The training hall was a place of unrelenting challenges. Each day, Erik faced opponents of increasing difficulty—starting with Vesper and gradually moving to creatures and beings that seemed to materialize from his darkest nightmares. Today, Dominion watched from the edge of the room, his face impassive, as Erik fought against a half-goblin trainer whose guttural growls and abrupt commands filled the air.
The half-goblin was a gnarly creature with a greenish hue, the folds in his skin blackened and lined, giving him an appearance of age and experience. It was said that the smarter the goblin, the older it was, and this one had a certain glint of cunning in his yellow eyes that spoke of a lifetime filled with battles. His body reeked like a wet dog that had rolled in sewage—an assault on Erik’s senses that made every breath a struggle.
“Hit again! No strength! Swing like dying cow!” the half-goblin bellowed, striking Erik’s ribs with a heavy wooden rod when he misstepped. Erik grunted, stepping back, his eyes narrowing as he reset his stance. The goblin trainer sneered, his crooked teeth yellowed, and spit flew as he laughed mockingly. “Hmph! No good if can’t even beat stick. How fight with real magic?”
They continued sparring, and the half-goblin’s insults became increasingly bizarre. “Swing like limp fish! Need meat—get strong, fight better!” The goblin’s voice grated on Erik, but he understood it was meant to push him, to break his focus and force him to fight past the discomfort.
As the session ended, Dominion called for a break. Erik dropped onto a bench, exhausted, his body covered in sweat. The goblin trainer, unfazed, grabbed a piece of meat from the nearby table—a hunk of something unidentifiable—and tore into it with a loud crunch, the stench wafting toward Erik, making his stomach turn.
Dominion approached, a glint of something akin to approval in his eyes. He handed Erik a flask of water. “You’re improving,” he said, his voice as unreadable as ever. “But your core—it’s different. It requires cultivation. It’s not like a normal mage’s core.”
Erik took a deep breath, drinking the water, his gaze locked on Dominion. “Why?” he asked, his voice hoarse. “What makes it different?”
Dominion paused for a moment, his eyes narrowing. “It’s empty. Pure, but empty. Most cores are full of energy—mana passed down, shared, cultivated. Yours is barren, but it has potential.” Dominion’s lips curved slightly. “That potential must be unlocked if you’re to… achieve real power.”
Erik looked away, thinking of everything he had faced since coming to this place—the specters, the training, the relentless pressure. And he realized how much more he still had to learn and how much he did not trust Dominion.
In the following days, Dominion introduced a new type of training. Erik was led to a secluded part of the temple, where he found himself standing in a small chamber filled with strange symbols and runes. The air was charged with a different kind of energy—elemental energy. He could feel it in the atmosphere, an invisible current that pulsed around him.
“This,” Dominion began, gesturing around the chamber, “is where you will learn to cultivate your core. You have a unique opportunity, Erik. You are untethered—free to absorb the energies of the world and shape them.”
Erik frowned, glancing at the glowing runes along the walls. “How?” he asked, his voice filled with curiosity.
Dominion gestured for him to sit, and Erik complied, crossing his legs on the cold stone floor. Dominion took a seat across from him. “Close your eyes,” he said, his voice almost hypnotic. “Feel the energy in the air. It’s not like the demon’s energy. It’s different—lighter, purer.”
Erik closed his eyes, trying to do as instructed. He took a deep breath, focusing on the sensations around him. At first, there was nothing—just the darkness behind his eyelids, the sound of his own breathing. But slowly, he began to feel it—a gentle current, a green warmth that seemed to flow through the room and penetrate into his very being, almost feeling like a corruption.
“Good,” Dominion said, his voice a low murmur. “Focus on that energy. Pull it towards you. Let it in and fill your core.”
Erik focused, reaching out with his senses, trying to draw the energy in. It was like trying to catch a breeze with his hands—intangible, elusive. He gritted his teeth, his brow furrowing in concentration.
“Slow,” Dominion said, his tone soft but firm. “Feel it. Let it see your core and let it in.”
Erik relaxed, taking another breath, and this time, he felt the energy respond. It moved toward him, flowing into his body, filling the emptiness within his core. It was a strange sensation—like a warmth spreading through his veins, a light growing inside him, followed by a lingering sensation as if his arm had fallen asleep and he had lost control of it.
