The crimson sky was a wound that wouldn't close. Across the globe, every high-level "Apostle"—those who had sold their souls to the Gods for power—was moving toward New York. They were like sharks smelling divine blood in the water.
Su Chen stood amidst the glass shards of a shattered skyscraper, watching a fleet of black armored SUVs roar through the flooded streets below. They bore the emblem of the [Iron Blood Guild], the largest human organization currently serving the Pantheon.
"They're fast," Su Chen whispered.
His reflection in a jagged piece of glass caught his eye. The silver in his hair was fading, replaced by a dull, unassuming black, but his eyes... they remained cold, predatory. He looked at the dying Lin Xia. Her "Time Until Death" had dropped to 00:02:10.
"You wanted to be a Saintess, Lin Xia? I'll give you one last role to play."
He activated the stolen talent: [Divine Resonance].
Immediately, a soft, warm glow enveloped him. The violent, jagged energy of the War God within his soul didn't disappear—it just went underground, masked by a layer of pure, holy light. To any observer, Su Chen no longer looked like a God-Slayer. He looked like a frightened, low-level Support-class Awakened.
The Encounter
"Freeze! Hands where I can see them!"
A squad of Iron Blood soldiers swarmed the rooftop, their rifles glowing with blue mana circuits. Leading them was a man in heavy plate armor, his Level 30 aura crushing the surrounding gravel.
"Report!" the commander barked into his comms. "We found two survivors at the epicenter. One female, critical condition, looks like a failed Awakening. One male, Class: Healer?"
Su Chen feigned a stumble, his face pale, hands trembling just enough to be convincing. He fell to his knees beside the unconscious Lin Xia, his palms radiating a gentle, white light.
"Please... help her," Su Chen gasped, his voice cracking. "A golden light hit us... I don't know what happened. I'm just a Priest. I tried to shield her, but..."
The commander lowered his weapon slightly, his eyes narrowing as he scanned Su Chen. He saw the "Divine Resonance"—the signature of a holy-type class. In this hellish Apocalypse, a Healer was a rare and protected resource.
"Scan him," the commander ordered.
A soldier stepped forward with a monocle-like device. After a second, he nodded. "Confirmed, Captain. Mana signature is pure Light. Low-level, maybe Level 2 or 3. He's clean. The 'God-Slayer' is supposed to be a monster that can trade blows with Ares. This kid is just a lucky survivor."
"Check the girl," the Captain commanded.
As they inspected Lin Xia, Su Chen watched her timer: 00:00:15.
The Perfect Alibi
"She's fading," the soldier reported. "Wait... her mana veins are completely burnt out. It's a Soul Collapse."
"Su Chen..." Lin Xia's eyes fluttered open for a final second. She saw the soldiers, then she saw Su Chen. She tried to scream, to point, to tell them that the monster they were looking for was right in front of them, holding her hand.
But Su Chen leaned in closer, as if to comfort her. In reality, he leaned into her ear and whispered so softly only she could hear:
"00:00:03. Goodbye, Queen."
Ding.
[Target: Lin Xia — EXPIRED.]
Her body went limp. To the soldiers, it looked like a tragic loss. To Su Chen, it was the final piece of his camouflage. The only witness to his "crime" was now silent forever.
"She's gone," the Captain grunted, showing no emotion. He looked at Su Chen. "Kid, you're lucky. Our Guild Leader is looking for anyone who was at the epicenter. You're coming with us to the New York Safe Zone. If your healing skills are decent, you might actually survive the night."
"Thank you... thank you so much," Su Chen sobbed, covering his face with his hands.
Behind his palms, his lips curled into a grin.
He wasn't just hiding; he was being escorted by the enemy directly into their strongest fortress, fed and protected while he mastered the 99.9% of the War God's power still locked in his soul.