The moment my eyes locked onto Zeyna's motionless form, something inside me shattered.
A weight dropped into my gut—heavy, bitter, and absolute.
"Zeyna…?"
No response. Blood pooled beneath her. Lilith's trembling hands glowed with healing light, her sobs barely audible over the storm of thoughts in my mind.
Then—I snapped.
"Activate Godvein Frenzy," I muttered, voice low, vibrating with fury.
> System Warning: Godvein Frenzy is a forbidden skill. Using it at your current level will—
"I said I don't care."
> System Notification: User has acknowledged fatal risk.
Activating: Godvein Frenzy.
Please… live.
The sky dimmed.
The air cracked.
And the world—shook.
A blinding column of red and gold light exploded around me. My feet cracked the earth beneath, veins glowing like rivers of molten fury. My skin darkened slightly with divine markings, etched in pulsating light across my chest and arms. My shirt disintegrated in the sheer heat of the surge.
My hair flared out—longer, sharper—its color shifting into a blazing silver threaded with crimson streaks.
My irises turned into blazing glyphs, glowing symbols dancing in my pupils. Each breath I exhaled steamed like a volcano about to erupt.
The pressure I emitted warped the space around me.
Lilith gasped, backing away slightly from the sheer force as she shielded Zeyna's body. Phalanx and Aegis froze in place, instinctively stepping back.
I stepped forward, each footfall cracking the ground.
"Which one of you…," I growled, voice now layered with something ancient, "wants to die first?"
I looked down at my hands—veins still glowing, trembling with untamed power.
Power I didn't ask for.
Power that came too late.
The air around me shimmered with heat, the ground beneath my feet still cracked from my awakening. But none of that mattered.
I turned my eyes to Zeyna.
Her chest rose barely. Her blood still stained the ground. And her eyes—shut.
"All this power…" My voice cracked, low and bitter. "And I couldn't even protect the one I wanted to protect the most."
My hands clenched tighter, sparks crackling at my fingertips. My jaw locked. I felt the burn in my chest—not just from the Godvein, but from shame. Grief. Fury.
"I'm done holding back."
I raised my head slowly, eyes burning gold, meeting the stunned gazes of Aegis and Phalanx.
"I'll show you what it means to cross someone who's lost everything."
I didn't think. I didn't feel.
All that mattered was rage.
In a blur, I appeared between the two of them, my hands clamping down on their heads with a force so vicious it felt like I was crushing their skulls with sheer anger. The air snapped under the weight of my fury.
"You wanted to hurt them? Now you'll feel what happens when you touch what's mine."
I slammed their heads into the ground—hard. The earth cracked under the impact, sending shockwaves through the area. But I wasn't satisfied. Not even close.
I leapt into the air, still holding them both by their skulls. My body exploded with power, raw and unrestrained, and I dashed away, far away from Lilith and Zeyna. Every step felt like the earth itself was trembling beneath me.
I slammed them into the side of a mountain—again—my power shattering the peak like it was made of paper. Rocks and debris flew in all directions as the mountain itself was obliterated, the sound of it deafening as the ground quaked beneath us. I didn't even flinch.
They were nothing. Just objects in my way.
Breathing heavily, I stood among the rubble, eyes burning with a fury that could consume the world. I glared down at them, still in my grip, their bodies broken and helpless.
I threw them aside like ragdolls, my anger not even close to being satisfied. Aegis reacted swiftly, erecting a powerful barrier to protect both him and Phalanx, his hands trembling as the shield formed.
I walked forward, each step a pounding reminder of the fury burning inside me. The pressure in the air shifted, thickened, and the barrier started to crack. Aegis's face twisted with disbelief and desperation as he saw it—their last line of defense breaking.
I didn't rush. I didn't need to.
With every step, the barrier grew weaker under the weight of my presence. The cracks expanded, splintering in response to the rage emanating from me. My hands clenched into fists, my teeth gritted as I glared at that shield.
It was a cruel reminder.
It reminded me of how I had failed to protect the one person who mattered most to me. I had all this power, all this strength, and yet I couldn't save her in time.
That thought pushed me further into the darkness.
I pulled my hands back, every muscle in my body tensing, focusing every ounce of energy into this one, final strike.
The world seemed to hold its breath.
Then, without hesitation, I unleashed everything I had.
My fist collided with the barrier, and the world trembled in response. The sound of shattering reality echoed through the air as the shield fractured, unable to withstand the force of my fury.
Aegis's terrified eyes widened, his attempts to shield Phalanx futile as my fist tore through it like a knife through paper.
Nothing was going to stop me now.
"I didn't kill them... not yet," I muttered, my voice dripping with venom as I stared down at the broken forms of Aegis and Phalanx. "I want them to suffer."
Aegis's eyes flickered with determination, and I could see it—the faint glimmer of an incantation forming on his lips, the air around him shifting with the tension of a spell about to be cast.
I understood instantly. He was going to use a powerful spell, probably his last desperate attempt to stop me.
I glared at him, eyes narrowing as I read his intentions clearly in the way he moved, the way his aura thickened with energy.
I could feel the surge of magic building, and I couldn't help but smirk.
"Go ahead," I sneered, stepping forward slowly. "It'll make it so much better when I make you both suffer again."
The fury inside me burned hotter, fiercer, like a wildfire that wouldn't be quenched until I had ripped everything from them. Aegis thought he could stand against me, thought he could stop what was coming.
But I wasn't done. Not by a long shot.