“Good,” Dominion said, nodding. “This is just the beginning. You must cultivate this energy, make it your own. It will take time—patience. But once you master it, you will be able to harness the… elements themselves.”
Later, Erik found himself once again with Gretch, the older goblin trainer with a missing eye and a penchant for cryptic lessons. Gretch had been tasked with teaching Erik the fundamentals of elemental manipulation—a task that seemed to delight the goblin in the most twisted way possible.
“Stupid human! You feel it yet?” Gretch snapped, whacking Erik on the shoulder with a heavy wooden rod. “No feel, no magic! Feel or die!”
Erik winced, trying to focus on the energy he had sensed earlier. Gretch had a way of making everything sound life or death—usually by threatening Erik with some gruesome fate if he failed.
“Close eyes. Feel air. Feel earth. They talk to you, stupid human!” Gretch barked, his breath reeking of rotten fish. “They no talk, you die. Simple!”
Erik closed his eyes, trying to block out Gretch’s voice, trying to feel the elements around him. He took a deep breath, letting the air fill his lungs, trying to connect with it. Slowly, he began to feel it—a breeze that seemed to dance around him, a gentle whisper in his mind.
“Mhmmm,” Gretch grunted, nodding. “Move it. It’s yours. Control or be controlled.”
Erik focused, trying to move the air, to bend it to his will. It was difficult, like trying to push against a heavy weight, but he could feel it responding—slowly, reluctantly.
“Better. Maybe not so stupid after all,” Gretch muttered, his lips twitching with something that might have been approval. “But still weak. Need more training. More feeling.”
Gretch handed Erik a sword—a plain, unassuming blade. “Sword part of you. Magic in you must flow through it.” The goblin paused, his nose twitching as he considered Erik. “But no magic, no flow. You different. You pull from around. See if you can.”
Erik took the sword, frowning at Gretch. “Pull from around me? How?”
“Like this!” Gretch’s arm shot out, and his own blade ignited in a greenish flame that flickered with an eerie glow. “See? Feel energy. Flow into blade. Like breath—inhale, exhale.”
Erik took a deep breath, focusing on the energy he had felt earlier. He visualized it flowing into him, through his arm, into the sword. For a moment, nothing happened—just the weight of the blade in his hand. But then, slowly, he felt it—a warmth, a tingling sensation, as the energy moved, as it filled the blade.
The sword ignited, dark flames licking along the steel, and Erik could feel the connection—like an extension of himself. But there was something else too—a darkness, a taint, as the energy passed through the demonic presence within him, twisting, corrupting.
“Good,” Gretch grunted, his one eye gleaming. “Dark, but good. You channel, but careful. Demon change it. Make it dangerous.”
Erik nodded, not that he understood much of what the goblin pair said. He could use the energy, but there was a cost—a risk. The demonic influence tainted everything it touched, and if he used too much, it would weaken the seals, bringing him closer to losing control. However, Erik couldn’t help but notice that the magic he felt when he was with Dominion felt different—almost corrosive.
The day of the next trial arrived sooner than Erik had expected. He was led into a new training chamber, the air cold, the light dim. Dominion stood at the edge of the room, his face expressionless, as Erik faced the specters—twisted, ghostly figures that moved like shadows, their forms shifting and writhing.
Erik’s sword ignited in dark flame, his heart pounding. He could feel their presence, could sense the darkness within them—a cold, creeping sensation that seemed to seep into his very soul.
The specters moved, their attacks swift and relentless, their forms blurring as they struck. Erik parried, his blade clashing against the ghostly limbs, but each strike seemed to take something from him—each touch of the specters’ cold essence draining his strength, his will.
The attacks were not just physical—they were mental. Erik could feel it, the way the specters seemed to reach into his mind, to pull at his memories, his fears. Images flashed before his eyes—memories of his time as a slave, of the chains, of the darkness. He could feel the despair, the hopelessness, the sense of being trapped, of being powerless.
“No,” he whispered, his voice shaking, as he fought against the specters, his sword a blur of dark flame. “I won’t… I won’t go back.”
