“It... it stopped moving?”

The machete halted mid-swing, as if clamped down by an invisible iron grip.

And then—under Muen’s horrified gaze—the rusted blade began to melt, like it had been thrown straight into a blazing forge.

The molten metal twisted unnaturally in midair—playfully even—like something out of a fairytale. Like... a slime.

But this was room temperature, dammit! That was nowhere near the melting point of iron!

Could we at least pretend physics still existed?!

“Wait a minute...”

Muen’s eyes shot up. The machete wasn’t the only thing melting.

The cabinet door he’d just kicked.

The cabinet he’d just hidden in.

Every piece of metal around him... was liquefying.

The writhing liquid hovered and twisted in midair, gradually drawing toward a single point—

Anne’s outstretched palm.

“...Law power... a God-Favored?!”

Muen’s vision dimmed.

A cosmic slap from fate just sent his blood pressure through the roof.

God-Favored—those chosen by the divine to wield authority over a fragment of reality itself.

Like how Celicia wielded the divine force of ice and snow... now Anne, too, was wielding metal like a goddess of steel.

With the law of metal at her fingertips, melting iron at room temperature was just the start. She could reshape it into cubes, spheres, or even tiny bears that looked like goddamn Doraemon and no one could stop her.

But—

Why?

Why the hell was Anne a God-Favored?

The original novel never mentioned anything like this. There wasn’t even a hint of a divine blessing over metal.

And if Anne really was a God-Favored, why would she reduce herself to being just a maid?

“That’s because... I did it for love, of course.”

Anne smiled as she answered the unspoken question in his eyes, forming the molten metal into gleaming, razor-sharp weapons.

“Fame, power, money... they’re all trash to me. The only thing I’ve ever wanted—is you, Master.”

“So come now. I’ll bring you back into my arms. This time... I’ll cut off your limbs. That way, you’ll never—ever—be able to leave me again!”

She raised her hand.

The metal blades sliced through the air like falling leaves caught in an autumn gale, all aimed directly at Muen.

“Shadow Step!”

In that split-second of impending doom, Muen activated Shadow Step—a movement skill with painful consequences at his Tier.

His body flickered into a shadowy blur and vanished.

He reappeared several meters away, face contorted in pain, barely able to stand—but he’d dodged it. Barely.

“Shit...”

His legs screamed as burning agony tore through his nerves. He hissed between clenched teeth.

A yandere was terrifying enough.

But now she had divine law powers? Was this even fair?!

God, if you’ve got beef with me, just drop a lightning bolt and get it over with! Why this slow torture?!

“Hmm?”

Anne narrowed her lovely brows.

“Another unfamiliar technique. Just how many secrets are you hiding from me, Master?”

“Heh... A man’s secrets are like a woman’s age. You don’t go digging into them.”

Muen forced a grin.

“Is that so? But I’ll still uncover every last one of them. Not as a man. But as—my possession.”

Anne spread her arms like she meant to embrace the whole world.

Then Muen heard it.

From the depths of the passage behind her came a grinding, shrieking noise that set his teeth on edge.

In the flickering light, a hulking mass slithered forward, scraping the walls.

It looked like a thousand iron bars had been forcefully twisted together to form a grotesque serpentine monster. The shapes of shackles and warped cell doors were still visible, now transformed into claws and limbs. It tore through the walls and floor with monstrous ease.

Ah. Right.

The cell he’d been locked in... had been entirely made of metal.

“...Aren’t you overdoing it?!”

No hesitation.

Muen turned and ran.

Human beings could explode with astonishing potential under pressure—and right now, Muen was a shining example.

Even as the pain in his legs screamed louder than ever, he ran faster than he ever had in his life.

The exit loomed before him, the light swelling until it filled his vision—until it consumed his whole world.

His eyes blurred briefly, then cleared again.

Warm daylight bathed him. The outside world came rushing back in.

And the familiar scenery... almost made him cry.

“It really is... the back gate of the Campbell Estate!”

No time to celebrate.

A deafening crash erupted behind him.

That steel centipede-like monster burst through the underground exit and lunged toward him.

Muen hesitated for just one moment—

Then gave up on fleeing into the estate and [N O V E L I G H T] bolted the other direction—away from it.

There was a river just outside the back gate, sparkling under the setting sun.

“Master~ Why are you running?” Anne’s voice was honey-sweet, her arms open wide, like a big sister welcoming a child home.

“If you accidentally broke an important part of yourself, I’d be heartbroken, you know~”

—That is, if she weren’t standing on top of a snarling steel beast covered in writhing blades.

“So my arms and legs don’t count as ‘important parts’ to you?!”

There was no stopping.

Muen pushed his body harder than ever before, draining every ounce of strength he had.

But that steel abomination Anne summoned was showing its purpose—it was fast.

In the open space outside, it moved far faster than he could.

The sunlight vanished.

Darkness swallowed him as the monster’s shadow fell over him.

The pressure behind him was suffocating.

No choice.

No hesitation.

“Shadow Step!”

“Shadow Step!” 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

“Shadow Step!”

The technique, meant for short bursts and assassination, now became his only tool for escape.

He didn’t care that his level was too low.

Didn’t care about the pain.

Every time he used it, his legs screamed in protest, every cell howling in agony.

But he couldn’t stop.

If he stopped—

He would lose his freedom.

“I want to live.

In this world, even if it’s a messed up one... I want to live a normal life.

And if I can... I want to live a happy one, too.”

So—

Run.

“Shadow Step!”

The agony blurred his mind. The pain was enough to tear his soul apart.

But in that chaos of torment and obsession... something different sparked.

A sudden heat.

It bloomed in his dantian, then flowed down into his legs.

“...What...?”

A wild joy flashed in Muen’s eyes.

Battle Aura.

He’d broken through!

A burning current surged through his legs, dulling the pain almost entirely.

In the Black Book’s record, his Shadow Step LV2—just moments ago—suddenly jumped.

LV5!

No—still rising!

LV6!

“Shadow Step!”

The threat behind him hadn’t disappeared. Muen cast the skill again—

This time leaping over ten meters in a single bound.

And with battle aura reinforcing him, there were no side effects.

As long as he had stamina—he could use it limitlessly!

“Master!”

Anne’s voice twisted in fury. Watching Muen suddenly outpace even her steel monster, her face contorted with something she’d never shown before—raw rage.

She abandoned her monstrous beast.

Leapt from its head like a dancer.

Soared toward Muen.

“Please don’t run!”

“Sorry, Anne.”

Muen turned his head and smiled.

Behind him, the river caught the golden sun, gleaming like flowing blood.

He raised his hand.

A power he’d never used before gathered in his palm—mana.

Then, without hesitation, he let it erupt.

“Illumination Spell—MAX OUTPUT!”

For an instant—

Another sun rose in the world.

Brighter than the sunset.