Morvathos stepped out of the Crimson Descent Palace and drew in a deep, refreshing breath,his first in what felt like an eternity. The air was heavy, metallic, and carried the faint scent of burning embers, yet somehow it felt more alive than the stale halls of the palace.
It almost tricked him into thinking he'd been away from Earth for decades. In truth, it hadn't been long at all. His memories were simply… blurred, distant, like pages of a book smudged by fire.
But the excitement in his chest had not faded.
There was a small, cheeky smile tugging at the corner of his lips as he slipped his hands into his pockets and strolled through the garden.
The place was utterly silent,so quiet that the crunch of gravel beneath his steps sounded like thunder,yet the silence made it feel strangely vibrant, as if the garden itself was listening.
His destination was clear: the absolute center of Hell.
The Gate of Underworld and Overworld.
The colossal archway that connected every hell to both the underworld and the mortal realm it governed. For Morvathos, that realm was Earth. Through that gate, he could descend upon the living world or pass into the underworld itself.
Of course, nothing was free. Traveling through the Gate required karmic payment. And the Divine Laws,those insufferable, parasitic cosmic accountants,were merciless about collecting their tolls.
"Damn... The Divine Laws are saying I'm broke in ninety-nine different languages."
Morvathos muttered under his breath.
His frown deepened, the irritation pulling tight across his face. Every step he took toward the Gate was a reminder of his pitiful financial state.
God of Death, ruler of Hell, sovereign of crimson flames… and yet he was flat broke. Broke as hell. In hell. The irony wasn't even funny anymore.
He stopped walking and rubbed his temple, releasing a long, weary sigh.
'Welp… can't do anything about it.'
He tried to console himself. Complaining wouldn't magically make Karmic Coins appear.
With a flick of his wrist, a coin materialized in his palm as his Authority Seal pulsed faintly. Golden, perfectly round, etched with intricate shifting patterns that glowed faintly in the dim light.
It pulsed softly, like it contained a heartbeat of its own.
Morvathos narrowed his eyes, studying it.
"Hmm~. So this is a Karmic Coin, huh? And the root cause of all my problems…"
The coin glittered innocently between his fingers. It didn't look like something that could hold the balance of Hell itself hostage.
Yet without these cursed little tokens, he couldn't fix the Spring of Reincarnation, couldn't keep Hell running, couldn't even step foot on Earth freely.
One coin. That's all he had. Enough for a single trip.
Morvathos tossed the coin once, caught it, and let out a humorless chuckle.
"A one-way ticket to Earth. Better make it worth it. Fuck! I'm so poor that I can't even make a trip back without waiting 1 full hour."
But his mood soured again relatively quickly. He was having extreme mood swings for the past few hours.
He didn't even know if a person will ever experience the kind of emotions he had been through in such a short span of time.
Morvathos finally reached the Gate.
It shimmered before him, a towering frame of golden-white light. There was no physical door,just a thin, translucent veil that rippled like liquid sunlight. The light itself was alive, pulsing faintly with the authority of the Divine Laws.
'It looks like those gates from Korean Apocalypse manhwa. It should work the same as well. Let me check.'
He narrowed his eyes and activated Hell Inspection. The Authority Seal whispered the Gate's rules into his mind. It was Simple enough. A payment. A destination. A step through.
Leading up to the Gate was a wide, circular dais of six ascending steps, wrapping around in a perfect 360.
Morvathos climbed them at an unhurried pace, until he stood directly before the shimmering threshold.
The frame itself was a masterpiece of ancient craft, an exquisite patterns of mythical beasts etched into its surface. Dragons with open maws, serpents with endless coils, all sculpted in radiant gold.
They wound and twisted upward as though alive, frozen mid-battle in their eternal climb. The frame's base material, however, was not gold. It was darker, greenish-black, like oxidized bronze, radiating the same quiet, oppressive presence as the depths of Hell.
The clash of radiant gold against funereal green felt unnatural, yet together, the contrast was oddly… fitting.
Morvathos didn't linger. His time, like his treasury, was short.
He flicked the karmic coin into the veil of golden-white light. The ripples spread outward, undulating wildly then stilled, becoming smooth as glass. The Gate was ready.
Morvathos declared his destination. His voice echoed faintly, as though the Gate itself had swallowed it.
