'I knew it wouldn't be simple.'
Akira's Sanguinem pulsed again, this time congealing into a fully formed figure. A manifestation of himself, yet far more elegant and refined.
His form now resembled a noble warrior. l
Long black coat with thick fur trimming, metallic shoulder clasps gleaming with runes, tight black trousers tucked into polished long boots.
He exuded a mature charisma, like a blood-born aristocrat descended from shadow and flame.
"Alright." He muttered. "Let's finish this quickly."
He raised his gloved hand and wagged his finger provocatively at Hera. Then, with a sharp flash in his eyes, he launched forward like a bolt from a crossbow.
Hera responded instantly. She lifted her scepter with poise, and in a divine gesture, unleashed a barrage of blinding lightning.
Zzzzt—Zzzzzzt—Zzzzzzt—!
Each bolt tore through the sky, leaving behind streaks of dazzling brilliance.
Akira twisted and dodged nimbly, each movement carving smooth arcs through the star-lit space.
And then, with a smirk—
Hellberus.
From the swirl of red mist around him, two monstrous beasts emerged, hounds of pure Sanguinem, with massive jaws, eyes like rubies, and fangs dripping with hunger. They lunged toward Hera like wild wolves unleashed from hell.
Hera stood her ground. With a subtle twist of her scepter, an invisible shield sprang up before her.
BOOM!
The bloodhounds smashed into the barrier. Cracks splintered through it in an instant.
The next moment, it shattered completely, vanishing like broken glass into the void. But the hounds didn't stop. Their crimson forms surged forward again, targeting the goddess with deadly precision.
Hera floated backward gracefully, her divine scepter glowing with blinding brilliance.
Shing—!
With one clean sweep, the two bloodhounds were vaporized, their bodies exploding into crimson mist that dispersed into nothingness.
Akira, however, was already on the move.
Offering!
In a flash, he appeared above her, descending with a crimson lance in his grip. At the same time, a fang-shaped sigil formed at Hera's feet.
Fang.
With that invocation, a gaping maw of Sanguinem opened beneath her, clamping down like a predator.
There was no escape. Her lower half was locked in place by the monstrous mouth, and in the same moment—
CRACK!
The blood spear pierced through her upper body, nailing her shimmering form in place.
Puff—!
The divine projection of Hera dissolved into glowing particles, scattering like fireflies in the void.
Silence returned.
Akira lowered his arm and dispelled the weapon, letting it dissolve back into Sanguinem. Then, his gaze shifted to the sacred words, the script etched into falna's structure.
Words he couldn't read and didn't need to.
"Alright. Now it's your turn." His voice was calm but resolute.
Sanguinem began to surge once more, swallowing the divine characters that described the essence of the skill Gif Blessing. Though the symbols were foreign, the message they conveyed was clear to him.
The original effect of Gif Blessing
"The user's ability values can be fully unleashed at all times but at a severe price. Triggering this effect results in the infliction of multiple abnormal states, poison, paralysis, soul shock, each of which semi-permanently weakens the user's stats, stamina, and mental capacity."
Akira's expression turned grim. And then, without hesitation, he poured even more Sanguinem into the sacred text, preparing for the final step.
In the real world, Alfia's body began to tremble uncontrollably.
Beads of sweat gathered on her forehead, trailing down her pale cheeks, while her lips turned colorless with strain. The meridians across her body pulsated wildly, surging with life as though something deep within her was being forcibly rewritten. Her blood, stirred by the internal turbulence, rushed feverishly toward her back.
The pain was unlike anything she'd felt before. So sharp, so overwhelming, it felt as though her entire body was being unmade and reassembled.
Instinctively, her hand reached down, grasping for anything solid amidst the storm ravaging her body. Her fingers brushed against Akira's hand.
In the midst of his focused consciousness, his mind immersed deep within her falna, altering the very script of her soul, Akira still registered the touch. He squeezed her hand gently in return, his voice low and comforting, like a whisper beneath the thunder.
"Hold on. It's almost done."
"Mm-mmgh… Ha…! Don't worry!" Alfia forced a pained smile through clenched teeth, her eyes tightly shut as she endured.
She had lived with agony for over a decade. What was a little more?
There was no way she'd lose to something like this.
Meanwhile, inside the sacred world of falna, Akira's Sanguinem surged like an unrelenting tide.
Wave after wave, it hammered at the sacred characters of the skill, Gif Blessing.
As the blood eroded the divine script, those sacred, cryptic letters began to distort. The elegant structure of the original skill, the curse that had haunted Alfia for years, was beginning to blur, its negative effects unraveling like threads pulled loose from an old tapestry.
Suddenly, a fierce resistance rose from the depths. A ripple tore through the world of falna, shaking the entire space as if the sky itself were splitting open.
The divine blood of Hera was fighting back, its final act of resistance.
Akira's eyes narrowed. Without hesitation, he compressed every ounce of his remaining Sanguinem into a single, spear-like cone and hurled it straight at the source of the backlash.
BOOM!
A deafening crash echoed in the spiritual void as the final barrier shattered.
The last remnants of resistance gave way, and with them, the original script of Gif Blessing was overwritten.
The newly forged version now read:
"Stats can be fully released as needed. Side effects include temporary and gradual reductions to stats, stamina, and mental strength with prolonged usage."
It was not perfect but it was no longer a curse.
Akira staggered slightly as he withdrew his consciousness, the recoil of divine tampering weighing heavily on his mind.
His eyes fluttered open. The hazy world of falna faded away, and the dim, dusty room came into focus once more, just in time to see Alfia collapse forward. Her strength had utterly vanished.
Akira's istincts kicked in. Before he could even think, he reached out with one arm around her slender waist and the other bracing her back. He lowered her gently onto his lap.
Her silver hair flowed across his knees like threads of starlight, gleaming faintly beneath the dusty rays of sunlight pouring through the broken window. Though her face was pale and drenched in sweat, the trembling had stopped.
A fragile calm returned.
Akira hesitated, then quietly reached into [Backpack] and pulled out a small towel, softly wiping away the sweat from her forehead. He moved with care, every gesture filled with silent gratitude and unspoken affection.
Moments passed.
Then, her long lashes twitched slightly. Slowly, Alfia's eyes fluttered open.
A faint haze lingered in her gaze, like someone waking from a dream. Then she saw him, Akira, sitting there with a tired smile, his expression carrying both relief and something more complex… something warm, yet restrained.
"Thank you… Akira." She whispered, her voice barely above a breath.
It was weak, fragile, but it carried weight. It was real.
Akira's smile deepened as he shook his head. "No need to thank me. I'm just glad you're free from it now. That skill won't torment you anymore."
He exhaled slowly, visibly relieved.
Everything had gone better than expected. No side effects, no backlash. For once, everything was smooth.
Sunlight trickled through the broken panes behind them, casting a golden veil over their small corner of the room.
It illuminated the silver strands of Alfia's hair, made her pale cheeks glow faintly, and painted warm lines across Akira's expression.
A moment of peace.
A silence too perfect to shatter.