"Hah—Is he... is he finally dead now?"

In the forest, shadows danced and swayed.

Lea rose slowly from her crouched position, exhaling deeply. That breath was so heavy, so deep, as if she needed to expel every ounce of air in her lungs.

But her frantic heartbeat... was still hard to calm.

She lowered her head and looked at her hands.

Those slender, fair, and delicate hands, as pale as peeled scallions, were now smeared red with blood.

With someone else's blood.

She had killed someone.

For the first time, she had killed a person.

"Guh..."

Suddenly, Lea felt her stomach churn violently.

In the corner of her eye, she glimpsed Barton’s pale, lifeless face, frozen in an expression of disbelief and hatred. His chest bore a gaping hole, a result of the intense stab and burn from the sacred blade. The wound resembled an eye from the abyss, locking its gaze on her.

Having chosen the path of a saintess dedicated to saving lives and guiding countless believers, Lea never imagined she'd ever be connected to the act of killing.

And yet...

"Ugh...so terrifying, so terrifying."

The sensation of the blade piercing into flesh, the sight of blood spurting out, and Barton’s curses, pleas, and screams at the brink of death—all of it kept interweaving in Lea's mind.

This feeling, she really never wanted to experience again.

But... this was not the time for such thoughts.

Lea stretched out her hand, gently closed Barton’s lifeless eyes, and shook her head forcefully, driving away the chaotic thoughts.

She raised her head and looked toward the dark and profound distance, her gaze... growing resolute.

"Wait for me, Moen."

Determined, Lea took a step forward.

"I'm coming now. Until then, please don't get into any trouble."

…

…

After Lea left.

Silence returned to the forest.

Sunlight peeked through the clouds and shone down upon the chaotic clearing amidst the felled giant trees.

"Caw—"

Suddenly, a sharp crow’s caw shattered the quiet.

And along with it, Barton stirred.

"Damn it, cough cough, has that crazy woman finally left?"

Bathed in the faint sunlight, Barton, whose heart had been reduced to a gaping hole, the kind of wound that should render someone absolutely dead, opened his eyes.

He was alive.

No—he had never been truly dead to begin with.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it! I almost fell victim to that cursed wench."

Barton’s face contorted, teeth clenched in fury.

Being stabbed in the chest with a sacred blade, then ruthlessly twisted multiple times—it was far from a pleasant experience.

"Thankfully, I had backup."

He raised his trembling hand and reached behind him, pulling out an object resembling a stone heart.

Strangely, this stone-carved heart appeared to gently pulse, as if fresh blood flowed through it.

Barton slowly inserted the stone heart into the empty cavity in his left chest.

The stone merged seamlessly with the ragged veins around it, and astonishingly, began to beat powerfully, as though it were truly part of him.

Barton exhaled deeply, traces of vitality returning to his pale face.

Ancient Relic: Heart of Stone.

Its effect is to replace one’s heart when irreversibly damaged, granting the user a chance to survive.

And not just for heart injuries—whether caused by physical trauma or any life-threatening condition—it can temporarily preserve life by substituting itself as the heart.

It’s an immensely powerful ancient relic.

Years ago, when Barton killed his bothersome father and was hunted by the Empire’s hounds with no place to flee, he had stumbled upon this artifact deep within a cavern. It, along with another relic, had been decisive in establishing his feared reputation as the Corpse Slicer.

The other ancient relic was, of course, that bracelet capable of severing all things.

But…

When his thoughts turned to the bracelet, Barton turned his head with difficulty to gaze at the pile of ruins on the ground. His cheek twitched violently, his appearance once again becoming grotesquely enraged.

That ancient relic no longer existed.

In just a few minutes, the very artifact integral to his name as Corpse Slicer had been reduced to a heap of worthless fragments.

"Damned, damned, damned! You little slut! I, Barton the Corpse Slicer, swear I’ll make you wish for death!"

Barton’s eyes glowed red as he shouted viciously into the void.

"Just wait. I vow to use the cruelest methods to torture you. To make you regret ever crossing me. I swear!"

Even without the ancient relic, he was still a fourth-tier warrior—a legitimately powerful fourth-tier one!

Soon, I will personally make you…

Wait—no, that little slut isn’t weak at all. Engaging directly wouldn’t be a wise move.

So…

Family… Yes, family. Friends. Anything that matters to her. I’ll find those people. Torture them mercilessly. Leave their remains as trophies. Then send her videos of their suffering—along with severed body parts like eyes and ears…

Ha—hah hah hah hah, her expression at that moment will definitely be marvelous. Utterly marvelous…

“Cough cough cough cough…”

Barton’s gleeful daydreaming was abruptly interrupted by a fit of weak coughing.

“Damn it…”

Barton touched his chest tentatively.

The healing seemed slower than he had anticipated; it appeared to be suppressed by the sacred light’s residual effect.

