Heavenly Damned Player

Theo Evenus, the perfect embodiment of martial arts in the Lost World. He was one of the few who lived without the burden of losing his humanity, not through True Abilities or gifts, but through sheer mental fortitude and discipline.

His unwavering principles were powerful enough to create three stones, artifacts few had ever seen but which supposedly preserved humanity without the curse of Sin Fragments.

He embodied the true martial artist, though his presence graced the world for only a few decades before he vanished.

Still, many lands held his ideologies and techniques sacred, establishing martial arts courses and sects centered on cultivation chambers.

Of all the places that practiced Theo Evenus' teachings, one stood out: Plautus, in the Voiceless region.

A woman sat in one of the studio's most refined training rooms, white hair cropped short at her shoulders, dressed in a combat suit.

Her sword, Star Seeker, rested before her, a deep black and purple blade resembling the void itself, scattered with stars like distant constellations. A perfectly carved wooden figure of herself was tied to its hilt.

She sat cross-legged in a simulation room replicating mountains of unimaginable cold temperatures that would freeze the average person's blood instantly. This was the only way she could cool down.

She was the Child of Deceit. Seraphim.

As a newly ranked Assassin, she'd trained these past weeks relentlessly for what lay ahead, for a promise she had to keep.

Every lie she'd told, every life she'd sacrificed, and even every friendship she'd deliberately destroyed, all served a single goal.

A promise she couldn't die without fulfilling.

She might feel regret, but she wouldn't flinch from killing if necessary to see it through.

***

Somewhere in the middle of nowhere, Halo was trapped in a living forest capable of birthing imitations of anything.

Days of wandering, yet what lay before him now was unlike anything he'd seen. He didn't even know what the hell it was.

A figure rose from the water on his left.

Its skin was coming apart, sliding off in thick, heavy pieces like soaked clay. Large patches were missing entirely, revealing raw flesh beneath: dark, swollen, and crawling with worms.

One eye hung loose before dropping away, leaving an empty socket where the skull showed through, cracked and slick. The jaw sagged unnaturally, teeth falling one by one as the tongue dragged against ruined cheeks.

It moved anyway.

Each step pulled more of it apart. Flesh tore. Bone flashed white through split muscle. The water around it darkened, rippling with what leaked from its body. It reached out with a shaking hand, fingers half-gone, as if begging.

Then the rot slowed. Halo's skin crawled.

Skin stopped falling. Gaps closed. The body straightened, reshaping itself with a sick patience, copying a form it remembered.

And when it lifted its head, what stared back at him was no longer a thing from the water.

It was someone he knew.

The long white hair, faded blue eyes that made her appear almost blind, and that gentle smile that embraced anything. Seraphim D'Angelo. This was exactly how she'd looked when Halo first met her.

But while she closed in, Halo rose to his feet and started backing away from her.

"This isn't Seraph. So that's how little they think of me."

He said with an irritating tone, yet was undoubtedly concerned.

What did he just witness?

"Help… help me…"

The figure said, still reaching out for help.

Obviously, the forest had done this, but how was that possible? Had it read his mind? And why Seraph of all people?

His heart battered heavily against his chest, but he remained composed.

He forced a cocky smirk.

"Try struggling again. In that form. I want to see how long you cling to life."

The creature stopped, its smile fading to confusion, as though Halo's words were incomprehensible.

"Well? What are you waiting for? If you want my help, stop acting like this. You look perfectly fine."

This bizarre situation would have worked if the creature had mimicked someone else's appearance instead. Maybe Saint's, Liam's, or even Jihriel's. In that case, he might have felt more worried than confused. But it went for the worst possible option.

The thought of Seraphim suffering like that in real life consumed him.

But he immediately began to have doubts about his judgment.

The creature appeared deeply concerned by Halo's initial words, as if truly saddened. Those puppy eyes and that confused, disappointed look while avoiding eye contact… that was exactly how Seraph looked when sad.

He kept his distance from the creature, though his mind began working through the situation differently.

Mind-reading seemed unlikely. Besides, his mental defenses were strong; breaking through wouldn't be easy. And even if the forest had managed it, it would have realized Seraphim was the worst possible choice.

Even so, he wasn't stupid.

He frowned.

"Are you really Seraph?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, he called on Beelzebub and launched a dark flame at the creature.

It avoided it effortlessly and watched with a bemused expression as Beelzebub corrupted the roots below.

For a moment, the creature looked angry. Then the white hair dropped away, the eyes fell from their sockets, and its body began twisting into something else.

It became genderless and featureless, nothing but pale skin stretched over everything. Not even holes, all sealed.

Halo gulped and took a backward step.

The creature looked horrific, but the aura it radiated was far worse. He forced a smile anyway. It seemed strong, maybe even stronger than Kysa.

Perfect. This was exactly the kind of challenge he needed before facing Holly.

He enthusiastically summoned Magnus and called on Beelzebub.

Actually, he wasn't sure if it was because of the carcass he ate, but there was now an odd, deep connection between him and Beelzebub. He could feel his body adjusting to it, adapting. It was becoming as natural as breathing.

He took a step forward.

"Come at me, bald freak!"