But the specters were relentless, their attacks unending, and Erik could feel himself weakening, could feel his will faltering. The darkness was overwhelming, the cold seeping into his very soul.
“Foolish human,” N’zol’s voice hissed in his mind, filled with disdain. “You let them in. You let them see your fear.”
Erik stumbled, his vision blurring, as the specters closed in, their forms shifting, merging, until they became one—a single figure, cloaked in shadow, its presence a void, a corruption.
“An Eldritch Wraith,” N’zol growled, his voice filled with hatred. “A creature of the void. This is no training. This is an execution.”
Erik’s heart pounded, fear surging through him as the Eldritch Wraith moved toward him, its presence overwhelming. He could feel it—the way it seemed to pull at him, to reach into his core, to corrupt, to consume.
“Fight!” N’zol roared, his voice echoing in Erik’s mind. “Fight, or be devoured!”
The Eldritch wraith shot forward towards Erik, releasing a plasma attack filled with corruptive Eldritch energy meant to infiltrate its prey’s body.
Erik’s demon-imbued hand shot out, the mouth on his palm opening wide, jagged teeth gleaming as it caught the wraith’s attack, swallowing it whole.
The wraith twisted and recoiled, its form blurring, and Erik knew he had only a moment—a single chance. He lunged, his sword igniting in dark flame, the blade slicing through the wraith’s form, the dark energy burning it away, leaving the wraith temporarily incorporeal as it attempted to piece itself back together.
Erik’s breath came in ragged gasps as the Eldritch Wraith’s attack was devoured within his body, his heart pounding like a war drum. The twisted grin on the mouth of his hand seemed almost mocking, savoring the dark energy it had consumed. He took a step forward—just one more push—but felt the strain, the exhaustion threatening to pull him down, the weight of the demonic power almost unbearable.
Dominion remained in the shadows, eyes gleaming with something dark and calculating. He hadn’t moved, hadn’t lifted a finger to help or stop the fight. He merely watched, like a detached god surveying his creation. Erik’s instincts screamed—there was something more behind that gaze, a hidden intent.
The goblin trainers had fled, their shrieks of “Bad bad juju!” echoing as they vanished into the darkness. But Dominion stayed, whispering to the cultists who obediently formed a circle, a low chant escaping their lips, drawing energy from some unseen source. Erik’s gaze fixed on the tainted, putrid green glow gathering in Dominion’s hands. The sight of it sent a chill racing down his spine—a chill so deep even the demon inside him flinched.
“Erik!” N’Zol’s voice roared in his mind, urgent, almost panicked. “This isn’t a test! You need to stop Dominion now!”
The demon’s words hit like a blow. Erik could feel it—something terrible, something beyond anything he understood, a dark, corrupted power. His eyes widened as fear clawed at him, disbelief following fast. Even N’Zol was afraid. Whatever Dominion was, whatever power he wielded, Erik couldn’t afford to be weak. Not now.
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Erik felt a deep fear, something primal rising in him as he glanced toward Dominion, seeing the tainted energy grow, dark and endless. The cultists’ chants grew louder, the putrid green glow spreading across the floor like spilled ink, tendrils of the dark magic creeping toward him. N’Zol’s panic surged, the demon’s voice turning guttural, almost feral.
“Give. Me. Control. NOW!” the demon roared, and Erik could feel the raw terror in its demand—an emotion that felt foreign coming from such a being of power.
Erik hesitated for a heartbeat, and then, as the darkness approached, he let go.
N’Zol surged forward, taking control of Erik’s body with an intensity that felt like fire in his veins. Erik’s vision blurred, his limbs moved without his command. Power coursed through him—pure demonic energy—pushing his body to its limits. With a flash, he moved, faster than thought, faster than light, a dark blur tearing across the chamber.
In an instant, Erik appeared before Dominion. He struck with all the demon’s strength, his fist colliding with Dominion’s chest in a brutal punch that sent a shockwave through the chamber, shattering the runic protections that had shielded Dominion. The putrid green energy dispersed in a blast, revealing Dominion’s true form—a twisted, mutated shape that writhed beneath his tattered robes.
