Sin Collector Cultivator

8. Bloody Redemption

The wooden floors of the Red Silk Brothel creaked under the pressure of General Valerius’s blindingly golden aura. Before him, Arion stood calm, flanked by the two women now mystically bound to him. The remaining candlelight flickered, then died instantly as the darkness from Arion’s forehead began to overflow.

"You speak of purification, General?" Arion broke the silence with a voice that sounded like the grinding of a tombstone. "System, show him the true scales."

[Command Received. Activating Public Analysis Mode.]

[Target: General Valerius. Karma Burden: 18,000 Units of Hidden Malice. Status: High-Level Hypocrite.]

"Silence, heretic! What ghostly voice is that?!" Valerius thrust his golden sword into the floor, triggering a holy shockwave that tore through the red carpet. "I am the right hand of justice in this city! Your presence is a stain that must be erased with blood!"

"The right hand of justice?" Lyra stepped forward, her shadow sword hissing, emitting a black vapor that swallowed Valerius’s golden light. "Don’t make me laugh, Sun Soldier. I can smell your fear from here. You aren't afraid of us... you’re afraid your secrets will be exposed, aren't you?"

"Lyra, let me help him 'remember,'" Serafina slipped between them, her steps graceful yet her aura now felt as cold as polar ice. "General, does your heart still pound every time you pass the soldiers' cemetery on the edge of town? That scorpion venom... it’s still there, rotting along with your conscience."

"You... the Exiled Healer!" Valerius screamed, his eyes widening with rage mixed with panic. "You should have rotted to death in that dungeon cell! How dare you bring up that incident!"

"Your regret has a very delicious aroma, Valerius," Serafina raised her pale hand. "Let’s see if your golden armor can withstand the weight of your own sins. Essence Conversion: Blight of the Martyr!"

Suddenly, silver vapor drifted from Serafina’s palm, slipping through the gaps in Valerius’s armor. The general tried to slash the vapor, but his sword only cut through empty air. Instantly, the general fell to his knees, his face turning blue, and black blood began to drip from the seams of his armor.

"W-What are you... doing to me?!" Valerius gasped, clutching his chest.

"I am simply commanding the old poison in your body to wake up," Serafina whispered mercilessly. "That poison is now feeding on the holy energy you boast of to replicate itself. The more you try to release your power, the faster your body will crumble from within."

"That is the efficiency of a healer," Arion walked slowly toward the now helpless Valerius. "Lyra, he’s yours. Harvest his energy. We need a massive burst to get out of this city."

"With pleasure, Arion," Lyra blurred forward, her sword becoming a black flash that sliced Valerius’s energy wings into pieces. "Feel the hatred of the thousands you oppressed in the name of karma, you bastard!"

SLASH!

Lyra’s sword tore through Valerius’s shoulder, but instead of red blood, Malice energy sucked from the general’s soul flowed into the chains on Lyra’s wrists, then passed into Arion’s chest.

[Absorbing 5,000 Units of Malice. Energy Pool: 11,700.]

[Notification: User capacity is nearing its limit. Recommended: Evolve System Now.]

"Not now, System. We have one more stage down there," Arion stared through the hole in the shattered wall toward the Xandros city square.

Below, thousands of slaves and citizens began to gather, staring in horror at the brothel that was now collapsing and shrouded in black smoke. The city guards surrounded the building with tight shield lines.

"Look at them, Serafina," Arion pointed down. "They are all slaves to the system you regret. Do you want to see them free?"

Serafina stared down, her gray eyes glowing sharply. "Freedom without retribution is merely a pause before the next enslavement begins, my Lord. Let them see the bloody truth."

"Lyra, help me tear down the main gate of this brothel. We’re going to land right in the middle of that crowd," Arion commanded.

"Hold on tight, Healer! Arion won't catch you if you fall!" Lyra smirked, then slammed her shadow sword into the main support pillar with full force.

KRAAAKK! BOOM!

The entire front structure of the Red Silk Brothel collapsed in an explosion of black dust. Arion leaped from the three-story height, landing with a ground-shaking thud in Xandros Square. Serafina landed softly beside him, enveloped in silver energy, while Lyra landed atop the head of the 'God of Karma' statue standing in the center of the square, then decapitated the statue with a single swing.

"Citizens of Xandros!" Arion’s voice echoed throughout the city, powered by system energy that made every ear ring. "Behold your General!"

Valerius’s dying body was thrown from the ruins by Lyra, landing right in front of the guard lines. His once-noble face was now ruined, his armor cracked, and a foul stench emanated from him.

"M-Murderer! Heretic! Seize them!" shouted one of the guard commanders, but his voice trembled violently upon seeing Arion’s gaze.

"Who are you calling a murderer?" Arion stepped forward, letting his aura spread like a deep purple mist. "We are a mirror. Look closely at this man. Beneath his golden armor, he is the same killer he condemns. System, grant 'Vision of Sin' to everyone here."

[Command Received. Activating 'Scent of Regret: Area Broadcast'.]

Instantly, the entire city—slaves and freemen alike—screamed and clutched their heads. Visions of Valerius’s betrayals, the cruelty of the brothel elders, and all the hypocrisy of the laws of karma in Xandros swirled in their minds as if they were experiencing it themselves.

