"Don''t you know who I am? I thought my debut was quite ostentatious. I seem like a denizen from another realm."


    "She''s a viin!"


    Isabe asserts.


    "You''re no help. Run away quickly!"


    Was it because I couldn''t grasp the meaning of "It''s no use" in that moment?


    Or was it because I didn''t want to leave Isabe behind while I fled?


    I remained motionless, my feet nted firmly on the ground.


    "Kim Sang-hyuk!"


    "I''ve even feasted on expensive meat, so I can''t just abandon the situation."


    "Haha, aren''t you scared of me?"


    "Ugh!"


    Where did she go?


    Just when I thought I had lost my target, I saw Isabe abruptly transform and collide with her opponent.


    My body is lifted into the air by the force of the impact.


    And then…


    Just before my feet touched the ground again, Xenovia reappeared behind me.


    *Whoosh!*


    "Urk!"


    Blood gushes out. At first, I couldn''tprehend what had just happened.


    A ck, rigid arm, reminiscent of a demon, had emerged from my chest.


    It had cleanly pierced through me from behind.


    "Haha."


    The dark-skinned woman twisted her lips into a forced smile, as if she were watching the dullest movie in the world.


    "If you''re going to introduce me, do it properly. I''m not just some ordinary viin, Isabe."


    "Kim Sang-hyuk!"


    *Swish.*


    My arm was yanked out with immense force. I didn''t even feel any pain. It was all thanks to my brain recognizing the catastrophic crisis and releasing adrenaline to its limit. Strength drained from my limbs, and I copsed to the ground.


    "But Isabe, she''s your disciple, right? She''s quite weak."


    Isabe confronted the dark-skinned woman once more. In my current state, I could barelyprehend that a battle beyond the speed of sound was unfolding before me. The ground trembled beneath their feet.


    "Are you desperate to push me away? Can you do it? A full-body masterpiece like that can''t be used with such a low level of magical strength."


    *Bam!!*


    Isabe was sent hurtling across the floor, rolling roughly along the ground.


    "Didn''t I teach you?"


    "...Ugh...*cough*…!!"


    ''So powerful…''


    Isabe can''t even stand a chance against her. Even though her transformation was iplete, the process took less than a second. The dark-skinned woman, who managed to strike at Isabe''s vitals in that fleeting moment, ruthlessly stomped on my head, which was immobilized due to the pration through my body.


    "Don''t feel wronged. It was your heroes who started it all."


    "Ugh…ack…"


    "It''s a wonder you didn''t die instantly. Your entire heart was ripped out, along with your ribs."


    "Cough…gasp…"


    What is this?


    I can barely move.


    A pool of blood grows darker on the floor.


    This feels unreal. Who would have thought that after sharing a meal with a beautiful heroine, I''d end up like this?


    Enn… help me…


    My voice won''te out anymore.


    "Kim Sang-hyuk… Kim Sang-hyuk! Snap out of it!"


    Isabe cried out and copsed on the ground. It seemed like a desperate howl.


    "Don''t die! Pull yourself together! I''ll find a way to save you!"


    "What can crybaby Isabe do?"


    Thwack! Thud!


    What followed was a one-sided onught.


    An S-ss hero, utterly powerless.


    The ck-d woman was that formidable.


    "Isabe. Have you forgotten? I am your misfortune."


    "Kim Sang-hyuk is not my concern! He''s not my disciple! Let him receive treatment, please!"


    "Hmm? Judging by your tearful expression, I''d say otherwise."


    "…Xenovia!"


    With a metallic nk.


    A mask settles on Isabe''s face. Simrly, Xenovia dons a mask—the finalponent of her transformation suit—and emits a menacing ck glow from her eyes. As the ensuing battle unfolds, my body feels battered and bruised, as if absorbing the very vibrations of the ground beneath me.


    I''m dying… It''s already a fatal wound, and my consciousness is fading.


    "When I sought you, you were hidden from sight, but after five years of concealment, you finally emerged!"


    "Well, you piqued my curiosity. I couldn''t help bute and see what could make you, who always pursued me with such a stern expression,ugh so joyfully."


    "Hmph!"


    The disparity in strength is evident. Xenovia stands her ground, not yielding an inch to Isabe, who strains to push her back. She is undeniably powerful—almost too much so!


    "Kim Sang-hyuk! Snap out of it! Ugh… Kuh…!"


    "Your breathing is all over the ce. Are you alright?"


    "Shut up!"


    "Does the sight of your disciple, lost in the throes of death, bother you so much? Shall I put an end to him?"


    As Xenovia attempts to crush my head with her supersonic strength, Isabe hurls herself over me, shielding my body from harm.


    **Crack!**


    "Ugh!!"


    "If you don''t move, your spine will shatter, you know?"


