The altar was cold, but the blood flowing from Su Chen's chest was scalding.
"Why, Lin Xia?" Su Chen gasped, his vision blurring.
Standing above him, the woman he had protected for three years during the Apocalypse didn't even look at him. She was staring at the sky, her face illuminated by a divine, golden radiance.
"Because the 'Pantheon System' is cruel, Su Chen," she whispered. "To receive the Class of a Saintess, I need a sacrifice. A soul that truly loved me. You should be proud—your death actually has some value now."
Around them, the ruins of New York were silent. In the sky, a massive, translucent face looked down with indifference. That was Ares, the God of War, one of the "Players" who had turned Earth into a slaughterhouse.
[SYSTEM: Sacrifice Process 90%... 95%...]
[The God of War is pleased with your devotion.]
Su Chen felt his life force draining. His heart was being crushed by invisible hands. But just as his soul was about to be torn apart, a sharp, glitching sound echoed in his brain.
Ding!
[System Error: Extreme emotional fluctuation detected.]
[Death Condition met... Triggering Unique Hidden Class: SOUL RETRIEVER.]
Suddenly, the world turned grayscale.
The blood, the ruins, even Lin Xia's mocking smile—everything lost its color. Except for one thing.
Su Chen looked up at the God of War in the sky. Above that majestic, golden head, a timer made of flickering red numbers was ticking down with violent speed.
[Target: Ares (God Rank)]
[Status: Soul Instability (Unknown Source)]
[Time Until Death: 00:00:15]
Su Chen's eyes widened. A God... is dying?
He realized something terrifying and exhilarating. The "Gods" weren't invincible. They were just higher-level players who had been fighting each other in a cosmic war we couldn't see. Ares wasn't here to bless Lin Xia; he was here to use the sacrifice to heal his mortal wounds.
00:00:10.
"You want my soul?" Su Chen growled, his voice sounding like two grinding stones. He forced himself to stand, his hand gripping the sacrificial dagger that was still stuck in his ribs.
"Su Chen? You should be dead!" Lin Xia stepped back, horrified.
00:00:05.
The golden phantom of Ares in the sky suddenly began to crack. The "divine" light turned into a sickly, necrotic purple. The God was screaming, a sound that shattered the windows of every skyscraper within ten miles.
00:00:01.
"My turn," Su Chen hissed.
00:00:00.
[EXPIRED.]
Su Chen lunged forward. He didn't strike Lin Xia. Instead, he thrust his hand directly into the collapsing golden light of the dying God.
[Class Skill Activated: SOUL RETRIEVAL!]
BOOM!
A shockwave of pure energy erupted. Lin Xia was sent flying like a ragdoll. The sky over New York turned pitch black as the "Sun" was extinguished.
[SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT!]
[The God of War, Ares, has fallen!]
[Hidden Achievement: God-Slayer (Level 1)!]
[You have retrieved the 'Fractured Soul of War'.]
[Calculating Rewards...]
Su Chen stood in the center of the crater, his hair turning silver, his eyes glowing with a cold, predatory light. He looked at his trembling hands. He was still Level 1, but he could feel a power that could tear the world apart.
He turned his gaze toward the direction Lin Xia had fallen.
"The sacrifice isn't over yet, Lin Xia," he whispered to the darkness. "But the roles have changed."