4:A Variable

As Wang Chi reveled in his triumph, the oppressive silence in the room was shattered by the sudden rippling of space. From the void emerged Sylvia, her figure draped in an ethereal elegance that commanded both awe and unease. Her expression was stunned at first, her gaze sweeping over the hero party and lingering momentarily on Adler's battered form.

A stunned hush fell over the hero party. She used the void to travel here?

The implications were staggering. Did she possess a rare spatial artifact? Or was this her innate ability, much like Ash Vickman? If so, had she been concealing it all along?

The hero party instinctively tensed. Lux Layman grip tightened around his twin blades, a flicker of wariness flashing in his eyes. Wei Zu's fingers twitched, arcs of lightning crackling between them. Even Ash Vickman, ever composed, narrowed his eyes in scrutiny. They all understood one thing—Sylvia's arrival was no accident. If Sylvia truly had such an ability, it meant she had hidden a trump card all this time.

Yet, not one of them dared to consider the most terrifying possibility—that she had reached the peak of cultivation itself. At her age, that should have been impossible. Only a handful of people in the entire human continent stood at such an exalted level, and each of their names could be counted on a single hand.

But even so, the evidence was before them.

Wang Chi, ever perceptive, was the first to break the silence, a knowing smirk playing on his lips. "Interesting," he mused, his voice laced with amusement. "Sylvia, I wasn't expecting you."

For a brief moment, Sylvia remained still. Her gaze swept across the room, pausing momentarily on Adler's battered form. Her expression flickered—an unreadable mix of emotions—before her lips curled into a ridiculing smirk.

"Adler," she began, her voice laced with cold derision, "look at you. Broken, powerless, and clinging to life like a worm in the dirt. How pitiful."

The hero party instinctively tensed, sensing the undercurrents of something far more personal in her tone. Lux shifted into a defensive stance. Wei Zu, who had been reveling in Adler's suffering, now hesitated, feeling an odd unease creeping up his spine. Even Ash Vickman, who rarely showed emotion, frowned slightly.

Adler tried to muster a response, but his throat burned with unsaid words, his mind still reeling from the loss of his skill core.

Wang Chi raised a hand, signaling to the others to lower their guard. "It's fine," he said, a sly grin spreading across his face. "Let her speak. I'm curious to hear what she has to say."

Sylvia stepped closer, her cold gaze never leaving Adler. "You truly are pathetic, Adler. You chose her over me. A sickly woman who couldn't even stand by your side when it mattered. And now, look at where your devotion has brought you. Do you regret it? Do you wish you could go back and undo your foolishness?"

Adler remained silent, his heart pounding with an agonizing mixture of anger, sorrow, and helplessness.

Sylvia's smirk deepened, and a bone-chilling frost began to spread from beneath her feet, creeping toward the bed where Fiona lay unconscious. A silent proclamation of her intent.

The atmosphere in the room turned deathly still.

"Let me do you a favor, then," Sylvia sneered. "Let me rid you of this burden you so foolishly cherished."

Adler's eyes widened in horror. "No!" His voice was hoarse, desperate—but his protests were futile.

The others, included Wang Chi, hesitated. Wei Zu clenched his fists, the desire he once held for Fiona now clashing with the realization of Sylvia's brutality. Lux Layman cursed under his breath. Even Ash Vickman, who had remained silent until now, furrowed his brows.

Sylvia raised her hand, and in an instant, Fiona's body was encased in a crystalline frost.Then, with a single snap of her fingers, the ice shattered.

Glistening shards scattered across the floor, dissolving into nothingness. Fiona was gone.

Adler fingers digging into the cold stone floor as if trying to hold onto something—anything. His vision blurred, and a piercing pain ripped through his chest. The agony of knowing Fiona was truly lost consumed him.

Wang Chi simply watched, calculating. Though he seethed internally at Sylvia's audacity—her impulsive act had robbed him of his own plans for Fiona—he forced himself to remain composed. The loss stung more than he cared to admit. He had wanted to enjoy Fiona at least once, that chance was now stolen. His fingers twitched with barely restrained fury, yet he suppressed his anger.

