Error 001: Mercy not found

The setting sun cast a weak, blood-orange glow, barely piercing the heavy storm clouds overhead, the air thick with the acrid bite of ash and the metallic tang of blood. Zane stood at the center, his white hair falling over his face, now dry of tears, his piercing eyes blank with a cold, unyielding resolve. Ruinblaze, its silver blade etched with steady red runes, rested in his hand, its weight familiar, an extension of his fury. Ariel's lifeless body lay against a crumbled wall, her golden hair matted with blood, her tattered dress soaked red. The sight of her—broken, still—had shattered Zane's heart, but now his grief hardened into something sharper, deadlier.

Ariel had always been scared of things others overlooked—spiders, snakes, even animals on TV. Her *zoophobia*, a fear of animals rooted deep in her psyche, was something Zane knew better than anyone. When he'd heard she was fighting Geminis, monstrous beings that would terrify her more than any earthly creature, he'd rushed to the battlefield, knowing her courage hid a trembling heart. She'd fought through her fear, and it killed him to think of her facing these horrors alone. Now, staring at her still form, his face went blank, tears drying as his thoughts turned to something else. 'Why should I be the only one to suffer?' he thought. 'No time for grief while those responsible still breathe. Blake Walker made this happen, and I'll find him after I'm done here.' His original plan to kill Blake later burned away—his father's shadow loomed too large, the architect of this misery.

The Titnice, its snow-white body taut, black eyes glinting, sensed Zane was no prey but a predator. It stepped forward, claws flexing, its childlike form radiating lethal intent. It activated a skill, its movements blurring with unnatural grace.

[System Notice]

Titnice has activated the skill [Hamnon Dance].

Effect: Increases agility tenfold, enabling near-instantaneous dodging.

Time limit: None.

Zane swung Ruinblaze, the blade's red runes glinting as he tossed it effortlessly between his hands, each swing a fluid arc. The Titnice wove through the attacks, its body a blur, dodging with practiced ease, its claws trailing faint afterimages. Kenshi, leaning on his katana, blood dripping from his torn coat, stared in awe. 'How's he wielding that sword? It's over a meter long, yet he swings it like it's weightless.' Frustration gnawed at him—Zane had marked everyone, Gemini and human, as enemies, complicating an already brutal fight.

Kai, standing protectively in front of Yuna, his twin swords raised, shared Kenshi's unease. 'The Titnice hit me so fast I couldn't react, but this guy's matching it blow for blow. Things were simpler with just the Geminis. Should we help them take him down?' He glanced at the recovering Geminis—Ragumon, Rocksborne, and Yoka, still weakened from Valmer's [Judgement of God]. If Zane defeated the Geminis, the Primordials would be next. "Ah, whatever," Kai muttered, brushing raven-black hair from his eyes. He gestured to Valmer and Kenshi. "Let's finish the Geminis while they're down."

Valmer nodded, his sable-rose eyes sharp, rosary beads clinking as he stepped forward, fists clenched. Kenshi gripped his katana, wincing as he moved, his wounds slowing him but not stopping him. They turned toward the recovering Geminis, ready to strike.

Zane, realizing the Titnice's agility made it nearly untouchable, leaped back, his boots kicking up gravel, creating distance. Onilia's training echoed in his mind: 'When an opponent's too hard to hit, let them attack, then counter.' But Zane wasn't that generous to take hits on purpose. He slashed downward with Ruinblaze, deliberately slower, baiting the Titnice. The Gemini charged, its claws gleaming, and kicked at the blade, knocking it from Zane's hand. Ruinblaze spun through the air, and Zane staggered, feigning imbalance. The Titnice, sensing a chance, didn't attack directly—it reached for Ruinblaze, aiming to kill Zane with his own weapon, a cruel twist it found fitting.

'Perfect,' Zane thought, his lips twitching into a faint smirk.

The Titnice grabbed Ruinblaze's hilt, but its arm buckled, crashing to the ground with a bone-rattling thud. The blade, impossibly heavy despite Zane's effortless swings, pinned the Gemini's arm, the pavement cracking beneath its weight. The Titnice struggled, its black eyes wide, claws scraping uselessly as it tried to free itself.

The Whisperkin, its lean, dark form swaying, its faceless head tilted.

