The man took a step forward. Sin instantly dropped into a fighting stance, his muscles coiling with tension.
"I see you've drunk some blood," Sin thought, his mind racing. "So does that mean he's a shadow vampiric being?" The possibility sent a chill through him. "That might be the case."
The man lunged forward. Sin dodged easily, watching as his opponent created a shadow portal and thrust his fist through it. Another portal opened beside Sin's face, and the fist emerged. Sin grabbed it without hesitation and shoved it back through the shadowy gateway. His heart pounded, but his movements remained controlled.
The man smiled, a cold expression that didn't reach his eyes. "At least you're going to fight well—for a weakling, that is."
He created a blood sword, its crimson edge gleaming with malevolent energy, and jumped forward. Sin saw the weapon coming toward him and shifted his legs, moving just enough for the blade to whistle past. The sword reversed direction, coming at him again and again. Sin dodged, his breathing growing heavier with each evasion.
"I want you to stay still," the man snarled, anger flashing in his eyes.
"It's because I don't listen to anyone," Sin said, his voice steady despite the fear gnawing at his gut. He created a shadow fist and hurled it toward his opponent.
"How can you just—" Before the man could finish his thought, the shadow fist slammed into him. He flew backward, crashing into Sin's room wall. The impact left a small chip in the plaster, but the damage was minimal. Sin hadn't thrown him far enough. The man groaned, then stood up, brushing dust from his clothes.
Sin felt frustration building inside him. All he had to do was imagine what he wanted to create, and the system manifested it for him. He couldn't create complex tools just yet, but he had to work with what he had. His limitations gnawed at him.
*New skill has been added: Shadow Fist.*
A system message appeared in his mind, the text black in color, confirming it was a shadow power. Sin swiped the message away. As soon as he looked away, a blood fist hurtled toward him.
"You think that's all I have, boy?" the man taunted. "I have more than what you could ever imagine."
Sin caught the blood fist, but his muscles strained against its force, bulging as he slid back several feet. His back slammed into his door. Pain shot through his spine.
"How is he that powerful?" Sin thought desperately.
Before he could process his thoughts, a blood sword materialized at his stomach. Sin instantly fell to the ground, coughing up blood. The metallic taste filled his mouth, and panic seized him. The man picked Sin up, and with a swift blood fist to the back of his skull, knocked him unconscious. Sin couldn't react. As soon as the blow connected, darkness claimed him.
The man grabbed Sin's limp body. Suddenly, Sin's eyes snapped open. A message had come while he was unconscious.
*User has been knocked out. The Shadow Demon has been released.*
Sin grabbed the man and jumped up, a smile stretching from ear to ear. His voice emerged staticky and distorted as he spoke, sending a chill down the man's spine. "Come here."
He launched forward with inhuman speed. The man tried to create a shadow portal to distract him, but Sin dodged every fist that emerged from the shadowy gateways. His movements were fluid, predatory. Sin created a multitude of blood spikes and lifted them from the ground, impaling the man. Blood spilled from the man's entire body, coating even Sin in the crimson spray.
Sin smiled, his voice still carrying that staticky, unnerving quality. He created a blood bamboo stick and pointed it beneath the man. The blood bamboo would grow like regular bamboo, but just like the old torture methods—the ancient executions—it would work the same way. The bamboo stick would slowly grow up through his entire body, impaling and eventually killing him.
Sin, or rather the Shadow Demon version of him, disappeared into the shadows, smiling as the man experienced every bit of agony. The bamboo stick crawled up through his body, piercing and penetrating, going inside and impaling him. He felt it growing within him, his life slowly draining from his veins. Sin watched from the shadows, that terrible smile never leaving his face.
The blood bamboo stick pierced through the man's neck, then his skull, completely destroying brain tissue as it went. The man was dead. Eventually, the bamboo stick emerged from the top of his skull. The corpse fell over, breaking the bamboo stick. The stick disappeared, forming into blood particles that drifted away like crimson snow.
Sin regained consciousness, unaware of what had happened while he was out. Disoriented, he looked around and saw the man. His eyes widened in horror. The body was fully impaled, and for some twisted reason, the Shadow Demon had grown a fresh bamboo stick after the old one had disappeared.
"What in the world?" Sin's eyes widened further as he took in the horrific sight. A man, impaled by a blood bamboo stick, was dead—actually dead. The scene was gruesome, more gruesome than he could ever have imagined. Nausea rolled through him.
Sin didn't know what to do. Should he hide the body? He definitely should. But what about the bamboo stick? Evidence. His mind raced with panic.
Sin rushed over, grabbed the man, and pulled him free from the bamboo stick. Blood pooled on the floor. He ran to a random field far from his apartment complex and decided to bury the man. With no shovel available, he used his bare hands. Surprisingly, it worked. His hands weren't as strong as a shovel—well, they were as strong as a shovel, perhaps a little stronger—but it still took a long while to dig deep into the ground.
Approximately three hours passed. Using his bare hands and taking occasional breaks to rest, Sin finally finished. Sweat dripped down his face, mixing with the dirt and blood. He placed the man in the hole, buried him, and left the site. His hands trembled as he patted down the last of the earth.
Sin knew he had to be careful. If he ever lost control again, the demon would be unleashed—and he couldn't predict the consequences. He didn't even know about it consciously. Not yet. But he would find out. And when he did, everything would shatter. Fear and uncertainty settled in his chest like a stone, heavy and cold, as shadows gathered at the edges of his vision. Something was already stirring. Something was coming.