November 1, 2026

Seven Sins System Chapter 911. Contradiction

I squeezed her hand once before carefully releasing it. Then I stood. My legs trembled. My back ached. My throat burned. But I straightened my shoulders, lifted my chin, and walked toward the doors as though I hadn't nearly collapsed five minutes earlier. Because I was Wrath. And Wrath did not limp out of a room looking defeated. At least, not when there were witnesses.

The doors opened. And there she was. Patience. Waiting in the corridor with her arms crossed and an expression that could have curdled holy water.

Oh, she was still pissed.

Her gaze immediately settled on me, taking in my straightened clothes and the infuriating smirk I deliberately placed on my face. I could almost see her patience evaporating.

Again.

What a magnificent contradiction.

I walked past her without saying a word, allowing my smile to widen just enough to make her eyes narrow. Unfortunately, I couldn't afford another confrontation. My body was already threatening to file a formal complaint. A little farther down the corridor stood Asmo. Or rather, the physical remains of Asmo's dignity.

He leaned against a marble pillar, staring blankly into the distance. The crimson rose was still in his hand, although several petals had fallen onto the floor. His expression hadn't changed. The Lord of Lust had apparently suffered a complete emotional system failure.

I approached him and patted his shoulder. He barely reacted. I almost felt sorry for him. Instead, I hooked an arm around his shoulders and gently dragged him toward the corridor leading out of the sanctuary. He followed mechanically, still staring ahead with those wonderfully empty eyes.

Behind us, I could feel Patience's murderous gaze drilling into my back.

I smirked and continued down the corridor until we reached the group of demon soldiers waiting near the sanctuary's dimensional platform. The moment they saw me, they straightened, although several pairs of eyes lingered on my condition. Bloodstains. Burned lips. Unsteady steps.

Asmo looking like his girlfriend of three thousand years had just dumped him despite the minor detail that he'd never actually dated her. We looked fantastic.

I lifted one hand. "Guys, we're going home!"

"YES, MY LORD!"

Their voices echoed through the sanctuary. Demons understood simple instructions.

I stretched my hand toward the dimensional platform and summoned my power. Normally, opening a portal between realms was effortless.

Pain immediately traveled through my arm.

I gritted my teeth as darkness gathered before me, twisting into a circular gate. Black lightning crawled along its edges before the center opened, revealing the familiar dim architecture of the Shadow Realm.

[You have opened a portal]

My soldiers entered one by one. The others followed without hesitation until only Asmo and I remained. Well, technically, Asmo's body remained. His soul, if he had one, seemed to have been left behind with that rejected rose.

I glanced over my shoulder. Patience was still there. Arms crossed. Eyes narrowed. Expression thoroughly displeased with my continued existence. I grinned. "Don't make that face."

Her glare intensified.

"We did what we had to do." The important part was true, anyway. Puriel was alive, the poison was gone, and her core could finally recover. Everything else that had happened inside that room was between my angel, me, and an altar that I sincerely hoped couldn't testify in court.

I grabbed Asmo by the shoulder. "Time to go, Romeo." Then I shoved him through the portal. He disappeared into the darkness without resistance. I gave Patience one final wave. "Take care of her."

Her expression softened by approximately half a percent.

I stepped through. The sensation of dimensional travel wrapped around me for less than a heartbeat before solid ground returned beneath my boots.

Home.

The Shadow Realm's dimensional chamber surrounded us, all black stone, crimson crystals, and infernal runes. Compared to the Light Realm's painfully immaculate architecture, the darkness felt comforting.

The portal collapsed behind me.

I exhaled. "That's better."

The soldiers assembled before me.

I dismissed them with a wave. "Go back to headquarters. File the usual return report."

"Yes, Your Highness!"

They saluted and marched away. Within moments, their footsteps faded down the corridor. Leaving me with Asmo.

I looked at him. He stood exactly where I'd shoved him through the portal. Motionless. Blank expression. Shoulders hanging. I waited. Nothing. "Asmo." I waved my hand in front of his face.

His eyes followed it sluggishly. At least he wasn't dead. "How long are you going to stand there like a statue?"

He finally blinked. "I don't know." His voice was disturbingly empty.

I stared. He was actually devastated.

"I feel betrayed." He looked down at his hands. "I mean… I'm Lust. I should be able to get at least one goddess."

I pressed my lips together. Laughing would hurt. Do not laugh. My throat was already destroyed.

"But she rejected me." His eyes slowly lifted toward mine. "Just like that."

I couldn't help myself. A snort escaped. Pain immediately stabbed through my throat.

Asmo glared at me. "This isn't funny."

"It's extremely funny."

"You're Wrath. You weren't even trying. And somehow you got Chastity."

I gave him a smug smile. "Skill issue."

His face fell further. Perhaps that was unnecessarily cruel.

I patted his shoulder. "Look, you'll recover. Eventually. Probably. Go back to your mansion. Or better yet, report to my dad."

That finally produced a reaction. "Why me?"

"Because I'm busy."

"Doing what?"

I gestured vaguely toward my entire body. "Trying not to die."

Asmo's expression became serious. He'd apparently forgotten about that part.

"I need the Abyss pool again," I continued. "There's still residual holy energy in my channels, maybe traces of Puriel's blood too. I'm not taking chances with that shit."

Asmo nodded slowly. For approximately three seconds, he looked like the responsible Sin I occasionally remembered existed underneath all the flirting. Then he sighed. "Fine."

I started walking.

Behind me came another miserable mutter. "I'm Lust…"

I closed my eyes. ‘Here we go.’ I raised one hand without turning around. "Go cry to the king."