Despite his turmoil, Zane's instincts, sharpened by Zoic's brutal training, hadn't dulled. When he arrived, he'd scanned the battlefield, noting the Titnice's prideful nature. It had attacked him after he'd beheaded the Dark Seraph and cleaved the Mistibeast, its black eyes flashing with irritation at his display of power. Now, as they clashed, the Titnice moved with surgical precision, no wasted motion, its snow-white form weaving through his strikes with [Hamnon Dance]. Zane saw his chance. 'Create a weakness you control, not one your enemy finds,' Onilia's voice echoed from his training. He'd baited the Titnice with Ruinblaze's fall, knowing its arrogance would drive it to seize the blade.

"It's better to craft a flaw you can wield than let your foe uncover one you don't see," Zane said, his voice low, deliberate, as he approached the struggling Titnice, pinned by Ruinblaze's impossible weight. The Gemini's right arm was trapped, the pavement cracked beneath it, its black eyes wide with shock as it clawed uselessly.

Across the battlefield, Kai, Valmer, and Kenshi had finished off the weakened Geminis, their healing slowed by Valmer's [Judgement of God]. Kai yanked his twin swords from the Yoka's throat, inky blood dripping from the blades. "That's the last one," he said, wiping sweat from his brow, his raven-black hair clinging to his forehead.

"Seems so," Valmer replied, his sable-rose eyes scanning the field, rosary beads clinking as he adjusted his coat. He opened his mouth to speak, but the ground shook, a deep tremor rattling the debris. Another quake followed, stronger, and they turned, eyes widening. Zane stood atop the Titnice, his boots planted on either side of its writhing form, Ruinblaze stabbed through its right arm, pinning it to the cracked pavement. Each punch he delivered vibrated the earth, a thunderous crack echoing as his fist slammed into the Gemini's face. He paused after each blow, letting its Elite regeneration knit its shattered features, only to strike again, ensuring it felt every moment of pain. It was unclear who the monster actually was, the Gemini, or the human torturing it.

Celine emerged from behind a crumbled wall, her red hair spilling over her shoulders, hazel eyes wide with awe and fear. "That's… Zane?" she whispered, her voice trembling as she recognized the white-haired figure, his Zoic-trained build unrecognizable. The Geminis no longer felt like the monsters—Zane's raw power had shifted the tide.

"Strange," Zane said, his voice cold as he delivered another bone-shattering punch to the Titnice's face, waiting for its crumpled features to reform. "I thought you'd be tougher." Another punch, the ground quaking, dust rising. Another, slower, savoring the Gemini's struggle.

[System Notice]

You have slain a Gemini.

Number of Geminis slain: 3

Rank: Elite

Gemini Species Slain: Mistibeast, Dark Seraph, Titnice

Rewards will be calculated and distributed after the Tutorial.

Zane kept punching, even after the Titnice's body went limp, its black eyes dull, ichor pooling beneath it. He stood, yanking Ruinblaze free with a grating scrape, the blade's red runes glinting in the dim light. Turning, he pointed it at the Whisperkin, its lean, dark form swaying, faceless head tilted. "You're next," he said, his voice a low growl, eyes burning with intent.

The Whisperkin's voice slithered into his mind, oily and unperturbed. "Before we play, let me assure you, your sister's death had nothing to do with me. Though I suppose that doesn't matter to you now, does it?"

Zane's grip tightened on Ruinblaze, his knuckles white. "I have one question before I kill you. Why spare me when you had the chance? Why send me to the Master?"

The Whisperkin tilted its head further, as if amused. "I'll answer that after you prove yourself. Let's see what's so special about the Master's training." It attacked, its claws slashing as two small portals, each the size of a football, flickered open—one at the Whisperkin's right, the other at Zane's back. The Whisperkin struck through one, its claw emerging from the other, aiming for Zane's neck in a blinding flash.

Zane ducked, his honed reflexes from dodging Onilia's attacks kicking in, and sidestepped, boots grinding gravel as he created distance from the portal. "Take me seriously," he said, his voice steady, eyes locked on the Whisperkin, "or you'll die quickly."

The Whisperkin tilted its head, its voice a mocking hiss. "Very well, if you insist. Just don't die too soon."

Kai, Valmer, and Kenshi exchanged glances, their weapons ready but hesitant, unsure whether to aid Zane or prepare for him.