    "Stop… please… He''s different from you."


    "What''s so different? I''m not even curious."


    Merciless trampling rains down on Isabe''s back.


    She had never felt such rage before.


    "Now the suit will break? Will you die instead?"


    Despite being trampled on her back and vomiting blood, Isabe refused to budge.


    "One~~, two~~."


    In the briefest moment of respite she could muster, Isabe left her final words.


    "Thank you for calling me a great hero. Kim Sang-hyuk."


    [Mother Erin hastily checks the situation while taking care of her child.]


    [Saintess Erin''s healing!]


    Huh? The wounds have healed.


    Completely recovered, I held Isabe and rolled to the side.


    Tumble, tumble.


    "?"


    Xenovia stared at me, unable toprehend the situation for a moment.


    "How did you heal?"


    I tightly embraced Isabe.


    She was gravely injured, taking the blow meant for me.


    Can''t this be healed?


    "Saintess. Please heal my wife too!!"


    [Erin ponders for a moment]


    "Please!"


    [She agrees to help with the silver-haired heroine''s request.]


    Ah, relief!


    Isabe, who had been struggling to breathe, now wore a rxed expression.


    Thank you foring, even though it''s the perfect time to care for the baby. Holy Lady.


    ''…''


    Perhaps wary of my unidentified healing power, Xenovia does not approach me.


    ''A desperate situation.''


    [Activation of the "Undying Rule" ability]


    For the first time, one of my abilities was activated.


    The sound of chains slithered.


    Apanied by the sound of chains moving, a mysterious beauty appears beside me.


    Xenovia, startled, backs away. It''s her first reaction of this kind.


    Suddenly, she was there. What is this?


    [The Death Collector appears due to the contract of immortality.]


    Death… Collector…?


    A woman called the ''Death Collector,'' with an embarrassingly revealing outfit and a blindfold,


    stands with her light purple hair cascading down her back.


    Though she calls it a "blindfold," it resembles goggles from the sci-fi genre, made of a hard material akin to an insect''s carapace.


    The garment was akin to high-cut legwear, leaving her buttocks and legs almost entirely exposed.


    What is this?


    Suddenly, the atmosphere turns suggestive!


    "What kind of power is this?"


    It seemed that Xenovia quickly recognized that this was some sort of ''power.''


    "Healing abilities rival immortality. The power to summon humanoid minions. Both are traits that an SS-ss hunter should possess."


    "If you were curious about me, why didn''t you just say so?"


    I am the one carrying a god on my back. And I am rightfully infuriated.


    [The Deathtaker awaits yourmand.]


    I had an intuition.


    This is a deceitful ability.


    If it weren''t for Isabe''s older sister, I would have simply ordered her execution.


    Nevertheless, since they are family, I believe there must be a backstory.


    For instance, the preceding quest I had skipped.


    Isabe''s family history.


    It feels somewhat wrong to just kill her.


    ''In fact, considering her actions, it would be wasteful to simply end her life.''


    I desire a punishment more severe than death.


    This is the first time I''ve surrendered to such a feeling.


    "Increase the output by about 30%."


    "First and foremost, discipline Isabe three times as much as she was injured!"


    Immediately after I issued mymand,


    The Death Collector''s kick struck Xenovia''s abdomen like lightning, sending her tumbling across the floor like a ball.


    "Ugh!"


    Incredible…!!


    [Sufficient retribution cannot be achieved through this instruction.]


    [Additional retribution requested]


    Xenovia already appeared to be incapacitated, lying there, trembling and vomiting blood.


    "What? This is absurd."


    [Stress index conversion: 999 deaths demanded]


    "Wait a moment! You''re nning to kill a thousand people? That''s not eptable."


    Wasn''t that a crazy ability?


    I grabbed the collectors and stopped them.


    "Hold on! Collector-chan!"


    I caught and calmed down Collector-chan, who seemed on the verge ofmitting mass murder.


    "Isn''t there another way?"


    In the brief moment when I considered other options,


    Xenovia reappeared behind me!


    As if she wasn''t a despicable viin already, this was like a surprise attack, season 2!


    Honestly, I was taken aback. I hadn''t expected the injured woman to move so swiftly.


    "Even if the minion is powerful, if I can kill the main body!"


    [The Reaper Takes the Damage Instead]


    [Stress Index Conversion]


    [Update]


    [2,383 deaths demanded]


    "…"


    There were no injuries to my body. Xenovia''s arm slipped out as though I were a ghost.


    What''s going on? Am I invulnerable?


    "What…?!"


    The 『Immortal Discipline』…


    ''I never realized it was such an incredible power!''


    Alright, let''s do this!


    "Don''t kill me; just beat me enough to make me wish I were dead!"


    Jingsu-chan moved like a bolt of lightning.


    *