Sylvia was a variable he had not fully accounted for. While her actions were reckless, they were not without purpose. This was not mere cruelty—it was a calculated torment aimed at Adler. Wang Chi, ever the cunning schemer, understood that patience was key. There would be other ways to satisfy his twisted desires, and he would not allow his fury to cloud his judgment. For now, he would play along, watching and waiting for the next opportunity to strike.

Sylvia chuckled, the sound as sharp as breaking ice. "There. Now you don't have to worry about these degenerates defiling your precious wife. You should thank me for sparing you that humiliation. Think of it as a parting gift from me."

Adler's body trembled, his fist weakly slamming against the ground. Words failed him. All he could feel was the void left in Fiona's absence.

Then, Sylvia's expression shifted, her amusement giving way to cold resolve. In one swift motion, she unsheathed her saber, its blade gleaming with an icy radiance.

Before anyone could react, Sylvia plunged the blade into Adler's chest. The sharp impact drove deep into the pendant hanging around his neck—a seemingly insignificant trinket.

A deafening boom erupted. A blinding light engulfed Adler's body, knocking everyone back. And when the light subsided— Adler was gone.

Sylvia frowned, her gaze lingering on the spot where Adler had been. "An artifact," she muttered, her voice tinged with irritation. "So, the fool had a trump card after all."

Wang Chi's jaw tightened, his fingers twitching with barely restrained fury. The loss of Fiona was one thing, but Adler's escape was an insult he couldn't ignore. Yet, he forced himself to remain composed, his mind already strategizing.

"Interesting," Wang Chi said, his voice calm but cold. "He won't get far. That artifact may have saved him this time, but it won't protect him forever."

Sylvia sigh of relief hide from as she turned to him, her expression unreadable. "I only spared him so he can wallow in his failure a little longer. You should thank me for that."

Wang Chi chuckled, though the sound lacked warmth. "Oh, I'm grateful, Sylvia. Truly. But don't mistake my patience for weakness. Adler's fate is sealed—whether it's by your hand or mine."

The room fell into a tense silence, the aftermath of the confrontation leaving a bitter taste in the air. For now, Adler had escaped, as crippled on the verge of death.

-----------

Unknown region,

The world around him was a blur of blackened skies and jagged rocks, the wind whipping through the desolate landscape like the screams of the damned. His body, once strong and unyielding, was now a broken shell of its former self. Every step sent waves of agony through his bones, but he kept moving, leaning heavily on the crutch that served as his only support. His breath came in ragged gasps, each inhalation a brutal reminder of how far he had fallen.

He had always been a warrior, forged in the fires of battle, a man with a purpose. But now, there was nothing left but the burning need for vengeance. His body had been shattered in the ambush by those who had wronged him—the ones who had taken everything from him. His family. His honor. His very life.

But there was one thing left to cling to—his soul.

He reached the edge of the world, the edge of the Abyss. It loomed before him, a yawning chasm of darkness that swallowed everything in its path. The wind howled around him, and the very air seemed to tremble with an unnatural energy. He knew, deep down, that it was here, at the bottom of this abyss, that he would find the Devil he had been seeking.

The myths he had heard from travelling the fiend continent, devil race region and mark of this myth hangs on his neck, pearl of Nether undead flame devil.

With a final, painful breath, he limped forward, dragging his battered body toward the precipice. The ground beneath his feet seemed to shift with each step, as though the Abyss itself were testing him. But he did not falter. He had come too far. His very existence had been reduced to this moment—this final gamble.

He reached the edge and peered into the inky void below, his vision swimming in the darkness. For a moment, he hesitated. The fall would be catastrophic—his body would never survive it. But then, he remembered the torment of his shattered existence, the fire of vengeance that burned within him. And he made his choice.

With a roar of defiance, he stepped forward, surrendering himself to the Abyss.