20 MINUTES BEFORE THE ATTACK
After speaking with Miss Irene, Mathew quietly left her room and made his way back toward the dormitories.
The orphanage had already gone mostly silent for the night.
The younger children were asleep, while the older ones remained awake whispering excitedly about the events at the cathedral.
Mathew released a small sigh.
He originally intended to head straight to bed, but after taking a few steps, he suddenly changed direction.
Maybe I should check on Anika first.
As he turned a corner—
Thud.
He bumped into someone.
A boy with black hair and dark eyes stood before him.
Kane.
“Oh, sorry,” Mathew said casually before trying to walk past him.
But Kane’s cold voice stopped him.
“You really think you’re special now, don’t you?”
Mathew paused.
Kane slowly raised his head, anger burning behind his eyes.
“Just because you formed a Divine core, you think you’re above everyone else.”
His fists clenched tightly.
“But I swear to you, Mathew… one day I’ll become stronger than you.”
His voice grew darker.
“And when that day comes, I’ll make your life miserable.”
For a moment, silence lingered between them.
Then Mathew turned back slowly.
“I’ve always wondered something about you, Kane.”
Kane frowned slightly.
“That look on your face.
That constant anger.”
Mathew’s gaze sharpened.
“If you spent half as much time training as you do obsessing over everyone else, maybe you would’ve formed a Divine core too.”
Kane’s expression twisted instantly.
“But instead,” Mathew continued calmly, “you’re too busy drowning in jealousy.”
He shrugged lightly.
“That’s probably why you’ll always stay beneath everyone.”
A dangerous amount of soul essence burst from Kane’s body.
Mathew’s eyes narrowed slightly in surprise.
Already?
We only formed our cores earlier today… and he can already manifest soul essence externally?
Mathew immediately understood something.
Kane is talented.
Extremely talented.
With enough training… he might actually surpass the current Imperial someday.
Kane wrapped soul essence around his fists and lunged forward violently.
Mathew crossed his arms, preparing to block—
But before the attack connected—
A scream echoed through the orphanage.
Both boys froze instantly.
Another scream followed.
Then another.
Their expressions changed at the same time.
Without another word, both of them rushed toward the girls’ dormitory.
And what they found…
Made their blood run cold.
The orphanage was under attack.
Masked men dressed in black robes moved through the halls slaughtering anyone in their path.
Bodies already littered the floors.
Mathew’s eyes widened.
Anika.
Without hesitation, he abandoned Kane and sprinted deeper into the building.
Another terrified scream echoed from a nearby room.
Mathew immediately changed direction and burst through the doorway.
Inside, a masked man was raising his blade toward a small orphan girl.
Mathew reacted instantly.
Space around the attacker distorted violently.
The man’s body was suddenly dragged sideways unnaturally, giving Mathew enough time to grab the girl into his arms.
But before he could escape—
The attacker recovered far faster than expected.
The masked man reappeared before him and thrust his blade forward, aiming to impale both Mathew and the child at once.
Mathew twisted sharply.
One foot slid backward while the other pushed against the ground, launching him away from the strike by mere inches.
Then his eyes sharpened.
Space folded.
The attacker’s body was suddenly dragged directly toward Mathew.
And before the man could react—
CRACK.
The space around his head collapsed inward.
His skull twisted unnaturally before folding into itself completely.
The masked man’s body collapsed lifelessly onto the floor.
Blood spread across the room.
Mathew quickly carried the trembling girl toward the nearest group of surviving nuns.
“You’ll be safer here,” he told her.
The moment he confirmed she was protected, he turned away again.
Anika.
He continued searching frantically until suddenly—
Clang!
The sound of resistance echoed nearby.
Mathew immediately rushed toward it.
He burst into a small room—
And found Anika struggling against another masked attacker.
The silver-haired girl was desperately trying to fend off the man using nothing more than a kitchen knife.
The moment Mathew saw her, he moved instantly.
He rushed the attacker—
But the masked man reacted first.
BAM!
A single punch slammed into Mathew’s stomach hard enough to knock the air from his lungs.
Mathew staggered backward in shock.
He’s much stronger than the previous one…
But instead of panicking—
Mathew smiled slightly.
“You’re done.”
The attacker frowned in confusion.
Then suddenly—
A sharp pain exploded through his lower abdomen.
He looked down.
A kitchen knife had pierced deep into his side.
During the brief moment he focused on Mathew, Anika had exploited the opening perfectly.
The attacker collapsed to one knee in pain.
Anika immediately rushed toward Mathew.
“I’m glad you’re okay!”
Mathew forced himself upright with a small smile.
“Me too.”
Then his expression darkened.
“Do you know who these people are?”
Anika shook her head quickly.
“No idea.
But we need to find Miss Irene and Lady Godspell immediately.”