But before the demon could follow through with a death blow to the barely recognizable Dominion, the cultists’ chanting reached its crescendo, and the green darkness erupted from the ground, enveloping Dominion entirely. The Eldritch power slammed into Erik like a wall, the connection with N’Zol abruptly severed. Erik felt his body go rigid, the control ripped away from the demon as the dark spell took hold, locking N’Zol out completely.
Dominion’s body became shrouded in the green, putrid darkness, writhing and reshaping as the Eldritch power enveloped him. Erik stood frozen, the pressure of the spell forcing him to watch as the corrupted transformation took hold, a dark force beyond anything he had ever faced. And in that moment, as the putrid glow intensified, Erik knew—this was far from over.
The green darkness faded like dispersing mist from a crashing wave, Dominion’s facade crumbling. Dominion’s robes, once immaculate and pristine, began to fray and decay before Erik’s eyes. The cloth seemed to rot away, disintegrating into tattered, soiled shreds that clung to his disfigured form. Dominion’s transformation was grotesque—his limbs elongated, twisted at unnatural angles, and his skin took on a pallid, corpse-like hue. Where once stood a seemingly human priest now stood a monstrosity, his mouth twisted in a perpetual grimace, teeth sharpened to ragged points, his voice shifting into something barely human—a scraggly, echoing rasp that resonated like fingernails scraping on metal.
“You… are mine,” it hissed, its voice inhuman, the evil taint evident in every syllable. Its eyes glowed with an eerie, greenish light, and the markings on its body shifted and swirled, forming grotesque symbols. Dominion’s body seemed to writhe as if it was alive, the energy inside it surging and moving beneath its flesh like a swarm of insects.
Erik’s body started to feel heavy, as if all the weight of the world were attached to each joint pulling him down into a deep sleep. Except Erik’s mind was reeling with anger and rage, and he could taste the blood running down into his mouth from his nose. The sudden use of such a tremendous amount of demonic power left him in a state of delirious, half-awake fever dreams and pain.
Inside Erik’s mind, the demon’s voice echoed, guttural and furious. “Pathetic. You think you can stand there, wavering? There is no time.”
Erik could hardly catch his breath, his vision swimming, every muscle quaking from exhaustion. The twisted, eldritch form that had been Dominion moved closer, its presence casting a dark shadow across the room, its eyes like a pit drawing in all light. Erik felt the weight of the moment crushing him—his strength fading with every heartbeat.
The demon’s voice returned, harsher, colder. “The cultists’ spell binds me to my core—I cannot intervene. But there is another way. One that I do not wish to grant, but my destruction is guaranteed if we do not act.”
The eldritch priest’s gaze pierced through Erik, the twisted grin widening, malice dripping from every inch of his disfigured face. The demon continued, relentless, a cruel tone in its words. “Accept a demonic soulbinding—a pact that tethers your soul to mine. It will damn you, but grant you power beyond this pathetic state. Reject it, and you die here like every other failure.”
Erik’s pulse hammered, his heart pounding in his chest as the weight of the demon’s demand struck him. A soulbinding? The gravity of the offer sank in, deep and cold, cutting through his exhaustion. His soul—his very essence—would be bound to this monstrous being, and the ramifications to his own mental state, personality, and identity were cause enough to say no.
Another surge of darkness welled from the eldritch priest, an aura of pure menace growing with every passing second. Erik looked into that abyss and knew: there was no other choice. If he refused, there would be no more struggle. No chance to survive. He was on the brink of death, facing eternal grief as a warped Eldritch being, and there was only one way to push back.
Erik’s heartbeat pounded in his ears, a dull, rhythmic thunder that drowned out the world around him. Suddenly, a crimson red notification appeared in his vision, the words inscribed in jagged demonic characters that shifted and rearranged themselves until they became something Erik could understand.
Accept Demonic Soul Pact from: Demon Prince of the Black Abyss?
“What is this?” Erik could barely raise his hand in an attempt to touch the crimson words, but they simply passed right through his hands as if they were made of smoke and reconstituted back into the letters they were.
“Deliverance. There is more to his existence than this world alone” N’zol responded solemnly.
