Chapter 344

Chapter 344
Chapter 344

The velocity was beyond any scale I had ever encountered.

Even during my time as Wilhelm, I found it impossible to intercept him when he took flight.

Yet, in this moment, his pace seemed to have surpassed even those past limits.

The White King blurred past Albino and Lyca in a mere pulse of the heart.

*Guoooooooooo!*

Suddenly, he was towering directly before me.

Energy spiraled into a condensed ring upon his leading paw.

A gravitational blade-sphere.

It was an orb of pure radiance, functioning on the logic of a vacuum that pulled in and erased everything within its reach.

This was a force capable of extinguishing a celestial being if detonated at point-blank range.

It was the White Tiger Divine Fist, a technique that funneled every drop of his internal essence into a solitary strike.

Meeting the White King’s gaze in that instant, his eyes broadcasted a single, clear intent:

*Perish.*

There was no one more consumed by obsession than him.

The White King had gambled his entire existence on this one movement.

It was a total assault launched without a thought for survival.

A pact of mutual annihilation. He was prepared to go down with me.

“N-no…!”

—…!

The sound of a distant shriek reached me.

But that cry was instantly drowned out.

*Kwaaaaaaaaaaaaaang!*

The White King’s massive energy reserve detonated right against my face.

The moment the thunderous blast erupted.

“…!”

Lyca’s pupils shuddered with intensity.

*Guooooooooo—*

As the mana flared, a colossal dark rift manifested, centered on the White King.

It consumed a radius of several meters, reducing everything it touched to absolute nothingness.

If the perimeter looked this devastating, the state of the epicenter was unimaginable.

“O Druid of the Golden Rule!”

Albino’s complexion turned ghostly.

With a pale face, he lunged toward the obsidian sphere.

Then.

*Crackle! Crackle!*

With the sound of searing heat, Albino’s hand vanished the moment it made contact.

He recoiled instantly, and his missing limb flickered back into existence.

That wasn’t the end of it.

*Craaack!*

A massive, singular eye manifested atop the dark orb.

It bore a terrifying resemblance to the gaze of Mok, the King of Ruin.

Lyca’s expression grew even more grim at the sight.

“The Soul Eater…”

“A Soul Eater?”

“A nightmare from the pits of the abyss that feasts on spirits. It appears Mok, the King of Ruin, was an entity that climbed the evolutionary ladder from that very class.”

Lyca provided the explanation to Albino’s frantic question.

The Soul Eater was a rare breed inhabiting the deepest reaches of the void.

Their population was sparse, yet they were so lethal that even other abyssal horrors steered clear of these ‘beholder’ types.

It seemed Mok was the pinnacle of that evolutionary line.

The catastrophe now was that Mok and the White King had fused into one.

Consequently, that ‘void sphere’ had effectively become the White King’s physical form.

Lyca realized the White King’s true goal.

*He intends to consume him. In the exact same manner.*

Believing the Druid of the Golden Rule had swallowed the Lord of Five Calamities, the White King sought to devour the Druid in kind.

*Screech.*

Lyca unsheathed his blade.

The King would not halt until every fragment of the Druid was digested.

However, the ‘void sphere’ possessed a form that was fundamentally unbreakable.

Touching it meant forfeiting one’s soul.

Albino had only avoided being pulled in because his spiritual essence was exceptionally vast.

—Abandon this effort.

As Lyca prepared to strike, the ‘Forgotten God’ intervened.

—Physical weaponry cannot reach ‘that’ state. Only a spirit larger than the White Tiger Emperor himself can hope to exert influence.

And there was no soul present that could rival the White King’s capacity.

In truth, as the primary heir to the White Tiger Emperor’s lineage, his spiritual vessel was peerless.

The White Tiger Emperor had birthed and evolved countless lifeforms.

No force was as potent as the raw hunger for evolution.

The only possible anomaly was the Druid of the Golden Rule.

*The one who overcame Truth. A being existing entirely outside the established order.*

Could the White King truly process the Druid?

If he failed to digest him, the predator would become the prey.

*I am fascinated to see what emerges from the sphere of evolution.*

Within that ‘evolutionary cocoon,’ a transformation was inevitable.

Regardless of who triumphed, the survivor would emerge as something entirely new.

It was then.

*Shuuung-!*

A solitary beam of brilliance sliced through the cocoon and manifested.

As if signaling an opening.

*Shushushushushung!*

Countless lances of light tore through the orb’s surface.

*It appears the end has come.*

The resolution was swifter than she anticipated, but the outcome was decided.

What sort of creature had the cocoon birthed?

Yet, the ‘Forgotten God,’ watching with ancient eyes, couldn’t help but feel a sense of confusion.

*Riiiiip!*

A figure emerged, shredding the sphere from within.

But the sight defied the Forgotten God’s expectations.

Two figures appeared.

The Druid of the Golden Rule stepped out, supporting the ‘White King,’ whose monstrous form had reverted to normal.

The Druid had not been consumed, nor had he erased the King’s soul.

However, a shift had occurred.

A change was palpable.

*That headpiece is…?*

The Druid now wore a helm she had never witnessed.

A crown of gold etched with the likeness of an eagle.

Furthermore, his very presence had shifted, as if he had become the incarnation of the ‘Nameless Eagle.’

He appeared as a human manifestation of that ancient bird of prey.

In that moment.

“Uwa…?”

—…!

The Forgotten God recoiled.

…Because it had stirred.

The First Human.

Her own creation.

The doll was staring directly at the Druid of the Golden Rule.

—…

The Forgotten God was gripped by bewilderment.

This was a fundamental impossibility.

