The ashen clouds hung heavy above the Sanctuary,
The thunderous might raged on as pelts of rain assailed the ongoing fight.
My foot slipped slightly, loosening my stance. I ground my teeth, cursing my rotten luck.
Slash-
'Damn it!' I brought my sword up to meet the oncoming attack. I couldn't feel whatever mass was remaining of my left arm, but I forced the dead weight to support my dulling edge.
Clang-
'Shit-' Steel shrieked against steel. The vibration shot up my spine, rattling my teeth and blurring my vision into a sludge of distorted crimson as blood streamed past my eyes.
My Blood.
I spat out every curse I knew- Mentally, of course. I didn't have the time or energy to speak out profanities in the midst of a damned battle.
My opponent struck out once more, aiming right for my neck. A wailing scream of metal hitting metal resounded. Jolting through the empty field, bouncing straight off the pristine walls of the Sanctuary.
I couldn't hold on much longer, not at all-
My muscles had gone numb hours ago, or maybe even days. Who the hell knew anymore?
I parried another strike, this time a thrust jabbing at my ribs, my muscles long past feeling any agonising pain, as a thin line of fresh red welled on my side.
I caught a glimpse of his armour through ragged breaths.
A shimmering gold insignia, covered by deep hues of dark, cold red.
Through half-breaths, a condensed gasp rose to the attackers' visage. And through heavy raindrops hammering my skin, I met the ferocious gaze of my attacker.
Gold. His eyes were gold.
His irises were ocean blue, but behind them bled pure gold, already meticulously counting the bounty on my head.
I didn't back down, I couldn't.
Who dares to stare me down? Not this worthless wretch, I swear it on my honour...
Scratch that, I have none left to swear on.
This was probably another fool who thought they could collect the bounty on a Saint who'd long since traded his shiny halo for some cheap candy.
He was just like the others.
Thunder cracked overhead, illuminating the Sanctuary behind him for a split second.
I shifted my stance, ignoring the way my knees wanted to buckle inwards. The slip earlier had cost me, but pain was just another beggar trying to tell me I was finished.
My name is Seishan.
Saint by title.
Sinner by choice.
And a damned nightmare by fucking profession.
"Shit, I'm not dying like this, you bastard!"
My gaze, laced with spite, burned into his.
My body fell deafly silent.
The sharp kind no swordsman ever wishes to hear.
[ Your Mana has Fully Depleted ]
[ Game Over ]
The Script whispered past my ears, its voice a cruel, mechanical rasp.
The system was damned right,
For most people, at least.
The subtle ring hammering through my body, the roaring ocean I called my soul had emptied, and the mountainous reserve I called upon fell utterly silent. I had hit "Rock Bottom", something that should technically be impossible.
Pain spiralled through my body; any reinforcement mana provided me had been cut short, allowing agony to gush in unfiltered. The sword that once felt like an extension of my arm felt like lifeless steel now
My bones, muscles, skin, and heart split up into a disjointed choir-
Everything hurt-
And not just hurt, my body felt like a soulless figure, weeping for life-
I let out one last colourful string of curses before I snapped back, catching the bastard off guard. He tried re-engaging his guard, but I bent double, blood splattering from my mouth, painting the ground beneath me.
He barked a crude laugh,
The guy actually laughed.
I reached down, mud slicking my hand,
And flung the mud squarely in the idiot's eyes, an extremely satisfying squelch stopped him mid-laugh. He panicked, clawing at his face with raw hands.
He called out,
"Dirty Schmuck!"
I scoffed. As if I cared about things like pride and honour.
The rain fell heavier against my raw skin, my armour long shattered, pellets of droplets feeling like sharp knives carving deeper into my broken body.
'Too late, little wretch!'
In a second, I slammed my forehead into his blinded face, then drove my sword upward under his chin before he could clear his eyes, my arms pleading for mercy. The blade punched through with a wet crunch. He convulsed once, then sagged, still clawing at the mud on his face as life left him.
I ripped the sword free and let him drop.
'Hah..'
I did it.
I took in one heavy, sickly breath-
A macabre horde of death danced between my nostrils, the coppery tinge of blood clouding my mind.
For a moment, the only sound was the rain hammering the mud. Then the full scene crashed over me, though I could hardly feel it.
The silence was worse than the thunder.
Then, the world expanded.
Bodies. Hundreds of them.
They stretched lifelessly across the field in every direction.
Broken armour glinting dully, and weapons still clutched in dead hands.
Some lay in neat piles where they had tried to make a stand. Others were scattered like discarded rags, cut down as they fled.
The once-pristine white walls in front of me were streaked with ash and long red rivulets, as if the building itself had wept blood.
I smiled-
No, a smile wasn't it.