Erik glanced up at the Eldritch abomination coming toward him, a mixture of fear and trepidation. His fatigued mind wandered to the seals around his core and what it meant to give up himself for a power that would consume him.
The Eldritch abomination let out a shriek that tore through Erik’s mind like a thousand jagged shards, snapping him back to the edge of an irreversible decision. His vision swam, dark tendrils creeping at the edges, as he stood at the precipice of his own fate.
There was no middle path, no escape, no salvation. Either he would become a mindless vessel, twisted into an abomination of eldritch horror, or he would wield the very force that had terrorized humanity—a power Erik had never sought, a curse that had been thrust upon him.
A choice that demanded more than he was ready to give. But if he had to descend into darkness, then let it be by his own will. If he had to become monstrous, let it be with purpose. Let it be with the power to fight back, to strike fear into the things that would control him, even if that power could one day consume him in turn. He would carve his story into the shadows, wielding the terror as his own.
With a ragged breath, Erik gave in, his acceptance silent but absolute. His head dropping down and his chin touching his chest, letting out the faintest of whispers, “Yes.”
System Activated: Demonic Soul Binding Runic Interface Initiated
As Found Status
Health: 19%
Stamina: 5%
Demonic Energy: 10%
Primal Energy: 75%
Warning: Demonic Energy Levels Depleted. Engaging Reserves to initiate recovery.
Warning: No Magical Reserves Detected.
Erik’s head spun as the notifications continued, the words flashing in rapid succession, overwhelming his senses.
Warning: Recovery costs will be removed from highest resource pool. Primal Energy Released.
Warning: Primal Core release limit exceeded, Core Restrictions removed. Engaging Overflow Parameters. Releasing Primal Energy into Meridian System.
Erik felt an immense surge of energy coursing through him, the primal energy flooding his body. His meridians, pathways that he barely understood, flared to life, the energy burning like liquid fire in his veins.
Warning: Core restrictions detected. Removing restrictive measures. Restrictions removed. Additional anomaly detected.
Alert: Current Core Anomaly incompatible with expected demonic core.
Alert: New core discovered: -Redacted- engaged
Manifesting -Redacted- core integration with Meridians. New Meridians Unlocked.
Meridian Pathways incompatible with host. Adopting parasitic Meridian protocols
Symbiosis successful. Meridians of N’Zol integrated with target -Redacted- core
Initialize
The internal energy burned him from the inside out, his body and meridians feeling like slivers of magic stabbing inside his veins. Erik’s body trembled under the strain. He could feel the power—the raw, untamed power of the primal energy and the demonic energy melding together.
Warning: Full System Reset Activated. Preparing for demonic uplink in 3, 2, 1… Error… Link Blocked. Engaging Closest Demonic Presence.
Demonic Presence Found. Requesting Demonic Assistance
Error… Cannot Assist Self.
Erik felt a jolt as the system paused, then seemed to reset itself, the notifications flickering.
System Refresh Initiated. Bypass authorized
System Locked. Unauthorized User Detected
Detecting Host Classification…
Error, Host Race “Human” incompatible with symbiotic expectation.
Searching for closest compatible race.
Race Found: Requires Royal Approval.
Royal Approval Found. Authorized.
The system’s final notification flashed, and Erik could feel something change within him, the energy settling, his senses sharpening.
Initialization complete
Welcome to the Demonic System
Title: Unknown
Race: Cambion
Classification: Guardian Class
Group: Royal Protector Group
Skill Set: Developing
Rank: Brimstone
Level: 1
New Active Skill Acquired: Sin Eater
New Passive Skill Unlocked: Eldritch Detection.
New Passive Skill Unlocked: Demonic Detection.
New Passive Skill Unlocked: Demonic Eyesight.
Erik’s eyes went deep blood red, and blood began to stream down his face, his vision tinted crimson.
Suddenly, Erik felt the presence of the Eldritch abomination behind him, its dark, sinister energy pressing against his back. Without turning, Erik’s demon-imbued hand rose, the mouth on his palm opening wide. The abomination launched a terrifying green plasma attack that released droplets of deep forest green that burned the stone as it touched the ground.