But that wasn’t an issue. His main concern, however, was the cost of using the Heart of Stone.

While it served as a new heart, it drained half of its user’s lifespan—and all of their strength.

The decrease in lifespan was irreversible, but thankfully, strength could be regained.

With the concoctions and magic stones he had stored, it would take roughly half an hour to recover enough strength to move freely again.

That’s no big deal.

Even though for now, I’m just a powerless ordinary man.

But given the aftermath of my battle with that slut, there's supposed to be no foolish creatures around here would…

Barton’s casually wandering eyes suddenly collided with a pair of blood-red pupils.

"What the hell?!"

The heart he had just replaced nearly jumped out again from fright. Barton looked on, stunned. And then, squinting, he realized the owner of those crimson eyes—

Was a crow.

A huge crow, native to this forest and nearly half as tall as a human. Wings folded neatly against its sides, it hopped next to Barton, tilting its head inquisitively, scrutinizing him.

"Damn it, scared me to death."

Barton furrowed his brow, waving a feeble hand to shoo it away.

"Get lost, filthy crow, or I’ll drain your blood!"

The crow remained indifferent to Barton’s threats and even his touch.

It was so weak.

A flicker of human-like mockery flashed in its crimson eyes.

"Caw—"

Suddenly, it spread its wings and let out a high-pitched cry.

"Huh?"

Barton froze, and his face quickly changed.

Because more cries echoed throughout the forest.

"Caw—"

"Caw—"

"Caw—"

A black torrent surged forth, swirling above Barton, blocking out the sunlight.

It was an overwhelming flock of crows, too numerous to count.

Then they descended. Settling on broken branches, shattered stones, and near Barton’s side.

The light blocked.

Barton was enveloped by crows.

Every one of them cocked their heads, their blood-red eyes fixed on him.

It was as though they were staring at a steaming buffet spread.

"You...you...you all..."

All of Barton’s fleeting vitality drained from him once more, his face pale as paper.

Because he suddenly recalled—there were no ordinary creatures in this forest.

Even these seemingly unremarkable oversized crows were undoubtedly vicious variants.

Previously, he would squash such dim-witted birds with ease.

But now, he couldn’t even summon the strength to stand.

And worse yet...

Just as his failed lakeside ambush of Moen had been disrupted by these damned crows,

Crows, it seemed, bore everlasting grudges.

"Caw—"

The largest crow, the one that had landed first, hopped onto Barton’s chest.

Its crimson eyes reflected Barton’s terrified face.

But Barton was already too late to say anything.

The crow lowered its head and pecked sharply. A long, thin beak pulled away with… an eyeball.

Barton’s eyeball.

"Ah—"

Barton’s scream pierced the air but was soon drowned out in the joyous cawing of hundreds of crows.

At the leader’s signal, like the opening bell of a grand feast, ravenous diners surged forth. Their sharp beaks and claws tore mercilessly, reveling in a grisly banquet of blood and agony.

…

Not long after, the larger, darker crow with more brilliant feathers and sharp, intelligent eyes spread its wings and took flight.

Unlike its peers, it did not partake in the feast; human flesh, frankly, was filthy to it.

Soaring over towering trees, its journey halted at a certain point.

Its scarlet eyes reflected several figures locked in battle.

It watched for a moment, lingering longest on a golden-haired figure, before unfurling its wings again. Quietly, it streaked into the distance.

This time, it moved quickly, like a shadow streaking through the forest.

Towering trees, shimmering lakes, and thick clouds blurred past behind it.

Finally, it arrived at a massive peak.

The mountain was blanketed in snow and storms, but the crow easily bypassed this impassable zone, reaching the peak’s summit.

There, stillness reigned.

Only a massive cavern, resembling a volcanic crater, yawned open—a black abyss, unfathomably deep.

The crow flew into the cavern and landed atop an inner peak.

"Caw—"

It opened its beak.

The item it had clutched within its beak fell effortlessly to the ground.

It was not the eyeball from before, but... a heart.

A heart sculpted as if from solid stone.

Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump...

The stone heart rolled down along the edge of the mountain.

The faint glimmers it emitted illuminated the true form of the mountain.

It was a mountain formed from countless pieces of bronze, gold, gemstones, weaponry, ancient relics—treasures that even dynasties, amassed over generations, could never compare to... and the remains of bones.

From the faint silhouettes in the distance, it was clear that such mountains were not limited to just one.

Clang.

The stone heart tumbled to the very bottom, striking something that produced a crisp sound.

Another brief silence followed.

Suddenly—

A deep hum resonated in the darkness, like the simultaneous inhalation of immense air by innumerable bellows.

The mountain peaks trembled.

In that instant, the darkness was completely dispelled.

Because two majestic golden eyes, as resplendent as twin blazing suns, ignited—overlooking all.