I tried to smile, but it came out severely wrong; in the end, I only managed a half-done grin as teeth jutted out of my mouth. It was a jagged, broken fence of ivory and gaps.
I felt the emptiness filling my core, not my body, but in my soul. Empty.
My soul was sapped of mana,
And I couldn't call on even one of my attributes.
I felt powerless, truly powerless.
And worst of all, I was about to meet whatever God ran this circus, and I didn't even have a clean shirt.
"Shit," I gasped out, every breath racing to be my last,
I limped over to the nearest corpse, the bastard, mud still decorating his eyes like icing. A shiny glint caught my eye, and a gold badge hung loosely on his chest.
It was a swirl of fire encapsulating a mock-iron sword-
And said badge broke in two, a sword driven between it, as the armour beneath it bent and snapped at the force.
"Bastards, they're all worthless, disloyal runts!"
The holy kingdom was full of shit-
"Golden, good-for-nothing pricks!"
[ User Body is Unstable ]
[ Warning: The 'Channel' is losing its signal! ]
[ The Constellation 'Seeker of Justice' has left the channel in disgust. ]
[ Countless Constellations Voted Emotions: Surprise, Shock, Interest ]
[ The Constellation 'The One Who Cheated the End' is howling with laughter and has donated 500 'Chaos Fragments'! ]
[ Message: "That mud trick was delicious, kid. Don't die yet; the show was just getting good." ]
[ A handful of Constellations are placing bets on your 'Time of Death'! ]
[ The 'Goddess of the Sacred Hearth finds your tenacity 'Pitiable'. ]
"Pitiable?" I spat blood onto the badge. "I'll give you pitiable, you voyeuristic hacks. Come down here and taste the mud yourselves." I shouted out at the gold screen in front of me, sticking my middle finger out to the watching Constellations.
[ A handful of Constellations are appalled by your audacity! ]
[ The 'Goddess of the Sacred Hearth' is wiping her eyes. ]
Suddenly, a different kind of prompt flickered in the corner of my blurring vision. It wasn't gold. It was a bruised, flickering purple.
[ A 'Corrupted' Sponsor has Entered the Channel! ]
[ A Distorted Presence '???' is Peering through the Cracks of Your Soul... ]
[ ▗▘ The Presence '???' is Gnawing at the Edges of Your Fate ▗▘ ]
My eyes lit up, "Corrupted?"
[ Countless Constellations are showing signs of Concern ]
[ Higher-ranked Constellations are Showing Intense Interest in Your Stream! ]
[ Congratulations, Harvestor "Saint Seishan", You have surpassed 1,000,000 Views ]
[ Constellation Faction - "Righteous" - Is Showing Considerable Distaste in the Appearance of a "Corrupted" ]
[ Constellation "Seeker of Justice" Seconds their Concern ]
[ The Constellation 'The One Who Cheated the End' is Displaying a "Wicked Smile" on Stream and has Donated 1000 'Chaos Fragments'! ]
[ Message: "Damn! The Party's Just Getting started, You Scaredy Cats!" ]
A wet, rattling sound hitched in my throat. It took me a second to realize it was a laugh.
"Chaos Fragments... And so damn many..."
I looked at the bruised purple static of the new prompt, rain seemingly phasing through, then back at the golden notifications of the 'Righteous' faction. They wanted tragedy, a fallen Saint to die with a whimper so they could feel superior in their high, clean heavens.
I gripped the mud-slicked hilt of my sword, forcing my shattered fingers to lock into place.
"Keep your gold, you cowards," I croaked, the purple light reflecting in my bloodshot eyes. "I'll take the Chaos. It's the only thing in this shit house that isn't a lie."
I didn't just want to just survive.
I wanted to make them regret betting on my damned death.
[ You have consumed 1,500 'Chaos Fragments'! ]
[ Your 'Broken' Soul is being forcibly re-stitched... ]
[ Warning: The "Corrupted" Sponsor is laughing at your greed! ]
I leaned my head back, letting the freezing rain wash some of the gore from my face as a new, agonising heat began to burn through my empty core.
My soul, which had been a cold, hollow vacuum moments ago, was suddenly a chaotic construction site.
Each time a new stitch was sewn, it was as if a thousand litres of lava consumed my body from the inside out. I felt like curling up on the spot, possibly thrusting my sword through my own heart just to let the screaming stop.
But I knew better.
The pain wouldn't end in death; I'm convinced the pain will chase me into the afterlife-
'Shit, it stings!'
But I didn't dare falter in front of a crowd.
"Laugh all you want," I hissed at the sky, the words bubbling through the blood in my throat.
"Just make sure your wallets are wide open for the encore."
[ You have Ended the Stream! ]
[ Corrupted Constellation '???' Requests a Private Channel ]
[ Will you accept? ]