Chapter 22 – The Land That Cannot Die
Rin's feet touched the earth, but the ground beneath him felt wrong—alive in a way that was unnatural. It pulsed like a living thing, its heartbeat echoing in the distance, as if the land itself was somehow aware of his presence. The air was thick with the scent of iron and despair, and the sky above was an oppressive shade of crimson, as if the heavens themselves bled.
This was the Realm of Bleeding Heaven.
It was a place where death had been subverted, twisted, and forced into something grotesque. The land itself seemed to shimmer with an eternal suffering, a cruel paradox that chained mortals in a never-ending cycle of agony. This was no paradise, nor was it a realm of bliss. It was a land where mortals could not die, no matter the wounds inflicted upon them. The divine curse had seen to that.
The moment Rin arrived, he felt the weight of the curse press against him—an invisible force that seemed to permeate everything. He could hear the cries of the suffering before he even saw them, faint whispers carried by the wind, each voice cracking with the weight of centuries of torment.
He turned his gaze toward the battlefield ahead, where figures were locked in endless combat. Their bodies were torn, bloodied, and broken, but they were still fighting, still struggling against an invisible force. And when they fell, their wounds healed in an instant. Limbs that had been severed grew back, skin that had been shredded regenerated as if it had never been harmed.
But their faces—those were the worst part.
They were twisted in anguish, eyes wide with silent screams. These were not warriors who reveled in battle. These were souls trapped in an eternal torment, bound by the curse of immortality.
Rin's heart twisted in his chest.
The heavens had done this.