"Stop! My head hurts!" screamed an old slave.

"The General... he really let his comrades die for that potion?" whispered a merchant, his face pale.

"Lies... it’s all lies!"

[Mass Emotion Detection: Extreme Anger (Hate). Collective Regret (Regret). Absolute Fear (Fear).]

[Unit Conversion Initiated: 10,000... 30,000... 50,000 Malice Detected!]

"This... this is too much!" Lyra fell to her knees, her face flushing as the energy sucked through her chains became an uncontrollable torrent. "Arion! My body will explode if you don’t pull it back!"

"Hold on a little longer, Lyra! Serafina, help her!" Arion shouted.

Serafina placed her hand on Lyra’s shoulder. "Essence Conversion: Divine Filter! Let their regret flow through me, Lyra. Your hatred is too pure to be mixed with these raw emotions."

Serafina’s face tensed, cold sweat mixed with blood dripping from her forehead, but the energy flow choking Lyra began to soften as it was diverted through Serafina and into Arion’s body more stably.

[Synchronization Successful. Status: Malice Overload Surpassed.]

[Initiating System Evolution Now!]

[Level Up! Arion Level: 3.]

[New Skill Unlocked: Domain of Despair.]

"General Valerius," Arion approached the general, who was now being surrounded by the citizens whose anger had been ignited. "A final correction for you... you will die by the hands of the people you call 'sinners'."

"N-No! Get back, you filth!" Valerius crawled away, but the slaves, devoid of hope and filled with visions of hypocrisy, began to swarm him.

There was no magic in their attack, only bare hands, stones, and pieces of wood. However, for Valerius, whose energy had been completely drained by Serafina, it was the slowest and most painful death sentence.

"A beautiful sight, isn't it?" Arion turned toward his two women.

"It is bloody," Serafina murmured, her eyes showing deep sorrow even though she did not regret her actions. "This isn't redemption, Arion. This is venting."

"In this tilted world, venting is the most honest form of redemption, Healer," Arion replied.

[Warning: Order of Pure Light from the continent's center is teleporting in 60 seconds. Detection radius: 10 kilometers.]

"Arion, we have to go! Now!" Lyra stood up, her sword glowing with a black aura far denser than before. "If high-level knights from the center arrive, we’re finished!"

"Right," Arion turned toward the gates of Xandros. The city guards were in disarray, torn between trying to calm the mob and the terror of seeing their general’s death. "Let’s give them something to keep them 'busy' while we make our escape."

"What do you mean?" Serafina asked.

"Domain of Despair," Arion whispered.

Arion placed his hand on the ground. The tattoo on his forehead glowed brightly, emitting a pulse of dark purple energy that spread like a wave across the square until it reached the city gates.

Instantly, all the soldiers who had intended to attack froze in place. Swords fell from their hands. The guards fell to their knees, tears streaming uncontrollably from their eyes for no apparent reason. The sound of mass weeping echoed, drowning out the noise of the riot. They were not physically harmed, but mentally, they were forced to face the worst moments of their lives repeatedly inside their heads.

"What did you do to them?" Lyra stared in horror at the thousands of armed men now crying like babies.

"I simply let them speak with their own consciences," Arion answered as he walked calmly toward the unguarded gate. "The justice I provide is the burden of memory."

"You truly are the most polite monster I’ve ever met," Serafina followed Arion, her hand still clutching her white robe, which was now tattered but gave her a new sense of dignity.

As they crossed the great gate of Xandros, the sky began to show flashes of golden light from a teleportation portal forming far above.

[New Equilibrium Detected. Malice Units Successfully Harvested: 65,000.]

[Mission Complete: Bloody Redemption.]

[Travel Status: Seeking Third Vessel of Sin. Prophecy of Misery: On.]

"Where to next, Chain Holder?" Lyra asked; she now walked steadily beside Arion, accepting her new fate even though her heart still held anger.

"Away from this light," Arion answered without looking back. "The System tells me there is a princess in an ancient palace who can no longer see the sun, but she can see the end of everything. Her name is Isadora."

"The blind princess?" Serafina asked softly. "I’ve heard her name. Princess Isadora of the Kingdom of the Setting Sun. She was locked away because every word she spoke brought misfortune."

"Sempurna," Arion smiled slightly as they disappeared into the misty forest on the outskirts of the city. "This world needs more misfortune to balance out its fake 'luck'."

Behind them, Xandros—the holy city without light—burned in the fires of riot and the echoes of cries of despair. That bloody ritual of redemption was only the beginning. The chains of karma had just grown longer, and Arion had no intention of stopping until the hypocritical heavens collapsed upon the heads of the gods who created this broken system.

[End of Chapter 8 Status:]

[Arion: Level 3 (Lord of Shadow)]

[Vessels: 2/6 (Hate, Regret)]

[Current Goal: The Sunless Princess.]

Arion took a deep breath. The night air outside the city felt refreshing, even though it was now mixed with the scent of Serafina’s deadly regret and the aroma of Lyra’s bloodthirsty sword. He could feel it—the whole world was beginning to shake because of his existence. And he was very much looking forward to it.