Chapter 9: Bargain with Death [1]
Klein’s eyes slowly fluttered open.
The first thing he felt was the dull ache in his head, followed by the strange beating of his heart.
The room was dimly lit, with soft evening light filtering through the half-closed curtains.
He turned his head slightly and saw Cynthia sleeping on a chair beside his bed.
Her upper body was slumped forward with her head resting gently on the edge of the mattress near his hand.
Seeing her like this, sleeping uncomfortably just to stay close to him, made his gaze soften in affection.
He carefully sat up, moving slowly so as not to wake her.
Every muscle in his body felt sore, like he had run a marathon.
He gently pulled the blanket higher over her shoulders, then quietly slipped out of the bed.
His bare feet touched the cool floor "Haa..."
He walked over to the large glass door leading to the private balcony and stepped outside, closing the door softly behind him.
The evening air rushed over him, fluttering his black hair in the wind.
The sun was setting behind the city skyline, painting the clouds in hues of orange and pink.
Klein gripped the balcony railing with both hands and let out a long, deep sigh.
For several minutes, he simply stood there, letting the wind brush against his face and calm his racing thoughts.
Then, slowly, a sharp glint appeared in his eyes that was never there before.
’...I reincarnated, huh.’
Irakiel.
That was his true name. The last Acolyte of the Goddess of Curses.
His past life memories were locked till now and when he awakened, his memories unlocked along with his black heart.
He looked down at his open palm, slowly clenching it into a fist.
The veins on the back of his hand stood out as faint black and golden energy flickered beneath his skin for a brief moment before vanishing.
"Zrryha... What have you done?"
’Was her 7th constellation the reason for this reincarnatio?’
He gently placed his hand over his chest, ’Zrryha’s cursed heart...’
A bitter, complicated smile appeared on his lips.
’I wanted to save you, but you used your 7th Constellation to reincarnate me?’
’Also Aeloria...’
His gaze quivered as he saw the visions of Aeloria stabbing herself with his spear to end her life.
He clenched his teeth and fought back the tears prickling atthe corner of his eyes.
’’You damned idiot."
In his past life as Irakiel, he also loved Aeloria.
But his unwavering devotion to Zrryha forced him to reject her again and again.
Every time she confessed and looked at him with those hopeful eyes, he turned away.
Because he believed his heart belonged only to his Goddess.
A deep breath escaped his lips as he controlled his emotions.
’...Don’t worry. i will revive you someday, Aeloria.’
Even his reincarnation, which was done by Zrryha’s 7th constellation, directly pleads to the Goddess of Fate.
And by the Goddess of Fate’s work, he was reincarnated.
So with enough power and authority... revival is not impossible in this universe.
He looked down at his palm once more.
Two goddesses have given everything for him.
The least he could do was carry their wishes forward.
But then he remembered an important thing and cursed under his breath.
"Wait a damn minute. Fuck..."
In his previous life, he bargained his soul to ’death’ so he could convert it to energy and give it to Zrryha if he ever dies.
The death pact was simple... ’Death’ will receive his soul and Zrryha will receive an enormous amount of energy and his life force.
That’s how she awakened her 7th constellation when he died.
"And now, ’death’ will seek me to get my soul back."
Since he didn’t pay his soul to ’death’ and entered reincarnation, the ’death’ will come back to get his soul.
"Shit. Since i awakened, ’they’ can easily sense me and enter this world. Well, it doesn’t matter, since I-"
Just as he finished speaking, the evening breeze suddenly stopped.
Everything became deathly silent.
Then, without warning, a deep crimson aura exploded across the sky, painting the entire world in blood-red.
The clouds twisted and churned violently as if reality itself was being torn apart.
Klein slowly looked up and his expression turned into a dry smile "You can’t be fucking serious now..."
The sky ripped open.
A massive tear appeared in the space, revealing an endless black void filled with swirling red lights.
From that abyss, a figure slowly descended.
She was breathtakingly beautiful and terrifying.
Long black hair cascaded down her back and her eyes glowed with an eerie, red light.
Two elegant, curved horns protruded from her head, and she was wearing a regal black dress that flowed behind her.
Red circular runes appeared beneath her feet with every step she took down from the sky, creating a path for her.
The pressure she emitted was suffocating.
Klein gritted his teeth ’We just reached Chapter 9 and I’m already meeting the last boss...?’
’Seems like she stopped the time in this entire world. What a terrifying entity.’
The woman descended gracefully until she hovered just above the balcony, looking down at him with an unreadable expression.
Her crimson eyes seemed to pierce straight through his soul.
She tilted her head slightly, "You owe me a soul, little Acolyte. A very delicious one at that."
"I had my suspicions when your soul slipped... I see now, is it that bitch’s work?"
Looking up at her, Klein spoke "By ’bitch’ do you mean Goddess of Fate? Then yes, it’s her work."
A slow smile appeared on her lips "Did you really think you could cheat death so easily?"
He forced himself to stand straight, meeting her gaze without backing down "I didn’t cheat you. It is your inability to claim my soul at the right time..."
"I died. I fulfilled my part of the bargain. Zrryha used that energy to bring me back. If you have a problem with that, take it up with her."
The woman let out a soft laugh "I don’t care about her. She is gone. I just came here to collect what is rightfully mine."
Upon hearing this, Klein tilted his head with a smile "But... are you sure you want to do that? To claim my soul, you have to kill me first and fight some people."
Hm? The woman couldn’t help but chuckle "Fight some people? What? The puny humans in this fragile world are going to stand against me?"
With a shake of his head, he replied "Tsk. Tsk. You will have to fight your... own beloved sisters."
Huh? The woman frowned slightly "Have you gone crazy? What nonsense are you spouting-"
WHAT?
But as she took a closer look at his soul, her gaze trembled.
"W-WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO YOUR SOUL? YOU DAMN ACOLYTEEEE!!!!"
