The doors slammed open with a thunderous boom.
Laughter choked mid-breath. Wine glasses dropped. Music died in the throat of the harpist.
Renji stepped back into the brothel chamber, his presence darker than before—etched with fury, cloaked in the cold silence of betrayal. He walked past the stunned nobles, past the terrified servants, until he stood once more before the gold-draped bed.
The pig—Lord Orvath of the Light Order—froze mid-act, just as he was about to finish.
Lady Syrene was curled beneath him, tears streaming down her cheeks. She dared not look.
Renji spoke slowly. "Get. Off. Her."
Orvath turned, face red with wine and rage. "You? The bastard who kissed the dirt outside this place like a worm? You think you can walk in here and—"
He didn't finish.
Renji was already across the room.
One punch.
Orvath went flying backward, tearing through velvet curtains and crushing a table like kindling. The brothel guards rushed forward, but froze as Renji turned toward them, eyes burning with something that whispered death. They backed away, wisely.
"Lady Syrene," he said, his voice softer now, "Stay here. This place will be safe when I return."
Her lip quivered. "Why… why are you doing this?"
Renji looked over his shoulder.
"Because I remember the woman who gave me warmth in a cold, merciless land. That woman doesn't deserve this."
Then, he vanished in a streak of darkness.
Orvath was crawling away outside, nose bloodied, his pants still unbuttoned.
Renji landed beside him with a thud that cracked the stone beneath his boots.
"You and me," he growled. "Outside. Now."
A teleportation rift opened beneath them, and in a blink—they were gone, far from the brothel, into the open plains just west of the Exile's borders.
As they arrived, Orvath's golden armor began to materialize from divine light, and behind him—an entire unit of Light Order knights stepped forward, summoned by beacon flare.
"I am Lord Orvath, High Paladin of the Light Order!" he declared. "You are but a cursed bastard of a failed bloodline. You think you can fight the righteous?"
Renji cracked his neck. "No."
"I'm going to destroy the righteous."
The golden-armored soldiers fanned out like roaches, blades drawn, a dozen light-sigils glowing behind them. Their armor shimmered with the arrogance of untouchable authority.
Renji stood alone. No armor. No troops. Just rage. And the Exile burning beneath his feet.
Orvath raised his hand, summoning a divine spear wreathed in white flame. "Last chance to kneel, boy."
Renji didn't move. Instead, the ground beneath him cracked. The grass wilted. The air shimmered with heat.
A figure shimmered into existence a few meters behind him—Zach. Cloaked in shadow, arms crossed, that eternal sh*t-eating grin plastered on his face.
"You sure you want to do this, Renji?" Zach called out lazily.
"I've never been more sure.", Renji replied.
Zach's smile twitched into something... darker. "Alright then. Just a heads-up: I can't join in. Not properly. The divine pact forbids me from interfering directly in the Exile unless the balance is tipped first. Even though I may have wiped out a few Light pigs back at the Milfy Cow Farm—that was… special circumstances."
Renji turned slightly. "Rules for you, not for me. Got it."
Zach winked. "Exactly. You're chaos incarnate now, remember?"
A ripple tore through the sky as Orvath's soldiers raised their weapons.
"ARCHERS!"
The sky lit up with a hundred holy arrows. They descended in a blazing storm—
Renji didn't move.
The Exile did.
Pillars of cursed obsidian erupted from the ground, twisting mid-air to form a dome that shattered the arrows like glass. The soil hissed with power.
Orvath's eyes widened. "What the hell—?!"
Renji stepped forward, and his eyes glowed crimson.
[ Exile System Engaged ]
[ Combat Mode: Sovereign Wrath ]
[ Terrain Control: Activated ]
[ Skill Unlocked: Soul Chains – Bind and Bleed ]
Chains of black flame burst from the ground, grabbing the feet of half the soldiers. They screamed as their armor melted from within.
Renji blurred forward, punching a knight so hard his helmet turned into a soup bowl.
A wall of light erupted—Orvath's doing. "STAY BACK, MONSTER!"
Renji grinned, "Wrong. I am the wall."
He smashed through the divine light like tissue paper, delivering a gut-punch that sent Orvath flying into his own troops. Three soldiers were crushed under his weight.
From the sky, Seraphina's voice echoed faintly, filled with pride.
"Let it burn, my prince. Show them what exile truly means."
Zach watched, shaking his head in awe. "Yup... this kid's really gonna fuck the world sideways."
The battlefield was scorched.
Smoke danced in the air like dark silk, and the stench of divine blood stained the grass. Of Orvath's shining army, nothing remained but shattered helms and twisted armor.
Orvath himself coughed blood, his once-pristine armor peeled and mangled, his body pinned to the ground by obsidian chains.
Renji walked toward him slowly, not with rage—but with command. Fire flickered in his footsteps. Shadows curled around his arms like loyal pets.
"I told you," Renji muttered, crouching beside the broken paladin. "I remember every insult. Every scar."
Orvath tried to speak, but Renji placed two fingers on his lips.
"No prayers. Just silence."
With a final twist, the exile's flame devoured Orvath's essence, not killing him—no, worse—exiling him. A fate far crueler.
---
Later, back at the brothel...
The door creaked open, the air inside unnaturally still. Renji stepped through, his body smeared with soot and glory.
Lady Syrene stood in the center of the room, clad in silver silks, eyes red from crying.
She didn't run. Didn't speak.
She knelt.
The once-dominant enchantress, who had toyed with him during their first encounter, now bowed her head like a servant before a god.
"My prince…" she whispered, her voice trembling. "I mocked you once… for your inexperience. I laughed when you begged to finish inside me."
Her eyes met his. "I didn't see then... who you were. What you are."
Renji didn't speak.
Syrene crawled closer, hands trembling. "I offer myself to you now. Fully. Willingly. Not as a courtesan. Not as a goddess. But as yours."
She touched his boot, her breath shaky.
Renji stared at her for a moment, his expression unreadable… then he simply said:
"Stand up. And close the door behind you."