Without hesitation, he stepped forward. The light folded around him, swallowing him whole, and the world of Hell vanished from his sight.
===
The city lived its usual paradox a noisy yet quiet, bright yet dark. Neon lights buzzed above, horns blared far off, and the night wind clawed through empty streets.
On one of those roads, two voices carried through the din. A man and a woman walked together, laughing. He was handsome, golden-haired, with a smile that could sell safety to anyone. The women was a beauty in her own right, but unsteady, her steps staggered, her laughter too loose.
Clearly Drunk. She leaned on him, trusting, without realizing that trust was about to betray her.
They reached the mouth of an alley. Without hesitation, the man pulled her inside, the smile on his lips twisting into something darker. She blinked, confused, before his weight pressed her to the wall. His rough Hands greedily roamed around her body. He grouped her breasts while aggressively kissing her.
Her laughter died.
Her pulse pounded, frantic, as the world tilted. She tried to push him away, but her strength was scattered, her arms heavy, her balance gone. His grip only tightened.
Panic flared, raw and choking. She couldn't breathe. The neon lights seemed so far away, the city's noise a cruel reminder that life carried on out there, while she was trapped in here.
'Why?'
She thought desperately. Why is this happening? She had trusted him,his easy charm, his warmth, his lies. Now she saw only the monster.
Her heart thundered faster, not from drunkenness anymore, but from terror. Fear of being broken. Fear of losing herself. Fear that this alley would be her grave.
His breath was hot, suffocating. His eyes burned with something worse than hunger,madness, entitlement.
She gave him pleading look but that seemed to excite him even more. His hand went lower, into her pants. She tried to stop but her body wasn't able to produce enough strength.
She could only helplessly let her dignity be defiled. The man pulled down his and her pants. Ready to insert.
And just as despair clawed deeper into her chest—
"Having fun?"
The voice came smooth, cool, strangely steady that made her chaotic still.
Both of them snapped toward the sound.
A figure stood at the alley's entrance. Tall. Cloaked in shadow. A massive scythe rested on his shoulder, its blade a sickly crimson that exhaled curling black mist, the scythe was twice the size of the man. The body of the scythe was fully black. The light from the street seemed to bend away from him, as if unwilling to touch him.
The attacker froze. His grin faltered, but pride forced him to sneer, half-turning toward the intruder as if to bark a challenge.
The hooded figure,Morvathos, gaze slid past the man, settling briefly on the woman. She was trembling, half-naked, her eyes wide with tears.
Fear clung to her like chains. Morvathos's expression didn't change, but his eyes shifted again, this time to the man.
He saw everything.
Morvathos activated Eyes of Death , and sins poured into him like smoke. Years of them. Dozens of women dragged into alleys just like this one, all prey to the same charming smile, the same hands, the same violence. This wasn't chance. This wasn't his first time.
'A serial rapist... huh? Quiet luck. This dudes Sins look quite stacked. It's nearly Tier-2. Not bad for my first hunt.'
Morvathos licked his lips in anticipation . His gaze dropped to the exposed part of the man.
'Ehhh? What is this? This dudes ego is as small as his dick. Bruh, his first girlfriend dumped him and he started to rape women to feel like a man and gain validation?'
Morvathos could practically tell the man's whole life saga. Eyes of Death not only let's the user see the Sins and Virtue of a person but also read the Sins and Virtues. That comes with the origin of the Sin or Virtue as well.
This serial rapist was a kind of pathetic dude who are even worse then the spineless guys who jurk off seeing their lovers get fucked in Morvathos's opinion. He never like NTR at all. Any form of cheating in a relationship is an absolute no go for him.
Morvathos chose Los Angeles because this is the place that is guaranteed to have all the mentally ill people how would do anything to satisfy their desire would come.
Morvathos's prime objective is serial cheaters who cheat on their faithful, Virtues partners. Cheaters because it is tied to one of the Origin Sins, Lust. It is bound to produce more Karmic Coins because breaking the vows of a sacred bound is in it self is the biggest sin.
Morvathos was looking for someone like that and stumbled upon this woman getting raped and decided why not start slow rather then big? So he decided ot intervene.
But the rapist infront of him clearly didn't have any idea as to what was about to happen to him as he calmly adjusted his wear.