The fourth, Lust, moved like a mirage, a beautiful siren wrapped in crimson silk. Her voice was soft, seductive, a whisper that could twist any mind into temptation.

And the fifth, Sloth, was a decaying giant wrapped in mist.

Its movements were slow, but its presence alone made mana sluggish, dulling every spell and movement.

They stood before the broken gate.

Each one emanated power far beyond what a first-year student should face.

Elysia staggered to her feet, gripping her sword with trembling hands.

"What are those things...?"

Kael’s expression hardened. "The Five Deadly Sins of the Abyss of the first demon lord. They weren’t supposed to appear now. This event... it’s years too early."

As the air filled with burning energy, the ceiling began to crack.

Chunks of stone rained down, and the walls shuddered like a living beast.

"Just how many demons are there?" Kael said as he backed away.

The Wrath Demon’s voice thundered, a sound like grinding metal.

"Who dares awaken the Gate of Sin before its time?"

Kael gritted his teeth. "We need to leave, now!"

But Elysia, conflicted between her mission to kill Kael and the instinct to survive, raised her sword and lunged forward.

Her body moved on pure instinct, slicing toward Wrath with a flash.

"Stay down, demon!" she shouted.

Wrath raised his burning arm, catching her blade in his molten hand.

Sparks flew, and the heat forced Elysia to retreat.

Behind her, Envy shifted, its body rippling into an exact copy of her — same stance, same blade, same expression.

"What—?" Elysia gasped.

The mirrored figure smirked and mimicked her movement perfectly, slashing in unison.

Their swords clashed, creating bursts of blue and silver light.

At the same time, Kael turned to flee deeper into the ruins, trying to draw the attention of the other demons away.

But as he reached the far corridor, he stopped — his shard pulsing brighter.

I can’t just run. If they break through to the surface, everyone outside will die.

He clenched his jaw and ran back toward the chaos.

Elysia was cornered now, fighting both Wrath and her mirrored self.

Her strength flow was disrupted by Sloth’s decaying aura; every move felt heavier, slower. She stumbled slightly as Wrath’s fire lashed toward her.

"Elysia!" Kael shouted.

She turned just in time to see Kael charge in, sliding between her and Wrath.

His sword clashed with the demon’s burning blade, sending sparks across the chamber.

The shockwave pushed both of them back.

Elysia’s eyes widened. "You came back?"

Kael didn’t look at her. "Save your blades for them, not me!"

"Don’t order me around!" she hissed, slashing again at Envy, who copied her every movement.

"That thing’s copying your mana rhythm," Kael shouted over the roar of Wrath’s flames.

"Break it with reverse flow!"

Elysia gritted her teeth but followed his advice.

She shifted her stance, reversing the mana circulation in her body — a risky move, but it caused the mirrored Envy to falter.

Its movements lagged for half a second — enough time for her to pierce its chest with a decisive thrust.

The mirror shattered into fragments of glass and mana mist.

Elysia stood there, panting. "It... worked?"

Kael blocked another fiery swing from Wrath and smirked. "Told you."

Before either could breathe, Greed lunged at them, golden claws tearing through the air.

Kael parried, but the sheer strength of the blow threw him across the chamber. He crashed into a broken pillar, coughing blood.

Elysia rushed toward him. "Kael!"

He pushed himself up, wiping his mouth. "We can’t take them all head-on. We need to separate them."

"And how do you plan to do that?" she snapped.

Kael’s red shard pulsed again. "Just follow my lead."

He slammed his sword into the ground, channeling his mana into the cracks of the stone floor.

The earth erupted in a burst of crimson energy, forming barriers between the demons.

For a few moments, they were separated — each trapped in its own section of the chamber.

Elysia stared at him, surprised. "You’re... using your crystal shard to manipulate the terrain?"

"It reacts to danger," Kael said, breathing heavily. "I just guide it."

Wrath roared from behind his fiery cage, hammering at the walls of Kael’s spell.

Lust’s seductive whispers slithered through the cracks, reaching into their minds, but Elysia countered it with a mana barrier.

Kael’s sword hand trembled slightly. "You good?"

Elysia’s eyes flicked toward him, still wary. "I should be asking you that."

He gave a humorless smile. "You can kill me later. For now, let’s stay alive."

For a brief moment, they shared a glance — not of trust, but of necessity.

It reminded them, faintly and unconsciously, of the past life they had once shared on the battlefield, standing shoulder to shoulder against overwhelming odds, even when they were destined to be enemies.

Wrath’s roar broke that moment apart. The flames surged again, melting through the barriers.

The gate behind them pulsed, unstable.

"Once this barrier falls, they’ll all be free," Kael said through clenched teeth.

"Then we end them before that happens," Elysia replied, raising her sword again.

They moved in unison — Kael darting forward with blinding speed, slashing at Wrath’s leg while Elysia channeled her mana into her blade, freezing the molten blood that spilled out.

Wrath screamed, falling to one knee, but Greed tore through another barrier and lunged at them again.

Kael pushed Elysia aside, barely dodging the swing. "Go for the head!"

Elysia leapt, slicing across Greed’s golden neck, but the wound sealed almost instantly, the gold in his veins hardening like armor.

"Damn it!" she cursed.

Kael’s eyes darted around the room, searching for the relic that powered the seal — the runic circle carved beneath the gate.

"We can’t kill them yet. The gate’s still feeding them energy!"

"So what do we do?"

"Destroy the source!"

Elysia nodded and dashed toward the gate.

Wrath, bleeding and furious, roared and hurled a torrent of fire her way.

Kael moved instinctively, stepping between her and the flames, raising his sword — his shard glowing brighter than ever.

The red crystal pulsed once — and the flames split, scattering harmlessly around them.

Elysia stopped in shock. "You—"

"No time," Kael interrupted. "Do it now!"

She turned and plunged her sword into the runic circle. A blinding surge of light erupted through the chamber. The runes cracked, and the gate screamed as if alive.

The five demons wailed, their bodies flickering, the curse that bound them losing stability.

Wrath’s molten eyes met Kael’s one last time. "This is not your victory, mortal. The Shadow Disciple will come."