After all.

How could a hollow, soulless vessel—one devoid of any capacity for feeling—open its mouth and act of its own volition?

✺✺✺

In the end.

The White King failed in his endeavor.

His ambition to feast upon my soul evaporated.

Just as he had tapped into the essence of ‘Mok, the King of Ruin,’ I had accessed the strength of the ‘Nameless Eagle.’

The moment the ‘Nameless Eagle’ took the form of my helmet, the White King’s influence was blocked.

In fact, he was on the verge of being dismantled and absorbed by me.

But I had no desire for his spirit.

The entire conflict was rooted in a tragic misunderstanding.

He was a man who had sacrificed his very being, driven by the belief that I, as the Lord of Five Calamities, had perished.

Still, I didn’t walk away empty-handed.

I sought one specific thing.

*The essence of evolution.*

The divine authority he carried.

I was able to decipher the ‘origin’ woven into the White King’s soul.

A legacy revealed over eons, structured like a strand of genetic code.

I unearthed the secrets of the White Tiger Clan, the chronicles of the White Tiger Emperor, and his true name.

Then.

《You have unlocked biological data regarding the ‘Primordial Beasts’.》

《The Hidden Trait ‘Beast Lord’ has ascended to ‘Beast God’!》

The conflict was over.

I placed the unconscious White King on the ground and signaled for Albino to stay back.

“It’s alright. Leave him be.”

“B-but…!”

Albino was fuming.

Despite the King’s shocking speed, Albino felt the shame of letting him slip past.

Moreover, he feared the King would simply resume his attack the moment he woke.

“He won’t strike again.”

…I understood Albino’s frustration, but I had locked souls with the White King.

The White King himself must have realized the truth during that contact.

He wouldn’t stumble into the same error twice.

I also discovered that his devotion to the Lord of Five Calamities was profound.

As I insisted everything was settled, Albino looked at me with a stunned expression.

He clearly hadn’t expected such a quick pardon.

“You lot, don’t just stand there. Come get him. He is your leader, isn’t he?”

“…We are in your debt.”

Tyrant Grizzly finally edged forward, tentatively taking custody of the White King.

The eyes of the surrounding beasts were a cocktail of dread, awe, and genuine thanks.

They looked at me as if they were standing before a literal ‘deity.’

Their entire demeanor had shifted.

I left them with a final thought.

“Let our next meeting be an honorable duel.”

“…I will ensure he understands that.”

He promised to relay the message once the King regained consciousness.

Everyone present understood that the White King’s impulsive charge had been a breach of conduct.

The other beasts nodded in solemn agreement.

Soon.

【The championship round commences in 5 minutes.】

I watched the text hover in the air.

The White King was out, and it appeared Andrew had fallen to the Forgotten God as well.

I looked over to see Andrew standing nearby, his frame trembling slightly.

“B-be extremely cautious. That woman… she defies logic. She is a nightmare beyond comprehension.”

His Heart of Darkness had been shattered.

But Andrew’s fear went deeper than a loss of power.

This was a man who, as a goddess’s apostle, had once feared nothing.

*Pat.*

I gave him a reassuring tap on the shoulder and walked toward the center of the arena.

—…

The Forgotten God, usually so talkative, was uncharacteristically silent.

I gave a casual shrug.

“I’ll wrap this up quickly.”

The Forgotten God was out of tricks.

The First Human was nothing but an empty, mechanical doll.

Of course, I was also standing there with my secrets already bared.

I adjusted my helmet and stepped onto the stage.

I was fully synced with the ‘Nameless Eagle.’

With my trait evolved into ‘Beast God,’ I could merge with the Eagle or even assume its primordial form.

Finally.

【The duel begins now.】

【Druid of the Golden Rule (Nameless Eagle) VS Forgotten God (The First Woman, Lilith)】

…Lilith.

A woman radiating a dense, suffocating shadow.

She looked cursed from the first glance.

The sheer weight of her malevolence was so heavy I felt a natural urge to keep my distance.

However.

—Lilith, what is the meaning of this…? Obey my directive!

The Forgotten God’s voice cracked with panic.

*What?*

The confusion was mutual.

“Awooo…?”

Lilith walked toward me without a shred of malice. She reached out, took my hand, and.

“Awooo!”

…She gave me a radiant smile.

The Forgotten God’s face twisted in rage.

A mask of irritation and pure loathing.

It was the first time she had shown such raw, unshielded emotion.

*A mindless puppet dares to disregard my command?*

Lilith.

The progenitor of women, and the alleged fountainhead of all sin.

But Lilith possessed no soul.

By design, she lacked the capacity for emotion or expression.

She shouldn’t have even been able to speak.

The Forgotten God had held her for countless lifetimes, yet Lilith had never once moved toward another person of her own accord.

She was a tool.

Nothing more, nothing less.

“Awooo—!”

It sounded like a child mimicking a wolf’s howl.

She held my hand, nuzzling her face against me and making those strange, wild sounds.

That behavior was unmistakable.

*A courtship.*

…A display of affection and deep bond.

But it was a logical impossibility.

A being without a soul cannot experience love.

Yet here was Lilith, breaking her programming to offer her heart.

Ignoring the Forgotten God entirely.

*…How?*

The Forgotten God was disgusted, but her curiosity was even stronger.

Had Lilith somehow developed a soul?

*Impossible.*

The Forgotten God dismissed the thought.

Lilith’s soul didn’t exist.

There was never a spark there to begin with.

She was merely an empty vessel that had been filled with darkness.

Therefore, Lilith’s current actions had to stem from a completely different source.

In other words.