Eryx narrowed his eyes, gripping Whisperwind's axe in one hand while spinning the chained dagger in the other like a seasoned slayer.
"Ice Core: Ice Storm."
His weapon began to glow with a cold, blinding light as the words left his lips. Frost bloomed from the metal, coating it in sharp, crystalline ice. A powerful wind surged around him, freezing the air like the calm before a deadly winter storm.
He charged forward.
With a swift flick, Eryx let the dagger fly straight toward Jinn, its icy edge whistling through the air like a frozen bullet.
Just before impact—boom!—A shield of crackling dark mana flared to life in front of Jinn, blocking the attack effortlessly.
From the sidelines, Navia's eyes widened. "Wait… a dark mana core? That's impossible. Demons don't have access to that element—their creator forbade it."
Ada's jaw dropped. "Yeah… and more than that—he doesn't even look like a real demon. He's more like… a human who became a demon by absorbing dark power. But how? Didn't the god of darkness die in the War of Fate?! Then how does he have that power…?"
While the girls were reeling from the reveal, the other demons roared in the background, hyping their leader."Get him, boss!! Show him who's king!!"
Eryx recalled his dagger back into his grip, a wild grin stretching across his face."Oh yeah… this is getting good. I'll remember you, Jinn. Until the very end of my life."
Jinn stepped forward, his smile calm but chilling."You will remember me—because this village will be your grave. And yes… I can sense it in you. You wield his power. That makes you worth using my full strength."He raised his sword, dark mana erupting around the blade like a flame of shadow.
As Jinn lunged, Eryx met his strike—dagger against sword. Sparks flew. Eryx tried to counter with his axe, but Jinn caught it bare-handed, the ice melting slightly under his grip.
"I bet you're wondering," Jinn said, voice low and dark, "how I know about your true power. So let me hit you with a little truth bomb—"
He leaned in, his eyes glowing.
"I serve him. The one who knows everything. The one who foresees all. Everything is unfolding just as he imagined. And you… You are carrying someone inside you. Someone forgotten. Someone divine."
Jinn's voice started to distort—cutting, glitching, muted—as if a greater force was censoring his words. But Eryx caught one part clearly:
"You… are the son of the god of ~~~~."
Eryx's heart pounded."Wait—who's reincarnation? What's the name?!"
Jinn tried to speak again, but once more, the words were scrambled. The name—gone, erased by something unseen.
Ada gasped."Did he just say… the first son of a god?! Then that means… Eryx is a reincarnation of a god's child. But which god…?"
Eryx stood frozen, thoughts racing.
What was he trying to say? Is someone… stopping him from telling me the truth?
Meanwhile, Navia, watching quietly, whispered to herself:
So my guess was right… He was once human. Tricked by a god. Given dark powers. And somehow… he knows the future? But the god who could see the future was killed during the War of Fate. At least… that's what the adults said…
As Eryx prepared to dodge Jinn's next strike, the demon unexpectedly caught him mid-air, blocking his movement with a swift leg sweep. Eryx didn't fall, but the sudden impact broke his focus—he couldn't finish the powerful attack he was just about to unleash.
But Eryx wasn't done yet.
He clenched his teeth, regained balance mid-air, and slammed a hard kick into Jinn's chest. The impact sent the demon flying. Jinn didn't tumble—he twisted in the air, planting his feet firmly on the ground, then stabbed his sword into the dirt to stop his backward slide.
"Incredible..." Jinn muttered with a smirk. "I underestimated you. You're strong—even without that power."
Without wasting a moment, Jinn charged forward again, his dark aura intensifying. While sprinting toward Eryx, he shouted:
"Divine power... lend me strength to fulfill His mission! Dark Mana: Eternal Slash!"
His blade turned pitch black, radiating ominous energy. With a single swing, he unleashed a wave of pure darkness—sharp enough to cut straight through two full squads of ten warriors like butter.
"This will push you to the edge..." Jinn laughed, eyes wide with thrill. "And then you'll awaken that power. I know you will!"
Before he could speak another word, Eryx was suddenly in front of him—his axe and dagger aimed straight for Jinn's neck from opposite directions.
"You're not dying yet," Eryx said coldly. "You still have answers to give me."
"Tch... You think I'll go down that easy?"
Just before Eryx's weapons could strike, Jinn whispered, "REPLACE."
In an instant, one of his demon soldiers appeared in his place, taking the fatal blow instead.
Jinn appeared a few feet away, smirking. "See? Still standing. And now you've killed one of my men. Time to pay for that."
But then, something changed. Jinn suddenly closed his eyes and focused inward. Inside his mind—his core—he saw it.
A giant hand. Enclosing his core. Crushing it gently, like it was a toy.
A voice echoed in his head:
"Come back. You're not ready to fight him yet. Don't reveal your true power—let this all play out. This is only the beginning… The war between humans and gods is coming. We'll use this chaos to break both sides. Now return."
Jinn opened his eyes again, now facing Eryx and the others. His army was defeated—some were tied up, others were already slain by Navia and Ada.
"You're not going anywhere," Eryx growled. "You still owe me the truth."
Jinn smiled grimly. "You think I'll tell you everything now? Fine. Ask away."
