Smoke choked the sky.
Shardwalker stood among the ruin, untouched. Smiling.
Jiwoon knelt beside Kravein, whose shoulder bled silver.
"Stay down," Jiwoon said.
Kravein spat. "That clone hits harder than you."
The First Echo
The clone didn't strike again.
Instead, he spoke — and his voice echoed like a thousand Jiwoons.
"You think purging sin makes you clean?"
"You're filthier than every target you've judged."
Jiwoon stood slowly.
"I never claimed to be clean."
"But I never ran from it, either."
System Update
[Demonic Avatar Status: 89% Stable]
[Emotion Lock: Temporary Hold]
[New Protocol Unlocked: Memory Blade]
Jiwoon summoned a weapon — a sword shaped like fractured memory.
Each shard along the blade showed a sin he'd absorbed.
The Clash of Reflections
Jiwoon charged.
Shardwalker countered.
Every blow sent shockwaves through reality.
Buildings trembled. Birds fell from the sky.
They fought in silence — because only guilt screamed.
Vera's Cry
From afar, Vera yelled.
"Jiwoon! He's not just a copy — he's evolving!"
"He's stealing your hesitation and turning it into freedom!"
The Breaking Point
Jiwoon was thrown into the rubble.
Shardwalker approached, holding Jiwoon's sword.
"Do you know why I'm stronger?"
"Because I don't doubt."
The clone raised the blade.
Jiwoon's Whisper
Jiwoon bled. But his eyes gleamed.
"Good."
"Then you won't expect this."
Sin Triggered: "Reverse Rejection"
A pulse exploded from Jiwoon's chest.
It wasn't rage.
It wasn't fear.
It was… acceptance.
The clone staggered, dropping the sword.
His form cracked.
"What… did you—"
"I forgave myself," Jiwoon said.
"You were born from my guilt. But I don't need you anymore."
Final Flash
Jiwoon pierced the clone's chest with Memory Blade.
Light shattered through darkness.
The Shardwalker vanished — not screaming, but smiling.
"Good choice…"
System Update
[Internal Conflict: Resolved]
[Sin Points: 1,200]
[Avatar Form: Stabilized]
[New Title Earned: Sinborne Sovereign]
Final Scene
Jiwoon walked past the wreckage.
Kravein, Vera, Kaelya, Qilin — all behind him.
"Where now?" Kaelya asked.
Jiwoon looked toward the horizon, where another storm brewed.
"Now we hunt the ones who made the system."