Dancing on the golden ashes

A smirk rose on her lips. Was it funny? I didn't think so. I challenged her to a fight, and she instantly brushed me off like a bug? What audacity this woman had; I wasn't just some random person off the streets. I am the Demon Empress—the new one—the ruler of demons in my own world. And she, she's just an old monster trapped here. She was nothing compared to my potential, my power.

I could feel the sins respond to my desires. One by one, they started lighting up. First, the Pride bubbled with resistance. Then came the Envy, burning with the desire to have the power she possessed, to be named the original one. Soon after, the Wrath surged with fury—it wanted to tear this woman into pieces. And lastly, the Greed, glowing in gold, demanding the treasure she held—her flame, and her power.

The air around me froze for a moment. It felt as if the entire world had paused—just to worship me. And then, the energy surrounding me surged forward, rushing into me through every pore, every crack it could find. When it reached the sins and fed them, I felt an explosion erupt within my core, a violent storm that burst outward like a hurricane. It tore through everything in its path, nearly shattering this realm of pure fire.

I caught a glint in her eyes the moment my full power erupted. I couldn't tell what it was—not clearly, not yet—but deep down, I knew. It had to be amazement. What else could it be? After all, no one in the same realm could ever match me. Not now. Not ever.

"I am not just Lee Gaon…" I said softly, my voice empty, stripped of emotion. The heart wasn't there to carry them. It was like something else—something deeper—was trying to awaken in its place.

"I am the Death Eater. And today, your soul shall become mine."

My words were cold, sharp like a blade freshly drawn. There was no arrogance. No boast. No lie. Only truth—and I would make that truth real.

"Funny," she replied, tilting her head with that same damn smirk. "Your eyes… they're turning blue. Light blue. So it's time, huh?"

Something inside me shifted.

A new color. A new presence. I felt it surface—not from nowhere, but from within, where it had always been. I could tell now. It had never been absent, only hidden. Waiting. And now that my emotions were on the edge of breaking free—ready to erupt and spiral out of control—it appeared.

And it calmed me. It stilled the storm; I felt detached. Slow. Drifting. But also… balanced. Exactly what I needed in this moment.

It was Sloth. And it was time for it to awaken—to join the others.

I feel like each sin is awakening the real me. It feels good. Too good. I want to awaken them all. All of them. My thoughts turned cold... and golden. I crave it—that power without end. The power to never suffer again. Yes...

I saw it in her eyes, her movements, her smile—she looked at me like I was entertainment. I hated it. I wanted to tear her apart. I knew the power difference between us, of course I did. But that feeling in my gut refused to back down. It wouldn't let me retreat. So I moved.

My scythe manifested in my hand, burning as bright as the sun, as sharp and cold as polished ice. It had one purpose—to kill. To reap the life of my enemy.

So I swung it. My wrist hurt from my own power, but I didn't care. I used all I had in this attack. A golden brilliance quickly turned into ten small black holes. Each one floated around the blade of the scythe. Each one had the power to destroy the world. But now, it was meant to destroy the god.

But I was foolish after all. Even with the sins powering me, boosting my strength to levels I could never have imagined, I was still not her match. She was so strong… One finger. That's all it took for her to stop me in my tracks. One moment I was swinging my scythe at her with planet-destroying force, and the next, I was already flying back—my body bloodied, broken... It hurt, of course it did...

I felt myself being consumed by the flames at the edge of this realm. It burned… My body? I was made of flame… so how? Funny... I wanted to laugh. Laugh? Me? I could do that? Strange... I can feel something. Despair? No... Fire... Yes...

"Devour... Devour... Gaon... Devour..."

That's... eerie voice? Sounds familiar. The other me is still inside me? Or... is it my own brain?

"Devour then... let me devour it all. Everything... I will devour life and death itself..." My words left my lips like an echo, traveling far and making the realm tremble. And then... I felt something explode. My soul power surged, rising rapidly, filling with cosmic energy. I was reaching the peak of the Immortal Realm... I was approaching the Immortal King realm. And the thing that triggered it—was my sixth sin...

Gluttony...

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The sins inside me beat against each other, and then, a new power was born... It was orange. Powerful, and all-devouring. It sucked the energy and flames from around, like a thirsty traveler in the desert, dying to drink water. And the moment they find the oasis, they drink until they die... That was that sin. But it would never die... No. It will devour until this world dies!

But this time, I think something different happened, as all of them started to merge into a small orb—multicolored... but powerful. And when it absorbed enough power, it expanded like a universe, like a big bang... and then—With a loud—BOOM!—I felt myself ascend. Power overflowed within me, so strong and domineering, like I had control over everything and everyone.

I was a king. Not a queen, no... I was the king. The Immortal King. Lee Gaon.