The axe slashed downward, and the energy released from the blade in the same instant, forming a compressed arc that tore through the air toward the machine.

At the same time the machine fired.

A beam of blue energy shot forward from its core, cutting straight toward me, meant to pierce through everything in its path.

The two met midair for a fraction of a second.

Then split.

My strike didn’t slow.

The vibrating blade passed cleanly through the beam, dividing it as if it wasn’t there, the energy scattering outward as the attack continued forward without losing force. The distance between it and the machine vanished in an instant.

BOOM!

The strike crashed into the machine, the force tearing through its frame as the entire construct ruptured, metal bending, breaking, then exploding apart as the energy discharged fully. The roof beneath it shattered under the impact, debris flying outward as the machine collapsed completely, its core flickering once before going dark.

I landed a moment later, my feet hitting the roof as the last fragments fell around me, the remains of the machine smoking, broken beyond repair. I stared at the destruction for a brief second, feeling the force still lingering in my arms.

The skill had been stronger than I expected, but when I thought about it, the combination made sense—Overdrive, my passive amplification, and the skill itself stacking together into something far more destructive than a normal strike.

I opened the notification.

[Level Up!]

[Level 40 → 43]

[Combat Points +400]

[Influence Points +0]

[Class Skill Acquired!]

[Radiant Slash 1 (Uncommon) → Release a concentrated arc of radiant or elemental energy through your weapon, forming a high-impact slash that travels forward and tears through anything in its path.]

[Ruin Strike 1 (Active) → Ruin Strike 2 (Active)]

[Overdrive Charge – 100%]

The moment I focused on it, the usage and flow of the new skill rushed into my mind naturally. I exhaled slowly, feeling the shift in my stats and the added clarity from the upgrade.

Without wasting time, I opened the shop, purchased a Grade 2 healing potion, and drank it in one motion. The effect spread quickly, closing wounds, cooling the burns, restoring enough for me to move without restriction again.

The axe in my hand pulsed faintly with heat. It wasn’t overheating. It was responding.

"We’ve got more people to fight," I muttered, tightening my grip.

I stepped off the roof and dropped back into the street, landing cleanly before breaking into a run toward the center of the city.

"Focus mode."

The Overdrive charge shifted instantly, pushing into Dexterity and Intelligence, sharpening my movements and perception at the same time. The world seemed to slow just enough, my reactions tightening as I accelerated forward.

The next group came into view. I looked around but there was no machines this time.

Just believers.

We collided directly. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

They barely had time to react. My speed carried me through them before their formation could settle, the axe moving in precise arcs. Heads fell before swords could rise, bodies dropped before they could adjust. I didn’t slow down, didn’t stop, just moved through them and kept going.

One group turned into another.

Then another.

Machines mounted on rooftops tried to track me, but this time I didn’t give them space. I broke their line of sight, climbed, jumped, and destroyed them before they could fire, each one falling faster than the last.

Thirty minutes passed like that and I ended around 25 believers.

By the time I slowed, the numbers had thinned completely.

[Level Up!]

[Level 43 → 48]

[Combat Points +700]

[Influence Points +0]

I exhaled once and stepped into the open space ahead.

The central plaza.

There were four of them already waiting.

[Believer Human – Level 50]

[Believer Human – Level 48]

[Believer Human – Level 48]

[Believer Human – Level 47]

The one in the center stood slightly ahead of the rest, his build lean, almost fragile at first glance, but the way he held his sword told a different story.

Something about him was different. I let my gaze sweep across them once, then narrowed slightly.

The numbers didn’t add up.

Including the people I had killed, it did not amount to 50.

Either they had scattered or run away from the city.

"Which world are you from?" the man in the center asked.

"I am from here," I replied.

"Are you?" he asked, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"Yes. Now you have two choices," I said, raising my axe slowly, the dried blood along its edge catching the light as it dripped in slow droplets. "You leave the city alive... or we fight, and you leave the city dead. Which one will it be?"

He chuckled lightly.

"There is a third option," he said, shifting his stance slightly. "I take your life."

I exhaled once.

"Fine. If that’s what you want."

I lifted the axe and pointed it at him.

"Radiant Slash."

I slashed the blade in a clean horizontal arc. Fire burst from it instantly, forming a roaring wave of energy that tore through the air, heat rolling ahead of it as the ground beneath shimmered and cracked under the pressure, the fire screaming forward in a straight line toward them. The man at the center didn’t move from his position, but his stance shifted just enough to show the change, his grip tightening as his blade rose.

Then he swung.

"Brilliant Edge."

A silver arc burst from his sword, cutting forward to meet my attack head-on. At the same time, the two beside him moved as well, their own strikes releasing energy, angled into the main clash point.

The attacks collided.

Fire met silver.

The plaza lit up as the energies crashed into each other, the impact tearing through the space between us as the combined force pushed against my strike.

The fire roared, pressing forward, but the added force from their attacks began to cut into it, splitting, weakening, until the entire wave broke apart in a violent burst of heat and scattered flames.

They barely held on. The moment the fire thinned, I moved.

"Impact Burst."

My body shot forward, cutting through the fading flames before they could fully clear, the distance collapsing instantly as I appeared beside the one on the left.

Level 47.

He saw me too late. My axe moved in a clean arc. His head separated before he could raise his blade.

I didn’t stop and used Impact Burst again. The second surge tore through my legs, pain flashing briefly this time, but I ignored it as the force carried me across the space to the next target.

Level 48.

He turned, trying to react, but I was already inside his range.

The axe came down and cut straight through him. His body split cleanly from shoulder to waist, the force carrying through without resistance as he collapsed in two halves.

Then I felt the air shift behind me.

The level 50 moved. His blade came at me in a direct strike, no wasted motion, no hesitation, and I brought my axe up instinctively to meet it.

The collision hit hard.

Metal clashed.

The force behind his attack pushed through immediately, driving into my arms, my stance breaking as my body was forced backward, my feet skidding across the ground before I lost balance completely and was thrown back, the impact sending me sliding across the plaza as the distance between us opened again.