Arthur turned his gaze directly forward, breaking through the invisible wall between dimensions. His eyes were sharp, his expression serious, though a flicker of nervousness lingered in them.
"Have you ever played a game where different dimensions connect with each other?" he asked quietly.
He tilted his head toward the sky and pointed upward with one finger.
"That's heaven," he said. Then he kicked the ground lightly with his heel. "And this… is hell. Some unknown force is trying to pry open the gateway that links the path to hell. Until now, only the souls of the dead could pass through that door. But soon, the living will be dragged there as well. That's the Hell Force—an army meant to hunt hell itself."
He let out a low breath.
"Whoever planned this is a real shitty bastard. And if my author is the one behind it…" Arthur looked straight at the unseen audience, his voice dropping into a dangerous tone, "I fucking promise I'll collect every gender-bender power I can find, turn you into a woman, and fuck you senseless until you die. You hear me, you bitchless bastard?"
Arthur turned his attention back to Venisha. For a moment, his large eyes widened in that familiar, expressive way. At first glance, he looked like the perfect image of a charismatic young noble—confident, warm, and carrying an aura that blended happiness, pride, loyalty, and a hint of hidden danger. His long red-orange hair was tied in a loose ponytail, with loose strands framing his face and subtle metallic gold highlights that shimmered like embers beneath the flames. Lightning-shaped markings extended from the corners of his intense eyes, and delicate red-style symbols—a star on his forehead and elegant lines near his eyes—gave him a mystical, slightly ominous presence. Flames continuously danced around his entire body in vibrant shades of red and orange.
Well… that was how he looked. Not exactly handsome at the moment, but undeniably striking.
"So, where was I?" Arthur asked, glancing back toward the audience. You could almost feel his gaze piercing through the screen. "Ah, right. The Hell Force."
"Originally, it was a game that came out of the USA. Some madman created it and spread it across the internet like a virus. Anyone who clicked on the link would automatically download it onto their phone. It didn't do much at first—it just wiped out every single bit of storage on the device. After that, the phone could only be used to play that one game. Nothing else. You needed constant internet, so you had to keep recharging the data plan. One phone, one game. You couldn't even make calls with it. People hated it because they couldn't delete the app no matter what they tried. In the end, a lot of them just threw the phones away."
Arthur's gaze drifted toward the horizon, his expression softening with memory.
"I got one of those phones from a friend. His dad was about to toss it, so he asked if I wanted to play together. The only condition was that I had to handle the recharges. I agreed… and that was the beginning of the end." He sighed deeply and looked back at the audience with those big, expressive eyes. "Sigh…"
Slowly, his gaze turned a little perverted.
"Hehehe… Look at her," he murmured. "Do you know why the game was so insanely popular among guys like us? Especially single ones? Yep… it was because of the girls. Especially her."
But the playful glint in his eyes quickly darkened.
"Still… she's the main villain of the first arc." He sighed again. "I suppose I need to kill her."
He looked straight ahead once more.
"Yeah… I need to do it. For a hero to rise, all evil must be erased." His eyes brightened again, a fierce blaze igniting within them. "Let's go."
He took the first step forward, but his confidence was clearly forced. It had been far too long since he'd last been rejected by a girl, and the nervousness showed.
"Guys… encourage me!" he called out toward the audience.
"Yep… I can do this," he muttered to himself, psyching himself up.
The boy engulfed in flames walked slowly through the garden. Each step was steady. Unhurried. Inevitable.
At the center stood Venisha—breathtaking, elegant, and seemingly untouchable.
The instant she noticed him, her composed expression shattered. Shock. Confusion. Fear.
She instinctively stepped back, her body reacting before her mind could catch up.
But it was already too late.
He closed the distance in three calm strides and caught her hand in his. His grip was firm. Unyielding.
"Hey, Venisha."
"Senior Arthur Flamebout—what are you doing?!" she blurted out, panic bleeding into her voice. "When did you awaken your flames? Why are you burning like this?!"
He didn't answer right away.
Instead, his expression darkened, the playful mask from moments earlier vanishing completely.
He stepped closer.
Closer still.
Until the heat of his breath brushed against her skin.
Her body tensed.
"Senior… you're hurting me—"
Her voice trembled now, a raw mix of pain and rising fear.
The flames around him roared louder, hungrier, licking at the air between them.
But his grip did not loosen.
He glanced toward the audience one last time. "Here goes nothing. My flames of holiness can burn her to ash the moment she turns fully evil."
Then he looked back at her, eyes wide and face deadly serious.
"Venisha of the fourth year!" he shouted.
Venisha squeezed her eyes shut in panic, her ears ringing from the sudden volume.
"Yes!" she answered in a small, panicked voice.
"I am going to…" Arthur paused for half a second and glanced at the screen again. "I am going to kill her by fighting her in a spar!"
He straightened up, voice loud and clear, carrying both pride and forced encouragement.
"I am going to take everything from you now!"
Venisha, however, was not trembling in fear anymore. Instead, her face had turned bright red, and hot steam practically rose from her blushing cheeks.