"Do not disrespect me by calling me that vile title," the boy huffed after a minute. "I am a ChosenBorn."
He said it like it meant something. Capital C, capital B, divine reverb and all.
Kai blinked.
"Uh… cool?"
The boy's blue eyes darkened, just slightly. Dramatic pause. Clearly, he was waiting for the weight of those words to land.
They didn't.
Kai just stared at him.
The boy fidgeted. Then sighed like a disappointed kindergarten teacher.
"You have no idea what I just said, do you?"
"Not even a little."
"…Are you perhaps… chosen by Azrael?"
"Who?"
Wasn't that, like, the angel of death? Was he tied to the Sassy Death he knew about?
A bile threatened to throw out as Kai suddenly remembered the man—his antics, his grin, his god-awful flair. But he just closed his eyes. Kept.
The boy groaned and palmed his own face like he'd just discovered his partner in a group project couldn't read.
The fact that he looked disappointed—while being chased by goblins—both baffled and impressed Kai.
"Of course. You're one of his."
The boy gave him a look—like he'd just found a kicked puppy trying to act tough.
"Aww… poor thing. I shouldn't have yelled at you."
Kai's mouth parted, slowly, like his brain was buffering.
"Okay. What the actual hell is happening right now?"
"Nothing. Just follow my lead," the boy said, puffing up again. "This big brother will handle everything. Just keep me safe, okay?"
Kai blinked. Then squinted at him like he'd just heard a chicken speak fluent French.
"Big brother? You?"
He scoffed, spat on the ground.
"Thuff! You're built like a paper towel roll in the rain."
"No need for tantrums, baby brother," the boy said, waving him off like an overworked nanny. "Just keep running and find an opening to ditch these pesky things."
The nerve on this kid. But to Kai's surprise, he didn't seem like he was on the verge of another sobfest. Maybe the panic had burned off. Or maybe near-death had jumpstarted his sass circuits.
Kai glanced behind them. The goblins were still chasing, but lagging now—arms flailing, legs pumping like toddlers in a sack race.
"They'll tire soon," Kai muttered.
The boy nodded, catching his breath.
"Indeed. Goblins aren't the most athletic. Their strength lies in numbers and chaos. Nimble, pesky, annoyingly persistent—but not very bright."
He paused, then muttered under his breath:
"Kind of like a certain someone…"
"Huh?" Kai shot him a look.
The boy raised both hands. "Nothing! Nothing at all. Let's just… find a room."
Kai narrowed his eyes but let it go. No time for snark fights. They needed a hideout, fast.
Even though every cell in his body screamed to interrogate the boy about this messed-up world, the immediate priority was finding somewhere—anywhere—to hole up and catch a damn breath. Preferably without being chewed on by overenthusiastic goblins.
They ran in tense silence, save for the slap of their feet on polished floors and the shrill goblin screeches echoing behind them. The little bastards weren't fast, but they had stamina—like evil Energizer bunnies with knives.
And now, the boy was starting to slow down again. His breathing ragged, legs wobbly. Great.
Then Kai spotted it—an open doorway up ahead, off to the left. His eyes lit up.
"There! That room's open!"
The boy perked up instantly. "Finally! Some rest— I mean, uh… you go ahead and scout it out. Y'know, since… you're stronger and all."
Kai gave him a long, unreadable look.
The kid tried to smile. Failed.
"…Right."
As much as he wanted to throw the boy in first and watch for traps like a proper RPG protagonist, the smarter play was to check it himself.
If the room was bad news, he'd just bolt. No use dragging dead weight in before knowing it was safe.
Either way, going in alone gave him more options.
But hey—having someone around to use as bait was a good thing, right?
But he also couldn't shake his curiosity.
This whole Lady Luck blessing thing… It might actually be useful. If it was real, it could be game-changing.
'I'll use him as bait later if I have to. For now... I need answers.'
Kai took a deep breath and gave a solemn nod.
"Fine. As you wish, big brother..."
"Eek!"
The boy recoiled instantly, taking a quick sidestep like Kai had just confessed to licking doorknobs for fun. His face twisted in pure revulsion—like Kai had the plague and bad breath.
Kai mentally noted that the kid wasn't as naive as he looked. Fragile? Sure. Cowardly? Absolutely. But not stupid.
Without another word, he picked up the pace and sprinted toward the open room.
'Pray to your gods you're actually useful, big brother.'
Kai thought, lips twitching.
'Or you're getting promoted to bait in the Church of My Survival.'
He didn't have to put up with this crap—but hey, help was help. Even if it came dressed like a drowned cat with delusions of grandeur.
Skidding to a stop just outside the room, Kai pressed himself to the wall. From inside came a chorus of inhuman screeches, guttural goblin curses, and the rhythmic thud-thud of chaos.
'Goblins... and a lot of them.'
The sound was unmistakable. It wasn't a scuffle. It wasn't a skirmish. It was a goddamn massacre.
Kai dared a peek around the doorframe—then immediately recoiled, gag rising in his throat.
It wasn't a fight.
It was a one-sided murder spree.
A dozen goblin corpses littered the floor.
And they weren't just dead. No, dead would've been merciful.
Some had their heads torn clean off. Others had their chests ripped open like wet paper, hearts gouged out with surgical precision. Limbs were scattered around like discarded chicken bones—twisted, snapped, peeled apart. But the worst part?
The bubbling, red-and-black slime eating through what remained of their torsos. It hissed and sizzled, carving through flesh like acid on skin, releasing a stench that hit Kai like a punch to the gut.
Even compared to his mafia days—where dismemberment was just part of Tuesday—this was a different level of carnage.
And the perpetrator?
Still in the room.
Still busy.
The guy was over six and a half feet of pure nightmare fuel. Towering, shirtless except for a white tee soaked with gore, muscles rippling with every motion. Blonde hair slicked back like a man on a protein shake and murder-only diet.
At that moment, he was in the middle of pulling an upside-down goblin's legs apart like it was a Thanksgiving wishbone.
If that guy saw him now... Kai had zero doubts he'd be next on the dissection table.
'What kind of monster—'
Kai couldn't finish the thought. Another wave of rot and burnt flesh hit his nose like a war crime, and he gagged—loudly.
Clamping a hand over his mouth, he bolted. No hesitation. No curiosity. Just a survival instinct screaming run, idiot, run.
Whoever—or whatever—that man was, Kai didn't want any smoke.
He just hoped to every god still watching that he never saw that guy again.
But of course, hope means nothing in this world. And Kaizen was about to find it out the hard way.