The air felt heavier.
Riven leaned against the alley wall, chest rising and falling like he'd just sprinted a marathon. His hand still glowed faintly red, the code pulsing like a heartbeat. It didn't hurt. Not physically. But something had been taken. Or maybe… awakened.
> [User sync: 100% complete.]
[Death Protocol: Level 1]
[Abilities unlocked: Sin Scan | Red Judgment | Code Compression]
"Red judgement?" Riven muttered.
The voice—the system—wasn't human. It wasn't AI either. It felt digital yet alive. Watching.
He replayed it in his mind.
Jason Vega didn't die like a normal person. No blood. No body. Just… erased. Like the system had overwritten his existence. Deleted him from reality.
And no one noticed.
Across the street, the police were still investigating. Jason's car sat untouched. His clothes were gone. His body had never been there to begin with.
It was as if the world itself didn't remember him.
> [Sinner has been erased from global consciousness.]
[Only Executor retains memory of judgment.]
Riven stared blankly.
"They won't even remember he existed…"
> [Correct.]
"Then what happens when I do it again?"
> [Sin demands justice.]
[Executor must act.]
He stumbled back to his apartment, drenched, silent.
The city continued. Neon signs. Dripping gutters. Gunshots two blocks away. Life in Ashveil went on like always. Broken, rotting, uncaring.
Riven locked the door and slumped onto the floor.
His sister's picture sat on the shelf. He stared at it.
"I did it, Kira. I killed him."
Silence.
No regret. No satisfaction either. Just a hollow ache.
Then, the system pinged again.
> [New Target.]
[Name: Elijah Roth. CEO. Charges: Human Trafficking, 23 Confirmed Victims. Untouchable by legal system.]
[Location: Skyline Tower, Penthouse 77.]
[Execution: Mandatory.]
Mandatory?.
What is this? .
Riven closed his eyes.
He hadn't asked for this. But the system chose him. And the city kept producing monsters.
If this was justice… he'd become the devil to carry it out.
He stood, the red mark burning faintly on his palm like a cursed halo.
> [Target: Elijah Roth | Time Remaining: 67:14:52]
[Location: Skyline Tower, Penthouse 77 | Defense Level: High]
The Skyline Tower loomed like a glass fang stabbing into the clouds. Riven stood across the street in a hooded jacket, eyes scanning the building's security layout from his System's overlay.
Armed guards. Biometric locks. Surveillance drones.
None of it mattered.
> [Skill Activated: Sin Scan]
A red pulse expanded from his body like sonar. A dozen lifeforms pinged—most were clean. But one… one burned crimson.
> [Target Confirmed: Elijah Roth]
[Sin Level: 93% - Irredeemable]
The system didn't lie. It couldn't.
Riven cracked his knuckles. "Time to erase another monster."
22:47 P.M. | Interior - Skyline Tower
The guards never saw him.
The Code Compression ability let him bend the environment slightly—slowing time for split seconds, slipping through blind spots, even disabling cameras by overloading their feed with corrupted digital static.
He reached the elevator shaft and climbed manually, gripping onto the steel ladder with ease. His body moved differently now—quicker, stronger, almost inhuman.
> [Mental Stability: 87%]
He grunted. "Then I'll kill him fast."
Penthouse 77
Elijah Roth sat in luxury. Whiskey in hand. Neon city lights casting purple shadows over half-naked girls wired to virtual reality pods. A devil in a silk suit.
[Commence Execution.]
Riven stepped from the shadows.
"Elijah Roth," he said, voice low. "You've been judged."
Roth stood, confused. "Who the hell—?"
> [Skill Activated: Red Judgment]
Riven's hand glowed blood-red.
Suddenly, Roth dropped his glass and clutched his head. Screaming. Blood leaking from his ears. His skin began cracking, not from wounds—but from data tearing his soul apart.
In one final gasp, Roth's eyes rolled back and his body glitched—visibly fragmenting like broken data. Then… gone.
Not a single trace left.
Even the girls forgot why they were there.
Riven stood alone in the penthouse, the room eerily quiet. The System's voice rang again:
> [Execution Complete.]
[New Skill Unlocked: Shadow Stitch]
[Executor Rank: E → D]
> [System Announcement: You are being watched.]
Riven's eyes narrowed.
> "What?"
> [Unknown energy signature detected nearby.]
His heart raced.