Dawn had not yet broken…
But the world…
Was no longer as quiet as it once was.
He stood atop a building.
Looking down at the village from above.
But this time…
He did not see "people."
Rather…
Threads.
Weak… faint… easy to sever.
"Useless."
He whispered it coldly.
Suddenly—
[Alert]
[Target with Existential Weight detected]
His eyes locked in.
"Where?"
[East of the village]
He vanished from his spot.
On the other side…
Screams.
Fire.
Blood.
Bandits.
But these…
Were not ordinary.
Their bodies were covered in scars.
Their eyes…
Devoid of fear.
And in their midst—
A man.
Standing.
Still.
His thread…
Was not ordinary.
It was—
Red.
Glowing.
Moving… as if it were alive.
He stopped at a distance.
Watching him.
"This is the one…"
[Target Analysis]
[Name: Unknown]
[Classification: Leader]
[Existential Weight: High]
"Excellent."
He smiled.
But—
Before he could move…
The man…
Raised his head.
And looked directly at him.
He froze.
"…He sees me?"
The man smiled.
A slow… terrifying smile.
"Who's there?"
The voice was heavy.
The rest of the men stopped.
"Is… someone there?"
They looked around.
But they saw nothing.
Only he did.
"Intriguing."
He whispered.
Then—
He leaped.
In an instant—
He was right in front of him.
The man did not flinch.
Instead…
He laughed.
"Finally…"
"Something extraordinary."
He struck.
But he—
Evaded it with ease.
[Activated: Temporal Erasure]
The attack vanished.
As if it had never happened.
He appeared behind him.
Reached out his hand—
"Delete."
But—
He stopped.
His hand…
Touched something solid.
The Red Thread…
Had moved.
It coiled around his hand.
His eyes widened.
"…What?"
The man turned slowly.
"Do you think…"
"You are the only one… who breaks the laws?"
Silence.
Then—
He smiled.
A smile drenched in blood.
"I have been… waiting for you."
He took a step back.
For the first time…
He felt something clear.
Danger.
[Warning!]
[Target is resisting Erasure]
"Good…"
He said it quietly.
But his eyes…
Changed.
[Activated: Eye of the Void]
The world cracked.
He saw the truth.
The man…
Was not natural.
His red thread…
Was filled with "Temporal Rifts."
As if…
It had been modified before.
"So…"
"I am not the first."
He lunged.
This time…
With even greater speed.
Vanishing.
Appearing.
Vanishing.
Strikes…
Unseen.
[Repeated use of Ability]
[Warning: Memory consumption is rising]
"Shut up."
The man laughed.
"You delete…"
"And I… remember."
He froze.
"…What?"
"Every moment you delete…"
"I see it."
Silence.
And here—
For the first time…
He felt something real.
Not fear…
But—
A threat.
[Alert]
[Partial evolution requirement met]
He smiled.
Slowly.
"Good…"
"I won't erase you quickly."
He raised his hand.
Time…
Stopped once again.
But this time—
He was not alone.
The man…
Moved.
Inside the frozen time.
His eyes widened.
"…Impossible."
The man approached him.
Whispered in his ear:
"Welcome… to the real Hell."
And in that moment—
He understood.
"The game… has begun