"Who are you? How do you know about me—about my real power, the one even I don't understand? What the hell are you?" Eryx demanded.
Jinn chuckled darkly. "You'll know when the time is right. Before you die—I'll tell you everything. I'll make it your final truth."
He paused and looked skyward.
"But... my master says it's not your time to die yet. So... we'll meet again. Somewhere else. Just know this—if I had known you were coming, I would've wiped this village clean. But what can I do… when authority itself says 'no.'"
A dark aura surged behind him, like a void opening in space. Jinn stepped backward into it.
"Wai—!" Eryx lunged forward, trying to follow—but his hand passed right through the darkness. It wasn't a portal. It was just an illusion. A shadow.
And then, it vanished.
Everyone stood silent for a moment. Then Navia broke it.
"That divine power… it wasn't from a demon. That came from a god. He knew exactly what you were, Eryx. We have to find him again—he's not just some soldier. He's one of their top generals. He knows everything."
Eryx collapsed onto the ground, his weapons vanishing into his imaginary storage realm. Ada walked over to the remaining demons, blades drawn.
"I'm finishing them off. That cool with you, Navia?"
"Do it," Navia nodded. "Eryx will catch up with us once he's ready."
Ada nodded, slaying the remaining soldiers. She had tried to interrogate them, but their voices were gone. Even their divine powers had faded since Jinn disappeared.
She turned back to Eryx. "Hey. Don't lose hope. We'll find out everything. Just wait for the right time."
Eryx stood up slowly. "You're right. We'll find out everything."
"First, connect your mana core to the routing point," Navia said, pointing to a large, ancient-looking device atop a nearby rock. It glowed a deep red, encased in mana-infused glass with a circular platform for someone to stand on.
Eryx stepped up and placed his hand on it. As soon as he did, the red light turned orange.
"What color did it turn?" Navia called from behind.
"Orange," Eryx replied.
"Hah! Impressive, dummy. Yoy activated it. For us, it stays red—but since your mana's connected, it changes color. Alright, our turn. Open your Slayer Handbook."
"Got it," Eryx said, flipping open the handbook. A section of the map lit up, showing a range of about 14 to 20 kilometers, filled with other routing points.
"Hey... now that I can see this area on the map, can I teleport to one of those points too?"
"Yup. Try it out," Navia grinned. "Go on—we'll awaken this point while you test it."
Eryx nodded, picked a destination, and closed his eyes. He focused—and felt a strange force lifting his body. When he opened his eyes again… he was there.
"Whoa…" he whispered. "This is insane...It's fun."
He teleported back to the village where Navia and Ada were helping free the remaining villagers. Grateful, the villagers thanked them and asked if they were now safe.
Navia and Ada both smiled.
"You're safe," Ada assured them. "We've got you."
As Navia turned to the villagers, her voice was calm but firm."You're all safe now. Please, return to your homes and live freely."
The villagers, overwhelmed with gratitude, stepped forward and offered gifts—food, weapons, and handmade goods.
But Navia raised her hand gently and said, "Thank you… But please, give these to the Guild instead. There are others out there who need them more than we do."
The villagers nodded, tears in their eyes, bowing in respect.
Ada stretched and sighed. "Alright, it's time to head back. Captain needs to hear about all this."
Navia gave a short nod. "Let's route back to the City of Shadows."
They all closed their eyes, focusing their mana. In a flash of swirling energy, they were back, standing in the heart of the Slayer Guild, within the City of Shadows.
Right in front of them, Captain Atlas was deep in conversation with Julia and Elena. He turned the moment he sensed them, his calm gaze landing on Eryx.
Navia stepped forward. "Captain, we've returned."
Atlas gave a slight nod. "Very well. How did it go… Did he cause any more chaos this time?"
Navia briefly smiled, then launched into everything that had happened—Jinn's attack, the divine powers, Eryx's reaction, and the strange words from the demon. Atlas listened silently, his eyes closed as if processing every detail. Once she was done, he opened them again.
"You all did well. Rest for now. We'll talk later."
Everyone started to leave—everyone except Ada.
Just as she turned to follow, Atlas called out without looking at her, "Ada. Come with me to my office."
Without a word, she followed him in.
Once inside, Atlas shut the door. His voice was low, but serious."What happened?"
Ada's expression was sharp. "A demon named Jinn appeared. He knew who Eryx truly is—or at least claims to. He said Eryx is the reincarnation of a god's son."
Atlas narrowed his eyes slightly.
Ada continued, "I went through all my notes… ancient books, records from the elders. Nowhere is there any mention of a god wielding crimson power. Not a single one."
She paused, pulling a folded, aged page from her pocket and placing it on the desk.
"But then… I found this. It's a torn page from an old forbidden archive. It mentioned a child born from a god and a human. That child wielded crimson energy, the same as Eryx. But the name… it was scratched out. Blotted with ink."
Atlas stared down at the page, his expression unreadable. For a long moment, he said nothing.
Then, as he turned away toward the window, his voice came low and heavy—almost like he was remembering something ancient.
"According to everything you've found… and everything I feared—Eryx is her son."
—Chapter 6 Ends—