“And the nuns?” Mathew asked quietly.
Anika froze briefly.
Then answered softly—
“…Most of them are already dead.”
Mathew’s eyes widened slightly.
“They set up traps throughout the girls’ dormitory,” she continued.
“Miss Irene wasn’t there at the time, so she might still be alive.”
She tightened her grip on the knife.
“We have to find her before they do.”
Mathew nodded immediately.
“Let’s move.”
⸻
Elsewhere within the orphanage grounds—
Lady Godspell stood surrounded by corpses.
Over a hundred dead nuns lay scattered across the battlefield.
Her expression remained calm.
But the rage within her soul was reaching terrifying levels.
She slowly walked through the devastation searching desperately for survivors.
Every now and then, masked attackers would emerge from the shadows.
But each time—
They died instantly.
Yet something bothered her.
Before the attack, she had sensed only six presences surrounding the orphanage.
So how were there suddenly so many attackers?
An ability?
Her eyes narrowed.
If that’s the case… this situation is worse than I thought.
Suddenly—
BOOM!
The sound of an intense battle erupted from the main veranda.
Lady Godspell immediately changed direction and leapt across the rooftops.
A second later, she landed directly within the middle of the fight.
Miss Irene stood there battered and bleeding, struggling against a lone man with gray hair and a long sword.
Arwen.
Relief immediately appeared on Miss Irene’s face.
“My Lady!”
Lady Godspell glanced at her quickly.
“Are you injured badly?”
Miss Irene straightened herself despite her condition.
“I can still fight.”
Lady Godspell nodded once before turning toward Arwen.
“…So you’re the one behind this.”
Arwen shrugged casually.
“Maybe.”
He rested the sword against his shoulder lazily.
“Honestly, I’m just here to kill someone and capture someone else.”
Lady Godspell’s gaze sharpened.
“And who exactly?”
Arwen stretched slightly.
“To be honest, I don’t really know much either.”
He pointed the sword forward.
“All I know is that I’m supposed to kill a blonde-haired boy.”
Miss Irene’s heart skipped instantly.
Mathew.
Arwen smiled faintly.
“Anyway, enough talking.
I’d rather finish this quickly and head home.”
Lady Godspell planted her spear firmly against the ground while Miss Irene reinforced her fists with soul essence.
The two women attacked simultaneously.
Lady Godspell’s spear strikes tore through the air while Miss Irene unleashed devastating close-range blows.
Yet—
Arwen blocked every single attack effortlessly using only his sword.
Miss Irene suddenly vanished from sight.
A burst of speed carried her behind Arwen instantly as she launched a soul essence-infused punch toward his back.
At the same time, Lady Godspell used her spear as leverage, vaulting high into the air before diving downward to impale him.
Arwen calmly infused soul essence into his body.
Miss Irene’s punch landed—
But he tanked it.
Then he redirected Lady Godspell’s spear with his blade, changing her trajectory entirely.
The collision sent both women crashing together.
Before they could recover—
BAM!
Arwen’s kick slammed into Lady Godspell’s stomach, launching her backward into Miss Irene once more.
The two women barely managed to regain their footing.
Arwen sighed in disappointment.
“Honestly… is this really all you can do?”
He shook his head mockingly.
“I haven’t even used my actual ability yet.”
But the moment he finished speaking—
Dark chains erupted from the ground.
Arwen’s eyes widened as absolute black chains wrapped tightly around his body.
At the same moment, Miss Irene appeared behind him.
This time darkness itself covered her arms and body like living shadows.
Her soul essence had changed completely.
Arwen immediately realized—
The chains were part of her ability.
Miss Irene drove her fist into his back.
BOOM!
Arwen was launched violently across the veranda and into the courtyard below.
Lady Godspell smiled faintly.
“When was the last time you used your ability like that?”
Miss Irene steadied herself.
“…I honestly can’t remember.”
Lady Godspell’s expression hardened again.
“Don’t relax.
The fight isn’t over.”
A loud impact suddenly echoed from the courtyard.
Dust rose into the air.
Then—
A silhouette emerged.
Arwen.
Bruised.
Bleeding slightly.
But smiling.
He took one step forward.
And suddenly there were two Arwens.
Another step.
Three.
Another.
Five.
Ten.
Fifty.
One hundred.
Soon, over a hundred identical figures surrounded the two women completely.
Lady Godspell’s eyes widened.
“So that’s it…”
“The attackers earlier were your clones.”
Arwen grinned darkly.
“Those?
They were cheap disposable copies.”
A terrifying wave of soul essence burst from his body.
“You two should feel honored,” he said coldly.
“No one has forced me to use my ability in a very long time.”
The pressure alone made the air tremble.
And then—
His true rank revealed itself.
Transcended.
The expressions of both women changed instantly.