Chapter 43 – Crimson Judgment
Chapter 43 – Crimson Judgment
The crimson light at the heart of the altar convulsed, no longer gentle or distant. It screamed into the sky in a massive beam, causing the air itself to ripple. The temperature spiked instantly, melting the ice and snow across the surrounding forest. Birds screeched and scattered into the skies. Trees groaned, their trunks cracking from the sudden heat. Tyler instinctively shielded his face with his arm as a wave of blistering air slammed into him. The ritual was no longer incomplete—it was erupting.
Then the beam imploded.
A violent shockwave burst outward, flinging Tyler and Milo backward like ragdolls. The ground itself quaked as though something deep beneath the soil had been awakened. From within the smoke and debris, a towering silhouette rose—bigger than anything Tyler had ever seen. Its horned head scraped the upper canopy, and each movement released a sizzling hiss as superheated air warped the space around it.
All the colour from the world seemed to drain. The sky dimmed, shadows stretched unnaturally, and even the light filtering through the forest turned ashen. The trees, the stones, the earth—everything dulled, rendered into a bleak greyscale. It was as though all life force had been siphoned into the altar. The world no longer breathed—it only trembled.
The figure stepped forward, no, hopped—and the impact cratered the altar, sending another shockwave that flattened the surrounding trees. The wind screamed. Snow turned to steam. The grass blackened and crumbled beneath its feet.
A pair of burning crimson eyes pierced through the haze. Its face was skeletal, twisted, with curling horns like a ram and a jaw that seemed perpetually snarling. Across its body, obsidian armour was etched with pulsating red runes. A monstrous claymore rested in one hand, the blade glowing like molten steel. Its long tail, ridged and barbed, flicked once—and a nearby boulder cracked in half.
[Enemy Identified: Shindeon, Infernal Warden of the Underworld (Shell), Level 150]
Shindeon let out a low growl that built into a thunderous roar. Trees fell from the sheer force of the sound.
He clenched and unclenched his fists slowly, the sound of cracking metal echoing through the clearing. He glanced at his reflection in his blade—what he saw made him snarl. “Still sealed. My power… incomplete. These incompetent summoners—how dare they call me forth half-baked.”
He swung the blade once, and the air rippled like water. Embers danced in the sky. “Tch… Pathetic. But I will burn the world regardless. Ashes are ashes—what difference does it make?”
Tyler approached, his heart pounding. “So you’re Shindeon?”
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The infernal being tilted his head, then grinned. “And you are the insect they’ve sent to face me?”
Tyler met his gaze. “I’ve come to challenge you.”
“There is only one rule when challenging me,” Shindeon said, lifting the sword effortlessly with one hand. “The loser must die.”
“Then I’ll make sure it’s not me.”
Tyler activated [Sprint] and charged forward, opening with [Fireball], [Forcepush], and twin sword strikes in a seamless combo.
The fireball exploded on Shindeon’s chest. The shockwave of [Forcepush] followed. Tyler’s blades glinted as he slashed with precision—only for his attacks to bounce off harmlessly.
Shindeon raised an eyebrow. “Fire? You throw fireballs—at me?”
He laughed, the sound distorted and otherworldly. “Do you challenge a river with a cup? Do you challenge a volcano with a candle?”
The very flames of Tyler’s skill evaporated before Shindeon’s aura. The beast’s eyes burned hotter. “I am fire given form. Flame is my blood. Let me show you how it’s truly wielded.”
He raised his sword. “FIRESTORM!” he bellowed.
Nothing happened.
Shindeon paused, annoyed, and stared at his blade. “Still sealed… these wretched fools barely managed a proper unbinding. But no matter.”
He grinned. “To kill you, I don’t even need half of what I once was.”
He hopped.
The shockwave from the jump sent Tyler flying, slamming him into a tree that splintered upon impact. He hit the ground hard. [Undying Tenacity] triggered, absorbing what would’ve been a fatal blow.
Tyler wheezed. “That wasn’t even a skill. That was just a jump.”
Shindeon came down again, this time with his claymore cleaving the ground in a vertical arc. The impact ripped a trench through the earth, spraying molten rock and debris.
Tyler scrambled to his feet, casting [Sticky Web]—only to see the silk combust mid-air before it even touched Shindeon.
“You rely on tricks? You dare insult me with insects’ tools?” Shindeon snarled. He lashed out with his tail, sending Tyler tumbling across the scorched forest floor.
The forest around them was being razed. Trees were flattened, ice turned to steam, and the air shimmered with oppressive heat. The very landscape was buckling under the weight of Shindeon’s presence.
“You know nothing of fire,” Shindeon growled, tail smashing another tree to splinters. “I burned cities while you were learning to crawl. I drowned armies in ash. My name turned rulers to cowards.”
Tyler coughed, blood staining his lip. He activated [Gigantify] out of desperation.
His body swelled, skin stretching, armour creaking, until he matched Shindeon’s height. The earth quaked beneath his feet.
“Let’s see if you can take a hit,” Tyler growled and launched a massive punch straight into Shindeon’s face.
Crack. One of Shindeon’s horns snapped clean off.
The infernal warden reeled back, staggered for the first time. A moment of silence followed.
Then Shindeon’s eyes narrowed. “You dare mar my crown?”
Tyler followed up with a colossal kick to Shindeon’s leg. The claymore-wielding giant howled as cracks spread across his shin armour.
But the skill faded.
[PE: 0/40]
Tyler collapsed, back in normal size, pain shooting through every limb. The recoil from [Gigantify] tore at his joints. He gasped, clutching his sides.
Shindeon loomed overhead. “You had your moment. Now, it ends.”
He raised the claymore again. Tyler rolled weakly, barely moving. His body refused to listen. He was out of PE, out of strength.
Milo shouted, “TYLER!”
Tyler turned his head. He saw Shindeon’s sword descend in a blur of molten steel.
Then—
Darkness.