Slice...
...
That Soul Either stabbed its thorn at me.
But I mean it stabbed into its own arm that I was using as a weapon! The moment it lost balance from that missed attack, I didn't hesitate. I used every bit of strength left in my left arm, gathered my last breath of power, and drove the Soul Either's arm I was gripping tight straight into the back of its neck with full force! The sharp thorns on the demon's arm sliced through its skin and neck bones until they snapped clean through!
Its head separated from its shoulders, tumbling down to the ground below. Its massive body slowly dissolved into dark miasma, and the demon arm I was holding crumbled away with it.
I gasped for breath, collapsing to sit on the ice-cold ground. My body was so exhausted I could barely move. But finally... I'd survived again. And I think it's time to move to step 2... finding Sin.
Almost forgot. I should go ask Vex first about when Sin left and why he went out.
As I shuffled out of the forest, I remembered Vex's words.
"He's been missing for three days."
Three days... I repeated this in my head, and the image of my crushing defeat three days ago came flooding back.
"That's right! Three days ago was when I went to fight those loan sharks and got totally destroyed!"
Sin probably went looking for me when I didn't come back. Alright! I'll head straight to Sliver town then. The chances just got a lot higher.
If I went back to ask Uncle Vex again right now, I'd definitely get chewed out. Just thinking about it gives me goosebumps.
I walked to the back of Uncle Vex's shop and caught a glimpse of the homeowner whose shovel I'd "borrowed" this morning. He was standing there scratching his head, looking for something.
"Heyyyy where'd my shovel go?" his muttered complaints were loud enough for me to hear.
I quickly averted my gaze, scratched my cheek innocently, and walked as casually as possible.
Walking past Uncle Vex's shop, I saw him still scowling like usual. All I could do was give him a quick wave before running toward Stone City to head to abandoned Sliver town.
But it's still weird with my body. Why is it recovering this fast? The wounds from the fight earlier already seem to be healing up. What's happening to me? I'm still curious, but I don't want to give myself a headache thinking about it right now.
Whatever. Too much thinking gives me headaches. I shook off my doubts and started running at full speed again.
Step two: find Sin in Sliver town. Let's do this!!
In just a few minutes I reached the abandoned Sliver town area, where Soul Order units were currently renovating and restoring the place. The atmosphere looked completely different from when I first came here. There were sounds of workers, machinery, and bustling activity replacing the eerie silence.
Then I saw Kylo standing nearby directing his subordinates. I decided to walk over and greet him, even though I'd just run away from the hospital he'd taken me to. Haha, totally shameless.
"Yo, Kylo," I called out. Kylo quickly turned around, clearly surprised.
"What's up, Rift? You suddenly ran away from the hospital, and now you're casually walking back to chat with me. What's that supposed to mean?" He raised an eyebrow, his expression still showing confusion.
I could only scratch my head and laugh dryly. "Come on... it's a long story. Forget about it."
"Anyway, how far have you surveyed this town?" I quickly changed the subject. "I'm looking for someone."
"We haven't covered everything yet," Kylo replied while looking around the construction area.
"Need help with something?"
"Have you seen, uh... a guy with black hair, wearing a wide-brimmed hat and glasses, wandering around in here?" I tried to describe Sin's appearance.
Kylo seemed to think for a moment, furrowing his brow slightly.
"Hmm... haven't seen anyone like that. Around here it's just workers and Soul Order officials."
"Really... well, can I go look inside for a bit?" I didn't give up.
"Sure, no problem," Kylo nodded permission. "But be careful. Even though we've cleared some areas, it's still not one hundred percent safe."
After getting permission from the (temporary) team leader Kylo, I immediately walked deeper into abandoned Sliver town.
I walked in for a while until the bustling sounds from the Soul Order work faded away, leaving only silence and ruins still scattered around.
"Sin!!" I shouted his name again, hope gradually dimming.
"Are you around here, Master Sin!!"
"...with~"
"Huh! What was that sound?!" I stopped dead, straining my ears to listen carefully. Just now I heard a faint voice like someone was saying something, drifting from somewhere... or am I just hearing things?