She was the knight of the world. At a very young age, her natural strength spoke for her. People bowed before her, children and adults alike. They worshipped her strength as though she were a goddess.

Too much expectation for a child, a commoner blessed by the gods, at that. Not once did she have a moment to herself. And yet, she was always lonely.

Beneath the glory and fame was a lonely child. She'd never had the privilege of playing with friends, never felt the warmth of being called one. Depression clung to her like a leech…

Yet everyone was too preoccupied with her strength to notice, even her own parents. To them, she was nothing but a tool built by the gods.

In this world, living with the weight of her past life for decades, she could only dream of breaking the chains of depression.

***

Seraph took Halo to a deserted land littered with collapsed buildings, as though a battle had taken place.

In the distance, at the center of the wasteland, stood a partly collapsed building. Even a toddler could sense the powerful presence within.

Halo turned to Seraphim with a confused expression.

"What's going on, Seraph?"

She shrugged, struggling to keep eye contact as her eyes darted everywhere but Halo's face.

"I'm sorry, Halo… I truly am. I didn't have a choice. One day, I'll make this right. I know you're strong enough to win."

The moment she spoke, she fled into the bushes behind. Two others joined her, their murmurs and footsteps loud in the silence. Before they could completely vanish, Halo's clothes were torn to shreds.

He glanced at his bare torso, and everything was piecing together now.

'Oh, so that's how she located me.'

Seraph had given Halo the clothes, and he'd known someone's True Ability had conjured them.

The fabric was too dark, as though an immense aura radiated from it constantly, and it even repaired itself the moment it tore.

Halo exhaled deeply.

Whoever this person was had definitely threatened them into bringing him here. If they hadn't complied, the consequences wouldn't have been good.

As a people pleaser, Seraph couldn't resist. Perhaps her companions knew about her Flaw as well.

'How can the gods love me so much?'

Without a moment's hesitation, he approached the presence in the distance.

His thoughts raced through countless possibilities, but he couldn't recall offending anyone who possessed such an overwhelming presence.

Only Hex came to mind, but that witch would've killed him long ago if she'd wanted to.

"Funny, isn't it? The ones we call friends can betray us in a heartbeat to protect themselves. But in your case… she even took a piece of my sword. You must have meant a lot to her."

A deep and confident feminine voice echoed in the distance.

Halo paused, his eyes narrowing.

Before him emerged a woman with thick red hair, marked by a striking white streak down one side, as though from old age.

She looked calm and experienced. With her imposing presence and muscular, athletic build, she had every reason to be.

She wore only a black sports bra and grey underwear, likely she was in training before Halo arrived. She had a scar across her torso and white bandages wrapped around her hands and feet.

"Jeez, put on some clothes, would you?"

Halo said with clear annoyance.

The woman struck a pose.

"Look who's talking… and you're half-naked too!"

The moment she spoke, Saint took form and leaned toward Halo.

"Don't be stupid. That's the legendary Kysa."

Halo's eyes widened in startlement.

"Wait, what? I thought she was supposed to be a giant. I'm taller than her!"

He murmured and trembled for a moment.

Why would Kysa want him? Why would she even trade a part of her ethereal sword just for this?

"So Fade was right. You can actually bring the dead to life."

He gulped. Fade was the one who sold him out?

Kysa vanished and reappeared a moment later, now wearing black trousers.

"We are even now…"

She said with a casual look.

This didn't seem like the Kysa he'd heard of at all. Not only was she shorter than expected, but her whole demeanor was different. Maybe people change with age.

"What do you want from me?"

Kysa began walking toward Halo.

Halo took a step back.

"I am going to kill you."

Halo grimaced.

"Huh?"

"Fade was here. He claimed he found a will to live because of you. He even believes you can defeat me. Bold… or maybe foolish."

Halo gulped bile.

'What the fuck?'

He took another backward step.

"The Galactic Castle isn't mine any longer. That fire in his eyes left me no choice but to bow… all because of you."

Kysa paused.

"Wait, but you defeated him before. Why not fight?"

Kysa laughed.

"You don't know the Fade of Bridle, do you? And still, he was certain you were his disciple… his best one ever. And you have no idea who he really is?

"Even on my best day, I'd need more than raw strength to defeat him. He allowed me to win out of nothing but boredom. Do you understand? Boredom."

Halo sighed.

He knew that much. It was obvious from the start, Fade wasn't normal.

But still, there was a predicament before him. How was he going to survive against this monster?

Kysa frowned.

"I despise people, and honestly, I've laughed with you longer than you ever deserved."

The moment the words left her, Halo and Saint stepped back, putting distance between themselves and Kysa.

Halo immediately summoned the rest of his clones, including Spineless, and they all assumed their stance.

Kysa tilted toward them slightly.

"This is between you and me!"

Halo forced smirked.

"You have a giant's power… one slap would cave my ribs in. And without my clones, well… I'm nothing."

Kysa's expression softened.

"Oh? I can only use my giant powers in my true form. Which means this will be a fair fight. No True Abilities. Let's fight with honor."

This sounded promising. Kysa didn't seem inclined to let him leave, but if they fought without True Abilities, he could put up a fight. That's how he'd always fought anyway.

His smirk widened.

"Is that so? Then I'll end this in three minutes."

Kysa frowned.

"Why's that?"

The confidence in Halo's eyes was undeniable.

"Because I'm a pro…"

Kysa looked amused for a moment.

"Ha… I'm already loving this."

Halo commanded his clones to disappear, but Saint didn't.

"I can try to read her mind for you…"

Halo kept his eyes fixated on Kysa, not sparing Dark Saint a glance.

"No, Saint. She's mine."

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