Heavenly Damned Player

He woke to the sun at its zenith, brilliant and energizing. The sort of day that made you want to accomplish something, no matter how rough you felt.

But Halo trembled violently instead. The vibrancy never got to him.

After all, nothing says "good morning" like a dark creature torn from a horror movie.

The creature was a vision of horror: dark-skinned with gills striping its back and a smooth, elongated skull utterly devoid of features. Where a mouth should have been gaped a bottomless hole, so dark it seemed to pull light itself inward, staring into pure abyss.

Its head was like a trumpet.

Halo was careful this time, standing at a distance. He didn't dare close in on it.

But the creature wasn't right. Its breath came in thick, struggling heaves, jaws snapping open and closed hungrily. Yet it also appeared to suffer, as though the very air it craved was toxic to its body.

Halo had watched many die and had no doubt this creature was near death.

This gave him more reason to believe this wasn't the fourth sea. Creatures that existed in each of the seas were practically deities in their domain.

After a moment of consideration, Halo decided to confirm whether this was one of the creatures he'd faced since arriving on this land.

He summoned Magnus and poked it. No pain was transferred to him, but the creature acted as if wounded. He increased the pressure until it let out a deep, agonized scream.

"Oh, sorry about that."

He backed away once more, lost in thought.

"First of all, I need food. Besides, only the gods know how long it'll take before I'm found. Then…"

His eyes widened in realization.

"This fish will make the perfect scapegoat for testing my True Ability. Neat."

He couldn't stop smiling at the relief of finally finding something for his improvement. The joy was genuine, thrilling.

This forest had thrown one bizarre thing at him after another. This could be another trick. Yet, hesitant as he was, he moved forward with caution, transforming Magnus into a weapon that would let him strike from afar.

His chest tightened.

In one swift motion, the elongated head hit the ground and bounced. But Halo held his guard, staying cautious until the familiar bronze screen popped into existence.

He exhaled deeply.

***

[ Congratulations! You've slain a Beast Sinner. ]

[ You've received a Sin Fragment: Pride. 8181/10000 ]

[ Your stamina has increased. ]

***

He smiled. The warmth from consuming Sin Fragments was something he could never get used to.

The Sinner's easy death proved it wasn't a deity, at least not like the ones he'd faced in the previous seas. But then where was he really?

That was the most pressing concern, but for now, he needed to concentrate on understanding his True Ability, Death Clone. He quickly dismissed all the prompts that consuming a Sin Fragment brought.

After calming his nerves for what lay ahead…

***

[ Would you like to create a clone of the fallen? ]

Price: 75 Sin Fragments.

| Yes | No |

***

He remained seated for a while, staring blankly at the bronze screen, hoping what lay before him was nothing but a glitch. Yes. Any moment now, the system would correct it—seventy-five to five.

The clock ticked.

Nothing changed.

His irritation and confusion bubbled over, turning his face crimson as anger radiated from him.

"What do you mean? That… that's almost on the same level as Kysa!!"

He steadied himself with a practiced breathing technique before his heart broke loose from his chest in pure rage.

Kysa had required a hundred fragments for cloning. Fair enough, she was the most powerful Knight in history.

But seventy-five for some random Beast Sinner that Tough could crush effortlessly? That was a highway robbery. Complete extortion. Utter insanity.

Even so, this was his only chance to understand his True Ability and save Delilah. Sinners in the other seas were deities in their domains, impossible to kill. This was his only opportunity.

Holly awaited him.

The bastard might be a thirteen-year-old kid, but he was a Hybrid, a rare breed in this world. He carried the blood of both humans and Sinners. That granted him insane physical strength and let him serve multiple gods, which meant he might possess more than one True Ability.

This wasn't someone he could defeat with his half-assed techniques, he'd learned that firsthand the first time they fought.

He sighed deeply and clenched his fist.

"I can't be stingy. I must save Delilah."

The words had barely left him before he hurried to choose his answer, not giving himself time to reconsider.

The Beast Sinner immediately took a shadowy form. Its body barely changed from how it was before, but looking at the corpse beside the clone, the differences were clear. One bled with its head severed; the other was darkness made flesh.

To keep things simple and ensure his precious clones weren't mistaken for one another, he decided to name it.

Its name was One. He sucked at naming, but at least it was simple and unforgettable.

Then it began.

'Is it possible for me to merge with my clone, One? I'm not sure how it would work, but… is there anything like that?'

The bronze screen stayed silent for far too long, as though trying to process his request into something clearer, before finally materializing.

***

[ Would you like to devour your seventh clone, One? ]

| Yes | No |

***

Devour? What a bizarre way to put it. Still, this made one thing clear—if he'd used any of his actual clones, it would have cost him a lot. He didn't know what would happen when he devoured the clone. Would he regain his wasted Sin Fragments?

Again, the fact that the system didn't ask for any Sin Fragments was shocking. It literally demanded payment for everything else.

'Yes!'

The moment the word echoed in his mind, the screen vanished… then flickered back barely a second later, blank and motionless. It lingered, then disappeared and reappeared in the same stuttering pattern.

Before long, the screen started glitching, as though his request had somehow broken the system.

Halo panicked.

"What's going on?"