I didn't wait for the grand iron doors to open. I activated my Sky Manipulation, grabbing the very fabric of reality above me. With a violent pull, I warped the gravity and folded the space, pulling myself directly past the barricade and into the hidden chamber.
As I materialized inside, I immediately spotted the twenty lesser Devils. They were floating in the air, slowly revolving in a tight defensive circle around the power source.
The Stele wasn't a giant stone tablet like I had imagined. It was a crown—a dark, jagged ring woven entirely out of vicious, pulsing thorns.
[Affirmative. That is the Stele for the Sin of Pride, as well as the vessel for your next Memory Fragment.]
Got it, I thought, my eyes locked on the prize.
[Recommendation: Observe the Devil's ritual first before consuming the Stele. Alternatively, I can assist you with the absorption process when you are ready.]
Sure, why not? I replied internally.
Just as I settled into a combat stance, the heavy iron doors groaned open behind me. Sera, Isaac, and Arthur stepped into the chamber, catching up to my vanguard position.
"You are surprisingly fast, Luci," Sera remarked, his amber eyes giving me a curious, calculating look. "When exactly did you acquire this spatial power?"
"Well, you know. Here and there," I replied with a wry smile beneath my mask, casually brushing off the question.
"Enough chatter," Arthur interrupted, his Draconic aura flaring as his eyes locked onto the floating crown. "We need to deal with these creatures and secure that Stele."
"Got it," we all replied in unison.
Sera quickly formulated the strategy. "Luci, you and Isaac take the ten on the left. Arthur and I will handle the ten on the right. Understood?"
"Understood," Isaac and I confirmed, both of us drawing our weapons.
As we stepped forward, the twenty Devils suddenly stopped their slow rotation. All of their grotesque faces snapped toward us at the exact same time. They unleashed a horrifying, collective roar, violently agitated by our proximity to their master's Stele.
"Not a chance," I muttered.
Isaac and I immediately broke away from the group, darting to the left side of the cavernous room to split their attention. Surprisingly, the creatures possessed enough pack intelligence to adapt to our strategy. The swarm split perfectly down the middle—ten screeching Devils surged aggressively toward Isaac and me, while the remaining ten dove straight toward Sera and Arthur.
"It seems most of the pirates working under the Devil are already dead," Isaac observed, his eyes tracking the grotesque movements of the ten lesser Devils closing in on us. "These creatures are all that's left."
"Yes, it seems so," I agreed. "Let the hunt begin."
I raised Bad News, adjusting my grip. The moment two of the Devils aligned in my sights, I pulled the trigger.
BANG.
The compressed Ether round tore through the air, piercing the first Devil's skull and cleanly blowing through the second one behind it. Both creatures shrieked and dissolved instantly. Instead of leaving behind corpses, their bodies broke apart into dark, ash-like particles that faded into nothingness—returning to the Sea of Concepts.
[Correct. When a being of a specific Pathway dies, their essence returns to the Sea of Concepts to eventually be passed on to a new host.]
Interesting, I thought.
As the ash settled, two glowing, deep-purple crystals clattered onto the stone floor. Tier 3 Ether crystals.
Wait, I paused, dodging a swipe from a third Devil. Why did these drop crystals, but the pirates I killed earlier didn't?
[Because the pirates you fought at the docks were not Awakened. They were merely mundane humans armed with weapons.]
That makes sense. No high-tier Awakened would willingly work under an unknown, feral Devil. I fired another shot, grazing a Devil's wing. But what about that pirate captain at the hotel? He was Tier 4.
[His Ether crystal was already compromised. He was connected to the dark threads controlled by the Demon Lord.]
So the Devil was just using his power?
[Not entirely. The captain was already walking the 'Devil' Pathway as his chosen class. The Demon Lord was simply using the thread to siphon off some of his ambient Ether as tax.]
Ah, that explains it. But what about the 'Second Phase' the captain mentioned?
[It is common for users walking the human 'Devil' Pathway to unlock a Second Phase. Mind you, this refers to the human Pathway class, not the actual species of Abyss Devils you are fighting right now.]
Got it. Class mechanics versus racial traits.
"Alright, Isaac!" I shouted, ducking under a spray of acidic venom from one of the remaining Devils. "Go slash some heads! I've already taken down two!"
"Don't get cocky!" Isaac yelled back, his sword igniting with Hunter's fire. "We agreed to split them five and five! Leave some for me!"
With my quota down to three, I focused my Ether, preparing to grab the sky and tear the next creature apart.
I bent down and scooped up the three glowing stones. Kallisto had already confirmed they were Tier 3 Ether crystals—the standard currency and power source for those following the Pathway systems. But as I held them, I couldn't help but reflect on how my relationship with my powers was different.
[Correct. I am far superior to the passive systems used by the Virtue Pathways.]
Heh. Yes you are, Kallisto, I thought, amused by her sudden burst of pride.
I turned my attention back to the battlefield. Only two of my designated Devils remained. Instead of rushing them, I raised my fist and grabbed the invisible fabric of reality hanging between us.
I didn't punch the Devils directly. I punched the distorted space right in front of them.
The air shattered like glass. A devastating kinetic shockwave erupted from the fracture, slamming into the two lesser Devils with the force of a falling building. They shrieked as their bodies were instantly obliterated, dissolving into ash and returning to the Sea of Concepts.
Two more crystals clattered onto the stone floor.
[You now possess five Tier 3 Ether crystals, Lucian.]
[You will only need one to act as a catalyst for your upcoming Tier 3 advancement ritual. The other four can be sold or traded.]
Perfect, I thought, pocketing the glowing stones as the sounds of Isaac, Sera, and Arthur finishing up their respective fights echoed through the chamber.
[Lore Record: The Nature of the System]
In this world, the Pathway System is the absolute authority. It dictates the flow of information, objectively telling an Awakened what abilities they possess or outlining the specific details of the artifacts they uncover.
However, standard systems are entirely passive. They are closer to biological encyclopedias than actual guides. They cannot converse, they cannot offer tactical advice, and they certainly cannot self-activate powers to save a host in danger.
The Systems governing the Seven Deadly Sins are profound anomalies.
They are entirely unique to the Sin Pathways, possessing a distinct ego and a high-level sentience that perfectly aligns with their specific Sin. They are partners, not just tools.
Furthermore, there is a deeply hidden, closely guarded secret regarding the progression of the Pathways. When an Awakened crosses the threshold into Tier 3, there is an incredibly rare, 0.01% chance that they will manifest a "Unique Skill."
There are only ten of these Unique Skills in existence. They are absolute. They cannot be copied, suppressed, or stolen by any means. A Unique Skill remains bound to a user's soul until the exact moment of their death, at which point the power returns to the Sea of Concepts to await a new host.
In the high-stakes battles of the Awakened world, there is only one universal truth regarding these powers: The only thing that can overcome a Unique Skill... is another Unique Skill.