The mouth opened and sucked in deeply. Erik could feel the connection to his core. The Eldritch magic, having found a home inside his core surrounding the primal energy that had once again filled his core, was now canceling out the energy and converting it to primal energy. The green trail of plasma was gone, and his body felt a shudder of pure energy followed by a feeling of ecstasy, followed by deep-seated fear that washed over Erik’s mind and body.
The Eldritch abomination shrieked in anger and launched itself towards Erik, crawling on all four of its elongated arms and legs, now with a tongue whipping out, full of warts oozing green pus and bits of plasma that made up the initial blast of green plasma.
Erik, having little strength left, stepped forward, his body trembling, but the spell that was consumed somehow revitalized his body enough to stand firm once again. With a growl, he drove his fist into the Eldritch chest on his own accord this time, spending the remaining energy he had accumulated from the absorbed spell, the impact exposing its ribcage and sunken, tattered core. The eldritch energy within the abomination flared, and a mark of geometric signs and a crest of some sort flared outward, projecting a crest into the air. The demon inside Erik growled at the sight of the crest. “Vikarion,” the demon’s words dripping with venom.
Erik’s face twisted in pain, his body pushed far beyond what his latent power could ever achieve. He now stood over the convulsing body of what once was Dominion, his demonic eye glowing, his breath coming in ragged gasps. He could feel the power once coursing through him dissipating, the fury that drove him now the only thing that kept him standing.
The demon within Erik roared, its voice filled with fury and recognition. “Now feed!”
Erik, having little mental strength left to object, lowered his demonic hand over the fidgeting Eldritch abomination with a new message box appearing.
Consume corrupted core of Eldritch Priest?
Erik breathed out after landing on a choice that he was becoming all too familiar with. He spoke it in a soft tone, knowing that the core once belonged to a person like him, with a history of life and sorrow behind it. Erik opened his mouth.
“Yes.”
Engaging Sin Eater Skill
The demonic mouth opened, and a deep thrumming vibration that sounded like a bottomless cavern into the abyss released distorted waves that seemed like a mirage hitting the core of the Eldritch being. The tainted core energy went pale, and the body of the once-advisor Dominion seized as it slowly crumbled into dust, a green essence stringing along in various directions and angles and thicknesses was sucked into the mouth and subsequently closed.
Demonic Soul Pact successful
New skill set unlocked: Seven Deadly Sins
Skill locked: Requirements not met
Skill locked: Requirements not met
Skill locked: Requirements not met
Skill locked: Requirements not met
Skill locked: Requirements not met
Skill locked: Requirements not met
Skill forcefully unlocked: Sin of Wrath
Effect: Unleash overwhelming fury, greatly enhancing physical abilities at the cost of defense and recovery.
Warning: Risk of losing control high, depletes all energy sources. Requires emergency recovery.
As Left Status Update
Health: 29%
Stamina: 15%
Demonic Energy: 0%
Primal Energy: 8%
-Redacted- Core: Absorbing Eldritch Core 8% conversion to primal energy completed
Sin of Wrath disengaged
Emergency recovery activated - Time to recover: 2 days
System After Action Update
Title Update
Title changed from Unknown to: Eldritch Exorcist
Skill Set Update
Skill set changed from Developing to: Seven Deadly Sins
Progression Update
Progression to Next Level: 99% Complete. Recover fully to engage in level increase
Sin Eater reached Level 1
Skill Name: Sin Eater
Type: Active Skill
Effect: Invoke the dark blessing of the Devourer to consume the sins, corruption, and magical energy of your foes. Upon activation, a spectral, abyssal maw manifests, drawing in all hostile energies within range. Each consumed essence replenishes core capacity and temporarily boosts demonic power. The power consumed is proportional to the corruption or sin of the target. Continued feeding will upgrade the skill, increasing the durations of recovery and restoring a certain percentage of stamina, health, and demonic energy.
Skill Description: A blessing twisted in darkness—a promise from the abyss. With each essence swallowed, power grows… but remember, even blessings come at a cost.
Secondary Effect: If the target’s essence is of Eldritch energy, the user gains a temporary shield of demonic energy that absorbs incoming damage and returns 10% of the damage to the attacker as thorns, causing both physical and mental damage. Shield duration and strength will greatly increase if an Eldritch core is consumed.
