Chapter 6: Greed vs. Generosity

Coins rained like a divine storm.

Hundreds of them, each inscribed with sacred runes, flew from the Inquisitor's scale in spiraling arcs. Their edges shimmered with light—but that light didn't warm. It burned.

Kael dashed forward through the hail, sword flashing, slicing gold mid-air with clean, efficient strikes. Sparks burst off his blade with each deflection.

[Skill: Stillness Zone – Cooldown: 12 seconds remaining]

[System Status: Stable. Team Sync: Active]

Zayne kept to the rear, shielding the unconscious boy behind an overturned cart, casting protective wards while watching Kael and Ren tear into the battlefield.

"Tell me," the Greed Inquisitor roared, "what makes a thief think he can defy heaven's law?"

Ren landed beside Kael in a crouch, his coat fluttering like wings.

"Easy," he smirked. "Heaven forgot to check its pockets."

Kael suppressed a grin. "You talk too much."

"I fight while I talk. It's called multitasking."

The Inquisitor's face twisted in fury. He raised both hands, and the massive scale on his back rotated.

[Sin Skill: Divine Ledger]

"Convert stolen gold into pure weight. Deploy as blunt force."

With a crack of magic, the ground beneath Kael cracked open as a ten-ton slab of gold dropped from the sky like a meteor.

Kael's system screamed.

[Warning: Impact Fatal Without Countermeasure]

"Ren—!"

"I've got it!"

[Skill: Split Wind – Activated]

The weight divided midair.

Three smaller golden slabs formed and redirected: one toward Kael, one toward Ren, one toward Zayne.

Zayne yelped from the back. "Why am I getting a slab?!"

Ren shouted back, "You're in the party! Shared suffering, remember?"

Zayne's shield flared. The slab struck—his ward shattered, but he remained standing.

Kael spun, dodging his with a slide and counter slash.

Ren didn't dodge at all—he stepped forward and jammed a knife into the falling gold slab's edge.

It bounced.

Kael blinked. "How did you—"

Ren flipped his dagger. "Gold's heavy. That means it has a center. You just have to hit it smarter, not harder."

[Virtue Points +10 – Creativity Bonus]

"Trait: Generosity now influences battlefield tactics."

The Greed Inquisitor grunted. "Enough games."

He extended both arms. The scale glowed blood-red.

[Ultimate Skill: Debt Reversal]

"Targets who have received more than they've given will suffer a collapse of borrowed strength."

Kael's eyes widened.

"Ren—he's trying to invert your generosity. Turn it into a weakness."

Ren's smile faded. "How the hell do we counter that?"

Kael's system pulsed.

[Virtue Synergy Detected: Kindness + Generosity]

[Fusion Skill Unlocked: Shared Burden Lv.1]

"Temporarily transfer another's penalty onto self. Split among all bonded allies."

Kael exhaled.

"Zayne, you in?"

Zayne called out. "Don't even ask. Just do it."

Kael gripped his blade.

[Fusion Skill: Shared Burden – Activated]

A light spread between the three of them—a glowing, golden thread that linked their chests together like a constellation.

The Inquisitor's eyes widened. "What… is this?"

His spell fired—cascading divine debt like a storm of pressure and pain.

Kael's knees buckled. Zayne bit down to keep from screaming. Ren dropped to one knee, clutching his side.

But none of them broke.

They bore it—together.

Kael stood tall first. "This is the weight you call divine?"

Zayne rose next. "We carry worse every day."

Ren rose last, spinning his blade. "And unlike you… we share it."

[Sin-Surge Countered. Domain Break Confirmed.]

The Inquisitor howled. His scale cracked down the center. His golden coins darkened.

Kael launched forward.

[Skill: Mirror Counter – Activated]

The Inquisitor struck—Kael parried, redirected the blow, and slammed his blade into the man's chest with mirrored force.

BOOM.

The Inquisitor crashed into a fountain and did not rise.

Silence.

Ash floated down like snow.

[Greed-Class Inquisitor Defeated]

[Team EXP Gained. System Evolution Imminent.]

Kael sheathed his sword.

Ren exhaled hard. "Well. That was dramatic."

Zayne limped over. "You're both insane."

Kael chuckled. "You're not wrong."

Ren looked at the cracked gold scale lying in the rubble. "They're getting stronger."

Kael nodded. "So are we."

The townspeople began peeking from windows and doors. Some cried. Others just stared.

Then a boy—barefoot and thin—walked up to Ren and handed him a single copper coin.

"For you," the boy whispered. "You gave us food."

Ren looked at it.

Then gave it back.

[Virtue Point +10 – Symbolic Return]

"Faith restored in bearer of Generosity."