-blue. Glowing runes pulsed across her body. Ice bloomed from her feet.
"The hair… the symbols! Hideous Sage?!"
A blizzard exploded outward. The cross froze over. Ice consumed the room.
Ordinal glanced at the ritual timer.
[Commencing Ritual – ERROR DETECTED!]
[Hideous knowledge has seeped into the crack.]
"Crap!" he snarled, pointing his staff at her.
The beast launched beams of light.
The runes detached from Rakina's skin—forming a barrier.
The beams exploded harmlessly. No damage.
The beast lunged. Swiped.
Blocked.
Shun prepared to charge—
But something about her stopped him.
She didn't feel human.
She felt ancient.
Terrifying.
Fear stirred in his chest. He clenched his fists.
But deep down—he knew.
He had to save her.
He couldn't let this finish.
He widened his eyes. Grit his teeth.
"This isn't like you at all, Shun!" he yelled at himself.
"Leaving a girl to get bullied!?"
He ran.
"RAKINA!"
Her head twitched. She reacted—just barely.
The symbols suddenly detached and flew into the fox.
Then—fire.
Violet fire ignited. So hot, even from afar, Shun felt it scald his skin.
The fox howled, staggered—then collapsed. Dust erupted around it.
Silence followed.
The beast was dead.
Rakina had killed it—effortlessly.
Her power surged. Shun and Ordinal both knew:
They could be next.
Shun didn't care—or tried not to.
The presence of death thickened the air.
But dying trying to save her—
Was better than living as a coward.
"Damn you, Hideous Sage!" Ordinal screamed, rage cracking his voice.
"You shouldn't be here!"