I watched as their wounds healed, their bodies slowly stitching back together. The magic that had been used on them made my blood boil even more. They weren't going to escape this easily.
Phalanx's eyes widened in realization, and without hesitation, he slashed rapidly in front of me, his sword aimed to tear through my defenses.
But I was faster. Much faster.
I caught the blade between my two fingers, my grip tightening as I stared him down with eyes burning in fury. The sheer force of his strike rattled the air, but I didn't flinch.
Face to face, I leaned in, my voice a low growl as I snapped, "Is that all you've got? You really think this will stop me?"
The power coursing through my veins felt limitless, the raw fury pushing me to the edge, but I wouldn't let up. Not until they had been completely broken.
Aegis, seeing his twin's failure, charged at me with all the force he could muster, tackling me in an attempt to take me down. But I was already beyond his reach.
I flicked my fingers toward him, the air around us distorting with the sheer power of my movement. In an instant, Aegis's shield shattered, the energy ripping through the metal like paper. Before he could even process what was happening, my power tore through his arms, his two limbs disintegrating in a flash of raw force.
Aegis staggered back, eyes wide in disbelief, blood dripping from the remnants of his arms. He was completely stunned, the shock of it all hitting him harder than any blow could.
"You thought you could stop me?" I sneered, my voice dripping with venom. "You're nothing more than a distraction now."
Phalanx froze. The moment he saw Aegis collapse, arms torn and shield broken, he dropped his sword in shock. The will to fight drained from his eyes. But mercy? I had none left to give.
"You dare turn your back on me?" I snarled.
Before he could even breathe, I seized him by the head, my grip like a vice of iron. In one swift motion, I yanked him back and drove my fist upward into his exposed spine.
CRACK!
The sound echoed like a thunderclap. The force was so immense, the ground beneath us splintered, the air itself trembling from the sheer violence of the blow. The impact sent shockwaves rippling through the earth, a crater forming at our feet.
Phalanx gasped—then fell limp in my grasp, body twitching from the devastating hit.
I slammed Phalanx into the ground with a force that cracked the very earth beneath us. Dust and stone exploded outward as I grabbed his limp arm, yanked him back up—and slammed him down again. And again. And again.
Each impact was heavier, more savage, more personal.
SLAM!
SLAM!!
SLAM!!!
The final one struck with such brutal power, his body bounced into the air like a broken puppet.
My chest heaved, breath ragged, blood dripping down my face—but I wasn't done.
I gritted my teeth, eyes burning, hands trembling not from fear—but rage. Pure, molten rage.
I caught him midair.
With one hand gripping his skull and the other clutching his torso, I ripped.
RRRAAAAGHHHHH!!
A spray of blood exploded like a crimson storm as his body split in two, raining down in chunks.
I stood there, soaked in red, panting like a beast unchained—no regret, no remorse.
Just fury.
"You're next," I muttered coldly.
Aegis couldn't even stand. Blood pooled beneath him, stumps where his arms used to be, legs gone to dust, twitching in sheer terror.
I stepped forward—slow, deliberate. Each footfall cracked the earth beneath me like the world itself couldn't bear my fury.
He tried to crawl away with nothing but his ruined body, dragging himself with his torso, face scraping the dirt, eyes wide and glassy with horror.
But there was nowhere to go.
I grabbed his head.
He whimpered.
Face to face now, my blood-soaked eyes locked onto his. My grip tightened, nails digging into his helmet as I forced him to look at me.
My voice was low, trembling with rage.
"Do you feel that? That pressure in your chest? That's fear. That's regret."
A wet sound escaped his lips—half a sob, half a scream—and then his body shuddered violently.
He pissed himself.
Tears mixed with the dirt on his cheeks.
"You couldn't protect anyone," I snarled. "Not even yourself."
Then I raised him up like a broken trophy, ready to finish what I started.
I slammed him down—so hard the ground shattered beneath the impact, a crater forming from the sheer force.
Before his body could settle, I threw him high into the air like worthless trash.
My eyes never left him.
I exhaled once.
My muscles coiled, fist drawing back—every vein pulsing, every fiber of me burning with fury.
As his broken body dropped back down toward me, I launched upward—fast, merciless.
And just as he fell within reach—
I struck.
My hand tore clean through his chest, fingers wrapping around the still-beating heart inside.
Aegis gasped.
We locked eyes for a second.
Just one.
Then I clenched my fist—crushing his heart with a sickening squelch.
Blood exploded outward, coating my chest and face. His body went limp instantly, falling from my arm like a doll with cut strings.
I floated in the sky for a moment, breathing hard, heart thundering.
"That's what you get," I muttered coldly, flicking the shredded remains of his heart away.
I floated there, above the ruins, blood on my skin, heart still pounding from the chaos.
I looked at my hands—trembling now.
"It's… okay now," I whispered.
System Notification: Godvein Frenzy Deactivated. Warning: Side effects initiating…
Then came the pain.
"A-Aaarghhh!"
It hit like a tidal wave—fire surging through my veins, muscles tearing from within. My vision blurred. My skin burned with invisible flame. The very power that made me a god was now ripping me apart.
I couldn't hold it.
I plummeted.
The sky spun above me. The earth raced closer.
And as I fell—everything slowed. Colors faded. My body screamed in agony, but my mind drifted further from it all.
Faces flashed in my mind.
Zeyna.
Lilith.
I couldn't see them anymore.
Only black.
Only silence.
And then—
Nothing.