Eros shifted his gaze toward the source of the gunfire, discovering Prince Saliba holding a revolver. The weapon was entirely silver-white, its barrel engraved with eerie, dark-red patterns.
With an indifferent expression, Saliba watched Steve—who was rapidly turning to ash. He withdrew the gun and, with deliberate movements, reloaded it with a dark-red bullet. He snapped the cylinder shut and slowly rotated it until the chamber containing the red bullet was in the firing position. Then, glancing at the monster birds circling above, he raised the revolver and pulled the trigger.
Bang! The dark-red bullet instantly struck one of the circling birds. In the next second, the creature’s rotting body erupted in a violent explosion. Pure white "Purification Fire" spread from within the bird, blanketing the sky instantly. Within the radius of those white flames, shrill and terrifying shrieks rang out, enough to make one’s scalp tingle. Before long, the birds in the sky were completely incinerated.
A high-explosive purification incendiary round costing 100 pounds a piece, paired with a silver revolver that appeared to be a Grade 2 Sealed Artifact.
Is this what a "Pay-to-Win" player looks like? Oh, wait, I’m one too. Never mind then, Eros thought to himself, amused.
Seeing the birds cleared, Saliba holstered his gun and stated flatly, "That’s enough."
As his voice fell, two students close to Steve rushed out to help gather the ashes scattered on the ground. The group remained silent. Having survived several assessments, they were accustomed to death. To touch the mystery was to walk hand-in-hand with danger; it was an encounter not just with power, but with madness and death.
During this process, Eros noticed something peculiar: Saliba’s gaze repeatedly swept over Undine. His eyes were filled with wariness and caution.
Eros’s mind whirred, and he quickly understood. He had tricked this "filial son" last time, claiming he had sacrificed Undine and that the girl before them was a resurrection granted by an Evil God. In other words, in Saliba’s mind, Undine was currently an Evil Spirit, and the Sin Realm was an Evil Spirit’s home. Was he worried she would suddenly lose control?
Sure enough, once the two students returned to the ranks after collecting the ashes, Saliba turned directly to Eros and said:
"Keep a close eye on your sister!"
He then scanned the entire group, his voice carrying an unquestionable authority. "We need to leave. The phenomenon just now likely attracted many spirits."
No one argued. Saliba was telling the truth. After Saliba’s lackeys collected the "Spiritual Marrow" condensed within the birds, the group of twenty-nine set off toward other parts of the Sin Realm.
The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.
Eros wasn't surprised that Saliba had taken command. On the surface, Saliba’s status was indeed the highest among them. Moreover, Joanie had mentioned that Saliba had been the commander for this class in previous assessments. Thanks to Saliba’s financial backing, their class always had the lowest casualty rate, and he had taken first place every time.
As they walked, Undine leaned into Eros’s ear and whispered, "Why did that blue-haired guy tell you to watch me?"
Eros smirked and whispered back, recounting the story of how he had fooled Saliba. Undine stifled a giggle, punching Eros lightly on the shoulder. "You're too wicked!" she whispered through her suppressed laughter.
Eros snorted. "Who told him to keep pining after my Undine? I’m going to mess with him."
"I'm not yours!" Undine pouted, her head held high.
Eros reached out to rub her head, his eyes full of warmth. "If you aren't mine, then whose could you be?"
"Hmph! I don't know, but definitely not this dog-thing's."
Walking at the front, Saliba was actually keeping a constant eye on Undine. Seeing the two of them acting so flirtatious even in the Sin Realm, his face wrinkled like a thousand-layered pastry. In his mind, Undine was an Evil Spirit, and Eros knew it. Even if an Evil God’s power made her look identical to the real Undine, she was still a monster inside. And as for what Evil Spirits actually looked like...
Saliba could only describe Eros as a "true warrior" for his bravery.
Joanie was curious about how her best friend could maintain such a cheerful attitude in the Sin Realm. Finding an opportunity, she whispered the question. Undine blushed slightly, feeling embarrassed yet stating it as if it were a matter of fact:
"As long as he’s here, everything will be fine. I don't need to worry, and he doesn't like seeing me worried."
As she spoke, Undine’s mind flashed back to a year ago. After Eros finished his baptism, the family had informed her of the fate their ancestors had carried for tens of thousands of years. After learning the truth, her mood had been depressed and anxious for a long time.
Then one day, that "dog-thing" had suddenly whispered in her ear:
"The fate of the family will be carried by me. You only need to be happy."
Thinking of that scene, Undine’s face flushed again. She muttered under her breath, "That dog-thing was already so smooth a year ago. Now that he’s had another year to learn, it's getting dangerous. Good thing I’ve been keeping a close eye on him so he doesn't go around ruining other people."
Joanie felt a wave of emotion after hearing the answer. Her friend’s trust in Eros was simply too immense. This was the Sin Realm—a place where contamination was everywhere. Just as that thought rose, Saliba at the front shouted:
"Evil spirits approaching! Prepare for battle!"
Eros looked at the abstractly hideous spirits and unhesitatingly pulled a pistol from his holster to start pot-shotting. But before he could fire more than a few rounds, a continuous rat-tat-tat of gunfire erupted from the other side.
He turned his head, stunned. That "filial son" had somehow produced a machine gun from nowhere and was currently mowing them down.
Eros: "..."
Well, Eros thought, there’s a reason the casualty rate is low under his lead, and there’s a reason he keeps getting first place. Eros looked at his pistol, then at the prince's machine gun, and silently tucked his handgun back into his pocket.
Soon, under Saliba’s "saturation-level" financial strike, the dozens of spirits perished without even getting a chance to groan. Joanie wasn't surprised at all; clearly, this wasn't the prince’s first time doing this.