CLANG! CLANG!
The sound of metal crashing echoed through the forest.
Three figures were clashing against a single entity.
A winged figure in a white gown, her hair was as pale as snow. She had no face. No expression to show. Just plane skin where her facial features should be.
Justice, Greed, and Hope stood against her.
"WHAT IS THIS THING?!" Justice hissed, his feet slamming into the ground after a powerful blow sent him back.
He gritted his teeth, his eyes locked on the faceless being.
She moved with unnatural speed, dodging every strike that came to her, as if she saw the attacks before they came.
And the few attacks that did land? It was all seless. Her body regenerated in an instant.
Hope was relentless with his katana carving through her again and again. Limbs severed. Body split. Yet each time, she pieced herself back together like nothing ever happened.
"Fuck it all!" Justice growled, his frustration boiling over his anger.
His gaze flickered to Hope.
’How the hell is he keeping up?’ He thought.
The recoil from Nathalia’s attacks was way too unreal. Each strike carried a force that made Justice’s own blows feel like mere scratches to her.
He glanced to the side.
The students were watching all of it. Their eyes fixated only on Hope, their so-called hero, the one overpowering this monstrous being.
Justice clenched his fists.
If he could surpass Hope. If he could take the spotlight. Then they would all praise him instead.
It was a childish thought. He knew that.
He was a grown man, probably past twenty-five, and a noble by birth. But still, the need to win against Hope burned inside him like a molten lava sticking itself to the rocks.
But could you really blame him?
Once, he had been the strongest. Once, he was called The Rank-1. The title that had elevated Justice’s family’s status, brought them recognition, made them proud. He had been the pinnacle of power, the symbol of human strength.
But then, one day, the Hero Association introduced a boy.
A kid—younger than him, smaller than him, beut he was seemingly unremarkable.
Until he fought.
Until he displayed a level of power Justice had never encountered before. Until he shattered all of his expectations, and took the Rank-1 title from him.
Justice’s grip on his weapon trembled.
And now, watching Hope fight, that old resentment clawed its way back to him.
Justice’s dream shattered.
The dream to stand at the top. The dream to crush those beneath him. To be worshiped like a God.
All of it vanished to dust—stolen by a silver-haired boy, the Hero Association brought.
And soon after, he witnessed people calling that boy The Rank-1. The strongest. They worshiped him like a god. That young boy… their one and only... Hope.
Justice could only watch from the sidelines. That mere boy had taken everything from him.
He tried challenging him—again and again—only to be defeated every single time.
So he trained. Day and night. He pushed himself beyond his limits. Hoping, believing. That one day, he would surpass Hope. That he would reclaim his throne.
But the gap only widened.
Hope completed the most dangerous missions with ease, and with minimal casualties. It was an impossible feat to turn the routine in his hands.
’How does someone like that even exist?’ The question haunted him.
Every time Hope achieved something unheard of, Justice found himself wondering if it was even real.
Was it real?
Could anyone truly be that powerful? Was the Hero Association right to give him Rank-1?
He doubted it. He always had.
Until… he joined a mission with him.
Until… he saw Hope fight with his own eyes.
And only two words escaped his lips.
"Oh god..."
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Such power. Such talent. Such absolute confidence.
For the first time, Justice witnessed Hope at his full potential.
It wasn’t fair.
God is so cruel. To favor someone this much. To give one person that level of strength.
It was all wrong. It’s cheating. Justice wished to be born that way.
How could he possibly compete Hope? How could he ever beat that monster?
It was a ridiculous idea.
So… he gave up.
He settled for his current Rank-2.
Waiting…
Waiting for the right moment. The right change to overthrow Hope.
And today… must be that day.
Justice analyzed the fight.
Faceless Nathalia dodged every attack with inhuman precision and speed.
Hope was relentless with his katana too—no doubt there, he was slicing through her again and again. But no matter how much damage he inflicted, she regenerated instantly.
Justice narrowed his eyes. Something felt... off to him.
"When did Hope become this weak?"
Hope—the same person who once crushed him effortlessly—was struggling against her.
His movements lacked the overwhelming force they once had. His attacks were precise but they didn’t hold the same weight like before.
His thinking is reasonable.
Justice didn’t know the truth.
The Hope he once called his rival had died long ago.
The person standing there now was a fraud.
But Justice had no way of knowing that.
How would he know? The Hero Association hid it well.
And so, Justice believed. He believed that today was the day he would expose Hope’s strength. He will show the world just how unworthy he was of the title Rank-1.
A grin formed on his face.
And from his inventory ring, he pulled out his weapon.
It was a scythe.
The blade was pure, light purple with shiny black streaks running through it. The handle was pitch black, almost smooth to touch. At its end, two small bells dangled, it was tied with a strong red thread.
Justice gripped the handle firmly.
With a flick of his wrist, he spun the scythe effortlessly, letting it rotate between his fingers. The motion was smooth, precise—as if he was born to wield this scythe.
The bells at the end of the handle jingled softly.
This weapon wasn’t just any weapon.
He had found it deep within an ancient dungeon.
Buried in a chamber far beneath the Earth’s surface. Hidden away for centuries by humanity.
And now…
This will be his first time using it in this battle.
End of Chapter.