Dancing on the golden ashes

Everything would have been fine if not for another twist of fate.

My eyes caught the faint glow of embers scattered across the ruins—dark flames, stubborn and unyielding, still burning everywhere. The realization hit me like a tidal wave: if my guess was right, only a mere moment had passed in this world. Time must have flowed differently in the trial area.

Nine days dead? What a joke.

He played me again. Just like before. That damn Creator.

The thought burned brighter than the flames around me. In the eyes of those who had survived the chaos, no time had passed at all. To them, I had gone from being consumed in a white cocoon to emerging in this form, as if I had transformed into something monstrous before their very eyes.

And their faces told me everything.
Explore hidden tales at empire

The few who had managed to escape the explosion now stared at me from the shadows of the wreckage, their eyes wide, their mouths agape. Some clutched weapons in trembling hands, though they clearly knew those would do them no good. Others simply stood frozen, their faces pale as the dawning horror set in.

What are they thinking? Am I even human to them anymore?

The weight of their stares was suffocating, but not unfamiliar. Shock, fear, and disbelief—all of it was etched into their gazes. I almost wanted to laugh. I couldn't tell if I felt like a god or a demon. Maybe both.

And in this moment, I didn't care.

"She's a demon! A real demon! Run for your lives! RUN!"

The terrified shout echoed across the ruins, breaking the silence like a cracking whip.

The crowd erupted into chaos. People fled in every direction, stumbling over debris in their panic, some barely able to stay upright. But even as they ran, their horrified gazes lingered on me, their whispers and cries carrying to my ears.

"The Destroyer!"

"Demon Goddess!"

And then there was one that stuck out more than the others— "Blood Snow..."

I froze for a moment. Blood Snow? A fitting name, I suppose, for my new appearance. My snow-white hair and red eyes must have inspired it. It was oddly poetic, though I wasn't sure if I should laugh or be insulted.

Still, I let them run. I had killed enough.

And yet…

A strange, foreign sensation crept through my chest—a pulsing, gnawing urge I couldn't quite place. Why did I feel an impulse to devour them?

It clawed at the edges of my mind, growing stronger as I watched the terrified people disappear into the distance. I clenched my fists, forcing myself to remain still.

No. Not this. Not now.

Something was changing in me, something darker, more insidious. My newfound power wasn't just strength—it was hunger. And I had no idea how long I could suppress it.

I summoned my wings, and as they spread wide, I couldn't help but stare in awe. They were just as the system had described—demonic in appearance, like a bat's wings, but cloaked in thick black flames that flickered and danced ominously.

Curiosity sparked an idea. I decided to test something. What if I combined my speed with the power of my new lightning element?

Red lightning crackled along the edges of my wings, wrapping around them like a second skin. I let my power surge, my aura exploding outward, and in the next moment—holy shit...

I vanished from the ground, the world blurring around me as I tore through the sky at a speed I'd never thought possible.

I stopped mid-air, grinning. What is my current ranking?!

Quickly, I opened my profile and checked:

[Current rank in the world: 134]

"Eh? Even at level 51, I'm still ranked so low?" My competitive spirit flared instantly, the thought both confusing and infuriating me.

How is that even possible? I pondered, my brows furrowing. Are that many people traveling solo, rushing to reach the top before everyone else? How strong must the others be?

I couldn't help but wonder about the elusive number one. Who are they? What kind of power do they have?

Frustratingly, the system only showed my own rank, keeping everyone else's identity a mystery. Annoying. But the thought of chasing after the top excited me in ways I couldn't describe.

I smirked, my wings flaring with both fire and lightning. If they're ahead of me, it just means they'll make a great challenge when I catch up.

With a single powerful flap of my demonic wings, I shot into the sky like a missile, reaching a height of over 400 meters in an instant. The sheer force left the air crackling with residual energy, and I couldn't suppress the grin spreading across my face.

"This is so freaking badass!" I muttered, my excitement bubbling over. The red lightning coursing through me amplified my speed and power far beyond anything I'd experienced before. Was this... fate? Was everything that had happened to me leading to this moment? To prepare me for my rematch with Nam Ji-Ho?

I chuckled darkly to myself. "I'd love to see him now. Let's find out who holds the upper hand this time."

My gaze drifted downward, surveying the desolation beneath me. The once-vibrant ground was now scorched black, a testament to the destruction I had unleashed. The power I wielded now was frightening, even to myself. If I cast the same skill again, I might leave an even larger crater, obliterating everything in sight.

Suddenly, an unwelcome thought pierced my mind, and a storm of rage surged through me, causing my aura to fluctuate uncontrollably. The flames around me spiraled, flickering with intensity.

"North..." The word slipped from my lips like a curse. My mentor, Jeong Suhan, was to the north. The memory of him burned in my chest, igniting an uncontrollable fury.

He had been my guide, my shield—always hiding me away from the world under the guise of "protection," telling me it was for my own good. But why? Why had he betrayed me?

He was the world champion—someone who could have stood up for me, spoken out when I was framed. Instead, he denied ever knowing me, abandoning me to the wolves.

I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms as my aura pulsed wildly. The flames and lightning around me burned hotter, brighter, as my rage built. He had to pay. He would pay.

Turning to face the north, I flapped my wings once more, letting their immense power propel me forward. The air howled in my ears as I shot through the sky, a blazing comet heading straight for my next target.

"Jeong Suhan... I'm coming for you."

The speed was intoxicating. The ground blurred beneath me, shifting so quickly that I could barely register the changing landscape. Each flap of my wings carried me around 500 meters, making my previous speed feel laughable in comparison. The thrill of such power coursed through me, but the strain it placed on my body was undeniable.

Within hours, I had left the desolate ruins of the city far behind, and what greeted me next was a sight to behold—a vast, endless ocean stretched out before me. The crystalline trees, which had lined the horizon for as far as the eye could see, abruptly ended here. There was no discernible path forward, no islands or landmasses to skirt around.

He must have gone straight across, I thought, deciding to follow the same path.

I shot forward with blinding speed, the salty wind stinging my face as I soared over the shimmering waves. The ocean below glittered like a sea of stars, its depths a mesmerizing black-blue that almost made me forget how vast and dangerous it was. Yet, as I traveled, fatigue began to set in. Flying at such a breakneck pace was exhilarating but exhausting.

Hours passed, and the endless expanse of water began to weigh on me. No land was in sight, only the monotonous rhythm of crashing waves and the occasional flash of lightning from the brewing storm above. The once-calm skies turned ominous, the winds growing harsher with each passing moment. The turbulence was fierce, pushing against me with enough force to make even my powerful wings struggle.

Then, through the dense veil of rain and darkness, I saw it.

A shadow moved beneath the surface, massive and deliberate. At first, I thought it was some kind of sea serpent, a creature swimming just below the waves. But no...

It wasn't swimming—it was walking.

The realization sent a chill down my spine. Whatever this thing was, it wasn't bound by the ocean's depths. Each step it took rippled through the water as if it were wading across solid ground.

I squinted through the sheets of rain, trying to make sense of what I was seeing. The creature's head briefly emerged from the water, towering high above the surface before sinking back down again.

Wait... walking?

The sheer scale of it was incomprehensible. Its silhouette stretched far into the sky, an almost mythical being shrouded in mist and storm clouds. My breath hitched as I tried to gauge its size. This wasn't just a sea monster—this was something ancient, something powerful.

The thought sent a shiver through my entire body.

How tall is that creature?

The question clawed at my mind as I replayed the scene over and over. The storm had obscured its full form, but even through the chaos, I could make out the terrifying scale of it. Each time it stepped, the waves parted as if the ocean itself bowed to its presence.