Drawback: This skill is inherently risky, as consuming deeply corrupted energy has the potential to overwhelm user’s core if not enough time is allowed for the user to absorb the energy, leading to temporary loss of control and unleashing a latent demonic force. If overused, the caster risks a Sin Overload—a dangerous state that may trigger the wrath of the Devourer itself, compelling the user into an uncontrollable berserker fury resulting in the passive activation of the Sin of Wrath, consuming the excess energy not absorbed. Recovery penalty increased by 25%.
Cooldown: 60 seconds
Duration: Effect lasts until all energy within range is consumed or 10 seconds have passed. The shield effect, if triggered, lasts for an additional 20 seconds. Eldritch Core consumption increases shield effect to the amount of time remaining to absorb the core.
Skill Name: Sin of Wrath
Type: Active and Passive Accumulation Skill
Effect: Channel the rage and fury of the Sin of Wrath to dramatically enhance physical abilities, granting the caster superhuman strength, speed, and resilience for a limited duration. When activated, the caster’s eyes glow a deep, demonic red, and their presence becomes that of an unstoppable force of pure wrath. Attacks become significantly more powerful, breaking through armor and barriers with ease. Physical strikes unleash shockwaves, capable of knocking back multiple enemies.
Skill Description: To ascend in wrath is to become a force of nature—unstoppable, unforgiving, and unrestrained. But rage, when unchecked, can consume even the mightiest of warriors.
Secondary Effect: Rage Ignition—Whenever the caster is struck by an enemy while the shield of Sin Eater is active, there is a 4% chance that the rage will explode outward in a fiery shockwave, dealing damage to all surrounding enemies.
Drawback: Prolonged use of this skill puts immense strain on the caster’s body, leading to internal damage if used beyond the safe limit. Once the duration ends, the caster experiences intense exhaustion and may find themselves vulnerable to enemy attacks. Additionally, the overwhelming power of wrath may lead to temporary loss of self-control, risking collateral damage to allies and surroundings. Consumes all available resource pools.
Cooldown: 24 hours
Duration: 30 seconds, extended by 5 seconds for each successful kill (maximum duration: 1 minute).
New Passive Skill Unlocked: Eldritch Detection
Effect: Automatically sense the presence of Eldritch entities or energy within a certain range. Grants the user an intuitive understanding of the level of threat and location.
New Passive Skill Unlocked: Demonic Detection
Effect: Constantly detect demonic entities or magic nearby. Provides insight into the demonic nature of targets, including their strength and possible weaknesses.
New Passive Skill Unlocked: Demonic Eyesight
Effect: Gain enhanced vision capable of seeing in darkness, detecting magic auras, and perceiving through illusions. Demonic Eyesight also allows the user to read hidden demonic runes and sigils.
Erik staggered, feeling the weight of everything pressing down on him—the exhaustion, the unending fury, the realization of what he had just faced. His legs gave way, and he sank to the ground, struggling to maintain consciousness as darkness began to edge into his vision. The world around him blurred, colors blending together in a chaotic swirl. The demon’s laughter echoed somewhere deep within, amused by his predicament, but even that sound faded as Erik’s strength ebbed.
Suddenly, he felt it—an instinctive surge of energy from within. “Sin Eater.” The shield activated without conscious thought, responding to the Eldritch core being absorbed, enveloping him in a shimmering, slightly transparent crimson barrier. It hummed around him, pulsing with the energy he had absorbed—the very essence of those he had devoured now shielding him, protecting him from further harm. It felt like a cocoon of power, an instinctual defense mechanism meant to sustain him in his most vulnerable moments.
The crimson shield glowed faintly, flickering in time with his shallow breaths, the energy humming like an electric fence, crackling, buzzing with latent force. He tried to move, but the weight of his fatigue crushed him down, making every thought feel distant, sluggish. Erik’s mind continued to fight, holding off the darkness as long as it could, and finally, with one last deep exhale, his consciousness slipped away, the red glow of his shield the last thing keeping him tethered to this world as he fell forward, nose smashing into the ground and dust pluming up and over his head.