***
[ Congratulations! You've slain two Toddler Sinners.]
[ You've received two Sin Fragments: sloth and oblivious. 4 /10 ]
[ Your raw power and intelligence have increased. ]
[ Your clone has grown stronger. ]
***
The bronze screen hovered before Halo's eyes as he wiped the drowsiness from his eyes.
The bronze screen disappeared and popped back up in a heartbeat.
***
[ Would you like to trade Sin Fragments for secrets? ]
| Yes | No |
***
Halo sighed in annoyance and shrugged the screen off with a thought.
He glanced around to see his clone still on watch despite the sun hovering overhead.
His sore body felt slightly better than the night before, and considering his clone's kills gained him Sin Fragments, he had to be somewhat stronger, capable of holding his own longer than he had the day before.
Though his predicament hadn't changed and his objective remained the same, he needed to head up the hill some distance away and claim the Magnus Blade before his situation worsened with the gods' rage.
Between the sentinels keeping watch of the castle on the hill and the Sinners circling above, things were as dire as ever.
His mind drifted past his rumbling stomach and fixated on how exactly his ability, Death Clone, could supposedly work.
His clone could gain strength through battles just like anyone else, but since it was nothing more than a copy born from darkness, it couldn't obtain Sin Fragments.
He smirked.
He could live a laid-back lifestyle and let his clone handle everything for him, and he'd still grow stronger. Alas.
But he shrugged these incoherent thoughts off immediately.
The realization, though intriguing, brought more questions than answers. Things he couldn't spare time on at the moment.
He crawled out of his cave and pushed through his agony to stand. His clone turned in his direction.
The clone's featureless face made it impossible to read its expression, but its white eyes alone were enough for Halo.
He could tell it welcomed him with a warm smile.
Hoo-Hoo!
The Sinners circling above began hooting as though they were alarm sirens for the lazy bums, but Halo barely reacted. He fetched his sack and began stuffing his gut with what he had.
Yet, he couldn't help but anticipate their next move. From here, nothing but the hill stood between them and the castle. And recalling Dark Saint's instructions, their safest route was behind the castle.
Whether the Magnus Blade awaited him there or he'd have to fight his way in, only the gods knew.
But as easy as it sounded back then, this was different.
He had a perfect recollection of where the watching Sinners were positioned and where the hovering ones circled most. No matter how he pictured it, their chances of not being caught were slim.
The moment he finished eating, he joined his clone, still considering his thoughts. Maybe he'd misjudged. But the sight crushed any hope. Dark Saint's safest route was now a suicide mission.
The hill was safely guarded, just like how he imagined.
"What do you think? What should we do?"
He knew his clone couldn't respond and didn't expect it to. But the uneasiness finally caught up with him, and he needed to speak.
He began ruffling his white hair nervously.
They weren't safe here.
Wandering Sinners like the Toddler or Perverted Sinners could stumble across them and stir up a battle he wasn't sure they could win easily. Worse, if any higher-tier Sinner spotted him, that'd be the end.
More daunting, the gods would kill him for failing, and the hero could be getting much closer to his goal. He needed the Magnus Blade!
Something unusual caught his attention. His clone rested the dual daggers on the ground and began undressing. Halo scowled, perplexed, as he watched it fold its clothes with care and place them in the sack.
It turned to Halo and gave him a thumbs up before stretching its shadowy body. At this moment, it was nothing but darkness compressed into a human-shaped figure.
The only human features were the white hair mimicking Halo's and the white eyes, though even those barely qualified.
Drenched in confusion, Halo watched his clone slowly move up the hill, as though it wanted to draw the Sinner's attention to itself.
Halo gulped hard, his trembling fists clenched tight with sweat forming on his forehead.
He understood what his clone intended to do. Though it was practically immortal, made of pure shadow, he could always summon it again with Sin Fragments. Still, its actions were reckless, even for something of its caliber.
The only way Halo could successfully reach the back of the castle was if the Sinners were interrupted, and that was exactly what his clone intended to do.
His skin crawled with uneasiness. Yet he couldn't bring himself to stop it. Deep down, he knew it was necessary, and what truly mattered in this moment was fulfilling his purpose.
He calmed his nerves with a practiced breathing routine, steadied himself, and grabbed his daggers and the sack.
Hoo!!! Hoo!!!
He watched the Sinners hurry in his clone's direction, his heart hammering against his ribcage. He couldn't bear the thought of wasting his only companion's effort, despite how much he hated its actions.
His legs shook impatiently as he waited for the last Sinner to leave. The moment it turned toward his clone, he propelled forward in a swift motion.
Powerful strikes landed one after another, their sickening sound tearing through the distance. He didn't have to look to know his clone was absorbing every blow.
With a heavy heart, he jumped from one shadow to another, staying out of sight as he scaled the hill. His body scraped against the fouled mud, and before long his black shirt was no longer black.
The moment he reached the backyard, he halted at an unforeseen sight. He had been cautious until now, yet meeting a Sinner up this hill was the last thing he'd considered.
However, his heart sank the moment the bone-cracking sounds echoing through the distance ceased and his familiar system screen popped up.
***
[ Your clone has been exhausted. Would you like to give it energy? ]
Price: 3 Sin Fragments.
| Yes | No |
***
Halo clenched his eyes shut, gritted his jaw, steeled himself, and declined the offer. The moment he did, he felt his shadow reconnect with his body.
He winced.
He had four Sin Fragments. He could restore his clone's energy, but he refused to drag it back into the nightmare it had barely survived. He'd only summon it if he had no other choice.
He had to finish the Sinner and claim the Magnus Blade, before it was too late.