Jiwoon stood at the edge of the ruined bell tower, overlooking the shattered skyline of Sector 9. Storm clouds churned above him, a mirror to his thoughts.
Eri lay unconscious in the room below—her body still rejecting traces of divine code. Mira worked to stabilize her, whispering things Jiwoon couldn't hear.
But he felt it:
This was the calm before the purge.
A Flash from the Past
That night, Jiwoon dreamed again.
But this time, the dream was not from the First Sinner…
…it was his own.
He saw a memory:
A child's hand—his—pulling the trigger on a man already begging for mercy.
The sound of the shot.
The silence that followed.
The system's voice:
"Sin accepted. Level up granted."
Jiwoon jolted awake, drenched in cold sweat.
"How many of my choices… were ever truly mine?"
The System Tightens the Noose
The Divine Tracking Mark flared—burning his flesh.
[WARNING: Final Observation Protocol Initiated]
Subject Jiwoon has exceeded narrative deviation parameters.
Engaging recalibration event…
Suddenly, alarms blared throughout the Null Order base.
An angelic figure descended from the sky—wings of light, face of shifting patterns.
Name: Seraphim Executioner "Vael-Zir"
Role: System Reset Enforcer
"Jiwoon," it said, "you were allowed deviation.
Now comes deletion."
The Heart of Darkness Awakens
As the Seraphim raised its blade of purging flame, Jiwoon felt something stir inside him.
Not fear.
Not pain.
But wrath.
"You were born a mistake," the Seraphim declared.
"Then I'll end as one," Jiwoon replied—his eyes igniting in crimson and black.
Behind him, the phantom of the Kirin-Dragon Demon unfurled its wings.
Nyxfang appeared in his hand, not summoned—drawn to him.
[Sin State: Semi-Ascended – Armament Form]
System Override Initiated
The tower shattered as Jiwoon launched forward.
Steel clashed with light. Sin clashed with purity.
And for the first time…
The system bled.